Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #ballum
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Do you know what this moment told me? It told me he knows that Callum loves him, and will support him if he falls apart or needs help, but, even in spite of that, he feels like he can't afford to fall apart/ask for help, because the risks of doing so are too great 😠#Ballum
I think that makes it even more heartbreaking, that this isn't about him not trusting Callum to support him, it's about him feeling that he can't fall apart, he has to mask - that even though he knows Callum will be there for him, the risks from elsewhere are too high #Ballum
I mean, he allowed himself to admit he wasn't okay this week, and started to let himself fall apart, literally in Callum's arms, only for him to be immediately wrenched back to the reality of how dangerous not masking is (that he'll lose his little girl if he falls apart) #Ballum
Okay, so, from my careful analysis of the scenes we did get + the spoilers we know about (and the pictures), here is my theory around what the cut scenes might have been #Ballum
My guess is that after Kathy worriedly saw Ben walking away from Jola, we got a scene where Callum came into the cafe, and Callum and Kathy discussed the fact they're both worried about Ben #Ballum
In that conversation, Callum probably decided that he was going to try and organise a curry night for the four of them, to try and get everyone back together and talking, and make Ben feel included again #Ballum
I've been doing this long enough to know that shit gets cut last minute all the damned time in soap opera, it's the inherent nature of the beast, but come on, having the pre-credits 'and now on EE' summary be about something they literally cut? That's...a new one for me #Ballum
Did they literally film the Roxy's scenes yesterday, and had the editing team frantically chucking scenes willy nilly into the recycling bin two hours before the iPlayer drop this morning in order to make it fit? I'm genuinely fascinated.
Apparently they forgot to CC the BBC Announcing Team into an email somewhere along the line.
This isn't a 'new story' for Ben, this is a continuation of the arc he's been on since January 2022. It's all the same story, and this is the culmination of it all. The ability to do this is why, when it's good, soap storytelling is utterly unmatched as a medium #Ballum
tw: rape , disordered eating
One of the first things that happened when Ben was raped was that he started refusing food. This isn't a case of 'we want to do an eating disorder storyline...ooh let's give it to Ben!'. This has clearly been planned as Ben's arc for a long time.
One of the first things that happened when Ben was raped was that he started refusing food. This isn't a case of 'we want to do an eating disorder storyline...ooh let's give it to Ben!'. This has clearly been planned as Ben's arc for a long time.
'But Ben already has so much trauma!'
Yes, and this isn't a new trauma. This is the culmination of all his traums. This is literally them addressing all that trauma that's happened over the years and never been addressed. They explicitly said this in the press release.
Yes, and this isn't a new trauma. This is the culmination of all his traums. This is literally them addressing all that trauma that's happened over the years and never been addressed. They explicitly said this in the press release.
Okay, not to bang on about #Ballum, but Callum closing the window dramatically like that, without clarifying 'hang on, I'm coming down', in order to do a big romantic moment, and not realising that Ben would think he'd left the conversation, was the most adorably Halfway thing 😂
Ben: *declares his undying love loudly and publicly*
Callum:
Callum:
Imagine if he'd got down there and Ben had already walked away, and Callum was just stumbling around looking for him like 'shit, my big dramatic romantic moment did not go as planned'.
tw: rape , sexual assault
I need to talk about the fact that Ben goes full hedgehog (I presume because of the Lewis news, if that article's correct), very clearly on the edge, but then brings himself back to a point of actively deciding to open up to Callum about it 😠#Ballum
I need to talk about the fact that Ben goes full hedgehog (I presume because of the Lewis news, if that article's correct), very clearly on the edge, but then brings himself back to a point of actively deciding to open up to Callum about it 😠#Ballum
tw: rape , sexual assault
Especially as it sounds like he tries initially and is interrupted, but rather than giving up and letting himself internalize it, and spiral, the spoilers suggest he then tries again and is able to actually talk to Callum about it. That's huge for him.
Especially as it sounds like he tries initially and is interrupted, but rather than giving up and letting himself internalize it, and spiral, the spoilers suggest he then tries again and is able to actually talk to Callum about it. That's huge for him.
tw: rape , sexual assault
We've watched Ben on a journey from not wanting Callum to kow anything, to being okay-ish with him knowing and (a bit reluctantly) accepting his support, to Ben actively talking to Callum about it, persevering even when barriers are put in front of him.
We've watched Ben on a journey from not wanting Callum to kow anything, to being okay-ish with him knowing and (a bit reluctantly) accepting his support, to Ben actively talking to Callum about it, persevering even when barriers are put in front of him.
I don't think that Ben's concerns are irrational.
His husband is lying to him about going to work to cover spending time with his ex (which Ben has NEVER had an issue with) and now he's found an engagement ring in Callum's bag.
Without context, what would you think? #Ballum
His husband is lying to him about going to work to cover spending time with his ex (which Ben has NEVER had an issue with) and now he's found an engagement ring in Callum's bag.
Without context, what would you think? #Ballum
Not only is he lying about going to work, but he's inventing additional shifts to, it seems, get out of spending time with Ben in favour of spending time with Whitney.
WE know he's got the wrong idea, but this isn't irrational insecurity or paranoia.
WE know he's got the wrong idea, but this isn't irrational insecurity or paranoia.
We may have to face the facts that what Callum is doing is not very nice or fair in regards to Ben. He's not treating his husband well right now.
And yes, WE absolutely understand what he's going through and why he's doing it, but Ben DOESN'T because CALLUM HASN'T TOLD HIM.
And yes, WE absolutely understand what he's going through and why he's doing it, but Ben DOESN'T because CALLUM HASN'T TOLD HIM.
The idea that Ben's involvement with the Panesar story - particularly if it's him struggling with it - 'undermines' Callum's PTSD storyline shows a fundamental misunderstanding of ensemble drama and the kind of partnership that #Ballum (and Max and Tony) have as part of that.
A storyline does not just belong to one person - just as Ben's hearing loss story was also a story for Callum, so Callum's PTSD story is also a story for Ben. Their issues are shared because they're a partnership. Plus, stories always interweave and overlap in ensemble dramas.
Additionally, if Ben is struggling with guilt (which I suspect he will be), that actually puts #Ballum on a similar page, as they both have trauma deeply entrenched in self-blame for other people getting hurt (eg. Callum in the army, Ben for Paul's death).
The problem with them ending Tuesday on a weird 'well he does SORTA know but also he doesn't' is that it's not a big enough of a lie to have any sort of dramatic reveal, but it is a big enough of a lie to matter if they never address it?
This isn't how you tell stories #Ballum
This isn't how you tell stories #Ballum
Like, the only way for it to come out is if Callum admits the true story of how it actually happened, because anything DIDH says to Ben can be brushed under the carpet as 'well he was secretly working against you the whole time'.
Add to that that we literally don't actually know what Ben knows? He knows that Callum was asked to spy, but then apparently Callum went to Jack, but they didn't mention if he actually did spy to keep up the pretence, so does Ben know about the bug? THE WIRE AT LEXI'S DANCE?
I have this real, awful sinking feeling in my stomach around everything #Ballum related this Christmas. Not even a worry that they're going to break up, because I'll take that as a story, but that everything is going to be utterly pointless and out of character.
Ben's behaviour around Callum last week made ZERO sense and was a pointless scene if Ian didn't tell Ben about Callum. Ben suddenly nervous around Callum because he's a police officer after literally everything that's happened in the last three months? Sorry, what?
After Callum's literally covered for him before when he thought Ben had murdered someone? After Callum did all this stuff for the Mitchells recently, at his own risk, to the point where Ben was basically telling him about everything the Mitchells were doing?
Last week, they basically hung a massive sign around Callum's neck that said 'this storyline has never been about me choosing between Ben and the police, so please stop acting like that's what it is'.
He doesn't care about Ben doing crime, he cares about Ben being safe #Ballum
He doesn't care about Ben doing crime, he cares about Ben being safe #Ballum
Callum has never once been torn between the two, never once shown a moral dilemma between 'love or duty', and never once demonstrated that his loyalty was to anyone other than Ben.
Every time he's done what DIDH has told him to do, it's been done to protect Ben from his wrath.
Every time he's done what DIDH has told him to do, it's been done to protect Ben from his wrath.
He's never once wavered from that. It wasn't even a question that Callum would tip Ben off about the police knowing, that he would refuse to grass to DIDH on what he knew, because it's never been about 'damn, my duty as a cop or my love for my boyfriend'.
I think that, initially, Callum realising just how merciless and unscrupulous DI Dickhead actually is (rather than just being a standard issue arsehole) is going to push him to be even more compliant in doing what he's told to protect Ben, and understandably so #Ballum
I think that, previously, there was some belief in Callum that DIDH wasn't actually fully awful, and there was some part of him that was reasonable and therefore could be reasoned with. Because he believes in people's inherent goodness, because that's who Callum is #Ballum
However, now he knows absolutely that not only is DIDH fully top grade limited edition arsehole, but that he also doesn't care about the rules or the law to get what he wants. He's entirely amoral in all of it, which means he will do ANYTHING to get what wants #Ballum
Callum has literally always been a good, kind, loving person with a good heart who will do anything to protect the people he loves regardless of rules or morality #Ballum
I think the issue we have in this fandom and beyond is that we see Callum as the 'good' one in the relationship and Ben as the 'bad' one, and that completely overlooks that vast areas of grey and overlap in both of their characters, and how driven they are by love #Ballum
I mean, Ben also has this issue. He sees himself as the bad one and Callum as the good one. He doesn't see any good in himself, because, y'know, years of self loathing, but because of that he also sometimes hero worships Callum in a ay that ultimately isn't healthy #Ballum
