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What I liked about bly manor is that finally for once there are a lot of straight people who recognize a wlw relationship. Not that it hasn’t happened before but my straight friends said that they actually cried at the ending, so it was refreshing to see that they were actually moved by a wlw plot line! It really doesn’t happen that often which is really sad

I get that but the bulk of our stories in mainstream have always* been sad precisely to inspire this sympathy in straight people. “Realistic” homophobia, whether it’s in coming out stories now or historical drama, has always been for straight people. Queer characters suffering, being separated, dying frequently, that’s constructed for their benefit already. So it is a little sad that it takes this approach for them to recognize us. 

And of course, if it’s sad enough even the straights are crying, there’s no hope for me, lol.

*ETA: Well, not always, of course first they were sad because it was a cautionary tale. I meant the ones where they’re sympathetically told. Although of course…therein lies the rub, even sympathetic stories can be cautionary. But that’s a whole different convo, I just wanted to address my inaccurate generalization.

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I liked you gifset of the Discovery crew seeing Michael again, it was such a sweet scene seeing how happy they all looked. Even “I’m too cool for you nerds!” homicidal maniac Philippa Georgiou looked like she finally got to release a breath she had been holding in the whole time since they arrived. Also, it was cool to see Nhan in the credits, and that Detmer might actually be getting a storyline! I adore the mains, but I do find the bridge crew interesting as well.

It was! I loved it, because while I do have complaints about the show, that’s one of the things that’s really worked, that the Discovery crew really loves Michael and vice versa, and especially in this setting now, so alone and kinda scared, they just want to all be together and regroup as the family they’re going to have to be now. Georgiou’s breath she wasn’t holding was definitely a fun addition to the montage of relieved smiles and laughter. I feel like the show kind of forces emotional and inspirational moments sometimes (”there is…life” and the whole thing about Kal waiting for and counting on the Federation) and should just stick with a few each ep. In this one, the Tilly first impression line and that final scene with Michael felt so earned and good because we’d been seeing Tilly struggle and the crew missing Michael, too many kind of dilute those and just feel awkward and forced.

And yes, Nhan and Detmer, it was super fun to see so many of the characters and dynamics we don’t usually get, and I think that’s one of my main complaints. I really think they should just go ahead and make Michael the captain. That way, the screentime wouldn’t have to be divided between her often totally separate adventures on the one side and then the whole of the Discovery crew on the other. If she becomes the ship’s captain, there becomes a lot more overlap. Unless the only thing they’re gonna do with this extra screentime is kill Detmer, then I would prefer less, lol.