So I've been trying to embrace lower-impact blogging about random stuff, and I figured I'd write about watching The X-Files for the first time. Just gonna be a series of screencaps with some captions/reactions underneath them.
I'm actually just doing them in a more thread-friendly way on my Mastodon, so if you want to see it post-by-post (rather than one big post), go there.
I'm currently also doing threads for a playthrough of FFXIV Endwalker (spoiler tags there), a rewatch of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and (planned) Twin Peaks: The Return first watch.
S01E01 "Pilot" - Aired Date: September 10, 1993
Next Episode
God DANG what a good pilot.
You can see the chemistry between Duchovny and Anderson.
Love how it has all the elements of the show present: paranormal, medical/procedural, the skepticism, the "maybe it's plausible [this] happened instead" and the cover-up.
I know that Skully/Mulder get together eventually (through osmosis, and a little wiki reading, years ago) so I'm not going through this blind. But it's still nice to go "ah, that's why they did", because you can kind of see the tension already in Episode 1.
I liked that they have this kind of stress-induced situation and then go "okay, fine, time to dump some trauma and get on the same page."
I was so impressed they actually went "yeah, aliens are real here" instead of stringing us along forever. Crazy.
This post is gonna be a bit short, but I also found this cool image advertising the release. Also interesting that the famous theme music isn't here yet.
Station 19 05.11 - The Little Things You Do Together
Synopsis
Vic is having her abortion and Theo is committed to being with her throughout the process. The unexpectedly difficult experience gives them a chance to figure out where they stand. Travis answers a Crisis One call with a man whose wife left him and is forced to face some uncomfortable truths about his own relationships. While Carina and Maya try to find compromise on a sperm donor, Andy and Jack decide to help each other work on making better choices in love.
Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - One of the best episodes of Station 19 to date. A quiet moment was taken in this episode to allow characters to express their emotions, feel their feelings, and move their emotional arcs forwards. Also a poignant approach to an abortion story line and a lovely continuation of Diane's impact on this show. As Jack says "See, therapy works!"
Review
This is not a show I typically watch week to week; rather, I'll often let 3 or 4 episodes pile up and watch them all at once. This episode, however, I knew I was going to watch pretty quickly (at least for me). I was very invested in Vic's abortion story line and I was very interested to see where this arc was going to take her, and Theo, and I was not disappointed. This episode was so heartfelt, quiet, and intimate. In a show where episodes sometimes move at a blazing pace and character beats can be left by the wayside for a few episodes, it's nice to be reminded that Station 19 really shines when it gives its characters the opportunity to sit down and just say what needs to be said.
Vic and Theo's story in this episode was easily one of my favorite stories in all of Station 19. Abortion story lines can be tricky, and I find they are always better when they allow a character to feel what feels natural to them. Vic has a line about how she never wanted the baby, but her body is grieving anyway, and that is such a perfectly in character response for Vic. She isn't questioning her choice, she isn't uncertain about what she's doing, but she feels and she feels deeply, and on a subconscious level, she cared about what she was about to do much more than she realized. Her snark and her tears and her desperate attempts to shove Theo away while really wanting him to be with her was wonderfully acted and beautifully portrayed, and a beautiful approach to how Vic would act in this situation. I loved watching her slowly accept that she hadn't shoved Theo away and that he really did want to be there, and I LOVED how the episode truly centered Vic and her feelings and her experience within this specific arc.
Theo also truly shined this episode. He remained sweet, respectful, and supportive while still demanding the space to experience this event that also impacted him, and it was a nice shift forward for him. Throughout Vic's grief over Miller, Theo has felt abandoned and pushed aside, and for him to stand up to her in this way, this gentle but firm way, was really something. He knows Vic, he knows how she is going to react to this, and he sits quietly, refuses to let her give him an out, and is with her every second of the process. I think this gave Theo a ton of character growth, helped to solidify his and Vic's relationship, and also just made me love him so. much. more. I mean... guys... he read so many books... he was so prepared... he sang so badly for her... I'm melting. A really beautiful depiction of a couple having an abortion and the way it brings out feelings and how it will impact them both, a lovely depiction of a man and his hands on approach to being there for her, and a lovely step forward for them as a couple. 10/10, honestly.
Andy and Jack was a fun dynamic to get back into! I've kind of been of the mind that they've cycled Andy through every man she could be with, so they're going to give her some time alone (hopefully!!!) and then either introduce a brand new love interest (open to it) or bring somebody back from her past (as long as it's not Sullivan, why not?). And let me just say, if it happens to be Jack... I wont be angry at it. They have such fun chemistry, the actors play off of each other beautifully, and I really love watching them together. No matter what direction this dynamic goes, I really hope we see them become close again, and continue to see them have solo scenes together. But... lets see how long they can keep up this whole Abstinence Buddies story line.
Warren's small arc was also really great this episode. I love Ben Warren, I think he's such a unique character, and I love that he had to kind of find his place in this episode. His belief that because he had checked off x number of therapy sessions, that was it, while still refusing to truly see the issues he was facing, was really well done. Interested to see how things progress now that he's been faced with a realization about what his actions meant for his team and seems to want to work on his issues. Also.. let that family keep Pru, I'm begging you.
Travis's arc has been frustrating for me. He was hooking up with Emmett, but he didn't want to be with him. Then they were a couple, and it was great, but now, he's falling out of love with him? I love Travis, him and Vic are my favorite two characters on the show, but I just wish this arc was... better? It feels repetitive, especially because it's with someone he had broken up with and gotten back together with in the past, and the show finds ways to constantly compare him to Michael as a way to remind us that this love isn't the same, and, so far, doesn't seem to live up. I'm hoping for Travis to truly decide what he wants for himself and then take it. Poor Emmett though!
Maya and Carina was also a nice touch this episode. Another emotional beat that was given a little space to breath, which I think was needed. This arc in a dramatic, faster episode would have landed very differently. Even with a much smaller arc, I loved that Maya was clearly upset about something and nobody else seemed to actually grasp what it was she was upset about. They kept trying to insinuate she wanted to carry or be the egg donor, even when she had repeatedly said that wasn't it, and I love that Maya always stands her ground. Even if she can't quiet find a way to express what she wants at a given moment, she always stands her ground, and it's part of what makes her such an interesting character. I love the compromise at the end, and I'm interested to see who they chose!! And, of course, they're a couple that I feel like would normally bug me but instead they manage to be effortless and so full of charm and such lightness, I can't help but love them.
In all honesty, I have no idea what happened with Sullivan... I don't care about him or Beckett, so this pair up, while an interesting step for Sullivan to try to help another addict, in his own sobriety journey... I'm just not interested.
All in all, easily one of my top 5 episodes of this show. I was thoroughly impressed with the portrayal of a solidification of a love story through an abortion story line. It was a pretty unique take on an abortion arc, but it was so beautifully done, and it gave so much respect to the truth about abortion, from the mental to the physical to the emotional, while still feeling honest and true to the characters. Theo x Vic 5ever you guys. Interested to see where the arcs go from here, for everyone, and I thoroughly loved this quiet, intimate episode that showed love in so many forms, in so many stages, and made no apologies about showing characters in their rawest forms.
Settling the Score: Hashikko Ensemble, Final Chapter
Settling the Score: Hashikko Ensemble, Final Chapter
48 chapters later, friends compete for the first time in this conclusion to Hashikko Ensemble.
Summary
It’s shortly after the start of the new school year at Hashimoto Tech, and all the clubs are presenting to recruit first-years. While the freshmen predictably look a little too rough-and-tumble to sing chorus/glee-style, Jin declares his confidence that they’ll find new members.
The chapter…
Jin has a breakthrough and Kozue reveals another side of herself in Hashikko Ensemble, Chapter 47.
Summary
Kozue catches up to Jin, who has left the clubroom because he’s lost the music inside of him. As the two walk and talk, Kozue helps Jin put words to what’s been bothering him: He’s frustrated over what he hasn’t been able to do, and it’s eating him up inside. In particular, Jin is…
Jin is on one heck of an emotional arc in Hashikko Ensemble, Chapter 46.
Summary
The girls of the Chorus Appreciation Society (plus Yukina and Yumerun) start on their Valentine’s Day mini-concert—Kozue’s idea for bringing Jin out of his musical funk. But within himself, all he can seem to hear are their flaws. Still, while they’re lacking either skill, group coordination, or both, they seem to…
So much of what I’ve been wanting and anticipating has finally hit in what is one of the most impactful chapters of Hashikko Ensemble yet.
Summary
At a meeting, Akira openly asks the Chorus Appreciation Society members if they think he has what it takes to get into a music college. While Tsuyama gets mad at him for bringing that up among students at a vocation-focused technical high school, Jin…
Orihara Kousei Has a Posse: Hashikko Ensemble, Chapter 44
Orihara Kousei Has a Posse: Hashikko Ensemble, Chapter 44
Summary
The Christmas-themed concert at Kousei’s orphanage continues, with the two sides (Christmas crew vs. Namahage Tsuyamers) joining together to sing a couple of songs as one. Kozue (still dressed as God) announces them as the Hashimoto High Chorus Appreciation Society, or “Hashi-kou Ensemble” for short.
The kids in the audience enjoy their performance, while Rikurou (the delinquent kid) is…
It's the ’Hara Knock Life: Hashikko Ensemble, Chapter 43
It’s the ’Hara Knock Life: Hashikko Ensemble, Chapter 43
Akira, Jin, and Mai singing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” to little kids
We get a glimpse of Kousei’s home life (and a Christmas concert!) in Hashikko Ensemble, Chapter 43.
Summary
The Chorus Appreciation Society is visiting the orphanage where Kousei’s been raised, and they plan to hold a Christmas concert for the kids there. ItThere, Akira and the others meet three people in particular:…
