[Kian panting]
Kian: Wait, what on earth are you doing?!
Wyatt: Taking a short cut-.. are you scared of heights now?
Kian: No, but I have a modicum of self-preservation…
Wyatt: There’s a path over there.
Kian: Right.
Wyatt: I’ll meet you at the top.
[Kian narrowed his eyes; he wasn’t keen on being shown up, especially by Wyatt-.. then again, he wasn’t keen on breaking his neck either]
…
Kian: What was Brynn’s maiden name?
Wyatt: Why?
Kian: I looked her up, but I couldn’t find anything.
Wyatt: I can’t believe how dense you are sometimes.
Kian: Excuse me?
Wyatt: She’s not a model.
Wyatt: How do you not recognise her? You sold her.
[Wyatt frowned somewhat, watching Kian as the penny finally dropped]
Kian: Erm, we-.. and I don’t remember them all, god.
[Wyatt’s frown deepened as Kian laughed and shook his head in disbelief]
Kian: Go on then, how much did you pay to make her stay?
Wyatt: I don’t make her do anything, and I certainly didn’t pay her.
Kian: So, she’s with you because-.. what?
[Wyatt shrugged, resisting the itch to explain his and Brynn’s relationship-.. at least in some capacity]
Kian: [snorts] Well.. whatever you did, I’m sure father would be proud.
[Wyatt felt sick-.. sick of the sight of his brother and the mere mention of his father being proud of anything he’d done in the past. He wondered if anyone would notice Kian’s pathetic body being launched off the side of the rockface, but he probably wasn’t even worth the effort]
Darien: Does he know about.. that?
Brynn: Is getting obvious, isn’t it?
Darien: Yeah.
Brynn: Do you think he’ll freak out?
[Darien shrugged, not wanting to get involved; he wasn’t entirely sure what Wyatt would say, to be honest. Though he’d always had an odd air of tact and patience when dealing with children, despite his preference for avoiding them]
Brynn: I hoped to tell him in person by now…
Darien: I don’t know why you bothered coming back. How far did you think you were going to get without a plan? You can’t just bumble along without a place to stay, paperwork, or common sense-.. you could’ve been deported.
Brynn: Well, I am very sorry I am failing to plan and do things the normal way; I always bounce from place to place-.. or am sold and kept, I never have to think about these things before! Is not easy to me.
[Running his fingertips over his brow exasperatedly, Darien sighed; he hadn’t thought about it like that…]
Darien: I can get you everything you need.
Brynn: How?
Darien: I have my ways-.. who’d you think handled everything at Lucie’s? I certainly wasn’t there for pleasure.
Brynn: No? Is why most men were there.
Darien: Not my thing-.. also, not important. You can stay here for now… By this time tomorrow, you’ll be a citizen of Mt. Komorebi. I’m assuming that’s what you’d want, right?
Brynn: I not want to stay here, but-…
Darien: Tough. I’m buying you a plane ticket too.
Brynn: No!
Darien: Look, whatever ideas you had will have to wait; you need to go home. Give me what money you have if you insist, but at this point, you’re just being obtuse-.. and the floor of a disgusting laundromat is not a bed! There’s a perfectly good spare one here.
Darien: There’s no point refusing, you’re clearly exhausted-.. and to be quite frank, you smell horrendous.
[Brynn stood with her arms folded, scowling]
Brynn: You are very rude.
Darien: I’m honest. Now, go take a bath.
Brynn: I not know where your bathro-…
Darien: You wanted to be independent, find it yourself.
[Brynn almost snapped at Darien, until she realised he was smirking-.. just barely. He was like Wyatt, in a way; blunt and full of disdain, unless you knew them well enough to read between the lines and find the hint of mirth beneath. It suddenly seemed obvious why they were such good friends]
?: Figured it’d be a while yet.
Wyatt: Whatever you think this is, you’re wrong.
?: Uh-huh.
Wyatt: Is she okay?
?: She’ll be fine, a little strung out is all.
Wyatt: She looks kinda.. young.
?: She’s eighteen-.. too old?
Wyatt: No, no! That’s not why I’m here.
?: If you’re gonna rob the place, you’re in the wrong room.
Wyatt: Not interested.
?: So, what’s the deal?
Wyatt: I don’t know, I didn’t really think this through-.. you know the door was open, right? You could’ve left by now.
?: [scoffs] Y’think it’s that simple?
Wyatt: Yeah?
?: I’d rather have a roof over my head for the night.
?: You’re too nervous t’be a cop, or a john.. why’re you here?
Wyatt: I think I feel.. responsible.
?: That sounds like a you problem.
Wyatt: I suppose it is. Still, we need to get out of here before they come back.
?: I doubt that’s a wise choice.
Wyatt: I can’t help you if-…
?: If you actually want t’help, whatever the hell that means-.. leave us here; otherwise, they’ll know something’s up.
Wyatt: Right, that’s true.
?: If anything, you oughta get yourself outta here.
Wyatt: Are you sure you don’t-…
?: [scoffs] Ain’t nothin’ new under the sun t’me here, hun; just go.
Wyatt: I’ll be back-.. or I’ll figure something out, okay?
…
[Wyatt gasps upon setting foot outside, an unpleasant lump lingering at the back of his throat]
…
Brynn: That’s him.. beep!
Randy: It’s the middle of the feckin’ night, Bry-…
[BEEEEEEEP]
Wyatt: You waited for me?
Randy: Apparently.
Brynn: Don’t just stand like statue, get in!
Oscar: Are you sure you don’t want some sticky fingerprints on any of these paintings? It’s free!
Noah: [gasps] Don’t hold him like that!
Oscar: Why not? He loves it.
[HYSTERICAL GIGGLING]
Noah: [snorts] Be careful.
Oscar: Mhmmm! We’ll leave you to do-.. whatever it is you do here.
Noah: Alright, catch you later.
…
[HASTY FOOTSTEPS]
Joslyn: Oscar, wait!
Oscar: Hm?
Joslyn: Awh, I didn’t know you were expecting a little one; he’s the spitting image of you.
Oscar: What do you want?
Joslyn: I was running some errands first, but-.. I was actually on my way to see you.
Oscar: Why?
Joslyn: Your plan worked; the feds finally took over after Spencer was arrested.
Oscar: So? I’ve done my job; one I shouldn’t have had to do in the first place.
Joslyn: No one knew the extent-…
Oscar: Well, they should have. That was their job, yours-.. but I guess everyone was too busy lining their pockets to give a shit.
Joslyn: [sighs] We’d like to speak to Courtney.
Oscar: We? Who the fuck is we? You gave up-.. and let’s not forget the fact that I already told you everything; yet you did nothing. You don’t get to take an interest now that it’s over, I’m done-.. and you sure as shit aren’t about to involve Courtney.
Joslyn: It’s not over, trafficking rings aren’t dismantled that easily.
Oscar: Dismantle the rest yourself.
Joslyn: We will, but it’d be easier with your help-.. with Courtney’s help. Unless you know every detail of what she went through in Del Sol; who she spoke to, who she heard of, where she work-…
Oscar: Enough! She’s been through enough.
[Robin whimpers as Courtney reaches for him; Joslyn hesitates, eyeing Courtney apologetically]
Courtney: What’s going on?
Oscar: Nothing, we’re leaving.
Joslyn: You wanted-…
Oscar: Don’t act like I asked for this, you’re on your own.
Courtney: What’re you talking about?
[Joslyn takes a breath, only to be interrupted by Oscar]
Oscar: Do not.
Joslyn: The federal law enforcement agency would like to speak to you about your experience in Del Sol Valley.
Courtney: Oh.
Oscar: Motherfu-.. don’t listen to her, let’s go.
Joslyn: I’ll leave you be, but please think about-…
Oscar: Fuck. Off.
Courtney: Oscar!
Oscar: Sorry…
Courtney: After everything, why wouldn’t we help them?
Oscar: It’s not our job, you don’t have to get involved.
Courtney: But it might help someone else if I do… That’s why you fought so hard, isn’t it? No one deserves that fate.
Oscar: You’re my priority.
Courtney: I’m lucky though, think about all those poor people who don’t have someone who’ll find them.
Oscar: Sleep on it at least.
Courtney: Okay, let’s get her number before she leaves though.
Oscar: [sighs deeply] You’re too kind for your own good sometimes-.. go on then.
[Joslyn approaches Ivan and Bruno hesitantly, offering a tight smile]
Ivan: [whispers] The hell is Ames doin’ here?
Bruno: I dunno, but I don’t like it…
Joslyn: I hope I’m not intruding.
Bruno: You are.
Ivan: Shh-.. ‘sup?
Joslyn: I’m sure you’re aware by now that the feds picked up where you left off-.. we’d like to speak with you both. Just a few questions; I’m helping them piece everything together.
Ivan: [scoffs] S’more than y’ever did for us.
Joslyn: You know my hands were tied.
Ivan: I s’pose.. what did y’wanna-…
Bruno: Unless we’re under arrest, neither of us are answering shit; even then it’d be iffy.
Joslyn: No one’s being arrested, we-…
Bruno: Until it fucking suits.
Ivan: Okay.. without us answerin’ anythin’, what did y’actually wanna know?
Joslyn: You’re not in trouble, we’re just trying to figure out what happened. I’m willing to bet you could tell us a thing or two… We don’t know how you managed to expose Spencer, for example; and neither does Kian, but you sure do.
Ivan: Does the how matter?
Bruno: No, it doesn’t. You can leave now.
Joslyn: [sighs] Look.. I know you weren’t involved, but you still know how trafficking works, don’t you?
Bruno: No idea…
Joslyn: There’s two sides to every coin; those women ended up somewhere. Who took them, who else is involved?
Bruno: You n’ the feds oughta learn how to do your own fucking jobs.
Ivan: It’s their job to ask-.. tch, give us a second.
…
Ivan: How am I the calm one right now?
Bruno: The less we say, the better; why would you trust her?
Ivan: She ain’t ever ratted us out, n’ she’s always helped us as best she could-.. despite it being shite.
Bruno: We don’t owe them our story.
Ivan: Y’heard her, they just wanna figure out all that other stuff. That was sorta the point, y’know?
Bruno: I thought the point was being free?
Ivan: It can’t be both?
Bruno: Maybe it can, for you.
Ivan: [sighs] You don’t have t’talk to ‘em.
Bruno: Neither should-…
Ivan: Ames! Is now a good time? We could follow ya.
Joslyn: Oh, sure!
…
Ivan: Don’t worry, I’ll be careful what I say.
Bruno: I know what you’re like once you start talking.
Ivan: [scoffs] C’mon, don’t be grumpy; that’s usually my job.
Bruno: I wouldn’t be grumpy if you weren’t being reckless.
Ivan: Well.. y’stole the title of Mr Cautious, what d’ya want from me?
Bruno: A little bit of self-preservation wouldn’t go amiss…
Okay, so I'm being completely self-indulgent here but I went on a little foray and dug up a load of old posts n' such to go thru Wyatt's journey n' pick out some important moments/juicy tidbits so uh.. here it is if you're interested 😆
Major Somnium spoilers if you haven't read it yet tho so be warned...
The first hint of genuine emotion/doubt we see cross Wyatt's face, and it's about his father.. hmmmmm, also to be noted is that even if he did up sticks n' go to work with Ash, he wouldn't have been free of anything, least of all his father's judgement!
The infamous Silas scene, yikes.. two things here, anytime he mentions it, it's not Wyatt's reach, always Arturo's! Like Oscar said recently, he doesn't have any connections now that he's gone (and Ashton, so.. oops) Second of all, Bruno DID understand.. which is interesting. Wyatt's family may not have been any relation to Bruno by blood, but they were still his found family for a long time and he n' Wyatt didn't much care for each other either, but they knew one another pretty well (what they showed each other anyway aha..) So yeah, he didn't LIKE it, but he UNDERSTOOD.. much to Ivan's dismay 🙈
Wyatt pretty much admits here that he's pretending his way through life.. which is SUPER fun to look back on, 'cause we all took him at face value here, but who's to say it wasn't just another act? 🤷♂️
He learnt to look at the world through calculated logic at a very young age.. and he's kinda right, if you observe everything & everyone else from a neutral standpoint, it's pretty interesting what you can see that you might've missed if you were too angry, sad etc.. to notice...
Did anyone believe Wyatt when he said he would leave Joslyn's kids out of it? 'Cause he was telling the truth.. maybe she should'a called his bluff. An easy bargaining chip, never to be played.
After learning of Oscar's plan, Wyatt decides to help him.. why? I don't think he's sure at this point, he just knew he'd had enough of his father's disrespect and wanted to fuck him over.
This is suuuper interesting, mostly because of Bruno's "no".. he's a bit of a hypocrite ngl, cos he knew more than Wyatt, and for longer, that what he, Artie n' co. were up to was wrong, yet he stuck with them, protected them and continued to work for them anyway.
The difference between them tho, is that Arturo respected and trusted Bruno enough that he would've let him leave if he wanted to, but he didn't.. and Wyatt never had that luxury ⚆_⚆
In this scene we (I think?) first got a glimpse into Wyatt's brain, and I particularly like this part...
Although he wanted to prove to Arturo that he had been right, he knew he couldn’t risk it. Doing so would only reveal his own betrayal. It should have been satisfying, but Wyatt could already feel himself shrinking under his father’s cold, piercing gaze as he realised his own son had deceived him so immeasurably. He didn’t need to know; his demise would be satisfying enough, it had to be.
Simply because as it turned out, it wasn't satisfying at all.. and Arturo was already well aware of his own son's involvement at this point, double yikes.
So everything's gone to shit but Wyatt/Darien are still sitting pretty with Ashton.. but why is it sad boi hours? Why doesn't it feel right? Hmmmmm.. I like this scene because Wyatt's pretty much lost his whole family and yet.. is he sad? He doesn't think so, not really. It's kinda the start of him "waking up" so to speak, with no one left to live "for" and no one to impress, please or serve he's lost at sea!
It's fun, because honestly at this point he could have slotted neatly into life in Del Sol. He could've worked with Ash, business as usual, new connections and protections, lotsa women, lotsa money and power..... and yet.. it doesn't feel right? 🤔
HMMMMMMMMMMM
Thanks to Brynn's help, Wyatt finally comes face to face with the reality of his actions. It's interesting for so many reasons.. first of all, he'd always kept the details at bay, 'cause that's what he was used to, what was easier, what he was taught to do.. business isn't personal, right Pookie? 🙈 and Ashton hadn't exactly told the whole truth either, making out like the girls would work for him (which ig they would in a way, at least some of em.. but it's definitely worse than Wyatt assumed, which I think can show how naive he could still be sometimes) but with no daddy around to answer to/impress, and no one left to pretend to, Wyatt suddenly NEEDED to know and there was no one left to persuade him otherwise.
Love this scene.. Wyatt's still a little demented isn't he, taking sadistic pleasure in fucking someone over, but at least this time he's on the right fkin side.
Look at that smirk.. ohhh Ashton you are fucked, but please enjoy your sauna whilst you can 😁
So it's been a few years at this point and Wyatt's had a hell of a lot of time to think, and a lot of distance from his old life. He doesn't really know who he is at the moment, but he's kinda learning to just BE instead of pretending all the time.. kinda scary, tho a little less so when you've adopted a cute old neighbour who invades your space with his genuine care and good advice. Something Wyatt's definitely not used to, but he doesn't completely hate it.
Not only does bumping into Brynn again make Wyatt realise how grateful he was for her help, but it also kinda forces him to stop ignoring his past. Her visit and their brief time spent together really made him start looking back at his old life n' tryna figure out how it fit into his new one. He still has no idea who he is or who he should be and it's particularly disconcerting to him how comfortable Brynn is around him, given what she knows...
He'd just about managed to keep it at bay until this point, but it's time for an existential crisis 🤸♀️
Ahhh baba Ichi is so kind 😭 would he still be so keen to help Wyatt if he knew about his past? Who knows.. but he sees someone struggling and he wants to help! I think it's interesting that Wyatt trusts him/likes him enough at this point to actually admit his doubts/feelings, which is more than he'd ever done before. He might not see it yet, but it's still progress.
Brynn's back, and she's about to fuck Wyatt's shit up (in the best way).. I love how he's been so wrapped up in his own misadventures that he hadn't even stopped to think about hers. If we're gonna look at things in black and white (which we don't do here but just bear with) they're both "bad" people who've done terrible things and made terrible decisions; driven by necessity, both perceived and literal. They've taken lives without regret, stolen from people who didn't deserve it, fucked people over for their own survival or for revenge ETC ETC.. and yet, Brynn knows she's not black and white, she knows she's still capable of being a good person and she can see it in him too, even if he's like ??? about it himself.
Wyatt not only admits his feelings to himself, but to Brynn too.. and goes against what HE wants n' agrees to her wishes instead, putting someone else first for like.. the first time EVER 😳
Though he was glad to know the truth, Wyatt was less than thrilled with Brynn’s plan; but she craved true freedom, and after everything she’d endured – in part due to his own transgressions – he figured he owed her as much.
What sorcery is this?!
Wyatt's not great with empathy or at putting himself in others shoes, but I loved this scene with him n' Oscar because now he's actually been forced into Oscar's well worn vans and he had no choice but to confront his previous decisions head on.. he did NOT like his own medicine and I think it's the first time he properly felt regret/guilt.. super important discovery.
Ahh the crux of the issue, daddy issues.. 😅
I'm not saying Wyatt didn't have free will or the chance to idk NOT partake in the family "bidness" but idk, he was indoctrinated into that life since birth. The fact that he eventually made it this far and didn't go totally insane in the process is still kinda impressive.
We don't have to forgive him, Brynn hasn't, and won't.. but people are grey and there's hope things will be different in the future. I love how much these two have been through in life, yet still managed to SOMEHOW end up with a second chance/a way to be & do better. Idk I think it's awesome (disagree with me if u want idc ahahakjsdksj) and I especially love that they literally know almost every nasty detail about each other but still perceive the other as "good" despite those details.. ough
With a dead dad (yay), plenty of distance, a lot of time and some forced introspection not only from himself but Brynn, Oscar, etc.. and ELLIS, Wyatt finally broke in the best way possible.
It'll take time and it'll still be shit at times but now that everything's outta the bottle maybe he can piece everything together again. I especially love this part..
The moment Ellis had made his way into the world, something deep inside Wyatt’s soul had shattered, breaking into a million tiny pieces that pricked his heart with every shred of hurt, regret, and stifled guilt he’d ever buried within its previously impenetrable depths. Try as he might, the tears refused to cease.
I think it was easy to believe that Wyatt was a psychopath (that was the point) but we only believed it with such conviction because HE did too. I think he's relieved to finally learn that that's NOT the case, even if it's scary af tryna figure out who he is from scratch.. but hey, he has a pretty good reason too now. Being the dad he wished he had... ;-;
Anyway.. thanks for coming to my pointless, long ass, self-indulgent TED talk, if you read all this please take a cookie on the way out and know that ily muchly 🖤🍪
Bruno: If you want me to talk, we do it out here.
Norma: That’s fine.. fancy patting me down for a wire whilst we’re at it?
Bruno: Tempting, but no.
Norma: Listen, Bruno-.. can I call you Bruno?
Bruno: [shrugs] Sure.
Norma: I want you to know, we don’t always do things by the book here.
Bruno: Meaning?
Norma: I have a hunch that you worked with Mr Flanagan for a long time. We both know what that life entails, what you’ll do to survive, what becomes normality…
[Bruno side-eyes Norma warily, but says nothing]
Norma: We have neither knowledge nor proof of any misdemeanours in your past, Bruno; nor are we particularly interested. I understand your trepidation, but we’re not out to get you. You don’t strike me as a criminal, not at heart.
Bruno: You don’t know me.
Norma: No.. though my gut never fails me, and I have eyes.
Bruno: Figures.
Norma: I have a proposition for you; tell us what you know of Mr Shaw’s little business venture and we’ll stop there. Leave the past where it belongs and move on, sound good?
[Bruno squints at Norma, her gaze unwavering; eventually, he nods in agreement]
Bruno: Wyatt has a friend in Del Sol Valley, Ashton Barfield; big time property developer, works above board for the most part-.. unless you know what you’re looking for; if there’s a transaction, he’ll be behind it somehow.
Norma: How and when did Mr Shaw get involved?
Bruno: It wasn’t too long ago, a few years maybe. He wanted to impress his dad.
Norma: Did it work?
Bruno: Not really. Arturo wasn’t keen, neither was Kian; but they could ignore it as long as there was money to be made.
Norma: [snorts] I’m sure.
Bruno: Anyone demure enough to fit the bill was offered a promotion, a drink, a chat-.. next thing, they’d wind up in Del Sol. Ashton shared the profit with Wyatt, and where necessary, Arturo paid Spencer off to hide the trail.
Norma: Do you know where they’d end up?
Bruno: No, but he’d keep them away from anything legit; you won’t find them in his clubs, bars or casinos.
Norma: So, it’s safe to say that Mr Barfield won’t have suffered much since Mr Flanagan’s demise?
Bruno: Not that he’s aware.
Norma: Hah, true enough. It’s only a matter of time now.
[Bruno shrugs a shoulder, turning to leave]
Norma: Wait-.. is there anything else? Any other names, places.. his address?
Bruno: I’ve told you everything I know.
Norma: Well, I’m glad you stopped by; surnames are invaluable.
Bruno: It was nothing.
Norma: Maybe to some, but not to you... The past will be just that soon enough; I promise.
Bruno: We’ll see.
Oscar: Thanks for the sofa.
Noah: Joke’s on you, Juniper threw up on it.
Oscar: [laughs] Eh.
Noah: Is there anything else you need? It’s not like you had any baby stuff tucked away in storage.
Oscar: It’s fine, I sold a few things.
Noah: I just want to help.
Oscar: [sighs] I could do with a new laptop, for work n’ stuff; I should have time to find something legit now.
Noah: Did something happen?
Oscar: We took a bit of a gamble n’ asked some dancers to report Lucie’s for trafficking.. back up all those rumours, y’know?
Noah: Isn’t that dangerous?
Oscar: Not if the IRS start poking around, hopefully it’ll close soon.
Noah: Oh, that’d be.. good?
Oscar: It won’t be long until someone connects all these dots. Which is good, but-.. I don’t know, I feel like I oughta have a lawyer on standby in case someone comes knocking.
Noah: I could pay-…
Oscar: Nah, I don’t mind saving some dirty money for that. I’ll pay you back for the other stuff though.
Noah: You don’t have to, they’re gifts.
Oscar: Pfft, how ‘bout a free babysitter then?
Noah: Today?
Oscar: [chuckles] If you want?
Noah: All those errands pile up fast.
Oscar: Sure, we don’t have any plans.
Noah: Just for a few hours, she’s-…
Oscar: She’ll be fine, take as long as you want.
…
Oscar: Ohh, thank you! I love being kicked in the face!
Juniper: [coos excitedly]
Courtney: Awh-.. this little guy needs to hurry the fuck up.
Oscar: [gasps] Watch your profanity!
Courtney: [groans] I want this~
Oscar: Any day now.
Courtney: Told you he wouldn’t come out on time.
Oscar: Went n’ made it too cosy in there, didn’t ya?
Courtney: [tuts] Such bullpoop.
