Finished watching Mag7
thespatz was right, the back half of Mag7 season 2 is awesome. The show is uneven but much smarter than it looks, and at moments it's outright great, truly gritty, or atmospheric, or heartclenchy even though it isn't wanting to go too dark and stays mosty in the escapist mode. Also some truly incredible performances, from the leads and the guest stars.
ETA: the production designer is Jerry Wanek. From Supernatural. I CONTINUE TO CRUSH ON HIS PRODUCTION DESIGN FU.
Although, about the final episode, I have to say C'mon, seriously? The big mystery about who killed Chris' wife and son was because a woman had an unhealthy obsession with him? While I like that the Big Bad, the one with money and power who pulled all the strings, turns out to be a woman, I would much rather her motives be ambition rather than because she's *unhinged*. Sigghhhhh. At least she seems smart and tough and formidable even if she's nuts.
Everything else, yay. The annoyance of that reveal about the killer is balanced out by the show having so many good female characters, of all types, and the way it pokes at the social politics of the times.
Chris couldn't pull the trigger but says he won't hesitate next time, which calls back to the line about there's no difference between the neck of a woman or a man when it comes to the noose, which connects to Buck telling Kate he idealized women and put them on a pedestal (my paraphrase), and Buck getting that women are *people*. Although Chris' hesitation could've been as much about this was someone he knew as that she was female -- but his rage earlier suggests that's not the case, and it's about gender. Plus there are lines scattered throughout the season about "could you shoot a woman."
Hee. On some shows, Mary would be the one all jealous and disappointed in Chris when he decides to marry Ella. Instead we have Vin with his face falling a mile and giving Chris a WOUNDED look and "fine if that's how it is then I'm going ::very quiet stomp::" OH VIN. ♥ Serves you right for team-ditching to go play footsie.
Mary is all "LA LA LA too busy running a newspaper and being a single mom" to be all all emo and broody about Chris (we'll leave all that to Vin).
On the whole, Mary=so much saner and with better judgment about people than Chris. I continue to love their unspoken whatever it is and how they're also so clearly friends. The smile he gives her before leaving, for a second his face very open and so obviously fond of her, OH MY HEART.
I love that it takes six men and a newspaper woman to keep Chris from cracking up -- but really the seven all keep each other sane, and each of them is crazy in a different way.
Other random things from the back half:
Nathan and his father (Carl Lumbley!). *sniffle* Nathan not thinking of himself as a doctor, and random people not taking his skills seriously, but he's always the most competent medical person wherever they are. Nathan. <3<3 The female bounty hunters. That was some epic sistermance (sorry they killed off one of them, but at least Kate survives to go off and be kickass and angsty; also sorry they killed off the woman who was interested in Buck in the finale, but the story they did there with her and Buck was good). Mary continuing to be awesome and brave. Mary and Vin's poems. (♥!) Ezra and the blood money, knowing deep down he's earned that distrust and agonizing about it, but he's also a good person and loyal to his friends. J.D. accidentally shooting and killing an innocent bystander (that moment when the others see him freezing during a gunfight, and they realize what's happening to him). Josiah and his secrets (and Ron Perlman bringing an incredible presence to that role). Buck continuously capable of growing and learning and sexist to the core but also genuinely likes and respects women even if he's often still an idiot.
Random ETA 2: since there's the Jerry Wanek connection, might as well mention that detail about how Sara's father shot Chris using rock salt instead of gunpowder and how my brain went skipping merrily down the AU path.
Okay, flist, hit me with recs.
ETA: the production designer is Jerry Wanek. From Supernatural. I CONTINUE TO CRUSH ON HIS PRODUCTION DESIGN FU.
Although, about the final episode, I have to say C'mon, seriously? The big mystery about who killed Chris' wife and son was because a woman had an unhealthy obsession with him? While I like that the Big Bad, the one with money and power who pulled all the strings, turns out to be a woman, I would much rather her motives be ambition rather than because she's *unhinged*. Sigghhhhh. At least she seems smart and tough and formidable even if she's nuts.
Everything else, yay. The annoyance of that reveal about the killer is balanced out by the show having so many good female characters, of all types, and the way it pokes at the social politics of the times.
Chris couldn't pull the trigger but says he won't hesitate next time, which calls back to the line about there's no difference between the neck of a woman or a man when it comes to the noose, which connects to Buck telling Kate he idealized women and put them on a pedestal (my paraphrase), and Buck getting that women are *people*. Although Chris' hesitation could've been as much about this was someone he knew as that she was female -- but his rage earlier suggests that's not the case, and it's about gender. Plus there are lines scattered throughout the season about "could you shoot a woman."
Hee. On some shows, Mary would be the one all jealous and disappointed in Chris when he decides to marry Ella. Instead we have Vin with his face falling a mile and giving Chris a WOUNDED look and "fine if that's how it is then I'm going ::very quiet stomp::" OH VIN. ♥ Serves you right for team-ditching to go play footsie.
Mary is all "LA LA LA too busy running a newspaper and being a single mom" to be all all emo and broody about Chris (we'll leave all that to Vin).
On the whole, Mary=so much saner and with better judgment about people than Chris. I continue to love their unspoken whatever it is and how they're also so clearly friends. The smile he gives her before leaving, for a second his face very open and so obviously fond of her, OH MY HEART.
I love that it takes six men and a newspaper woman to keep Chris from cracking up -- but really the seven all keep each other sane, and each of them is crazy in a different way.
Other random things from the back half:
Nathan and his father (Carl Lumbley!). *sniffle* Nathan not thinking of himself as a doctor, and random people not taking his skills seriously, but he's always the most competent medical person wherever they are. Nathan. <3<3 The female bounty hunters. That was some epic sistermance (sorry they killed off one of them, but at least Kate survives to go off and be kickass and angsty; also sorry they killed off the woman who was interested in Buck in the finale, but the story they did there with her and Buck was good). Mary continuing to be awesome and brave. Mary and Vin's poems. (♥!) Ezra and the blood money, knowing deep down he's earned that distrust and agonizing about it, but he's also a good person and loyal to his friends. J.D. accidentally shooting and killing an innocent bystander (that moment when the others see him freezing during a gunfight, and they realize what's happening to him). Josiah and his secrets (and Ron Perlman bringing an incredible presence to that role). Buck continuously capable of growing and learning and sexist to the core but also genuinely likes and respects women even if he's often still an idiot.
Random ETA 2: since there's the Jerry Wanek connection, might as well mention that detail about how Sara's father shot Chris using rock salt instead of gunpowder and how my brain went skipping merrily down the AU path.
Okay, flist, hit me with recs.