Ariana wants to meet Chestnut.

In the earlier arc, there was a clear definition of allies and enemies: those in Xie Huai'ans camp and the Huben, but in the Tiemo arc, it's a guessing game of who exactly they can trust, and with Gu Yu and Bai Wan dead, Long-shu turning out to be a Tiemo shadow guard, there's almost basically no one Xie Huai'an can trust

except Ye Zheng and Xiaoqing (and Wenjing, but he's currently Going Through It)

(also I really wish that they expanded a little more on their backstory and how this absolute trust was founded...)

they're also the only ones who understand each other at a glance, and this scene where Ye Zheng watches from a distance highlighted it: he's worried, but he also understands that Huai'an needs his time alone

but also, while everyone else wants to exploit Xie Huai'an and his mind, Ye Zheng was the only one (apart from Bai Wan and Xiaoqing) who wished for him to attain his goals and finally rest.

"You're sending yourself to your death! Huai'an, sometimes you should put yourself first."

He may not fully understand Huai'ans plans or agree with them, but he'll still choose to trust Huai'an anyway, and follow his plans without question

plus Ye Zheng is also the only one we really see Huai'an relax around (like how he's teasing yz here in episode 11, and the way he cracked a smile in relief at seeing yz alive in episode 25)

I’ve been thinking about the women of Outlander today, not only because it’s International Women’s Day, but because the latest episode, 5x04, The Company We Keep, brings us into the secret world of women. There is a cultural narrative born from patriarchy that pits women against women, this idea that we can’t trust each other, that there is some sort of competition we’re all in, the rules of which don’t seem to be written anywhere, the finish line nonexistent. The truth, the reality of the world of women, is that women have always championed each other. Women have always been each other’s greatest supporters. And it could be no other way. 

Even as the older women chastise Alicia for getting pregnant, they admit she is not the first and will not be the last - this predicament is the ever-present reality of those with the ability to carry life. We see the unbridled joy of the woman holding Fanny’s baby and falling in love as each moment passes while the women around her fret for the future of the unmarried woman with child whose life is seen as ruined. We see Claire’s accidental reveal of birth control instructions, stirring the energy of the room with hope and fear for something that could disrupt their world should they choose to accept it. There is a complexity to the woman’s world, a constant negotiation with themselves and their patriarchal cage. It is an invisible labor in itself, a layer of work that the men in their lives cannot comprehend. And this is a scene that doesn’t exist in this way without a woman writing it.

Back on the ridge, Brianna is unraveling, the anxiety of her trauma revisiting her, and we get another counsel of women as Marsali reaches out to her with a remarkably emotionally mature heart. Marsali of the show is becoming such a remarkable character - open and earnest and brave. What I love about this scene is that they are both survivors, and Marsali knows that sharing that with Bree will be invaluable to her, to know she is not alone, that these demons don’t need to hold us in their thrall and part of dispelling their power is speaking of them. Long before there were therapist offices, there were women confiding in each other in front of the hearth.

Eddie revealing a deleted scene where Tina and Leta jointly save Newt and his case

This scene is significant on multiple levels, for it shows that

Tina understands how much the case means to Newt

Leta possesses great magical skills and truly cares for Newt

Two strong complex female characters work together to protect the male protagonist

Caitriona Balfe at the Delpozo Fashion Show- 2/18/18 

Luisa Beccaria Spring/Summer 2002 Paris