037. a deep and dark lonely part of my heart wants her and waits after dark
December 19th: Top five From Dusk Till Dawn scenes for ever_neutral.
SO THIS IS LATE. Partly because I was busy and partly because I have been trying to answer comments all day and partly because WRITING THIS OUT IS LEGIT HARD AND I HATE YOU FOR ASKING. WORST QUESTION. Anyway I am now behind on the meme but I will catch up! I have a few short answers coming up so I will just try to post some on the same day from now on (LET'S SEE HOW I SUCCEED).
ANYWAY. ONWARD WITH THE WORST QUESTION
Honorable mentions (because this is honestly impossible to narrow down. This is not even the full list, really. Talk to me about any scene, I'll probs have something to say):
+ The opening monologue of Pandemonium. WE ARE SO MUCH MORE THAN SLAVES; WE'RE BROTHERS AND SISTERS. Also bloodbaths haaaay
+ Every single Seth/Santanico interaction, from bickering and arguing to shooting her to mutually trying to manipulate each other, to Santanico straight up having Seth's number; "you don't love the money; you love stealing it."
+ Every single moment of the pilot; what a WONDERFUL introduction to the type of show we're in for.
+ Freddie leaving behind his ranger star, as he goes off on his mission of vengeance and not justice to Mexico, gradually stripping himself down; beautifully fucking shot and so poignant
+ Freddie and Kate killing Sex Machine together. Why does no one talk about this? THEY KILLED A DUDE TOGETHER.
+ That time Vanessa literally slammed Seth Gecko against the wall to make out with him. And was taller than him #your taste in women is A+++++
+ STEEL SHARPENS STEEL. I BROUGHT THAT OUT OF YOU. CULEBRA BODY SHOTS #every moment Freddie and Carlos are fighting, lbr
+ I GUESS I'M JUST GUY WHO KILLED DAD
+ THAT POOL SCENE. Not the creepy male gazey camera lingering on Kate's body, but the attempted smoking/rebellion, the legit honest conversation, I DON'T SELL BIBLES BUT I THINK I SEE TRUTH.
+ Richie setting Santanico free, aka prom king and queen of the Twister
+ Kate killing her dad #I prayed for it, tbh
+ But also SCOTT BITING/TURNING HIS FATHER WAS MY FAVORITE THING. THE BOY WHO NEVER FELT LIKE HE BELONGED WITH HIS ADOPTED FAMILY DECIDES TO TRY TO BOND THEM ALL TO HIM IN BLOOD. LEAVE ME TO MY FEELS.
+ That time there were two Richie Geckos on screen and absolutely no one in fandom did anything about it
+ Carlos killing his men for Santanico; hell yes.
+ Everything else, this show is my jam
NUMBER 5.
That time Carlos and Santanico staged a coup; literally the most perfect thing in the world. There desperately needs to be more gifs of this scene.
Like I don't think I can STRESS how much this means to me, Pandemonium is one of my favorite episodes because it does everything so well and it was just awesome to find out WHAT Santanico wanted after being in the dark for the last few episodes, and like watching these two??? Enslaved vampires to the 9? Santanico a slave for 500 years and Carlos her willing servant, finally take back their power and kill their oppressors and taking over the status quo, however momentarily? MAGNIFICENT. I love, love how Santanico presents a ~choice~ to join her but lol she had poisoned them all along anyway. They were never going to agree in the first place, so she planned ahead, of course. I love this entire sequence tbh, the whole dinner scene with the counselors,from Santanico saving Carlos from either further humiliation or doing something stupid, to "QUE PASO, MI VIDA? LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY HURT YOUR FEELINGS" to Santanico's entire speech.
Also, just, Carlos and Santanico working together to kill off their oppressors. The fact that she cups Carlos' chin as she walks by him. The fact that he hands her a sword personally. My fave vampire children.
Also the best way to win my heart is to kill people together, tbh.
NUMBER 4
I think I am still in awe and utterly baffled by this???? Like I look at it and ask THIS IS A SCENE THAT EXISTS? I saw the movie first a long time ago, and the scenes are so wildly different in tone, it's jarring. I do not think I'll ever be over Richie killing a hostage--like, straight up serial killer, mutilate the body and gouge out her eyes--and Seth having this surge of anger and slamming Richie against the wall and demanding him to reaffirm WHO THEY ARE. And how quickly that all DISSIPATES, how easy it is for Seth to switch to reassuring Richie and tell him it'll be okay (from WHAT, Seth Gecko, HIM MURDERING PEOPLE???). The way Richie goes all dead-eyed, how he tells Seth what he wants to hear, before straight up telling him the truth, this is me and Seth just HUGS HIM. Like it makes sense--Seth is scared that he's losing his brother to something he doesn't understand just yet. Seth just focuses on hugging and holding and touching his brother, like he's trying to ground HIMSELF, reassure himself, while Richie just stares straight ahead with these blank eyes. Seth trying to tell Richie, and therefore himself, IT WILL BE OKAY and cling to his brother like a security blanket. But Richie knows, in the back of his head, that Seth can't save him from whatever's coming. They can't stop this. He stares with his eyes wide open because he sees truth. They aren't gonna be okay.
This is not who we are; and Richie's most utterly perfect response. It is me. He just owns what he did, he doesn't run from it. It's not in him to lie or deny what's happening, much as Seth would like to hear it.
NUMBER 3
I WILL NEVER BE OVER THIS. I WILL LITERALLY NEVER BE OVER THIS. BLESS THIS SHOW FOR SHOVING IN SETH'S FACE SO BEAUTIFULLY THAT HIS BROTHER IS A NOW A VAMPIRE AND RIPS PEOPLE APART TO EAT THEM. BLESS THIS SHOW FOR NOT SHYING AWAY FROM THAT AND JUST GOING FULL FORCE WITH THE WHOLE "RICHIE IS NOW IRREVOCABLY A CULEBRA NOW MWAHA." Bless this show for turning such a major character into a vampire and not shying away from how ugly that is, while also not going down the route of "this person is now a vampire and therefore soulless monster that must be destroyed because humans > vampires" lol fuck that #team vampire always (#prayer circle for Scott Fuller's arc next season though).
I WILL NEVER BE OVER HOW SETH STARTS FUCKING CRYING WHEN RICHIE IS EATING PEOPLE. CRYING. BECAUSE HIS ENTIRE CONCEPTION OF THE WORLD IS SO THROWN OFF BALANCE AND IF RICHIE IS EATING PEOPLE, WHO HAS THE WHEEL??? IF RICHIE'S NOT HUMAN ANYMORE, THEN WHAT PLACE DOES HE HAVE? IS HE LOSING HIS BROTHER FOR REAL TO THIS WEIRD VAMPIRE SHIT??? He's so goddamn scared and just begging Richie to do the normal thing and get the money AND NOT EAT SOMEONE. SETH DOESN'T UNDERSTAND HIS BROTHER RIGHT NOW AND HE HAS ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD RICHIE WHEN NO ONE ELSE DID /o\
And Richie's response is just. Delightful. He fucking SMILES at Seth. FUCKING SMILES. The last gif, he starts grinning, like this is a regular victory, where they got the money and killed the assholes trying to keep it from them, we won, Seth, see, we're awesome and Richie smiles and then almost immediately wipes his smile off his face BECAUSE SETH IS CRYING AND HE REALIZED SETH IS STARING AT HIM IN HORROR. AND WHAT HE MUST LOOK LIKE. WHOOPS.
I LOVE THIS SCENE SO MUCH
(on a side note, I really dig the vampire make up. Like, a lot? It's so ugly and freaky, like some old school horror movie shit, and really fitting for culebra snake vampires; the scales and the fangs and the venom pockets, especially when you see Santanico's vampire makeup and how the scales go all the way down to her belly and legs, it's so interesting, I love it)
NUMBER 2
WE TAKE IT BACK; THE MOST IMPORTANT SCENE. GODDAMN MISSION STATEMENT OF THE SHOW.
Like this scene is so significant because it foreshadows a bunch of shit later (~we take it back and this time we keep it for eternity~ WELL YOU WOULD KNOW, CARLOS) but it's also so wonderful because this is exactly how Carlos gets Seth to agree to his plan, by speaking to him directly on his philosophy and motto he lives his life by: the world never gave anything to you, so you take it back.
Because Carlos is not actually good at manipulating people or getting people to do things. He's hilariously bad at it. Like, that time he ate Kyle, shapeshifted into him, and tried to take Kate to the twister failed miserably. Then that time he tried to convince Scott to let his family go and tell him he's so much better than them (for the record, I do think he was sincere there, if manipulative at the same time? Clearly he wants Scott on his team and would say nice things to get him to stay, but I also think he prefers Scott out of everyone else in his family and legit saw some potential in him). Even trying to side with the Narciso and the counselors ended up with him in a cage again. Carlos fails at this.
But it works with getting Seth to agree to his plan and come to Mexico. And why? Because they speak the same language. He knows how to get to Seth, through Richie, and he knows how to appeal to his crime, thief philosophy. We take it back isn't just random words. It's his code. Scrappy mean Seth Gecko, who was probably a small kid, who didn't have anything but his brother. Seth Gecko who loves to steal shit, not for the money (though ngl I am pretty sure money is important to him; Seth and Richie went to Mexico with nothing but the clothes on their back, they straight up didn't have anything else, they don't have much money except that what they steal) but for the love of stealing it. To prove that he can take it back for himself, because it's not as if anyone was going to hand it to him. The world never did anything for him (no one saved him from his abusive father; no one but Richie). And Carlos gets that--Carlos is stuck serving the Nine (like I think he has a bit more freedom than Santanico, given he can leave the temple and gets sent on more errands, but Narciso refers to him as slave of slaves, sooo) and if he ever wants it to be different, it's going to have to be through himself, him and Santanico working together. No one is going to come to save Santanico unless she herself sets it in motion (aka visions with Richie). We take it back indeed.
It's also super important that the amoral thieves and the culebras--the protagonists and antagonists respectively--have the same life philosophy. Not so different, humans and vampires (so fandom, stop elevating Seth as morally superior, just because he doesn't eat people, the whole conversation and scenes he had with Santanico were all about how NOT SO DIFFERENT they both are).
I actually have to cut myself off here, because I can ramble on forever tbh and go on separate tangents on what this means for both characters. But yeah, fave scene, most important scene.
NUMBER 1
Every single moment of this scene is stunning. Was there ever any other option for #1 tbh?
I don't even know how to talk about this. The scene is just perfect. The dancing, the reaction of others, the music, the lighting, the SNAKE, the violins playing in the background (not generally an instrument you associate with a strip tease). I feel like I'M being seduced by it watching it, like I'd get up and follow Santanico wherever she asked me too (okay I am biased and have a huge crush; sometimes I feel like I ship Carlos/Santanico because I too, would worship ethereal snake goddess of the night Santanico Pandemonium, I volunteer).
It's hard to sing praises to what's very much an aesthetic scene, that relies on visuals and music and movement rather than words, but literally everyone should go watch it. And honestly, every single thing that's happening in this scene is fantastic. Richie's intense stone face ("SHE'S REAL AKA I'M NOT CRAZY BUT OH NO THIS IS KINDA OF WORSE"). Freddie in the background, pulling out a knife and a gun and trying to figure out which weapon to use on Richie. The entire Mexican stand-off. SETH LOOKING SO AFFRONTED THAT SANTANICO EVEN COME NEAR RICHIE. No really, just watch his body language. He seems so irritated. Kate at least looks entranced as well, if a little shocked.
Speaking of Kate, this is gold:
Also this:
is utter perfection. HER SNARL, MAN. BEFORE SHE EVER VAMPS OUT SHE HAS SUCH A PERFECT FACE SNARL. The way you start to see her human face start to change before it gives way to the scales and fangs. Eiza is so good with her face.
Quentin Tarantino described this scene as, "an orgasm, and the music that follows you into the credits is rubbing come on your belly." That's um, a really crass way of putting it, but...essentially I AGREE. IT'S JUST SO MUCH.
SO THIS IS LATE. Partly because I was busy and partly because I have been trying to answer comments all day and partly because WRITING THIS OUT IS LEGIT HARD AND I HATE YOU FOR ASKING. WORST QUESTION. Anyway I am now behind on the meme but I will catch up! I have a few short answers coming up so I will just try to post some on the same day from now on (LET'S SEE HOW I SUCCEED).
ANYWAY. ONWARD WITH THE WORST QUESTION
Honorable mentions (because this is honestly impossible to narrow down. This is not even the full list, really. Talk to me about any scene, I'll probs have something to say):
+ The opening monologue of Pandemonium. WE ARE SO MUCH MORE THAN SLAVES; WE'RE BROTHERS AND SISTERS. Also bloodbaths haaaay
+ Every single Seth/Santanico interaction, from bickering and arguing to shooting her to mutually trying to manipulate each other, to Santanico straight up having Seth's number; "you don't love the money; you love stealing it."
+ Every single moment of the pilot; what a WONDERFUL introduction to the type of show we're in for.
+ Freddie leaving behind his ranger star, as he goes off on his mission of vengeance and not justice to Mexico, gradually stripping himself down; beautifully fucking shot and so poignant
+ Freddie and Kate killing Sex Machine together. Why does no one talk about this? THEY KILLED A DUDE TOGETHER.
+ That time Vanessa literally slammed Seth Gecko against the wall to make out with him. And was taller than him #your taste in women is A+++++
+ STEEL SHARPENS STEEL. I BROUGHT THAT OUT OF YOU. CULEBRA BODY SHOTS #every moment Freddie and Carlos are fighting, lbr
+ I GUESS I'M JUST GUY WHO KILLED DAD
+ THAT POOL SCENE. Not the creepy male gazey camera lingering on Kate's body, but the attempted smoking/rebellion, the legit honest conversation, I DON'T SELL BIBLES BUT I THINK I SEE TRUTH.
+ Richie setting Santanico free, aka prom king and queen of the Twister
+ Kate killing her dad #I prayed for it, tbh
+ But also SCOTT BITING/TURNING HIS FATHER WAS MY FAVORITE THING. THE BOY WHO NEVER FELT LIKE HE BELONGED WITH HIS ADOPTED FAMILY DECIDES TO TRY TO BOND THEM ALL TO HIM IN BLOOD. LEAVE ME TO MY FEELS.
+ That time there were two Richie Geckos on screen and absolutely no one in fandom did anything about it
+ Carlos killing his men for Santanico; hell yes.
+ Everything else, this show is my jam
NUMBER 5.
That time Carlos and Santanico staged a coup; literally the most perfect thing in the world. There desperately needs to be more gifs of this scene.
Like I don't think I can STRESS how much this means to me, Pandemonium is one of my favorite episodes because it does everything so well and it was just awesome to find out WHAT Santanico wanted after being in the dark for the last few episodes, and like watching these two??? Enslaved vampires to the 9? Santanico a slave for 500 years and Carlos her willing servant, finally take back their power and kill their oppressors and taking over the status quo, however momentarily? MAGNIFICENT. I love, love how Santanico presents a ~choice~ to join her but lol she had poisoned them all along anyway. They were never going to agree in the first place, so she planned ahead, of course. I love this entire sequence tbh, the whole dinner scene with the counselors,from Santanico saving Carlos from either further humiliation or doing something stupid, to "QUE PASO, MI VIDA? LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY HURT YOUR FEELINGS" to Santanico's entire speech.
Also, just, Carlos and Santanico working together to kill off their oppressors. The fact that she cups Carlos' chin as she walks by him. The fact that he hands her a sword personally. My fave vampire children.
Also the best way to win my heart is to kill people together, tbh.
NUMBER 4
I think I am still in awe and utterly baffled by this???? Like I look at it and ask THIS IS A SCENE THAT EXISTS? I saw the movie first a long time ago, and the scenes are so wildly different in tone, it's jarring. I do not think I'll ever be over Richie killing a hostage--like, straight up serial killer, mutilate the body and gouge out her eyes--and Seth having this surge of anger and slamming Richie against the wall and demanding him to reaffirm WHO THEY ARE. And how quickly that all DISSIPATES, how easy it is for Seth to switch to reassuring Richie and tell him it'll be okay (from WHAT, Seth Gecko, HIM MURDERING PEOPLE???). The way Richie goes all dead-eyed, how he tells Seth what he wants to hear, before straight up telling him the truth, this is me and Seth just HUGS HIM. Like it makes sense--Seth is scared that he's losing his brother to something he doesn't understand just yet. Seth just focuses on hugging and holding and touching his brother, like he's trying to ground HIMSELF, reassure himself, while Richie just stares straight ahead with these blank eyes. Seth trying to tell Richie, and therefore himself, IT WILL BE OKAY and cling to his brother like a security blanket. But Richie knows, in the back of his head, that Seth can't save him from whatever's coming. They can't stop this. He stares with his eyes wide open because he sees truth. They aren't gonna be okay.
This is not who we are; and Richie's most utterly perfect response. It is me. He just owns what he did, he doesn't run from it. It's not in him to lie or deny what's happening, much as Seth would like to hear it.
NUMBER 3
I WILL NEVER BE OVER THIS. I WILL LITERALLY NEVER BE OVER THIS. BLESS THIS SHOW FOR SHOVING IN SETH'S FACE SO BEAUTIFULLY THAT HIS BROTHER IS A NOW A VAMPIRE AND RIPS PEOPLE APART TO EAT THEM. BLESS THIS SHOW FOR NOT SHYING AWAY FROM THAT AND JUST GOING FULL FORCE WITH THE WHOLE "RICHIE IS NOW IRREVOCABLY A CULEBRA NOW MWAHA." Bless this show for turning such a major character into a vampire and not shying away from how ugly that is, while also not going down the route of "this person is now a vampire and therefore soulless monster that must be destroyed because humans > vampires" lol fuck that #team vampire always (#prayer circle for Scott Fuller's arc next season though).
I WILL NEVER BE OVER HOW SETH STARTS FUCKING CRYING WHEN RICHIE IS EATING PEOPLE. CRYING. BECAUSE HIS ENTIRE CONCEPTION OF THE WORLD IS SO THROWN OFF BALANCE AND IF RICHIE IS EATING PEOPLE, WHO HAS THE WHEEL??? IF RICHIE'S NOT HUMAN ANYMORE, THEN WHAT PLACE DOES HE HAVE? IS HE LOSING HIS BROTHER FOR REAL TO THIS WEIRD VAMPIRE SHIT??? He's so goddamn scared and just begging Richie to do the normal thing and get the money AND NOT EAT SOMEONE. SETH DOESN'T UNDERSTAND HIS BROTHER RIGHT NOW AND HE HAS ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD RICHIE WHEN NO ONE ELSE DID /o\
And Richie's response is just. Delightful. He fucking SMILES at Seth. FUCKING SMILES. The last gif, he starts grinning, like this is a regular victory, where they got the money and killed the assholes trying to keep it from them, we won, Seth, see, we're awesome and Richie smiles and then almost immediately wipes his smile off his face BECAUSE SETH IS CRYING AND HE REALIZED SETH IS STARING AT HIM IN HORROR. AND WHAT HE MUST LOOK LIKE. WHOOPS.
I LOVE THIS SCENE SO MUCH
(on a side note, I really dig the vampire make up. Like, a lot? It's so ugly and freaky, like some old school horror movie shit, and really fitting for culebra snake vampires; the scales and the fangs and the venom pockets, especially when you see Santanico's vampire makeup and how the scales go all the way down to her belly and legs, it's so interesting, I love it)
NUMBER 2
WE TAKE IT BACK; THE MOST IMPORTANT SCENE. GODDAMN MISSION STATEMENT OF THE SHOW.
Like this scene is so significant because it foreshadows a bunch of shit later (~we take it back and this time we keep it for eternity~ WELL YOU WOULD KNOW, CARLOS) but it's also so wonderful because this is exactly how Carlos gets Seth to agree to his plan, by speaking to him directly on his philosophy and motto he lives his life by: the world never gave anything to you, so you take it back.
Because Carlos is not actually good at manipulating people or getting people to do things. He's hilariously bad at it. Like, that time he ate Kyle, shapeshifted into him, and tried to take Kate to the twister failed miserably. Then that time he tried to convince Scott to let his family go and tell him he's so much better than them (for the record, I do think he was sincere there, if manipulative at the same time? Clearly he wants Scott on his team and would say nice things to get him to stay, but I also think he prefers Scott out of everyone else in his family and legit saw some potential in him). Even trying to side with the Narciso and the counselors ended up with him in a cage again. Carlos fails at this.
But it works with getting Seth to agree to his plan and come to Mexico. And why? Because they speak the same language. He knows how to get to Seth, through Richie, and he knows how to appeal to his crime, thief philosophy. We take it back isn't just random words. It's his code. Scrappy mean Seth Gecko, who was probably a small kid, who didn't have anything but his brother. Seth Gecko who loves to steal shit, not for the money (though ngl I am pretty sure money is important to him; Seth and Richie went to Mexico with nothing but the clothes on their back, they straight up didn't have anything else, they don't have much money except that what they steal) but for the love of stealing it. To prove that he can take it back for himself, because it's not as if anyone was going to hand it to him. The world never did anything for him (no one saved him from his abusive father; no one but Richie). And Carlos gets that--Carlos is stuck serving the Nine (like I think he has a bit more freedom than Santanico, given he can leave the temple and gets sent on more errands, but Narciso refers to him as slave of slaves, sooo) and if he ever wants it to be different, it's going to have to be through himself, him and Santanico working together. No one is going to come to save Santanico unless she herself sets it in motion (aka visions with Richie). We take it back indeed.
It's also super important that the amoral thieves and the culebras--the protagonists and antagonists respectively--have the same life philosophy. Not so different, humans and vampires (so fandom, stop elevating Seth as morally superior, just because he doesn't eat people, the whole conversation and scenes he had with Santanico were all about how NOT SO DIFFERENT they both are).
I actually have to cut myself off here, because I can ramble on forever tbh and go on separate tangents on what this means for both characters. But yeah, fave scene, most important scene.
NUMBER 1
Every single moment of this scene is stunning. Was there ever any other option for #1 tbh?
I don't even know how to talk about this. The scene is just perfect. The dancing, the reaction of others, the music, the lighting, the SNAKE, the violins playing in the background (not generally an instrument you associate with a strip tease). I feel like I'M being seduced by it watching it, like I'd get up and follow Santanico wherever she asked me too (okay I am biased and have a huge crush; sometimes I feel like I ship Carlos/Santanico because I too, would worship ethereal snake goddess of the night Santanico Pandemonium, I volunteer).
It's hard to sing praises to what's very much an aesthetic scene, that relies on visuals and music and movement rather than words, but literally everyone should go watch it. And honestly, every single thing that's happening in this scene is fantastic. Richie's intense stone face ("SHE'S REAL AKA I'M NOT CRAZY BUT OH NO THIS IS KINDA OF WORSE"). Freddie in the background, pulling out a knife and a gun and trying to figure out which weapon to use on Richie. The entire Mexican stand-off. SETH LOOKING SO AFFRONTED THAT SANTANICO EVEN COME NEAR RICHIE. No really, just watch his body language. He seems so irritated. Kate at least looks entranced as well, if a little shocked.
Speaking of Kate, this is gold:
Also this:
is utter perfection. HER SNARL, MAN. BEFORE SHE EVER VAMPS OUT SHE HAS SUCH A PERFECT FACE SNARL. The way you start to see her human face start to change before it gives way to the scales and fangs. Eiza is so good with her face.
Quentin Tarantino described this scene as, "an orgasm, and the music that follows you into the credits is rubbing come on your belly." That's um, a really crass way of putting it, but...essentially I AGREE. IT'S JUST SO MUCH.