Episode 5x13: "Damocles, Part II"

Welcome back to Meta Station! Since last we recapped you, Erin finished her book, we went to a con, Claire's had the flu like three times, and Donald Trump Jr. is probably going to jail. WHAT'S NEW WITH YOU GUYS?? We split up this week’s 4-hour podcast in two parts, so pop on over to this link - https://soundcloud.com/meta-station/unity-days-2019 - if you’re looking for our recap of Unity Days, the funnest funfest in the history of fun, and then come back here when you’re ready for our thoughts on 513! Also, to avoid burying the lede, we wanted to announce at the beginning of the podcast that this will be the last of our regular week-to-week recaps of the show.(This episode is now a collector’s item!) While the show is running, despite the heroic assistance of our cherished Editkru, Meta Station is basically a part-time job, and – in the words of iconic Netflix star/cleaning guru Marie Kondo – we ultimately determined that dedicating that amount of time and effort to producing a weekly podcast no longer “sparks joy.” There were a lot of factors that went into this; some of them we’ll discuss at the end of the podcast, while others are more personal, but in the end it felt like the right time for us to step away from the kind of in-depth coverage we’ve been doing. The fact that our long, rambly, self-produced nerdfest has reached over 212,000 listens and downloads with over 750 regular subscribers remains INSANE to us, and we are overwhelmed and honored and grateful that so many of you have come along with us on this ride. We have so loved getting to spend all these nerdy hours with you, and goodbyes are always bittersweet, though we promise we aren’t quitting cold turkey; we still have a big stack of interviews on deck, we might pop back from time to time in future seasons if we find ourselves with things we just HAVE to flail about with you guys for three hours at a time, and if there’s a UD4 next year we’ll be there with bells on, we promise! We love you all with our entire nerdy hearts and we are so thankful for each and every listener. You guys have been the best part of this whole journey. May we meet again! --------------------------------------------- 0:00 – Hello, It Is Us Again! We Have Returned! Sorry This Intro Is Awkward Because We Chopped Out the Whole Hour About Unity Days! 0:03 – FINALE THINGS WE LIKED: The Jasper of It All! Miller’s Arc Sticking the Landing! Diyoza Calling Octavia’s Ass Out! The Blakes Still Care About Kane! Tiny Hints of Sunshine, Maybe! Bellamy and Madi and the Breaking of Cycles! 0:45 – As Emori’s Get-a-Grip Girlfriends, We Sincerely Hope She Has Not Wiped Murphy’s Slate Clean Just Yet, Because He Was a Real Asshole All Season 0:51 – If You Compare How Many Early Storylines Took Up Time and Ultimately Went Nowhere (Kara! Ethan! Worms!), With How Many Huge Emotional Setups This Season Never Got Real Payoffs Because the Finale Was So Rushed, You Will Go Insane 1:15 – Our Oft-Mentioned McCreary Problem Explodes to Astronomical Proportions and Torpedoes the Finale Endgame 1:37 – This Show Is Kind of Pro-Dictator In Some Peculiarly Unexamined Ways 1:55 – The “Why We’re Stopping” Conversation, Part I: Erin, Bellarke, and Reframing the Relationship You Have with a Show Once You Realize You and the Writers Want Different Things 2:14 – The “Why We’re Stopping” Conversation, Part II: Claire, Kane, and the Validity of Watching a Show For an Emotional Relationship With a Character or Ship 2:32 – Sometimes Analyzing Something For Three Hours Actually Makes It Less Fun, Instead of More 2:42 – “We’re Gonna Teach ‘Em How to Say Goodbye (One Last Time)”: or, There Is No Wrong Way to Watch a Show, No Wrong Way to Be a Fan, and No Wrong Reason to Walk Away 2:46 – In Which We Have a Lot of Feelings About How Much We Love You Guys and Everything This Podcast Has Given Us