#oh it is absolutely carmen telling herself it's for zack+ivy's sake rather than either of the siblings ever expressing a particular desire | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nixariel · 1 year ago

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#my takeaway was that it’s more Carmen telling herself it’s for Zack and Ivy#when Zack makes the botched getaway Carmen doesn’t get mad until they are caught#calls to mind what Maelstrom told Crackle#to fail is forgivable to be caught is not#when shadowsan checks in at a bad time Carmen is snappy with him#and brings up that they’re fine without hq out of nowhere#this episode for Carmen is about wanting to impress Shadowsan with her team#that’s partly why I think she organized player shadowsan bonding time#but Zack and Ivy are less than impressive this episode until the end#she wants so badly to be different from vile#by the end I think she realizes that she is no matter what happens#her team got caught and there was tension but they still stuck with her#they didn’t jump at the first sign of adversity#so she feels safe having a home base because Zack and Ivy proved without realizing it that this isn’t vile#though with how much ivy spends the episode saying Carmen isn’t mad at us#makes me wonder if she gets it#that was my thoughts last night anyway might be way off via rueitae

"Putting down roots for them is the least I can do." - Carmen at the end of season 2 episode 6, The Need for Speed caper.

This is so interesting, actually. We don't really see Zack and Ivy regret their lack of home base. When the subject comes up in The Fashionista caper, they talk happily about "Carmen's Sandiego never ending tour". Don't get me wrong, they definitely are enthusiastic about the Carmen Brand Outerwear building, but they leave it without a look back at the end of The Boston tea party caper.

Shadowsan is the one actively pushing for an HQ, with Player suggesting the idea of the warehouse at the end of The Fashionista caper.

Was buying the building just a way for Carmen to indulge Ivy and Zack with something they liked, or did I miss something bigger?

#meta #carmen sandiego 2019 #carmen sandiego #oh it is absolutely carmen telling herself it's for zack+ivy's sake rather than either of the siblings ever expressing a particular desire #other than maybe ivy idly wishing for a better space for her gadgeteering than whatever hotel room/plane cabin they're currently occupying #and zack maybe wanting somewhere to stash whatever knickknacks they pick up along the way #(bc he strikes me as the type to get enthused about souvenirs even if he's equally cheerful about letting go before they become clutter)#carmen leans so heavily into finding her mom after learning she's still alive (seeking roots as soon as she knows they're there to find)#that i can't believe she doesn't have some subconscious longing to replace the home/family she gave up #bc she was loved there (or at least treated well) even if it turned out to be conditional #and losing that - even for the noblest of reasons - is still going to hurt #(would also suspect that that longing for a true family is why she was so unresistant to zack+ivy joining the team #despite otherwise trying to fight VILE all on her lonesome to avoid triggering its 'leave no witnesses' policy)#nor would i be surprised - given how well they know each other - that the reason player was seconding that idea of an HQ #(coming as it did from a man he doesn't yet trust at that point in the season)#is bc he's picked up on that longing despite carmen not yet being willing/able to admit it to herself #bc VILE Is Bad and hurts people and how can she /possibly/ be mourning the loss of that sense of comfort/familiarity etc etc #yeah carmen's break from VILE was entirely too clean to be anything but wish fulfillment #and while that's perfectly fine - esp in children's media - i do like a little more realistic messiness in my meta-ing XD #my two cents #nixariel

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