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kindkitI've listened through episode 149, "Concrete Jungle."
I've mostly given up trying to understand WTF is happening at a cosmic level until Jonny chooses to reveal it, so this is just character stuff.
1) It's good that Jon has had to face some consequences for his new habit of non-consensual statement taking, but I wish there had been some middle ground between "Oh dear, I'm sure he didn't really mean it" (Martin) and "You're a monster and we will never trust you again, and possibly you should die" (everybody else). I admit that the latter makes more sense, and it's just a bit troubling that Jon has now admitted to himself that he doesn't want to stop. But it seems pretty clear that in this universe, writing somebody off as an unredeemable monsters is an effective way to turn them into one.
2) Not loving Martin's new ability to turn invisible. Or is it happening to him involuntarily? Either way, not good.
3) To my confusion over whether Daisy and Basira are actually a couple has been added confusion as to whether Melanie and Georgie are dating. More definitional blurriness, thanks, show.
4) Basira has done the will of us all by beating up Elias. I still adore the horrible bastard, but he's lying (perhaps only by omission) about something, possibly about a lot of things. In particular, I do not trust his "Everything Peter Lukas has said to you is true" and I wish Martin had followed that up with some questions about what Lukas isn't telling him. Also, I want to know what he meant by calling Martin manipulative.
5) I'm trying to take some comfort in bits like this:
JON: Oh by the way, apropos of nothing in particular, just idly wondering, DID YOU SEE MARTIN WHEN HE DELIVERED THE TAPE? HOW IS HE IS HE OKAY DOES HE LOOK WELL IS HE OKAY IS HE OKAY?
MARTIN (a little later, to Georgie): Oh, you know Jon? So, um, by the way, apropos of nothing in particular, you two still seeing each other?
GEORGIE: Nope. I don't talk to him.
MARTIN: HOW DARE YOU!
GEORGIE: He's doing astonishingly weird and messed-up things even for him. He's trying to destroy himself and he's not taking me with him.
MARTIN: MADAM, YOU HAVE INSULTED MY BELOVED. WE MUST MEET UPON THE FIELD OF HONOUR. MY SECOND WILL CALL UPON YOU TO ARRANGE IT.
6) I've been musing for quite a while on the fact that the stupidest question in the Magnus universe is "Will it hurt?" The answer is always yes. This applies equally to the listener. *whimper*
I've mostly given up trying to understand WTF is happening at a cosmic level until Jonny chooses to reveal it, so this is just character stuff.
1) It's good that Jon has had to face some consequences for his new habit of non-consensual statement taking, but I wish there had been some middle ground between "Oh dear, I'm sure he didn't really mean it" (Martin) and "You're a monster and we will never trust you again, and possibly you should die" (everybody else). I admit that the latter makes more sense, and it's just a bit troubling that Jon has now admitted to himself that he doesn't want to stop. But it seems pretty clear that in this universe, writing somebody off as an unredeemable monsters is an effective way to turn them into one.
2) Not loving Martin's new ability to turn invisible. Or is it happening to him involuntarily? Either way, not good.
3) To my confusion over whether Daisy and Basira are actually a couple has been added confusion as to whether Melanie and Georgie are dating. More definitional blurriness, thanks, show.
4) Basira has done the will of us all by beating up Elias. I still adore the horrible bastard, but he's lying (perhaps only by omission) about something, possibly about a lot of things. In particular, I do not trust his "Everything Peter Lukas has said to you is true" and I wish Martin had followed that up with some questions about what Lukas isn't telling him. Also, I want to know what he meant by calling Martin manipulative.
5) I'm trying to take some comfort in bits like this:
JON: Oh by the way, apropos of nothing in particular, just idly wondering, DID YOU SEE MARTIN WHEN HE DELIVERED THE TAPE? HOW IS HE IS HE OKAY DOES HE LOOK WELL IS HE OKAY IS HE OKAY?
MARTIN (a little later, to Georgie): Oh, you know Jon? So, um, by the way, apropos of nothing in particular, you two still seeing each other?
GEORGIE: Nope. I don't talk to him.
MARTIN: HOW DARE YOU!
GEORGIE: He's doing astonishingly weird and messed-up things even for him. He's trying to destroy himself and he's not taking me with him.
MARTIN: MADAM, YOU HAVE INSULTED MY BELOVED. WE MUST MEET UPON THE FIELD OF HONOUR. MY SECOND WILL CALL UPON YOU TO ARRANGE IT.
6) I've been musing for quite a while on the fact that the stupidest question in the Magnus universe is "Will it hurt?" The answer is always yes. This applies equally to the listener. *whimper*
no subject
Date: 2020-01-11 05:49 pm (UTC)Though he does manage to intervene by shopping Jon to the others, and doesn't try to paper over the not-okayness.
But it seems pretty clear that in this universe, writing somebody off as an unredeemable monsters is an effective way to turn them into one.
Yup. And also I find it painfully credible that the others would react in that way, Basira especially. She's trying to hold on so hard to that nice clear bright line between "humans" and "monsters". Not to mention maintaining that NOTHING ABOUT THIS COULD HAVE ANY IMPLICATIONS FOR DAISY NO NO NO LA LA LA, if Jon can't Just Say No to feeding on fear it must be because he's an irredeemably terrible monster who should die.
(The bit when Daisy starts to say something and Basira talks over her makes me wince so hard.)
I'm trying to take some comfort in bits like this:
JON: Oh by the way, apropos of nothing in particular, just idly wondering, DID YOU SEE MARTIN WHEN HE DELIVERED THE TAPE? HOW IS HE IS HE OKAY DOES HE LOOK WELL IS HE OKAY IS HE OKAY?
MARTIN (a little later, to Georgie): Oh, you know Jon? So, um, by the way, apropos of nothing in particular, you two still seeing each other?
GEORGIE: Nope. I don't talk to him.
MARTIN: HOW DARE YOU!
GEORGIE: He's doing astonishingly weird and messed-up things even for him. He's trying to destroy himself and he's not taking me with him.
MARTIN: MADAM, YOU HAVE INSULTED MY BELOVED. WE MUST MEET UPON THE FIELD OF HONOUR. MY SECOND WILL CALL UPON YOU TO ARRANGE IT.
*dies laughing* YUP.
Also, of course Martin's instinctive view is "if you care about someone OF COURSE you should keep helping them no matter how much it might be hurting you, self-sacrifice is how you help someone, THAT'S JUST HOW IT WORKS".