Necessary Roughness Thoughts
Jul. 12th, 2014 11:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iaria2x12 'Frozen Fish Sticks'
• I really liked how Nico acted here. I really appreciated how he didn't push Dani at all. She avoided him for a month, he let her. Both times they did see each other he let her control the conversation. It was only worry for Juliette that made Nico finally push the issue with Dani and even then he did it in the least demanding way possible. He acknowledged the kiss and then he turned things towards Juliette and Dani helping her.
I liked that he was honest about his feelings [he kissed her because he wanted to], that he didn't try to ascribe any feelings to Dani [she 'needed' to kiss him - not implying anything about her motivations/feelings] and he left what happens next completely up to her ['remains to be seen'].
• I found it weird that we didn't hear Dani talking about Matt at all with Albert and then at the end she throws out that line about 'the man she loves vs the man she's dangerously attracted to' and he didn't seem at all confused about it. So she did talk about Matt? Why wouldn't the show actually show that then? That's a rather big thing to skip completely.
• I really liked Matt taking TK mini-golfing. That was nice.
• The whole bit with TK randomly starting to gossip about Dani and betting that there was something between her and Nico was just really badly done. Clumsy and kind of nonsensical. It really did come completely out of nowhere. There were better ways to get Matt suspicious about Dani/Nico.
• One issue I did have with Dani was the fact that she kissed Nico and almost had sex with him and then avoided him for a month - even though his best friend had literal just died. She knew he felt alone and consider her the person who knew him best. He turned to her at his lowest point. And then she basically just abanonded him because she felt awkward. Not the actions of a very good friend.
2x14 'The Fall Guy'
• "You became the fixer." – Matt. Like Nico! How have I never made that connection before? Or maybe I have and forgot? It just makes me ship them more.
• I really enjoyed all the Dani/Nico/Matt stuff. There were mentions here and there about Dani/Nico and Dani/Matt but there was no jealousy or triangle nonsense or posturing. Instead we got the three of them teaming up to figure out the bounty situation. Nico/Matt working together competently and professionally with zero Dani issues coming up. Nico/Dani being their usual selves. Dani/Matt being friends with no jealousy undercurrents. I really liked the casualness of them going out to lunch and chatting like friends. I like how well all of them work as a team.
• I loved the scene when Dani gets in her car only to be surprised by Nico and then surprised again by Matt in the backseat. Heh.
• I'm very meh about Juliette being behind the bounty program. It annoys me that this is how they chose to end her storyline.
• I still find myself wondering if Juliette is Nico's daughter. Man, it's been so long since I've watched this show that I can't even remember if it's been addressed. But Juliette questioning Dani about her parents' relationship with Nico in 2x12 made me think that the show was going to address that and then it just hasn't. Nico's final line in this episode - about doing something that her father would be proud of - brought the possibility up again.
2x15 'Regret Me Not'
• Wow, Matt's reaction at the end. That was really unexpected! He was genuinely angry at her for telling him that she wanted to get back together and was willing to have kids with him. As a first reaction it's pretty damning. Also kind of confusing? I could understand uncertainty or hesitance but frankly I'd expect some happiness to be in there as well. A couple months ago he proposed to her. He's likely still in love with her. They only broke up because she didn't want children and now she's willing. You'd think this would be his dreams unexpectedly coming true. Sure, he's started dating Noelle and he genuinely likes her but that in no way compares to his relationship with Dani.
I especially find this line really perplexing: "I'm not just some damn yo-yo you can toy with." This implies a lot more than what actually happened with them. They got engaged, he realised she really didn't want children, they broke up, they had sex for a little while and then they stopped that and slowly settled back into a friendship. She didn't lead him on, or go hot and cold with him, and there was no other guy that she bounced back and forth with him with. There really wasn't a lot of yo-yoing happening as far as I remember. So I don't understand this point.
• TK attempting to get Dani to be his sponser was adorable. I also really liked his interactions with Joe Liberty.
• I loved Dani's 'phf, no' reaction when Nico thought that she wanted him to have Noelle followed. I really love that what she wanted had nothing to do with Matt.
2x16 'There's the Door'
• TK was awesome this episode. I loved everything with him. His speech in the locker room was amazing. It was a great moment for TK, and an excellent showcase for his character growth, and just a really great speech. "If you leave your heart and your guts on the field we will not let you down." I liked his dinner with Rex ["How? That's impossible. You've seen me naked.", lol] and the subsequent meeting with Dani. His interactions with Rex were great and the post-game moment in front of the reporters was just so him that I had a giant smile on my face right along with him and Rex.
• I loved the little moment between TK and Dani at the press conference when he put his hand over his heart and nodded to her and she smiled back. Their relationship really is one of my favourites on the show.
• I actually really liked what the show did with Nico/Dani post-kiss. I was really worried after that episode that it was too soon for Dani to have a real relationship - and it was - and that they would end up being a short lived rebound. Instead the show pulled back on their relationship in a way that made sense and yet left the possibility open. It's necessary for Dani to deal with her feelings for Matt and their relationship definitively before entering another one. Dani/Matt are currently a go but with a lot of clouds hanging over them and while Nico is planning to leave it's clear that Dani does have feelings for him and his feelings for her are still there. So I'm good with were they ended the season at.
• Dani and Matt... sigh. I was actually really enjoying everything with them until the final five minutes of the previous episode. I still don't entirely understand Matt's initial pissed off reaction. I've been thinking about his anger and explanations for it: he really liked Noelle and he didn't want to hurt her; he had emotionally accepted that it's over with Dani and having that not be true threw him... I don't know. But his actions in this episode felt more in line with what I was expecting.
It started with him apologising to Dani which was great. He then proceeds to take the first opportunity to sabotage/end his relationship with Noelle in a way that wasn't him straight-out dumping her in order to get back with Dani (which Noelle called him on). He then asks Dani out to dinner and kisses her and they're both happy. It seems like things are going to be going well from this point forward (ignoring that end Noelle moment).
And yet regardless of all that I can't get past the fact that Matt's very first reaction to Dani conceding the children issue and wanting him back was anger and lashing out at her.
• I hate, hate, hate that Noelle is pregnant. Ugh. That is such a cheap writing choice. Also - she's not going to tell Matt? Also annoyed about that.
• "If you walk out that door you're on your own." - Dani WTH, Dani?! She has to know better than that. She's a bloody therapist! Yeah, he's being an idiot and it will most likely be a giant mistake but she can't stop him and he's not backing down. At this point there is nothing more for her to do -- except fricking make sure he knows that she loves him and will be there for him if he needs her! Ugh. It's hard to feel bad for her when I'm too busy yelling at her to stop being an idiot.
• I really liked how Nico acted here. I really appreciated how he didn't push Dani at all. She avoided him for a month, he let her. Both times they did see each other he let her control the conversation. It was only worry for Juliette that made Nico finally push the issue with Dani and even then he did it in the least demanding way possible. He acknowledged the kiss and then he turned things towards Juliette and Dani helping her.
I liked that he was honest about his feelings [he kissed her because he wanted to], that he didn't try to ascribe any feelings to Dani [she 'needed' to kiss him - not implying anything about her motivations/feelings] and he left what happens next completely up to her ['remains to be seen'].
• I found it weird that we didn't hear Dani talking about Matt at all with Albert and then at the end she throws out that line about 'the man she loves vs the man she's dangerously attracted to' and he didn't seem at all confused about it. So she did talk about Matt? Why wouldn't the show actually show that then? That's a rather big thing to skip completely.
• I really liked Matt taking TK mini-golfing. That was nice.
• The whole bit with TK randomly starting to gossip about Dani and betting that there was something between her and Nico was just really badly done. Clumsy and kind of nonsensical. It really did come completely out of nowhere. There were better ways to get Matt suspicious about Dani/Nico.
• One issue I did have with Dani was the fact that she kissed Nico and almost had sex with him and then avoided him for a month - even though his best friend had literal just died. She knew he felt alone and consider her the person who knew him best. He turned to her at his lowest point. And then she basically just abanonded him because she felt awkward. Not the actions of a very good friend.
2x14 'The Fall Guy'
• "You became the fixer." – Matt. Like Nico! How have I never made that connection before? Or maybe I have and forgot? It just makes me ship them more.
• I really enjoyed all the Dani/Nico/Matt stuff. There were mentions here and there about Dani/Nico and Dani/Matt but there was no jealousy or triangle nonsense or posturing. Instead we got the three of them teaming up to figure out the bounty situation. Nico/Matt working together competently and professionally with zero Dani issues coming up. Nico/Dani being their usual selves. Dani/Matt being friends with no jealousy undercurrents. I really liked the casualness of them going out to lunch and chatting like friends. I like how well all of them work as a team.
• I loved the scene when Dani gets in her car only to be surprised by Nico and then surprised again by Matt in the backseat. Heh.
• I'm very meh about Juliette being behind the bounty program. It annoys me that this is how they chose to end her storyline.
• I still find myself wondering if Juliette is Nico's daughter. Man, it's been so long since I've watched this show that I can't even remember if it's been addressed. But Juliette questioning Dani about her parents' relationship with Nico in 2x12 made me think that the show was going to address that and then it just hasn't. Nico's final line in this episode - about doing something that her father would be proud of - brought the possibility up again.
2x15 'Regret Me Not'
• Wow, Matt's reaction at the end. That was really unexpected! He was genuinely angry at her for telling him that she wanted to get back together and was willing to have kids with him. As a first reaction it's pretty damning. Also kind of confusing? I could understand uncertainty or hesitance but frankly I'd expect some happiness to be in there as well. A couple months ago he proposed to her. He's likely still in love with her. They only broke up because she didn't want children and now she's willing. You'd think this would be his dreams unexpectedly coming true. Sure, he's started dating Noelle and he genuinely likes her but that in no way compares to his relationship with Dani.
I especially find this line really perplexing: "I'm not just some damn yo-yo you can toy with." This implies a lot more than what actually happened with them. They got engaged, he realised she really didn't want children, they broke up, they had sex for a little while and then they stopped that and slowly settled back into a friendship. She didn't lead him on, or go hot and cold with him, and there was no other guy that she bounced back and forth with him with. There really wasn't a lot of yo-yoing happening as far as I remember. So I don't understand this point.
• TK attempting to get Dani to be his sponser was adorable. I also really liked his interactions with Joe Liberty.
• I loved Dani's 'phf, no' reaction when Nico thought that she wanted him to have Noelle followed. I really love that what she wanted had nothing to do with Matt.
2x16 'There's the Door'
• TK was awesome this episode. I loved everything with him. His speech in the locker room was amazing. It was a great moment for TK, and an excellent showcase for his character growth, and just a really great speech. "If you leave your heart and your guts on the field we will not let you down." I liked his dinner with Rex ["How? That's impossible. You've seen me naked.", lol] and the subsequent meeting with Dani. His interactions with Rex were great and the post-game moment in front of the reporters was just so him that I had a giant smile on my face right along with him and Rex.
• I loved the little moment between TK and Dani at the press conference when he put his hand over his heart and nodded to her and she smiled back. Their relationship really is one of my favourites on the show.
• I actually really liked what the show did with Nico/Dani post-kiss. I was really worried after that episode that it was too soon for Dani to have a real relationship - and it was - and that they would end up being a short lived rebound. Instead the show pulled back on their relationship in a way that made sense and yet left the possibility open. It's necessary for Dani to deal with her feelings for Matt and their relationship definitively before entering another one. Dani/Matt are currently a go but with a lot of clouds hanging over them and while Nico is planning to leave it's clear that Dani does have feelings for him and his feelings for her are still there. So I'm good with were they ended the season at.
• Dani and Matt... sigh. I was actually really enjoying everything with them until the final five minutes of the previous episode. I still don't entirely understand Matt's initial pissed off reaction. I've been thinking about his anger and explanations for it: he really liked Noelle and he didn't want to hurt her; he had emotionally accepted that it's over with Dani and having that not be true threw him... I don't know. But his actions in this episode felt more in line with what I was expecting.
It started with him apologising to Dani which was great. He then proceeds to take the first opportunity to sabotage/end his relationship with Noelle in a way that wasn't him straight-out dumping her in order to get back with Dani (which Noelle called him on). He then asks Dani out to dinner and kisses her and they're both happy. It seems like things are going to be going well from this point forward (ignoring that end Noelle moment).
And yet regardless of all that I can't get past the fact that Matt's very first reaction to Dani conceding the children issue and wanting him back was anger and lashing out at her.
• I hate, hate, hate that Noelle is pregnant. Ugh. That is such a cheap writing choice. Also - she's not going to tell Matt? Also annoyed about that.
• "If you walk out that door you're on your own." - Dani WTH, Dani?! She has to know better than that. She's a bloody therapist! Yeah, he's being an idiot and it will most likely be a giant mistake but she can't stop him and he's not backing down. At this point there is nothing more for her to do -- except fricking make sure he knows that she loves him and will be there for him if he needs her! Ugh. It's hard to feel bad for her when I'm too busy yelling at her to stop being an idiot.
