This was such a short episode but somehow there was just so much in there! Maybe because of just how defining and incredible a moment it was. 

The fact that the inevitable end is now an np that they could encounter in  the world and that Jester could message is so amazing. I want The Inevitable Friend to be a thing so badly!

GOD IM SO GLAD PUMAT WAS OK. I didn’t know what happened to him, so that was one of the few points of genuine anticipatory tension I’ve gotten with all this! How the fuck do you all handle that on a weekly basis?!!?

I loved the moment of Fjord saying some fancy bS to the Hand’s ashes and Caduceus being genuinely impressed. If Fjord was really paying attention, he’d pick up on the fact that Cad being impressed means that most of his similar big wise metaphors are likewise improv’d poetic nonsense. I love to see the Wildbros encouraging each other

 I was waiting for the Peace Talks shoe to drop! This is another case of me Knowing a plot point happens, but not when or how. I had been so completley baffled as to how they would ever be in a position to end the war, and now I know I guess! Thanks Allura!

Allura jumping in to basically completely turn the trajectory of the plot around almost felt kinda Deus Ex-y to me, but I have the feeling that if I’d watched CR 1 that wouldn’t be true? Like, if I understood this character better it would feel more like an over convenient plot contrivance and more like a charecter-driven moment of the nien bringing in this (from what I’ve heard) very powerful and very morally driven person.

This moment in the throne room felt so bizzare and incredible to me because the m9 basically fell Ass-over-teakettle backwards into the friggin center of a tense political conflict without ever once intending any of it. Think about it!

They only had the beacon bc they thought it looked neat so they stole it.

They only gave the Beacon up because they wanted Yeza back. That wasn’t moral or intentional.

They really did wanted to stop Obann, yes, but the only real reason they ever got super invested in that was for Yasha’s sake

And in conclusion I think thats why they can often come across as so baffling to system-based authority figures. People in power keep trying to approach these guys like they’re some brilliant tacticians or leaders or manipulators when in reality they’re a bunch of paranoid traumatized hobos who keep getting weirdly lucky and sorta kinda care about the world enough that they don’t want it to end

The Cathedral was the most amazing thing. There have been some fantastic fights in this campaign, like with Avantika in Darktow, but the drama and the stakes and the visuals that came with this fight, and everything that happened in the cathedral was just incredible. I already knew a lot of details about this episode, but it was still so amazing to watch. So much drama, and so many close calls, and wonderfully poetic vengeance for Yasha. 

The way they handled the king was also pretty good. I certainly WAS NOT expecting Allura to just fucking come out with the fact that they were allied with the Bright Queen, that was a MOMENT. But Beau came in clutch AGAIN with her words, using her Expositor status to her advantage. 

The drama was awesome, but I’m excited to have some of these downtime moments with the characters, haven’t had that in awhile. There’s been a lot of fighting and urgency lately, so I look forward to the quiet character moments. Especially now that Yasha is back. 

One thing that I really love is Yasha’s harp. I love how something that started as a joke with Jester is turning into something that will genuinely give Yasha some joy and peace. It’s great in so many ways. One, I love that Jester’s positivity has really helped Yasha feel better about herself and more connected to the group. Both the mural in Yasha’s room in the Xhorhaus and the idea that Yasha’s fame is just from her musical talents, has given Yasha some light in the darkness, and I love that. And I think it’s really telling that one of the first things Yasha does is decide that maybe she can be a harp player. Maybe this could be her thing. Why not? No one’s stopping her anymore, and I just really love that one of the first thing she uses her free will to do is make a happy idea start to become a reality.