[8.1/10] If we take Sister Michael at her word, God is indifferent to the Derry Girls. But that’s the central referendum here: does he love them or does he hate them? For half of the episode, the universe bends in their favor, only to bend right back just as quickly. It’s a marvelous, albeit gutting structure to build the episode around.
First they just so happen to get the last five tickets to the Fatboy Slim concert in Derry. Then, they lose them when they're challenged for them by an angry bloke who goes by Madstab. But wait! Michelle peddles their (ever so slightly exaggerated) sob story to the local news and gets them VIP passes to the show! They’ll even get to meet Fatboy Slim himself! Except, Clare’s search for the girl she met at the record store not only reacquaints them with Madstab, but gets them kicked out for fighting to where they don’t even get to see the concert, let alone meet the headliner. Still, it’s not so bad! Despite everything, Clare gets the kiss from the girl of her dreams and is on Cloud 9! Only to be brought crashing back to earth in devastating fashion when Gerry comes to tell her that her dad had an aneurysm, and he eventually passes away.
It’s a brilliant sort of emotional whiplash. For ninety percent of the episode, Derry Girls plays the back and forth for laughs. The Derry Girls’ changes in fortune are comically exaggerated, involving fibs to the news and tough guys obsessed with Fatboy Slim and playful bouncers dressed like Cher from Clueless and an entire bar area filled with folks dressed at clowns. The silliness of our heroes stepping out as angels but being mistaken for swans, or yelling about the semantics of what a collection of clowns is called, is hilarious.
The parents’ story is nearly as funny. The absurdity of Sarah accidentally getting engaged when she accepts a ring without understanding the meaning behind it is classic her. The equal absurdity of her enlisting Gerry to have to break it to the poor fella that his engagement was a ridiculous misunderstanding (with Joe blaming the unfortunate guy for the trouble), is very amusing thanks to Gerry’s bewildered reaction to the whole situation. But the punchline is the piece de resistance. The clockwork gag of Sarah and Mary having rented Sister Michael’s nun habit, whose availability was established earlier, to where Ciaran believes Sarah’s “married to God” now is an utter hoot.
Even when it’s not being funny, “Halloween” is a sweet episode for most of the way. There's a comic goofiness to Clare’s dad showing up in a tiny car and joking about “stacking” the girls into it. But the reveal of him pulling them along on a float in a local Halloween parade, watching them enjoy the night of their lives, is a rousing moment.
The same goes for Clare getting her first (I assume?) kiss from the girl she met at the record store. It’s not as cheer-worthy as it might be since the girl is more of a thinly-drawn bit of wish-fulfillment than a full-fledged character with any kind of developed dynamic with Clare. Still, if anyone deserves a little wish-fulfillment, it’s Clare. Her stammering reaction to someone liking her is adorable, and her palpable joy at getting that kiss is infectious.
Until it’s ground down in the grit of tragedy. She goes from that riding high moment to mourning her father in a matter of minutes. It’s one hell of a gut punch. Nicola Coughlan does an outstanding job selling her grief at this sudden hardship. While I don’t normally love slowed down covers of pop songs, doing a solemn version of “Praise You” is more than poignant under the circumstances.
I expected Derry Girls to go for something more dramatic and heart-rending eventually, but I expected it at the end of the season, not now. The show caught me napping, and I wasn’t anymore prepared for such a sad development than Clare was. You feel so much for her, and the way her friends rally around her without question is a reminder that, for as loose and goofy as their friendship, and the series is, it’s also founded on some true and heartfelt bonds.
I don’t know if, in Lisa McGee’s conception of this story, God loves or hates the Derry Girls. He certainly toys with them given the mercurial way in which their fortunes change. And he gives Clare an immense trial to face at such a young age. But he also gave her a collection of friends to help cushion the blow and see her through this. That is fortunate amid such tragedy, and maybe even a saving grace.
[7.4/10] This one took a bit to get going, but gained momentum as it went.
Once again, I wasn’t crazy about the girls’ story in this one, since the prospect of a haunted house, even a mistaken one, is once again too out there for my tastes. Them freaking out about curses and hauntings and other ghostly bric-a-brac was a big yawn for me. The laughs weren’t really there and everyone mugging with exaggerated screams wasn’t my jam either.
But I liked a lot of the other elements of the main story. James having an awkward conversation with the officer at the checkpoint was good for a laugh. So was the big realization that the girls’ had actually been “cleaning out” the wrong house, and had stumbled onto a stranger’s cottage rather than Sister Michael’s aunt’s place. Sister Michael getting them out of trouble by explaining that they’re from Derry and have thus suffered enough was the funniest part of the whole thing.
God help me I was downright touched by James confessing his feelings to Erin. We had hints of this when he took her to the dance, but it’s nice to see it come to fruition. There's not a lot of depth to it, but it feels lived-in and real in a way not much this season has for the girls. Orla makes a solid point about it threatening to mess up their group’s friendship, but the kiss and James’ “IIt’s okay, I can wait” is very wholesome and endearing. It even dovetails nicely with the grown-ups’ story after a fashion.
That subplot, with the adults going to a psychic to make a connection with Mary’s dead mother, is a laugh riot. Conleth Hill remains a charming screen presence (hello Game of Thrones fans!), and between him doing the “affected psychic” routine and grousing at his elderly mother, his scenes are the comic highlight of the half hour. Gerry’s skepticism, Mary and Sarah’s fervent belief in finding a conduit to the great beyond, and Joe’s focus on having his dead wife locate his old electric razor all lead to plenty of laughs too.
Yet, this one lands on some place earnest and sweet too. There's a funny poetry to this one, where in one part of the episode, the characters have some reason believe ghosts are really there, and it turns out to be one big mix-up, whereas in the other, the whole thing seems like a goofy farce, but the psychic is genuinely onto something! (Or so it seems.)
Carlos Santini seems to be applying the standard cold reading techniques, but him locating the American Air Force officer who’s apparently pestering Aunt Sarah from the great beyond, or getting a message about water and a red box from their mom seems to have some validity to it. Maybe it’s just coincidence, but I love the choice to make Joe’s silly quest to find his razor into something more genuine when he’s touched by finding the razor in a red box under the sink. Ian McEllhiny gives a great performance, showing that beyond the bluster, he really does love and miss his wife, with Derry Girls giving him a characteristically oddball reminder of hta.t
Overall, the haunted house bits, which take up a good portion o f the episode, fell flat to me, but the rest of what “The Haunting” had to offer was quite good.
"Not even She-Ra can take out an army of Horde soldiers on her own." Did you see episode 2, Bow?
"Hey Adora." — Catra
Lol, Catra's delivery
"The princesses are united. This is how it's supposed to be." Okay, now I'm disappointed
Now that we're at the season finale, the lack of substance and cohesion is rearing its ugly head. 1. There's a lot of telling done in this show, and it never helps make this world feel more alive. 2. Plus, the mindless in this episode is so mindless because what are they fighting for ideologically? and what's at stake? 3. Characters also like to say, "we can't do this!" without bothering with an explanation and I'm just left confused. 4. There's also the Rebellion and the Horde. What is the Horde's ideology, and what do they want? What's the Rebellion's ideology? All these issues built up and have finally become clear to me in this episode.
Surprisingly, this episode left me bored because it's all plot and not a lot of fun character interactions like the rest of the season. Plus, deus ex machina save the day so everything just feels so unearned. And these usually aren't a problem if I knew what was at stake and cared about their victory. Like, what happens if they lose? I don't know.
SCORE: 5/10
Despite taking place in a large area, "The Desert" is a bottle episode of sorts, with the group trapped in one place for the entirety of it's runtime. And while the desert itself is a fantastic place for a more natural antagonist - the scorching sun, the lack of water, the barren waste - it's really Aang's internal struggles that are the focus here. We've never seen Aang quite like this before, and his anger isn't simply out of character for him. This is a genuine rage, losing the one connection that he has to his prior life 100 years ago, and you feel it. He goes through all five stages of grief here and it's great to see how well the writers portray anger in all of it's ugliness and yet it's necessity.
Zuko's storyline is really good too, as it does some important legwork for future events without making it too obvious. And the way certain storylines are beginning to converge is really clever as well, particularly in how Toph's pursuers interact with the rest of the world. And it still manages to get some comedy in as well, particularly with Sokka who gets some of his best lines here. The show continues to fire on all cylinders and it's only just starting.
REFRESHING.
In preparation for Hilda's second season, I decided to watch one of my (and another friend's) favourite episodes. Season 2 has me so hyped! Let's hope it's as good (or even better) than Season 1.
I'm delighted to see Hilda back in the wilderness. She's been in Trolberg for most of the season, so it's nice to return to the mysterious and unpredictable nature of its inhabitants. Somehow, being there is nostalgic, even though I've never lived there. It's nice.
But above all the forest giants and elves, my favourite wilderness character is Woodman, and he's still as charming & deadpan hilarious as usual. I also love his back and forth with Hilda. His selfish and unsympathetic nature contrast well with Hilda's kind and sympathetic heart. But by the episode's end, he shows genuine compassion.
Hilda: "I guess Trolberg is my home now."
Wood Man: "Well, obviously. For now anyway. And someday your home may be somewhere else. But that doesn't mean you leave your other homes behind. The wilderness will always be a part of who you are. That's why we're such good friends."
Hilda: "We are?"
Wood Man: "Repeating myself makes me anxious. I'll stop by next time I'm in town. Make sure you do the same. Just walk on in."
Anikka, the song that plays during the evening montage and end credits, was so calming. I'm in love with the gentle strums of the guitar and the whistling. It makes me want to huddle by a fire with a cup of hot chocolate on a cold Winter's day.
Chapter 11: The House in the Woods is endearing, fun, and very ominous. It consists of Trolberg, the wilderness and all my favourite characters, which makes for a balanced and heartfelt episode. Showing the journey to & from Trolberg helps connect the two places well, and reminds the audience—not just Hilda—that despite living in a bustling city, the wilderness is still out there.
TECHNICAL SCORE & ENJOYMENT SCORE: 8/10
We learn what a "Kabaneri" is in this one. We also get to see the mysterious Mumei in action. A vocal dance song is played while she fights the Kabane, that gives off a slick vibe to go along with how Mumei swiftly dashes and slashes her way down to the last Kabane. I'm sure Jpop listeners of today would recognize it. As for me, I'm out of the loop when it comes to Jpop music; but it felt modern and a bit out of place considering the setting of the enivronment. At this moment, I'm already thinking about how this story is moving along quickly as if it were a full-length feature film just by the quality and editing style. As I've mentioned previously, the characters have this very Haruhiko Mikimoto (Macross) style design which gives off this sweet classy look to them, especially for the female characters. That red cape gives Ikoma a sort of Trigun (1998) Vash look (blonde guy, gun, glasses, red cape, body armor). Maybe it was intended and was probably inspired by it.
I want to nitpick a bit. I feel like in today's Japanese animation, the male leads tend to kick and scream a lot and are very angsty like a child. It's different from the era of 80s and 90s animation that I grew up in where the characters are able to control their emotions and not so easily erratic about such small things. It's like that with Eren (Attack on Titan) and that kid in Parasyte: The Maxim (2014). Maybe these directors/writers wrote their characters this way where they evolve from a childish trait to a strong character in the end just so they can have that "character development." I just find it annoying and off-putting for me. Other than that, I'm still enjoying the action and the art work. Now on to episode 3!
so sherlock is over, and these are my thoughts on the finale in order of appearance:
since when the show is a horror movie and why was there a fucking clown.
the motion sensor was activated after the drone had landed and mycroft obviously knew enough about those explosives to realise that’s how they work, so why the hell did they wait for that to happen instead of immediately running away? oh wait. the drama.
they actually put that horrible cgi explosion from the trailer into the episode… why. later, in the very end, i will be reminded of it while watching sherlock and john run in slow mo.
why couldn’t mycroft, an important government figure and a relative of eurus, officially check up on her instead of the whole dress up game? and then he obviously shows us that he can fire or order around anyone in that prison which makes their shenanigans even less relevant. it’s really sad to see non-existent problems beings “solved” just to use screen time and mindlessly entertain the viewers. detective stories are supposed to be reasonable.
okay, i’m sorry but i’m not buying that “enslaving” bullshit. i want to know how she does it, because all we were given is some pieces of weird bullshit that wouldn’t faze anyone in their right mind. it reminds me of the cabbie from the pilot episode that supposedly talked his victims into killing themselves. but in the end we learned that he just threatened them with a fake gun. ah those good old times when the show had its wits and integrity still intact…
they sure like to deliberately make sherlock obtuse. i just don’t buy him missing that there’s no glass when he’s close to it and there’s still no reflexion. and shouldn’t the music sound muffled too or did the fiddle had its own voice modulator installed? interesting.
i know moriarty being alive would make no sense, but the show is guilty of occasionally doing that already, and he’s such a believably smart and psychotic character that’s interesting to watch that i would have gladly used my suspension of disbelief card.
i thought the girl on the plane was an idiot because she kept giving useless answers to important questions, but the reveal in the end explained it. 1-0, touche. then again, surely eurus would be imagining herself as the young version of herself and the sole reason they used another child actor is to keep the mystery up, which is a pretty cheap trick. 1-1.
now the real idiot (or more like a dumb plot device) here is undoubtedly molly. she fucking knows what sherlock does and in what kind of situations he sometime ends up being, and he obviously sounded nervous and agitated from the get go and eventually resorted to fucking begging, so why the hell couldn’t she trust him and just say what he asked her to? oh i know why. the drama. again. also her making sherlock “confess” his love for her she knows he doesn’t have literally came out of nowhere and had fanservice written all over it. and that conversation was so unrealistic and forced for the sake of plot progression it honestly made me cringe. god i wish they were more subtle with molly and her sad love for sherlock and all the irene adler mentions before it instead of jamming them into the storyline and reinforcing their awkward attempts to bring to life sherlock’s absent libido. they even made him destroy that coffin in a melodramatic fit, which was ridiculous because compared to the other experiments the molly incident surely warranted that kind of emotional outburst the least, no one had died after all. but wait, some fans are gonna love using that as proof for sherlock’s romantic feelings for molly, so that’s why it happened.
mycroft goading sherlock into killing him was painfully obvious, considering he’s the one who has been quite vocal about his brother not being a pragmatic automaton but a quite emotionally driven creature, and that he would never kill john, regardless of his intellectual capabilities.
so the lesson here is that you should pay more attention to your little sisters?..
you can’t just switch psychopathy on and off. but of course eurus was able to. in once instance she’s a cold blooded murderer that doesn’t understand the difference between killing someone innocent and someone guilty, in general she has a spontaneous child murder on her record, but oh no, the episode is almost over and we can’t possibly kill john watson (like we couldn't blow up molly or shoot mycroft, but had no problem axing mary, a character that no one gave two shits about, dead or alive, or moriarty, who had basically been the best character; good job on fucking up twice), the fans would rage, so let’s make our villain a crying scared little girl that longs for brotherly love and make her suddenly change her evil ways, so we could wrap this shit up and move on.
and why did they put her back in the place she can easily break out from? what even has changed? can’t she make the staff into her bitches again just by talking to them (eternal eyeroll) like she did before? yeah she’s not mad at sherlock anymore (because he gives her attention now! how cute), but she’s still a mentally disturbed person and the cage must get boring when you have a fiddle as your only source of entertainment.
so yeah, i basically wrote a fucking essay or more like a hateful ode to the show, but i don’t actually hate it, i still adore first two seasons, tolerate the third and i have been relatively entertained by the last one, this episode included, even if i undoubtedly think the show hasn't been clever for a long time and it's finale was less a detective and more a weird left-field saw tribute without everything that actually makes saw enjoyable. i'm writing this as a former fan that for the last few years has been mostly disappointed by the show they once loved, that’s all. i’m also bored and writing this kept my mind busy. that makes this otherwise useless “review” worth it, i guess.
The main intrigue was disappointing. It's still well done, well played and all, of course, the show's and characters' typical style is still there which gives great sequences. The multi crimes solving via phone, or Are you tweeting ? in the middle of the briefing and Mycroft handling Sherlcok like a child. That's still the foundation of the show, and it's still there. The It looks fully functioning remark was even better.
The initial case with the dead guy hidden in the seat was pretty good too.
And then came the main story. Somebody's going around crushing identical busts ? Well of course they're looking for something inside, no need to be Sherlock for that. Also a lot centered on Mary's past. Did anybody ever cared for Mary ? I always found her story boring. She won't be missed.. It brought some nice shooting scenes though, and Jason Bourne style fighting from Sherlock that was impressive.
Ending sequence was supposed to be emotional I guess, but I like I said, I never really cared for Mary so.... Also that it could happen is utterly ridiculous. All these cops there, plus Mycroft and Sherlock with their legendary observation skills, plus Mary, a barely retired super agent, and with all those, NOBODY saw the old lady reach for a gun in her purse ??? Really ? Whereas it's painfully emphasized for the viewer, you'd be blind not to see it. That was a real let down from every character's part.
With its major character introductions already out of the way, this second episode of BBC's Sherlock mini-series is able to focus more on defining roles and settling in. Holmes and Watson are already developing a prickly, sarcastic working relationship that's not without precedent but still somewhat befuddling. Watson, the kind-enough everyman, is so constantly on the pointed end of Sherlock's icy pokes and prods, it's easy to question why he sticks around - that is, until the duo lock in and begin functioning together near the end of the chapter.
Even at their worst moments, though, the two work as a good balance for each other: Holmes as the brilliant, socially-stunted brains behind the operation and Watson the more personable, common sense-minded counterweight. The production values of this episode aren't quite up to those of the premiere, with a few major scenes looking very much like they were shot for TV, but it does manage to retain the cool, unique editing techniques and visually-indicated clues I liked so much in its debut. In terms of the plot, the B-level murder mystery does lead to a couple of surprisingly good scenes, but ultimately doesn't measure up to the high standards set by the first episode. Still, it's fine material that's much, much better than the Downey-helmed American interpretations.
Weirdest finale ever. Were the writers high this season?
I liked that the show brought back the rest of the family like Jenny and Eric for quick cameos. That Blair and everyone seemed happy but come on. William got Lily? Nice message. Bad guy gets the girl. Not romantic at all.
Lily had no character development at all in the series since she was the same manipulative person. Jack was forgiven so easily after being a total a-hole to his nephew for so many years?
I wish the writers would have done to following for season 6:
After his marriage Rufus meets a pretty/cute woman and strikes up a flirtation with her. 5 yrs later, he’s married to her. Not much screen time needed.
I wish Lily lost her fortune due to Khama for years of manipulations. She is alone for awhile and gets a real job, makes real friends, and meets someone new and good then her finances get fixed. 5 yrs later she’s married to him and thus has one of her longest marriages.
I wish Eric had much more of a storyline but I get the actor was on another show...
Nate’s plot the last couple years was flimsy. First off, they referred to him as going to school while working at the Spectator. Riiight. No, for Nate he should have lost the job as a result for not paying attention to it since he paid more attention to women. He should have finished school having met some new friends and then partner up with one of them for a news magazine or something that becomes a success.
Blair, I really like how she worked with her mom in the end. I wish there was a little more of that. She was still a bully this season which was a reversal of her character growth in season 5. The writers messed up. They should have shown her as more compassionate to people like Nelly.
Serena...sigh. Flaky Serena. I actually like that Dan wrote the bad version of her. I would have liked her to do soul searching because of it instead of running away. Read more, get some tough jobs where she struggles a bit. Makes friends with people who have little money and you know, grows as a person. After season 5 her character needed that. I grew to hate her character and while I love Dan for everything up to the final season, I had zero reaction about their wedding and it was because I didn’t like Serena anymore.
Chuck. Ugh!!! Seriously he’s done some horrible things and then he keeps pushing Blair away. WHY are we supposed to root for him? He’s a jerk and aside from the occasional good one liner he’s not worth rooting for.
The Chuck and Blair relationship is passionate but unhealthy.
As for Gossip Girl, if it were me, I’d have made it someone in the background. Someone barely in season1 then occasionally shown at the school and the city. That minion Hazel or even Mrs Waldorf (mother of master manipulator Blair) would have worked. She could have sent GG blasts to test her daughter and to punish her. Maybe it was her dark side?
Dan as GG would have worked except the scenes that made it look like he was shocked and upset at the GG blasts when he was alone. Who was he putting that show on for? No it didn’t fit. Now if he hadn’t had those scenes and didn’t attack his friends in the blasts (unless it was for their own good) then I’d buy it.
Yeah I wasn’t impressed with the final season at all.
I did however like the little details like the newspaper article with Lola Rhodes starring in the movie based on Ivey’s book. Nice little touch.
Overall good series but terrible ending. Weird final season that felt like it was a grab for ratings. Writers/producers seemed to care only about making people gasp instead of staying in character and trying to better the story.
8.4/10. One of the things I love about Adventure Time is it does a really good job of capturing things that feel very human, even within its fantastical setting. We've all played a game, or engaged in some activity with someone who's way more invested in it than us. We've all come up against someone who is both a sore winner and a sore loser. "Card Wars" does a great job at taking the show's two lovable characters and throwing them into those scenarios, where you get Jake excitedly and haughtily telling Finn about the game, and Finn struggling to walk the line between standing up to Jake and setting him off.
It's relatable but also has enough of *Adventure Time*s whimsical flair to keep things breezy. Card Wars itself has the perfect blend of feeling just real enough to be a futuristic version of Magic the Gathering or something, but just goofy enough to feel like a parody and not something you can actually try to nitpick the rules of. B-Mo is adorable, from her line about not wanting to play such games with Jake to the immortal "B-Mo" chop. And Finn's "dweeb" vs. "cool guy" drink switcheroo is the perfect way to defuse the situation with Jake winning. Overall, it's a nice little look at a minor but recognizable moment most everyone has experienced at some point.
[8.1/10] I really like the approach of this one, with Korra being out of options and having to go to the source of her PTSD in order to move past it. Consulting Zaheer directly is a really interesting way to go, both because it gives the show a chance to go a little Hannibal Lecter with the proceedings, but also because it shows more depth to the series most complicated and interesting villain.
I also like the message of the episode, that part of Korra’s breakthrough needs to come from accepting what happened, not trying to ignore it, outrun it, or overcome it. Dramatizing that through her trying to meditate into the spirit world, and only making it there once she plays out her worst and most harrowing moment is a nice touch. The show does well to play that theme of acceptance in the face of trauma, that it’s not something that can be ignored or expunged, merely faced and accepted. Strong thematic material.
And again, bringing her face-to-face with Zaheer and having him help her through it is a really interesting choice. I like the idea that his interests are aligned with hers because Kuvira is just another tyrant in his eyes. It’s a little convenient (and Korra’s a little too trusting) but again, she’s exhausted all other options. His statements that Korra’s powers are limitless and she’s only holding herself back are interesting, and even the imagery of him floating while in chains is a striking one.
I also really liked the Bolin/Opal story. It’s a little cliché, but it’s nice that a well-meaning romantic gesture isn’t enough to simply wipe away all the bad blood between him and Opal, but that him taking real action to right the wrongs he (however inadvertently) helped create is what gives him a chance to make things work between them again. It’s not the deepest storyline, and parts of it feel justified enough yet a little convenient (like Lin telling Opal they can’t ask others to put their lives on the line to save the other members of their family) but I like the fact that it shows trust has to be earned again.
The rest of the episode feels like table setting. The spirit vines going nuts ‘round the world is a nice touch, and it’s interesting seeing some international diplomacy (even if it’s mostly an excuse for Wu to be an idiiot), but that part of the episode feels like table setting.
Still, overall, this was one of the strongest episodes of the season, and presents a satisfying turning point in the season-long plot of Korra’s recovery.
[7.1/10] I’ve come to really enjoy Varick. Maybe it’s just that his clownish antics get more amusing as you acclimate to them, or that comedy vet John Michael Higgins brings his A-game to the outsized character, or maybe it’s just that he’s TLoK’s answer to Iron Man (replete with his own Pepper Potts), but his cartoony presence was a treat here, and I’ve come to welcome his interludes rather than disdain them.
By the same token, Asami has often felt like a wasted character on this show, with really just the undercooked estrangement from her father in Season 1 and a couple of awkward love triangles to show for so far. But I really like the storyline of her father seeking forgiveness and her deciding whether she wants to grant it to him and if so, how much and how soon. The notion of someone doing unforgivable things but being the blood of your blood, and the person who raised you is a rich one to explore. The story is brief in this episode, but it’s still compelling.
That said, much of “Enemy at the Gates” feels like it’s rehashing points the audience already knows or stalling before the inevitable confrontation. We get backstory on the schism between Suyin and Kuvira, and it basically comes down to things that were already implied in prior interactions and comments, with the only true reveal being that Kuvira worked behind Suyin’s back and took Zaofu’s security forces with her.
Again, I like the conflict here -- where Kuvira sees herself as making hard choices to keep things in order in the Earth Empire and Suyin sees herself standing on bigger principles and Korra is just trying to keep the peace -- but it needs to be advanced, not just rehashed. It also doesn’t help that Kuvira continues to be mustache-twirlingly evil with how she threatens Varrick and Bolin, which undercuts the idea that Korra should try to find a diplomatic solution to this.
Still, there’s plesantness in the attempts from both her and Korra to broker peace. Bolin’s defection is quick (and the mecha battle with him, Varrick, and Zhulee turned pretty generic pretty fast too) but it’s still an interesting story to see someone’s pollyanna view of their leader deteriorate. By the same token, I at least appreciate the conflict from Korra’s point of view, where she has preferences in the standoff between Suyin and Kuvira, but doesn’t want to fight for fear that it might just make things worse.
This is a season where the politics of the Four Kingdoms are front and center, and the ensuing clash of ideologies is fascinating. But making it as interesting in terms of the story being told, and not just in the ideas at play, is something this episode could have done better, even if the medicine goes down easier with the help of Varick’s clowning around.
[7.1/10] I appreciate the show wanting to use some time in its season to tell a story about the airbender kids who, outside of Jinora, don’t really get much flavor. Ikki’s running away back in Season 2 was a nice counterpoint to the sibling issues her dad was facing at the time. But there’s not really enough to grab onto here.
I like the idea of exploring Ikki as a middle child, but the show never rises above the usual sibling rivalry clichés here: seeing her older sister as supercilious and her little brother as inappropriate and rude, leaving her feeling overlooked. There’s some decent comedy between Ikki and the local Earth Empire guards (who have a real Bert and Ernie vibe to them), but the “my siblings don’t understand me, but I have contributions to make too” bit is a little too generic of a middle child story to make much impact.
Korra’s part of the episode is better. I like her being in the swamp where (presumably) Aang saw his first vision of Toph and finding her way toward healing. My worry when we started this mini-arc was that the show would have Korra get her groove back too fast out there, and that’s still a bit true. But I like that at least we get Toph (a.) telling Korra to learn from her enemies and even see the good in them and (b.) telling her not to keep re-fighting her old battles as a way to move on. Sure, it’s all broad strokes pop psychology, but given the *Star Wars*ian undertones of a wrinkle guide giving the chosen one life advice in a swamp, it totally work.
It is a nice moment where the two stories collide, the airbending kids meet one of their grandparents’ best friends, and there’s a happy reunion with Korra. The final Red Lotus Venom exorcism scene is well-done and well-animated, and heck, even the one handed hug and pat between Korra and Toph hits the right balance between sweet and “just barely tolerating this.”
Overall, the Ikki material is fairly rote and weak, but the Korra/Toph business is good, and the episode benefits greatly from it.
[9.6/10] Look, if you’re going to name an episode “Korra Alone,” you’re instantly giving yourself some pretty big shoes to fill. “Zuko Alone” was one of AtLA’s best episodes, and trying to measure up to it is a tall order. But damn if “TLoK* doesn’t match its predecessor in delivering an affecting, at times harrowing story of one character’s personal journey from trauma to something on the way to healing.
I cannot say enough about how much I like the choice to take Korra this direction, to have her feeling despondent and anxious and beaten down by her encounter with Zaheer. The three-year time jump still has an element of cheapness to it, but “Korra Alone” overcomes that by meaningfully filling in the gaps. The added temporal scope of the story leaves time for Korra to drift apart from her friends, to experience small successes and wounding setbacks on her current path. There’s a believableness to this story, a commitment to the difficulty of recovery, that can only work when told on such a scale.
There’s two elements I particularly appreciate in Korra’s story here. The first is that she clearly has PTSD. The images of Zaheer flashing in her mind, causing her sleepless nights, making her flinch and falter in fights, nagging in the back of her mind, represent the trauma that she’s suffered that she cannot simply shake off. The Avatar-verse series are kid-focused adventure shows, and so they justifiably elide the fact that its main characters are something akin to child soldiers, having to face life and death at a still tender age. But “Korra Alone” shows the weight of these events, the impact they would have on even the strongest and boldest figure in the show, allowing TLoK to find new avenues in which to explore its main character.
Then there’s the guilt and worthlessness Korra feels at not being able to do everything she once could. One of the most immense and interesting moments in the show was when Korra believed she’d lost her bending abilities thanks to Oman, and wondered in despair what her identity would be, who she was, without that. “Korra Alone” makes good on that idea (semi-conveniently wiped away through connecting with past Avatars) and explores it fully.
A Korra without the ability to bend and fight and lead is a young woman who is utterly lost. We see that as she literally wanders the world, truding through gorgeous landscapes of rocky cliffs, frozen tundras, and dusty deserts. She’s trying to figure herself out again, trying to find the thing that’s missing.
That’s represented by the ghostly image of the chained, avatar state version of Korra that haunts her throughout her travels. While the show may literalize that specter, I like what it represents -- that sense of guilt, that sense of fear, that sense of brokenness Korra feels after her ordeal. It’s a nice way to externally dramatize an internal emotion, and imbue it with the spiritual hues of the Avatar-verse.
One of the strongest causes of that guilt is Korra’s sense that she’s failing in her duties as The Avatar, a sense that wounds her almost as much as the Red Lotus Venom did. The Air Nomads are off protecting the innocent; Asami is rebuilding Republic City; Mako is breaking up local crime rings, and even Bolin is taming the countryside with Kuvira (and writing amusing Civil War-style letters in the process), all while Korra is stuck in bed. It’s natural that she’d drift apart from Team Avatar. Their very existence is a reminder of both all that she can’t do and all that she feels she should be doing.
So faced with the fact that she is The Avatar, and yet no longer feels like The Avatar, she changes her look, to throw off the shackles of the image of a woman expected to be ready to save the world at a moment’s notice. In another moment that harkens back to Zuko’s recovery, she slices off the tresses of her hair next to a river, another symbol of change and transition. It’s a means of casting off the expectations that come when people see Avatar Korra, and avoiding the aside glances from inquisitive shopkeeps.
In that, she tries to run away from her problems, to leave the people who are trying to help her, to go on a journey of self-discovery. That leads her through mountains and deserts and oceans and even the spirit realm, where a horde of adorable spirit creatures try to help her despite her protestations to be left alone.
That’s one of the most striking things about this superlative effort is how help is what Korra really needs. One of the interesting changes the show has stuck with is how Vaatu and Unalaq severed Korra’s connections with the past Avatars, a lifeline that often helped Aang through his own difficulties. But in lieu of that, Korra has to seek guidance the old fashioned way -- from the prior generation, the one that experienced the same struggles as the last Avatar.
Last season, that came in the form of Zuko’s quick but helpful counsel, but here it’s a more involved healing process with Katara. That connection to the past, and the homespun wisdom from Katara, creates an affecting series of scenes of Korra learning to walk again, taking the first important step in moving past what she’s been through. Katara’s strong presence alone helps give Korra’s struggle a sense of place, putting it in the context of Aang’s own burdens and bumpy parts in the road.
But that alone is not enough. Korra still finds herself close but not fully back to what she used to be, haunted by that ghastly doppelganger, literally fighting herself, the manifestation of her fears and traumas, in a fighting pit and the spirit wilds. It’s there that she finds Toph (and I have to admit, I cheered out loud once when she showed up and again, even louder, when she called Korra “twinkle toes”) another person with the connection to the past that can help Korra make sense of her future.
The healing process, coping with PTSD, coming to terms with new limitations, is an incredibly difficult thing. “Korra Alone” doesn’t shy away from that, showing the title character suffering, straining, and striving in wide-ranging ways to find peace after her fight with Zaheer. The way it embraces the hard contours of that process, the ebb and flow of overconfidence and the feeling of insurmountable defeat, make this one of the Avatar-verse’s finest hours.
It would be nice if Blair found something productive to do that she loved instead of scheming. I can’t believe what she did to Jenny! Is she forgetting that J is still a kid compared to her?
Chuck came off repulsive here considering he used Jenny...again.
Still, I’m tired of Jenny’s storylines...I think she needs a little more fun. More season 1 Jenny.
I love that Lily tried to reverse psychology Serena. For someone who claims to be serious about school Serena is a bit of a flake. If she’s late for class once, leave earlier the next day. Take a shower and lay out her clothes the night before. If your prof is hot, wait an appropriate time after the semester is over to pursue it. It’s not difficult- if one were serious about their education.
I like glimpses of Eric’s life but it’d be nice to learn more about what he’s interested in.
And Rufus is total a trophy husband lol. He needs a part time job or something...maybe release a new album?
Nate is sweet and all but very naive. And doesn’t he got to Columbia too? Don’t most of them go to school? It’d be nice to see them flipping out over deadlines and workload from classes. All nighters, campus parties that interfere with their class deadlines etc. You know, normal college stuff.
[8.5/10] Tenzin has slowly but surely become one of my favorite characters in The Legend of Korra. Having J.K. Simmons voicing your character is always going to be a greater-making quality, but what makes me really like him is the fact that he is not just a generic mentor -- he is human and flawed. That means that as much as he believes in his stocisim and discipline and principles, he’s also overzealous, unbending (no pun intended), and overly conservative in his approaches in ways that give him room to grow.
So when he has a collection of new airbenders to train in the ways of his people, the dull traditional side of him comes out, and that understandably perturbs his brother, his daughter, and his new recruits.
For Bumi, it leads to all sorts of frustration when Tenzin takes his advice to employ some military-style training and forces the new airbenders to get up at dawn, go on long hikes, and run through obstacle courses. It’s enough to make Bumi, who’s otherwise a goof off anyway, quit.
And for Jinora, even though she’s an adept airbender, her conversation with the mischievous Kai prompts her to wonder why she hasn’t been allowed to receive her airbending tattoos yet, something to establish her as a master, despite her prodigious talents at both airbending and the spirit-focused side of the world. It leads to a brief but potent rift between her and her father.
But when the going gets tough, the airbenders hang together and rise to their potential. The episode plays with emotional states in a deft fashion, having Bumi’s frustrations, and that of the other new airbenders, be set aside so that they can rescue Jinora from a group of sky bison poachers (trying to capture a local herd to sell the meat to the Earth Queen, who apparently ate poor Bosco!). The poachers are convenient bad guys, but they serve as a solid reason for the new recruits, struggling and not crazy about how things are going, to band together and live up to their potential.
Little details, like Bumi going from wanting to quit to realizing that what they’ve gone through has bonded the new airbenders together, or the one airbender’s shaved head letting him evade the net just like Tenzin said, or Tenzin stopping Kai from attacking a defenseless enemy but complimenting him on his technique, all sell not only the growth of the characters, but their new belief and acceptance of airbenders as a team and a culture.
That gives us great moments of catharsis. The newly bald recruit sings the praises of what his haircut allowed him to do and encourages the others to join in that part of the culture. Bumi admits that despite being Aang’s son, he never felt like a part of the air nation, and Tenzin embraces his brother and tells him that he is and was. And even with Jinora, Tenzin admits that she is a talented young airbender, and he’ll consider whether it’s time for her to receive her tattoos (I’m betting it happens in the finale). Sure, the baby bison taking flight and Tenzin declaring that everyone’s growing up is a little on the nose, but it’s an earned moment.
With as much great serialization going on in the series at this point, it’s nice to see TLoK taking time out to tell a standalone story like this, that not only advances the new crop of airbenders, but develops Tenzin, Bumi, and Jinora as individuals, and their relationships with one another. Season 3 of TLoK has been the best in the series so far, and it’s nice to see the show be able to tell great stories like this, even when they’re not advancing the major villain arc of the season.
[7.6/10] We saw the original Team Avatar as kids, all full of potential and talent and a bright future ahead of them. But now we only hear the echoes of their lives as adults, and we learn that as great as they were, as many impressive deeds as they performed to make them chiefs of tribes and police forces and to have statues in their honor, they weren’t always great parents.
We saw that with Aang and his three kids last season, and we’re seeing it with Toph and her two daughters here. It’s a nice approach, to show that even though our lovable heroes grew and won our hearts in AtLA, they weren’t perfect and did things that left lasting scars on the next generation. It makes sense that Toph would be a wanderer, someone hard to impress and gain the attention of, even as her child.
So I like the grude between Lin and Su Jin here. Both wanted Toph’s attention and affection and each presumably feels like the other had it easier. There’s also a nice undercurrent of Lin seeming a bit resentful that Su Jin has a family. There’s a little too much “here’s the backstory” time, but the conflict between the two is relatable and understandable.
At the same time, the metal city is very cool. On the surface it’s a veritable utopia, with safety, art, culture, and decency. I love that Su Jin is the first person in this show to say, “hey, maybe we shouldn’t have a monarch.” The notion of the Metal Clan as a more progressive place is an interesting one.
But that doesn’t seem to be what interests Bolin as he has instant chemistry with Opal, one of Su Jin’s daughters and a new airbender. Their part of the episode is short but sweet, with Bolin being naturally charming when he’s not trying to be, and then nearly messing it up when he tries to turn it up to eleven. Bolin’s been a favorite of mine for a long time, so it’s nice to see him succeeding in the romance department (rather than creepily hitting on disinterested co-stars or being attacked by domineering water tribe love interests).
And the final bit with Zahir trying to infiltrate Air Island feels a little too obvious for the deception to work, but it’s enough to give him some intel to set up an assault on our heroes, and the ensuing battle between him and Kya is quite thrilling, so it works well enough.
Overall, yet another good episode!
[7.6/10] Whoa, there’s a lot to unpack here. I’ll start out with a criticism, which is that this one gets a little too continuity-heavy at times. I don’t know that we needed that much giving us the origin of the pinata or the cabin or even dear Neddie.
But I like the general idea of this backstory and continuity-filled episode, that basically gives us the origin of the Candy Kingdom. P.B. initially wanted to make equals, people who were like her that she should relate to, but then she saw how real people saw her, and plotted against her, and how much easier the nice but pliable candy people were, and rarely, if ever, tried to make people who were that challenging ever again. It’s a little too simplistic as backstory, but it’s interesting backstory nonetheless, and the implication that she made Uncle Gumbald and the others because she was yearning for family, only to get this type of family, is a really interesting narrative choice to help explain PB’s perspective.
Overall, it’s not necessarily as touching as some of the other gap-filling episodes are, but it still packs a certain punch and has interesting notions behind it, even if it gets a little too cute in its “this is how ___ started!” mentality.
[7.5/10] It would be too much to call this one a format bender, but I appreciate that this episode breaks from the usual structure of this show thus far, and instead gives us a pair of conversations: Hugh and Steven on the one hand, and Shirley and Theo on the other. Both conversations get at uncomfortable truths and confessions, and while this is, by necessity, kind of a talky episode, for the most part it works.
(Incidentally, I know what witness marks are thanks to the fantastic Serial podcast, which took some of the stuffing out of Hugh’s metaphor for me, but hey, not the show’s fault!)
The closest we get to the “here are some informative flashbacks” routine the show usually does has us circling back to Steven’s childhood. It’s mostly to show us the idea of him seeing signs of mental illness (or, depending on you want to interpret the show, legitimate haunting) but not recognizing them or knowing how to fully interpret them because he was a child. The scariest scene in this episode, and maybe in the show, is him restoring that vanity for his mom (replete with witness marks on the bottom) and her smashing the mirror out of nowhere. It’s the kind of real, frightening moment that rings true in a fashion that the other, more traditional attempts to spook the audience (like the jump scare in the care with Shirley and Theo) can’t quite hit.
I also liked the premise of the episode, where Luke is off to go burn down the Hill House and maybe end all this misery, leaving two pairs of the remaining Crains to chase after him and hash things out for themselves. It’s simple, but it’s an immediate crisis that provides a structure and motivation within the episode that works.
We don’t really learn much about Steven from those flashbacks. They’re more to do with the animating idea that there were signs he wasn’t privy to. But we do learn that, unbeknownst to us, he’s a complete and total douchebag! I try not to spend too much time standing in judgment of people, especially fictional characters, but Steven never telling his wife about his vasectomy, to the point that they tried to have kids for three damn years, is straight up monstrous and cruel. No wonder she kicked him out. I’m sympathetic to the idea that he was worried about his family’s mental illness and found that hard to talk about, but good lord, letting his wife go through all of that in search of false hope is just horrifying, to the point that it feels contrived and unbelievable as something a real human being to do. It ultimately feels like more of a fault for the show than for the character since it feels beyond belief that a person would really do that.
This is also a monologue heavy episode (aren’t they all?) but a good one. Hugh’s speech to his son about Olivia being a kite and him being a string is a beautiful metaphor. I don’t know if Hugh gets a redemption here (especially with the details of what happened to Olivia that Steven describes), but more and more the show seems to be suggesting that there’s more going on with Hugh than we know, that he’s someone worthy of empathy who loved his wife and wanted to protect his kids, even if that’s all a setup to pull the rug out from under us later.
On the haunting front, I at least like that we’re doing a bit of mythos here. Sure, it’s convenient that the same member of the Hill family that Steven remembered hearing about is the one who sneaks up behind Luke in the ending, but still. I like the idea that Hugh knows more than he’s saying and that the house will try to defend itself from Luke’s attacks, and that Steven is in the most danger given what he wrote about it.
Last but not least, I both liked and felt frustrated with Theo’s monologue. On the one hand, I like some of the imagery a lot -- the sense that Theo was completely dumb and surrounded by darkness and emptiness after touching Nell. It provides a plausible and psychologically rending account of what happened between Theo and Kevin. That whole thing felt like a misunderstanding from the beginning, and again, it’s a little convenient that Shirley is so angry and dug-in that she doesn't want to hear anything about it until it can spill out an appropriately dramatic moment But she and Theo have a lived-in sisterly dynamic that comes across on the screen, so as hokey and overwrought as that monologue becomes at times, you buy the two of them having a breakthrough after all of this because of that dynamic and how it’s been developed.
Overall, this one is a bit different from prior episodes, but I like the setup, with recriminations and confessions and corrections coming between father and son and big sister to little sister. There’s a lot that could be written about the “witness marks” metaphor, but suffice it to say, it’s interesting to see these people taking stock of their scars and using this moment to piece them all together to determine what really happened.
[8.7/10] One of the defining Finn moments for me will always be his refusal to kill an “unaligned ant.” Finn’s not above kicking butt when necessary, but killing, particularly someone who has at least some good in them, is the sort of thing that understandably rocks him to his core. So accidentally killing not only someone who means well, in his own twisted sort of way, but who is a reflection of him, is an understandable heavy thing for him to confront.
There’s a mournfulness, a regret that hangs in the air as Finn makes his way back to the treehouse. Jake immediately knows something’s wrong. BMO recognizes that Finn has killed someone (maybe from her experiences with AMO?). And it’s the perfect sort of shock to keep the show’s main character in after such a harrowing, soul-straining experience.
It reaches that point after Fern tricks Finn into entering some old ruins, and then aims to trap him there so that he can take over as the “real Finn” (having mastered his shapeshifting ability to pull off the impersonation). It’s a nice touch for Finn to get so frustrated so quickly and admit he has abandonment issues that exacerbate his problems. And as I mentioned in my write-up for the last episode, there’s something understandable, if terrifying, about Fern’s pretzel logic here and attempt to take over Finn’s life to try to self-actualize.
Finn manages to solve his problem via his PB-constructed robot arm. In the bit that brings most of the episode’s comedy, Bubblegum’s little voice message to Finn (particularly her little hand-puppet bit) and deadpan responses to Finn’s unrelated questions (“what are you doing?” “I’m a weedwacker!”) brought the laughs in an otherwise heavy episode.
It’s heavy because Finn gets out of sorts enough to attack Fern, because his great goal in life is to make everyone happy and see the best in people, and having to see a version of himself that would not only lock him away but try to take over his life has to be an unmooring experience for the young hero. His pleas that it doesn’t have to be this way resonate, and add another level of tragedy when his hope to avoid such “finality” is interpreted as “fatality” and obliterates his doppelganger. The mysterious wizard who collects the remnants of Fern suggests there’s more to come, but the power of the episode comes from Finn crossing a line he’s never crossed in this way before, even accidentally, and the magnitude of force that event has on this kind, decent kid.
[8.7/10] Aw yeah! I love me some Lich stories. Lots to like about this one. The first and most obvious are the little blasé details about the fight between Finn and the creature that is nominally his ultimate enemy. Adventure Time always takes such a light touch even in some of its big dramatic moments that helps the show to liven what could otherwise be overdramatic material. Finn kind of shrugs off fighting The Lich “for like the fifth time.” He laments that Jake is missing out on a good Lich fight (and Jake’s “whaaaa?” reaction to the voicemail is a treat too). Fern says out loud “the only Finn” and Finn responds “that’s a weird thing to call me” before he’s finger-crushed, Kids in the Hall-style. It’s minor stuff, but it adds light comedy to the episode and gives it that distinctive Adventure Time flavor.
It helps that the Lich material doesn’t feel like a retread, if only because Sweetpea brings a different dimension to it. The severed hand of Farmworld Lich causing him problems is a novel way to go. The contrast between the adorable singsong voice of Sweetpea and the haunting voice of the Lich-hand its titular “whispers” makes for a combination of creepy and cute that fuels the episode well. When Sweetpea joins Lich-hand in the old subway tunnels, possibly to join his dextrous counterpart, but ultimately to turn on him, it’s a triumphant moment of good over evil, delivered with stakes that come less from Finn dangling over a pit of radioactive goop and more from whether he and Fern can protect his innocent wrapped over an unkillable evil. (The way that struggle is depicted in shadow is a really creative choice on that front.)
There’s a similar struggle going on within Fern. In contrast to a monolithic evil like The Lich, there’s a more sympathetic moral struggle for Fern as a major antagonist. He wants to be Finn. He is Finn in some way. But he’s struggling with the ways in which he feels Less Than. Finn is encouraging and compassionate as always, but Fern can’t help feeling like he’s not what or where he should be, and his attempts to save the day only end in pain and failure. It’s all done at a level appropriate for children, but that’s deep stuff. His efforts to do right, efforts that seem to crumble before his eyes, lead to him to think that if he could just eliminate Finn he could realize his potential, a conclusion that is appropriately understandable, horrifying, and a product of his mixed up way of thinking -- the combination of FinnSword and the grass demon thing that creates a person who’s both sympathetic and terrifying.
It’s a neat trick, and the combination of those elements makes for an exciting, funny, and thoughtful episode of this great show.
[6.3/10] Ehhhhh. I used to really look forward to Fionna and Cake episodes, because they gave us a fun spin on the familiar, but now they just feel tired, and it seems like the show has run out of gas on the concept. I liked Finn’s resignation to the weirdness that Ice King basically writes fan fiction about them, and seeing the gender-flipped versions of characters like Abra-Ca-Danielle and [spoiler]The Queen of Ooo[/spoiler] is pretty fun, but the main story didn’t really work for me.
I have to admit, I raised an eyebrow when “real Fionna” showed up. [spoiler]I kind of like the reveal that she’s basically a cosplayer, and dressing up like her hero gave her confidence -- a sweet story. But all the references to Fionna and Cake being a TV show or something, making them real in some way, just feels like too much for something that should stay a fun lark for the show rather than something to try to fold into the mythos somehow.
Overall, the episode is mainly fine, and there’s some amusing enough Ice King antics, but I’m just kind of done with Fionna and Cake concept, and I think this development is a sign that the show doesn’t have much further to go with the idea.
[7.7/10] A weird but satisfying finale to the “Elements” mini-series. There’s something compelling about Betty doing all of this and working so hard with the goal of going back in time and preventing Simon from ever becoming Ice King. By the same token, there’s poetry in her ending up on Mars with Normal (nee) Magic Man. Ice King declaring that he’s special and deserving of respect is heartening in its own fashion, an affirmation that this guy who’s not all there is still worth something even if he’s not the person he used to be.
Once again, LSP’s immunity becomes a mechanism to transform everything backk to normal. There’s still a bit too much LSP for my tastes, as her antics are best in small doses, but it works for what they’re going for. There’s some interesting stuff from her making everything “normal.” For one thing, sweetpea’s other horn growing back is, uh, concerning to say the least.
More importantly, Jake coming back looking more like his alien sire is concerning in its way, but it’s sweet the way that as strange as things seem, Finn is just happy to have his brother back. Jake just telling Finn “I love you” is a heartwarming way to end the arc.
Overall, I enjoyed this latest bit of longform storytelling from the show. Most of the stories work well enough in chunks, and seeing the whole thing come together among the four kingdoms and LSP was satisfying. As always, there’s some potent emotional material underlying it all, and some interesting bits of mythos as well. Another success, albeit one that felt a little jumbled in the finish.
[8.7/10] I’m always a big fan of when shows take an episode or so to stop from the ongoing adventure and excitement and just take stock. It’s the kind of character work that separates great shows from good one. To that end, I appreciate Adventure Time taking some time out to have Finn and Jake express their concerns about this whole thing to one another, and the conceit of being trapped on a cloud works to facilitate that.
Finn in particular is wired, unable to rest and let Betty figure things out, and completely chomping at the bit to do something, anything to move things along. Jake settles him down and gets him to admit that he feels guilty. All of this stuff happened while Finn was on his “Islands” adventure, and he feels responsible for the problems that erupted while he was gone. Worse yet, he feels guilty because he wonders if he subconsciously willed it to happen, that he wants to be irreplaceable (by Fern or anyone) in Ooo, and so is privately glad that things went to pot.
It’s another thing that distinguishes this show from its peers -- a willingness to engage with the complicated emotions of its colorful characters. Finn’s feelings are tough ones, particularly for a young man, and expressing them to his brother seems to help. What’s great is that the show goes complex with Jake too, having him be a sounding board and a means of support, but also someone dealing with his own anxieties.
Those take the form of his (a.) worrying that they’re actually dead and in purgatory or something while stuck on this cloud or (b.) best case scenario his kids are zombies and Lady is “made of taffy or something.” We get an interesting confession out of Jake, namely that he tries to be brave and hold it altogether and distract Finn from things that are bothering him because he’s the big brother and thinks that’s his responsibility, but that he has his own worries and concerns that nag at him as well.
The clincher of the episode is that being stuck on the cloud allows Finn and Jake to confide in one another. They have one another, and that makes it possible for them to have a source of joy and comfort even with all the wild stuff that happens to them. Jake reassuring Finn that this probably all would have happened regardless of whether they were there, and that if anything, it’s better that they were out of town so that they could come back and help, is a nice way to raise Finn out of “gotta do something” guilty headspace.
Plus, this being Adventure Time, they have tons of fun with all of this stuff. I love the detail that Finn and Jake confide these things to one another while playing a childhood imagination game of “barbershop.” It’s the sort of lived-in detail that helps underscore their brotherly connection. And recurring bits like Jake’s inability to pee while someone’s watching, or the dada-ist weirdness of an angler lard cloud that lures victims using the prospect of a bathroom but can be used like a smell hound to find the Ice King is delightful.
All-in-all, it’s an episode that succeeds by stopping to explore its main characters’ emotional states in all of this madness, and adding in some fun elements to give it that off-kilter vibe the show does so well. No other series balances the serious and deep with the fun and zany like AT does, and I’m glad the show’s still doing these sorts of episodes in its final season.
[7.6/10] I like the vibe they’re going for with each “Elements” land here -- where each realm exemplifies a certain emotion. Candy is obviously joy. Cold seems to be sadness or even existential despair. Fire is presumably anger (if the angry bee we see in the credits is any indication.) And I’m not sure what slime will be. (Fear? Disgust?). It’s all very Inside Out but I dig the Adventure Time spin the show puts on everything. Feels like we’re headed to a “balance is important, in emotions and elements” ending, but this is a show that knows how to surprise me with off-kilter solutions to things, so we’ll see.
I definitely liked the creepy depiction of the rejiggered Ice Kingdom. Having the profound darkness is not an approach the show usually takes, and it made the atmosphere appropriately unnerving. There was a desolate quality to the place, like the elemental wave had sucked the life out of it, which dovetailed nicely with the despondency of everyone there.
Everyone that is except for Ice Carol (nee Cloud Carol)! Her perturbed disposition and being disturbed, and angry declaration that yes, she likes to draw elves, tickled me pink. We also get some more detail about what happened, with Patience acknowledging that she went too far and the elements overran the princesses and became something “monstrous.” Again, there’s a real haunting melancholy throughout the new Ice Kingdom that’s subtly affecting. The foxes’ song in particular was chillingly beautiful (no pun intended).
Again, the design elements really worked, with Patience looming large in her dry ice dress after the transformation, and the statue of the four elementals in the middle of her lair. It really gives the place a distinctive quality, and contributes to details like Jake starting to feel down and useless as the ice starts to consume him. All-in-all, a nice ep that brings Betty back (whose voice actress has been upgraded to Felica Day!) and fills in another elemental zone.
[8.1/10] Any episode that’s just about Ice King going about his business while world-changing or life-changing things are happening is almost always a good time. There’s so much comedy from an oblivious Ice King trying his hand at bird watching (which is pretty much limited to Gunther, in a great comic cut), or picking out a bespoke suit with Life-Giving Magus, or pretending that a piece of food is a phone and then eating it.
But there’s also, as usual, something deeper at play. Betty is trying to make Ice King remember their history, and is going nuts when nothing works. Her efforts to jog his memory and frustration when their old favorite restaurant and other details aren’t enough to do it are as sad as Ice King’s guileless ignorance about the whole thing is funny. It’s a nice touch that Tiny Manticore (who gets some funny lines himself) tells Betty to accept Ice King for who he is now, rather than trying to change him back, and he points out that she’s gone through some changes too. The scene where she goes back and magicks up some birds for Ice King to watch is a sweet conclusion to that story.
Of course, it’s also, naturally, a stealthy and shaggy dog story-like explanation for how Ooo got turned into a “four-way pizza.” Seeing Patience use Betty as a magical battery is an interesting twist, and the gags that came from Finn and Jake wanting Ice King to get on with the explanation dovetailed nicely into that. Curious to see where they go from here!
8.5/10. I have to admit, I'm a sucker for the Banana Guards, and they brought a lot of laughs here. The "infiltration" by Finn and Jake during the changing of the guard (replete with Banana cream pies!) was a Three Stooges-esque delight, and their affable, loving stupidity tickles my funny bone every time.
But what I really loved about this episode was how it played on the way different people see Princess Bubblegum. Finn sees her as "cool," and can't shake that image of her, which is why he's kind of upset when he originally sees the graffiti. Jake sees her as just a part of the continuum, which is why he appreciates the art and is able to look past who it's representing. The Banana Guards in general look at her as an object of worship, as a benevolent if frightening persona whom, as PB herself points out, they both love and fear. Banana Guard 16 in particular sees her as a cold and unknowable deity, with the way she destroyed candy people and tampers with their minds and their very beings. And Princess Bubblegum sees herself as "just a person." The leader of Ooo has had a lot of shades added to her over the years, and her acceptance, or at least attempt to vindicate the idea that she's no longer a god on high, but a part of the community, on the same level as her creations, is a nice grace note to the opening of the season where we see her bitter and disappointed at having been ousted by the candy people.
Because at the end of the day, she accepts and loves them. She's not the same PB who would mess with Banana Guard 16's brain; she's the one who recognizes that these big yellow dopes she's been frustrated by and indifferent to have special talents that she may never have imagined (and which, in a kind of weird sequence, drive Jake crazy). The idea that Finn and Bubblegum see that in them, that but for a few genetic bumps in the road, they can be different and unique and just as valid, thinking and feeling being as anyone else in Ooo, is a nice little breakthrough for the show. It's wonderful to see Adventure Time still adding wrinkles to its characters and its world as it closes out the show's seventh season.
(Also, Banana Guard 16 was giving me mild flashbacks to "Princess Cookie.")
I absolutely did not understand this episode but...I still liked it? Does that make any sense?
I often find myself tempted to delve into symbol hunting and interpretation when trying to unravel Adventure Time's headier episodes, but that can leave me removed from how an episode made me feel. And that, after all, is the ultimate goal of art, right? To provoke some kind of response, some sort of emotion in the watcher?
So here's what I got. The entire episode, Finn is trying to find a way out, to hang onto something, "breadcrumb" style to where he can go back the way he came. This whole dungeon is a puzzle that he keeps trying to figure out, and every time he thinks he's got it, every time he believes that he has an exit, it sucks him back in.
So after dozens of different methods, he eventually stops trying to backtrack and just lets go. He kisses Jake goodbye. He gets a thread caught, a way to go back the way he came, and he gets rid of it; he gets rid of all his clothes and says "no egress."
There's a big part of me that wants to compare it to Sartre's No Exit, another instance where the main characters were trapped with no escape. And I'd bet dollars to donuts there's some connection there. But more than anything, there's a firmly present idea that it's only when Finn is able to let go, to stop trying to find a way back from what brought him to where he is, that he's able to move forward.
As I recall, there was a similar message in the doom train episode, that the adventure was a way for Finn to avoid confronting his feelings. This seemed to be a different shade of existentialism, some kind of idea about blocking it all out, and then finding some kind of enlightenment at the end (a place that matches up with Finn's map), before finding oneself again.
The episode made me feel Finn's loss, his sense of inevitably, that no matter what he did, he could either keep his eyes closed forever or let go of his attachments until he found his way back for real. Again, there's a lot to unpack, but there was something tragic about Finn's wandering and something unbelievably joyous when he breaks through. I'm sure it's a metaphor for something, but more than that, it was an interesting, mind-bending episode that has hints of inscrutability, but also of profundity, and I found myself captivated even when I wasn't entirely sure what was going on.
[7.3/10] I have to admit, for so epic a thing as the creation of The Avatar, this episode felt pretty rushed. We basically blow through Wan getting to airbend and waterbend and earthbend, in a way that makes me think this might have been better served as four-part mini series or something between seasons.
It also gets a little too grandiose, even for someone like me who really enjoys when myth-heavy shows get all operatic and symbolic. The notion that there’s literal embodiments of good and evil who are sources of altruism and of trouble feels like a little too much for me, and it doesn’t help that they basically take the form of giant tentacled kites.
Still, I like the idea that humans can only typically handle one element at a time, and the way that Wan is able to transcend this is through having Rava actually join with him temporarily and then permanently. There’s something that gets too literal and mechanical about such a mystical thing, and lord knows the show never bothers trying to explain why Wan reaching into the pit of good light bonds them forever, but there’s at least an interesting wrinkle to why Wan was the first and why only he could do this.
Speaking of which, the harmonic convergence is pretty convenient, both for the story in the past and the present. That said, the battle between Wan and Vaatu is pretty damn cool visually, even if it doesn’t make much sense logically. I do appreciate that it gives an explanation for why The Avatar is the bridge between the real world and the spirit world, and the problems Korra caused by opening the seal Wan made between them.
But the whole episode is just too much too fast. Too much development from Wan too quickly, too much mythos delivered in a not-all-that-satisfying fashion, and too much energy-blast resolution that occurs without any real explanation or logic. There’s good ideas here and some very cool animation and design work, but it feels like a big jumble in the end, even if the strength of the history lesson and adventure makes it solid enough.
