#fdtdmeta

[scifibi]

soo i was wondering, do you think seth was, dare i say, jealous of kate and rafa's short lived relationship i guess you could say? i really wish he could've shown it more

(x)

hello, anon! 

lmao this is actually kind of a funny question, because if i’m being completely frank, i don’t think we were meant to receive Seth’s reaction to Kate’s new friend Rafa in any other way, and there’s a few reasons why. 

let’s start with my favourite one: the scene in which Seth finds out about Rafa.

first of all – positioning. 

now, positioning is key. positioning tells us a LOT about dynamics in a scene – motive, agenda, interpersonal connections, intentions etc. 

Seth and Kate are both positioned very deliberately here. they’re on opposite sides of a table, so there’s an element of confrontation to their interaction. not only that, but Seth is standing while Kate is sitting. that right there? that sets Kate on something of a defensive edge.

this is an important dynamic to establish right off the bat. it shows that Seth and Kate aren’t just two regular, purely platonic friends having a discussion about a guy one of them met. if they were, the vibe would be one of open intimacy, NOT confrontation.

it shows, too, in the way she tries to recover. 

this is a pretty rare reaction from Kate. back in 1x02, when Scott was calling her out about Kyle, we didn’t even get to see her anywhere near this nervous. she barely even blinked, reacting with pure exasperation and annoyance. (“Hey, give it back!” “Gross!”)

the fact that Kate was nervous about talking to Seth about a stranger with whom she’d had an (admittedly very flirty) interaction with is a huge indicator that their relationship is definitely not of the brother-sister variety that she shares with Scott. it shows us that Kate cares what Seth thinks, in a very specific way that she doesn’t with Scott. 

(side note: this is actually a very nice parallel between 1x02 and 2x02 and i can’t believe i’ve never noticed it before lmaooo okay moving on)

next, Seth’s reaction.

what an AMAZING face. (well done, DJ.) 

first of all, it’s important to note that Seth doesn’t even say anything. Seth motherfucking Gecko, who always has a smartass comeback to anything and anyone in any given occasion, doesn’t say anything. 

he’s unsure of how to process this new information, and he’s unsure of how to react to it. 

note the face he pulls. whatever he’s feeling about this new Rafa person, he’s clearly not pleased. 

(x)

there’s also quite a bit to unpack in the scene where Seth actually meets Rafa.

like how Seth kicks things off by referencing his connection with Kate, establishing that as an anchorpoint right off the bat (“and then you pop the lock, exactly like we practiced”). 

or the way all three characters are positioned yet again – Seth on one side, Kate and Rafa on the other. (again, there’s that element of confrontation.)

or the way this scene was sequenced to follow right after the scene where Kate lured a man out to the parking lot for Rafa to feed on – a scene where she and Rafa got a lot closer, and Rafa actually made her smile like this: 

… or maybe just Seth being a snide lil shit to Rafa.

(x)

there’s also something to be said about the way Seth chooses the scene right before they start working the job to say this:

“I know I didn’t exactly make this easy on you, so… thank you. For putting up with my shit.”

it’s a pretty classic reaffirmation technique, one that we all do often enough in our own lives. when we feel like someone close to us is on the verge of pulling away, our natural reaction is to make conscious attempts to let them know how much we value them. 

and, while he’s at it, Seth goes ahead and blows Rafa’s whole making-Kate-smile deal out of the water with THIS Iconic Line:

(x)

in summation, yes, i definitely think we, as an audience, were meant to conclude that Seth was not only wary, but also ultimately jealous of Rafa for his connection with Kate.

[scifibi]

one thing i wish fdtd would have outright addressed/given a reason for: why did seth kick kate out of the car!!! why did he leave her!!! it was obvious neither of them were really ready to part ways even though they were both drifting bc she wanted to find her brother and he wasn't ready to find his. but I really don't think that either of them were ready to leave the other, so why did he do it? and he hooked up with sonja so quickly afterwards i just don't get it

(x)

1. Seth “kicking” Kate out of the car

At first glance, it might seem like this scene could be summarised this way. But this is an oversimplification of what took place between Seth and Kate. All I can say is, Context Is Key.

To start with, it’s clear that the last thing Seth wants is to “kick” Kate out. 

Coto’s tweet above is irrefutable evidence of that. If anything, Kate is the one that’s been expressing a desire to get out of their little Mexican Honeymoon limbo state. (Kate in 2x01: “Maybe I would’ve been better off alone”, “I could have made a killing as Richie’s knife-throwing girl”, “I want to get out of here. To find Scott”). Seth’s reaction to that, every single time, is basically some version of hey-don’t-you-even-say-that.

First, let’s look at Seth’s emotional state going into the scene.

His emotions were running high, as they always do when he’s working a job. (For reference, Kisa to Seth in 1x10: “You don’t love the money. You love stealing it. It’s about winning.”)

He was angry at the discovery that Rafa was a culebra – the exact thing he’s been trying to pretend doesn’t exist for the last three months.

Even more importantly, he was angry as hell that Kate didn’t tell him (Kate: “Rafa was my friend–” Seth: “No, he was one of them, and you knew it.”) 

He was thoroughly shaken from their encounter with the Regulator – an encounter that, if it hadn’t been for Rafa, would surely have ended with a bullet in Kate’s head.

Now, Seth was already mad, having the Regulator’s gun in his face. But then again, he could deal with that. He’s used to having guns in his face – enough so that he could actually snap “Fuck yourself” at the guy holding an actual smoking gun in his face.

But once the barrel swivelled over to point in Kate’s face – his whole world fucking stopped.

Two words: Seth’s face.

(x)

The Regulator was only there for Seth. His appearance, combined with their botched job, meant that Seth had, yet again, ended up being the person that had almost gotten Kate killed. So not only was Seth going out of his mind with worry for Kate and guilt over the danger he’d put her in, he was also really fucking mad at himself.

So, going into that car fight, Seth was already feeling a bunch of intense emotions – most of which were really just variations of fear and anger (which, as we all know, are not the best decision-making aides). All these emotions were pulsing and pounding their way through his already overheated system, all at the same time. 

(Side note: DJ played this WONDERFULLY, in every single narrowed glare and shake of his head. Bravo.)

Next, Seth was angry that Kate still couldn’t let her brother go.

(x)

Why? Because:

He’s been struggling to let his own brother go, and he couldn’t do that when she was constantly reminding him of their shared loss

He was plain jealous/envious of how, even three months after both their worlds turning to shit, she could still be so full of faith and hope

He’s been putting literal blood, sweat and tears into trying to protect her and keep her alive, risking his life out on jobs alone just so she can stay safe out of the fray, and even then, she still wanted to dive right back into the culebra mess they’ve worked so hard to leave behind. She wanted to dive right back into danger – all for what he perceived to be a pointless pursuit.

(x)

Finally, let’s consider what actually happened.

Kate was the one who told him to “stop the goddamn car”.

He asked her, “You want out?” She NODDED.

She immediately tried to backtrack a little, admitting that she’s “not ready” – but the damage was already done. He then scoffed, “You pulled your first big job all by yourself, isn’t that right? Here’s your diploma. Take half, and get out.”

Look at the words he’s using, especially the deliberate choice of the word “diploma” – a word that connotates graduation, a closed chapter leading into the next; independence. This clearly shows that in his mind, Kate’s already reached the conclusion that she no longer needs (or perhaps even wants) him around.

This is a really heartbreaking moment for SethKate, yes, but especially so for Seth. This is a moment where he’s realising, yet again, that everyone he’s ever needed has never needed him back. His mother left. His father only ever abused him. Three months ago, Richie, whom he’d spent his whole life protecting and looking after, flat-out abandoned him. And now Kate’s doing it, too.

(x)

Seth left because he thought he was looking at the end of their partnership. He left because he wanted to do it before she could do it to him. He left because he was angry at the world, angry at Richie, angry at Kate, and, most of all, angry at himself. He left because he thought he couldn’t protect her anymore. He left because he felt guilty for all he’d done to her, for all she’d suffered, for all she’d lost that he just couldn’t help her find again.

NOT because he wanted to. NEVER because he wanted to.

And the fact that he’d left her practically all the money and the car is cold, hard proof of that.

(For a much more succinct, less prosaic explanation of Seth’s perspective, see this A+++ gifset.)

2. Seth and Sonja

This meta is already far too long. For the sake of getting right to the point, I’m just going to leave you with this:

(Thanks, Urban Dictionary!)

[scifibi]

Yeah, I do think that Seth's attraction to Kate was always something instinctual for him, and he didn't try to examine it too close, otherwise he'd have to face facts. One thing that stood out about FDTD was that as much as Kate's innocence was explored, so was her sensuality. No matter how many times Seth tried to tell himself she was just a "little girl" (plez), it was obviously he didn't truly see her like that. Rather, he saw her as a very desirable young woman that he wanted.

(cont’d) Sorry about this second ask. I just wanted you take on what Seth would have said to Kate if he’d got to finish talking in 3x10? You know, “I’ve done some very messed up things in my life. I’ll be the first to admit that. But you-.” I personally think he would have told her that saving her was the only right thing he’s ever done in his life.

“One thing that stood out about FDTD was that as much as Kate’s innocence was explored, so was her sensuality.”

^^^^^^^ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The pool scene in 1x03. The kiss scene with Richie in 1x06. Shooting down Sex Machine at his own game of sexual innuendos in the same ep. Seducing that guy for Rafa to feed on in 2x02. No doubt about it, Little Miss Kate did a lot of growing up throughout S1 and S2.

It’s also worth pointing out that Seth wasn’t actually in any of those scenes – other than interrupting Kate and Richie in 1x06. 

As for 1x06, it’s important to note Seth’s snide “Preacher’s daughter strikes again” comment. This line was a direct sequel to “Preacher’s daughter playing tongue hockey”. This style of phrasing speaks for itself – Seth is fully aware that Kate is testing the new depths/boundaries of her newfound sexuality and sensuality. (Even then, he was too focused on giving his brother an earful to really follow up on it at the time.)

As for the 3x10 “But you–” line, I completely agree with you! I don’t think there’s much else to say about that, tbh. The moment Seth found out Kate was still alive, he pretty much dumped aside every other item on his list of priorities. IMO, it was a brilliant choice on the writers’ part – with just two words, Seth somehow managed to tell Kate everything he needed her to know, without actually saying anything.