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joeysehn
Reviews
Mr. Robot: eps3.3_m3tadata.par2 (2017)
My favorite episode of the show, so far
What I like about shows seems slightly different then what most other people who watch Mr Robot like. It seems most people like plot twists, high tension, and mind games. I prefer character development caused due to stakes raising, steadily and constantly. That's what this episode is, it's the penultimate to, by the looks of it, one of the best episodes in the series. And it doesn't seem to get enough credit for the way it sets up that major change in the shows very nature.
Lots of season 1s twist didn't work for me because it lacked build up and character development but season 3 in this episode alone, did more to get me to like Darlene, and remember her character then past seasons, with their forgettable characters, could have dreamed of.
The Last of Us: When We Are in Need (2023)
Not without its faults
Why did they remove THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT of this section of the story?
The music within Joel and Ellie's reunion.
The background of fire and that whole spectacle of emotion is still one of the reasons the game's better
But removing the guitar that slowly turns their conversation inaudible?
That's inexcusable
That is the moment Ellie becomes Joel's daughter and it's an intimate conversation that is exclusively for them-not for the viewer, not for the player
On top of that, it's the second best soundtrack in the game
The more I talk about the fact that the music is just casually removed, the more I want to lower my ranking.
Uncanny Stan (2020)
Saved by a single actor
Zane FLOCKTON has the potential to become the best young actor of our time. If you don't hire him to play Lufi in the One Piece live action remake, your movie will fail. End of discussion.
But too be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Zane's acting skills. The vocal tones are extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of theoretical physics, most of his dank moves would go over the typical viewers head. There's also Zane's nihilistic outlook, which delves deeply into the plot of Pickle Rick, the best episode of the hit animated show, Rick and Morty.
But that's besides the point. The best scene in Uncanny sign is definitely when Zane's character turned to the camera and said, "What is this, some kind of Uncanny Stan?" Truly one of the scenes of all time. Dare I even say the scene was a scene. Dare I even say this film was movie. And dare I even say they used a camera to film it.
Some of the lighting was pretty cool, too. Additionally, Zane used a bloody eye effect that was above average for a beginner film maker. However, we must also take into account that this filmmakers will never be as good as the people who made movies such as Morbius, or Minions: Rise of Gru. However, it is unfair to compare every new movie that comes out to life changing experiences such as these.
Therefore, instead, we simply need to look at the movie as it is. And personally, I'd give the film 9 Morbs out of 10 Morbs.
I will never forget when Zane ran into the woods and said, "It's FLOCKTON time." Truly one of the scenes of all time. Bravo Vince!
Stranger Things: Chapter Nine: The Piggyback (2022)
It all comes down to Max...
I think this was a near perfect ending for the season, and an even better set up for the final season of Stranger Things. I see a lot of people complaining that they didn't kill of Max's character, but that is not the fatal flaw with this episode IMO. Because Max's story has been sending a message throughout this season, especially within Dear Billy.
It was sending the message that despite all your self-hatred, regrets, and doubts, there are still people in this world that care about you, and they can bring you out of that darkness. Yea sure, it's cheesy to say "the power of love is stronger then the power of evil," but are Vecna's lines really any less cheesy then that?
With Max's story being a metaphor for depression, I actually think that it coming back to haunt her again this episode nearly worked, but seeing so many people say they wished it killed her leaves a bad taste in my mouth. My main problem is that Vecna fully defeating Max takes away from the beauty of Dear Billy, in a way that will affect my future enjoyment of what was the best episode in the series, for me.
I understand the point of stakes and I understand people complaining that this show doesn't kill off main characters enough; while I agree with this sentiment, killing Max to open the gateway to the upside down, ultimately allowing the demons to enter and consume our world: What is that saying? If Max's story is a metaphor for depression and how your relationships with others can help you overcome it, her death should be reflective of that theme. The way they decided to write it treaded a thin line between respectful and downright awful.
Time for a weird transition!
This season set up the death of Steve's character incredibly well. It would've been perfectly in theme, in line with his long running redemption arc, and would put Nancy in a very interesting place emotionally, if he died to save her. Instead, season 4 opted to set up a love triangle between Nancy, Steve, and Johnathan for season 5. It felt like none of these season 1 characters were touchable, even in a fake out death sense. So, instead, they decided to "kill" the character whose arc has been about resisting the urge to end her life.
Technically, if this is truly what they wanted to do with her character, they could have. I don't understand what they'd be saying with it, or what themes would be displayed through that kind of writing. I just see it as hopeless. Especially when comparing it to how Eddie died this season, or how Hopper "died" in season 3. Not every death can be a hero's sacrifice death, I get that. But not every characters survival is a metaphor for overcoming self hatred.
Genuinely, the fact that Eddie's sacrifice was well written, and the fact that they gave Max a bit of hope near the end, greatly raised my ranking of this episode. Because a stories themes matter far more then it's tension. Max's character has been dealing with some very sensitive themes, so I'm moving through the rest of her character arc with caution, in season 5. But I truly hope that others can see why killing her off permanently would do damage to the message of hope this show usually seems quite committed to sending.
Stranger Things: Chapter Four: Dear Billy (2022)
SPOILERS: Max chooses to live
I don't think there's any question that this is the best episode of Stranger Things. That is to say, this is everything that Stranger Things is, at its absolute best.
Heartbreaking, horrifying, and inspiring.
The heartbreak mainly comes from not knowing what will become of Hopper, Murray and Joyce, after they are all betrayed. It gives an almost humiliating feeling to the viewer, as it strips away your hope, moments after Hopper nearly escapes.
The horror comes from the Creel house, and that entire storyline. The relationship between Nancy and Robin is charming and funny, but when their the ones being told such a dark and horrifying story, from Victor, all they can feel is fear. All the viewer can feel is the same.
The inspiration comes from Max's story. She makes the choice to hold on, realizing that she is still wanted by her friends. Despite the relentless self doubt that's eaten away at her for her entire life, she has the confidence that her friends want her to stay with them. That confidence gives her the power to escape from the most powerful demon, we've seen yet. The drive within was so unexpected to both the viewer and the monster, but her reasoning made so much sense. As she sat before her brothers grave, she thanked him for sacrificing himself for her-she wished that they could be normal siblings, but that was out of control. What was in her control, was making sure that her brothers death was not in vein. He died for Max, more then anything else, as a final act of suppressed love for her. She understood that; she understood people still care about her. And because of that, she made a choice, more powerful then anything within the upside down: she chose to run to the light: to live.
The Owl House: Hollow Mind (2022)
I needed this, after the frog shows mediocrity this week...
After last weeks episode, I was worried that The Owl House would stop it's upward trend. After all, how is every and any episode from here on out, going to top Reaching Out? Well, Reaching Out wasn't a perfect episode, though it was near perfection. But correct me if I'm wrong...I don't see a single problem with this episode! It is the most emotional, hard to watch, and artistic episode of the Owl House we've gotten, ever. The only complaint I can give is in the midst of Hunters emotional fake-out death, Hooty had a line that made me burst into laughter, giving me a bit of emotional whiplash. But it felt less like whiplash, and more like a nice blend of tears and laughter that very few shows can make me feel. In comparison, Reaching Out interrupted its emotional scene by pushing Amity and Luz back into the fray of the plot. Afterwards, they returned to that emotional scene at the end of Reaching Out, but did not really let either moment rest for long enough to actually feel the full potential weight of their emotions.
Meanwhile, the last 5 minutes of this episode were completely dedicated to Hunter dealing with his family trauma, aside from the brief interruption of Eda, King, and Hooty helping him out of the Hollow Mind. Because of this, the turmoil could be felt in a way that reminded me of the way I felt when Aang lost Appa in ATLA. My point? Although it may be subjective, I truly believe that no episode dealt with the weight of character choices better then this one. I predict that Hunter will either be joining the Owl crew, or Raines rebellion, very soon. And I'm excited for either one.
Amphibia: Newts in Tights/Fight or Flight (2022)
Is there really an excuse for this?
It all comes down to the description, when it comes to this one. Basically speaking, this was a "troll episode." It was an episode made to mess with the fandom, as the description made heavy implications that it would be an episode about Darcy. Instead, they made it about a cat-spider. (Which weirdly enough, Anne seemed to care about more then Marcy, in a general sense).
With most shows, I wouldn't have a problem with this kind of episode. But Amphibia Season 3 has had very inconsistent quality, so having an episode like this leaves nothing but a sour taste in my mouth. This show was still in the process of earning back the respect I used to have for it, and both episodes from last week convinced me that it would do so. But this weeks bunch makes me scared for the finales quality, and makes me certain I'm not going to be blown away.
The reason I give it 6 stars is because this is likely the last filler adventure with Sprig and Anne. The first half of this episode was a great final adventure imo, and I was really happy to see the return of Anne's old sword trainer. Meanwhile, the second was little more then an insult to the fandoms patience, time, and attachment to the characters. It also made me almost certain that Anne is a sociopath. How in the world does she care more about a spider cat, then her best friend since childhood? At this point, I am convinced no emotional scene between Anne and Marcy will convince me that the season 3 version of Anne's character legitimately cares about her.
The Owl House: Them's the Breaks, Kid (2022)
First episode in the season that's slightly less good then the last
It was interesting and fun, but wasn't really the same quality as the rest of season 2 up to this point. It also just feels weirdly placed...the Owl House is much more entertaining in the present, in my opinion. Maybe it's just the entire episode being a flashback that bothered me. If there was a bit more back and forth between the present and the past, I think I would have enjoyed it much more.
Not the worst episode of the show, but probably my least favorite episode in season 2 (which isn't calling it bad, since every episode in season 2 has been phenomenal, until this one)
Amphibia: Escape to Amphibia (2022)
Amphibia Season 3 Critique: It's Getting Worse
So, with that out of the way; here's why I think the reasons for considering this season unbelievably flawed go beyond excess filler episodes, and unfortunately, the most recent episode only suggests a increase in these flaws.
Part 1: Personally, I HATE THIS
This part will have some subjective issues and some objective issues. I'll be sure to call them out, as we get to them!
Subjectivity: The dialogue feels significantly worse in this season. I have no idea what it is, but the characters in past seasons delivered jokes really well, and even sounded like real people in many places. This season, idk if a certain writer left the team, or what, but in my opinion, if that's the case, it shows from simply the feel of the dialogue and joke delivery
*insert example here*
Objectively: Episode 301; the very beginning of this season was SO lighthearted, after the traumatic experience of Anne seeing her friend stabbed through her chest with a flaming sword. While I can excuse them not making Marcy's death permanent, what I can't excuse is ignoring the effect seeing your best friend die before your eyes would have on you. If that's too dark of a theme for a kids show, then so is having someone die in such a brutal matter (which btw, I think death of lovable people and the consequences/trauma it comes with is a GREAT theme to explore). True Colors made the viewer ready for a huge change in the way this story was told, but episodes 1-8 of this season basically ignore the events. Not just in the tone of the show, or in the fact that there are filler episodes throughout; but also in the attitudes of the characters.
They should all be frighteningly aware that their home is in danger, yet there isn't a single scene where the planters worry about their old friends.
Anne's best friends are in danger, yet there's no hint that she told her family about what happened to either of them until EPISODE NINE! Now, facing the consequences of waiting that long would have been great. Seeing anything from Sasha or Marcy's parents would've been great. Seeing more concern for the state of Amphibia and the well-being of Anne's friends from herself and the planters-that all would've been nice, too. But at the very least, in the plot they decide to randomly switch to instead, I'd just hope they could be consistent with that. Mainly, in the ways it connects to the world of Amphibia.
But...
Subjectively: this most recent episode makes me genuinely feel like they don't care about making their characters intellectually consistent, or make their motivation make sense; they seem to only care about the emotional resonance between Anne and her parents. Which is a fine plot thread to have; although since the parents voice acting just isn't that good, it doesn't work for me as well as all the other emotional moments throughout Amphibia Season 1 and 2 (Anne and Marcy's Reunion, Sasha and Anne's fight, and Sprig talking about his parents are all examples of moments that actually made me cry. Season 3 is yet to do so).
But yea, as I said, the reason for Return to Amphibia being the episode that made me basically certain that this show is going in the direction I was worried about, was because of the final line; Anne asks, "what happened here?" After seeing the not-so-great shape of Amphibia.
So like, after everything that happened in True Colors, did she just expect to come back and everything to be fine? Maybe that line was said that way because she thought Andrias fell out of power? Well, one episode ago he was attacking her and the planters so that doesn't make much sense, either. No, this moment is just another example of how the writers treat True Colors as if it's an episode that never happened (to the main character of the show.) While the idea that this moment is an example of the show treating True Colors like it never happened could be called a subjective opinion, the fact that the writers pretend like Anne never experienced True colors is objective. Jeez, this section is getting complicated...
But OBJECTIVELY: True Colors only happened to the world of the show, and the characters unawareness of it is more of an excuse for filler episodes, then anything else. Filler episodes can be great! ATLA, Gravity Falls, The Owl House, Amphibia Seasons 1 and 2, all have filler episodes that add to the plot, characters, and world, in ways that enhance their arcs, instead of spitting on the way previous seasons developed their characters. An episode not being 'plot relevant' should not be an excuse for an episode to make the plot inconsistent.
On top of this, I was about to really like the improvements that Escape From Amphibia made to some of my problems that I haven't mentioned yet, including the government agents not discovering the planters for so long, even though a picture was taken of them, right when they went through the portal. And I could've given the episode like a 8 out of 10 if the last line was simply changed to something like, "What has Andrias done?" So, it shows that Anne is at least aware of the main villains existence-like, maybe she wasn't expecting him to go so far, so that was the reason for the line, "what happened?" But when I first heard that line, all I could say back was, "True Colors happened, and the writers made you forget about it."
Part 2: What Could Have Been
I always loved the title of Joshua Fagan's video on True Colors: Subverting Escapism; and I want to go even further with the themes he talked about, right here. Hey Josh, I doubt you're watching, but rewatching your video inspired me to make this one, so...hey, again!
Regardless, the journey of Amphibia 1-2 concluding with True Colors revealed a theme of the show, that I truly believe the writers wanted to explore. However, I fear the network may have had other plans for the show.
This theme can best be summarized with the words, "Subverting Escapism." Amphibia was a show with lighthearted jokes, and a plethora of filler; but at its core, it took the themes of growth and trauma very seriously, for a time.
Anne's fight with Sasha was still haunting her all throughout the second season, up until the moment that she saw her, again. Marcy's betrayal was worse then Sasha's, and ended with Anne thinking she was dead. This moment subverted escapism. It escaped the concept of escaping from reality, by forcing its viewers and characters to face the brutality of reality.
...I know it's a show about talking frogs, okay?
But even those frogs have realistic emotions and generational traumas! Heck, fight me on this, comments: That two minute clip of Sprig revealing the story of his mom, was just as emotional an exploration of generational trauma as Encanto!
But nowadays, Amphibia is sacrificing real emotions for nothing but humor. I mean, when was the last time Anne and the frogs had a genuinely emotional moment, with each other?
Yeah! It was with Hop Pop, on the chess board, in Marcy's temple-Season 2b took its emotional plot threads seriously, in like seven different episodes.
But even in the episodes where Season 3 tries to, like Olivia and Yunan, something feels off about the characters. Again, like just listen to this Marcy line: "as well" line
Versus this Marcy line: find really cute season 2 Marcy line
And tell me there's no difference in the quality of dialogue. It's a simple but genuinely story breaking problem, when the characters that we've come to care about have so many moments when they don't feel like themselves. That's not to say they never do, in season 3, but there's like at least one moment per episode when they don't. And when they do, the only people I can really credit are the animators and voice actors.
Probably the most heartbreaking scene in season 3, and one that expands upon Amphibia's "Subverting Escapism" theme is Marcy's brief scream. It's surrounded by a sorta mediocre Andrias speech,
*Insert subpar evil laughter here*
but the actual Darcy conversion itself is super powerful, and...also, not.
Because throughout this whole episode, all you can think about is the scene where Marcy was impaled through the chest, and wonder; is anyone gonna mention that? Or are we gonna just put this girl through more and more torture, and that'll be it? That's how we subvert escapism?
But Amphibia was already successfully subverting escapism in late season 1. Because when things like Darcy and Marcy's death and kids going missing, when they happened in season 1; they had consequences. But, am I the only one worried that these consequences won't carry the same weight?
I just feel like I'm going to hear Anne find Darcy and say, "Marcy, what happened to you?" without even a moment of being happy or surprised that she's okay. It's little details that seeing the silhouette of her friend, from the distance, calling out to her with teary eyes, and murmuring out the words, "I thought you were dead," only to find out the truth is worse. But now, the only way they could effectively pull off that scene, while also fixing the big season 3 problem, is by giving Anne like a whole ass monologue, that Darcy doesn't turn around for; too be fair, the contrivance of Darcy allowing Anne to speak wouldn't matter to me nearly as much as everything else that's happened this season. But yea, the ratings for season 3A are just proof that you shouldn't always trust IMDb reviews.
Amphibia: The Dinner/Battle of the Bands (2021)
It's no big deal!
We all know episode 20 is going to go wrong, and well...at first I was really hoping these episodes would be connected to the finale, Newtopia, and King Andrias. I always like when the villainous betrayals happen at dinner parties. I know it's a trope, but it's a trope I enjoy! So originally, I was hoping King Andrias would've thrown a dinner party for the girls before "sending them home," or, you know, whatever he's actually doing. But these episodes convinced me that the lack of plot relevancy was really no big deal, because the character development was shown so expertly that I can't even be mad. Plus, it makes more sense for them to throw their goodbye party in Wartwood then in Newtopia, since the relationships in Wartwood have gotten a lot more focus.
So overall, I loved both these episodes, despite the fact that they were kind of filler-ish. Highlights were definitely Hop POP making dad jokes, Sprig being Sprig, and Anne's song. Oh, and anyone who hates on their outfits can go away.
Amphibia: Little Frogtown/Hopping Mall (2020)
A turning point
Every series has a point in its runtime where one of two things happen: it goes from good to bad, or it goes from good to great. That happened in the season 1 finale of Amphibia. That is when Amphibia became a great show, in my opinion. The scene between Ann and Sasha really defined the show for me, for a long time. I was hoping on more focus between Ann and her friends, especially when Marcy was introduced, since I instantly fell in love with her character! But this episode changed that. Amphibia was a great show before this, but after this ending...it became something else. It became whatever the word is for what Gravity Falls became after Not What He Seem. The only word I have for it right now is art. But that word alone doesn't do it justice.