From Top Gun: Maverick to Oppenheimer and recently Dune: Part Two, we’ve had a lot of amazing theater experiences recently, but I think we can all agree that none of them came even close to the high we experienced in 2019 thanks to Avengers: Endgame.

A lot of things came together to make Endgame such a special occasion for the industry. Eliminate any of those elements and the movie wouldn’t have become the global sensation that shook the box office. I mean, even barring the 10-year build-up of all those other MCU movies, Endgame could not have succeeded if it weren’t for Infinity War hyping it up with its cliffhanger ending.

We all spent an entire year waiting, wondering, and speculating about the fate of our favorite characters. How was Endgame possibly going to give us a satisfying resolution to the Infinity Saga? Could the Avengers somehow find a way to reverse the Snap? What was going to happen to the MCU after Endgame? And yet, when the moment came and Endgame opened in theaters, all I could think about was finding the nearest theater playing the movie in my neighborhood and securing a ticket.

And what an incredible moment it was to be alive. At times during the movie, it felt like my entire life spent as a geek was finally paying off, and there would never be another experience to top this one. And going by their reactions, the people in that room with me must have felt much the same way.

We may never be able to relive the day we watched Avengers: Endgame with our fellow MCU enthusiasts from all walks of life, but thanks to social media, we may come close to the experience of those sensations. So, let’s take a trip down memory lane, to a time before all of these political upheavals, before COVID-19, and before Marvel Studios lost its touch, to review some of the best audience reactions to iconic Endgame moments.

Captain America picking up Mjolnir and giving Thanos an embarrassing and severe backside beating!

I think we can all agree that this was the single greatest moment in Avengers: Endgame, and quite possibly the entire MCU. Well, either this or the scene in Infinity War where Thor makes his entrance and turns the tide. We’d all known it for years, but it was very cathartic to finally have it confirmed that Captain America was worthy of the power of Thor. I can’t imagine a theater that didn’t explode when Mjolnir returned to Cap’s hand instead of Thor’s. Though, in fairness, my personal experience didn’t come close to this clip. The excitement in this one is almost primal.

The OG team’s signature credits still gives us chills!

Avengers: Endgame certainly marked the end of an era, and Marvel Studios understood the assignment well. While the MCU has been graced by many performers and characters over the years, it was always going to come down to those six original Avengers who rocked the world of cinema in 2012. Superhero movies had always been profitable even before Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, but that film made certain that everyone got the message loud and clear. Watching the signature of the six actors who portrayed the original team of Avengers at the end of Endgame will haunt our thoughts for many years to come.

Thor gets his hammer back, leaving the audience completely dumbfounded!

There’s no doubt that Stormbreaker is a weapon worthy of a god, but it could never be as iconic as Mjolnir. So imagine my surprise when it made a return in Endgame, especially after Thor went through all of that trouble in Infinity War to forge a more powerful weapon. Well, Taika Waititi may have broken the God of Thunder’s favorite toy in Ragnarok, but some things are just inevitable (unlike Thanos) and the writers had to find a way to make that Captain America Mjolnir scene work, one way or another.

The Scarlet Witch stands up to Thanos and almost beats him senseless!

Build-up is key when you’re dealing with a host of powerful beings each possessing unique abilities. The moment Wanda went toe-to-toe with Thanos and managed to overpower him lives rent-free in my mind after all these years, and I can’t help but wonder if she could’ve ended it there and then had Thanos not bombarded the entire battlefield with his ship’s firepower. In a movie so filled to the brim with exciting moments, this particular confrontation definitely came out of the blue.

“And I… am… Iron Man!” The scene that perfectly encapsulated 10 years of superhero cinema

Everyone was holding their breaths in those last moments of the fight against Thanos, where the Mad Titan beat back almost everyone and reclaimed the gauntlet. “I am inevitable!” He exclaims and brings up his hand to snap once again. The cinema is utterly quiet, except for the occasional sigh of surprise. Thanos snaps his fingers. Nothing happens. A few people laugh. The camera turns to Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, and he has the Infinity Stones! Everyone cheers. The room quiets down again, anticipating Tony Stark’s perfect clapback. “And I… am… Iron Man!” He says and sends Thanos to meet his maker. I’m sorry, MCU, but you can never catch this lightning in a bottle again.

Captain America makes his last stand, the portals open, and the Avengers finally assemble!

When all seemed lost, and the Big Three had failed to defeat Thanos, Doctor Strange opened portals summoning every hero in the MCU, and they all came together to oppose the Mad Titan’s will. I can imagine Kevin Feige and co. sitting down years before 2019 and envisioning the scene where all of their characters would come together. Captain America finally says the line everyone had been waiting for him to say as early as the 2012 film, and the execution is just perfect. I used to think no scene in cinema would come close to being as epic as “The Ride of the Rohirrim” from The Return of the King, but Avengers: Endgame proved me wrong.

Even more audience reactions from Avengers: Endgame

While the scenes we already listed were the highlights of Avengers: Endgame, the almost 3-hour movie had much more to offer, especially during the second act where the Avengers revisit set pieces from across the MCU. The video above includes the highlights from both movies, namely Black Widow sacrifcing himself, Tony hugging Peter, and last but not least, Steve Rogers fighting Steve Rogers and commenting on America’s ass!

The unconventional ending to Shōgun has left a lot of fans baffled, but only because this historical epic, in a way we’re not quite used to in today’s entertainment landscape, gradually refined the art of subtle storytelling until the season finale brought it to a satisfying climax.

I say what we’re “used to” because Shōgun is not the first of its kind, and nor even the first adaptation of James Clavell’s novel. With these historical dramas, the idea is to capitalize on the political intrigue and use action to fuel audience anticipation and hype.

The show itself certainly gave us enough reason to believe that Lord Toranaga and his perceived enemies were heading towards an inevitable clash. All that talk of “Crimson Sky” and saving the Taiko’s heir from ambitious men, and what we got in the season finale was just a calculated execution of Toranaga’s plans — plans that may have stretched over months, and possibly years.

The Toranaga this show unveiled in its season finale is a far cry from the noble warlord we were led to believe in originally. If anything, Toranaga is not even a warlord. He was never going to fight Ishido and his cronies, because he didn’t need to fight them. Toranaga was a deft political schemer, a Machiavelli of the East, who used his wits and vassals to the full extent of their usefulness to achieve his vision: That of setting up the greatest Shōgunate Japan has ever seen.

Shōgun is not the story of a single man. It’s not about the pilot John Blackthorne, or Toranaga-sama, this honorable chieftain whose mere presence sparks loyalty. Shōgun is the founding of a new era in Japan’s rich history, and the way it is handled within the context of a television show’s narrative is brilliantly reminiscent of Bushido (Samurai’s “Way of the Warrior” code) itself. Because as we’ve come to know, the Japanese are nothing if not subtle.

The man at the top dances to the very rhythm of the wind

Shōgun has been praised for its near-perfect faithfulness to Japan’s culture. The traditions we see played out in each episode are historically accurate, and even the Japanese the cast speaks is a version of the language spoken in the Edo period, and not the one you hear today.

At the same time, Shōgun prides itself in painting a very vivid image of both Bushido and Shinto, which inform the prominent religious and cultural tenets of the Japanese. That isn’t unconventional in and of itself, as many movies and television shows have been intrigued by the notion and tried to portray it to one extent or another in the cinematic medium, but what I find incredibly fascinating about Shōgun in particular is the show’s ability to weave the very essence of Shinto into the plot itself.

For the Shōgun writers’ room, things like Confucian ethics, codes of honor and responsibility, and even starkly brutal concepts like seppuku (ritualistic suicide) aren’t just elements that make up the plot or clutter the show’s runtime. As the show builds towards its finale, these ideas take on a life of their own as archetypes, and overwhelming the plot, they then determine how the story itself is going to play out, unbound by the medium rulebook or the expectations of an unsuspecting audience.

Granted, even James Clavell’s novel ends in a similar manner and only alludes to the era-defining Battle of Sekigahara in an epilogue, but a 1-1 adaptation would not have worked here.

Let’s look at our main characters as exmaples. Shōgun initially portrays John Blackthorne as a vicious scoundrel hell-bent on defeating his Catholic enemies, and Toranaga-sama as an honorable daimyō looking out for the realm’s best interests. By the show’s finale, we learn that Blackthorne is actually a man of conscience, while Toranaga is a ruthless manipulator with no compunctions about who he ends up sacrificing to reach his goal. Even Lord Yabushige, originally coming off as a callous murderer, is no worse a man than Toranaga. He simply isn’t possessing of the same brainpower.

Outwitted and outmatched, the feudal lords of Japan now have to bend the knee to a new Shōgun, with near-limitless power to back up his rule. Shōgun ends with Blackthorne looking up at his liege lord, forsaking any dream of ever leaving Japan, and realizing, just at that moment, the true extent of Toranaga’s keen intellect. The camera then cuts to a medium shot of Toranaga, depicting the warlord (and soon-to-be Shōgun) as he once again reflects on his decisions and tries to “study the wind,” as he told Yabushige. And who can tell what he will come up with next?

Nuanced storytelling should be adopted as the new norm

Nuanced narrative design goes in the face of transparent storytelling. In one form, you expect the audience to pick up on clues and learn to read the subtle distinctions in the way you set up the mise-en-scène. That could be anything from where characters meet, how their facial expressions change by the moment, and what little dialogue they speak to each other. (A feature further bolstered in Shōgun thanks to the language barrier between Blackthorne and the rest of the characters.)

In the second form, the predominant form of today, every emotion and every little detail or change is spoken out loud, leaving nothing to the audience’s imagination. The second form is overt, more a literary expression than anything cinema could account for, and leaves little room for interpretation.

Now we might ask: What was Shōgun really all about? Well, we know that the series has gained a lot of acclaim and notoriety over the past couple of weeks, but if you were to seriously ask people what made them fall in love with this period drama that came, quite literally, out of nowhere, you might get a plethora of answers, each dissimilar in its own unique way. For some, it may be the historically-accurate sets and accents and clothing. For others, it might be the extremely believable characters. For many, it’s the high-quality, no-nonsense period drama that the medium was lacking in recent years.

Whatever the answer may be, Shōgun is a showcase of nuance in storytelling, which is also what lends it incredible flexibility of interpretation. I’ve seen a lot of commentary on how “they don’t make shows like this anymore,” and our frenzied age of content compels me to agree with that sentiment, but the point of this interlude is ultimately to say that if more shows want to be as successful as Shōgun, then it’s not in the genre or time period or the depiction of one specific culture that they will find deliverance, but through this underappreciated, daring, and often neglected form of storytelling.

The tenth episode of Shōgun aired today and pushed the story down an unexpected path, so now everyone wants to know if Lord Toranaga and John Blackthorne will be back for an eleventh outing next week.

Shogun has taken the world of television by storm and is already being hailed by many as one of the best historical dramas in history. The series is an adaptation of James Clavell’s 1975 novel of the same name, and follows the adventures of an English sailor named John Blackthorne who ends up on the shores of Japan in a period of unrest and civil war.

Blackthorne has to navigate his way through Japan’s strange culture as a vassal to Lord Toranaga. The daimyo (the Japanese counterpart for a baron or a duke) is fighting a battle of his own with the other members of the Regent Council — led by the ambitious and villainous Lord Ishido —who are trying to supplant the Heir and get rid of Toranaga’s influence. The friendship between Blackthorne and Toranaga and how the two meander their way through this treacherous time comprises the majority of Shogun‘s story.

Now, with the release of episode 10, what can we expect from this story going forward?

Warning: Major spoilers for the Shōgun season finale follow.

Is there going to be a Shōgun episode 11?

After Mariko’s heartbreaking death in episode 9, Blackthorne returns to Toranaga and pleads for the people of Anjiro, who are being punished for the destruction of his English galleon. The two eventually reach an understanding, whereupon Toranaga once again hires Blackthorne’s services to create a fleet. Toranaga then reveals to Yabushige that it was his plan all along to keep Blackthorne in Japan, and that Ishido is all but defeated because of Mariko’s sacrifice.

Shogun ends with Toranaga and Blackthorne looking to the horizon at the prospects of their hard-earned victory, leaving audiences to wonder if this is truly the story’s ending.

Alas, there isn’t going to be another episode of Shōgun. What’s more, the producers conceived this show as a miniseries, which means that another season is highly unlikely. Even leafing through James Clavell’s original novel, it seems that the story of Shōgun was supposed to end here, only heralding the creation of another Shōgunate under Toranaga, rather than actually depicting it.

That being said, the soaring popularity of Shōgun over the last couple of weeks may compel the network to renew the series for a second season. The story certainly warrants a sequel, so we’ll just have to wait and see if Hiroyuki Sanada can get to once again don the mantle of the cunning Japanese warlord.

If like so many people in the fantasy community, you just can’t get enough of Sarah J. Maas and her Court of Thorns and Roses series, and you already find the wait for the next book excruciating, then reading the bonus chapters might be the only way to alleviate that drought for the time being.

Taking place in a fictional world where the faerie folk are not just real but live in an alternate world of their own, A Court of Thorns and Roses mostly revolves around a heroine named Feyre Archeron, who gets swept into this magical realm of danger and intrigue and fights for survival.

A Court of Thorns and Roses has gained a lot of acclaim over the years because of its snappy prose, great characterization, and compelling romantic affairs. J. Maas has written five books in the series, including the eponymous A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, a novella titled A Court of Frost and Starlight, and the spinoff A Court of Silver Flames.

An upcoming sixth novel is in the works, with an unspecified release date that puts it anywhere between 2024 to late-2025, so fans are naturally impatient to get another taste of Prythian and its colorful characters. Well, if you’ve read all the books, there’s nothing for it but to wait. That is, barring the bonus chapters that expand the plot of certain characters. Here’s what they’re about and where you can find them.

A Court of Thorns and Roses bonus chapters, explained

Different editions of A Court of Thorns and Roses series may include these bonus chapters, but getting your hands on them can prove tricky, especially if your local bookstore only sells the older editions. Besides, there aren’t many of them, so even if you insist on reading them, buying another version just for those extra pages may not be prudent.

That’s where the internet once again comes to the rescue. According to the online ACOTAR community, Sarah J. Maas has only released three bonus chapters to date. One of these revolves around Azriel and has become a hot topic of conversation in the fandom. (You’ll know why when you read it.) Another one features Nesta and Cassian from A Court of Mist and Fury, while the last one depicts Feyre and Rhysand in A Court of Silver Flames.

You can find all three of them through this Reddit thread.

Just as Swifties were getting ready to dive into the 16-track Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift unveiled a secret anthology album accompanying this ambitious release and including an additional 15 songs.

That brings the total number of songs in The Tortured Poets Department up to 31, which would be a difficult undertaking, even for the most ardent Swift stans out there. Some might say overwhelming, even, because this latest album is mostly focused on lyricism and poetry. (I mean, if the name didn’t already tip you off, listening to the first three songs will do the job.)

Imagine trying to analyze your way through all these tracks only to realize that Miss Americana has saved some of the heavy, heartbreaking hitters for the secret second album. Some people might opt to just play the album from the beginning and see where it leads them, but others may prefer to sift through the playlist and find the important songs first.

If you find yourself among the ranks of the latter, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a ranking of all The Tortured Poets Department songs from worst to best. As with all listings of this kind, the following rating order is subjective, but it can give you a general idea of what the T-Swizzle has whipped up for her fans in this eleventh outing.

31. “The Alchemy“

As the fifteenth track of the first Tortured Poets Department, “The Alchemy” alludes to Swift’s new beau Travis Kelce and discusses what it felt like for her to fall in love again and rediscover things she’d forgotten. It also refers to the duo’s collective success over the past year, with Kelce winning the Super Bowl and Taylor presiding over the highest-grossing tour in history. Lyrically and structurally, though, “The Alchemy” doesn’t do much to reinvent Taylor’s established formula.

30. “Cassandra“

In everything but name, “Cassandra” is the lost twin of “mad woman” from folklore. Even composition-wise, “Cassandra” is extremely similar to “mad woman” and even revolves around the same subject matter. This time, Taylor is drawing an analogy between herself and the Trojan priestess Cassandra, whose words of warning, truthful though they turned out to be, were not believed by the masses.

29. “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived“

One of the first things you’ll notice about Tortured Poets is that the album is all over the place in terms of what it’s trying to convey. “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” is basically Taylor revisiting some of her older work like “Dear John,” but in a more somber tone.

28. “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?“

Taylor’s greatest strength as a songwriter is her ability to draw on her own life experiences to create amazing songs. But sometimes, these experiences and anecdotes get a little too specific and become lost in their little world of allusions and on-the-nose jabs. Perhaps that’s the best way to describe “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” and the next song on this list…

27. “thanK you aIMee”

“thanK you aIMee” is about Kim Kardashian. I mean, if you didn’t get that from “And so I changed your name, and any real defining clues,” then Taylor stylizing the song’s title on Apple Music and Spotify as “thanK you aIMee” ⏤ with the capitals spelling out Kim’s name ⏤ should make it perfectly clear. Some hatchets just can’t be buried, eh?

26. “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart“

“I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” might come off as an upbeat song, but the lyrics actually paint a dark picture of the Eras Tour. A lot of Swifties had assumed that Taylor was doing fine after her breakup with Joe Alwyn, but it seems that it was all an act. We don’t know whether to feel sad for Taylor or applaud her resilience, but one thing is certain: this song feels incongruous next to the rest of Tortured Poets.

25. “Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)“

“Fortnight” serves as the first single in Tortured Poets, but apart from the long-anticipated collaboration with Post Malone, nothing sets the song apart from the endless sea of synth-pop arrangements out there.

24. “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)“

No, really, she can’t. Taylor has dedicated this song (and a few more) in Tortured Poets to Matty Healy and their short-lived romance.

23. “Clara Bow“

“Clara Bow” is a song dedicated to everyone who struggles with mental issues, especially if they’re in the spotlight. For those of you who don’t know, Clara Bow was an American thespian who rose to prominence as “The It Girl” because of her charming personality and gorgeous looks. But as has been proven time and again, that can be a recipe for disaster.

22. “The Manuscript“

This one is the ultimate love letter for a poet who has spent most of her life hiding the true extent of her literary reach, chained by the cognitive limits of the medium that made her name. Swift remains a storyteller at heart, and you needn’t look any further than Tortured Poets or this track to realize that she’s still telling stories almost two decades after the start of her career.

21. “Imgonnagetyouback“

Even though “Imgonnagetyouback” is in the second, prominently Dessner-led part of the album, it’s produced by Jack Antonoff and features those repetitive synth-pop motifs. Still, the track itself marks a clear break in Taylor’s songwriting process and pushes her toward the poetic undercurrents of folklore and evermore.

20. “So High School“

A surefire way to find your way to a Swiftie’s heart is to give them a taste of old Taylor Swift. Perhaps the singer herself understands this better than everyone. “So High School” is the second track in Tortured Poets to center around Travis Kelce and it doesn’t disappoint when it comes to evoking the careless nonchalance of teenage love.

19. “Robin“

“Robin” is very heartbreaking, because more than anything, it brings to mind the idea of lost innocence. It also feels like a track straight out of those folklore days, and we’ll never be able to say no to more of that.

18. “Down Bad“

So continues Swift’s transition from a so-called millennial to a hip, up-to-date artist. “Down Bad” tells the struggle of a person who has developed an intense crush on someone and can’t accept the fact that things might not work out.

17. “Guilty as Sin?“

When is a fantasy not simply a fantasy? Are you to be held accountable for your thoughts? In “Guilty as Sin?” Taylor once again brings her brilliant songwriting prowess to bear on a sentiment we’ve all experienced and known all too well.

16. “I Look in People’s Windows“

This one is a short song reflecting a specific experience, intricately put into a song by Taylor and finding a unique place in the Tortured Poets chapter house.

15. “The Prophecy“

“The Prophecy” is without a doubt one of the best-written songs on Tortured Poets. Dessner’s guitar, Taylor’s melodious voice, and the intricate, metaphorical lyrics come together to show the vulnerable side of the singer’s soul of souls.

14. “Fresh Out The Slammer“

“Fresh Out The Slammer” is a subtle homage to the sounds of Midnights. Taylor’s vocalizations remind us of her work on “Lavender Haze” and “Snow On The Beach,” though the lyrics themselves continue to chronicle her unexplained fascination with this new romantic fling.

13. “How Did It End?“

One of the huge differences between Tortured Poets and Taylor’s previous albums is the lack of iconic bridges. The punch of these new lyrics seems to have been spread out through the verses and the choruses of each track, but that doesn’t mean Taylor has forgotten that she’s the best architect in the business. If you want proof of that, just listen to this song.

12. “But Daddy I Love Him“

I have a hunch that “But Daddy I Love Him” will become one of the most talked-about songs on this entire album. The lyrics are daring and provocative, the chorus can come off as downright accusatory, and the tune is catchy enough to warrant more than a few listens. Think “illicit affairs,” but angrier, and you’ll have “But Daddy I Love Him.”

11. “Florida!!! (feat. Florence and the Machine)“

I didn’t know I needed a Taylor Swift and Florence Welch duo before The Tortured Poets Department. Taylor’s raspy voice creates a haunting juxtaposition with Florence’s clear vocalization, even if the lyrics don’t rise to the depth of some other tracks on the album.

10. “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus“

This album is like a stream of consciousness let loose into the world of music, and “Chloe or Sam or Sophia and Marcus” is the perfect embodiment of what Taylor is trying to accomplish. The singer launches directly into her tragic soliloquy and brings every verse crashing down harder than the one before it on the heads of the unsuspecting audience.

9. “I Hate It Here“

“I Hate It Here” is another perfect blend of the stream-of-consciousness trope with rhymes that could make poets weep. I’m already anticipating the release of instrumental versions for some of these songs, because as amazing as “I Hate It Here” is in the lyrical sense, the melody is also mesmerizing.

8. “The Black Dog“

“The Black Dog” is most probably referring to Joe Alwyn, once again highlighting the crushing weight of overbearing sadness she felt when the two broke up after a six-year relationship. The way Taylor uses high notes in this track to drive home her message turns it into one of the most iconic tracks in Tortured Poets.

7. “The Tortured Poets Department“

Titular song “The Tortured Poets Department” brings the whole album together by telling the tragic tale of two artists who meld and clash through a treacherous love affair.

6. “The Albatross“

Literary analogies have always been the cornerstone of Taylor Swift’s songwriting process, and that quality once again manifests itself through “The Albatross,” which uses the symbolic, ill-omened albatross as a tool to once again discuss the pitfalls of human interaction.

5. “Peter“

Why is “Peter” in the top 10? Because it has the best lyrics in The Tortured Poets Department. Taylor once tried to change the ending of “Peter losing Wendy” but this next tribute to the Boy Who Never Grew Up is one of acceptance, as heartbreaking as it turns out to be.

4. “The Bolter“

If you still retain any doubts about Swift being the best songwriter out there, these last few songs on our list will hopefully douse them forever. “The Bolter” is an overwhelming barrage of words and verses, and it may take you more than a dozen listens to fully appreciate its subtleties and nuances.

3. “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys“

Even if Swift gives up on melodies altogether and simply releases an album that’s a pamphlet of poems (and this one came pretty close), there is always going to be a catchy banger to more than make up for it in the long haul. “My Boys Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” is that track, and Taylor’s vocalizations throughout, free of coherent words, essentially make up the song by harmonizing a story of their own.

2. “So Long, London“

“So Long, London” is a tragic hymn for lost love, but its most striking quality is Taylor’s enthralling voice. Play a few songs from the 2006 debut album or even Fearless and then compare it to this track to realize just how far Taylor has come. You might even be able to fool someone into thinking these are two different singers.

1. “loml“

Fans initially thought “loml” stood for “love of my life,” but they were in for a surprise when they actually listened to the song. If The Tortured Poets Department is about tortured artists, unspoken pain, and heartache of a kind that only music could hope to personify, then “loml” is that vain endeavor reaching a medium-shattering crescendo.

Sarah J. Maas is currently writing the hotly anticipated next book in A Court of Thorns and Roses series, but is there a release window?

Fans of Feyre Archeron have been waiting on this next chapter for years now. The last book in the series, A Court of Silver Flames, mostly revolved around Feyre’s sister Nesta, and drummed out our heroine from her lead role to a supporting character. Now, the ACOTAR fandom is expecting J. Maas to go back to Feyre and Rhys, who are currently ruling over the Night Court after the initial conflict for Prythian ended. 

There are even whispers of a name for this anticipated sequel. A Court of Bloom and Decay they’re calling it, even though there’s zero evidence from J. Maas and her editors to confirm it. In fact, we’ve already discussed the possibility of A Court of Bloom and Decay at length in another article. So when we refer to the next book as Bloom and Decay, note that it’s just a placeholder for the real title, whatever it turns out to be. 

Back to the question at hand: When is the next Court of Thorns and Roses novel coming out? And will it once again bring Feyre to the fore as the main protagonist?

Is there a release date for the next ACOTAR book?

While you might think that A Court of Thorns and Roses is the hottest IP in Sarah J. Maas’ extensive bibliography — at least going by sheer popularity alone — the author is keeping herself busy with a number of other projects. The last time we heard about J. Maas’ upcoming line-up of books, Bloomsbury had reported the existence of seven upcoming projects from the Queen of Romantasy. 

Her latest novel was House of Flame and Shadow, which continued to chronicle the Crescent City saga. There was even an overlap with the Prythian universe, as one of the protagonists in House of Flame and Shadow ended up in the world of faeries. Call it the fantasy’s most unexpected crossover, if you will.

But look, while these are all exciting for this developing Sarah J. Maas multiverse, we can’t help but keep going back to Feyre, Rhys, and Tamlin.

In a recent interview, the best-selling novelist confirmed that her next book following House of Flame and Shadow will definitely be from ACOTAR.

“I’m very, very excited about that one,” Maas said. “I know much more about what’s happening in this one. And then the next book in that series, I have the ideas and general, vague thoughts. But the nitty-gritty of writing and the emotional journeys with the characters — I usually love to go on those journeys with them.”

As for when that book will come out, your guess is as good as ours. Since Flame and Shadow just came out, though, we’d put the next ACOTAR book anywhere between 2025 and 2026 at the earliest.

There is a lot of hype surrounding Sarah J. Maas’ planned sequels to A Court of Thorns and Roses series, but do we know the title of the next book, and where are all these rumors about A Court of Bloom and Decay coming from? 

Ever since the end of the Prythian war in A Court of Wings and Ruin, and the not-so-well-received spinoff A Court of Frost and Starlight, fans have been patiently waiting for the next chapter in Feyre’s story. 

Even 2021’s A Court of Silver Flames took the story down an unexpected path and revolved around our heroine’s sister, Nesta. And though we all loved Silver Flames for its daring stride in the narrative and characterization departments — not to mention the sheer amount of spicy content — it’s high time J. Maas returned to Feyre and Tamling’s story proper. Here’s everything we know about the planned ACOTAR sequel.

Is there an ACOTAR sequel called A Court of Bloom and Decay?

There have been a lot of rumors swirling around on the internet lately about the next book in the Court saga. A Facebook post even leaked a cover that revealed the title of the sequel as A Court of Bloom and Decay.

Alas, though that name makes sense in the context of the Court universe and might very well be a working title for J. Maas, it seems that A Court of Bloom and Decay isn’t actually a thing. The original poster even released an update saying that this was a “horrible April Fools’ joke” that the fandom fell for.

We know that Sarah J. Maas had multiple novels in the pipeline as part of her contract with Bloomsbury Publishing, and that contract was recently expanded to include a whopping seven book releases in the future, so even barring the new Crescent City series, there are bound to be more books in the Court saga.

The initial conflict for Prythian may have ended in Wings and Ruin, but the fictional world of devilishly handsome faeries still has a lot of potential for expansion. For one thing, our protagonists could start on new character arcs, ones that may end in a more satisfying manner than the original trilogy could indulge. And for another, there are still threats to be addressed in Prythian, or else Rhysand wouldn’t have gone out of his way to keep Tamlin close despite all the things that went down between them.

At any rate, we’ll be sure to keep you updated if we learn anything about Sarah J. Maas’ next A Court of Thorns and Roses novel.

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Shogun episode 9, “Crimson Sky”

Today’s penultimate episode of Shogun was packed to the rafters with intense character moments and surprise plot twists, so we’re giving you a breakdown of everything that happened to John Blackthorne and Lady Mariko.

With Toranaga-sama’s party reaching Castle Osaka, we finally learned the truth about Mariko’s secret mission. The interpreter challenged Lord Ishido’s incarceration of nobility by announcing that she’s leaving Castle Osaka tomorrow on Toranaga’s orders. Ishido says she can’t do so without a formal review, but Mariko insists she must obey as her liege lord commands.

The next day, Mariko and her guard face down Ishido’s men and kill a band of bushi before reinforcements arrive. While Ishido’s men don’t hurt Mariko, she announces her will to perform seppuku (ritualistic suicide) at sunset tomorrow. As this will disgrace Castle Osaka and all the samurai in it, it leaves Ishido with no choice but to give the party permission to leave.

Ishido doesn’t give up on trying to stop Toranaga’s subterfuge and the final moments of “Crimson Sky” end on a grim note, leaving the fate of Mariko somewhat ambiguous.

Did Mariko die on Shogun?

While Ishido stopped Mariko from performing seppuku at the last moment, that did not hold him from scheming further. At nightfall, Ishido tasks Yabushige with killing the samurai guarding Toranaga’s compound, telling him it’s the only way of getting back in his good graces. Yabushige then opens the way for a band of shinobi (ninja assassins) and allows them to infiltrate the castle.

Mariko and Blackthorne are woken up from a night of intimate passion when three of the shinobi attack their quarters. Mariko kills one, while Blackthorne dispatches the other two with his pistol. The two then regroup with the survivors and try to make their way out of the castle. Despite fighting their way through several more shinobi, Mariko and John are trapped in a storehouse, whereupon they hear their assailants trying to light a fuse.

Understanding that the shinobi are trying to blow up the door, Blackthorne tries to barricade it with a cupboard, but Lady Mariko decides to sacrifice herself in an act of defiance. In her final moments, Mariko steps up to the door and shields the rest of the group with her body. As John begs her to get away, the door explodes inward and the episode comes to a close.

It’s safe to presume that Lady Mariko is dead. And the next time we see John Blackthorne in the Shogun finale, he too will be out for Ishido’s blood.

Is World War 3 imminent following Iran’s attack on Israel? And what are the latest developments from the conflict in the Middle East?

The entire Middle East region is once again ablaze as tensions rise between the Shiite-led Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Israel. Now, following Iran’s extensive drone-missile assault this Saturday, a lot of folks on social media are once again heralding the dreaded “World War 3”between the Western and the Eastern blocks.

As an advocate of the Palestinian cause, the Islamic Republic has been at odds with Israel for as long as anyone can remember. But these tensions rose to an all-time high when Israel attacked the Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1. Following the attack, Tehran vowed retaliation, which was carried out in an extensive air operation on the night of April 13.

Will this confrontation lead to World War 3, and is there going to be a new war in the Middle East?

The Iranian attack on Israel and World War 3 rumors, explained

On the night of April 13, the Revolutionary Guards Corps of the Islamic Republic carried out an operation against Israel, the first direct attack of such sort between the two countries since the beginning of the Iran–Israel proxy conflict.

Iran’s attack allegedly involved more than a hundred drones, dozens of cruise missiles, and a hundred ballistic missiles, while the Israeli-led coalition, assisted by the United States, the U.K., France, and Jordan, intercepted the munitions. The attack has gone down in history as the largest drone strike in history, and has drastically heightened hostilities between the two countries.

On Sunday, the Iranian envoy to the United Nations said the attacks can be “deemed concluded,” but it’s still unclear whether Israel will do an attack of its own to retaliate. President Joe Biden has condemned the attack, but according to NBC News, the Commander in Chief is worried that an Israeli response might trigger a larger war in the region, which the U.S. is trying to avoid. In fact, according to three people close to the president, Biden thinks Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is trying to drag the United States into a broader conflict with Iran, which should be avoided.

This has all naturally led to some doomsayers on social media proclaiming that WW3 is nigh, but even a broader fire exchange between Iran and Israel is highly unlikely to kickstart the avalanche leading to that nightmarish World War scenario. For one thing, the White House is constantly reaffirming that it doesn’t want a war with Iran. And for another, Tehran seems sated for the time being.

All in all, while the Israeli–Palestinian conflict has unsettled the Middle East yet again, these events don’t seem to be escalating out of control. The United Nations is working through diplomatic channels to ease tensions, meaning that even a larger war could still be avoided, let alone a World War.

To put it another way, we wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.

Widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language, William Shakespeare is still a celebrated figure in literary circles, if not often cited as an inspiration for every burgeoning scribe out there.

The Bard of Avon is credited with some of the most elaborate and era-defining plays in the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. Most, if not all, of current drama and tragedy is derived from works like Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, Henry V, Julius Caesar, and Coriolanus, but theatre is not the only place where Shakespeare has staked his artistic claim. 

The playwright also published a collection of sonnets, mostly in the form popularized by Sir Thomas Wyatt, the politician poet who introduced sonnets to the English language in the early 16th century. These sonnets work to highlight Shakespeare’s genius wordplay even beyond the bounds of his dramatic work. Perhaps the best way to do them justice would be to pray beg the Bard himself for help; “For we, which now behold these present days, Have eyes to wonder, but lack tongues to praise.”

Here’s a breakdown of the sonnets attributed to Shakespeare and why they remain a significant part of English poetry all these centuries later.

What is a sonnet and why are Shakespeare’s sonnets significant?

The sonnet is believed to have been invented under the rule of Frederick II, King of Sicily, King of Italy, and Holy Roman Emperor in the 13th century. The Italian poet Giacomo da Lentini, who was the headmaster of the Sicilian School at the time, came up with the form and progressively perfected it until a “sonnet” (from the Italian word sonetto, meaning “little song”) came to mean a poem consisting of 14 lines with a strict rhyme scheme.

It is only a testament to the sonnet’s incredible thematic flexibility that it has survived in its original form throughout history. While many poets have experimented with the form to create different meters, Shakespeare mostly wrote in the traditional iambic pentameter, not only because of its natural rhythm, but because of the way it can be so expressive in so short a stride. But that’s not the only thing setting Shakespeare apart from his contemporaries. The sonnet initially worked as a worshipful verse attributed to a feminine goddess, but Shakespeare reinvested the sonnet in the conceptual sense and introduced his own philosophies to it, which mostly revolved around the figure referred to as the “Fair Youth.”

Here’s an example of the Shakespearean sonnet not only reflecting love, but also bringing other themes to the fore:

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st.
    So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
    So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?

The main body of Shakespeare’s sonnets refers to the 154 sonnets published in a quarto in 1609, but if we take the additional 6 sonnets in Love’s Labour’s Lost, Romeo and Juliet, and Henry V, it would take the total number of his published sonnets to 160. There is also a partial sonnet in Edward III, taken from the 1609 collection’s 94th sonnet, “They That Have Power to Hurt and Will Do None.”

Even after several centuries, Shakespeare’s sonnets continue to invoke universal truths and describe themes like love, mortality, and all the other complexities of the human spirit. The emotional depth of these sonnets is, in my personal opinion, unmatched in the Western canon, and continues to amaze literature buffs and linguists to this day.

What remains, then, but the heedless joy, to open now the Bard’s quarto and breathe deep the product of his literary toil? “O, learn to read what silent love hath writ: To hear with eyes belongs to love’s fine wit.”

After a two-year absence, Bridgerton is returning to Netflix with more elaborate sets from the Regency era and a level of sexual tension between Britain’s most elite bachelors that you could cut with a knife.

Bridgerton has been filling the gaping emotional hole left by shows like Downton Abbey and Poldark and doing a great job of it if the internet’s collective obsession with the Bridgerton family is anything to go by. That said, the wait for season 3 has been excruciating, to put it lightly.

What’s more, this third outing is not going to come out all at once, despite what you’d customarily be used to in a Netflix original. The streaming mogul is instead splitting the much anticipated third season into two parts. Part 1, consisting of the first 4 episodes, is coming out on May 16, which is a little over a month from now. Part 2 will follow suit almost a month later on June 13, bringing this particular chapter in the story of the Bridgertons and their dramatic, if a bit controversial, courting life to a conclusion.

Why is Bridgerton season 3 being split into 2 parts?

Browsing through the Bridgerton community pages on social media, it’s obvious that fans are a bit disappointed over this development. Not only is the third season releasing with a two-year gap, but we’re not even going to get it in full. Some have suggested that the decision may have had to do with last year’s SAG-AFTRA writers’ strike and that this is just Netflix’s way of giving the crew more time to polish the final episodes.

The more probable reason, however, is Bridgerton‘s own soaring popularity over the last couple of years. Following the release of Stranger Things season 4 in 2 parts, which was done because of the sheer length of the episodes (claimed to have been twice as long as season 3’s) Netflix realized that the one-month gap not only gave the story some breathing room, but generated more hype and interest in the community by giving them time to reflect on some of its explosive developments.

As such, the company has taken up the practice of splitting its most popular originals into 2 parts. This happened to shows like The Witcher, Ozark, and You as well, so Bridgerton receiving the same treatment isn’t exactly surprising, even if it still goes in the face of the binge model popularized by Netflix itself.

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Shogun episode 8, “The Abyss of Life”

The recent Shogun episode ended with a jaw-dropping revelation about Lord Toranaga and his loyal general and close friend, Toda Hiromatsu.

As the episode progressed toward its explosive ending, Toranaga gave his adversaries more and more signs of his defeated spirit. The would-be Shogun first refused to appear for his own son’s funeral, which caused a bit of outrage among the Edo generals. He then made it clear to Hiromatsu, Mariko, and Father Alvito that he had no intentions of fighting Ishido, nor swaying Lady Ochiba to his cause.

As more people among Toranaga’s trusted advisors and servants came to terms with their lord’s evident submission, dissent began to grow in Edo. John Blackthorne even took the opportunity to go behind Toranaga’s back and make a deal with Kashigi Yabushige, which he refused out of fear.

In the episode’s final moments, Hiromatsu confronted Toranaga in front of all the other generals and Hatamotos, and when Toranaga would not be swayed, he decided to perform seppuku and kill himself. But why did Hiromatsu have to kill himself and what does that mean for Toranaga’s cause?

Why did Hiromatsu kill himself in Shogun?

As Toranaga revealed to Mariko at the end, this was all a ploy to make Ishido believe that Toranaga has been wholly defeated. Revealing his intentions to Father Alvito would work to persuade Osaka, but Toranaga knew that it wouldn’t be enough to make his secret plan work. That’s why he had to stage an open confrontation with his generals, in the hope of leading a few of them to perform seppuku.

As Shogun‘s creator Justin Marks recently explained during FX’s official podcast, however, Toranaga wasn’t counting on Hiromatsu to pay that ultimate price.

There’s a great moment in the scene between Toranaga and Hiromatsu where Toranaga turns to Hiromatsu in shock because he did not intend for Hiromatsu to do this. And I don’t think Hiromatsu knew that Toranaga wanted these generals to commit seppuku in order to show his enemies that he had surrendered and truly given up and that he has no hope.

Marks also revealed that Hiromatsu was looking to spare the lives of the generals and sacrifice himself instead, even if he wasn’t quite sure about what Toranaga was playing at. As for Toranaga, well, he finally got what he wished for, though the question is: Will it be enough to turn the course of this conflict in the last two episodes?