everytime i rewatch episode 10 i always find myself comparing abaddon’s ritual to a wedding ceremony, with abaddon as the bride. abaddon, dressed in ceremonial garb, being told he looks beautiful (and scary. scary beautiful !) by katherine, who is somewhat of a guardian figure to him. abaddon receives well wishes from those closest to him.
(forgive my screenshots, i didn’t feel like posting from my pc.) the guest he wanted to be there most, esther, is not, and he asks if she’s coming. it feels a lot like someone wanting approval from a “lover that never was” (an almost. you ever had an almost? ouch) to go through with marrying someone else (in this case hell itself).
he’s visibly distraught that esther is not there. a character who we rarely see unironically sad, if ever.
look how sad he is : (
abaddon starts to walk down the isle as live (dead lol) music starts to play, before esther runs through the entrance doors in a very wedding crashing fashion. the acolyte todd makes an angry face when she shows up, because he knows if anyone was able to sabotage this it would be her. it so gives the “lover that never was” shows up to the wedding and the groom (acolyte todd, a stand in for hell itself) is peeved about it, in a jealous way.
esther tells abaddon that if this is what he really wants, then it’s what she wants too. she gives him her blessing, putting abaddon at ease. it’s like giving someone permission to move on, to let the relationship go. reassurance that things will be okay. she’s happy for him even if she’s not with him.
she even brought a (wedding) gift for him. literally the cutest thing ever btw.
they bow to each other, like dancers, or performers, a deeply respectful goodbye to each other. it’s very affectionate in a way that suits them and their dynamic.
i was shipping them subtly in the back of my mind throughout my first watch of the show, but when this scene played out i was on the edge of my seat with my mouth half open because of how hard it hit me. i love applying metaphorical shit to things that realistically probably don’t need it, because damn is it fun. are you kidding me? they’re adorable.
and then, when the “marriage” doesn’t turn out the way he hoped it would, he returns to her. he does everything, gives everything, to try and keep her and his “marriage” (in this case having his powers) at the same time. but that doesn’t work. you can’t yearn for someone else and keep your marriage. you have to make a choice. glory, or friendship. his marriage, or his true love. and in the end he chose her. she wasn’t just a blip (a fling), she was more than that. so he gives up his “marriage” to be with her. it’s pretty poetic.
bonus image because i love his anxious face here. bluh.
It’s a must to talk about Danny and Rachel because the hype about those two is so huge and all the opinions beforehand what might happen have led to assumptions. I know the whole story now, I just watched the episode. My entire focus was drawn to these scenes with Danny and Rachel and I couldn’t stop grinning and squirming on my couch.
I remember romance movies where getting together was so non-convincing I couldn’t stop the epic eye-rolls when I witnessed one embarrassing moment after the other. I debated the whole time to switch to another channel to save myself from lack of passion and cringing on my seat.
Because that was my feeling when I saw Rachel and Danny together. I mean, seriously? I can’t be bothered by that nonsense. There’s no meat on the bone here. Not from my point of view.
That wasn’t scary at all, in fact, it felt more as if I’ve watched a funny, odd high school movie with teens who do not know how to flirt. That goes especially for Rachel. She’s way out of training. Sometimes I giggled behind my hand because I couldn’t cope with the r ridiculousness of the moment.
Let’s make that a short summary. I get it that Danny wanted to stay home because of the Hurricane. As it seems H50 isn’t busy besides supporting HPD. I guess Steve has sent Danny home to take care of Charlie and Rachel. It felt odd, yes, that no one of the H50 team mentioned Danny during their case. But I guess that’s because everyone was okay with Danny being at home with his kid and the mother of his kid, making sure his house is Hurricane secured. Back to Rachel and Danny.
Point one: Rachel rang the doorbell or she knocked. She didn’t just enter Danny’s house as if she has a right to do. Danny opens without turning the key. So this means Rachel came like a guest, knocking and waiting although Charlie was with her.
Point two: Rachel hits hard on Danny. She flirts, she makes heart eyes, she slips some innuendo into her sentences and it’s not even passionate. It’s forced, it’s funny, it’s off, it’s freaking terrible and it misses the aim by far. I cringed sometimes because it was so awful!!! Yes, it’s true, Rachel wants more. She wants something from Danny. She’s a woman who needs constant approval from a man. Rachel needs to be admired, wooed and loved. And now Danny’s her target because she’s free and single and I guess she can’t handle it well.
BUT: Point three: Danny pulls back. He feels pressured and so many times I’m not sure if he knows how to handle the situation. I guess, he hasn’t seen that coming. Not with this force from Rachel’s side. Of course, it’s a great feeling to be the center of a woman’s attention and even if this said woman his your ex-wife, the one he has tried to get back at one point.
So, yes, Rachel is the one who mentions their first night when they detect the deodorant in Danny’s boxes. She wants to talk about sex and it’s so awkward and almost painful how much she pressures and only shuts up when Danny plays along. Poor Rachel. And Danny kind of seems a bit stressed. Besides, those are good memories for both. But Rachel slaps the sexy flashbacks constantly in Danny’s face. The moment they play yahtzee/yatzy (?) this dice game on the floor the mood is honest and light. I love how Rachel laughs and how much fun Danny has. He gets a full fash flush when she says that he’s a sore loser. And do you know why? Because this reminds Danny of Steve because Steve says that often to Danny and Danny just gets hit by a wave of longing for Steve and he knows it still takes hours before he’s going to see Steve again...huh?
So, the absolute worst, most painful and embarrassing moment was when Danny and Rachel woke up on the couch, holding each other while sleeping on the couch and trying to explain to Charlie why mommy and daddy cuddle together. Charlie only saw his mommy cuddle with Stan. So this was SO BADLY covered and it felt like Rachel was happy and flustered and Danny was freaking relieved to be sitting upright, released of his duty to take care of Rachel. Danny is a cuddler, for the record and of course, it’s wonderful to hold someone in your arms and Rachel is pliant and peaceful and charming. Nothing wrong about that.
And also for the record, I don’t think they had sex. I don’t even think they kissed. Nothing happened. They had a fun time, Rachel brought her message across that she’s very interested in Danny, again..., and whatever he wants, she stays in line and she’s up for grabs. But the main task was to make sure Charlie is safe and of course, Rachel was with him and Danny wanted to know that she’s safe, too during this terrible storm.
But, the best thing ever... the first thing in the morning that appears on Danny’s threshold is - Steve! And Rachel is genuinely happy to see him. And Steve wanted to make sure that everything was alright and he got a message across between the lines that Danny caught loud and clear and instantly. Rachel did too and again with the heart eyes! So Boring and my blood pressure rose because - it’s time to leave, Rachel!
My McDanno proof followed suit and hit the bull’s eyes. Steve bargained for pancakes and negotiated extra requests like bananas and chocolate chips. And Danny only ranted for about a split second before he gave in and was more than happy to hit the pan with the batter to create tasty pancakes for Steve. Danny gave in without any resistance and he is pleased to cook breakfast for Steve. And Steve joked about ‘that was awkward’ and talked with his eyes and teased Danny when Rachel left. And again Danny felt off balance about the whole Rachel stuff because Rachel is way too pressuring and Steve just immediately knew with what Danny had to deal all night.
And Steve kissed Danny of course, long and teasingly before he dug into his pile of pancakes and Danny made a face and told him to shut up but stole another quick kiss anyway.
