PIT BABE II, episode 4: thoughts, observations, questions...

I’m really loving this season so far! Every episode is full of tension and all kinds of deliciousness! Also, cinematically, each episode feels like a short separate film with its own special atmosphere, which is really great. This episode was just as exciting as the previous one. It had some really sweet and cute moments as well as some truly shocking ones. There were two scenes in particular that completely shocked me. One of those scenes was Manit’s murder at the hands of Winner on Tony’s silent order. It was absolutely brutal. I knew that Manit was about to go down as soon as he began to demand things from Tony (the look on Tony’s face said it all), but I had no idea that he would go down in such a horrible way. I was shocked and not a little scared. I guess that murder scene marked Winner’s point of no return. But was Manit only ever there to serve as Winner’s initiation ticket or will we see him again? I mean, the way people keep coming back from the dead, it makes one wonder. Tony has always been an excellent villain but now he gives off even more dangerous and deranged vibes. Speaking of Tony, I wonder if we will ever learn the story of his miraculous return to life. I wouldn’t mind seeing him regale Babe with all the particulars before doing something nefarious that only he is capable of. (Did I mention that I absolutely love Tony’s lair (and hair)? Interiors on this show are so good!) Another shocking scene was during Babe and Willy’s sparring match when Willy put his arms around Babe and actually kissed him on the shoulder. I did not expect that! My jaw dropped. How dare he?! Every episode Willy’s actions towards Babe become more and more provocative and every episode we see more and more of his true face. I never had any doubts that Willy’s single-minded determination to get in Babe’s face was part of some plot, but in this episode it became obvious that Willy actually hates Babe. So, whatever he is doing or whoever’s orders he is following, it is very much personal to him. Is he Tony’s biological son, I wonder? I think Babe never bought into Willy’s I’m-your-big-fan schtick. However, it was only during the hospital scene in the previous episode that he began to have an inkling that Willy isn’t just a nuisance. Then he learned that Willy had been behind the wheel of the car that had hit him, so now he wants to find out why Willy is pursuing him and what his true intentions are. Babe tried asking him directly and, when Willy denied everything, decided to change tack. I don’t believe even for a second that Babe believed Willy’s words and I’m convinced that his apology was just a ploy to keep Willy off this track while he finds another way to find out the truth. In the preview for the next episode there is another scene between them where it looks like Willy might be using some powers on Babe. Babe looks like he is resisting but Willy might have the upper hand. Returning to the current episode, I was glad that Alan and Jeff resolved their issues. Their altercation was painful to watch. Naturally, I enjoyed each Babe and Charlie scene – they were particularly sweet in this episode and they are my favourites, so I turn all mushy when I look at them. But there were also things that I didn’t enjoy. I must say that I don’t trust Chris. In fact, I don’t like his character at all. There is just something slippery about him that puts me off. His relationship with Pete, which progressed during this episode, doesn’t sit well with me. Maybe I’m too old-fashioned, but I’m not a fan of such relationships. Pete is Chris’s boss, which puts Chris in a subordinate position. However, Chris discovered Pete’s strange (inexplicable, really) fascination with Way and decided to use the fact of their striking similarity to his advantage by giving Pete what he assumes he wants. This puts Pete in a more dependent position, because it is Pete who craves intimacy and connection, whereas for Chris (I’m sure) it is a calculated way (no pun intended) to get something out of him. He obviously has an ulterior motive, because I don’t think that he is into Pete at this point, which makes this whole storyline extremely distasteful. So what is Chris up to? What is he after? Why does he know so much about Way? Is he supposed to? Does he have a connection to Way? Is he in any way connected to Tony? How did Tony get his hands on the same serum they are developing at the lab? A coincidence? I don’t think so. Now the question is whether as the story unfolds we will get the answers to these and many other questions or whether it is simply the case of some shoddy writing? I hope it’s the former! I love a good guessing game and so far this season has been giving us a lot of things to digest, discuss, and dissect. Yet I must say that I am a bit worried about the writing here, because some dialogues sound confusing and awkward and sometimes characters’ words make no sense. It could be blamed on translation, I suppose, though sometimes I get the feeling that the script was rushed and not polished enough, leaving a lot of inconsistencies and illogicalities. Having said that, I must praise the production of the show. It’s truly on another level. As well as the acting. Can’t wait for the next episode!

PIT BABE II, episode 1: thoughts, observations, questions...

The first episode was really good! It set up the scene nicely, leaving us with clues, suspicions, and questions whose answers we’ll be chasing throughout the rest of the series. Here are some of the things that got my attention:

Babe doesn’t have any special powers anymore. Or the number one spot on the racing track. (Why did they take it all away from him?) Will Babe get his powers back at some point?

Babe/Way situation:

a) Babe is still having nightmares about what happened.

b) I thought he looked extremely uncomfortable during the memory thing for Way held at the garage and that he said what he said about him because he knew that it was expected of him and because Alan practically pushed him to say something in his best friend’s memory. Babe was standing there frozen until that point, probably once again trapped inside another nightmare. Pavel’s acting was really great in that scene. I assumed that Babe had told them about what had really happened between them, but now I’m beginning to think that they don’t know what Way was actually going to do to Babe. Charlie looked extremely concerned for him and he was there to provide emotional support and strength.

c) Naturally, seeing Way’s doppelganger came as a complete shock. Poor Babe! I still have my doubts about the whole Chris thing. He could, of course, turn out to be a completely random guy who just happens to look like Way… But I don’t think so? Pete’s behaviour during and after reading his mind was quite suspicious. Also, I find his general Way-related behaviour very disturbing.

Charlie has all of Babe’s powers again and is working with Pete on the skill-dissolving drug as a test subject. Pity the drug isn’t working. I wonder how (and why) Pete got involved in this whole thing in the first place and what happened to Babe’s biological father? Wasn’t he the one who was working on it? Babe isn’t happy about Charlie working at the lab and says it as it is: Charlie will do what he wants to do and there’s nothing Babe can do to stop him. I’m guessing it will come to a head in the next episode.

Willy… surely must have some special powers to make him so fast, right? I wonder about that “tick tick tick tock” thing: is it just an interesting way to introduce him or is it somehow connected to his special powers, (assuming he has any)? Also did Willy actually touch Babe during their little after-race spat in front of the cameras? He seems like a nasty piece of work and could work really well as a villain. Though can he be nastier than Winner? He is definitely more talented on the race track and as such more dangerous for Babe. I wonder if his interest in Babe is genuine (he claims that he is a fan) or part of some nefarious plot. Is Willy connected to Tony in any way?

Jeff’s powers are back with a vengeance and a nosebleed. That can’t end well…

Kim… I have forgotten how ambitious he really was and that winning against Babe was all that used to matter to him in the past. Well, I can’t say that I wasn’t disappointed with his decision to leave the X-hunter team, but he is not a team player and he is not Way or Charlie who never minded playing the second fiddle to Babe on the race track. (By the way, those people who wish to see Charlie win against Babe in a race, seem to forget that Charlie didn’t join the team to win.) I was actually hoping for some Babe/Kim bonding moments, because they are both so passionate about racing. I think Kim’s leaving broke Alan’s heart and brought back painful memories about Dean.

So Tony is back from the dead, which isn’t a surprise, of course. The question is how exactly he is back from the dead? Does he have special powers too or is he using someone else’s powers to get back on his feet, (so to speak)?

Sonic is back from Paris. If it wasn’t Sonic, I’d say the timing was suspicious. I think North mentioned that Sonic went off the radar and Sonic said that he needed time to settle in or something like that, which sounds more like an excuse than anything else. Sonic was visibly putting distance between himself and North and didn’t even acknowledge him at first, which must have hurt poor North, who just stood there, waiting for his turn to be noticed and greeted. I hope they are simply being weird around each other, because they are trying to navigate their feelings and figure out what to do about them.

Yet once Tony mentioned that he had planted someone in the midst of the X-hunter team to bring them to their knees, Sonic’s behaviour started looking at least a little bit suspicious to me. We don’t know what he was up to while he was gone and when North asked him for how long he was staying he never answered. I don’t want to think badly about Sonic of all people, but everyone is fair game until they can prove their innocence. Maybe it isn’t even real Sonic? Dean seems too obvious a choice, but he is also under suspicion after his past actions. Willy? He seems like the type to do the most harm and he has already planted himself in their lives by winning the race and taking Babe’s king title…

Next up: Willy making his move on Babe? Babe (drunk?) telling Charlie that Willy is better than him?! Charlie smelling another alpha on Babe?! Just how close was that alpha to leave his scent on Babe?

"Pit Babe II" official teaser thoughts

I did like the official teaser for Pit Babe II – it was quite spectacular – but there’s something that I need to get off my chest in connection with it.

Overall the official teaser is intense and impressive. Really on the next level. Expressive. Colourful. Visually powerful. Quite explosive too. It’s fast and furious and horny, each couple getting their screen time, no doubt to tease and to entice the fans.

I think the teaser was specifically designed to target each section of the Pit Babe fandom, especially those hopeful ones who could only dream about their favourite characters getting together. Well, certain shippers must have had a field day yesterday. They got what they wanted. I didn’t.

I’m not really into shipping or romance (which makes me an unlikely audience, of course) and the only reason why I started watching Pit Babe in the first place was because I was intrigued by the fact that it was supposed to be an omegaverse. I didn’t really believe it, so I had to check it for myself.

However, I kept watching because I fell in love with Babe’s and Charlie’s characters and their story. Plus, Pavel’s acting completely blew me away. So I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next on their journey together, though, after watching the teaser, I have a feeling that my heart will be torn into shreds in the process.

From the teaser it looks like the second season is going to be all about racing, romance, science, and whatever nefarious enterprise Tony is masterminding this time around. But damn that man is so very fine! I think I need a minute…

Anyway, the second season might yet prove to be interesting and exciting and worth the wait – the racing part looks extremely intense and the science part looks absolutely terrifying – but the problem is that it’s not what many of us expected when the second season was announced.

Of course, no one expected that the author of the novel would bail on the whole omegaverse thing so far into the game. Yes, I admit, I’m still sour about it. I feel that I was betrayed as a reader and a viewer and that my expectations were deceived.

I still think that it was a huge mistake on her part, because she basically removed the very thing that made Pit Babe so interesting and famous in the first place. In a way, it’s a complete betrayal of the initial premises.

The plot for the first season was absolutely wild and that was what set Pit Babe apart from other shows – at least initially. There were many other factors too, of course! For me, personally, it was the main couple’s unusual dynamic. Also, how dynamic and cohesive the series was in comparison to other shows that I tried watching.

Generally, I found the first season sincere, touching, full of heart, and full of potential. If they continued on that path – they would make history. Instead, they got cold feet. I don’t want Pit Babe to be remembered as ‘the series that could but didn’t’ but that might be exactly where it’s heading in its second season.

Now it looks like it’s going to be just another series filled with all kinds of soap-opera-like relationship drama and some heavy racing in the background, with villains doing what villains usually do somewhere in the margins.

I know that they haven’t shown us everything that’s going to happen in the series in one teaser, but they’ve pretty much confirmed that. So, while I’m not overly hopeful with the direction of the second novel and the second season, I was really excited to read Pavel’s description of the series from Babe’s perspective:

“In Season 1, he chased power… but deep down, what he truly needed was love. And somehow—against all odds—he found it. But love isn’t the end of the story. It’s the beginning of the war. Now, in Season 2, with everything he ever wanted finally in his hands… the real question is: Can he hold on to it? Or will the same fire that forged him burn it all to the ground?”

Despite being thoroughly let down by the author’s retraction from the original storyline and her idea of what makes a novel interesting, I’m still excited for season two of the series.