Friday, March 22, 2013

Inbetween: Death of the Five 5

The silence began to unnerve me more than the Massacre ever did. Senseless violence and losing myself in hate was much preferable to this silence between myself and the Jedi Master. At least in the Massacre there was some clear goal. It wasn't a good or noble goal, but it was a goal nonetheless.

"I'm not holding back because I want to stop you from completing your mission." I said and leaned back in my chair. It wasn't my chair but sitting on it gave me some form of ownership, if only in my mind. "It's just that I don't betray friends. I have a sense of loyalty that not many have. Not just in the present, but also in the past. Hell, my own friends didn't have the same loyalty as I do."

"But then are they really friends if they don't respect you?" Qui-Gon asked.

"When you have friends sometimes you and them don't see eye to eye. Doesn't mean you and them aren't friends."

"Rinn, friends don't always see eye to eye. But they don't try and kill each other." Qui-Gon said and looked at me. It seemed as though he looked into me and was pushing me to also look into myself. But I didn't want to. I didn't have to.

"Sometimes there are misunderstandings." I replied. "Qui-Gon, they weren't in control of themselves. They didn't know what they were doing."

"Are you talking about friends or abusers?"

Finally my feelings for the Jedi Master made me tell  him. I could've found someone else to tell within a week or year, but I had to tell Qui-Gon. Some strange, forgotten urge was making me tell him the truth.

"You know how I told you that I have few real human emotions left?" I asked and Qui-Gon nodded. "What I feel towards the Five is one of the few human emotions I still have. The feeling of loyalty I have towards them is one of the few things I have left to cling onto. If I lose the Five what do I have left? If I kill them, will I become less than I already am?"

Qui-Gon touched my arm and gave me the same type of look he had given me before. But instead of a penetrating gaze, it was a look of comfort. It said that even if I had no one else, I had him. That what I was starting to feel now for the Jedi Master would be reciprocated by him. That I had nothing to worry about.

"I need to hear you say it." I finally said and touched his hand that was on me.

"You still have m-you still have Atlan." Qui-Gon said. I don't know what had made him make the slip. It might've been my touch or it might've been too hard for him not to say it at one point. I wasn't a fellow Jedi and he had no certainty of seeing me when he woke up in the morning. "Whatever you lose when killing the Five, you still have Atlan to hold onto."

I thought for a moment before speaking. "You are right, Master Jinn, I do have Atlan to hold onto." I replied. "I will show you where the Heart of the Darkness is so you can get back to more important matters."

But it wasn't because of Atlan that I had agree to show Qui-Gon where the Heart of the Darkness was located. It was because of Qui-Gon himself.
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Thursday, March 21, 2013

Pretty Little Liars (Season 3)

Show: Pretty Little Liars

Season: 3

Episodes: 24

Developed By: I. Marlene King

Released: 2012-2013

Rating: 3/5

Plot: Four friends band together against an anonymous foe who threatens to reveal their darkest secrets, whilst unraveling the mystery of the murder of their best friend.
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Spody and Ezria
Now I was a big Ezria fan once the show started. It was a nice, cheesy student-teacher relationship. In real life this would be different but Ezria (Ezra and Aria) brought me back to the days of high school where I crushed on some of my teachers. However, by Season 3 this relationship has grown very stale. The only interesting thing is finding out Ezra had a kid by a former girlfriend. By the end of the Season it seems like Ezria is finally over, which makes me sad and happy at the same time. Spody (Spencer and Toby) went through some interesting events this Season. It was revealed that Toby is on the A team and you never really trust him after that. Now I know that Toby was revealed to be a good guy in the finale but I don't trust him. He played Spencer for awhile and he might just be doing the same thing again. I love me some Spody, but I can't trust Toby again. Unless he proves himself to be good next Season.

Everyone is A
This Season really brought the paranoia up a couple of notches. This is surprising considering that all this series is about is paranoia. Anyone could be out to get you. You find out that Mona is not the only A and that there is an a team. This leaves you guessing who is working for A and who isn't. You think that Mona is near the top of the food chain but she isn't (neither she nor Toby know who Red Coat is). For the majority of the Season you think that Mona is running a large group but it seems to just be her and Toby. Maybe next Season it'll be revealed that Red Coat (she is revealed to be Allison but then later it's pointed out that Red Coat was probably just wearing a mask...King, that's not how you do a reveal. That's really half-assing it) is actually in charge of a huge group of people. I mean, two people couldn't be causing as much chaos to the Liars as has happened over the course of this series.

Getting Peaceful About Paily
Now I love me some Emaya (Emily and Maya) but Maya is dead and Emily had to move on. My dislike of Paily wasn't because I was mad that Emily was no longer with Maya (her being with a dead girl is just downright creepy). It was because I didn't trust Paige or how her relationship with Emily started. Before Paige came out as a lesbian, she nearly drowned Emily and was just a general ass to her. So when she's suddenly revealed as both a lesbian and admirer of Emily, it just came off as strange. However, this Season has cemented the fact that Paige truly cares for Emily. That Paige only has her lover's best interests at heart. However, I'd love to see Paige as a villain. Not because I want to tear Paily apart, but because Paige has made slight evil gestures (like when Jenna came to talk to Emily one night) that make me want her to go evil to see more of them.

Final Thoughts
There were some things in this season I loved: Spencer going crazy, the intense amount of paranoia, really crazy scenarios (Meredith going nuts and drugging Aria among them), and Ezria dealing with some struggles that seem to have really torn them apart. Throughout this Season it did seem odd that Mona's A team was really her and Toby who were being lead by Red Coat. The fact that Red Coat wasn't fully revealed and it felt like I was supposed to be happy that I got anything. However, I like tuning in each week to see what happens. I hope next season to find out who Red Coat really is, if this is really the end of Ezria, see Paige go evil, and to see if Toby is really a good guy. Of course there are many other things I want to know (and see), but those are some of the main ones.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Continuum (Season 1)

Dates mentioned here are for the airing of the show in the US. Though SyFy says this is an original series, it was originally aired in Canada. For giving us this show: We thank you, Canada!

Show: Continuum

Season: 1

Episodes: 10

Developed By: Simon Barry

Released: 2013

Rating: 5/5

Plot: A detective from the year 2077 finds herself trapped in present day Vancouver and searching for ruthless criminals from the future.
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Time Travel
As you can tell, this show is a time travel one. And you know what that means! The people from the future acting incredibly stupid with all the technology here in the present! Oh, wait, sorry. This show actually does the confusion people in the future would face when going back in time good. Don't get me wrong, Kiera Cameron doesn't know how to work a car or about blue tooths (teeth?). However, every instance of confusion she has is dealt with realistically and is not done over the top. You don't know how great that is to see in a work of fiction.

Relationships (Non-Romantic)
When Kiera goes back in time she quickly gets into communications with Alec Sadler, a teenager. Alec, from Kiera's 2077, is the owner of a very large corporation. But, for now, he's a teenager with an amazing grasp on technology. Throughout the Season (not counting the Season Finale) you think that Kiera being sent back in time was an accident. But Future Alec seems to have had a part in it (the Season ends with Alec about to tell Kiera but then it goes to credits, cliffhangers can be a bitch). The one person from Liber8 (a terrorist group from the future) that Kiera seems to spend any time with is Matthew Kellog. Their relationship is interesting as it's one full of love-hate. One where Kiera is never sure if she can trust him.

Kiera's Trust Issues
Kiera is a good character and a joy to follow through her many adventures. But she doesn't do a good job at trusting people. She doesn't even seem to fully trust Alec who is the only ally she has that really knows her. You could say Kellog is an ally, but he is seen both hurting and helping Kiera during different points in the Season. Finally, Carlos Fonnegra is her police partner who she seems to like. It never gets to an actual relationship but it is heavily hinted that she wants it to happen. However, with one of Kiera's comments to Kellog, it might be because she still considers herself married (even if her husband is in a future she'll never get back to). Those are her trust issues with other people, but she also seems to rely heavily on her technology. For a little period of time she has to deal with working without her suit (it was damaged in a fight) and has her putting faith more in herself than her technology. An interesting if short lived story arch.

Final Thoughts
If there is one thing I'd thank Canada for, it's this show. I was recommended this because I'm a Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and this is a time traveling show. The main villains of this series (Liber8) aren't pure evil. They have a good goal and so you start to sympathize with them. And at the end of this season you realize Liber8's true purpose might be something much bigger than you first thought. Also, Kagame looks eerily similar to an English Professor I had back in college. Hi, Wilt! I cannot wait until Season 2 comes to the US and I can feed this addiction. If you want a really well done Sci-Fi series, check this one out. You owe it to yourself.

The Following "Love Hurts" Review

Jacob and Paul for life!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Shipping Confessions: Jameron (TSCC)

I know at the beginning of this series I said I would only do non-canon pairings. However, the fact of the matter is I left myself open to talk about canon pairings that I think people don't think I really ship. Or if I keep some canon ships in the background. I left that loophole so I could talk about Jameron.

What is Jameron? Make sure you're not by a Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles fan. Because while some Jameron fans will tell you kindly, there are real fanatics out there that might hit you.

Jameron is really the big ship of TSCC (aka Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) like Destiel (Castiel and Dean Winchester) is in Supernatural. It seems like you can't talk to anyone who doesn't even slightly ship the pair.

The ship is John Connor and Cameron. While they never get together in the show, which would probably have changed by Season 3 or else a riot would break out, various comments by both cast and crew show that it was canon. Through Season 1 and 2, John and Cameron's relationship was evolving. And by the end of Season 2, John decides to go forward in time just so he can rescue Cameron.

Before I continue I want to tell Jameron shippers this is my personal take on the ship. If you have any disagreements, or think I got something wrong, tell me politely. Now that hopefully the pitchforks are put away, we can actually continue.

I have talked about Cameron when I talked about Camerah (the ship of Cameron and Sarah Connor), so I'll keep my little bio of her brief.

Cameron is a killer robot sent back in time to protect Sarah and John Connor. What is most notable about her is that she shows more emotions than most Terminators. She seems to have the greatest ability to learn and feel human. Also, the role of Cameron was made to fit Summer Glau and it does that wonderfully.

John Connor, as all the Terminator fandom knows, is the future leader of mankind. He will lead humanity to victory and defeat Skynet. However, in TSCC he is a teenager and is still growing into the leader he will long be remembered for. He first meets Cameron when she's pretending to be a normal human girl called Cameron Phillips (this has made the majority of the TSCC fanbase have her last name be Phillips, never mind she only uses a last name for aliases). He quickly finds out that Cameron is more than human when she saves him from being killed by the Terminator Cromartie.

Besides his relationship with Cameron, John is forced to grow up quickly as this is a Terminator tv show and there's not really a whole lot of calm moments to spare. I think the moment that causes him to grow up a little is when he is partly to blame for Riley Dawson's death. Not that he really loved her, but he failed to save a human life.

Now since you know the basics of Cameron and John Connor let's look into their relationship.

I'm going to start with an interesting theory that is neither confirmed nor denied in canon of TSCC's two seasons. I am warning you it will probably make a good majority of you Jameron shippers freak out a little so feel free to skip this next little part. This is an interesting point to consider and I did promise back when I talked about Camerah to go a little more in depth.

The basic theory is that the Future John Connor, the one that sent Cameron back in time, had programmed Cameron to love him. Why do I even bring it up when it darkens John Connor's character and destroys the Jameron ship? Because it gives a logical reason why Future John sent Cameron back in time and why she is so obsessed with him.

If you buy into this theory: John re-programmed Cameron after she had tried to impersonate Allison Young (I sort of ship Future John and Allison, however there's not really enough material to do a Shipping Confessions on the pair), realized that re-programming Cameron to love him was insulting both the late Allison and himself, and sent Cameron back in time because he knew she'd protect his past self as well as getting away from him (aka Future John).

So do I buy into this theory? No. It's just an interesting thing to think about.  I'd buy into it if I didn't see Cameron's love for John as anything other than sincere.

Since we got the bad news out of the way, let's look at the good news and how I actually view the pair.

I love this ship and consider it to be one of the more unique ships out there. Not because it's a human and a robot being in love, but because there is a clear relationship shown without the usual kissing or holding of hands. Yes, there was many a time in TSCC where we were begging John and Cameron to do it already. Near the end of the series there was a moment that was a sex scene between John and Cameron without it really being a sex scene (you'll have to see it for yourself to really get what I mean).

When John first sees Cameron you know that he wants to be with her. Even when he finds out and feels a little betrayed, he doesn't push her away. Throughout Season 1 he is developing deeper feelings for her and starts to actually love her.

The thing that tears John and Cameron apart for a little while (making John fallback on Riley Dawson to pretend he's over Cameron) is Cameron trying to kill him and his mother. So for much of Season 2 he's dealing with the betrayal of someone he loved and cared for. By the end of Season 2, as I've stated previously, they did make amends and are "back together" again.

We can't end this part without talking about Cameron. Yes, I have talked about her here but more from John's perspective and not her own. Throughout TSCC Cameron is trying to become human and, at the same time, still act like a Terminator. While she has always loved John, Future and Present, if she knows that she's feeling love is really up to debate.

Myself, I think she always had the feeling but hasn't always known what it is. Cameron was originally programmed by Skynet and it wouldn't need its infiltrators to know what the emotion felt like. It would only need infiltrators to imitate the emotion. As Catherine Weaver (a T-1001 that appears like a villain throughout the majority of Season 2) shows, once a Terminator can think for itself there is the possibility of rebellion. So Terminators are able to feel but they won't be ready to identify the emotion.

Throughout the two seasons of TSCC, Cameron is able to identify the feeling of love she has for John. I say identify because her actions always show she places John before herself even when the mission doesn't call for it ("Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today" for example).

I so wish that we got another season of TSCC so we'd get questions answered plus John and Cameron officially becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. Well, once he got her chip and was able to put it in another TOK with Allison's skin/hair/ect.

Listen, if you don't ship Jameron I don't hate you. In fact, I'm scared by the majority of Jameron shippers because they're very fanatical about their devotion to this ship. However, I can't say I don't agree with Jameron as I sure as hell do.

So what's up next time Shipping Confessions returns? We're going to go into a series where one universe you can get rich by selling coffee and the other universe has a scientist who really likes his drugs. The pairing? One where one person says the other's name wrong on purpose.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Inbetween: Death of the Five 4

It had been a few hours since I had come clean to Qui-Gon. For the first time in a long time, I felt nervous. For many years I had merely been hiding beneath a mask so I could be who I wanted. I could have any past I chose. Well, as long as my fake identifications were good enough. And they had worked for the most part.

We had both moved to the Jedi Master's cabin. I had an odd suspicion that he was trying to make me comfortable. Making it so that I would give the location of the Heart of the Darkness to him and reveal more about myself. Sadly, it was having the intended effect on me.

Qui-Gon sat on his bed while I sat on a chair. We didn't sit side by side. We were comrades at the moment and our positions reminded us of that fact.

"So you're a-" He started.

"Less evolved human than you are. Yes." I said. "It doesn't insult me. It happens to be true."

"But you are from a different galaxy." He looked over my body thoroughly. I didn't get the sense there was anything sexual in his glance, more so the look someone gives a new discovery.

"It's an odd coincidence." I replied, some part of me enjoying his gaze on me. Even if it wasn't an invitation. "Sometimes creatures evolve similarly to others. Though I might not be a stage of your evolution. I prefer to keep things simple and call myself something less evolved."

"Though your abilities would suggest otherwise."

I shook my head. "My abilities were given to me by science. As I was before, I would be more similar to another human in this galaxy."

"I doubt that." There was a slight pause. "You are from a different galaxy. I doubt you'd be too similar."

If I hadn't been a Navigator a small smile might've formed on my face. As it was I looked into his eyes and shook my head.

"Me being a Navigator is what makes me different from others. Not because of my powers, but in terms of my long life span." I replied. "There is no one I knew from before that I can talk to. While others can understand and connect with me, they can't ever fully understand me."

Qui-Gon looked down as if in contemplation. It looked as though he wanted to argue that he was different. That I viewed him differently. I wanted to assume that would be because he needed to complete his mission.

"How do you relate to people now?" He finally asked. "You are right that you've lived longer than any human should have to live."

"You mean like how I relate to you?" I thought about this for a good minute. I didn't know how to accurately explain how I didn't. Or at least I liked to think I didn't and our interactions were purely for his mission. "I know you are a living, thinking being. That you have hopes and dreams. That, being a Jedi, you have encountered loses. That's really the way I relate to you."

But that wasn't really accurate. If that was the only way I related to him, I wouldn't have told him about Navigators. Wouldn't have admitted that I knew where the ship he was searching for was located.

"That's a bleak way to view the universe." Qui-Gon replied.

It was as though he knew I was lying. But if I was lying, so was he.

"And how do you relate to me?" I asked and there was a pause. Being the Jedi Master he was, he allowed no look of shock or confusion to stay on his face very long. But I could sense it. I could sense it like someone could smell a strong perfume.

"I'm a Jedi. My connection to the Force is all I need." He replied and I knew arguing would get me nowhere. He hadn't replied to the question I asked, but he had replied to the question I meant.

"The way I view the universe is also because of what I am." I said. "What I was made to be. Even after using the Cure, somethings about me being a Navigator has not changed."

"I'm sure you will be able to feel like you did before." His annoyance at my question seemed to be forgotten. And if not forgotten, at least he felt sympathy more than anger. Probably his Jedi training helped him in that respect.

"I won't be holding my breath for it. It's been too long to expect something like that to change."

Qui-Gon nodded. "But you can still lead me to the Heart of the Darkness. I know you want to help me. I doubt revealing your past is something you'd do if you didn't intend to help me."

I looked at him and then looked away.
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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Title: Wreck-It Ralph

Director: Rich Moore

Starring: John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Lynch

Rated: PG

Released: 2012

Personal Rating: 4.5/5

Oscars: Nominated for 1

Plot: A video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.
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King Candy/Turbo
Without the knowledge that King Candy is a tribute to Ed Wynn, I thought the character was a standard gay stereotype. It's nice that the makers of the film did this, however it didn't come across as such to people that didn't know. Such as me. Going past that aspect (as I already made a post on tumblr about it and later had to defend myself for my opinions stated on it): King Candy is a good villain. I liked that his original ego (Turbo) had been mentioned throughout the film, so when King Candy's true identity is revealed it's shocking but you don't question it.

A Good Message
This movie had a very good message and I'm not really sure how to accurately describe it. The hero of the movie (Ralph) learns to accept what life has given to him. Vanellope accepts her glitch even when she could've had it fixed. However, the Ralph part is sort of...odd? The reason he goes on his journey is to be accepted by the other people he lives with. And they're really mean people, as they look at Ralph as a villain and don't realize he's different when the arcade closes. So at the end of the movie Ralph accepts his role as the villain of the game but how the other people in the game react to him is different (at least when the arcade is closed).

Gaming References
I admit I saw this movie mainly for the references and to see if I could catch them all. While the ones I did catch delighted me, I had to stop myself from leaping out of my seat in joy when the Konami Code was shown. I don't know why it made me so happy (as I haven't played Contra or other games with that code in them), but it did. There are many other references in the game. I would also suggest watching the credits as the references (and blatant showing of video game characters) doesn't stop with the movie. I wasn't able to see all of the credits as my Dad was basically yelling at me to leave the theater with him.

Final Thoughts
This movie was highly enjoyable. Like Brave, you knew how it was going to end (good guys win and hero learns a valuable lesson). Unlike Brave, however, Wreck-It Ralph pulls at your heart strings more and makes you doubt the outcome. There was at least one scene where I had to hold back some major tears (I don't like to cry in public or in front of people). If you're a gamer of any age you should see this movie.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Monday, March 4, 2013

Inbetween: Death of the Five 3

Qui-Gon Jinn was silent for awhile. He didn't react. I knew that it was his way of coping, I had seen him doing the same thing earlier. Knowing his silence would end soon, I was wondering how to react. Should I tell him the truth? Some part of me thought he had the right to know, while the rational part of my mind was telling me I had made a mistake. The rational part of my mind was pointing out that I had made a mistake that could've just jeopardized myself and those I wished to protect.

"The history of the Heart of the Darkness is well known by the Jedi Order," Qui-Gon replied. "And even if what you say is true, you weren't alive back when the Heart of Darkness was lost."

I paused and tried to calm myself before continuing. I wanted to tell this man my story. But, at the same time, it might not be the best thing. I could say it was a joke and let it blow over. But I couldn't do that to Qui-Gon. Not to him.

"I was born a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away. The time was one where space travel was a new thing. We didn't know who our neighbors in space were and yet we wanted to conquer it all. It had been a week since my soon to be husband died and I was lost." I said. "I didn't know what to do since each morning I was reminded of him. No matter where I went on my home world, I was reminded of him. It was then that I decided to join the Navigators."

I looked to see how the Jedi Master was reacting. He hardly moved, intent on hearing me out. Never mind that he would think I was insane until I could prove it to him.

"Navigators are genetically altered humans used to pilot large ships. Usually containing colonists that were put in stasis. Since space travel was new, voyages could last longer than intended due to unforeseen consequences." I paused remembering the early days of my existence. "Many of these consequences you don't think about anymore because your galaxy has been mapped out and dangers to us then are inconveniences to you now."

"What are the abilities of these Navigators?" Qui-Gon asked. I took note that he didn't refer to me as one. Showing he didn't yet believe my story.

"We have unlimited life spans, powers that can be compared to your Jedi abilities, and the ability to teleport ourselves and things around us." I said. "It is our long life spans and the ability to teleport that made us so useful. The Jedi-like powers were merely to give us means to protect ourselves, ship, and cargo from a very dangerous and unknowable galaxy."

Qui-Gon merely nodded, which I took to mean to continue my story. "However, becoming a Navigator came with two great costs. The first was an ever increasing inability to feel like a human. The other was an extreme rage that could overtake us at any moment. For the majority of the time Navigators were many, this rage never accounted to much. Until the Massacre which only left six Navigators still alive." I paused as memories of that day overtook me. The bloodshed, everything. I was finally able to calm myself down after a few minutes. "I left the other five to search for a cure. Since I left them I became The Rogue and they The Five. I managed to find a cure that defeated the rage but I still can't feel like I did before I became a Navigator."

"So the Five are the Sith of the legend?" Qui-Gon asked. "And you created the legend with five Sith Lords in case the Heart of the Darkness was ever found?"

I nodded. "Yes, so in case the ship was ever found, the legend would not be questioned." There was a moment of silence and then Qui-Gon signaled for me to continue. "After I became the Rogue and found the Cure, the Five's hate against me had increased like never before. I ended up running to this galaxy and found a home on the planet Atlan. I first arrived on it before the dominant lifeforms had completely matured. As such I was a kind of god in their eyes and helped them build their civilization. Once space travel was starting to become normal in this galaxy, the Five had managed to track me down."

I took a moment to figure out how to explain this next part to him. "The Five came to great power around the Sith War and so I was finally forced to act. Previously I had managed to hide while they didn't cause any great act of chaos. But I had to act. While we didn't have any friendship by the end, they were still the only things reminiscent of the time of my youth. Back when I was naive. So I put them into cyrogenic sleep and hid the Heart of the Darkness, moving it when people got too close to it."

Qui-Gon leaned back and crossed his arms. I could see the thoughts of whether or not to believe me going through his head. And, really, what proof did I have to give him? The word of a human female he had just met? I decided to help him out.

I teleported around the room long enough for him to know, through his Force Senses, that I was really teleporting. That my teleporting was not just a cheap trick.

"Can you actually teleport another person?" He finally asked.

I nodded. "But the feeling of cold most experience sometimes leads to a coma or even death. Though in most cases it just leaves you knocked out and when you come to you have a migraine."

Qui-Gon's arms were uncrossed and he looked lost. What I told him was a lot to take in. But he believed it. A simple use of my abilities and he knew what I had said was true. When he looked into my eyes I saw awe and longing. I had expected the awe part, not because I thought I was important, but because my story changed what people thought. Especially my ability to destroy a long held belief as something I had made up to cover my own tracks.

The longing I hadn't expected. Not from a Jedi Master, even though I knew they had faults just like everyone else. There had been signs he had interest in me. The main one being the sublte one of him telling me something he didn't seem apt to share with others. But I didn't expect anything like infatuation to come from it.

The look of longing in his eyes quickly went away, as he realized what he had felt and shared, and he said, "I believe you, Rinn."
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Saturday, March 2, 2013

Friday, March 1, 2013

Shipping Confessions: Serek (TSCC)

Back to the lovely Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles! Oh how I've missed you. And I wish you could've lived a long life. Spanning many seasons and letting my obsession boil to new heights.

Oh, right, supposed to be writing a blog post here. Not a love letter to TSCC (aka, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles). That can wait for later.

Anyways, we're back to talking about TSCC. And we are again going to talk about Sarah Connor. But instead of pairing her up with the enigmatic Cameron, we're going to look at the ship of Serek. Serek is the ship pairing Sarah Connor and Derek Reese together. And Serek is my OTP (One True Pairing) for TSCC. This is the pairing I watched the whole show wishing it would become canon. Before that glorious moment, a Terminator killed Derek with a head shot.

I believe Brian Austin Green (actor who played Derek Reese) said he didn't want his character to have a relationship with Sarah Connor.

Let's look at the fierce warrior queen Sarah Connor first. In the first Terminator film Sarah falls in love with a soldier from the future sent back to protect her. We also find out later that this soldier, Kyle Reese, was also sent back to impregnate her (you can't tell me John Connor didn't plan for it to happen, at least in the timeline that The Terminator deals with).

I am probably the only one who doesn't buy the love story in The Terminator and how deep it becomes by Terminator 2: Judgment Day. I find Kyle and Sarah to be lusting after each other. If Kyle's dialogue in The Terminator is to be believed, he saved himself for a woman he didn't know he would ever be able to meet. And Sarah? She didn't have enough time to really get to know Kyle.

But her relationship with Derek had longer to form. Did she think about Kyle? Probably. Though she ended up thinking of Derek as his own person.

Derek Reese is the older brother of Kyle Reese. He's also the darker one of the two, though he is still very much a 'good guy'. What's interesting, at least from a behind the scenes stand point, is that he was only supposed to appear for an episode or two and then die (or leave). On the DVD extras for Season 1 they have an audition tape for all the actors except for BAG (aka Brian Austin Green).

Derek, over the short two seasons, matches up good with Sarah. They have many little verbal sparring matches that seem to be done more out of love than hate. Yes, Sarah's last real conversation with Derek was that she didn't trust him/hated him (long story short: she blamed him for Riley Dawson's death and the chaos that had ensued before and after). But after he had died, and she's explaining it to James Ellison, Sarah mentions Derek's name first. Plus she might have been wearing his jacket (or at least a similar one to it, let's just say I stared at a picture for a long time over a series of days).

Now I know a lot of you will bring up Jesse Flores and say that was his love interest for the series. To me, and others, there was no real chemistry between the two. Both of them had their own interests of being a couple:

Jesse Flores wanted to use Derek after she had John kill Cameron (long story short: plan didn't work), so that Jesse could influence how John looked at Terminators and therefore ran the Resistance. I think Jesse liked Derek, but it wasn't the love that she once felt. Though she wished that it was.

Derek Reese wanted to be with Jesse to pretend that things were like they had been. It wasn't good when he was from, but something familiar always brings comfort in an ever changing world. It's also why I don't blame him for not looking too hard at Jesse's real motives.

Why did I bring that up? Because while it's canon, it didn't really have that much emotion behind it. Derek and Sarah, while not being a canon ship, had a lot more power and nuance to it.

You could tell that Sarah loved Derek. Their first meeting (well, the first meeting where they knew the other and weren't trying to beat the other up) at the prison hinted at what was to come. Subtle things were thrown in the conversation (and not so subtle things) to show that both were attracted to the other.

Jesse even comments at one point how easy it is for Sarah to get him to do things.

Finally, the shower scene. When Sarah found out that Derek killed Andy Goode, she confronted him in the shower about it. She also tells him that they will meet with a man the following day.

So why confront him while he's in the shower, with hot water running down him, and he's completely naked? While Sarah did want to intimidate him, she also wanted to see how that hot bod looked without clothing.

This is one of those times where a third season would not help this ship evolve. It could have Sarah admit her feelings for Derek, but that's about it. As the Derek we saw through the majority of Seasons 1 and 2 is dead.

Let me end this by saying to those who ship Jesse and Derek: I don't believe in the ship myself. But you have it being canon to back you up. Damn you lucky bastards!

So what is up for the next Shipping Confessions? We will stick with TSCC and talk about a very popular canon shipping. The reason this isn't breaking the rules I set forth in the introduction to this series, is that I don't think a lot of people really believe I ship it. At least I don't talk about it often.