flag id: a flag with 5 stripes, which are dark dull brown, dark dull purple, blue, soft seafoam green, and pale green. end id.
banner id: a 1600x200 teal banner with the words ‘please read my dni before interacting. those on my / dni may still use my terms, so do not recoin them.’ in large white text in the center. the text takes up two lines, split at the slash. end id.
charian: an alternative term for 'mspec vesbian'; one who is lunian (mspec lesbian) in a nonbinary, genderqueer, etc. way
[pt: charian: an alternative term for 'mspec vesbian'; one who is lunian (mspec lesbian) in a nonbinary, genderqueer, etc. way. end pt]
a vesbian term like lunian to go with cetian!
the term is based on charon, the moon of pluto. the flag takes the bottom three stripes from the lunian flag and replaces the top two with colors representing death (since charon is the ferryman of the underworld).
It's been a year since I've started playing dnd with my friends, so I painted our party to celebrate!
Ngl right after I showed them this we had a huge combat session and we may or may not team wipe lmao
In Charian (the land they live in), there is a certain groundcover (I picture it something like mallow in height, though the leaves are different and more abundant), which is favoured by the alyen.
It has mildly hallucinogenic properties, among other things. It can trick the one who consumes it to believe that they are more capable and able than they actually are. Taken to excess, it has long-term health issues, especially as relates to various senses. Its short-term effects are liable to happen at just about any consumption level, unpredictably.
For reasons known only to themselves, the alyen promote it as a healthy substance to feast off generously. Of course some of the tairen also eat it, but in general more sparingly. It is severely frowned upon, especially under Sheba's leadership, and is akin to calling the Darkness (the dragon who they are preventing from being resurrected/released) the Queen, as a taire.
Now we come to how this affects Paddy and leads to the actual leaf incident. He's very much the sort who will follow all the really important tairen dictates, and make a noise about doing so as well. So when he has a chance to impress a newcomer (who he is about to deliver safely to the tairen since she is such a danger to their cause), he talks up how he never does anything Sheba truly doesn't want him to do, et cetera, et cetera.
Then along comes a band of alyen. Paddy sees this as a good opportunity (spy/scout that he is) to get information from them, especially as regards Taira and whether they know Taira exists yet. So he tells Taira to hide, which she does. She hides where she can see him.
Unfortunately, they were just approaching the largest patch of the leaf (it doesn't have an actual name yet; does it need one? feel free to suggest names to me) in the area, with the express intention of harvesting plenty to keep dosing the alyen with. Of course, while harvesting, they may as well have a blowout feast of it.
They're understandably suspicious of Paddy himself. He's acting all breezy and correct and they're not entirely trusting him. So some of the others begin to harvest. Paddy, of course, is wildly outnumbered, and hence absolutely cannot let them suspect him, or he's dead. He manages to keep out of the harvesting with some excuse, and keeps talking to the others.
(Taira, still and silent, is watching from the undergrowth. Oh, and at this point she's covered in mud, so she's not particularly visible.)
But the time comes when they stop harvesting and start feasting. They notice that one (1) of their members isn't touching it, and that's Paddy. They push him to eat some.
Given how much most of them have literally just been eating, and the assortment of animals, and Paddy's position in the group at present, at this point he could cut his losses and make a break for it. There's a 99% chance that he'll escape, and Taira will be able to sneak out after him later.
However, Paddy, being his usual sometimes arrogant self, believes that the leaf won't affect him too much. He wants to show up to his new friends - because even though they are different sides of the war, he wants to feel accepted there too. He believes he can handle it, so when somebody asks him if he wants to try some (he claims health problems in childhood made him unable to digest it), he responds, Don't mind if I do, and instead of just taking one leaf, voluntarily consumes a large bunch.
Taira, watching, feels shocked and betrayed, especially because he promised her he wouldn't go too far with it. Eventually, the alyen fall asleep, as does Paddy. He, however, rises earlier than any of the others, and intends to find Taira and sneak away. He did not account in his plans for the fact that his smell and taste are entirely gone, and his other senses are significantly worse than they were (they recover in time, but not for at least several days). Since Taira has shifted position, he cannot find her. He goes to and fro begging her to forgive him and show herself and come back. (That particular section is inspired by the excellent and heartwrenching scene in the film The Silver Fleet, in which the main character pleads with his wife to let him in, if she loves him, and she resists him. Taira does a very similar thing.) He gets very close to her, but she manages to elude him.
I forget exactly what happens next (and with the addition of new characters since I noted all this down, it may change), but it ends with Paddy bound in captivity by the group of alyen, and Spry leading Taira back to safety with the tairen, who will come and rescue Paddy. Except Spry isn't actually a taire, and has secretly told the alyen about her existence (maybe that's why they suspect Paddy?) and takes her to them, so that she is captured too. Originally I had her trying to free Paddy and thereby being captured, but I like this better.
Spry then, leaving Taira and Paddy in the clutches of the alyen, goes and informs the tairen that Paddy has been captured. Paddy is unaware of Taira's capture, and it is at this point that the flying wombats come into play to save Paddy.
Some of this needs better plotting out, but that's the basics of what's going on with the leaf incident, anyway. And that is where the earlier excerpt regarding treason - I think the first I shared on here, and should be under the tag paddy, and possibly sheba as well - comes in, when Paddy faces Sheba, because he essentially lost Taira to them, by sharing food with the alyen.
I would love to know your thoughts, you and/or anyone else. Originally, this was written as a reference to Bree's arrogance, in The Horse And His Boy.
Here's the thing - I have fallen down the Charlie/Ian rabbit hole. Like, I am down BAD. I've rewatched this episode so much, I have most of it memorized. I'm gonna do all that I can to make sure I'm being impartial, however, please be aware that much of this post is just gonna be me Pepe Silvia-ing about my ship. I'm sorry.
ALSO there's a commentary for this episode so I'm going to combine those posts into one. This is going to change me.
Charlie is handling this crime scene much better than the one in 1x02! He's.. kinda acting like he owns the place, honestly.
Ian Edgerton represents just about everything I hate about the US - former military, current cop, possible gun nut. I should want this man dead for all of the war crimes he's probably committed, for all of the police brutality he's likely done, for all the personal liberties he's possibly violated.
But god damn it, Lou Diamond Phillips is just so fucking charming. They really knew what they were doing when they cast him.
Right off the bat, the dynamic between Charlie and Ian is delicious. Ian grinning at Charlie while explaining everything to him on the hill, showing that he's not angry or annoyed (like that poor fingerprint tech was) that Charlie is there and challenging him, he's... amused. He looks like he's enjoying their back and forth. He's into this. That's very, uh, 👀 if I may say so.
And of course, Charlie is the opposite. He's not pleased about being shown up like this. He's supposed to be the smartest guy on the team, goddammit! And that makes it all the more tantalizing. As much as I adore Charlie, I will admit to his flaws, his ego being one of them. It's good to see him knocked down a few pegs.
5. For a few seconds, I swore to God that David K had been replaced by Oscar Isaac.
6. THE SOLARIUM MY BELOVED. I suspect there's two reasons why we don't see it very often after season 1: A. they moved from filming in a real house to built sets, and B. lots of windows make it harder to hide lights. It's a shame. I love the garage, don't get me wrong, but the solarium is a great variety in set.
7. Hey, do you remember that scene in Madoka Magica where Madoka's room just has a fuckton of chairs in it for no reason?
(In case you're wondering, yes, I've come up with ideas for that crossover fic, too.)
8. The dialogue writing in this scene is god tier. Shout out to Ken Sanzel for the entire episode, honestly, but this scene in particular. Everyone's in character, the conversation is decently realistic, and Amita gets to be witty and funny! Peter MacNicol is the standout; his little noise of upset when Amita and Charlie are working on this case instead of his project, the way he slumps down in that couch, him just grabbing random ass props to fidget with… Damn. He's so good.
9. Amita says "wormholes" like she's never heard the word before and it adds to the comedy. Poetry snaps for Navi Rawat, everybody!
10. Don just threatened a random lady with the DEATH PENALTY?? SIR. I don't care for racists either but you have GOT to sit down.
11. Hey the fuck is this
Why do you have a calculator?? You ARE a calculator!! IT'S THE ONE THING YOU'RE GOOD AT!! What crewmember gave him that? I'm calling your mom!
12. Oh, the warehouse scene. UGH this is so beautiful, let's break it down.
A. The choice of set is great. Having Ian and Charlie looking down over the crime scene with these giant windows gives them so many fun angles to use. Charlie's silhouette framed by the window.. chef's kiss
B. We've only seen Charlie and Ian have one (1) conversation, and Ian has already given Charlie a nickname, one that's cute but not condescending. Charlie is a professor, and seems to prefer that title over doctor. Still, a nickname that quick? That's a little, uh, ya know... 🏳️🌈
C. Ian says "just look" and Charlie does it, but he pouts like a teenager the entire time. Charlie is such a little brat and I love him for it.
D. Ian cannot stop smiling at Charlie. He can barely take his eyes off of him. Ian's not beating the gay allegations.
E. IAN: That's the difference between an expert marksman, and a guy who aims at white meat and goes home with a wing.
CHARLIE: A woman got shot today. Not some animal.
IAN: I see. So, when I regard her as a technical problem, I'm a sick bastard, but when you plug her in an equation, you're a scientist?
Damn, I love this exchange. This is what I want for a Charlie ship - someone who could force Charlie to re-evaluate himself to his core. As we've discussed, Charlie's kinda full of himself, he's used to being the smartest person in the room, and in the world of academia, he usually is, but now at the F.B.I., he's finding people who are good at what they do to be.. well, good at what they do. This episode is reminding Charlie that he does not, in fact, know everything. A nice reality check. I do wish they had circled back around to the two points raised here (I. Is Ian so uncaring about the lives of others? After all, he did say that snipers loved to kill, and II. Is Charlie's analytical approach to crime any morally superior than Ian's?) though. This definitely could've been an avenue for some interesting ethical debates.
F. Even after having a semi-heated debate, Ian walks down to the street with Charlie and engages with him in a little bit of math conversation. This is why I cannot be convinced that Ian disliked Charlie on their first meeting; he seeks him out too much. Hell, he was the one who started the conversation in the warehouse to begin with! Also, I think it's funnier if Ian is really into Charlie at first and Charlie is conflicted between "oh God, he's a jerk" and "oh God, he's pretty."
13. I think about the scene with Charlie and Larry at the dinner table a lot.
A. The line delivery of "Hey, there's an interesting metaphysical notion" lives in my head.
B. Charlie refers to Ian as "this Agent Edgerton guy." He sounds like when I'm trying to be casual to someone about a TV show I'm obsessed with by pretending not to know any specifics about it.
C. Oh, wow. I know this was not planned, but the plot point of Larry going to space got foreshadowed all the way back in this episode. Crazy!
D. Why does Larry want Charlie to shoot a gun so bad? Wouldn't Larry also be in the "don't believe in guns" camp?
E. Why is the pears and apples decor so weird to me. Why do they stand out.
14. If I'm correct, this is the first we hear of Terry's ex-husband. It's funny that she says they got in a fight after a quick phone call, as getting back together with him is reason they use later for why she left the team.
15. Notice how the ATF has the Green Lightning white supremacist group on a watch list for illegal arms dealing. No other reasons. Just for guns. Surprisingly accurate depiction of the US governments feelings on racism; white supremacists aren't bad for hate speech or violence against minorities, just if they keep money from the hands of firearms corporations.
16. I don't know whether to give the writers credit for having Osborne (the white supremacist group member) kill a man for his own personal reasons while claiming it to be for a political cause, as we have seen, racists aren't actually interested in the betterment of society as they claim to be, just in satisfying their own sick desires to hurt others, or to discredit the writers for not having the Osborne be sniper zero himself. Random violence for violence's sake is extremely typical of white supremacists. Though, I suppose there's nothing to suggest Nathan Crane isn't also a fascist...
17. Alan is worried about Charlie being at crime scenes, and though Alan changes his mind at the end… the episode basically proves him right? Crane came this close to sniping Charlie in the head. But we just don't talk about that, I guess.
18. Ian has two outfits in this episode - all black/dark gray pieces with a longer coat that emphasizes what a dark and mysterious bad ass he is, and a white button up/brown jacket combo that makes him look like a grandpa. Both are perfectly in character.
19. Do you think Lou Diamond Phillips came up with the idea of Ian removing and replacing his sunglasses with precise dramatic timing? Or was he directed to do that?
20. Ian walks up to Terry and David and says Charlie might be right about the sniper while Ian himself might be wrong. This man? Admitting defeat to someone? This man? Nah. No way he'd be acting like this if it wasn't a cute math professor. GAY.
21. Ian refers to Charlie by his first name when talking to Terry and David. Not "the professor" or "Professor Eppes" or "Dr. Eppes", Charlie. Remember, we've only seen them have two (2) conversations on screen, and both times they've been trying to intellectually one up each other. You cannot tell me there's a heterosexual explanation for that!!
22. Hey, Hollywood: here's a scene that's intentionally dark, yet I can still see everything that's happening. TAKE NOTES!
23. Ian's disbelief at the concept of a rash of copy cat snipers still make sense. Even if Ian respects Charlie's insight (which I would argue he does, if not now than by season 3, season 5 at the very latest), he's still suggesting a wild idea. I don't think Ian's role in this story is to be another skeptic Charlie has to win over, but instead an intellectual challenge Charlie has to face, so he needs to continue to be that.
24. And Charlie, to his credit, accepts that challenge. He says Ian was "a little right", and decides that he needs to consider Ian's perspective. I think "understanding the mechanics of a killer" is a little out there for what Charlie needs to be doing, after all, Charlie learning to fire a gun doesn't actually help them solve the case, Don's comment about beginner's luck and Charlie's subsequent realization about progression to the mean does. But I will give points to Charlie for trying something out of his comfort zone. Don't think it needed to be guns, though.
25. OBSESSED with the fact that Charlie bat his eyelashes hard enough to get Don to teach him how to shoot a rifle, and Don's like "FINE! but you can't tell Dad." Never going to stop being peak older brother/younger brother energy.
26. David is the one who coins the term "Sniper Zero"! It's a great term, honestly. I feel like if Numb3rs characters had rapper/musician/idol group names, Sniper Zero would be a good one for Ian. But it would be stylized as like. SNIPER-0 or something.
….Yes, I've thought about giving Numb3rs characters jpop idol group names. Don't judge me.
27. This is scene is also a trend I've noticed in season 1 - Charlie thinks something is wrong/missing from their approach, he verbalizes this worry to Don, and then Don reassures him. Off the top of my head, I've seen it in 1x02, 1x07, and now 1x09. Don isn't super affectionate, but when he is, it's in his own special way, and it's usually with Charlie~
28. This Alan and Larry scene is gorgeous.
A. For starters, it's just a fantastically written scene. The flow is so natural, it feel like a real conversation and not a written scene. It does a great job highlighting the differences and similarities in the two by their diction and word choice.
B. This scene is pure character work. Neither character is one of our leads, nor does a single line has anything to do with the A or B plot of the episode - they don't discuss the sniper case, or guns, or even Alan's concern about Charlie at crime scenes. Alan mentions a cute anecdote about Charlie, Larry is honored by Alan's subtle admission that Larry is a father figure/familial bond for Charlie, then they laugh as Larry gets too distracted and starts losing the chess game. Every show DESPERATELY needs more scenes like this to make the audience care about the characters beyond the plot.
C. The way this scene is set up is fascinating. Alan and Larry are in a little cafe together, playing chess, Alan in his glasses and turtleneck, Larry's eyes sparkling, laughing together in the warm glow of fairy lights… wait… I feel like.. like I'm in a '90s romcom right now… Ar-.. are they falling in love? Are they gonna kiss at the end of the episode??
29. The scene with the 4 agents and Charlie with the paper throwing is another absolute banger.
A. David is adorable in this scene. He hasn't been talked about in this series very much yet, mostly because the show hasn't focused on him (they seem more interested in Terry), but I do wanna give him some spotlight. His grin and excitement during Charlie's explanation and watching him throw the paper is infectious! And he's engaged, you can tell he's following along. I'm definitely excited to get to season 2 so we can spend more time with David.
B. Charlie has no problem admitting Ian was right this time, and Ian doesn't gloat! You know what that is? Growth.
C. Don and Charlie are extremely cute. Don beams while playfully insulting Charlie's basketball abilities, and Charlie just smiles without missing a beat. Then we cut to Ian (!!) and David's reactions, and they're also grinning. How fucking cute is this!! I'm gonna lose my mind!! I love my babies so fucking much!!
30. What were Charlie and Ian doing alone in the office...? 👀
31. Earlier in this episode, we asked the question "Are Ian and Charlie so different?" Now, I want to ask "Are Ian and Crane so different?" Both are former military and talented marksman, and Ian had stated that all snipers loved to kill. What's stopping Ian from being like Crane? That he kills random people for the US military/police force, and not on his own whims? How is killing for an employer any different from killing for pleasure?
32. This will be the first of many times Charlie Eppes is almost shot in the head. Even as a teen, I was very impressed by the shot of David tackling him and the car window breaking!
33. Don man-handling Charlie as soon as he gets over to him is simultaneously sweet and funny. It's funny to watch Charlie flail in Don's grip, but also nice to see Don reacting to Charlie in danger with such panic. I would've liked more of that (A LOT more), but I recognize that we're running out of time for the episode, and the audience for co-dependent brothers reacting in unhealthy ways when the other is in danger is mostly just me and scattered pockets of the Supernatural fandom, and thus is a bit too niche to cater to. Thank god for fanfiction!
34. Charlie doesn't ever thank David for saving his life, and I think that's awful. It's basic courtesy, Charlie!
35. Totally not looking too much into the fact that the first thing Ian did after shooting Crane was to run up and ask if Charlie was okay. Totally not. Totally not choosing to view this evidence of Ian having feelings for Charlie. It's very straight of Ian. Super heterosexual. Just what bros do. (THEY'RE GAY!!!!)
36. Charlie running around with the tarp is so cute :)
BONUS Commentary with Cheryl Heuton, Nicolas Falacci, David W. Zucker, and Lou Diamond Phillips
Lou says he had worked with Ken Sanzel previously on Lone Hero, and specifically mentioned Sanzel's dialogue writing. I'm not the only one who's impressed by it!
Charlie Clouser (score composer) made a THEME FOR IAN! Oh, the crew is just as down bad as I am.
I can't tell between Falacci's and Zucker's voices yet, but one of them joked about an Ian spinoff. Frankly, I would've been happy if he was just a semi-regular character.
It sounds like Lou is also a fan in return. He mentions having crossed paths with Rob, admired Peter, and he's "loved [David's] work ever since [he] laid eyes on him."
WOW! The rumor I heard was correct! David Krumholtz was sick for the majority of filming for this episode; Lou says the set doctor sent him home, and Heuton mentions that he had a fever of 104 (F). It explains why he sounds (and looks) a little feverish in the warehouse scene. It also explains why Charlie is particularly low energy for some scenes.
Lou assumed he couldn't come back because Ian's focus was too narrow, but the writers just expanded his focus as an excuse to have him return!
Heuton mentions a possible episode plot line that never came to pass - Don is in trouble, so Charlie calls Ian for help. (The argument can be made that the prophecy is somewhat fulfilled in 5x01, just Ian and Charlie's roles reversed.)
Lou makes a good point - the writers didn't have Ian challenge Don's authority over the team. He just slipped right into the dynamic without butting any heads. It was over played, they were smart to avoid it.
I was right, they didn't use the solarium because they lost the set. Damn. That sucks.
I KNEW IT. I KNEW IT! THE Y AXIS IS THE VERTICAL LINE, NOT THE HORIZONTAL ONE. David drew it wrong in the scene! God, I thought I was going insane....
Peter came in on his day off to see Lou 🥹
There were POSSUMS invading their set. My god, shenanigans just don't happen like this anymore!
It was said that some of the Charlie/Ian scenes were originally intended to be Charlie/Don scenes, but Rob got the flu from David, and they put Ian in there instead. They didn't specify which scenes, but if true, this is an example of things that just don't happen anymore - time/budget constraints making creative challenges and changes that alter the course of the show. I wonder what the scenes were, though? There's only 2 scenes with Charlie and Ian alone, and neither seem like they would've been Charlie and Don.
Needless to say, I love this episode. For one, it's THE charian episode, Charlie and Ian spend the most screentime together this episode than any others. All of the dialogue scenes are beautifully written, a round of applause once again for Sanzel, and excellently shot. Sure, Alan and Don's B plot got lost along the way, but I'm at peace with that. I'll have plenty of time to watch Alan and Don debate; but for today, I get to sit back, relax, put on my Old School Yaoi Goggles, and write rarepair fanfiction like it's 2005.
Ken Sanzel wrote this episode! There’s only one person allowed to write Ian Edgerton, I guess lol
DON: I mean, the guy’s poisoning over-the-counter drugs, and we’re keeping quiet because the manufacturer convinced us to. I mean, phew, boy, if that doesn’t say something.
CHARLIE: About?
DON: Corporations. Their influence.
ALAN: Their research costs a lot of money. Without companies with resources, you can’t get any development.
A. I’m going to shove eight copies of The Communist Manifesto right down Alan’s throat. You think individual researchers wouldn’t be over the moon to do research independent of corporations? You’d be wrong.
B. Ken, I’m taking away some of your Writing Street Cred, because you did not just have the WAR PROTESTER on the pro-corporations side, and the FBI AGENT on the anti-corporations side during this argument. Do you even know what planet you’re on right now, Ken?
Charlie being unable to spell never stops being adorable!
JOURNALIST: You know, I do have First Amendment protections.
COLBY: Yeah, but those don’t even seem to protect real journalists these days. You publish record reviews and phone sex ads. Wanna try your luck?
So, you agree? The government censors First Amendment rights when it’s convenient for corporations and those in power? Once again, Ken is so close to the point, but he just can’t make that last leap.
Charlie tell Don that he has classes to teach and papers to grade, implying that he doesn’t have time to work on this case, but Don reiterates that the poisoner will strike again. Ianmal and I discussed this briefly in the SCTN for 2x07, about how much the FBI and other organizations compete over (and maybe even take advantage of) Charlie’s time. Looks like that theme is popping up again.
Once again, Colby and David get to go on a nice date! A romantic getaway in the mountains with the gayest character on this show! *wistful sigh* They’re so lucky….
I think this is the episode that we learned Colby was from Idaho? Makes sense. I can see him growing up along side Napoleon Dynamite.
8.
9. Ian hugs David!! How sweet!!
10. Colby having admiration for Ian’s time in the military is cute, provided you don’t think about it all of the state-sanctioned murder.
11. As much as I love Ian from an entertainment standpoint, he does continue to suck as a person. Not only is Colby bragging about how much murder he did, but now Ian himself is mocking people with legitimate grudges against the government. Get a life, Ian.
12. Ian also has sketch-artist training? Is there anything this guy can’t do? (Something something, my previous posts about how I always envisioned Charlie dating an artist, something something.)
13. I will give Ken credit for taking the baton and running with Megan/Larry. Larry recognizes that he’s a guest and not an expert in this field, but has an idea to share, and he does so respectfully, making sure he’s read the material and done his research. He’s awkward, but still articulate. Meanwhile, we can tell Megan isn’t sure where he’s going with this, but she listens and engages, and uses Larry’s input to find Brott (the poisoner.) They’re also extremely adorable while they do it! Good job on Ken’s part!
14. As we’ve discussed, I’m whiter than bleached mayonnaise, so I don’t get to have an opinion on this, so I’m going to ask – describing Brott as a “male Black” is offensive, right? Shouldn’t it be “Black male”?
15. Okay, even if you don’t ship them, you gotta admit how interesting it is that Charlie has been absent since the scene where he tells Don he’s too busy to help with the case (10 whole minutes of the episode ago), yet he’s happy to abandon his duties when Ian’s name gets brought up.
16. There is definitely an entire essay that could be written about the evolution of Ian’s relationship with Charlie and Don, but the sake of brevity, I’ll focus on the obvious – everyone looks really happy to see each other. Charlie is beaming the second he lays eyes on Ian, Ian is flirting joking around even more than usual, and the exchange between the two is less of a debate and more of an attempt at constructive conversation. It’s also interesting to see these interactions picking up right where they left off despite the time gap – in universe, they haven’t see each other in a year!
17. Don being upset at Charlie for putting thumbtacks in the wall. *Chef’s kiss* Us brothers enthusiasts always stay winning!
18. Our poisoner turned out to be a person of color, which feels extremely inaccurate, but sure, and we don’t even get a single dialogue scene with him before he dies. I think this is a great time to remind everyone that Ken Sanzel is a former police officer, because it’s starting to show in his racism.
19.
I appreciate the artistry of the shot, but these stand-ins are so obviously not Krumholtz or Morrow, it’s amusing lol
20. Sorry, guys, the Yaoi Goggles gotta go on for a second: Charlie and Ian are already talking when Don walks up to them with his coffee. Is this to imply that Charlie and Ian arrived before Don did? Did they wake up before he did? Did they sleep at all? 👀
21.
22. Ian’s little smirk with “I like it.”? What is the heterosexual explanation for that??
23. Yeah, I’ll admit, can’t bring myself be angry or annoyed with Mrs. McHugh. Her husband was wrongly accused of fraud and murder, and now she’s all on her own, trying to keep up a ranch, and presumably raise a child (we see a toy basketball net outside the house proper), without any support. All because the federal government looked the other way when a corporation made dangerous products. Yeah, fuck the FBI.
24. The reveal that the pharmaceutical company not only had their former employees STALKED, but knew about the crime being committed and said NOTHING is so incredibly accurate to real life. I will give the episode that.
25. CHARLIE: [McHugh] is taking a big chance [by coming back to his ranch.]
IAN: He’s had this place his whole life, it’s hard to just walk away.
LDP delivers this line in a very solemn and knowing tone. I wonder if Ken had some ideas for Ian’s backstory that got scraped, as in Ultimatum we learn that Ian has basically no ties to anything, not even any creature comforts.
26. Charlie is wearing a massive backpack throughout his entire time in Sibley. Is the implication that he’s comically over-packed, or that he’s carrying everyone’s provisions for them?
27. The fact that Ian and Charlie both point to the exact same place where they estimate the shooter would’ve been positioned is another example of their relationship evolving. They’re on the same page now, as opposed to squabbling over 10 feet differences.
28. Don and Charlie share a tense look when Charlie arrives at the standoff with McHugh. I wonder if Don was remembering the last time Charlie was at an active crime scene with himself and Ian…
29. I might be brainrotted, but if you turn off the sound, the entire standoff with McHugh in junkyard feels like an early episode of The Walking Dead – McHugh’s clothing, the trash dump, McHugh’s gun and flair, the thick forest surrounding them, the glow of the beginnings of a sunset… I’m back on the Greene Family Farm. God, I gotta write that crossover…
30.
Gif by @sun-ni-day
Sorry @sun-ni-day borrowing your gif real quick because THE WINK?? HELLO?? MR. KRUMHOLTZ???? ARE YOU DOING THIS ON PURPOSES??
31. Alan laments that taking down the pharmaceutical company means that there are now medications that will never be made. He... does realize there’s more than one pharmaceutical company in the world, right?
32. Charlie teases Larry for going to lunch with Megan. How did he know about that? Did Megan tell him in the car ride? I wanna hear THAT conversation!
33.
Charlie’s little Adidases are so cute to me :)
I like this episode! Of fucking course I do, it’s an episode with Ian, but the twist is actually pretty neat! It’s got my NUMB3RS ship trifecta as well. There’s less Charlie/Ian than there was in Sniper Zero, mostly because Ian’s only really relevant in the back half of the episode, and thus there was only time for plot, but I know the charian content becomes less and less over time, so it’s not as disappointing as it would be if I was a first-time watcher. But hey, the possibilities of Charlie and Ian sleeping together in the hotel is plenty for us fans, as my AO3 history will tell you~
