Vendetta #372
POP OF THE NIGHT:
Somewhere Clean. I'd be lying if I said that whatever is going on with Sunshine isn't one of my favorite mysteries going into Red Snow. Is Mr. Sunshine the Zookeeper? I feel like Kleen saying he's known him his whole life says he isn't, but there's also no definitive answer. Who or what Mr. Sunshine actually is, is a major mystery going forward.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
Will Aurora and Gravedigger actually get married?
Will Mighty Mighty end up in the Circus?
Can Ayame kill the demon?
What happened to Zephyr?
What is Graves holding?
Will Harold realize that Michaela doesn't want to go with him, regardless of who Way is?
Can Burning Justice and the Gathering stop Hatchet?
HAVE YOUR SAY:
Thorpe - Beautiful final segment. CJ has been pushed to the limit, but he's getting up and Jasper has hell to pay at Red Snow. This has been an amazing story, and I'm so ready for the final stroke from Dean on this one.
Gemini - I was really surprised that Gem got her memories back this week. I'd even written my RP in advance, with a lot of mention of her not having them. It's unexpected, and I think it really adds to the story going on here. I have a bad feeling that thinks aren't going to work out for these lovebirds at Red Snow. They know too much!
POP OF THE NIGHT: (What was the moment, in segment, that you enjoyed the most and why?)
Stage Four: Depression
“If he could never move, he never would. If he could resist the function of breathing, he would.” I was working in a Walmart when I received the news my Father had passed and I couldn’t put into words how I felt at that moment but that was how it felt. Like the world slipped away for moment before I began sobbing like child. That raw emotional of loss, that immediate ringing in my ears drowning out the world around me for what felt like forever. Until someone tapped me on the shoulder to get my attention. Just impactful and a good setup to show the mental state of CJ going into Red Snow.
BURNING QUESTIONS: (What questions does the show have you asking after reading?)
How did Zephyr die? Did Klaus have anything to do with it or is that a red Herring?
Will Aurora be married off to Gravedigger? Will this be a situation where she turns and embraces Gravedigger in a swerve of swerves?
Will Mighty be forced to be a circus freak?
How binding is Arcadian Trial by Combat?
HAVE YOUR SAY: (How did you like your characters portrayal and what are your thoughts on your current storyline? What, if any, improvements could be made?)
Harold: Man this was hurtful and beautiful all at once. Having Michaela call him, Harold was a great way to twist the knife. However as someone whose spent the last two years writing Harold, I felt so much pride at how Michaela was loyal to her family. Just a great set u and gave me a good jump off point for my promo for Red Snow.
Nox: I love how heartless Nox can be. Turning Hatchet into a killing machine was fucking brilliant and has a, “this can’t backfire in anyway” type of thought to it which sets him to get a form of comeuppance for his hubris. I love this shit damn it. I cannot wait to listen to Red Snow as read by Laner!
POP OF THE NIGHT: I mean come on, can it be anything but Stage Four here? A beautiful description of depression and the absolute agony of CJ Thorpe dealing with everything and just breaking before coming through the other side with purpose and drive. It exactly showcases what type of not only world champion but man CJ is and fuck me if I was Jasper, I'd be pissing myself right now cause that man, that look, there may well be a massacre come Red Snow.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
- Will Felix do the impossible and beat Tombstone? Will he have to dig deep and become the monster or can he keep his soul and survive? Or will Tombstone finally end this game and end Mrs Foleys Baby Boy once and for all?
- Who was Zephyr and why did just the utterence of his name shock Klaus so much? Was he a friend? Was his death an accident? Did something else happen and could it be Klaus's undoing? A massive mystery here and I'm all for learning more.
- Will Harold be about to get through to his daughter or will his attempts to take down the Circus alienate her forever?
- Is there a way out for Gemini and EMM now they both know the truth or is this yet another cursed love story that ends in tragedy?
- Will we find out the truth about Mr Sunshine and this mysterious dangerous darkness swirling around him?
- Trial by combat. Is there any chance this will be legit or is Jackson wandering into a lose/lose situation here?
HAVE YOUR SAY:
So yeah, it was obvious Nox and DOOM would not come quietly or even fight fair and now both Burning Justice and the Gathering as a whole have a wild Hatchet on the rampage. A great cliffhanger here that I expect to be bloody as fuck and possibly with both Maxwell and James in a bad shape for their match, and I cannot wait to see how both the continuation and the match work out come Red Snow.
POP OF THE NIGHT:
Gonna have to definitely go with Stage Four here. I've loved the theme behind the segments in this storyline and I think this last segment heading into Red Snow really hit the nail on the head in regards to how it portrayed depression as a concept. Really descriptive, hard hitting lines here that really make you want to root for CJ Thorpe going into Red Snow.
Really, we all want Jasper to get his ass kicked, but now we REALLY want him to get his shit kicked in.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
- Will Aurora and Gravedigger be married by Red Snow's end?
- What do unferried souls entail for Red Snow?
- Can Felix Foley topple Tombstone?
- What the hell has Nox done to Hatchet?
- What happened to Zephyr?
HAVE YOUR SAY:
Jackson Cade: Loved the court room drama this week, especially seeing as we have so much of the months leading up to this being tied into the proceedings. And, of course, I loved Cade invoking an old law that only someone that religiously studied them would even know of. Excellent work.
Hatchet: Hatchet! My boy's whole crew of Juggalos are at the gates and he's a brainwashed psychopath. I can only wonder how things will play out at Red Snow.
Ajax the Adonis: While the big man wasn't in this segment himself, it was a pretty damn brutal scene for poor Mighty Mighty. Had a bit of a Saw feel to it, even.
POP OF THE NIGHT:
Stage Three and Four continue the beautiful and tragic story of Thorpe and Redgrave. Bargaining was the one that was designed to be dark, no way it couldn't be between those two but Depression was real, words I'd think at my worst bouts with it. There's only one stage left, acceptance and there's some real strength that comes out of it, the kind that Thorpe is feeling, it can't help but make you root for him to win after all the bullshit Redgrave has put him through.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
What will Stage Five look like?
Will the marriage actually happen?
Is Sunshine the Zookeeper?
HAVE YOUR SAY:
I loved the court scenes, a lot of Narcissa's layers put into the way she spoke about Cade and the best villains are the ones who can use the truth as their weapon. There was context if course but she twisted it amazingly well to make Cade be desperate and use trial by combat, I wonder how it will go for Cade if she does win and will anything happen if she loses?
POP OF THE NIGHT: (What was the moment, in segment, that you enjoyed the most and why?)
Stage 4 was a rollercoaster. I don't think it needs poring over in great detail but it was a very good window into the mind of someone who has reached that point of no return, and then turned back to keep fighting.
BURNING QUESTIONS: (What questions does the show have you asking after reading?)
- Can Felix prove Tombstone is not invincible? Is it even possible to prove it?
- Can we get a filling check on Calypso's sandwiches please, I have this horrible feeling it's boogeyman style worms for some reason...
- Why does Narcissa actually sound convincing as a legal bod? Maybe if the fashion career goes down the pan that could be her new life goal.
- On a related note, I love the line in 'Testiomy': "Narcissa smiles, the kind that doesn't reach her eyes." Very well crafted.
- Why is Cade so stoic and immovable? Has something happened before the trial? Maybe there will be answers later in the show.
- Wolf Fang sprouting claws was fun, but I'm not sure how disembowelling a man will rid him of his demons.
- What is Ezekiel holding?
- Have they just TURNED Hatchet!?
- AH thats why Cade stayed silent, his plan was just to invoke the match all along.
HAVE YOUR SAY: (How did you like your characters portrayal and what are your thoughts on your current storyline? What, if any, improvements could be made?)
I love the setup for the quite frankly bizarre matchtype in "The Call". Klaus comes across well (well, not well, but how he's supposed to!) in this scene, the ringmaster pulling the strings to get this new hire on board.
And given he is in an interrogation room a little later in the show, having the message come via a voicemail was a nice touch.
Speaking of the interrogation, is Zephyr truly the previous owner of the circus? I like how many options this opens up - did Klaus have anything to do with his death, or was that down to Cade. Potentially even Zeus. I wonder if the practices the officer was about to speak about are something Klaus knows about or if he's in the dark too?
I also really enjoyed the segment between Harold and his daughter, it really showed signs of stockholm syndrome, in my opinion, and potentially that Michaela doesn't even realise she's being help against her will, because she believes its her choice.
The match was fun too, lots of disco references!
POP OF THE NIGHT:
Other than my story with the Circus (biasly), I'm more intrigued with Felix Foley and Tombstone's storywriting and Depression (I can really feel the depression).
BURNING QUESTIONS: (What questions does the show have you asking after reading?)
Why is Klaus adamant to get Mighty Mighty into the circus? (He's just a man who likes to have fun, not be tied down by freaks.)
Will Aurora accept Gravedigger love (weirdly opposite attract)?
HAVE YOUR SAY:
So far, I love everyones road to Red Snow, if the past PPV indicate anything, Red Snow shall be a total banger
Pop of the Night: Bayou's Wrath not because of anything too special it just stood out as my favorite for the characters, Like there is more character drawn ones that I liked (Father Daughter) and ones leading to Bigger things (The Raid). But sometimes you just wanna see someone shoot a bolt of fire out of their hand and delivering a warning. The stages were also really good.
Burning Questions:
The fifth stage is acceptance that's usually seen as a positive thing. I wonder what is in store for that?
Something occured to me of ayame will cleansing locke help him or harm him by bringing the wrong side to the surface.
What is the importance of Zephyr and where are they now?
Connected to the first what did Klaus do to get them out of the picture?
Will Mighty end up in the circus?
Have Your Say: Really liked this show, it's just been building and building in intensity. Seemingly at a fever pitch right now. All the pieces are in place and it doesn't seem like everything is going to have a happy ended but ah such is life.
from the mention of Wolf Fang Ayame. It's been really good representing her someone who's been fed up by this shadow who's been following her since her debut it seems. But at red snow it ends.
Looking forward to red snow!
(Thank you for allowing me a few days grace on this)
POP OF THE NIGHT: I don't want to be someone who follows the crowd for the sake of it and I'm not, but I've read the show twice to see if there was any alternative to Stage Four: Depression that drew any similar kind of emotion or empathy out of me. Nothing did. This was clearly written from a very personal perspective and I know that, because I feel like I've been there myself. I wouldn't have liked to write it, though. That would've been a very daunting prospect so kudos to the writer for bringing out such emphatic emotion in me and others.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
- Can Felix Foley defeat Tombstone?
- Will Mighty Mighty join the circus?
- Did Klaus Way kill Zephyr?
- Will Michaela leave the circus?
- What did they do to Hatchet?
HAVE YOUR SAY:
This week set the stage for the match perfectly between Felix and Tombstone. This storyline has been a thing of beauty for a very long time, coming off the back of a tremendous Drewitt/Tombstone angle. Tombstone was a face, and has been changed from this monster face to monster heel in a seamless fashion. Even I want to see Felix overcome the odds. Ha Ha! Thanks to those involved in creating such a wonderful storyline and thanks to all the teams for a great year of OSW!