Something I forgot to mention in my recap, they did show a trailer of NCIS Hawaii but it highlighted episodes that already aired. The kacy kiss from 1x01 was shown in it and the kacy hug from 1x17 was also in it.
Hey all here is a recap for those who couldn’t attend Paleyfest
NCIS Hawaii was the first show up, despite the description there was no sneak peeks, viewing of an episode or a Q and A with the cast. They did ask the cast a few questions and they asked 2 Kacy questions. The first being if they would reconcile where I couldn’t catch Yasmines answer first because I couldn’t really hear her answer at first and because I was trying to post on twitter while paying attention at the same time so I apologize for that. Also everyone was looking at Tori to answer the question and she was like don’t look at me which was kinda funny. The second kacy question was how they felt about representing the LGBTQ community and again didn’t really catch the answer because I was trying to post but they both did say they are glad to represent and Tori did say love is love. In all honesty the panel felt a little rushed and I felt most fans were there for NCIS LA. I personally did not stay for the other panels I was strictly there for Hawaii only. I don’t regret going at all because it was so great to see them in person. I did not record anything because there is a strict no recoding policy and I was in the front row I was not trying to get kicked out.
On to the best part though meeting Tori and Yas. Fellow kacy fan and I happened to catch Tori as she was coming back from the bathroom to go back to bowling. First off she is the fucking sweetest both her and Yas are. We told Tori we were at the panel and she was so happy and excited to see us and meet us as we were to meet her, we talked kacy (she loves the fandom and working with Yas) we talking about her work outside of NCIS Hawaii because what do you do when they are on hiatus, I told her I watched everything she was practically in when they go on hiatus. She had to get back to bowling but she thanked us for coming and took pictures with us and gave us hugs. I told her I was Yas height so that’s why she squatted a bit to get on my level when taking pictures she said she was used to it since she does it with Yas too.
As they were leaving bowling we got to meet Yas too since Tori told her about who we were. Again they talked to us about kacy, where we were from stopped again to take pictures and even signed our shirts. I talked to them both about being Yas height and joked that I was fun sized and they both laughed and said yes. As they were leaving they blew us kisses, thanked us for coming out and Yas told me to drive safe as I made my way back home since I had a 2 hour drive back home. I can still hear her voice in my ears telling me that. I’m still on a kacy high right now. In all Yas and Tori are such sweet, amazing, lovely people if you ever get the chance to meet them take it I promise you, you will not regret it.
Although the panel was okay I still had a great time especially at the end when meeting Yas and Tori.
When your an even bigger hot gay mess after meeting Tori Anderson and Yasmine Al-Bustami. Word of advice to those in the kacy fandom if you ever get the chance to see/meet them in person DO IT! You will NOT regret it. This was definitely a YOLO moment and I’m still riding the high that is kacy. Yas voice is still ringing in my ears telling me to drive home safe since I had a 2 hour drive back home.
I’ve seen some people mention being disappointed about there not being a conversation between Lucy and Kate in the finale, and while this was my initial reaction, the more I thought about it, the less I think they needed to have a conversation.
Despite their issues with communication leading up to the incident with Cara, one of the greatest sources of character growth for them since then has been both of them learning to effectively communicate and be open and vulnerable in their communication.
This is why a conversation wasn’t needed in the finale, because by the time they got there, everything that needed to be said, had been said in some pretty great moments between them (Kate explaining why she hadn’t apologized yet, Kate apologizing, Lucy telling Kate how hurt she was, the interrogation scene, etc.).
Ultimately, what was needed, was Lucy needing to decide whether or not she wanted to take the leap and be with Kate knowing that she could potentially get hurt again. This is what makes Kate’s decision to serenade Lucy in the way that she did so perfect… Lucy is grappling with whether or not to be vulnerable with Kate and risk getting hurt and then Kate does exactly that as a means of attempting to show Lucy how serious she is, and that makes it easier for Lucy to take the leap too.
I’m excited for where these two go next season and how they continue to grow now that they’re both all in and open
I think the serenade is so viscerally uncomfortable because it’s supposed to be. Choices by the cast and crew force you to sit in the intense vulnerability of the moment with the characters and confront it with them, one of the most overwhelmingly uncomfortable experiences in the world.
Many have pointed out that, on paper, the situation is objectively not that bad. Whistler can sing, it’s a fairly private location, there are max fifteen people who all know each other reasonably well and have some level of context for the situation, and no one except Lucy and Ernie are even aware anything is happening until halfway through. Sure, it’s unexpected and there’s a question of situational appropriateness, but Whistler’s misguided earnestness is endearing and her occasional inability to read a room is part of her charm.
But it’s well established that Kate “my pantsuits are my armor” Whistler and Lucy “if you saw me crying, no you didn’t” Tara are extremelyunwilling to be vulnerable in front of other people. They’ve made a lot of progress individually and particularly with each other – it’s probably the most significant character development across the season – but Officer “It’s only a flesh wound” and Special Agent “My heart would like to change the subject” still have a long way to go. This is still really hard for them.
Leading up to this scene, the writers go to great lengths to establish what is at stake. The question here is not, “does she love me?” Lucy and Kate both know the answer to that. Jane knows the answer to that. So do Ernie, Jesse, Kai, and probably the night security guard, the janitorial staff, and that one random extra who sits at the fourth desk in the bullpen. The question is, “is love a good enough reason to try again and risk getting hurt?” On some level, the audience, Ernie, and Lucy all know the answer to that too. It feels like an inevitability and Kate is really the only one who isn’t aware of that.
This is where the acting and cinematography transform a foregone conclusion into a nausea inducing trip into Kate’s headspace. For the sake of comparison, consider the scene where Patrick serenades David in Schitt’s Creek. There are contextual differences in terms of situational appropriateness and relationship status, but otherwise the scenes are surprisingly similar. Look at the difference in presentation though:
Patrick is tucked in the corner of a low-ceilinged, well-lit room with his back to a wall. It’s a tight shot from a low angle to force a perspective that makes him appear larger than life. Noah Reid is relaxed and confident, and he has accompaniment. The guitar is in this with him, filling the silence and offering support. Even though David is vocally apprehensive, and his expression is inscrutable at best to start, everything about it feels safe.
Whistler, by contrast, is totally alone and completely exposed in the vast darkness. Tori has us trained by this point to understand this body language – the wringing hands, the unconscious attempts to make herself smaller, protect her center – means Kate is distraught. The shot is wide and angled down, which, coupled with height of palm trees and torches in the background, makes her look so small and fragile. And she’s completely unaccompanied, a solitary voice singing into the void. The whole situation feels extremely raw and incredibly vulnerable.
But that’s the situation, and we’re right there with her. There are only two options here and both are equally terrifying. One: Lucy says no, again, and leaves her exposed, alone in the dark with her broken heart in her hands. Two: Lucy agrees to try again. But the relationship they’re coming back to is not the one they left – they’ve said too many things they can’t take back. Things like, “you are responsible for safeguarding my heart and happiness because I love you” and, “concern for your wellbeing profoundly affects my executive function and, on some level, the value I place on my own life.” Things like, “your existence caused me to fundamentally reprioritize my life and turn my back on a decade of dreams without a second thought,” and, “I will keep showing up for you, over and over, without being asked and in ways you didn’t know you needed, because I love you even if I don’t have the words to say it and even if you don’t love me back.” You can’t go back to a fun, flirty, “whatever this is” after saying things like that. In their absence, the relationship has evolved into something different and much more serious.
There’s a moment in all life-changing relationships, as they transition from something casual to something real, where you finally admit to yourself what you really want and what you’re willing to risk to get there. The most gut-wrenchingly terrifying thing to do is to then admit that to the other person, to ask for what you want. You have to expose yourself completely, admit how much you care, place your heart in their hands and hope they don’t let go. That’s where we are with Whistler in this scene. That’s the discomfort and uncertainty we’re being forced to sit in, and they honestly did an amazing job of bottling the “I need to throw my phone into a ravine and then back it over with a truck because I just admitted something that absolutely terrifies me and I don’t have the emotional bandwidth to handle the aftermath right now” feeling. Just took me a few days to really appreciate it.
