XR OOC episodes

[NinjaRabbit]

Well, we all know how OOC he was in 42, so we don't need to rehash that.

But he felt kinda "off" to me in Good Ol' Buzz as well. I mean, sure the episode is mainly about Buzz and Mira - so there's not even that much Booster in it. But ... I mean, contrast his behavior here with his behavior in A Zoo Out There or Supernova.

In those previous episodes, he was really concerned for Mira's safety. But now, in this episode, he just acts like it's all some big joke. AND SHE'S GOING TO DIE!

When older Buzz tells Booster and XR what is going to happen, Booster's reaction was what I expected, but XR?

"Mira? Oh that's tragic, that's terrible ... by the way, how do I turn out?"

I mean, sure, I expected him to be skeptical of older Buzz. Like, "Yeah right, Mira's going to die. Why should we believe you? She's fine right now!" Or something like that. But - I don't know. I just was hoping for something ... different. Even without looking at it with "shipper-tinted lenses", as Kila put it.

And he obviously believed older Buzz, because he bought Mira a life insurance policy. Which might be nice, except he tried to make her sign everything to him. *growls* I know he's selfish, but c'mon, this is his FRIEND!

Of course, there is Kila's explanation that XR doesn't understand the concept of death - which could make sense in this case. But then why was he so worried for Mira in Supernova or A Zoo Out There. Inconsistencies, writers, inconsistencies!

_{(Incidentally, wouldn't Mira have figured it out - if an older Buzz came back and all of the sudden people started buying her life insurance policies. So, she's kind OOC too.)}

[BandGeek727]

I never liked that either. :/

I always kinda just tried to write it off as the writers' lame attempt to be humorous about something that really isn't funny - I think in a cartoon there's a fine line where things stop being humorous. I think sometimes cartoon writers are afraid of being too serious. (I know in The Fairly OddParents fandom, the fans got super upset when the new writers started throwing in nasty jokes about Cosmo and Wanda's marriage.) Like the 'expendable' joke in Wirewolf - so not amusing.

Which is weird, in a cartoon like this, because there are so many instances of the writers being VERY serious, so... yeah, I don't know what happened there. Could very well be XR's lack of understanding what death is. Maybe if the show hadn't been CANCELED AFTER TWO SEASONS we could've seen that issue developed.

So... yeah. I do kinda take refuge in the behavior we see in episodes like Zoo Out There. And Mira's Wedding. 83

Jun 11, 2009 14:52:20 GMT -5 NinjaRabbit said:

I just was hoping for something ... different. Even without looking at it with "shipper-tinted lenses", as Kila put it.

...
Shipper-tinted lenses, AHAHA!! I love it! XDDD

[NinjaRabbit]

Oh yeah. BloSC DEFINITELY can get very serious - like "NOS 4 A2" or "Lost In Time." So, why is it so different in other episodes?

I think a lot of it can be chalked up to certain episodes having different writers. Some writers are good at writing for serious things, while others are good at writing humor, and some are good at writing for both. This could've just been a crappy writer.

Huh. They made jokes about Cosmo and Wanda's marriage in FOP? *shudders* I don't like it when writers feel they have to make cheap jokes like that.

And all the glory and honor for that "shipper tinted lenses" bit goes to Kila. She's good at coming up with one liners like that.

[BandGeek727]

I don't know! D:
Why can't they just stick with a writing team that's really awesome? :<

And why can't they stick with a single animation house, either?

Jun 12, 2009 23:22:59 GMT -5 NinjaRabbit said:

Huh. They made jokes about Cosmo and Wanda's marriage in FOP? *shudders* I don't like it when writers feel they have to make cheap jokes like that.

Oh yeah. It got BAD.
In fact, the fans spoke out about it - I've never seen such an organized movement by the fans against the creators of a show. I can't tell you how many fanfics I read about Wanda angsting over her failed marriage, or Cosmo suddenly realizing how hurtful he's being and apologizing profusely... It was actually kind of cool to see how united the fans got. XD

But anyway. X3

And all the glory and honor for that "shipper tinted lenses" bit goes to Kila. She's good at coming up with one liners like that.

Your turn of phrase never ceases to amaze me, Cassie. :3

[NinjaRabbit]

Well, animated shows often use many different animation houses (at least they did with KP), so it's nothing new ... just annoying.

LOL. It's kinda funny to see the lengths some fans will go to. For KP, the fans actually convinced Disney to have another season! XD Crazy, ain't it?

*le sigh* I wish BloSC fans were more active like that. Maybe it wouldn't have been canceled so early.

But seriously, cheap jokes like XR blowing up or Booster being stupid are just plain demeaning to the audience's intelligence. Granted most of the audience is just little kids who have no idea what's going on - but still...

And, off-topic, to me, it's so funny to hear Kila called by her first name - I have a cat named Cassie! ;D

[BandGeek727]

Yeah, it's just annoying when a new house turns out to be really crappy.
On the other hand, it's kind of amusing when a new house turns out to have better animation. XD

They actually convinced Disney to do an entire extra season?!?! 0.0 Holy cow!
Lol, maybe if we mobilized like that, Disney would release that unmade BLoSC movie. X3

True - but writers shouldn't have to feel like they need to play down to kids. Smartly-written cartoons are the best.
I always loved the Magic School Bus. ^^

[NinjaRabbit]

Yep. KP fans are VERY dedicated people. Actually, considering the creators of the show are very active in the online community (there's a forum where most of the fans can talk to the actual writers of the show) so they knew what the fans wanted, and they were willing to do another season, they just had to convince Disney. And because KP brought in a lot of viewers, Disney agreed.

Anyway, enough with the history of the KP fandom.

Yeah, I always hated when writers feel they need to cater to their younger, supposedly less intelligent viewers. Some kids are very smart, and like very smart humor, like the humor in BloSC. When they cheapen the jokes, they really aren't doing anyone a favor.

Aww, Magic School Bus! I loved that one! ;D I used to watch it ALL the time - and I had all of the computer games. It taught kids science and was VERY educational. It actually helped me during my state test in biology. LOL.

[Alohilani]

And why can't they stick with a single animation house, either?

*drop-kicks everyone responsible for 'The Slayer' out a window* And don't come back

The Magic School Bus is awesome. 'I knew I should've stayed home today'.

When it comes to jokes in cartoons about, like, XR blowing up and stuff- I find slapstick really funny if the character just shrugs it off like nothing happened a la Goofy. Like, when his hand flies off in The Slayer, that doesn't look like it could have hurt, so it's funny. It's when he blows up and then looks all sad when it's NOT FUNNY.

[BandGeek727]

Jul 13, 2009 13:17:38 GMT -5 @Tallest said:

The Magic School Bus is awesome. 'I knew I should've stayed home today'.

'Arnold!' XD

When it comes to jokes in cartoons about, like, XR blowing up and stuff- I find slapstick really funny if the character just shrugs it off like nothing happened a la Goofy. Like, when his hand flies off in The Slayer, that doesn't look like it could have hurt, so it's funny. It's when he blows up and then looks all sad when it's NOT FUNNY.

Oh, yes. Yes yes.

I remember reading something... I think it was in 'The Illusion of Life' along those lines. The example they gave was a guy slipping on a banana peel... If it happens to a well-dressed man carrying a nice briefcase, it's funny; if it happens to a poor man who's down on his luck, it's sad.

Good advice. I love that book. ^^

But, yeah - I actually liked the hand gag, too. X3
There's a moment in First Missions that's... almost funny... when he crashes into the wall and falls apart... Only because he had just gotten done talking about 'Well, it's a good thing I was paying attention, because otherwise CRASH' But did he really need to come completely apart?

[Alohilani]

Yeah! Just like that. Basically, if the 'slapstick' leaves a character looking miserable I don't think it's funny... unless the character's a real jerk.

I don't think the falling-apart thing is even funny, really.

[NinjaRabbit]

Now that you mention it, it totally makes sense. So, there's the logic behind why we hate seeing XR blow up.

Also, the XR-falling-apart thing could be a nod to Potato Head's character in Toy Story. It was pretty humorous when he kept falling apart, but more so because that's how he works as a toy. He's supposed to be taken apart and put back together. A robot like XR really shouldn't be. Yeah, I know the LGMs designed him that way on purpose, but that's the exact thing that I find the most ... sad about XR. He was built to fall apart.

Plus, Potato Head is different, because like Kila and BG said, he shrugs it off and even jokes about it himself. "Hey look, I'm Picasso!" ;D

Whereas XR is clearly upset about his expendable-ness. See Wirewolf.