#just wanted to talk more about Gangle after my second rewatch

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More TADC Episode 4 spoilers because I wanna point out a few more things.

Let's see... how should I approach this? I know, let's start with Gangle taking her mask (that Zooble gave her in the beginning of the episode) off after she walked outta Spudsy's!

*This is her in her sad/crying mask, by the way.

This entire scene... First of all, THE LIGHTING, THE MUSIC, THE SLOW MOTION ANIMATION, ALL OF IT!! I LOVE IT ALL!

Feel free to correct me, but if I'm looking at this right, then this entire scene is her feeling free, free from not wearing a happy mask, free to completely feel... something, anything else rather being forced to put on a happy face all the time!

Something tells me that in her past manager job made her to constantly have a mask on all the time (except she wouldn't have an actual mask like in the Digital Circus). Even if it's for a brief moment, she looks, well I wouldn't say happy, perhaps more relief(?), that she doesn't have to wear the mask at that moment. (And there's most likely a lot more going on here that I definitely missed, so feel free to add on in the comments/notes).

This is more of a side thing, but I actually like seeing Gangle's drawings. In this one, we can see that she was inspired by a powerful, magical anime girl (like Sailor Moon). Perhaps this is one of her OCs, or her own persona of herself as a magical anime girl. (I mean, it's obvious from the training video that she likes manga/anime and wanted to be a webcomic artist in reality, but that never happened).

Personally, I like that Gangle can talk to Zooble, and how they're able to give her the comfort that she needs. Maybe Zooble can see themselves in Gangle in some ways, and maybe that's how they can relate/understand her in more ways than the rest of the gang can. (And the fact that Zooble never told Gangle that she's annoying or prefer her without her comedy mask on?? They're definitely more a real friend to Gangle than Ragatha could be.)

[destinygoldenstar]

The Amazing Digital Circus Episode 4 - Make Or Break

Okay, I said in a previous post that I was considering not making these posts, because most of what I say in them don't hold up.

The show gets better and better with every rewatch, to the point where the complaints I have become non-issues.

But then Episode 4 dropped and I have a lot to say about it...

...

OH MY GOD.

Listen, I already KNEW I was gonna like it. I love this show, I love these characters, I want to learn about Gangle, and I'm someone who also suffers through minimum wage labor so automatically I KNEW I was gonna like it and relate to it.

...BUT HOLY GOSH THIS WAS SO MUCH BETTER THAN I EXPECTED.

And that's coming from someone who LOVES this show already.

HOW DO YOU DO THAT?! I ALREADY HAD HIGH EXPECTATIONS, AND YOU SURPASS THEM.

Okay but I need to start this off with this:

I don’t think this episode is gonna be for everyone.

I mean nothing is for everyone. No matter how popular it is, there will always be someone out there it doesn’t work for.

What I mean is that this episode is… the least fun of the Digital Circus episodes so far. (Intentionally, I’ll get to that later) Because of it’s premise about being an episode about working at a fast food place, it’s DEPRESSINGLY accurate to how it feels in real life. And it’s not fun. The pacing is a lot slower, there’s next to no action, and the setting is more mundane.

Because of this, I can definitely see this not being a favorite for kids. Kids will NOT relate to what’s going on here. (To that I say “screw kids, this show is for everyone”) And for others in general, depending on who you are, this is an episode that will either be your least favorite or be the one that speaks to you the most.

TAKE A GUESS WHICH SIDE I'M ON.

I LOVE IT FOR THESE EXACT REASONS.

I think the mundane setting for this episode is very in character for this show. I said before that this show felt like a commentary on the nihilism of life. Just replace adventure with work and it makes exactly as much sense.

Only now? Yeah, you can’t tell me I’m wrong anymore.

I can also say as someone who works in a similar environment, this is VERY accurate.

In most shows with a setting of fast food, they know how drab and boring and tedious and soul consuming it is, so for entertainment purposes, they make things more dramatic and more comedic and more exaggerated to not bore the audience.

Digital Circus… doesn’t really do that. None of the jokes in this episode take away from the atmosphere on how tedious and boring it is. And I can say just because of that, this is probably my favorite tv show episode with this setting.

I think it speaks volumes from this episode alone that this show DOESN’T need to shoehorn in jokes when they’re not appropriate just to entertain the kids. It trusts it’s own style and characters to do the entertainment for you.

It’s really nice. It makes this show come across as far more genuine to me.

Oh yeah, and seeing as this is a Gangle episode…

Without getting into spoilers, I will say Gangle stans are gonna be happy.

And remember when I said that this episode could possibly turn Gangle into my second favorite?

YEP. YES IT DID.

I LOVE HER SO MUCH OH MY GOD.

MY HEART BLED FOR HER.

I was wrong on her for awhile until the last few days where I got it right. And I think a lot of people are going to relate to her story.

AND NOW I GET INTO SPOILERS:

So there’s quite a bit to talk about here, actually.

So I was… 50% right about the suggestions box?

I said that Zooble made it for adventures that were safe for the others and would satisfy Caine.

…so 50% there. It was a collection of everyone (minus Pomni). And Zooble still doesn’t want to go on adventures. Which honestly makes sense. They’re just not that type of person to crave wild adventure. Not because they’re lazy and don’t want to contribute, but because they aren’t comfortable with these sorts of things.

I also think there’s quite a bit of character development from Caine here after Episode 3. He listens to them. He takes their advice. He respects Gangles wishes to not throw anyone under the bus.

It’s minor, and idk if anyone else noticed it, but I did.

Speaking of, isn’t it great Zooble is finally getting screen time?

I really love how down to earth they are, and how supportive they are of the people around them. While also taking none of their shit. It’s great.

Just because a character isn’t as flashy or exaggerated as others, doesn’t mean they’re bland.

GUMMIGOO IS BACK!!!

I mean we expected it, right?

And the encounter was exactly what I thought it would be. Up till the very end.

Like, he REMEMBERS? Hello?!

I mean they don’t say it, but you can tell from his face he knows, and he’s coming to terms on what his life is gonna be like. He’s just happy to mean something to someone.

Something tells me this isn’t complete closure of the character, but IF IT IS, I think it’s a good conclusion for him.

At the end of the day, Pomni needs to focus on the real people around her and not get caught up in the past and what can’t be. So it’s very nice to see her both come to terms with that and come to terms with that her dynamic with GummiGoo is.

This is easily the episode where Pomni has the least to do, and I think that’s for the best. I still Stan her and love her and she’s still important. But Gangle is the star of this episode and the episode knows that.

I also love how she confides with Gangle on her worries and becomes a kind support she needed. It’s great for her.

Ragatha’s just flat out drunk the entire time. And I honestly think that’s building up to something.

I wouldn’t necessarily say Ragatha is secretly an evil awful person. She’s just someone keeping up a facade of kindness to be the motherly support of everyone. So what if her reasons might be selfish and only ‘so people like me’.

Honestly I think it makes her a lot more human and more flawed. And I want to see more of that side of her break without said of stupid sauce.

“Oh no, the nice girl characters isn’t entirely nice?!! Break of character!”

Bold of you to assume these characters are that simple.

I was honestly expecting Jax to SNAP this episode. And I think he will at some point. But he doesn’t.

We kinda just see for ourselves what Jax is like without any power. And I think it’s a very neat side of his character that gives him quite a bit of depth.

He just kinda gets painted as the bad guy and the problem anyway, and the others have confessed to not liking him. So like, why should he care?

This rabbit is a nihilist. Idk what more you want me to say.

And now we gosh about Gangle.

Before you all call out the backstory: Gooseworx said that the characters just forgot their names and faces. That doesn’t mean they forgot their past lives altogether.

So no it’s not a plot hole. They never said they forgot their pasts anyways. Just their names.

Anyway Gangles story is depressing because of how real it is.

She wanted to be a comic artist, but gave up her dreams because she instead became a fast food manager, a job that requires her to put on a facade and talks down to her usual sensitive self. And that job just plain exhausted her to the point of viewing herself as worthless.

AND YOU BETTER BELIEVE MY HEARD BLED FOR HER ON RELATABILITY.

It’s just so REAL to become ashamed of yourself and your feelings just because your job requires you to be happy and energetic all the time. And if it’s a job you don’t even like? If it’s a job that drains you from doing what you actually want?

It really paints Gangle in another light in the previous episodes as someone who is just barely holding her self esteem together. Most of the time not at all cause her mask, the facade she holds, keeps breaking.

But honestly, that mask breaking is a lot better for her health than keeping it on. Because then she loses herself altogether.

Dude, that scene where Gangle spaces out as though she was gonna abstract? That like genuinely SCARED ME. I was SCARED for her.

The show uses its stakes very differently. These characters can’t physically die. So the threat isn’t anything physical. The threat is the characters minds and mental state.

So even though it was literally just a worn down manager standing there alone, it felt like the same stakes as, say, someone’s about to get murdered.

That’s this shows power.

And I was genuinely tearing up in JOY at seeing Gangle run off in the starlight and rip off her mask, her burden, and cry happily for the first time in full acceptance of herself and her feelings…

AND THEN SHE GETS HIT BY A TRUCK-?! WHAT THE HELL-?!

I have a couple theories on what happened there.

But TLDR, I don’t thought she was kys’ing right there.

But after looking back at that… no. That’s not what happened. She clearly tripped, and based on her expression before the truck hit, she wasn’t planning to do that.

Besides, based on how this shows logic works, she would know she can’t just do that.

Still nice to speculate though.

Maybe she DID actually try to commit in her past. In that same way. And when she survived, she turned to the headset.

That’s my headcanon anyway.

It’s nice to have TWO characters in this show with clear depression symptoms (Gangle and Pomni). Because it shows how different the experience is for one another. And it depends on who you are which of the two you relate to more.

Me personally, both of them really spoke to me.

So yeah… absolutely loved the episode.

I... honestly DON'T have anything to complain about.

I mean I guess the random Gangle face jumpscare felt a bit out of place, even if it got me. BUT THAT'S IT. THAT'S ALL MY COMPLAINTS CONTAIN.

As I said, I think this episode is gonna have more subjective taste to people. But for me I’m definitely on the more positive side of it.

I think I might have a new favorite episode, honestly. It's kinda tied with Episode 2 for me subjectively. And Objectively it's teetering between Episode 3. So I guess by that logic Episode 4 is a favorite of mine.

I will say that most of my expectations for this show are nothing but high now. The second half of this show is going to be amazing. I’m certain about that now.

[justjimedits]

princeescaluswords

The sheer privilege of that reply to your post @camelotpark is staggering in its entitlement.  

A person came into a show about a Latino character, which the production said was about a Latino character, which the actors said was about a Latino character, which the narrative said was about a Latino character, and said “I wasn’t a fan of Scott’s actions sure, but I didn’t dislike him or hate him.”  

People like this came into a show where the first season was focused on the Latino character being attacked and hunted, where the second season was focused on the Latino character trying to navigate a war, where the the third season was focused on him rising to a leadership position, and the only thing they could draw from this is that he ‘wasn’t innocent.’

But it’s absolutely wrong to suspect that these people are influenced by racism.

Anyone has the right to respond to me until I don’t want to put up with their ad hominem bullshit.  But when they used an argument that has been clearly influenced by racism, I have the right to call them out on it.  If you look at how Teen Wolf was presented, at how the characters spoke, at what conclusions it drew, Derek Hale was never supposed to be the hero in the first two seasons.  He wasn’t.   They literally had other characters tell him this to his face!  

By the way this phrase – “ how Scott was not the innocent puppy with a certain naivety I actually had envisioned” – is an example of racist influence in action.  There was no evidence that Scott was an innocent puppy, except to people who wanted to focus on the white characters as the more important more relatable ones. “Innocent puppy” is a character that doesn’t have to be paid attention to, doesn’t have to be listened to, and might be amusing in it’s oh-so-adorable way.  But that character is never the focus of tragedy, of horror, or even of growth.  The ‘innocent puppy’ is the character who gets sent to the little kid’s table while the adults talk.

That isn’t Teen Wolf.  That was never Teen Wolf.

The production and Scott fans never indicated he was innocent, and they certainly never said he was a puppy.  What happened, to my eyes, was that you came in with the – yes! it’s racist – idea that Derek was the really important character, the true motive force behind the narrative, and Scott existed to “learn the lessons” Derek had to teach him, instead, as the narrative kept insisting to fandom’s disbelieving eyes, of the other way around.   ___ Actually, I didn’t come into the show with any expectations at all since I started watching two years ago, when the show was done. I never saw articles or TV commercials (I don’t watch TV, I watch online streaming on my computer so no commercials) and I certainly didn’t hear about any hypes here in the Netherlands but that’s probably because I’m in my thirties and thus don’t attend school to get any talks about it. I was browsing shows to watch, came across season 6 of TW and was like, hmm, werewolves, maybe that’s interesting? I never liked werewolves much until Hemlock Grove. So I started on season one. And honestly, the first episode didn’t have me hooked... I didn’t like the young faces of the actors, didn’t think any of the characters spoke to me much except Melissa McCall (Loved her in Chicago Fire and Walking Dead). But I soldiered through a few more episodes. It was pretty clear to me Derek wasn’t the really important character, I mean, most of the first episodes he was lurking in the background not saying much. He was brought into the show as seemingly the bad guy who had bitten Scott and I certainly wasn’t a fan of his lack of talking and explaining.Unfortunately, I always seem to like the brooding bad boy types and as the show went on and Derek was constantly put into bad situations when he tried to do the right thing (Also due to his lack of communicating) and more of his past came to light. I wasn’t a fan of Stiles, his ADHD was badly overplayed with the abuse of his meds and the gangling hyper ape Stiles appeared to be in season 1.  I never thought Derek was the force behind the lessons Scott had to learn, I mean, Scott made it pretty obvious he wasn’t interested in learning anything from Derek and Derek was not a very helpful nor patient teacher. I think over the seasons they did learn from one another but they were both dealing with the situations at hand, one they both had been forced in, as well as all other characters from TW. Derek learned to not see killing as the only solution thanks to Scott and as Derek evolved into his own character more and more, I liked him more. After season 4 I was sold, I wanted to write as Derek Hale (I’m a roleplayer and sometimes muses just feel right. Derek Hale felt right) and I rewatched the show many times since the first time to be able to get writing as Derek right.  Also, putting Scott as innocent puppy isn’t said to be him to the sidelines. Why can’t a leading hero not be that? Why do you have the instant notion that it makes Scott less of a leading man because of my wording? You’re putting words in my mouth, and you have a habit of doing that, it’s why you blocked me in the first place, because I went against you. To me, and that’s how I viewed Scott before I was forced to look closer to his actions, he did come off as naive and innocent. He was a teen, and that’s how he acted, and he was all about saving people and not killing them (Unfortunately Scott’s ways got more killed but that wasn’t something he realized), he had those moments where he appeared innocent with big eyes and big smile, a pup since he was a teen and wolves are lupine but I guess I should have said cub? A youngster not prepared for what he was thrown into. Like when he pointed out to Allison and Kira how they mom-ed him, and the I’m the hot girl scene or the juice scene. Those kind of scenes were cute to me. I haven’t watched season 5 and 6, I sped through it once so I can’t speak on those seasons. First 4 seasons, that’s how Scott appeared to me, and there’s nothing dismissive about it.  So what entitlement did I show? That I disliked being called out (Like other Sterek fans) that we’re the problem in this Fandom Peace post? That I pointed out that my first introduction to Scott Stans was aggressive towards me and insulting and me wonder if I wanted to stick around? You interpreted my words to your own liking, made assumptions about me which weren’t correct and that’s how you spoke to me. You were wrong.