STUNNING.
Had my last class this semester yesterday, which just leaves about 5 exams & a Term Paper defense to go before I'm done (& because they love to drag things out, the latter will only be at the end of June). This was the most enduring year yet, and it absolutely did NOT fly by. Can't wait for it to be over. On a lighter note, it was nice celebrating
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I MISS YOU TO. Oh god, this finale. It was EVERYTHING I ever could have wanted for N/E by the end of season one. She saved his life! Because she cares! And they hugged! And then she shared with him all her feels. Her excitement about Jack, her disappointment... And, of course, he's the one who gives her the really important news of the episode (about her mom).
sdkfslkdfjsdkfj They are so lovely.
It struck me, thinking about this episode, how much Nolan/Emily is like so many of my favorite slash ships. That's is something I've touched on before with what MK said, but is something that became clearer to me this episode.
Many of the slash ships I love (Sherlock/John, Troy/Abed, Merlin/Arthur, House/Wilson etc. etc.) will have the people involved have female love interests. And sometimes those love interests will be built up as Big, Epic love (Arthur/Gwen on Merlin is a good example). But in the end, the people involved will rely in each other first, or will prioritize each other over their relationships, or will only really, REALLY be THEMSELVES around their BFF. I think the reason I ship so much slash is that I LOVE the dynamic of two people who are so intertwined (often to the point of semi or total co-dependance) that they are always the person each other turn to.
And that is TOTALLY how I see Nolan/Emily as well. Jack may be the approved love interest for Emily, but what I'm seeing on screen is that Nolan is the one Emily relies on first. (Heck, if anything Nolan is more likely to play HER to protect Jack than the other way around, based on what we've seen). Just like the bromances that I read as slashy are often the center of their show, Nolan is IMO by far Emily's most important positive relationship on the show.
I think part of the reason I cling to the hope that N/E might become canon is that that's so rarely even an option with this kind of ship, for me (I'm not really into crime procedural, so no Bones or Castle for me, and I never watched X-Files). And I WANT IT.
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MY EMOTIONS
... brb with an actual coherent reply lol~
ETA: sorry for all the edits, apparently I forgot how to do LJ. SMH.
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I can't wait to be free to write tl;dr essays on the things I actually FEEL LIKE write about, lol.
Oh god, this finale. It was EVERYTHING I ever could have wanted for N/E by the end of season one.
Right?? I was looking forward to Emily rescuing him, but the way it actually played out? Was the stuff of my dreams! The way she told WHM she couldn't care less for Nolan & then sent the creep on a wild goose chase THE SECOND he touched him. THAT HUG. It's interesting because I never expected them to make us wait until the finale for that, BUT THERE IT WAS AS IF ACKNOWLEDGING WHO THE MOST EPIC DUO ON THE SHOW IS. THE INTIMACY OF IT ALL & NOLAN'S FACE IN HER HAIR, BE STILL MY HEART. The way she trusted him completely with something as personal as her feelings for Jack - she didn't even think twice about asking him to pass on the message, and he was genuinely happy to do it. How relieved they BOTH were when she decided to come clean to Jack. His, "I'm proud of you" back & how it truly mattered. How he felt the defeat in her voice & worried she had nothing to lose now & might do something rash, how she actually LISTENED to him & stayed put until he got there. How he rushed to her place to catch her tears & take her mind off things by refocusing her attention on the new information he made an effort to uncover. His soft, "Emily... you okay?" & her, Emily Thorne who is ALWAYS in control, giving into him fully & leaning on him for support as she looks up at him & answers. They're just. I can't even properly express the way I feel about them in words. How do you describe perfection?? THEY TAKE MY BREATH AWAY.
And that is TOTALLY how I see Nolan/Emily as well. Jack may be the approved love interest for Emily, but what I'm seeing on screen is that Nolan is the one Emily relies on first. (Heck, if anything Nolan is more likely to play HER to protect Jack than the other way around, based on what we've seen).
THIS. SO MUCH. I wonder if it was mostly based on the fact that she thought she didn't have anyone else but him left in the world. Have you seen this post? Rose offers a very interesting take on the kitchen scene. Given the finale, it almost makes me wonder if there'll be a shift in their dynamic finding out that Emily isn't all alone, either. Also, imagine the N/E angst if by an evil twist of fate, her mother ultimately turns out The Big Bad... TBH, I KIND OF NEED TO SEE THAT EVEN THOUGH I LOVE THEM LIKE I LOVE LIFE, WHAT IS GOING ON.
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I can't wait to read those essays!
The way she told WHM she couldn't care less for Nolan & then sent the creep on a wild goose chase THE SECOND he touched him.
Yeah seriously. She did not keep that lie going for long. YOU TOTALLY CARE ABOUT HIM, EMILY. Duh.
The way she trusted him completely with something as personal as her feelings for Jack - she didn't even think twice about asking him to pass on the message, and he was genuinely happy to do it. How relieved they BOTH were when she decided to come clean to Jack. His, "I'm proud of you" back & how it truly mattered. How he felt the defeat in her voice & worried she had nothing to lose now & might do something rash, how she actually LISTENED to him & stayed put until he got there.
Oh god yes all of this it was ALL MAGICAL. He has totally become her real right hand man, her true partner. It's amazing.
Also, imagine the N/E angst if by an evil twist of fate, her mother ultimately turns out The Big Bad...
I want this so bad, NGL. Alias, which was one of the first TV shows I ever fell for, had an amazing plotline where the protagonist's mother turned out to be a bad guy (but also to still love her, of course) and it is still one of my favorite relationships in all of TV. I would LOVE Revenge to explore that kind of story.
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You may be the only one, but that's always more than enough for me - always tingle with anticipation of hearing your thoughts as I'm writing. <3 I should have a longer gap b/w two of my exams next week, I'll see if I can squeeze in a quality re-watch & finally cry you tears of joy all over Nolan & Emily's perfection in great detail review.
Yeah seriously. She did not keep that lie going for long. YOU TOTALLY CARE ABOUT HIM, EMILY. Duh.
The fact that he bought her lie, though? Both heartbreaking & adorbs. SHE LOVES YOU BACK, NOLAN, BE-LIEEEVE IT.
Oh god yes all of this it was ALL MAGICAL. He has totally become her real right hand man, her true partner. It's amazing.
I love how that was basically all we ever wanted when we discussed how unequal the partnership is after Nolan called Emily out on going against her own sister, and she was like, "MY WAY OR YOU'RE OUT." They've come such a long way, and ALL OF IT MAKES SENSE. I really have to give this one to Mike, one of the best written & most consistent relationships I've seen on TV. MAKE THIS GO ON FOREVER.
I would LOVE Revenge to explore that kind of story.
I have never seen Alias in full, but this the second time I see Revenge compared with Alias in terms of Emily's character, and people sing that show praises, so that pleases me A LOT. I do believe we are headed in that direction, and I can't wait to see that and how that impacts Emily's character. Seems homegirl had NO IDEA when she said destruction was in her DNA...
IDK if you've read it, but here's what Mike teased about it:
Q: Speaking of Emily’s mother, that was a great reveal - and we don’t know much about her. Are you thinking about who is going to play her? What can you say about that character?
What we really want to do is find the perfect actor for the role. It would be really great for her to be as formidable as Madeleine [Stowe], but it’s a completely different part. What you’re going to discover about the woman who was Emily’s mother is the circumstances under which they were separated and you’re going to find that there’s some deep psychological issues with her, which I think is going to be fun for us to explor. For Emily, she’s going to start seeing some of the psychological damage that her mother has in herself. So she’s going to start doing a lot of soul-searching about who she is, what part DNA has played in her life choices and how she’s going to move forward, whether or not this person is going to be part of her life or if this is going to be someone that is going to disappoint and hurt her.
THIS. Give it to me. I love how his mind works SO MUCH except for that one major thing that shall not be named.
Luckily, this interviewer knew better than to ask him! I actually clicked on it only cause Gabe tweeted it, and I trust him as far as the OTP goes, lol. Great post-finale interview as those go.
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I'm just going to quote my favourite part from that Hello, tailor review as my argument for that b/c they nailed it:
With Nolan and Amanda, you have this brilliant relationship where Nolan is basically her henchman, but also is the one person who knows her secrets. (...) Nolan is the only character in the show who isn't desperate for control, either of his life or the world around him. There's this almost submissive side to his personality that means he's perfectly happy to look to Amanda for direction and take genuine pleasure in her success. This kind of open, one-sided admiration between main characters is vanishingly rare, particularly when it's a man's (apparently) platonic admiration for a woman. In a less nuanced show, Nolan's loyalty would be written off as a poorly-socialised nerd with a crush on a hot, powerful woman. Rarer still is the fact that every moment of that admiration is tied to her actions and not her appearance. At first he was desperate to be let into her revenge plans, and now he's earned her trust he's openly gleeful about getting to watch her take people down.
Tl;dr somehow, Revenge manages to actively dodge all the cliches and looks classy while doing it, and the Nolan/Emily relationship is the greatest example of that, making it the show's most valuable asset. Is it any wonder I'd mostly rather re-watch Revenge than watch new eps of other shows?
Am catching up with PLL rn though b/c I'd like to follow S3 in real time. Up to 1x19, what are these Toby/Spencer feels you're giving me, show?? CONTINUE.
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Oh my god, that Hello, Tailor quote is so, so right. As much as I hope they get together one day, I really like that they were willing to make Nolan & Emily's bond so strong, and Nolan's admiration so clear WITHOUT making it about sex. (In fact, that is ironically a large part of why I want them together -- because his admiration is so clearly for her AS A PERSON).
Revenge manages to actively dodge all the cliches and looks classy while doing it.
Yeeeees so true. When thinking aboit this kind of thing, I also I always think back to that moment where Amanda tells Emily that Emily destroyed the one thing that mattered to Amanda. Emily thinks she means her relationship with Jack, and it would have been SO EASY for the show do go that way, BUT IT DIDN'T. Because Emily is (or at least was) the center of Amanda's world, and the show realized that.
I think a lot of Revenge's cliche avoidance really stems from the fact that it generally prioritizes non-romantic relationships over romantic ones. Obvi the romantic angle is there, but it will never be as important to Emily as her familial and vengeance related feelings.
Am catching up with PLL rn though b/c I'd like to follow S3 in real time. Up to 1x19, what are these Toby/Spencer feels you're giving me, show?? CONTINUE.
Toby/Spencer! One of my fave ships on that show. Mostly because Spencer is totally my girl and Troian Bellisario has xhemistry with EVERYONE.
Yes, that's totally true. It's in a weird in-between zone that I've rarely seen before with this kind of relationship -- clearly not the show's chosen OTP, but also not explicit contrasting the characters' stated sexual preferences, and therefore still not entirely off the table. It's fun.
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Yes, and SAME THING FOR HER, even though Nolan is actually a very good-looking man if you can see past his fashion rebel. In my headcanon, at some point in the show, Nolan is going to show up for an event METICULOUSLY DRESSED & COIFFED as his greatest revenge. Then Emily & him will dance, and it will be perfect.
SO EASY for the show do go that way, BUT IT DIDN'T. Because Emily is (or at least was) the center of Amanda's world, and the show realized that.
OMG THAT EM/FAUXMANDA SCENE, definitely one of the most memorable ones this season and my favourite! I'll never forget the surprise in Emily's face that she should matter to someone so much, someone who she mostly used for her all gain all this time. I wonder if that could also have been helpful in terms of figuring out her relationship with Nolan, i.e., the fact that he may be more than just someone resourceful she likes having at her beck & call 24/7.
I think a lot of Revenge's cliche avoidance really stems from the fact that it generally prioritizes non-romantic relationships over romantic ones. Obvi the romantic angle is there, but it will never be as important to Emily as her familial and vengeance related feelings.
THIS OMG. If the writers ever come through for us and make our OTP official after a build-up like this, they'll be a ship with one of the most solid bonds I've ever seen on TV because of this. The depth of Nolan & Emily's connection, so much more profound than any other guy should ever dream of sharing with her, always makes my heart ache a little when I think about it.
It's in a weird in-between zone that I've rarely seen before with this kind of relationship -- clearly not the show's chosen OTP, but also not explicit contrasting the characters' stated sexual preferences, and therefore still not entirely off the table. It's fun.
It's both fun and kind of terrifying because I pretty much bet my personal happiness on them when it comes to this show, so when push comes to shove, it will be an all or nothing situation. One of my biggest fears though is that they would eventually get them together only to communicate to us all the ~reasons the writers think they would never work & put them through the meat grinder as a result. I HATE when shows do like that. Hopefully, Revenge will be above that kind of pettiness - I'd rather they didn't touch them at all if THAT's the alternative tbh.
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