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Post by Jeremy on Jan 4, 2018 14:53:29 GMT -8
Whoo! And Hulu has just started streaming the entire Animaniacs library as well. They've even got the Tiny Toons film and TV specials, which have never been released on DVD. Amazing.
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 29, 2018 15:33:41 GMT -8
I finally watched the third season of Gargoyles (AKA The Goliath Chronicles). As I expected, it's not nearly as good as the first two. The change in showrunners and network (from Disney Channel to ABC) clearly hurt the series, in multiple ways.
- The stories aren't really character-driven or mythology-based. Most of them just feel gimmicky. Here's an episode where Goliath is accused of a crime he didn't commit! Here's an episode where Broadway goes to Hollywood! - Most of the Shakespearean plotting of the first two seasons just falls by the wayside, as does the serialization. Everything feels simplified. - Adding an opening narration to every episode is unnecessary and pretentious. I know Keith David has an awesome voice, but this is a pretty lazy way to use it. - The villains are reduced to cardboard cutouts. The Quarrymen are dull, faceless "bigots," lacking any real personality, and even Xanatos feels pretty bland. - The animation often looks too cartoony - characters move like they're made of rubber.
While not a total disaster, I definitely got a "gas leak season" vibe while watching some of these episodes. I still heartily recommend the first two seasons, but advise folks to avoid the third.
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Post by Zarnium on Mar 6, 2018 7:27:22 GMT -8
I've been watching Daria.
Where has this show been all my life?? It's great!
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Post by Jeremy on Mar 6, 2018 8:57:32 GMT -8
Yes! Daria is one of the most criminally overlooked animated shows ever. Such a brilliant portrayal of high school and the struggles of adolescence, and so achingly funny. And Daria herself is one of TV's all-time great protagonists.
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Post by Incandescence 112 on Mar 6, 2018 16:57:44 GMT -8
I've been watching Daria. Where has this show been all my life?? It's great! On Jeremy's old profile! That's how I discovered it anyway. Come to think of it, I found a lot of my favorite shows on that list.
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Post by Jeremy on Mar 6, 2018 18:47:24 GMT -8
I also assume my Jane Lane avatar has been subliminally convincing folks to check out the show.
How far along are you, Zarn? The first season is pretty good, bit the show really picks up in its later years.
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Post by Zarnium on Mar 7, 2018 9:26:02 GMT -8
I'm on season 3. I wasn't sure about it in season one at first and I thought Daria herself was a bit one-note, but luckily she became more nuanced as time went on, showing a bit more self-doubt or breaking her impenetrable iciness from time to time. I also like that instead of being utterly terrible or stupid as animated parents often are, Jake and Helen are actually decent parents who make an effort to connect with their children.
One minor complaint; why is Sick, Sad World the only thing that's ever on TV?
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Post by Jeremy on Mar 7, 2018 10:14:57 GMT -8
Because, as I've come to realize, every animated show needs some kind of formula-style "couch gag."
One thing about Daria that most people don't talk about is just how well it develops its characters without ever changing their personalities. Daria, Jane, Quinn, and even Kevin and Brittany develop layers over the course of the series, yet they never lose what made them funny in the first place. It's a tricky balance, and the show pulls it off really well.
I'll be interested in hearing your thoughts on Seasons 4 and 5, which seem to polarize fans due to the addition of a controversial new character. I understand why some folks have issues with those later seasons, but they still feature some of the show's best and most innovative episodes.
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Post by Zarnium on Mar 11, 2018 10:54:25 GMT -8
Oh my god, there's a musical episode.
Never saw that coming, but it was awesome.
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Post by Jeremy on Mar 11, 2018 14:12:38 GMT -8
The Daria musical may be the polarizing episode of its kind in TV history. Everyone loves the Buffy musical, everyone hates the Grey's Anatomy musical. But the Daria musical pretty much splits fans down the center.
Personally, I fall firmly on the "love" side. It's a very unconventional episode, and not every song clicks, but it's just so much fun. Plus, "It's Morning in the 'Burbs" and "Gah-Gah-Dammit" are incredibly catchy.
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Post by Jeremy on Apr 15, 2018 18:19:48 GMT -8
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Post by Zarnium on Apr 20, 2018 12:56:33 GMT -8
I finished Daria, including both movies. I liked seasons 4 and 5 more or less as well as 2 and 3 (I thought that 1 was a bit weaker than the others), but I can't say I found Tom all that compelling. His dry wit felt kind of forced for some reason, in a way that it wasn't for Daria or Jane. I also thought he was kind of a jerk, and never quite got over it. I mean, what, how oblivious can you possibly be to not realize that going over to your girlfriend's house only to spend the first hour there alone with her best friend is a bad move? Plus, I'm not really sure why either of them or Jane think that they're so compatible as a couple... we don't see them doing much together, so I'm not sure what their shared interests or activities are. Though, that's partly due to the fact that Daria never really had any well-defined hobbies or interests to begin with, which was fine most of the time, but broke down when she was stuck into a romantic relationship with someone who doesn't go to her school, so it's obvious that they can't just be talking about the goings on at Lawndale High the way she usually does with Jane.
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Post by Jeremy on Apr 20, 2018 13:58:23 GMT -8
The problem with Tom (who, as you've probably guessed, was the polarizing character I referred to earlier) is that the show mostly treats him as a means to an end. He's there to stir up conflict between Daria and Jane, and doesn't develop much personality on his own. That said, he does bring out a more human side in Daria in Season Five, which leads to some of the show's most poignant moments.
I think Season Five is probably my favorite season (been a while since I watched it) for the way it rounds out so many of the characters. I also think "Boxing Daria" works fantastically as a notional series finale, even if it doesn't provide the same level of closure as "Is It College Yet?"
My season ranking would likely be: 5>2>4>3>1 (Although the three in the middle could likely be flipped be a rewatch.)
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Post by Zarnium on Apr 20, 2018 17:52:16 GMT -8
I think the thing that bugged me most about Tom is that the show tries to present him as Daria's equal in personality and intellect, but he's just so clueless and self-serving much of the time. Some of his screw-ups that are played straight are the kind of things I'd expect Kevin to get up to, and then be mined for comedy rather than drama.
I really liked Quinn's arc in the later seasons though, she has a nice journey from being vapid and shallow to being more intelligent and thoughtful. That tutor in Is it Fall Yet? who chewed her out when she was obviously trying to improve herself made me really mad.
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Post by Jeremy on Apr 21, 2018 17:26:30 GMT -8
Yeah, Quinn's arc is great as well. The "She's my sister!" moment in Season Five feels perfectly earned, is one of my favorite moments in the show.
Not sure if you've ever seen Beavis and Butthead, but I'm continually amazed that such a nuanced and sophisticated show could be spun out of that one. B&B could be guiltily funny at times, but it was also truly, unapologetically stupid. Daria is the rare case of a spinoff that easily stands above its parent show.
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