cilla bloody black

Huh??? #rivals

He recognized the "familiar" energy 😭😭😭😭😭

i’ve been on the aidan turner train since being human and i’ve KNOWN he’s got chops but fuck me, everyone was acting their socks off in rivals 2x8 but this scene between him and victoria blew everyone out of the water

Here are my long-awaited #Rivals Season 2, Part 2 thoughts. I'll have more to share post-finale as well. I think, as a whole, this season's pacing is its biggest hindrance. It's felt across every plotline, but it is particularly egregious where Rupert and Taggie are concerned. I think one of the issues is that Taggie is a very interior character, while Rupert is a very exterior character. We get a lot more of his emotions (good and bad), whereas Taggie is just a forlorn shadow. If you've read the books, you can fill in the gaps, but for general audiences, it makes their relationship feel very off-kilter and harder to root for, especially because Rupert is particularly awful to her throughout this season. I found myself rooting for Taggie/Bas, purely because he was treating her better. And I didn't want to be! Don't get me wrong, I love this series SO much. But I do think it made some very odd, poor choices for Season 2. I'm still very unhappy about them killing off Monica for the sake of man pain for Tony AND Rupert. I think killing her off set the series off on a very different course from the mid-season, and there was no escaping the narrative fallout. I give second seasons a lot of grace, especially when it's a Season 2 that feels born out of an uncertain future (ie., things are rushed to bring a semi-conclusion in case Season 3 doesn't happen). So I am hopeful that Season 3 will be a more confident season. Everyone gives such awe-inspiring performances this season, but I will say David Tennant is the clear standout. Not a surprise, but holy shit! All in all, I really love this series, but I'd give the entirety of Season 2 a 6/10, which is a step down from Season 1's solid 9/10. Here's to Season 3! 🥂

Wait wait wait--There were skaters who knew that the podium could cause problems? And they didn't warn the others? 👀