obsessed with the Helena and Irving parallel and what it says about the aspects of our identity we think are fundamental (but aren't)...
Like Outie Irving assumes his Innie is just as radically anti-Lumon as he is. He assumes his hatred of Lumon is something ingrained in his personality! That's why he stays up at night drinking coffee and making paintings, because he hopes that when his innie dreams about the testing floor, he'll say "okay bet" and start exploring. That's what Outie Irving would do, after all. But he miscalculated! His hatred of Lumon isn't inherent--- his desire for meaning and art and spirituality is inherent. That's what his hatred for Lumon is built on. But in a world where there's no meaning outside of Lumon propaganda, of COURSE his innie would become ridiculously devoted to the company.
And Helena!! She is the corporation, that's her whole identity. She presumably assumed that Helly would be just as pro-Lumon as she is. But she miscalculated too! Her devotion to the company isn't inherent, her headstrong and entitled nature is what's inherent! And in a world where she's denied any agency whatsoever, that manifests as rebellion.
It's the same dynamic flipped on its head. They both sent their innies in there with opposite intentions--- one to take down the company, one feed the company's expansion--- only to realize that rebellion and devotion aren't inherent characteristics. Their innies have become the exact opposite of their outie selves, while still being exactly the same!! Because even though your personality is inherent, the values you hold are determined circumstantially. OUGH IT'S SO GOOD.
The symbolism of hannah washington having a butterfly tattoo while she also undergoes a horrific metamorphosis and transforms into a monster that doesn’t even resemble her old self anymore
being a nat stan is like…. seeing this amazingly complex character with more baggage than you can imagine for the first time and thinking “wow i really love her and i can’t wait to see more of her! i’m so glad she survived!”
and then you watch her go through the nastiest most horrific shit past AND present day…THEN SHE DIES. and then you think “this cannot POSSIBLY get worse for me….she’s DEAD. she DIED when she FINALLY WANTED TO LIVE…VIA FENTANYL…WHEN SHE WAS CLEAN. HER DEATH WAS RULED AN OVERDOSE WHEN SHE WAS FINALLY CLEAN AND MAKING PEACE WITH HERSELF. HOW COULD THIS POSSIBLY GET WORSE FOR ME?”
and then season 3 comes out…and you’re forced to watch her younger self go through shit that SOMEHOW makes her HORRIFIC DEATH look PEACEFUL. she is FIGHTING FOR HER LIFE left and right and just when you think “okay this is the worst of it” IT SOMEHOW GETS WORSE.
anyways….safe to say we deserved the satisfaction of this episode. she finally caught a fucking win.
THE PITT AYESHA HARRIS as Dr. Parker Ellis -> 1x14 // 1x15
“i hope you die” lame, overused, unoriginal
“i hope your favourite book series gets a netflix adaptation which is actually good and popular only for netflix to cancel it after 2 seasons” horrifying, upsetting, stabbing me would hurt less
I think jeff and britta’s entire dynamic can be summed up by the scene in basic sandwich where they’re in that tunnel loudly shushing each other like children but the second someone else tries to shush either of them they immediately turn to shushing everyone else *together*
there was something “poetic” about van surviving all these external forces that should have killed her, only to get cancer years later and be slowly dying from an internal one. just for the writers to say never mind and have her die from getting stabbed
the thing about professor!mark being so hot is that it implies that every day of filming they sit adam scott down in the hair and makeup chair and say "okay now make him look like shit"
shoutout to Mike because even though he was a douche in the beginning he literally went through hell to find Jess
I like that Matt and Jessica are each other’s second highest relationship... sigh I’m currently replaying until dawn but this time I’m only gonna have those two survive