meridian_rose

Going back to your thoughts, about Laura and Vanessa: I thought Laura was referring to Vanessa's new position as “Mother of Florence,” which the show seems to have pushed this season as Clarice's unofficial title. Both Leo and Riario refer to Clarice as such and another male character I can't remember, which I think is utterly fascinating seeing as how CLARICE IS A MOTHER TO REAL DAUGHTERS WHO ARE NEVER, EVER MENTIONED IN S3. I could stomach that she sent them away at the end of S2 for protection, but then she leaves and is murdered and no one talks about her kids who just happen to be girls! When Lorenzo gets back, he never asks about his DAUGHTERS but he's over the moon about his bastard nephew. I raged about that, and it still upsets me. Those innocent little girls that Clarice fought to protect in the S2 opener, just gone and forgotten.

And Vanessa proves throughout S3 that she is willing to go to any length to protect her son, just not all of Florence.

It's a bit of a wrench to see Riario brought so low, but the devotion it implies on both sides is worth it.
THIS! This is exactly how I felt after I saw the ep for the first time. I was literally clutching a pillow and cooing disgustingly, wanting to help make Riario better.

That entire name bit gave me shivers, and like you said, it totally reminded me of how we treat the naming convention in fic, with Artista being the pet name, da Vinci the default, Leonardo only used sparingly. When the Sinner did that, and in a voice so creepily alien to Riario's, it threatened to give me nightmares. I thought it was almost a nod to fandom, that they acknowledge what we knew all along.

The “morning knob slob” scene...I have no idea how those three got through that on camera. I think that's the most OOC Riario is and the Sinner is filled with such obvious glee from Leo and Zo's reactions. He laughs so hard, it almost makes him choke. And I know I shouldn't chuckle, but that part reminds me of some of the friends I have babysat when they are uproariously drunk and spouting all kinds of things that shouldn't be funny but are and which they will never remember in the morning but make me never look at them the same way. Leo just has that exasperated look on his face while the Sinner cackles and is so crude. I'm a horrible person.

I felt like the conversation with Zo was very important, and not just because Leo admits his deepest feelings because that “slip” of the tongue was a confession. It also shows that Leo never once considered turning Riario over to the authorities. He can't play it off as mere curiosity to see if he can fix Riario, but he gets vehement with Zo that they cannot let Riario take the blame for the murders. I see that as another demonstration of his feelings. Because of course, Riario is so broken and self-sacrificing that he would do it.

Also A++ use of gifs and graphics in your posts! I don't know how long it takes you to put a post together, but I really love reading and re-reading them and thinking about the issues you bring up. And also, I love the comparative lit, well, comparative media references because it piques my interest in other sources!