#4x07

[aspecbuddie]

EVAN PETERS SINGING COME AS YOU ARE FUCK YES

[raayllum]

something something the trio's solution to the lava in 4x07 being to patiently wait for it to abide vs Viren and co. using a cut off piece of a dragon to barrel on ahead like yeah. Yeah

[winnie-the-monster]

[gehalge]

[raayllum]

cliff's edge

[raayllum]

"i'm worried he'll use me to do horrible things or hurt people care about which is too terrible for me to fathom and is why i'm asking you, rayla, to kill someone you care about" love you arc 2 dysfunction love you soo much

[girlsonbrotherwife]

MY SWEETIEE... licking her face clean from her nosebleed

[lafiametta]

i rewatched the garden scene in ep 7 and need to yell about Benedict backing away when Sophie comes closer to him because it's painful to have her near and then the way he can't bear her touch when she tries to comfort him, and he tries to redraw the boundary between them because he's falling apart; he can't even LOOK at her when they say goodbye, it's utterly devastating and SO SO GOOD

I mean that whole episode is so good, by which I mean well-acted and emotionally devastating, but, yeah, the garden scene just breaks my heart for both of them. Benedict’s taken on this role of strong older brother for Francesca in Anthony’s absence (and, seriously, wtf, Anthony — you sent lilies?) even though he’s also reeling from John’s death. It’s blow after blow for him: the day before he heard about John, Sophie had just broken up with him, and even though she offers all the realistic reasons why they can’t be together, it doesn’t make losing the love of his life and his dreams for their future any easier.

Obviously, neither of them planned on encountering each other in the garden, but Sophie can see he’s in pain and because she still loves him, she can’t help but want to ease it. And because he still loves her, despite the devastation of knowing she plans to leave, Benedict tries to connect with her, telling her what a comfort she’s been to his sisters. They both know they need to stay away from each other, and yet they can’t — they’re instinctively drawn towards each other in spite of everything. The whole scene is this wrenching push-pull with attempts at connection met with equal attempts at self-preservation. Sophie touches his arm; Benedict tells her that it isn’t her job to comfort him. Benedict asks if she’s still planning on leaving (still holding on to the tiniest bit of hope she’ll say no); Sophie tells him she is, with a firm date for her departure. Benedict asks her to go inside (his dark joke about influenza masking the fact that he’s finding it more and more difficult to bear her presence); Sophie offers to stay.

His realization that, despite any kindness she might be offering him at the moment, she’s now lost to him forever is the final straw. Benedict’s finally had enough — if she doesn’t leave, he will break down and lose himself completely to these overwhelming feelings of misery. He refuses to look at her because it’s just too painful. Even her polite farewell can’t help but wound him: “Goodbye, Mr. Bridgerton.” Once he had been Benedict, and he had held her in his arms and professed his love and made plans for their shared future. But it’s all gone, dead and buried like his poor brother-in-law.