here.

the whiplash going in from zootopia 1 to 2 is so crazy. like one day you’re an aloof sarcastic fox who doesn’t care about nothing or no one then BOOM. bunny best friend partner against crime who you’re obsessed with enters your life and now you cannot take your eyes off her, must lean into her when sitting in any chair no matter how bad it is for your posture, and god forbid you don’t touch her every five seconds it’s a fate worst than death!!!! speaking of death turns out you’d die for her without a moment’s thought, it’s HER death that you fear, HER safety that you stubbornly refuse to compromise, HER danger you can’t bear to see her in. turn the other cheek no matter what they all say about you, because you grew up biting your tongue and steeling your heart, but all those life lessons go out the window the second her name is sullied in the slightest. push, shove, kick, jump—summon inordinate amounts of strength when she needs saving—but be soft around her. lace your gaze, voice, and expression with care when checking in on her well-being. cherish everything she touches, treasure any gift she gives. frame that article of you two, let your apartment fall into squalor but god forbid the area displaying the carrot pen she gifted you endure even the slightest speck of dust. never leave the house without it either. that tie she gave you? always wear it. smirk when it flies in the wind, and you catch a glimpse of those poisonous night howlers that blossomed your life together. beg her to run away with you. follow her anyway when she refuses. next to her is the place you actually want to be anyway, piña koalas be damned. you’ve never felt like you belonged anywhere else. the space beside her, tucked in close and snug, is the only one that makes sense. fight and tussle for it but don’t tell her she’s your entire world and nothing will matter anymore if she isn’t there to fight the good fight with you. get separated from her because you didn’t know how to put that big big heart with her name on it into small little words. almost lose her because of it. claw your way back to her anyway. break out of a literal prison to get back to her, because it’s where you need to be. it’s where you have to be. dive towards an almost certain death to plunge anti-venom into her chest. realize she would die for you too. tell her how you feel. somewhat disguise the extent of it. hug her so tight you don’t really want to let go. adore her so deeply it makes all your friends somewhat uncomfortable and appalled at how oblivious you two are to the nature of it. save the world with her, painstakingly track down the shattered pen that scribbled the start of your connection, your now unbreakable bond. come full circle by giving her your orange pieced-back-together heart. let yourself slip words of confession you secretly want to say every day, because you don’t go a second without feeling them. without loving her.

when Jud said "God didn't hide me or fix me, He loves me when I'm guilty, and that's what I should be doing for these people, not this whodunnit game!" and "we are here to serve the world! Not beat it! That is what Christ did" and "by using me in your game, you're setting me against my real and only purpose in life, which is not to fight the wicked and bring them to justice, but to serve them and bring them to Christ. Otherwise I'm just as bad as Wicks, making it about me and not Jesus" and "this church is not medieval, we're in New York... it's Neo-Gothic 19th century... and the rites and rituals and costumes, all of it. It's storytelling... the question is, do these stories convince us of a lie, or do they resonate with something deep inside us that's profoundly true?"

what really gets me about father jud in wake up dead man is that every person he meets, he immediately tries to understand. when he meets blanc, he asks questions about his faith, his childhood, etc. and really listens. he asks vera about her motivations as a lawyer, tries to engage with cy, talks about nat’s relationship with his wife and subsequent struggles, notices martha putting in all of the work around the church, even listens to samson talk about his addiction. this is in part due to the structure of the mystery, but i think it really works to advance the themes of the movie. jud treats everyone like a complex human being and not a one-dimensional caricature—not a “wolf”.

benoit blanc who sucks at among us and clue and had a homophobic mother and listens to musical theatre in his car. benoit blanc who helps the helpless and never lets his ego get in the way and knows how to play the organ. benoit blanc who sulks in the bathtub and has a gorgeous tailored summer and winter wardrobe. my best friend benoit blanc....

if i came to investigate a case and the main suspect was named “judas duplicitous” i’d throw in the towel dude

(minor spoilers) One thing I loved about Wake Up Dead Man was that there was no reconciliation between Jud and Blanc. They both respected each other, sure, and they definetly parted on good terms, but at no point did either of them yield in their beliefs (or non-beliefs, as it were). Blanc was completely allowed to deny any reverence or faith in the church, but Jud's faith and the work he was doing was treated very respectfully and given its due weight. It was just really nice to see that balance, especially in a movie that is directly about the Catholic Church and what it means to have grace.

one thing i have loved from the knives out movies is the way benoit blanc visually changes to fit each narrative. classic noir in the first, beach vacation in the second, and new england gothic in the third. his taste remains consistent across movies, but he makes enough adjustments to his style to blend into each story. i just find it such a nice detail that works so well with the anthology aspect of the series