#valkyerie

Valkyrie🗡

Im very exited for phase four. The excitement on tumblr is refreshing. But on YouTube there are a number of people who are saying that marvel is becoming "woke" expecially regarding thor love and thunder (jane foster and valkyerie)

I understand that some people are going to stop watching the movies after endgame

Black Super Heroes 🦸🏾‍♂️🦹🏾‍♀️

Okay, so most of you know that I have been a staunch "Team NYC" cheerleader all summer long. Because come on, Kate Beckett belongs in New York City, she belongs at the 12th. That's home, that's where her heart is. It's true, and I think we all know it. Not changing my mind on that, never will. And I don't think I'm going to have to either.

But, boys and girls, we went to DC. And it was awesome. Someone asked me at some point this past summer, was there any reason that I could see Kate wanting the job. My answer was essentially, oh yes of course. Because it's a very tempting thing, this idea that she finally has the potential for a career choice that doesn't revolve strictly around the fact that her mother was murdered.

Because here's the thing: when Kate Beckett went off to college she thought she was going to become a lawyer like her mom and dad. And maybe she would have. Or maybe, just maybe in her sophomore year she would've discovered swing dancing and changed her major to Theories of Dance. You never know. That's one of the joys of being a college student, especially one from a bright background, and a solid, fairly well-off home life. There's a certain amount of freedom and self-discovery that you get to have at that point in your life. You get to spread your wings and find your way.

Sort of like what Alexis is doing right now with Pi. Who by the way, is really annoying. Just my personal opinion. But I think that's kind of the point too. Because one of the things that has fascinated me for at least a season now, was the fact that we've had an Alexis who was roughly the same age as Kate was when her mother was murdered. And what did Alexis Castle do her first summer of college? She went to Costa Rica and got a hippie fruitarian boyfriend.

What did Kate Beckett do after her first year of college? She went through hell, and decided to get a badge. And it's defined her life ever since. That whole period of growth and exploration and discovery? She missed it. Entirely. Everything became about justice for her mother, everything became about the mission. And now? Now she's 34 years old, and she's found the guilty party, but she's locked in what appears to be a never-ending stalemate. So, what happens now? Does she consign herself to that single decision, that single career option for the rest of her life, simply because something happened to her when she was 19 years old? That's what she's wondering.

Of course, we who have watched and learned and loved these characters have a different perspective. For Kate, it's not necessarily about the mission entirely, anymore. The fact is, she's good at what she does not just on an investigative level, but personal level, with people and connecting with them. It's one of the first things we learned about her through the eyes of Castle. "How does she do that?" Castle asks. "Better than anyone I know," Montgomery answers. (2x08) That very same empathy, that very same instinct causes her just a hint of trouble at the beginning of her DC storyline, as her concern for the victim ends up getting her shot in a training exercise.

Castle causes her bit of trouble too, because well, he's still Castle. And he can't resist a mystery. But, even as he's being a bit of a hindrance in DC? We also see how much of a help he's been. Because, look closely, and you will see Kate playing off McCord in very much the same way Castle played of Beckett in 1x01. It's over, McCord essentially insists. We got the bad guy. All the evidence is there. Beckett's response is basically yeah but the story doesn't fit. Sound familiar?

Keep your eyes peeled for a number of "Flowers for Your Grave" callbacks in this episode. There's a nice one between Castle and Beckett as well, as they both independently work the case from different places, answering each other questions "Why would someone want to cause a blackout?" Castle asks from Kate's apartment. Cut to Kate, at the office, briefing her team on the reason for the blackout. How in sync are they? They show up at the next point of investigation and awkwardly bump into one another. That also sounds awfully familiar. Tisdale's office, anyone? Kate tells him he has to back off a bit, for both their sakes. Stay in the car - er, apartment - Castle. Oops. Too late! Now the bad guy has him at gunpoint. And this time, that's just the start of the trouble he's landed himself in, isn't it?

So yes the settings may have changed, the stakes may be different (papaya steaks! Sorry, couldn't resist...) but it had all the rhythms of a quintessential Castle episode. Heck, it had the rhythms of the very first Castle episode, in a number of ways. Look at both how far we've come, and yet how very familiar it feels.

Speaking of different yet familiar let's talk about Caskett. So much of last season's hotly contested final arc, when it came down to it, was really about two people who wanted in the same things, but didn't know how to get to what they wanted because they were afraid they weren't on the same page. But Castle's sudden and bold proposal cleared that confusion relatively quickly, once we put it with Kate's adorably flustered, sweetly name filled acceptance.

And being on that page together? It shifted something about these character's personal relationship. They are both more open, more free with each other. Kate in particular. We saw glimpses of it at times - in the Hamptons, on Castle's birthday - but it was always edged with uncertainty. But she has something she's gained with knowing where they stand. Something gained with that ring, that symbol that now hangs beside her mother's. Freedom and confidence. To be who she is as a person, a woman in love. And also to explore the possibilities before her.

Is it a bit naive to think that they can both upend their lives and have it go on as before? Oh, yes. But to paraphrase from my favorite musical a bit, "Until you try, you'll never know." And so, they shall try. And stumble, and fall. And learn, and grow. As a couple, and as individuals. And when Kate does find herself back home? She will be better and stronger and more secure for it. And so will Caskett. Because, now, in all aspects of her life, Kate Beckett will be where she was meant to be, not because it's where she was directed by circumstance, but because it's the life she chooses. And that can only make her a better, stronger partner for Castle in every sense.

Which will be helpful, when the next obstacle arises, because, it will. Life - and good drama - is full of them. And don't expect all of the obstacles to come from Kate's quarter, either. I expect life with Castle will have plenty of challenges of their own. We got a little bit of a hint of that in Valkyrie, when Kate calls to cancel their weekend. "It's okay," Castle says. "I was the one who had to cancel last time." - a small line, but meaningful. Challenges go both ways. What is required is two people willing to face them. And that? That we have.