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calliecat93 · 5 years ago

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Top 5 Things That I Liked About RvB: Singularity

(Top 5 Dislikes Post Link)

Being negative sucks. A lot. I always hate typing the Dislikes post. It helps me vent, but I just hate talking about the bad stuff. But there were things that I felt were worth talking about, so I did it. Good news though? It’s now out of the way! So now we can talk about the Top 5 Things I Liked About RvB Singularity! Hooray!

As I said, I don’t think that RvB17 is as good as 16 or even 15. But it’s still a good season. It had a lot of things that I enjoyed and still enjoyed during the rewatch. While it is important to note how a season failed, it’s just as important to note how it succeeded. You want to remember what went right so that you don’t lose sight of what made it enjoyable and continue to make it better. As such, this is what I liked about the season! And again, just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt.

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#5. Pacing Improvements

My biggest problem with both S15 and 16 where their pacing. S15 was a one-shot season, and as such was very rushed even with a 21 episode count. S16 started very quickly and kicked the plot off within two episodes… but doesn't really delve back into it until Episode 13, eleven episodes later. I still love both seasons for what they had and I do think that S16 had a good reason for being slower, but to say that it turned fans off is an understatement. It was a huge issue and clearly one that needed to be fixed.

S17 did much better in this regard. Despite me listing the episode count as the thing I disliked most, it DOES have the advantage of not having to add as much filler/padding and being able to focus on what needs it. The first half of the season was by far the best. It got into the plot quickly. But it never felt rushed or like it was over-compensating. The build-up from S16 did enough that there was no need to drag out anything. We could leap right in and get to the parts that we wanted to see. As such, I felt engaged with each episode and each episode always provided something new and exciting. Even with my feelings about the second half, I never got bored and the episodes still continued to provide something new and unexpected. It’s a sign of good writing which I thought that Jason did well with, especially considering he had to take over in the middle of a story when Joe walked. Miles was there too and we know that he’s good, but it was Jason mainly, and he did fantastic.

Ultimately, due to the pacing, the season accomplished what it set out to do. It was a fun, if mind-breaking, time travel story. It had Donut become a more three-dimensional character. It had Wash and Carolina reconcile and accept what had to be done. And all without feeling like it was taking too long or like it was cramming in too much… aside from Episodes 7 and 8. Which is why it’s at Number 5, the pacing DID go back to feeling rushed and crammed in the second half ala S15. Only this time, they crammed it into six episodes instead of 21. As such, while I was still entertained and the writing and emotions were still solid, the second half is weaker and much more frustrating as a result. Still, it was a marked improvement and I can’t say that I was ever bored or disengaged. So credit where credit is due!

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#4. The Labyrinth/character insights

I LOVE The Labyrinth! Ever since it was mentioned in S16, I was excited for it, and it did not disappoint! It is, essentially, an angst machine. When you are stuck in it, it tortures you with all of your fears, doubts, guilt. Worst, it adapts and learns, so even if you get past one scenario, it’ll just find something else. The way that it attacks can also differ. Sometimes it makes you face your past self. Sometime sit plays on your insecurities. Sometimes it gives you what you wish for, but with a dark twist. Whatever it can do to make you suffer to the point that you fall into the Black Hole, whether by choice or forced into it, it’ll do.

This concept is frekain’ fantastic. I love it! So why is it at Number 4? Well, first of all, we only get two episodes of it. Which don’t get me wrong, I loved what we got. Some were pretty straightforward and obvious, like Tucker and Wash’s scenarios. I didn’t agree with all of them, which is another reason why it’s Number 4. Grif’s, while I got over it, I think could have been much stronger, Tucker’s while not bad I think needed something more fitting, and Simmons… well, we all know how I feel about that one. Also not sure why Doc and Donut weren’t affected at all aside from timing dictating that they couldn’t go into it. Honestly, I think that The Labyrinth should have been the main setting and had everyone trapped in their worst scenario or memory instead of The Everwhen. But that’s just me. But yeah, I feel that it wasn't used to its full potential and not all of the scenarios were ideal, so it’s at Number Four.

That being said, I did enjoy what we got. My two favorites were Sarge’s and Carolina's. Sarge’s was still humorous, but also insightful. He hated the desk job one and wanted something more bloody and war-like. He got his wish, and immediately regretted it. He can't handle civilian life, but he can’t handle true brutal war either. I don’t get how they managed to do the ‘funny but insightful’ thing correctly with Sarge but dropped the ball so badly with Simmons, but whatever. It was really great. And Carolina’s… do I need to elaborate on it? We see her confronting the manifestation of her hate and guilt. It tries to break her down, but Carolina fights back. She has her friends. She found a new family, and she won’t let the ghosts of the past haunt her anymore. It was fantastic and shows just how far Carolina has come… and hopefully, it ended her constant guilt trips for sure. Seriously, please give Carolina something happy next season. She’s earned it. And The AVatar himself was enjoyable despite his brief screentime. I liked him!

There is one more scenario that I want to get into, but… how about we go to the next number for that one?

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#3. Kaikaina’s Labyrinth/Grif Sibs Moment

If you read my Dislikes post, you know that I was NOT happy about how Grif was handled. Heck, ‘not happy’ is probably an understatement. But I also said that the finale DID make me happy. Now I’ve already talked about how I feel about Grif regarding this scene and the retcon about him enlisting over being drafted. Long story short, I like this better and it makes sense for his character, especially when you look back at S15. It still doesn't excuse how the rest of the season handled him, but they got it right here and I like to give credit when it’s due. You can read this post to see more of my thoughts, but yeah I loved it then and I still love it now.

So instead, let's talk about Kaikaina. Boy, have I had a rollercoaster journey with her. I went from finding her utterly pointless in Blood Gulch, to loving her with all my heart in S16 and this season. She existed essentially to have more sex jokes, but Joe and Jason managed to take her and make her so much more. She’s still sex-crazed and foul-mouthed, but she’s also a successful businesswoman who is confident, happy with who she is, and has a good level of emotional maturity. It’s why I loved her and Tucker last season and why I LOVED it when she told off Tucker (no matter what you think of Tucker in that season, he had it coming). S17 even had her actually referred to by her actual name and not just ‘Sister’, which I greatly appreciate.

Point is, these past two seasons did an amazing job at making Kai a character in her own right and like a true member of the BGC. And when it comes to her Labyrinth, it adds so much more. We often focus on Grif’s side of things… but think about poor Kai. Her dad is out of the picture, her mom was too busy despite favoriting her over Grif, she had to be raised by an older brother who probably wasn't fit to care for a young girl despite trying his damnest, and honestly she probably was left to fend for herself a great deal. Then when Grif went to college and them ‘was drafted’, she was even more alone with an irresponsible mother who decided that trusting a teenage girl with changing a smoke alarm was a great idea. How the fire started, whether Kai did it on accident or it was just bad luck, is up in the air but it happened and poor Kai blamed herself for it. She lost her home. Her mother had to live in a trailer park, which she clearly feels terrible about. Her brother wasn't there to comfort or help her. She was utterly alone. I mean remember, she enlisted just because she wanted to be with her brother again. The one good person in her life… and even then not only did he tell her to leave, but she got shafted off to the opposite team by him. Even if it was for her own safety, that had to hurt.

The Labyrinth really helped to show that side of Kai. The more vulnerable side that we hadn’t seen yet. She sounds much more like a child when she sadly recalls what happened to Grif. Which we then realize her actual fear, her brother hating her. The brother that she went into space to find and be with and who she loved unconditionally, even when she was left alone on Blood Gulch, blamed and hated her. It’s why Grif knocking the Avatar out was so satisfying, as well as him confessing. Kai had every right to be angry at him, and going off her ’Hey, you left!” comment, there is clearly some bitterness there. But even then, she loves her brother. She forgives him. I can imagine her yelling at him later when they do eventually talk, and she has every right to. Still, it’s a super sweet moment that does a lot for both characters. I mean Grif’s first instinct when Donut explained the situation was to go and find Kai out of fear for her safety. I’m a sucker for sibling stories, and they nailed it here.

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#2. Wash and Carolina Plotline

Now, as I’ve said in other posts, I’m not a huge Freelancer fan. And tbh, I was pretty happy that Wash and Carolina were more lowkey in the past two seasons because every since their respective intros, everything more or less revolved around them. That being said, the development of Wash having cerebral hypoxia due to the bullet wound and Carolina’s actions after really did appeal to me both for personal reasons and because it was a new angle within the story. The ending with them in S16, where Wash was angry at Carolina for lying to him and her being so desperate to make it right that she and the others broke time, was dramatic and made it clear that there was a lot between them that S17 was going to have to work through.

And they did it perfectly.

Wash’s anger at Carolina is 100% understandable. He had /brain damage/ and was lied to about it by his closest friend. But it’s not like Carolina did it out of maliciousness. She did it out of fear of Wash thinking that he was broken and didn’t want him to be hurt. It was still wrong, but it’s easy to see why she went down that route and sympathize with her. With both of them. And neither one are portrayed as right or wrong in their actions. Yes, Carolina made a HUGE mistake and deciding to save him did much more harm than good. But she did it because she loved Wash (imo platonically) and she wanted to spare him of any more pain and misery, no matter the consequence. Wash had every right to be angry at Carolina for lying, but it wasn’t good to hold onto that anger nor be unwilling to ever forgive Carolina without taking her side of it into account.

This is what made the first half so strong. Despite what happened, Wash is still willing to save Carolina and the others. Despite obviously not wanting to be brain-damaged, he knows that time being fixed was more important and he’s willing to make that sacrifice. And as much as I’m tired of the ‘Carolina did something horrible and feels guilty about it’ plot that the writers just LOVE to use (I get that the pst has consequences, but it’s gotten old), it worked for this story and you do truly feel that Carolina had nothing but good intentions and cares deeply about Wash. I mean chances are, she’s still learning how to properly handle personal situations like this, something that facing her past self in the Labyrinth I think helped highlight. Even now, her past still haunted her, and now she’s finally realized that she isn’t that person anymore, has a new family to fight for, and pushing the past away for good.

And going back to Wash, I’ve seen some people unhappy with the show deciding to keep his brain damage. I have to disagree. For one, if you’re going to do a story like this, don’t chicken out. Second… why is this a bad thing? I think that S17 perfectly demonstrated that Wash is NOT a broken man. Sure, at that time his brain damage was temporarily averted, but he showed that he’s still a strong character. He’s a good leader, a smart fighter, cares for his team and will do whatever it takes to protect them, and he perfectly held his own throughout the entire fiasco. Yes, he’s going to struggle. A lot. He knows it. But he’s still Wash. He’s still capable of being the person that he’s grown to be, just with a little more help. That is not at all a bad thing. He can get through this. Will it be easy? Hell no. But after all the other bullshit that he’s been through, I think that he proved that he can pull through it. Honestly, I respect him much more as a character now than I ever did before, and as long as they treat his condition respectfully, he will be fine going forward.

This story really showed how much that Wash and Carolina have grown since everything with Freelancer wrapped up, as well as how much their relationship as grown. I don’t ship them, but it’s clear that there is a strong trust and love between them after all that they went through and this story tested that. Even when amnesic, Carolina trusted Wash and didn’t question it despite she herself pointing out that she shouldn’t be feeling that way. Wash ultimately decides to forgive Carolina and put his trust in her again, even pulling her aside to talk to her about what has to happen and how he’s accepted it. There are certainly still going to be struggles as Wash still has to deal with his cerebral hypoxia and all the consequences that come with it. S18 is probably NOT going to be fun for him. But this time, he has proper support and this time, Carolina will be honest and help him through it. And while I hope that other characters are given some spotlight, I’m excited to see what’s in store for these two in the future.

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Honorable Mentions

These are things that I enjoyed, but I either don’t have a lot to say or weren’t as important as other things.

Machinima: Very well directed, especially considering how many different Halo’s that they had to use. Josh and Austin nailed it.

Animation: Good as always, even if more sparse

Voice Acting: Amazing as always with special mention to Dan Godwin, Shannon McCormick, Jen Brown, Ricco Fajardo, and Lee Eddy.

Huggins Lives: While I hate how they treated her character, I’m still happy that this ball of sunshine is alive and well.

Caboose Beating Up Genkins: So, SOOOO satisfying!

Carolina vs Carolina: Such a badass fight! Didn’t find it as good as the Donut vs O’Malley fight last year, but it was still freakin’ awesome and I loved it!

Tucker in Episode 9: While I strongly disagree that Tucker was poorly done in S16 and I personally don’t think that this was necessary, it’s still a nice scene that brings it all back around and has Tucker remember what being a leader truly means.

Memory Lane: It was nice to see some of the old moments again. I may hate nostalgia banking, but they did it better than most and it had a purpose, so I’m good with it!

The Villains: Genkins was such a delightfully vile but fun villain and I hate yet love him so much! Same with Chrovos, who was such a boastful and over-dramatic but charismatic villain. Plus Lee Eddy. Loved them and while it still hurts my brain, the finale twist was superb.

Funeral Cannon: Enough said.

Okay, I think that’s it. Now we can move onto Number One. And from the moment that I began planning these lists out, I knew that this was going to be at the top. So without further ado!

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#1. Donut FINALLY Became A Character

If you read my Top 5 Things I Liked About RvB: The Shisno Paradox, you recall that I said that Donut used to be my least favorite among the Reds and Blues because, imo, he served no purpose up to that point. Then S16 happened, and i FINALLY began to see value in his character again and he shot up multiple spots. I knew that S17 was probably going to address more with him since S16 was more of a build up… and holy shit, they exceeded my expectations.

Donut finally got to show how good of a character that he can be. He realized his flaws, like his innuendo spewing and how he can’t get anyone to listen to him. He showed some of the early competency he demonstrated in Blood Gulch and how when actually given the chance, he can be smart and useful. He also displays a huge amount of emotional maturity with how he pointed out to Wash that Carolina literally broke time for him and how despite being angry at the Reds and Blues for treating him like garbage over the years, he still puts the mission first and doesn't allow the anger to control him. The only time that he lets it overcome him in Episode 7… and he had VERY good reason to since Sarge was threatening to execute him (aka being a HUGE hypocrite /points to S15/) and was overall still being disrespected despite going through time to save them all. His rant at them was very much warranted and years in the making and as someone who has felt disrespected and ignored by my friends and family, it felt SO cathartic.

Joe clearly wanted to give Donut more attention in S16, especially since him being majorly underutilized was a big complaint about S15. He perfectly wrote up the blueprints, and Jason perfectly built the structure. I do have some concerns. Like the season had EVERYTHING revolve around Donut. Like the Reds and Blues were Damsels in Distresses for like… 90% of it and Donut had to keep saving them, and I don’t want that to keep being a thing. It’s pushing God Mode too much and Donut is still a flawed person who can still slip up, be TMI, and be a naive idiot. But we’ll have to see how S18 plays out… except… maybe not…

What do I mean? If you recall, at the end of S17 Donut decided to leave. Which you know what? Good. Not because I want him to go, but after all of this, he earned it. I’m still not convinced that the Reds and blues apology in Episode 8 was genuine because of how fast it was, plus Donut went through enough shit just for them. I think that him getting away for a while and worrying about himself for once is the perfect next step for his character and unlike the other times where Donut was gone, maybe we’ll actually get to see how the characters deal with it, especially after how this season went. Only time will tell, but I think that this was a good way to end Donut’s arc. IDK what they’ll do with him next or if we’ll be seeing him anytime soon, but for now? Good job writers!

Also, Donut embraced being Pink. Hell yes!

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S17 was one Hell of a season. A lot of its flaws frustrate me. Like… really frustrate me. But it still had a lot of good. It had good character development. It had good ideas. It was really funny and knew when to be emotional. It’d pacing… well, it wasn't perfect, but I’ve seen worse. And the characters, despite me having issues, still felt like the characters and I was still happy to see them all again. I’m still going through RvB withdrawal. 2020, hurry up!

So yeah, those are my Top 5 Things That I Liked About RvB: Singularity. A season that, despite the flaws, I still love. It was nice to revisit this one, even if it wasn’t that long ago. As I said, I have plans for what to do when S18 approaches since I did these posts earlier than normal. But we’ll worry about that then. For now, thank you all for reading! Catch you all later!

#rvb #rvb reviews

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