In the thirty-seventh chapter of Blackout, IT’S HAPPENING. OH MY GOD. IT’S HAPPENING. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to ALL-CAPS Blackout.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
NO, OH MY GOD, I AM BURIED IN MY HOODIE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THIS CHAPTER.
- I literally cannot believe 90% of the things I wrote for the last review because OH MY GOD, I WAS SO FUCKING UNPREPARED FOR THIS. I expected this chapter to deal with how Georgia felt about what Shaun said in that meeting, BUT I NEVER GUESSED THE DEPTH OF HOW MUCH SHE WAS FAKING IT.
- “Steve wouldn’t have smiled while he sent me to my death. I might be a clone, and Ryman might be corrupt, but some things about a person’s essential nature never change.” Steve is my rock. Steve is my island. I would forever feel safe with Steve in my employ.
- As soon as Rick asked Steve if anyone followed them, my terrible dread – based on the fear that Georgia really was walking to her death – was allayed. Oh shit, Rick was in on this. He wanted Georgia to separate herself from the group, and he took the opportunity to do so when she wanted to go lay down. BUT WHY?
- And then the endless wave of plot twists and emotional duress begins. Because holy shit, here’s the real chapter this whole trilogy has been waiting for. I thought it was chapter thirty-five, but I was so wrong. SO, SO WRONG.
- Rick wanted Georgia so she could tell the real truth, no matter how bleak it was, no matter how displeased and distraught people would be because of it, because the alternative has been so much worse than that. I really like that Rick (and Dr. Shoji) do not purport themselves to be the perfect moral answer to what the CDC has done. Their version of what they’d like for the future is not going to be a flawless solution, and it stands to reason that there will be negative ramifications of what they do. By accepting that, I feel like they have a better chance of surviving the future.
- Right, Rick just casually reveals that Gregory and Dr. Shoji are just hanging out in some hidden room near the White House. CASUALLY.
- Lisa did not die of a suicide. Oh my god, Rick, oh my god.
- And here it is again: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. It does not matter what the CDC intended all those years ago. It holds no meaning anymore. God, how great is this quote? “In the end, no one noticed when protection turned into imprisonment, or when ‘for the good of the people’ turned into ‘for the good of the people in power.’ It was all baby steps, all the way.” Because it’s true. This was not an overnight conspiracy. Mira Grant has shown us how long this was coming throughout the series by revealing this history piece by piece. Perhaps from our perspective, this happened very suddenly, but that’s not how it played out since the Rising.
- “If you’d been alive for the last year, you would have noticed that Emily rarely speaks in public. She just stands and smiles. Does that sound like the Emily Ryman you know?”
- OH.
- OH MY GOD!!!!
- THE CDC REPLACED EMILY RYMAN WITH A CLONE. THEY ARE HOLDING THE CHILDREN HOSTAGE. NOPE, NOPE. THIS IS SO TERRIBLE. YOU CAN’T EVEN REMOTELY DEFEND THE CDC AT THIS POINT. OH MY GOD.
- As mind-blowing and exciting as this whole chapter is, my favorite part is the quietest moment. Dr. Shoji asks Georgia if she’ll do what she did in Sacramento, and Georgia realizes what a loaded question that is. Sure, Georgia told the truth and it cost her her life. But she also told the truth in a way that didn’t expose those in power properly. Granted, the team was working off of incomplete information, but Georgia acknowledges to herself that their actions in Feed helped contribute to what was happening in the present. Does she want to do the same thing? Does she want to tell the truth if she knows it will lead to her end again? This whole segment is such a beautiful and tortured introspection on Georgia’s part, and it’s one of my favorite things that Mira Grant has written for the whole series.
- The chapter then moves into the planning stages. Steve’s going to help rescue Emily and the kids. Oh god, I want to see that. Georgia also makes sure to vocalize her concern for what their actions are going to do to the world. Are they trading one shitty system for another? It calls back to the internal monologue she just had. Why are they doing what they are doing? This is how they’re going to avoid making the same mistake.
- At the same time, half the fun of this chapter is that you get the sense these people are throwing themselves to the wind. Fuck it! They’re going to kidnap the president, break Emily Ryman out of a CDC holding facility, and reveal the truth to the world. Oh my god, Mahir and Alaric’s blogs. They’re doing it, y’all. THEY ARE ACTUALLY DOING IT. This is not just a plan anymore. Mahir is telling the world what happened that caused them to leave Oakland. Alaric is revealing the truth about the mosquitoes that caused the second Rising.
- IT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING.
Mark Links Stuff
– I have been nominated for a Hugo in the Fan Writer category! If you’d like more information or to direct friends/family to vote for me, I have a very informational post about what I do that you can pass along and link folks to!
– I have announced what the next books I am reading on Mark Reads will be, as well as updated y’all on the events, cons, tour dates, GOING TO EUROPE OH MY GOD, and general shenaniganry going on in my life. I have a similar post up on Mark Watches, detailing the next two shows I’m doing as well as the return of Double Features, and I finally explain what happened with my Vimeo account. Check these posts out!
- Mark Reads Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is now published and available for purchase! It’s available in ebook AND physical book format, and you can also get a discount for buying the ENTIRE SET of digital books: $25 for 7 BOOKS!!!
-Â Video commissions are open, and you can commission a Mark Reads/Watches video for just $25!
