#some episodes were fun but the plot was condensed in the last 3-4 eps
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Truly the best thing that has happened to the trigun fandom is that a lot of people have come to realize that the â98 version sucks balls
#trigun#as a twitter user said a lot of old fans are just nostalgic about their designs#which are objectively superior to Tristamp- except for vash at least for me bc I like blonde twinks#aside from that Milly and Meryl are funny in the first 5 episodes then Merylâs ark becomes 100% about her falling in love with vash#which is. boooring#I almost gave up watching 98 because Vash âs character was extremely annoying lol#some episodes were fun but the plot was condensed in the last 3-4 eps#they also used milly as a potential love interest for wolfwood??? I give up
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Every episode of Camp Camp ranked: A very (non)objective list
It's well past the time of year when Season 5 of Camp Camp would've dropped. I fully understand and support it not coming out; the crew's health and safety are much more important than a comfort show.
However . . . man, would it be nice to have some comfort right now.
So I'm reliving the entire series! I've been known to share with the world a whole bunch of Spicy Hot Takes, but I've never really sat down and talked about my feelings about the show as a whole.Â
And what's the best way to do that? Well, just ask Jenny Nicholson: a numbered list! That is, here's the series ranked from worst episode to best, because I want to get the negativity out of the way early and focus on everything I love (and because people enjoy complaining, so letâs frontload all that).Â
The takes will be hot. The feelings will be intense. The post, I'm assuming, will be largely unread.
Let's do it!
Oh and duh, there are spoilers. I tried to keep it pretty chill, but youâll want to have watched the whole show or just not care about spoilers before going forward.
Also slashes in the middle of ânaughty wordsâ are meant to prevent this from being kept out of the main tags. Who knows if itâll work? I donât.
60. Who Peed the Lake? (Season 4, epis/sode 3)
Ah, good ol' Pi/ss Lake (or as @hopefullypessimistic84â calls it because she's funnier than any of us will ever be, âPis/s Fe/tish Dot Comâ). Terrible, one of the few Iâd consider nigh unwatchable. I actually kind of love this episode for being such great shorthand for "the absolute worst one."
Who signed off on an entire episode centered around Sherlock Holmes meets a bad om/o joke? Give me names and addresses: I just want to talk.
59. Reigny Day (Season 1, episode 6)
And nobody was surprised.
I'll admit I'm more willing to defend this episode than many people, but it's not . . . like, good. It seemed okay when there were only 11 other episodes to compare it to, but now that there have been so many bangers, this comes across as extremely weak.Â
And letâs just say the Na/zi jokes hit a lot differently in 2020 than they did in the summer of 2016.
Iâm overall happy with the direction the showrunners have moved Dolphâs character in, and I canât totally blame them for using a kind of humor that was fairly common in the pre-Trump era, but yikes, this has aged like milk. And it wasnât even very funny at the time, so it aged like milk that was already pretty bad to begin with.
58. Squirrel Camp (Season 4, episode 10)
This is a dumb one.
Not much else to say; itâs just kinda stupid and lame.
57. Fashion Victims (Season 4, episode 13)
I love Sasha, but this is filler. Which isnât in itself a bad thing -- I have a couple episodes near the top that could reasonably be called filler, and a valid argument could easily be made that âfiller episodesâ donât actually exist in a show with no plot -- but as much as I adore the Flower Scouts and enjoy the handful of good moments we get in this episode . . . who cares? Does anyone really give a sh/it about anything that happens here? Does anyone get their life from this one?
I didnât think so.
56. Foreign Exchange Campers (Season 3, episode 3)
I know, I know, your Russian waifu came from this episode. Why do you think itâs so low on this list?
Okay, for real: this is . . . fine. Itâs fine. Itâs fine? Iâm not mad at it, it just feels tonally incongruous and not very memorable beyond the fact that the fandom got really weird and kinda gross about Vera. But the episode itself? Thereâs some cute stuff with Neil and Nikki being jealous, but for the most part itâs a big hunk of white bread with some super mild white cheese thatâs kinda soggy from sitting in a bag for too long and getting all condensation-y.Â
That is to say: itâs fine.
ETA: Space Kid does say âfu/ck.â I canât decide if thatâs a point in the episodeâs favor or against it.
This is the last of what Iâd call the âbadâ episodes. Everything after this ranges from mediocre to mind-blowingly amazing. But whatever our failing tier of Camp Camp episodes is, it stops right about here.Â
Onto the good stuff!
55. Night of the Living Ill (Season 2 Halloween episode)
I keep switching this with âEggs Benefits,â which probably means they should be tied. But whatever, this is my list and I am in charge and Iâve finally decided, after like 5 changes, that I like this one a little bit less.
Itâs a fun Romero parody with nothing Iâd call bad. Really this oneâs only so low on the list because I think itâs kinda icky, and looking at those green snotty faces makes me queasy. If you think this is a bad reason to put it near the bottom of the list, then make your own post.
54. Cameron Campbell Can't Handle the Truth Serum (Season 4, episode 11)
I . . . donât remember this at all. I initially had it a bit higher because I tend to love things with Campbell in them, but then I realized that nothing about this episode stuck in my brain even a little bit.Â
Oh, this is the âDolph has autismâ episode that made everyone either extremely happy or really mad? Okay. I guess thatâs the most remarkable thing about it. Neato.
Cam, I love you, but this was just not the best use of your sleazy charm.
53. Eggs Benefits (Season 2, episode 9)
This is one of those episodes with enough cute moments and good ideas to save it from being totally unmemorable, and I mostly enjoy rewatching. Platypus being a mom is a fabulous idea, and pairing the campers the way they did was mostly really interesting and fun.
The Preston-Nurf stuff takes it down several pretty significant notches, though. Itâs what the kids would call problematic, and while I normally enjoy how the show doesnât skew away from darker themes and jokes, it didnât really fit either of their characters and just . . . isnât fun to watch. Itâs not especially funny, itâs not especially tragic, itâs just uncomfortable.
52. Camp Campbell Wants YOU! (Season 1, episode 0)
Honestly, this would be a lot higher if it was a full-length episode. Itâs funny.
The next 5 or so episodes fall under the âcute but not very memorableâ umbrella:
51. Nikki's Last Day on Earth (Season 3, episode 4)
I love the ensemble episodes, so this was always going to score higher than any of the single-character âmehâ eps. I didnât see the twist coming, though I know a lot of other fans did. Textbook example of âcute but not very memorableâ -- the Platonic ideal of that concept.
50. The Candy Kingpin (Season 3, episode 9)
A clever idea that plays on Maxâs worst characteristics and then calls him out for them, while also giving Dolph some much-needed character development. Unfortunately, I donât feel like it really picks up until the last third of the episode, leaving the rest just kind of sitting there.
49. Campfire Tales (Season 4, episode 13)
Who doesnât love campfire stories?
Thatâs all I got. Theyâre campfire stories.
ETA: OH SH/IT THIS ONE HAS THAT REALLY SCARY STORY! Where Davidâs all like . . . Slendermanâd. Fu/ck, I didnât remember that until I was writing out my thoughts for #35 or so. That definitely elevates it, but Iâm too tired to try and re-decide where this should go, so just tie it with âNew Adventure!â
48. New Adventure! (Season 4, episode 4)
New trio! Focusing on these 3 was a definite risk, and I think it really paid off. While the âplotâ itself isnât anything special, there are a handful of really great side gags (hi, Dirty Kevin!!!!) and itâs fun to see these three interact. They all get some nice character beats. Itâs a good time.
47. Something Fishy (Season 3, episode 8)
This mightâve hit me harder if Iâd actually seen The Shape of Water, but the send-up works fine without having more than the seen-the-trailer level of understanding. Gwen dresses pretty, which I love; Max sucks, which I also love. What drags this one down is mostly feeling like the surreal aspects of the comedy go a bit too far into the âwhat the fu/ck am I looking at?â territory without really . . . making an actual joke beyond âlook! Wacky!"
Why is David at the opera with a bird? Why??
46. City Survival (Season 3, episode 11)
Literally do not remember a single thing about this episode except David getting mugged and being called a âhomeless twi/nk.â That should probably rank it lower on the list, but David being a fluttery mother hen saves it for me -- as does the fact that it leads directly into one of my favorite episodes, and the single best story arc of the series.
Next set of episodes is what Iâm going to arbitrarily call âokay! but like the good kind of okay, not the bad kind.â
45. Bonjour Bonquisha (Season 2, episode 7)
Max and Sasha masterminding a scheme is really fun; their dynamic is great (though it wonât be fully realized until Season 4), and heartbroken David is so tragically cute it actually makes my heart explode out of my chest.
Also I canât resist a good â3 kids in a trench coatâ gag.
44. Anti-Social Network (Season 2, episode 2)
Neil is very relatable and I donât have much else to say about this one. Itâs fun to see an episode that more heavily focuses on our nerdy science boy, and Max and Neil teaming up to save Nikki was really charming and sweet and set my Makkiel ship out to sea.
43. A Camp Camp Christmas, or Whatever (Season 2 holiday episode)
Why does this episode have a musical number? Itâs not good.
Okay, that was mean. This is fun and cute and Gwen wears a pretty purple sweatshirt and Space Kid gives her a present and itâs really sweet. But that musical number is an instant fast-forward for me, sorry.
42. Preston Goodplay's Good Play (Season 4, episode 7)
We get some Preston character development! Awesome!
Itâs done in a really trippy and surreal way that totally fits his character and heightens the drama of the episode! Awesome!
David has an apparently-tragic history of being a French mime! Not a good call!Â
Next tier: Some good sh/it! (Tbh, these could all be put in just about any order; they might as well be one massive tie.)
41. Cookin' Cookies (Season 2, episode 11)
I love the Flower Scouts. I love Dirty Kevin. I love the idea of accidentally starting a dru/g empire. Another weird, borderline experimental one focusing on side characters, and I think it works better than âNew Adventure!â because the scale of the melodrama is just so over-the-top.
The fact that this is in the bottom 20 but I have nothing but good things to say about it illustrates how dang good this show is. Itâs only getting better from here, folks!
40. Romeo & Juliet II: Love Resurrected (Season 1, episode 7)
Preston is a terrible playwright. This makes sense, because heâs like 11, but heâs the kind of hilariously bad I wish Iâd been as a preteen, because his play is absolutely bonkers. Max fucking with David is great, Tabii vs. Bonquisha is great, Bonquisha in general is a giant amazonian goddess and I want to be swept up into her giant arms. Neil is . . . a robot, for some reason?
So much fun!
39. Camp Cool Kidz (Season 1, episode 4)
I donât love Eredâs characterization in this one, but there are a lot of wacky hijinks in this episode that I think make it really enjoyable. Maxâs wide-eyed revolutionary naĂŻvetĂ© is a fun change from his usual dour pessimism, and Nikkiâs loyalty to Ered is both very gay and very charming. Plus we get to learn a bit more about how the camp operates (and fails to operate), and itâs a nice way to better establish the campsite as its own setting.
(Definitely think âCoolâ shouldâve been spelled with a K though. But whatever, I donât write for the show.)
38. Scout's Dishonor (Season 1, episode 3)
The birth of Neeancy! The introduction of the Flower and Wood Scouts! Neil saying âcu/ntâ -- one of the first and only truly shocking uses of profanity in the entire show! ZUKO!
I donât know if my fondness for this one is rooted mostly in nostalgia or if it was actually really fun, but I enjoyed the he/ll out of it. Not as highly-rated as some other episodes mostly because it doesnât really do anything, character or story-wise, but not every episode needs to be a massive game-changer that drowns us in feels. Sometimes itâs enough to have a fun romp, and this is very that.
37. Ered Gets Her Cool Back (Season 3, episode 2)
Awww, Ered. I have a soft spot for her, because I love the archetype of a spoiled bit/ch clearly still figuring out how to be a person and have friends. You really get the sense of her as a teenager trying to sort her shi/t out in this episode, which I would love to see more of. Her interactions with Nerris are top-tier, and I like that itâs a continuation of how her characterâs been softening since Season 1 into this kind of big-sister figure.
Also, all the female campers in this show are lesbians. I do not make the rules.
36. Attack of the Nurfs (Season 4, episode 2)
I feel like this is a pretty underrated episode. But then again, I feel like Nurf is a pretty underrated character, so maybe thatâs just my own personal bias.
I really enjoyed all the different iterations of Nurf, and I think Blaine did a killer job giving each one its own personality and life. Itâs a fun episode that plays hard with cartoon physics (a 3D printer printing people! I love it!) and has a surprisingly moving ending.
At least, thatâs what I think. Most other people seem to find this one pretty forgettable. Again: make your own da/mn list. I liked it.
35. Mascot (Season 1, episode 2)
This entire episode is memorable for so many things, but a few of my favorites:
David is established as kind of a di/ck.
Platypus arrives and kicks all the as/s.
Quartermaster is the best.
Nerris, Harrison, and Space Kid all get little moments to show off how cute they are.
Neil and Nikki bonding.
This:
34. Quest to Sleepy Peak Peak (Season 2, episode 3)
I love watching Nerris and Harrison bicker, and Neil and Nikki fit really well into their group. It reminds me of being a kid, and of playing Dungeons & Dragons (as an adult, because Iâm so cool), and of summer . . . which is a really good thing for this show. There are a lot of funny one-liners, and itâs just a good dang time.
33. Quartermaster Appreciation Day (Season 2, episode 6)
I donât think this one is all that well-loved, but I thought it was funny. There are literally zero important plot or character moments, but it made me laugh a lot, and thatâs all I need a Camp Camp episode to do.Â
I love QM, and the more we learn about him, the more confused and disturbed we end up being. What a fu/cking champion.
32. Arrival of the Torso Takers (Season 3 Halloween episode)
I lowkey hated this one when it came out, because I knew the Daniel stans were going to be exhausting. And they kind of were? But looking back, itâs a great way to reintroduce this motherfu/cker. Heâs a lot scarier than he was the last time around -- but also less competent, which is a great way to kick him in the proverbial ba/lls -- and while I wish it had a lot more Gwen in it, itâs a clever and creative Halloween episode.Â
31. Operation: Charlie Tango Foxtrot (Season 3, episode 10)
Charlie . . . Tango . . . Foxtrot . . . CTF . . . OH! Capture the Flag! I never got that before. Oh, thatâs neat. I love this show.
Listen, every time the writers decide to take a risk and do something bizarre and creative, Iâm going to be here for it at least a little bit. An entire episode told from the POV of the Woodscouts, explaining how hard they failed in all directions? A great gag where everyone in Petrolâs story talks in grunts? The return of Jermy Fartz?! Fantastic.Â
30. Panicked Room (Season 4, episode 16)
Listen. Iâm a sucker for my trash grandpa; anything Campbell-centric is probably going to be pretty good (except #54), because heâs just one of the most consistently funny and engaging characters. Good times are had whenever this terrible man is on the screen, and giving him a romantic backstory? A tragic romantic backstory full of mistakes and emotional damage?? One where he waited 17 YEARS for the love of his life???
We have no choice but to stan.
29. Party Pooper (Season 4, episode 15)
Iâm so predictable. If you put Gwen in something, I will be happy. If you make an entire episode about how Gwen is under-appreciated and overworked and just trying to do her best despite the circumstances, I will dedicate my firstborn child to you.
Anyway, this episode is really sweet, and I liked the unexpected direction the writers took her relationship with her dad. He seems like a nice guy, they seem like they have a nice relationship, and . . . well, an episode about how hard it is to be an adult millennial hit pretty hard. Plus this was just a really pretty episode -- and not just because Gwen was in so much of it! Seriously, that night sky was a thing of beauty.
Also if you say a fuc/king word about Max and that godda/mn dog I will choke you out with your own intestines. Few things are more hilariously, annoyingly ironic than the fact that the entire fandom ignored and failed to appreciate Gwen . . . in the episode all about how everyone ignores and fails to appreciate Gwen.
28. Culture Day (Season 3 holiday episode)
Now, would it be arrogant to point out that I had the idea for a Culture/Heritage Day back in September 2018? Yes, especially since I donât think the writers ever read fanfiction and it has literally nothing to do with this episode. Will that stop me? He/ll no it will not! I am a creature of ego! Read my stuff!Â
Anyway, this is a really fun look at Neilâs background, personality, and relationships. Max looking out for him is just . . . oh my god, I cannot, Iâve written like 30 of these and my brain is starting to melt, but these two are so cute. I love arrogant Neil, and I love protective Max, and I love QM and Gwen fuc/king over the Flower Scouts to save the day. Everything about this episode is lovely.
27. Cameron Campbell the Camp Campbell Camper (Season 3, episode 7)
This should not be ranked so high (even if these are all essentially tied). This is a dumb episode based on a really, really dumb premise.Â
But . . . I donât know what to tell you. âSamboy Kidwell,â Max realizing he and Campbell are disturbingly similar and not liking what his future could look like, Davidâs âIâm not mad, Iâm disappointedâ face . . . this episode happens to hit all of my favorite things. It had a really good balance of heavy-handed moralizing and goofs, it was part of the most graceful lead-up into a finale the show has ever had, and Iâm just all about it.Â
Excellent job, Samboy. Count Olaf would be proud of your disguise.
There ends the âsome good sh/itâ tier. Weâre starting to get into the really excellent stuff now!
26. Parents' Day (Season 2, episode 12)
I know. You want this to be higher. I hear you.
Honestly Iâm kind of shocked itâs this high; itâs my least favorite of the season finales so far, and I had to push past a lot of prejudice to actually rank this where I think it deserves to be, as opposed to somewhere in the like mid-40s. Mostly because it gave fuel to the raging inferno of âMax has terrible parents and David should adopt himâ headcanons, which Iâve detailed my problems with extensively in the past (in a post that, statistically speaking, none of you have read).
But, trying to be objective: is this episode actually any good?
Well . . . yeah, it really is.
So much work was put into giving each of the campers families that make sense with their characters and bounce absurdly well off of them, ranging from wholesome and adorable (Nerrisâs family) to quietly tragic (Harrisonâs parents), and theyâre all designed so well; theyâre fun to look at and fun to watch interact with the kids and each other. (The only exception is Dolphâs dad, who is both kinda lame and misattributes the cause of the weird Na/zi thing because it did not come from Germany, I assure you. But things with Dolph are always a little off, and I donât really know how you would give him a backstory that actually works with the character, so they were caught between a rock and a hard place there.)
The drama of David having to choose between the man he considers his father and the camp he considers his home is really touching, and him and Gwen choosing to take a sad camper out to get pizza instead of covering for their bossâs a/ss is such a beautiful moment for both of them that I canât really blame the fandom for losing their mind over it. Campbellâs arrest leading into the arcs of the next two seasons was great as well, and the finale left us all with this weird sense of foreboding because we didnât know what was going to happen next; it was the only finale that actually ended on something close to a cliffhanger, while still being satisfying enough to keep us all from melting down.
Plus, itâs funny. Carl and Candy are really funny and the idea of Neil and Nikkiâs parents boning is funny in a horrible way. The joke about Quartersister is funny. Itâs a good episode.
Should this be higher? Maybe, but I canât bring myself to put it above the rest of these episodes. Again: make your own list.
25. Mind Freakers (Season 1, episode 10)
The episode that launched a thousand ships. Assuming those ships are all Harrison/Neil, anyway.
Itâs hard to talk about these Season 1 episodes because they feel so classic. Like, what is there to say? Youâve all seen it a couple dozen times;Â Iâve seen it a couple dozen times. Harrison is a di/ck, Neil is possibly an even bigger di/ck, and magic may or may not be real. (Though spoilers for literally every season: yes, magic is definitely real.) Itâs so much fun watching these two smug as/sholes snipe at each other in an almost literal playground hair-pulling way that could very easily be read as flirtation.Â
And the fandom did most certainly read it that way, at least for a little while.
24. Gwen Gets a Job (Season 2, episode 8)
Itâs Gwen. What, was I supposed to not put it this high?
This was the first Gwen-centric episode, and it absolutely slaps. Sheâs pushed to the breaking point and responds by being a cold-hearted BAMF, and it got her some pretty significant hate from fans but I donât give a fu/ck, I loved it. We got to see her all dolled up, and then we got to see her all disheveled, and both of those looks were gorgeous. David gives her a tiny fragment of the love and validation she deserves (I donât know if this is when gwenvid started taking off -- I think it wasnât really until âParentsâ Day,â or even Season 3 -- but I ate that s/hit up).
Also, again: job hunting post-2008. Itâs a bad time, yâall. Camp Camp gets it.
23. Follow the Leader (Season 4, episode 6)
Yeah, I was kind of surprised at how high this landed, too. I guess Iâm just a sucker for unlikely companionships, and these three have a great chemistry. The combination of competitiveness, sass, and reluctant admiration make their interactions a lot of fun. Their motivation of doing petty errands for Campbell for the sake of getting at the Box of Illegal Contraband is a great framework too, with high enough stakes to justify all sorts of wacky shenanigans without causing actual anxiety.
I want to see these characters forced to spend more time together. Please, RT, make that happen.
22. Escape from Camp Campbell (Season 1, episode 1)
In terms of numbers, this feels so low, but considering everything from about #45 on is ranked as at least decent, this is actually a pretty high rating. There are 21 episodes Iâd call better than this, but these decisions were all pretty painful.
This introduces us to everyone! The main trio, the counselors, Mr. Campbell; we get a snapshot of the major personalities running around the camp, the major points of conflict (Max vs. David, primarily), the major building blocks of future episodes, setting, and relationships . . .Â
Again, I donât know how much of my love for this episode is nostalgia -- thereâs a lot of squeeing at familiar faces and gags; this is the first time David gets hit by a bus!!! -- but it was a fun and funny introduction to a series thatâs ended up being so important to me, and Iâm so grateful this wonderful, quirky little show with its wonderful and quirky little premiere.Â
Of all the episodes, I really canât look at this one objectively. Itâs too important.
21. The Fun-Raiser (Season 3, episode 1)
David and Gwen scheming is my ki/nk. They very rarely scheme together, but every single time their teamwork makes the dream work (or, more frequently, makes the dream fail horribly and have disastrous consequences) my soul flies out of my body and takes to the stars, where I write another 500 first chapters to gwenvid fanfics Iâll probably never finish.
This is a great follow-up to âParentsâ Day,â where we immediately see the consequences of the previous season finale and what happens when the one adult in the camp disappears. Mr. Campbell was a terrible adult, true, but at least he was smart enough not to steal QMâs hook. Like . . . whose plan was this? It was so bad. These two are hilariously incompetent sometimes -- often when their bad ideas are feeding off of each other, actually, a la this and âSpace Camp Was a Hoaxâ -- and watching them frantically try and keep all their balls in the air is so great.Â
The ending is satisfying, too; a bit graphic, in keeping with a show that tends to keep the violence limited to periodic spurts of bloodshed 1-2 times a season and mostly pretty mild the rest of the time, but between Max stepping up and fixing everything while still being his shi/tty self to our dear dumba/ss counselors getting their dumb as/ses handed to them (deservedly so, if weâre being honest) . . . itâs such a great note to begin a new season on.
20. Journey to Spooky Island (Season 1, episode 5)
A classic.
We get to meet our spooky boy Jasper, we get to watch the comedy trio play off each other and continue to sketch out the general contours of their friendship, and we get to see the Quartermaster with a big purple dil/do for a hand. Whatâs not to love?
19. The Butterfinger Effect (Season 4, episode 17)
CONTROVERSIAL HOT TAKES! GET YOUR CONTROVERSIAL HOT TAKES HERE!
Iâve already gone into some pretty intense detail about why I think this one is actually really good and carries the theme of embracing change that everything about Season 4 was centered around, but none of yâall read that so here it is in short: this episode is super funny, almost all of the campersâ transformations work really well as extensions of their characters while still being strange and surprising, and the fact that Nurf creates all of these problems by trying to solve them is deliciously fun to watch in a karmic sort of way.
Or maybe itâs just because any Nurf-centric episode is going to rank pretty highly for me. That is also possible.
18. Space Camp Was a Hoax (Season 2, episode 10)
Our camp counselors being bad people: itâs my drug of choice.
We get Space Kid tripping balls in what might be one of the funniest sequences in the show, the entire camp coming together to try and pull off the stupidest, most impossible task (and kinda maybe almost nailing it???), and once again the fun of watching Gwen and David scramble to keep from getting caught in their bossâs shit/ty lies is so great. And Lindsayâs voice acting is absolutely killer, even more so than usual.Â
17. Jermy Fartz (Season 2, episode 4)
I get the sense this might be a somewhat controversial one.Â
Iâve written before about why I think this episode is a lot of fun, but it mostly boils down to two things: watching the campers try (and fail) to be nice to the most bully-able person on the entire planet, and the essential likeableness of Jermy.Â
No, really.
I think a lot of people were put off by Jermyâs general grossness, because . . . my god is he disgusting, but heâs also polite and good-natured, and seems totally self aware of how difficult he is to be around, without letting it make him depressed. Heâs cheerful in a weirdly downbeat way thatâs impossible to understand until you see him in action. Heâs so matter-of-fact about his own awfulness in a way that I found entirely endearing. I donât think Iâd want him at my camp, either, but get that kid to a good dermatologist and gastroenterologist, teach him some basic hygiene and social skills, and youâll have quite a little gentleman there.
I do however find it hilarious that apparently David got the type of tree wrong when making fun of Jermy. Not only is that a great moment for reveling in David being an as/shole, but he didnât even have the right wood. F/ucking idiot. I love him so much.
These last ones are my favorites! (Well, duh, thatâs how this whole ranking thing works.) Maybe not perfect, but just really good and with limitless rewatch value.
16. St. Campbell's Day (Season 4 holiday episode)
They Grinchâd Camp Camp. Those brilliant bast/ards, they really pulled it off.
Ignoring the fact that David is truly frightening-looking for most of the episode, this is a great bookend to Season 4, following up on the theme established in the first episode about how David is a flawed and selfish human being despite trying his best not to be.
This is another one I was surprised to find so high on the list, but the more I thought about it the more I realizes how good it is. David being a jerk is always one of my favorite storylines, and the fact that the trouble comes from him trusting Mr. Campbell too little instead of too much is a nice twist on the usual formula. Gwen coming to help him out despite a blistering hangover gave me aggressive shipping feels, yes, obviously.Â
Between a lot of really funny little gags like QMâs failed satanic ritual and the genuinely touching moral about the importance of spending time with the people you love, itâs just a really lovely episode that gets just the right amount of maudlin for the holiday season.Â
15. Jasper Dies at the End (Season 2, episode 5)
I kept switching this and âDial M for Jasperâ; it was a really difficult decision to make, figuring out where these two belonged. I think in the end, while the John Dies at the End reference was very, very good, this one loses me a little bit by being told from Davidâs perspective. Now, normally the more David is in an episode the more Iâll be likely to love it (see my #1 for proof of that), but his blinders when it comes to the camp and Mr. Campbell result in a really funny story, but one without the same emotional heft as hearing about what happened from Jasperâs point of view.
That doesnât mean itâs not perfect for what it needs to be: each Jasper episode builds on the previous ones, and having the same intensity of âDial M for Jasper,â where we learn how he died and how his relationship with David fell apart, would be weird and heavy at this point. In Season 1 we just found out heâs a ghost (and eagle-eyed viewers realized heâd been a camper with David); in Season 2 we find out how David views their friendship and time at camp; and in Season 3 we get Jasperâs perspective. Itâs an absolutely wonderful raising of the stakes (for lack of a better term), but the one that packs more of an emotional punch is going to rank a bit higher than the one thatâs mostly just for laughs.
That being said: there are plenty of laughs in this one. Everyone -- Griffin, Miles, Travis, the animators -- nailed this one, and it gets funnier every time I watch it.
14. Camporee (Season 1, episode 11)
AKA the episode where Forest realized she was in love with Gwen.Â
What a great idea for an episode, seriously. Every coming-of-age story has a talent show or a competition or a big game -- something where the kiddos can show off their improved skills and teamwork to beat their bullies or whatever. And this show has both kinds of bullies: the popular girly girls and the violent muscleheads. What a great moment to pull everyone together and show how friendship can help us accomplish anything!
Except . . . of course thatâs not what happens. Of course theyâre absolute garbage, and of course teamwork isnât the answer. Gwen is the perfect foil for David here, being the anti-teamwork, anti-Camp-Campbell adult who can perfectly and effortlessly undermine Davidâs relentless optimism. David wants so badly for his campers to live in the same coming-of-age summer movie he did as a child, and their staunch refusal to do that leads to a really heartbreaking closer to the episode, as well as lead into the next one. Everything about this, from the challenges to the setup to Gwen shouting âwe are winning this FUC/KING trophy!â is just gold.
13. David Gets Hard (Season 1, episode 9)
We have David. We have Nurf. We have Gwen. We have Max trying to be helpful in the shi/ttiest way possible.
We have all the makings of a da/mn good episode. And they deliver. Not a very emotionally intense or moving one, but so, so funny.
12. Dial M for Jasper (Season 3, episode 5)
This isnât the fate any of us expected for Jasper, and itâs not the fate of a lot of people wanted. But godda/mn it, it worked. The constant bait-and-switch the episode keeps playing with, where you keep waiting for something really dramatic and tragic to happen . . . and then the reality is that Jasper died because Mr. Campbell was stupid and careless, and it was all just a horribly sad accident.
Itâs anticlimactic, but in a way that suits the series, both as a comedic counterpoint to all the hype throughout the episode and as a way to establish that Cameron Campbell is a bad man first and foremost through selfishness and laziness, not Daniel-esque sinister evil. Jasperâs death was totally avoidable and totally Campbellâs fault, and while thatâs sad, it also adds a weird sort of lightness to the episode. David didnât do something terrible to kill his best friend, Jasper didnât kill himself, and without having actively chosen to murder a child (well, not this time), the door remains open for fans accepting Campbellâs later pseudo-redemption. It was just an accident, and Jasper was âhauntingâ David to tell him that he was sorry for how their friendship ended. Thatâs really sweet, actually.
I think itâs the best way this reveal couldâve gone, and Iâm so impressed with how they pulled it all off.
11. Into Town (Season 1, episode 8)
This might actually be the only flawless episode in the entire show. I mean, I call a lot of them flawless, and I mean that on an emotional level --Â âI love this so much I cannot see anything wrong with itâ -- but this one is a masterpiece of storytelling. All the technical jumbo Iâm bad at, like planting and payoff and tension and all of that, is just perfect.
I feel like this is the kind of claim that needs to be backed up with a long-as/s essay full of citations and video clips and references to, like, Joseph Campbell or something, but this is my 49th entry in the list so I am not going to be doing that. Besides, I donât think my English degree qualifies me to critique film/animation; I donât even entirely know half the terms Iâve used to compliment this episode. Someone else please explain why this is such a good one.
10. The Quarter-Moon Convergence (Season 4, episode 5)
Iâve mentioned in other entries that the weird, surreal humor sometimes doesnât work; it feels too much like being odd for its own sake, and sometimes gets so distracted in being surreal that it forgets to include anything funny or meaningful.Â
This . . . is not one of those.
Putting Harrison and QM together is a stroke of genius; the two of them are literally the most magical beings in the entire show, and using them as the conveyance for this great Lovecraftian horror-comedy was such a good idea. I donât know if weâll ever see these two interact in another episode -- honestly, this felt a bit like lightning in a bottle, and I have a hard time imagining what could possibly bring them together again -- but if this is the only episode we get, it is such a fantastic one.
Harrison makes a really good everyman, despite his powers; heâs just the right amount of confident and insecure to pull off that wide-eyed apprentice to QMâs grizzled wise mentor. (The fact that QM is objectively a terrible mentor is beside the point.) I still donât entirely know what the two of them accomplished, but it feels baffling and momentous, with the perfect amount of gravity to make things extremely tense all the way through to the end.
Also, I guess God is an octopus? Thatâs kinda cool. I like octopuses.
9. Camp Corp. (Season 3, episode 12)
Another unpopular opinion? Oh ho ho, I am so contrary! I am Not Like Other Fans! I am the Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way, refusing to have the same opinions of all you prepz.
I know this wasnât the most well-loved episode, but I think it did a really great job tying together story threads woven throughout Season 3: Maxâs selfishness leading to him hurting other people, his growing realization that he cares about his friends and the camp itself, the parallels between him and Mr. Campbell (and the fact that they both get this redemption moment in the finale).Â
This is the most Max-centric season, focusing on his flaws and character growth, and they pulled it off in a really organic way that felt faithful to his character, touching without being too maudlin. The fact that his feelings about the camp are echoed in Gwen, Neil and Nikki, the other campers, and even Mr. Campbell drives home how important the camp -- and David -- are to this strange little family.Â
Each season, Max reluctantly becomes a better person, without changing the fundamental core of who he is. Thatâs a really hard putt for the writers and Michael, and Iâm blown away every finale by how they so consistently nail it.
8. Time Crapsules (Season 4, episode 18)
Gwen-centric? Check.
Max learning how to be a better person while still being the bratty kid we know and love? Check.
Looks at one of the most under-appreciated character dynamics in the entire show (i.e., Max and Gwen)? Checkity check-check-check.
I donât really have much to say about this one, which I should: it was considered a pretty serious letdown to a lot of fans, and Iâm not sure how to explain why I loved it so much.Â
Comparing Max from âThe Order of the Sparrowâ to Max from this episode is wild. Itâs not like 2 different characters: theyâre still very obviously the same cynical, self-absorbed 10-year-old trying to survive summer camp. But heâs become a more considerate friend and decent version of that kid, and itâs great to watch. The moment where he and Gwen go too far and immediately regret snapping at each other is still painful (on my god, the VAs in this show, theyâre so talented), Nikki and Neil both get nice subplots about how theyâre also growing up, and the ending is fuc/king hilarious, perfectly breaking the tension from Campbellâs speech, which is both beautifully done and important to hear, especially if youâre in a period of uncomfortable transition (like, say, in your late 20s, or living through about 5 different national and global catastrophes).
And okay, I found that speech on the wiki for this episode and it made me deeply emotional, so here:
Here's the thing: you've got to take your failures and make something out of them. Take Camp Campbell for instance: a lot of poor decisions went into making this place what it is today. Sure, somewhere along the line it maybe strayed from its path, not living up to the camp it wanted to be. At some point, the camp realized that the camp would never reach the end of its path until it was ready or until it gave up. So, if the camp wanted to keep embezzling money and dealing with foreign powers, so be it! But, at some point, it didn't anymore. I never saw this coming, but I'm starting to think this camp is the best it's ever been.
If this is the last episode of Camp Camp we ever get -- and for at least a little while, it looks like itâs going to be -- I canât think of a sweeter, funnier, and more lovely bittersweet note for this show to go out on.
7. The Lake Lilac Summer Social (Season 3, episode 6)
And again: No one was surprised.Â
This is the longest non-finale episode of the show, and it uses that time perfectly. Rather than having some big emotional moments and character arcs -- which are great, donât get me wrong -- the writers use the extended time to build a series of shenanigans as complicated as Gwenâs matchmaking web, and watching her try to set up a series of dominos (with David, for once, being the responsible, level-headed one) is almost as satisfying as the catastrophic results.Â
Neil and Snake steal this episode, even from someone as in love with Gwen as I am, and for an episode thatâs largely about making fun of shippers, there hasnât been one that launched nearly as many ships as this. Neil/Snake? Tabii/Erin? Max/Nikki? GWENVID?! Itâs all here, and I am here for it.
It was also fun to get a traditional episode setup in a very non-traditional show. I assume this means the beach and/or hot springs episode is forthcoming. (No, Pis/s Lake doesnât count. Obviously it doesnât count.)
6. Keep the Change (Season 4, episode 1)
Again, this is an episode Iâve said a lot about in the past -- and I was pretty uncharitable toward Season 3, which in retrospect was very unse/xy of me -- but I stand by a lot of my opinions then: this is a fu/cking great episode.
David is an as/shole, Max is an as/shole, Campbell is an as/shole. No one escapes the as/sholery. David schemes, Max catches him in the scheme, Campbell gets drunk and kind of gay . . . Iâm 54 entries into this list and I donât have much to say anymore: itâs just really good and fun and I love it.
5. Camp Loser Says What? (Season 4, episode 9)
This is another one I kind of hated when it came out, and again for fandom-related and personal-grudge reasons.
Fu/cking Daniel. That motherfu/cker. He shows up for 12 minutes and Tumblr bursts into flames. Every single time.
However, itâs really hard not to love this one. Daniel-as-Trump is a clever but subtle -- I mean, for this showâs definition of subtle -- allegory, and itâs amazing how much this slimy freak and the Woodscouts slot into it. David is a bise/xual disaster with the absolute worst taste in men, Dirty Kevin and Daniel are onscreen together for all of 2.5 seconds and the kevdan shippers lost their minds, and Xemug looks like Megamind for some weird reason.
My only minor complaint is that the ending is a bit anticlimactic, but it plays on Danielâs stupidity and the value of teamwork, so itâs a very small nitpick in an episode that mostly works like gangbusters.
4. Cult Camp (Season 2, episode 1)
Duh. Thereâs a really good song and weâre introduced to a charismatic, sinister, and totally dumba/ss villain. Whatâs not to like?
I donât think I even need to say anything about this episode. Season 2 started off the summer by throwing a lit firecracker directly at the viewerâs face, and ignoring the fact that we as a fandom proceeded to eat each other, itâs impossible not to get caught up in the episodeâs wild energy.
And dude, that song. Fabulous. Fu/ck Daniel, but thank god heâs around to be such a prickly little pri/ck.
Now for the top 3: Literally perfect, wouldnât change a single solitary thing.
3. After Hours (Season 4, episode 8)
Iâm not sure anyone loved this episode as much as me. But this is my list, and I will put this up at the top if I want to and you cannot stop me.
Itâs much easier in a lot of ways to talk about the episodes I hated than the ones I love this much. What do I say besides âliterally everything about this fills me with joy and my life is better because it existsâ? I donât know. The counselors are my favorite characters, and between Gwen and QM having the weirdest bonding experience, Gwen getting to meet up with people who care about her silly fanfiction, Mr. Campbell being the trash grandpa of my dreams, David getting in way over his head . . . itâs the episode I always wanted, and they made it work so well.
Also, I just discovered that âGwen Isnât Your Mother So Stop Asking Her to Rinse Your Dishesâ is an actual song and I am overwhelmed with delight. Here, Iâm embedding it as well as linking because itâs so good:
youtube
God. This show. What the fu/ck even is up with this amazing, weird-as/s show.
2. The Order of the Sparrow (Season 1, episode 12)
Duh.
The entire first season is a great time (except âReigny Dayâ), but itâs a pretty low-stakes kind of great time. There isnât much in terms of emotional depth until the very end of âCamporee,â despite some hints at darker themes in one-off jokes and quick asides, so this episode comes a bit out of left field, tonally speaking.
But thatâs not a bug, itâs a feature; if the show had been this overtly emotional from the outset, this finale wouldnât hit as hard, and the rest of the season wouldnât be as funny.Â
This manages to serve as a capstone to the conflict of the first season, building on episodes like âInto Townâ and âEscape from Camp Campbellâ in a way that feels totally natural for both David and Maxâs characters while revealing new sides of them. It works because itâs so unexpected, but it doesnât come across as incongruous with their personalities. Itâs the first and only time David swears in all 4 seasons, and that line -- I donât even need to say it, you know exactly what Iâm talking about -- still gives me chills.
Also, Gwen sings the camp theme song. Impossible not to cherish.
1. The Forest (Season 4, episode 12)
Iâm not sure if this one is a surprise or not. It might be the obvious first place, or it might be a bit of an oddball for some people.
I had a really hard time choosing between this and âThe Order of the Sparrowâ; I switched their places half a dozen times, and the difference in quality between the two is razor-thin. I think part of that is because it accomplishes a lot of what âOrder of the Sparrowâ does: puts David in a situation where heâs pushed to his absolute emotional and physical capacity, crushes every shred of hope he has left, and sees what heâs actually made of when you strip everything away. Itâs much more dramatic this time around, but itâs the same basic concept.
And just like in the Season 1 finale, what we see is a man whoâs determined to do good even when he isnât rewarded for it, even when heâs actively punished for it. Who wants to love nature, and life, and make the world a better place -- despite his faults, his selfishness and thoughtlessness and anger, David proves that he is fundamentally kind. Heâs not nearly as deludedly optimistic as he seems; he just refuses to stop trying.
Because somebody fuc/king has to.
Iâll admit, some of what puts this one in first place is that Iâm a sucker for whump, and David really goes through the ringer. However, I also think itâs important to acknowledge the risk Joe Nicolosi took with writing this episode: itâs all centered around a single character, itâs darker and more viscerally bloody than any other episode in the showâs history, the art is focused on these grand sweeping backgrounds that mustâve taken forever to paint, and thereâs very little talking in a show that runs 99% on clever dialogue. This could have so easily backfired -- and for some fans it did -- but it was brave and beautiful and breathtaking.
Iâve actually only watched this in full once. Itâs really hard to get through; itâs just so intense and even disturbing. But if thereâs one episode I'll remember for the rest of my life, even when Iâm 80 years old and havenât seen the show in years, itâll be âThe Forest.â
Itâs funny how such a sharp departure from the format and style of the rest of the show somehow manages to perfectly capture the heart of it. Talk about a fuc/king achievement.
So what have we learned?
I donât entirely know what the purpose of this whole exercise was. I think it was mostly to get myself a nice Camp Camp fix that came from something other than slogging through 20 different fanfic WIPs, and to remind myself of what a strange and fun ride the last 4 summers have been.Â
I also wanted to take a moment to acknowledge what Camp Camp means to me. This show has been hugely important to me on a personal level: I met two of my best friends through this fandom, and Iâve never been more connected to a community or readers than I have with CC. I know I bi/tch about this fandom a lot, but itâs a big extended internet family, and Iâm so happy to be a part of it. Going through all these episodes, getting the chance to ramble about the things I liked and the things I didnât, was a great way to reconnect with a series and community that I love.
So . . . what have we learned?
1. Season 4 was all over the place.
Some of this has to be due to the sheer volume of episodes, but when I sat down and organized everything into tiers:
There isnât a single category Season 4 doesnât have at least one episode in. I was surprised to see how high a lot of them ended up; it really was the best and worst of the show so far.
For the fun of it, I decided to give a number to each placement -- 60 points for the #1 episode, 59 for #2, etc. -- and see how each season broke down. Because thatâs that kind of thing I think is worthwhile, apparently. And . . .
2. Seasons 1 and 4 are really good, actually.
Well, I donât think anyoneâs surprised to see how well Season 1 stacked up; it was amazing. But I was surprised to see how much I ended up enjoying Seasons 3 and 4, when if youâd asked me before this little project, I wouldâve said they were the most underwhelming. Maybe I messed up the numbers a bit -- Iâm no mathmagician -- but not only are they all really close, but Season 4 was one of my favorites.
3. This entire show is really good, actually.
One thing that really struck me when I put it all together visually is how most of the episodes sit in the âgood,â âreally good,â or âamazingâ categories. The amount of episodes that are memorable, fun, and/or emotionally resonant is crazy. I donât now how many other tiny cult-hit web series can say the same, honestly, and all of the writers, animators, directors/producers/other people whose jobs I donât really understand, and voice actors should be commended for their outstanding talent and hard work.
4. Thank you, Camp Camp.
It was a real pleasure to relive all of these episodes again and think about what they meant to me. It wonât be the last time I sit down and watch this show -- and it certainly wonât be the end of my being a shrieking fangirl over it -- but with this break, where we have to get through a blazing, extremely difficult summer without a new season to fawn over, itâs nice to stop and appreciate what a precious gem of a show this is.
I hope everyone involved with Rooster Teeth is taking a much-deserved rest and prioritizing their health and well-being. Thank you for creating something truly special, and I canât wait to see what happens next.
#campcamp#camp camp roosterteeth#thank you RT Animation for giving me my life these past 4 years#cc david#cc max#cc gwen#i'm not tagging all the characters#campcamp masterpost#i really hope this doesn't get hidden from the tags but#guys this was a super intense labor of love please check it out#but also reading it is also a super intense labor so i get it if you don't XD
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A new week, a few more reviews. I'm working through a backlog now, so it is unlikely I will be posting this many so close together very often.
Thirty but seventeen(Korea): 17 year old girl is in a traffic accident and goes into a coma waking 13 years later. With no sign of her family she returns to her family home only to find it belongs to someone else now. The man now living there has emotionally cut himself off from the world. The two begin to heal together. 9/10 Overall, I really enjoyed it. I found some of the family stuff a bit contrived toward the end. But I love how the past intertwines with the present. Almost all the characters are great, which is a plus.
Emergency couple (Kdrama)- A divorced couple are reunited when they become medical interns at the same ER. 8/10 I love everything to do with the main couple but I find most of the side characters annoying, at least at first. I really don't like either of the moms all that much but they do have some great redemptive stuff toward the end of the drama. Overall, it was pleasant but if I watch again I will skip a lot of the side stories.
The Romance of Tiger and Rose (Cdrama)- A screenwriter fall asleep and wakes up on her newest drama, only she is playing the girl who is supposed to die in episode 3. The only way to survive is to befriend her would be killer...and forced husband. Can this writer live to the end of her own script? 10/10 I loved virtually every minute of this drama and even at 24 episodes I wish it was a little longer. I would have loved one more episode with the ML's family in their town. The characters are enjoyable. I cried, I laughed, I cried again. Seriously, just a fantastic and beautiful story. I heard this is getting another season and I am genuinely excited and curious to see what they do next.
My Girl (Cdrama 2020)- Woman with scar on her face and a problem with delusions falls in love with a makeup CEO who has his own troubled past. 7/10 Nothing really objectionable. I really like a lot of the things in it, especially that the girl I thought was going to be the annoyance became the best friend. All three couples were enjoyable. It was good, just not stupendous. I found myself a bit bored toward the end, even though it was a good story.
Noble Boys (Jdrama)- 4 wealthy heirs go on a reality show to marry "commoners." Naturally, they have no intention of actually falling in love with the three girls on the show. 4/10 Really not good, but it made me smile in places. Riku and Mugi (the leads) are cute and have ok chemistry. The background couples are nice but the plot holes in the story are bad. The plot itself is not very good. I mostly watched it brainlessly and even that was sometimes difficult.
Dalja's Spring (Kdrama)- A woman in her 30s hires a younger man to be her boyfriend for a month. 7/10 The first 15 or 16 episodes are actually way higher ratings for me. But they introduced a new character in the last few episodes. I thought a lot of the last 6 or so episodes were really really dragged out and then the resolution was really quick. I wish the last several eps had been condensed into like 2 with no ex girlfriend plot at all. It would have been better if the break up had been about following dreams and not fear. I did however love the main couple and the twist of Dalja's ex becoming her best friend was really lovely and fun.
Marry Me, Mary or Mary Stayed out all Night(Kdrama)- Mary's father is trying to force her into an arranged marriage. To get him to back off, she gets a lead singer from an indie rock band to fake a marriage with her. Her father, not to be deterred, says if she tries both relationships for 100 days he'll let her go with her choice. 9.5/10 This was a 10 up until the last two episodes. As with any romance there were misunderstandings and annoying side characters, but I loved the main three people in this and could legitimately see Mary falling for either of her husbands. It helps that both are really good guys. The last two eps all happen a bit too fast and are a bit too open ended. I would have liked a bit more closure. Also I could genuinely ship a thruple for this one. I wish the last half of the last episode had been more of the drama. There is something really endearing about the main couple that won me over very quickly. Also the bands music was stuck in my head for weeks afterwards.
Mr Queen (KDrama)- Head chef at the Blue House is framed for a crime. While running from the police he falls into a pool and hits his head. When he awakens, he is in the past in the body of a Queen of Joseon. What's a man to do? 9.5/10 I love everything in about this except for the last episode or two. It gets a bit weak. I like the show overall but for that ending to work I needed to see more of So-young's self coming through or have Jang Bong Hwan stay instead.
#kdrama#jdrama#cdrama#thirty but seventeen#emergency couple#the romance of tiger and rose#my girl 2020#noble boys#dalja's spring#Mary Stayed Out All Night#Mr. Queen
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