NimirRaj

Thank goodness for Marta and the chuckle I let loose when Rick said “Somebody call a plumber?” almost cracked my ribs. I only see things going up from now on.

Davey told his dad about Brian and his mother, and I use the term loosely, has in the past listened in on them so I’m betting that’s how she learned in general that Davey is gay as well as his past(alternate timeline) relationship with Brian. There’s always a chance his dad told her yet that seems unlikely. Overall this was a rather dark & depressing chapter with his mother’s betrayal combined with Brian’s aggressive homophobia. I agree with @drpaladin that we can’t count Brian and their potential relationship out quite yet as he seems to be at war with himself, though admittedly I’m a little pessimistic on that front. In reality people have pretended to be straight as best they could, married the opposite sex, had children, etc. and yes while some end up having affairs on the side meaning they don’t completely manage to “live” a so called straight life overall they may suppress their true selves for years if not permanently so with Brian’s fear of AIDS as well as the world being filled with so much homophobia I don’t think it’s impossible that he’ll deny his true feelings at the expense of a relationship with Davey. At the moment at most what Brian feels for Davey is lust and if he continues to keep Davey at arms length it’s unlikely anything further will ever form. We’ll just have to see if Davey eventually breaches Brian’s defenses so that they can even have a chance at friendship let alone more.

This chapter fills like a mixed bag as the revelations about Brian from Trevor as well as with the latest firsthand experience Davey must feel a little disheartened yet at the same time Brian couldn’t hide his attraction which will likely give him some hope Brian can get past his internalized homophobia. Not sure how I feel about the time machine being built as while I get that with the enemies having it may mean it’s necessary to use it at this rate it feels like Davey could be doing do-overs for eternity. Well I say that yet apparently every do-over has to predate the last because I believe it was mentioned you can’t overwrite a mind that is in the middle of a do-over meaning Davey had to come back earlier this time so eventually if it just kept being used over and over he’d run out of time to use which while that would take a LOT of do-overs it still means that you technically can’t send the same person back indefinitely plus there may be a minum age limit for the transfer to be successful as the brain may need to be at a certain level of development. I have to wonder how much Sean actually knows regarding the specs despite his certainty he can build a new machine and not to mention how likely such a machine is to work. I mean he says when he can eventually build the first one it won’t be as good as the one from the future due to the current level of technology not being advanced enough and the original one killed test subjects prior to Davey so I can only imagine how dangerous a less advanced version would be plus if Sean lacks certain knowledge even with help of the best scientists it could end up being a subpar version regardless of available tech considering how complex the designs must be.

So it’s officially confirmed Jared arranged his sperm donors death and seems to be taking Justin down a dark path as he even offered to help pay half the cost rather than being remotely concerned about Jared having their sperm donor killed. I mean I get the anger and even the fantasy of having him killed yet I’m a little surprised the reality of it doesn’t disturb Justin at all. Then there’s the lack of almost any guilt over the cheating and overall it is beyond depressing. I really feel sorry for Thomas & Craig as it’s more than just them having been cheated on it’s also the lack of caring from their partners. “Maybe” they could get a pass if it was drunken moment yet they continued once fully sober and have as far as I can see no plans to stop. Both Craig & Thomas on some level seemed to notice something was up and I’m betting eventually one if not both will realize their partner is cheating on them even if they don’t suspect who it’s with as they might never suspect two half brothers to be having affairs with each other. Thomas seems open minded and maybe a little adventurous so theoretically he “might” be ok with it(I’m doubtful but hey he dealt with his boyfriend having sex with his boss who was sorta a mother figure to him plus he was highly attracted to Justin potentially making the idea sexy to him so it’s hard to predict his reaction.) but Craig was definitely a jealous guy early on so while he may be more causal & less jealousy proned now I doubt he’d be convinced to just go with the flow. Then there’s the lying which even “if” Craig & Thomas could be open to the idea of not being exclusive or making a strange exception in this case I’m not sure either could get passed the lies. Honestly, I really liked Justin a lot as he seemed like a sweet guy but...yeah I know relationships can be mended yet my mind keeps repeating “Craig could do better.” as if I’m almost rooting for a breakup. Call me a romantic but cheating especially cheating without any real guilt gets under my skin. Ok rant over.

Oh I know it was a sad reality which is why the scene is so impactful.

Well I’m glad Edvard is getting his memories back and clearly the “treatments” only made things worse so I hope he doesn’t receive anymore. I’m sorry Syl didn’t come as it didn’t help his depression any yet it’s not surprising.

Electro shock therapy?! Poor Edvard, though part of me wonders if he’d be better off if he got permanent amnesia as a result as starting over from scratch doesn’t sound like a bad plan for him.

All I can say is...damn poor kid.

I’m not surprised Syl didn’t want Edvard to die as I don’t think she’s that despicable but I’m starting to think she has her own mental problems like maybe she’s bipolar. I mean at the start of this chapter besides her dodo comment, which didn’t feel filled with malice, she was actually fairly nice to Edvard which is strange considering her typical treatment of him. Despite wanting him out of the house seeming to be her motivation her plans to teach him to cook also seemed marked with some level of positivity as well so there seem to be rare moments of her being somewhat of a good person. As for the suicide attempt...well I doubt it surprised anyone as nothing positive ever seems to happen to him rather only more negativity. The guy needs something good to happen once in a while for heaven sakes.

That woman, and I use the term loosely, obviously wasn’t let in on all the details as while she recognized his name I doubt he was supposed to fill out those forms as if he was applying for a job as he clearly was “supposed” to already have one and her threats to call the cops for his moment of hesitation was beyond ridiculous. If that’s the type of people they hire it’s probably not a place I’d want to work. Ugh, Syl is the worst as on one hand she “sometimes” seem to genuinely want Edvard to improve yet she definitely wishes he didn’t exist which obviously combined with her abusive behavior negates any remotely redeeming qualities. The only silver lining is that she apparently doesn’t physically abuse him anymore not that the verbal abuse has stopped.

Wow, I know he wanted to join the army but...yeah I’m glad that didn’t work out. I was nervous for a second because sometimes when the draft is involved as long as you’re physically healthy they don’t always seem to care about your mental state though I forgot about his eye/vision being a negative factor. His knees not being 100% is news but seems like the other shoe is always dropping for Edvard so him having yet another problem doesn’t seem much of a surprise. Thankfully it’s something he wasn’t even aware of so it doesn’t seem to be an issue.

I think Edvard is intelligent enough to handle say a desk job but I’m concerned his lack of confidence will cause him to falter initially as well as potentially result in him not putting in his best effort as he often automatically defaults to believing he can’t do anything right because of his perceived low IQ. Then the socializing aspect of a work environment could be challenging of course so I’m curious as to what E3 considers “suitable employment”. Perhaps it’ll be an office job at his law firm.

Attempted rape and possible loss of his eye... Why can’t this kid get a break??? I can’t imagine how things are going to go from here if his life keeps on taking a nosedive.

Ugh, if I wasn’t insane already having my wrists restrained would lead me there. Just the idea of it makes me feel jittery. Glad he had a relatively good day but sadly it doesn’t seem to last. Maybe they’ll get him on some medication that’ll help and um once again it could only help his depression if they could let him know he’s not a dodo. Clearly he’s a very intelligent rather he doesn’t seem to know how to apply his intelligence possibly because he second guesses himself based on his perceived low intelligence.

Wow, that cop really overreacted not to mention the whole spying in order to arrest people for consensual sex is just... A sad sad thing and shows that cop wasn’t getting laid enough if that’s his idea of a good time. Sorry, had to make a joke to deflect from that realistic reenactment. 🤦🏻‍♂️ Edvard/Eddie is having a tough time and I hope they can help him. I was worried he was going to be abused the last time he was sent to a mental hospital as that situation seemed to start out on a negative note and abuse in some such facilities isn’t uncommon. Hopefully they’ll be able to help him with his suicidal thoughts as while I don’t support it considering everything he’s gone through I can’t blame him for having such thoughts as it only seems natural.

I can’t imagine what his life is like as schizophrenia at his age must be overwhelming. I doubt his mother physically & verbally abusing him helped any and I have to wonder if the psychiatrist told E3 about the comments about the abuse. My cynical side says even if they did either the psychiatrist, E3, or both may have assumed the claims of abuse were false brought on by the schizophrenia. I wish they’d told him the results of his IQ test as the low self esteem can’t be helping his mental state and he clearly uses his perceived low IQ as an excuse not to pay attention to things.

Wow. I was already getting worried as Justin seemed truly interested in Jared’s comment about him having a potential professional sexual relationship with a younger guy and I’m now beyond disappointed in both of them. Also even before the two of them hooked up the threesome idea of Jared’s as well as his interest in Nathan seemed genuine not to mention Justin didn’t seem against the idea. Despite all that I felt somewhat reassured when the comment was made about calling their partners in part so they wouldn’t think they were “playing up with other men” as that made it sound like the desire to cheat was gone. Despite his past indiscretion I think Thomas now expects a committed relationship and Jared should recall how upset he was when Thomas cheated on him. Still, there’s a chance Thomas will find this idea sexy and not be upset at all. Craig on the other hand I have no doubt will be upset as the only time they’ve had sex with other guys was the threesome with Thomas which they didn’t seem interested in repeating when sober and Craig overall seems to want a committed relationship. Then there’s the comment about being “made for each other” which is a statement both seemed to agree with as well as seemed to put higher than their “chosen partners” as if they didn’t matter as much and obviously statements like that don’t bode well for their current relationships if they seem to disregard them so easily. I get that they were drunk but they seemed sober enough to control themselves plus you can’t exactly add grief to it as they were more like celebrating. Yes both became surprisingly depressed or upset at not having grown up as brothers yet I don’t think that remotely excuses their method of bonding. I would presume Justin will feel guilty in the morning or at least when he’s back around Craig, though I have no idea how either of them will truly feel as you never know. There’s also the chance both Craig & Thomas won’t be too upset yet I can’t imagine both of them easily accepting what happened especially if it turns out not to be a one time thing. Justin’s potential interest in sex work is also concerning “if” that interest remains when he sobers up. @Summerabbacat has a good point as my naive brain thought maybe Jared had plans to steal the ashes and do something with them to demean his sperm donor rather than now that I think about it the very likely idea he somehow engineered his “suicide.” I mean honestly, I felt the suicide didn’t make remote sense but I dunno figured some inmate did it only to make it look like suicide yet never factored in Jared as he’s been fairly innocuous until now. His violent reaction to Nathan did throw up some red flags and I was surprised Justin didn’t seem more concerned even in their drunk state as he’s not one to support violence.

It is definitely good the nuclear factor and likelihood of WWIII was taken out of the equation though the line “but that would have led to the nuclear destruction of the world, and no one wanted that on their conscience.” comes off as a little odd as the destruction of the world obviously meaning me as well as everyone else being dead would be more important to me than a guilty conscience. 🤷🏻‍♂️ 😂 I want Davey and Sean to be friends of course yet Sean’s latest drunken comments combined with the revelation that he tried to kill Davey doesn’t make him a very likable person. Obviously he’s gone through a lot yet his dark, cynical, self-centered personality is not appealing in the least plus it seems like he’s still very bitter towards Davey. With friends like that you don’t need enemies and it can’t be blamed on the alcohol as he’s clearly saying what he feels. Yes, he came back to warn Davey but honestly the way he talks makes me wonder why he bothered if he’s so angry about his “do over” and essentially seems to hate his existence along with his jealousy & anger towards Davey. Of course I do agree with Sean somewhat which is that despite all that he’s seen Davey can often be optimistic to the point of extreme naivety. I’m worried he’s going to get a major reality check eventually when confronted with his former friends homophobia and/or the Brian situation.

I’m now recalling Zeke’s house being attacked and Tyler’s quick thinking back then. Yes, in that instance Tyler got seriously injured yet he showed real initiative in a situation where he was outnumbered & outgunned so I can see him finding a way to succeed in this “mission”. He’s also not stupid so I’m curious if he’ll realize his gun has blanks in it rather than assuming he’s just missing(Also I have to wonder if Zeke is packing blanks to as otherwise I’d expect Tyler to get suspicious if he’s in what appears to be danger yet Zeke doesn’t ever fire his gun.) and then like @Philippe I don’t remotely trust G so I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a trap with the goal being to kill Zeke. I have to wonder if deep down Zeke is a little suspicious considering how much he was apparently arming himself, though I suppose in that line of work it’s always good to be cautious regardless as it wouldn’t be impossible for a legitimate threat to appear even during a supposed fake mission. No matter what I think we can all agree that this “mission” is not going go as anyone expects it to.

Well things are escalating quickly. I’d love to visit another point in time but fairly realistic stories like this are why we should all be happy time travel is only possible in fiction as the ramifications are beyond chaotic. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Damn, it’s all coming out now. I can understand Sean being bitter but oh boy I never anticipated he wanted to essentially murder Davey at one point. Sean talks about having forgiven him, which as I said I can understand his anger up to a point, yet as much of an ass Davey might have been I think I’d have trouble forgiving Sean for trying to kill me if I were him. I mean, yes it wasn’t 100% guaranteed to kill him but as Sean himself said he didn’t expect Davey to survive so I’d definitely label it attempted murder. Yeah, alcohol should be off the table from now on lest more tea gets spilled as someone is liable to get scalded.

Ok, I can sorta read through the lines and see that Cheryl is likely leaving because of Jared’s paranoia & jealousy regarding Roan in an attempt to possibly alleviate his worries...which is in a way simultaneously both hilarious and ridiculous since Cheryl had similar thoughts regarding Roan & Jared’s relationship. Still, her attitude makes it seem like Roan did something wrong and is likely throwing him for a loop. She also won’t tell him where she’s going or have contact with him though Jared can apparently fill him in... Yeah, this is a crazy situation. Roan is clearly a well loved guy as both Cheryl & Jared apparently have, if only briefly, both wondered if the other was having an affair and/or had feelings for him. I was expecting Roan & Jared to eventually end up together after all the drama settled yet as far as I can see Roan definitely deserves better. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Seems like it’s hard for Davey to get a good read on this version of Brian, though his gut seems to be telling him somethings off. Overall towards the end Brian “seemed” to be warming up to him which is obviously good given their previous hostile interactions. It is interesting to note that Brian seemed to only mellow out or show any interest in even the smallest attempt at polite conversation with Davey when the two of them were away from the others. That could just be a coincidence of course yet it makes me wonder if he feels like he has to be more reserved around them. Edit/Inspiration: An idea hit me and I think I have a hunch as to why Brian might have seemed sad following what Davey told him regarding his being married in the future. As far as Brian knows being married to a guy is obviously not currently legal and he probably can’t imagine a future where it is. Sadly I can also theorize that all of the AIDS fear & homophobia in this timeline could result in gay marriage not being legalized when it was in the previous timeline as I can see it getting more pushback/negativity this time around. I mean it’s not as if everyone has been happy about it in our timeline/reality so one can only imagine how worse the reactions would be in this type of situation. Regardless one can assume when Brian learned from Davey that he was married in the previous timeline Brian would translate that to mean he married a woman and may take that as a sign he needs to stay in the closet. Just a theory but I can see a guy who’s deep in the closet being somewhat saddened by the seeming revelation that his alternate & future self was still in the closet years later. I know Davey didn’t intend to give him the wrong impression and obviously he probably doesn’t want to essentially out Brian to himself as weird as that sounds not to mention revealing they were once married would likely freak Brian out...but this could seriously throw a wrench into the works as far as rekindling/re-establishing their relationship goes.

I loved every moment except the heartbreaking ending. I have no doubt Gus’ feelings are genuine yet he’s been treated like a trained dog on a leash for years and they’re likely very skilled at manipulating him so it kinda turned out the way I expected. I’m not saying Gus knowingly left him but I was predicting they’d do something like make up some excuse, like a job, for him to leave hoping to crush Rick’s spirit by having him believe Gus doesn’t care for him. I don’t know how they convinced or kept Gus from calling Rick though as you’d expect he’d want to let him know he was going away. Sadly another possibility is Gus was told of Rick’s supposed engagement and decided to leave without even speaking to Rick to see if the rumors were true as hard to believe as that scenario is. I mean, you’d think Gus would know Rick well enough to not believe the rumors and even if he did fear they were true I’d expect him to at least talk to Rick before leaving.

Ouch. While I expected the worst I never anticipated Brian would manage to blame Davey for his uncle’s death. The road forward is going to be a rough one.