The Blacklist
Parallel Scenes
Season 1 GIFs

4/30/2014


"I can only lead you to the truth. I can't make you believe it."
—Red
"The truth is that you're a sick, twisted man."
—Liz

I love how in these scenes Red tries to explain himself, but Liz is having none of it and tells him off, both times ending the relationship...or so she thinks. (Edit 1/11/18: You know by now that she keeps going back and why she's drawn to Red and what his decidedly not "sick" and "twisted," but rather heartbreaking, fascination with her is.) Afterward, Red sits there in stunned silence. The tears in his eyes, after having lost so much in his life, make the scenes that much more painful to watch, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

In "Gina Zanetakos" he was absolutely right that Tom wasn't who he said he was. Liz eventually found out about Tom and that Red wasn't just out to destabilize her life. Liz started trusting Red more and things moved forward, their relationship salvaged and strengthened. But in "The Kingmaker," it was revealed what Red had done to Sam, Liz's adoptive father. No matter the spin he puts on it, this time it's permanently changed, possibly damaged beyond repair if he takes too much longer to tell her the truth. Red may have been helping his friend in taking away Sam's suffering, but he was also selfish in not wanting Sam to reveal his secret. Liz may eventually come to understand why, but I can't see how she could ever forgive that act.

Here are the previous parallel scenes that I forgot to post a little while ago, the first from "Pilot" and the second from "Milton Bobbit." There may have been more, but these are the only ones I made GIFs out of/associate right now.

I Had No Idea

4/26/2014

Thank You!

I didn't check my Shareasale.com account for a little while, so getting a check in the mail today seemed completely out of the blue. I didn't have nearly enough in there back in February. Never imagined orders suddenly flooding in. Thank you very much to the people who ever bought t-shirts, hoodies, or anything at TeeFury, or who many one day buy something from RiptApparel, through one of my links. I hope you enjoy them! And now I can feel better about having spent money on an Art of Level 7 poster, which eventually will probably turn into two or three posters.

Remember, if there's ever anything wrong, don't hesitate to request a refund. I got to keep my Son of Coul from RiptApparel (still have to fix it), along with my money, when I found a hole in it. They responded quickly and courteously. Since they work similarly, both sites having designs available only for a day, sometimes two, and therefore nothing to replace a defective item with, I would expect TeeFury to do the same.

If you'd like to check out all the shirts I've posted, they can be found under my t-shirts label. There are even more at Pinterest that I wanted but didn't have the time to talk about. Many of them are no longer available, but I'm slowly going through them to see if they're on sale elsewhere.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Nothing Personal :: Art of Level 7
Season 1, Episode 20 Preview

4/24/2014

© Marvel Studios

It's Thursday again. You know what that means. At least, you do if you've read my Art of Level 7 posts for the last three Thursdays. It's time for the fourth lithograph in the Art of Level 7 series, which means there are only two more after this one. I have limited funds, so I may not buy this one, though it is a beauty that I'm sure will sell out rather quickly. (Read more about it at EW.com.) I'm trying to wait for "Beginning of the End" since it's the finale and will likely leave me yearning for the second season immediately.

Clark Gregg
Trust Me
Video Interview

4/22/2014


Clark Gregg retweeted this interview yesterday. It's probably my favorite of his so far and it's not specifically about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which most people would expect right now, but he still mentions S.H.I.E.L.D. because it's impossible not to ask this humble, funny guy about the greatest gig ever. If you've been following him on Twitter then you may have heard about Trust Me, a movie about a washed up agent finally finding the gifted child actor that could turn it all around. That child actor is Saxon Sharbino, who really is terrific, as the few of us who watched Touch can attest. But I can't wait to see this one mostly because of the talented Mr. Gregg, who we wrote, directed, and starred in the movie and is sure to have put all of his heart into it.

Here are highlights from the interview, some of which concern Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Don't forget to watch tonight. There are only three left this season after "The Only Light in the Darkness." If you don't watch this series then you are missing a performance with great emotional range, a perfect example of which comes in Providence. I doubt he has any trouble showing the emotions Trust Me seems to require, especially after reading this review. Gregg is one of those actors I'd always loved to see, and one day I realized he was one of the best. He absolutely deserves to be headlining a show and he's got the talent to be a multi-hyphenate.

After I finished the first draft, my partner, who's a wonderful casting director, Mary Vernieu...said, 'This is a role you have to play.' And I said, 'Because he's a big loser, is what you're saying.' And she's like, 'Yes, but he's your kind of loser.  Nobody can make a loser feel like he has some heart like you."

It never really felt like it was about show business, even though it absolutely is. And it just felt like it was about innocence.

I just wanted Sam [Rockwell] to be in anything I ever did. I had such a great time with him in Choke. We've known each other since we did plays together in New York. He's the kindest person I know and certainly one of the most talented people I've ever had the pleasure to work with.

On Coulson and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

It's been such an amazing journey. You know, he was a little cameo that they expanded, and suddenly I was doing a scene at the end of Iron Man 1 where Pepper Potts was thanking me, and as a comic book fan, I nearly died on the spot. There's so many times when my heart's nearly stopped.

"I'm a very unlikely 52-year-old action star at the moment.

We finished the final episode two - three nights ago, at midnight. And I always have the dual roles: I get to do it, I get to perform it, and as a fanboy I'm sitting there going, 'I am so upset that I tell anyone what I just did... It's killing me.

The Blacklist
An Evening in New York
Season 1 Emmys Panel Video

4/22/2014

So I just realized it's Monday (now Tuesday, because I didn't get to finish this yesterday), which means The Blacklist is finally back. I say "finally" even though the last new episode was only two weeks ago, because there have been an incredible amount of breaks for this show. The longest was six weeks in the winter, followed by just two or three new episodes, and then another three weeks off for the Olympics. It seems that most shows this season (at least the ones I love) have had more time off than usual, not including the Olympics. Or maybe it's just me noticing and caring more now in an unusual year where I fell crazy in love with multiple new series at the same time. That just never happens.

An Evening in New York With The Blacklist streamed live on April 2. It was at 8 PM, so I couldn't watch, but they made it available the next day. Annoyingly, I only got half way through before I had to do something else. Then I tried multiple other times over the following weeks and was always interrupted. I'm finishing it today no matter what before the next thing, likely Blacklist-related, grabs my attention.

Now for the one person out there that hasn't seen this or those who are just now bingeing on the show, here are the highlights of this panel. You can see the full panel at Emmys.com. It's much more fun hearing the words from the actors themselves rather than just reading them, and they have a lot more to say than just these few select quotes.

I think that if you care and you breathe, and you keep caring and you keep breathing, something happens.
—Megan Boone

I found out today I know a lot about architecture... In my head I was like, 'So when I was in graduate school studying tech and engineering, I had an architecture requirement course, and it's coming in handy to get this Blacklister this week.'
—Amir Arison

Any backstory with Aram is a great thing. Hopefully, the secondary characters will come to the fore a bit more when there is room for it, because I want to know more about Aram, Meera, and Dembe.

I think the bad guys are good.
—Hisham Tawfiq

I never like the questions of good or bad. Just about everyone has the capability to be both at any time depending on circumstances. Whether Dembe is good or bad doesn't matter much to me unless he does something irredeemable, say killing an innocent for no reason and without regret. I don't see that happening unless the writers want us to turn against him. What matters is that Dembe and Red are loyal to each other; there is good in that.

I remember the first thing you said to me after I read the other side was, 'Wow, man. You're a dick.'
—Ryan Eggold to John Fox about reading as Ranko Zamani
Some of my best friends are ruthless killers.
—James Spader

As we all do when we're in love, sometimes we're blinded to things.
—John Fox about Liz

And this is why I was always on her side. A criminal comes into your life and tells you to be careful of your husband, of course you're not going to believe him until you have some evidence. As Megan said, and I always wonder how people don't realize, she has a history with Tom that we as the audience do not. Why would she be mistrutful of her husband? We're on the outside and get to see what she doesn't. It always amazes me when people say a character is being written stupidly when it's really that they are being written as human, not omniscient. There are great manipulators in this world that even the keenest of us don't see for what they are until it's too late.

We try to peel back the layers on Red. We try to expose his vulnerability as much as we can, and you've seen it; you've seen it in series. And James is absolutely incredible at playing that, at playing those moments, and that's what humanizes the character.
—John Fox

I'm sure I'm repeating myself from all my other posts about The Blacklist, but that vulnerability is mesmerizing, and James was the right choice to expose the profound damage of Red's heart and soul.

Can I Please See Winter Soldier?

4/19/2014

Week 1

We almost never go to any movie on week 1. Damn both the crowds and our inability to find time to get together.

Week 2

People "needed" to eat out. My brother was late. The restaurant was crowded. Finished in time to miss at least the first 15 minutes, so we went back to my brother's house, sat around the fire pit, comforted his wimpy, sweetie pie pitbull because she was afraid of the fire but wanted to be with us, and talked and laughed for the next few hours.

Week 3

My other brother has pink eye now and doesn't feel like going, and decided 10 minutes before we were to leave, after I scarfed down a pathetic dinner of a cheese wrap and a few chips.

Week 4

The apocalypse will not keep me away! Fucking hell!

So that's twice now in sadness I take off my Visit Tahiti It's a Magical Place shirt with the Coulson ukulele player. I was wearing it in honor of He Who Must Always Be Named (played by the wonderful, amazing, stupendous @clarkgregg) and seeing his favorite hero on the big screen again. I guess I'll just have to content myself with the trailer another dozen or so times. And the brother who currently watches Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will now be three episodes behind, because I warned him about the spoilers.

Oh, and I'm also the only one in my immediate family without an eye problem right now - *loudest knock on wood you ever heard* - so we're going to miss the Easter party tomorrow with the extended family. Not going by myself. I guess I'll go color the eggs since I apparently have nothing better to do. No, nevermind. We're going to watch Frozen.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The Only Light in the Darkness :: Art of Level 7
Season 1, Episode 19 Preview

4/17/2014


© Entertainment Weekly

Updated June 9, 2020

Thought I was done for the day, but there's one more thing. This third poster in the Art of Level 7 series. I love this because it's sort of similar to what I've had in mind since Coulson died in The Avengers: a lone cellist playing in the dark with a spot of light on her. My version had her facing forward and I imagined a sort of ghostly Coulson just behind her, not knowing how he would return, only knowing that he should. One day, I may have a chance to actually draw it.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Providence :: The Weight of the World
Season 1, Episode 18

4/17/2014

Clark Gregg in Providence

"There’s gotta be something here. This means something. This has to mean something. The world needs us. Hydra is out there. We cannot let them win. We cannot let them define us. Do you understand that? We are not agents of nothing. We are agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and that still carries weight. It – it has to carry weight. After everything we’ve been through, that carries weight!"

Every episode has a moment that defines it. This is that moment in "Providence." In fact, it defines Coulson and the entire show and brings tears to those caught off guard. It's said with conviction and passion at a time of sheer desperation. It's poignantly written and acted and assures me that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will remain a favorite for years to come.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Providence :: Art of Level 7
Season 1, Episode 18 Preview

4/10/2014


© shop.marvel.com

Updated on June 6, 2020.

I skipped out on the poster for "Turn, Turn, Turn." I didn't know how incredible and game-changing that episode would be. Once I knew, the prints were all sold out. Since there are to be six posters and I can't possibly buy them all, I was going to wait, thinking that the later episodes would be more important, the most memorable. But Ward's actions last week were such a shock. No wonder they started with that one. "Providence" will be an emotionally trying one for the remaining agents now without a member they had come to rely on, who they thought was part of their family. The shield that protects the world is broken, the people we've come to know over the season now gutted and rudderless.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Turn, Turn, Turn :: Tune, Tune, Tune In
Season 1, Episode 17 Review

4/09/2014

Brett Dalton, "Turn, Turn, Turn," 1x17 | © ABC Network and Marvel Television

"They hide in plain sight. They earn our trust, our sympathy. They make us like them. And when you hesitate, they strike."

Minutes after watching "Turn, Turn, Turn," I resolved to write about it. I was going to do so some time later this week, but immediately the words came flooding out. I haven't written a lot about AoS lately because another new favorite show, The Blacklist, wouldn't let me stop thinking about it, writing about it, or making GIFs during my free time. I would always plan on doing something for AoS, but then something always got in the way. By the next time I had a moment, usually taking the entire week, I would be writing about The Blacklist again, because I was so taken aback by how incredible it was, and I was and still am completely caught up in the what-the-hell are they to each other relationship of Red and Liz. But I regret that I lost all this time that I could have also been praising Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I need to better balance my time between these shows in their second seasons.

Almost Human Deserves a Second Chance

4/04/2014

#DoItFox

It's April already and the fate of Almost Human still hasn't been decided. I had no idea what I was going to say about that. I've been keeping quiet because I've been so busy with various deadlines, and I sincerely thought I was out of words. I've been getting tired of not knowing, tired of most shows I love getting the axe before proving themselves. But I read the latest Almost Human Task Force post about having a tweet out this Saturday at 8:00 PM EST, during what was supposed to be a repeat of "Straw Man," urging Fox to tell us so that we can either finally breathe a sigh of relief or say goodbye to this intriguing series that didn't get a full season to prove itself. Suddenly I had thoughts pouring out. I barely had to edit it, they came out so perfectly. This only happens when I'm trying to get to sleep, she says grumpily. At least now I know how I want the beginning to end, with a polite plea...

Dear Fox Executives,

Fringe may not have been the huge hit Fox had hoped for in the beginning, but there is no denying that, when it was given the chance, it was a brilliantly done piece of sci-fi drama that was emotionally deeper than almost any series. Being from the same passionate people, specifically Joel Wyman, I'm positive Almost Human can reach similar heights. Just like most genre shows, which admittedly appeal to a much smaller group than the mediocre, easy to follow formula that pervades television, Almost Human needs time to grow, to develop its back story, which already introduced a few intriguing mysteries. Certainly not every series can be a hit out of the gate. There are a lot of factors at play, and true quality should count for a lot more and be praised.

Of course, I don't have knowledge of what happens behind the scenes. I'm sure you get flak all the time, because even the worst show has fans, so I wouldn't want to add stress or presume that your only consideration is money. But it didn't seem like Almost Human had very much support. Like Fringe, I never felt it had a fair shot or the advertising behind it. Like Firefly, the episodes seemed disjointed because they were aired out of order, which I'm sure put off those who didn't know what was happening, only that it didn't make sense in terms of continuity. And starting so late in the season, after everyone's TV schedules are filled to capacity, could not have helped. This instills no confidence in viewers, who then decide to wait and see if a show will be picked up for a second season before spending their time and tears on it.

Almost Human is one of those shows that people should get a chance to discover. There is no shortage of memorable moments, and Michael Ealy and Keith Urban were really made to play opposite each other, their characters so funny and charming in their own ways and each possessing a good deal of the ever important heart that a good show uses to become great. There is so much untapped potential here, so many stories to tell, so many funny lines to deepen our bond. This show inspired action by its fans before it even existed and we have been let down too many times in the past. We know what you did for us with Fringe, taking on a monetary burden to finish a story that a small but enthusiastic audience was yearning for. Please prove that wasn't a one-time fluke. If Almost Human is given the chance it deserves then we will know Fox is committed to cultivating loyalty and excellent television, and the current fans will redouble our efforts to bring in new blood.

Sincerely,
Erin Bates

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Turn, Turn, Turn :: The Art of Level 7
Season 1, Episode 17 Preview

4/04/2014


© shop.marvel.com

"This is a battle for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s soul and we're on the front lines."
—Garrett to Coulson

*Updated on June 10, 2020.

Remember when Fringe did a special series of posters celebrating the show just before the end? It was a very cool collection, and I bought three of them - at $43 a piece. Then I also had to buy frames for them. I spent a pretty penny that I shouldn't have but really, really wanted to. Now Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has their own series of 6 posters, released one at a time over the coming weeks, that are designed to tie-in with the last episodes of this season. They are limited editions of 100 for $50 each, so choose wisely if you don't have more than $300 to spend.