#whattrainofthought

[whattraintracks]

Had some thoughts about the '07 bros while jamming out to "New York City" by The Chainsmokers. As one does. Enjoy some unchecked analysis.

To know what it's like to love somebody the way I love you To know what it's like to love somebody the way I love yo-u

We're talking about love! So my brain starts thinking Raph-coded, but strap in y'all, I'm about to get deep.

I am obsessed with this repetition. Musically, it's interesting because the first line of vocals looks/sounds like this

_ _ – – – _ _ ––– _ _ – – _

That is, the singer jumps between only two notes. This gives the line an almost droning, hollow sound. Juxtaposed with the next line because although the words are repeated, the phrase shifts to

_ _ – – – _ _ ––¯ – – ` ` –_

We start the same, but the end of somebody rises just above the original phrase, the line stays higher than the original, and I love is the highest part before it falls back down on you. This change infuses the same words with just a little bit of spice. It's passionate and desperate, and the repetition becomes a conversation, a call and response. It's Leo, weary and resigned, saying, I'm leaving because I love you, and Raph, Donny, Mikey, anyone shouting back, If you loved us like we loved you, you would stay.

To know how it feels to kill yourself with bad habits To know what you want, know you'll never truly have it

To briefly continue the technical analysis these lines begin and end lower than the previous two. In their home without Leo, things are just less. This place used to be fun.

I consider this imagery of killing oneself with bad habits and I, of course, think of Nightwatcher taking on crime single-handedly. Don burning the candle at both ends. Heck, even Splinter with that silly deleted cake scene.

In my heart of hearts, that last line is all Mikey.

Throughout the background of this verse is this steady beat (some sorta synthy string sound?) that calls to mind a lot of things for me. A heartbeat, the pulse of a city, the passage of time. All very relevant to the ideas of this song and '07.

New York City, please go easy on me tonight New York City, please go easy on this heart of mine

The music quickly rolls and crashes into the chorus like cymbals or a wave. I don't have any thoughts about that it just sounds cool.

But the words! This is a plea from the three brothers left behind (twice over in some respects for Donny and Mikey) to the city that bred and raised them even though it hardly knows they exist. It's Raph hoping for—well, probably not, but it's Donny and Mikey hoping Raph has an easy night on patrol (because I am of the opinion they Know).

Thinking about the city as their heart collectively and their individual hearts that are already so broken. And guess what! That steady beat I mentioned is still here, but it sounds percussive now matching the higher energy of the chorus without speeding up. I warned you that motif would be significant.

'Cause I'm losing my brother to the arms of another New York City, please go easy on me tonight New York City, please go easy on me tonight

Disclaimer, the actual lyric is lover, not brother, but it fits so well! This was the moment in my jammin that it hit me how much of an '07 song this could be.

So many possible interpretations. It's about Leo, of course, sending a postcard from another place that isn't home if he sends one at all. It's losing Raph to his vigilantism. We could even consider the cancelled sequel and then this is about Mikey joining the Foot Clan. And this prayer is repeated, a selfish bent on a selfless plea that wherever he is, whatever he's doing, please, for my sake, protect my brother.

Beat drop. Dance break. And time keeps beating onward.

When I went away, saw your face in my rearview I know that look on your face, that I had lost you

Leo's return. Driving this home is how our steady beat suddenly splinters (pardon the pun) into something complex and a little syncopated with the synth-string beat right back on top. That is, three distinct sounds drive the tempo of this verse. Raph doesn't quite sound the same as the unbreakable duo of Donny and Mikey anymore, he's not in unison, but at least the three are still in sync. Leo is the bouncy bass line that's out of phase. He's keeping up with the tempo of the city, of home but his rhythm is off.

The words, though, read like a conversation I don't imagine them having until much further down the road. One that, at least for Leo, is confessional. It's him looking back and voicing every misgiving he ever had, every ounce of regret. It's him saying, 'here's what was in my head. I thought I knew then what was in yours and maybe I didn't but I knew what I was doing. I did look back, I did think twice, but I still left and I know how much that hurt you, and I'm sorry.' It's admitting that leaving his brothers felt like losing himself felt like losing them and one begets the other begets the other. It's whispering, I thought you didn't need me anymore so I stayed away.

New York City, please go easy on me tonight New York City, please go easy on this heart of mine

So Leo's back in NYC and this is his plea that the city will be kind to its prodigal son. That it will still belong to him, still find a place in his beating heart. He may not be sure what his heart is telling him, but at least he's here now.

Nota bene! We've dropped the synth-string-thing, so we're down to the steady beat and Leo's syncopated line. This is the team a little more in sync, figuring out how to work together again, be together again, and it's working.

'Cause I'm losing my brothers to the arms of another New York City, please go easy on me tonight

It's one thing for April to hint that his brothers are struggling, it's another for Leo to come home and see firsthand that his family is in pieces. And I'm thinking specifically about their first-time topside all together again. A plea that they'll have a nice quiet night, that everyone will cooperate and listen, and they'll all make it back home safe.

Obviously, things don't go to plan but it's another step in the right direction, proof of concept, if you will. And the chorus finishes on one steady beat. Leo can and will find that steady beat and the four of them can and will be one again.

Beat drop. Dance break. Time beats on.

You promised, I promised I never knew I could be this selfish Nights downtown, it's a new town

This is Leo staying out a year longer without writing. This is Leo and Splinter expecting Donny to have everything under control. This is Raph going out as Nightwatcher. This is the whole team getting in a fight topside despite Splinter forbidding them. The new rogues/villains to deal with for new town.

But I keep thinking I see your face in the crowd (harmonies) But you're not here and you won't be

The way the music builds into the final chorus is building a lot of tension here at the bridge which is giving me vibes from The Fight. My opinion is that on some level Leo was aware of at least the similarities between Raph and Nightwatcher.

Imagining the ways and how long they waited for Leo to come home. Each of them, because this is the only line in the song with harmonies.

'Cause you loved me enough to let go of me

This realisation will certainly take time. At least as long as it takes them to sit down and have that conversation/confession. The only reason I can imagine Leo leaving in the first place is if he thought he was doing it for them. But also Don and Mike and Raph loving Leo enough to let him leave. What dissatisfaction, what fear, what need, whatever did they see in Leo to convince them to let him leave?

Or one could consider a scenario where Leo leaving for his training period was a tense, angry thing. Where home stopped feeling like it long before Leo left and acknowledging that his time away was a necessary thing and all the dimensions that adds or alters to their conversation.

New York City, please go easy on me tonight New York City, please go easy on this heart of mine 'Cause I'm losing my brother to the arms of another New York City, please go easy on me tonight

Then Raph loses Leo to the stone warriors, and they all almost lose him for good. But we know how the story ends.

What I love most about the chorus of this song and didn't mention before because I wanted to focus on the angst potential and end on this note is that the music behind the chorus sounds so hopeful from the first. Solidifying for me the connection to Raph and Leo because Raph is Love and Leo is Hope ❤💙

[whattraintracks]

I kinda feel we didn’t much of raph and splinter’s relationship in 03 thoughts?

Hmm, I suppose that's fair. I've heard it said that 03 isn't a very character-driven story, and I agree we don't see as many character dynamics or arcs explored as we could have.

Below the cut are the pieces of Raph and Splinter's relationship I've pieced together for myself.

Splinter's bio on Raph in Tales from the Sewer presents this interesting duality in Splinter's perception of him. He's a difficult child but just a kid. He trains the most but he's a difficult student. He makes poor decisions but Splinter has the utmost faith in his abilities. As both father and teacher, Splinter sometimes struggles to approach his sons and their needs in the appropriate role, especially when it comes to Raph.

For example, his hands-off approach to Raph's rage, or what I usually think of as emotional dysregulation (either as a product of neurodivergence or his young age). When Raph nearly maims Mikey during a rage attack/dissociative episode (see S1E4 "Meet Casey Jones") Splinter doesn't try to stop Raph or separate him and Mikey, although he very well could have. He doesn't step in until after Leo and Donny have broken up the fight. Despite addressing Raph parentally, he comes at the issue like a teacher offering those ninja master-esque nuggets of wisdom about rage being a monster and a true warrior is balanced in all things. I think he wants to come across sympathetically (gentle voice, physical contact, calling Raph "my son") but there is a sense of disappointment and unmet expectations in what he says.

In the aforementioned bio, Splinter notes that of all the turtles, Raph trains the longest and hardest. He likely equates length of training with dedication to ninjutsu and assumes that because Raph exhibits these things he should be something he isn't: more disciplined less angry. Perhaps he compares Raph to Leo who apparently trains less but fits Splinter's prototype of a good ninja. Speaking of Leo, later in the same episode we see Splinter chastise Mikey and Donny for interrupting Leo's practice and tell Leo to keep practicing his split kick without offering any advice on how to get it right.

We see this idea directed to Raph in Splinter's comment about a true warrior finding balance in all things. It's not particularly informative. This is his version of telling Raph to keep practicing but it's not what Raph needs at this moment, hot off such an overwhelming experience. So instead of reading this as the patient, parental advice I think Splinter intends it to be, Raph's body language screams chastised. He doesn't meet Splinter's eyes and he runs away. Raph (like all of the brothers) wants Splinter's approval and he's devastated to have fallen short in this instance. Then Splinter doesn't let Mikey follow after Raph. And yeah, Raph likely needed that space but it's this hands-off approach, again. Another example comes from the one of Raph's diary entries in the Raphael: Collector Book. He talks about Splinter assigning him more meditation exercises to help him control his emotions and temper. Perhaps training, space, meditation, and nuggets of wisdom are effective tools for Splinter to self-regulate his emotions, but Splinter is also an adult. Raph needs more guidance and practical advice at this point in his life that Splinter isn't providing. The tools aren't enough, he needs to be taught how to use them.

So. Raph responds in a couple ways to Splinter's hands-off, more-teacher-than-father approach. The first is to train harder, and longer, and learn everything he can about ninjutsu. If Master Splinter says becoming a true warrior will help him find emotional balance then he's going to try his hardest to become one. When he meets Casey, he shares with him verbatim the true warrior line but confesses to Casey he's not sure how hot-heads like them are supposed to do that. He still takes the advice to heart even if it's not helpful or he doesn't understand it because he wants to please and obey his father. The collector's book shows us that Raph has taken the time to learn aspects of ninjutsu that are confusing, uninteresting, and even inaccessible to him. This book contains a lot of technical information about ninjutsu techniques and teachings. It presents Raph as even more of ninja nerd than Leo! Some of this stuff appeals to his interests, for sure; the different punching techniques for instance. Some of it, he seems to have only learned to gain Splinter's approval. He has a detailed spread on hand signs that he explicitly finds too mystical and confusing, claims it took forever to learn, and he can't even use it as a three-fingered being, but he hopes Splinter will be impressed with him.

Second, he goes behind Splinter's back. If there's something he wants or needs and he thinks Splinter won't approve of it, he'll take it for himself. Such as going to the surface when he needs space or bringing his brothers to the surface when he thinks there's something important they need to do. This feels, to me, like access thievery, which is the concept (typically applied to disabled/neurodivergent folks) of taking what one needs (time, space, resources) without asking for permission or waiting to be offered it (because you likely won't be). Again in the collector's book, Raph exhibits an awareness of his faults and a self-compassionate recognition that he's just a teen. Splinter know this too but has shown that he can't always offer what Raph needs or won't give him it in some cases (forbids them from going to the surface). So Raph has developed a willingness to take what he needs for himself and sneak around Splinter to avoid the disapproval he fears.

All that aside, I think they're very similar in their fierce love and devotion to family and the ways it can drive them to anger, fear, hatred, and vengeance. There are traits Raph inherited from Splinter they bond over, too. They're both competitive. The Battle Nexus Tournament isn't their thing but we see them playing pokey in "Dragons Rising." I love the idea that they play a lot of games together! They have a similar sense of humility. They know they're skilled but they're more likely hang back and play support while their other family members take the spotlight than boast. Unless it's really personal, then they'll take over, like how Splinter's quest for vengeance guides them in Exodus and Raph's desire to help Casey leads the brothers to sneak out with him in "Meet Casey Jones." I think, they have a similar sense of humor, too. Raph has this silly line in the collector's book about Splinter being proud he used his head, that is, like a battering ram, and you cannot tell me Splinter wouldn't chuckle at that.

[whattraintracks]

I'm thinking about siblings and sons and legacies again. Raph's "ugh, I sound like Leo" and Mikey's "my father taught me better than that" and Splinter's oft-repeated "he who lives without honor, ends without honor." I'm thinking about how Raph sounds like Leo and Donny and Mikey who sound like Master Splinter who sounds like Hamato Yoshi, and this legacy of what it means to have honor/be honorable/act honorably. Not as a teaching of ninjutsu but of the Hamato Clan. I'm thinking about how this family's legacy is one of teaching its sons about honor.

[whattraintracks]

cant stop thinking about my g1 ships i gotta share them with you-

oplita obviously, WHEELRATCH, jazzwave (soundwave not shockwave), megabird, skystar, skywarp x moonracer, and my sillies shockbee (it’s just rlly funny to imagine)

EXCELLENT I want to hear them!

oplita - obviously lol. I haven't gotten to Elita's episodes in the 80s cartoon yet, so I have no particular feelings about them yet, but they are the classic couple.

wheelratch - something compelling about an eccentric inventor who gives his life to his craft (read: routinely blows himself up in the pursuit of innovation) and the guy who puts him back together every time. I haven't looked into this ship too much, so they're probably sillier than that read, but yeah. They have TOS Bones and Scotty vibes to me: the Autobot miracle workers.

jazzwave - music bots!! I love these two in @/bloominglegumes art and Deal with the Devil by SatelliteSoundwave.

megabird - ooh Megatron and Nightbird, right? Okay, I haven't watched that episode all the way through yet (I just watched enough to find Starscream's "YOU CAN'T KEEP ME IN HERE MEGATRON AAAAA" so I could make it my ringtone lol), so I'll have to chat with you about them once I do.

skystar - MY ROMAN EMPIRE!! I love SkyStar so much. They make me so happy. and sad. and a lot of other emotions, honestly. They're everything to me.

skywarp x moonracer - MoonWarp! I have,,, a tf wiki summary's worth of knowledge about Moonracer, but I LOVE Skywarp, and @/vivkaart's art of them is adorable. This pairing intrigues me, and you should tell me everything about it.

shockbee - your sillies <3 You can't go wrong with a funny crackship.

[whattraintracks]

Kate Carter and Tyler Owens are the new Evy Carnahan and Rick O'Connell.

[whattraintracks]

HPI 1.03 Colin-maillard, or Blind Man's Bluff, has some of my favorite early Morgane and Karadec interactions. Given this was the basis for the brand new High Potential episode 1.04 Survival Mode, I thought it might be fun to make a list of differences and similarities.

Things High Potential 1.04 did differently that I liked:

sleep-deprived Morgan! Ya girl hasn't slept in days. I appreciate the consistency about her overactive mind not letting her sleep, and it played into her insecurities and exacerbated how personally she took the case in a neat way

the synopsis said this case would hit close to home for Morgan and they definitely showed it. Things got really personal for her and I liked seeing her both extra affectionate with her kids and extra shouty at the team

her id card badge! This was unexpectedly cute and the whole team being unsurprised that she ran off without signing for it was gold

Karadec breaking protocol and Soto says "she's [Morgan] rubbing off on you" WRONG he's been like this the whole time he's just better at hiding it

Interviewee: "I'm sorry, who is she?" Karadec: "Morgan."

the ransom scenes are some of my favorite in HPI 1.03 and I am mostly bummed they were so different here. I do love that Morgan texted Karadec directly, though (the way he looked at her when she said she'd want him here if it were her kids) ((abc write that case or I will))

that Morgan is the one who desperately yells at Karadec to open the trunk

the badge again! Tie-backs, my beloveds. Karadec not only found her lost badge, he put it on her himself 🤭

"Get some rest, Detective" He's been upgraded from police robot!

Things I wish had been included from HPI 1.03:

Karadec tells her to stay. She does not.

Morgane's cleaning lady trick with the alcohol (random detail but it's vivid in my mind)

Super Poulet

Karadec stopping by her house first thing in the morning with apology treats after he yelled at her the day before (and unexpectedly interfering with Morgane's poorly thought out plans)

Karadec's initial indecisiveness about the ransom swap in the garage and Morgane shouting "KARADEC" lives in my brain rent free

"I'm not sulking, Morgane. I'm furious!" he says it so forcefully it echoes and literally ruffles her. I like that early on they get on each other's nerves so completely and that HPI Karadec has a fierce temper

how impressed Morgane is when she figures out he put the car tracker in the money bag (he doesn't tell them outright)

Mehdi Nebbou. My gosh, that man plays one heck of an interrogator

we didn't get my fav "we're supposed to work hand in hand. when will you start trusting me?" line instead we got a silly goofy thanks for trusting me let's never do this again lol

the original pacing. Some of the details of the case, particularly when the culprit was revealed felt a little rushed in this new ep.

The Looks™

Things I'm glad stayed:

the book aided search and rescue! (in HPI this was a nice pay off because Karadec got on her a couple times for reading it during the case)

Eliott/Elliot's hyperfixations providing important clues (permaculture!)

Karadec appreciation: immediately pegging the driver's lie, taking the fall for the swap with Soto, crack shot Karadec

that Karadec does the professional talking-to-people part of interviews while Morgan/e snoops around people's houses; the time honored tradition of letting your consultant go off (in more ways than one)

the hug with Ava/Théa

[whattraintracks]

Hi it's me again 🤗

I noticed that you're the only (afaik) blog posting about HPI and its US remake High Potential, so I was very curious to hear your thoughts on comparing both versions? Have you noticed impactful differences (could be either plot, characterization, dynamics...) or is the second one a copycat of the first? Is there one more enjoyable to watch than the other? Also is the US version good? I'm considering watching it, mostly because I miss HPI's early seasons' spirit SO BAD, but also to me Daniel Sunjata = Paul Briggs, which would make an, um... interesting Karadec young!era but wait that's not the point! 😂

Anyway, thoughts? 👀👀

Hello!!

Not me aggressively hunting down HPI and High Potential posts to feed my new obsession 🤣

Yessssss, I would love to share my thoughts on this, let's go!

Let me first say, I only recently watched both of these shows. I first saw the pilot and second episode of High Potential, then I binged S1-3 of HPI, and I've now rewatched High Potential and am keeping up with the new episodes.

Obviously, the setting is one of the most significant differences, but as far as I understand, Major Crimes is a fair equivalent to the DIPJ. It's nice to watch a US crime procedural not set in New York lol. I'll be interested to see how High Potential plays with the geographical aspects of some of the HPI cases.

The pilots are almost exact copies, with one significant difference. The second episode is an entirely different case! Then, the third episode is a remake of HPI 1.02. It sounds like High Potential S1 will have somewhere around 13 episodes, so I'm hopeful it'll continue this back-and-forth of new and copied cases.

I'm thrilled that they've already used this extra episode to expand the plot and characters, and I hope that continues. Minor points that were glossed over in HPI, like Morgane getting her car back, are given a little more time, and we're getting to see more of the footwork done to investigate Roman's disappearance. High Potential is also taking more time to explore Morgan's dynamic with her family, and I love the little ways Roman's absence haunts her.

HPI does a decent job of not presenting the rest of the team as stupid to emphasise Morgane's intelligence, and High Potential is leaning into that. There are some great scenes of Daphne, Oz (Gilles), and Karadec picking up on tiny details, especially ones Morgan misses! Morgan is undoubtedly an asset to the team, but these are seasoned career detectives who're never more than a couple of steps behind her.

I do have a few complaints about the characterisations. First, the show seems to have already lost track of Karadec's cleanliness/hand sanitiser compulsion. Second, Olson's Morgan is not quite as silly goofy as Fleurot's Morgane. I miss my over-the-top ridiculous, no-respect-for-social-conventions lady. Third, Sunjata's portrayal of Karadec comes across as much bolder and—idk how to say it—larger than Nebbou's. He takes up more space, and I miss my dorky, unassuming guy. These are pretty nitpicky, though. Naturally, all of the US actors play their characters a little differently than the original actors. I don't hate it, but I'm still deciding which interpretations I do or don't love. Even so, I'm very much enjoying Morgan's dynamic with Karadec and the other detectives/cops.

I miss the spirit of the early seasons, too 😭 So far, I think it's balancing copycat and reinvention/expansion very well. I'm excited for the rest of it!

At the end of the day, this is a genre I love, and I enjoy watching adaptations simply for the fun of comparing and contrasting them with the original media. But even before I watched HPI, I got drawn into High Potential, so I do recommend checking it out.

Thanks for sticking around for this whole thing! Of course, all of this is based on my reading of HPI and High Potential. If you get around to watching the remake, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

[whattraintracks]

My two takeaways from "The Trouble With Augie" are

!!! who was going to tell me April has a degree in mathematics?? girl after my own heart

is it just me, or are The Brotherhood very similar to the '87 Krangazoids?