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silyabeeodess · 4 years

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Final Thoughts on Tangled: The Series

Normally, I don’t do many reviews, but since I’ve given my thoughts on points in the series before, I feel compelled to address certain things in the series in a full list. As I’ve already brought up in the past, I very much have a love-hate relationship with the show. This is because it has both exceptionally amazing and exceptionally terrible points that I can’t just shrug off--in part, because I’m starting to see them everywhere in a lot of cartoons these days, especially with Disney. Expect me to go over both positive and negative points, and I’ve give my conclusion on the series as a whole last. There will be spoilers, so if you haven’t watched it in full yet, please do so before checking out the cut below.

Characters

As far as building up a lot of the characters go, I think most of them are really well-developed. From a main character like Varian to minor figures like Captain Quaid, the creators seemed to have a good grasp of fleshing them out even when if they had a limited time to do so. It helped the world of Tangled feel expansive and real, with even many of the background characters having their own identity and personalities: We didn’t need their life stories to make them stand out in our minds and they weren’t treated like a choir group used to only fill up space, which can be an easy pitfall when they’re showcased with notable importance to the story. (Moana, I’m looking at you.)

My issues with the characters largely fall on a case-by-case basis--which will be brought up further below--but there is one general point that did wear on my nerves, and that’s with many of them having what I’d like to call “selective competence.” By this, I mean that the strengths of the characters seemed to shift depending on whatever narrative the team wanted to tell. One of the biggest examples of this is King Edmund: We’re introduced to him as a skilled fighter and fierce protector that could match up against not only the members of the Brotherhood like Adira because he trained them himself, but also while simultaneously holding his own for a time against Rapunzel and her friends--however, when he started being used for mostly comedy relief, he couldn’t even defend himself against the Stabbington Brothers who the group has already beaten multiple times over. For crying out loud, they let him know they were there! In no way do I think characters need some kind of point system to mark how strong they are--this is a story, not a tabletop RPG--but at the same time there’s needs to be better consistency and planning. For the point I mentioned with King Edmund, an easy fix would’ve been a sneak attack that knocked him out before he had the chance to react by making him so consumed with the thought of losing his son in that moment that he wasn’t as aware of his surroundings as normal. At least then there’d be an excuse! This happens repeatedly throughout the series and with multiple characters though that it’s far from a slip up.

Another general that focuses more on the girls is the power dynamic. Look, I’m all for strong women, but not at the sacrifice of things like story or characters, and the show made a bad habit of leaning into that with their selective competence. Think I’m wrong? Ok, then explain this to me: How do you have two famed criminals with a known record throughout multiple kingdoms act like bumbling idiots who constantly either cause problems for the group with typically someone like Raps, Cass, or Adira having to get them out of that situation? And if that wasn’t obvious enough, you have Adira’s little “I don’t get why they named it the Brotherhood because I’m a woman” statement that couldn’t be more on the nose.

You know what? I’m gonna go ahead and get to Adira despite her being a more minor character because I couldn’t stand her. Most of the time when she showed up, I wanted to roll my eyes into the back of my skull because the primary reason she exists is to be a “strong woman who don’t need no man,” which, to be frank, we already have in spades in this show with much better characters. She’s not impressive or a good role model for young girls: She’s an obnoxious token--and in more ways than one. For no point whatsoever, she kept disappearing and reappearing in and out of episodes throughout S2 whenever the creators decided to use her--even though the audience is well aware she’s following the group and nothing seems to be stopping her from sticking by them. They were shown fine with her travelling at their side on multiple occasions, so what was the need to have her vanish off and on when we know she’s just keeping up with them in the shadows anyhow? To top that off, she insists on being needlessly mysterious just for the sake of it despite her sharing similar goals with Raps and the group. It would’ve been one thing had she just kept the potential danger of the moonstone’s affects on Raps a secret: The best lies are told with a bit of truth and it would’ve set up the mysterious angle of her much better. Better anyway than her helping them one minute and then beating them up in the next because she “doesn’t like to be touched.” It got to the point where I didn’t care whether or not she could be trusted: I just wanted her offscreen.

Going back to something positive for a moment though, Raps and Eugene are easily the best in the series (Or at least when they’re alone together, I have notes on both....) I’m not talking about the romance between them--although that was really well done: I’m talking about how they bounced off of each other. There’s something to be said about people who are willing to grow beside each other, and that growth shines in their relationship. If one of them falters, the other is there to not only pick up the slack, but help pull the first back onto their feet. Both Raps and Eugene have their highs and lows throughout the series and they’re willing to call the other back to earth and be their support when things go too far. The power dynamic issue I mentioned earlier? I never see it with them. They’re both balanced and match to each other’s strengths/weaknesses. Neither of them is a vision of perfection, a knight in shining armor, or a damsel in distress: They’re two people who work in tandem to get through the hard times and simply enjoy the good ones together.

Since I already wrote a large post discussing Raps and Cassandra, I’m going to link to that here. For Cassandra though, I can summarize my thoughts on what they did to her character in one word: Butchered. For both Seasons 1 and 2, the set-up for her was great, but everything after that was mostly an abysmal fall from grace. They focused too much on her being jealous of Raps and upset over Gothel and ignored all of the problems that had sprung up in their friendship--such as Raps pushing her to the side just as much as anyone else and taking advantage of her friendship. And then she literally had to ask herself, “Wait... am I the bad guy?” for her to consider that her actions may be unjustified. Even after that, she immediately jumps back into her “villain” mode when Varian accidentally fired at her and blaming Raps--who’s just standing there--all while knowing ahead of time that Raps signed the decree for the weapon and having already excused it. I saw glimmers of potential in the finale, but honestly, they fumbled and tripped so much with Cass that, even while satisfied with the conclusion to her arc, I’d far from call it a success.

Lance... This character just screams of missed opportunities. They gave him a great background to go with Eugene’s as these two best friends leaving a life of crime behind to each find their place in the world and then proceeded to make him the butt of a joke just about every second he was onscreen. I can’t even think of a genuine character trait he had: I just look at him and see Tangled’s version of Olaf. At least the end where he adopts Angry and Catalina was sweet, but even that felt lacking because all we got out of them were dumb jokes. We see them together, but hardly in a way that would establish a parent-child bond; more like two siblings outwitting their dim babysitter. The creators just could’ve handled him so much better, giving him and Eugene/Angry/Catalina more sincere interactions or letting him have a couple of moments to show what skills he brings to the group. They already had Shorty and used comedy among all of the characters anyway, so what was the point of making Lance a walking punchline?

As for Eugene, I don’t have much to say beyond the points where they just made him out to be a moron like they did with Lance. I actually really like how they developed them: How, personality wise, he never felt the need to change himself for anyone--he was confident in himself--but nevertheless struggled to find his own identity because of his past, family legacy, and whatever other revelations he came across in the present. It was an interesting journey, watching him find himself.

For all the bad I had to say regarding Raps in the post I listed earlier, I will admit as well that she does have some positive aspects. I liked how her character arc focused on the importance of personal freedom while balancing it with the moral choice of accepting one’s duty to others. For a time, she’s not ready to rule Corona due to her lack of knowledge/experience and never having the chance to discover what she needed in her own life. However, she doesn’t use it as an excuse to shirk away from her responsibilities. She accepts her duty to her kingdom and her people--and even to Eugene to an extent since she does love him and knows it’s unfair if she made him wait forever at her side--but she’s not willing to throw away her own happiness by rushing forward to fulfill them. It’s a balance that’s easy to struggle with, if not to the same degree as a princess, whether from a basic work/life or group/individual scenario or if you’re, for example, a young person rushed from one phase of their life to the next with certain expectations. The cherry on top is that she’s also a person struggling with her own maturity in the meantime, going from careless in some situations to a voice of reason later down the road.

Overall, Zhan Tiri was a pretty good villain, particularly because she was actually, well, an honest villain. After years of show after show, movie after movie, constantly being compelled to give their bad guys some sob story that hardly ever makes up for their actions, we’re finally back to getting to villains we love to hate. While I wouldn’t place her on the top tier, she’s still well done overall. I don’t like her more powerful forms that much--they just don’t seem to have the best designs--but the child form was great. The team found a good balance of conniving and creepy with her look. My main complaint is that she can’t learn to shut up. Now, it’s not the monologuing or even her spilling her own plans that I don’t like. Yes, it’s a trope for villains; however, it’s often used to showcase their arrogance; give the audience some more information about what’s going on in a simple, but effective way; and typically done when either the hero is at their weakest or when the villain is alone/with other villains. The problem is Zhan Tiri’s timing. It would be one thing if she monologued when Raps was at her weakest: Instead, she decides to reveal her identity and intentions to Raps well before her plans could succeed, therefore putting them at risk. Had she not outright said “I’m playing Cass,” Cass’s morality would be placed in a more questionable eye by Raps and the others--further encouraging the conflict between the two young woman, which was what the demon wanted. Her explaining that to Raps was just dumb.

Music

I have no complaints. Whoever is behind this, bravo: You made gold.

I’d dare argue that the bulk of the songs could easily be any number that you’d hear on a successful Broadway track. They're memorable, catchy, and tailor-made to perfectly fit in their respective scenes. Everyone involved seemed to put their heart into the music, making many of them extremely powerful pieces. The dialogue also meshes really well with the music, allowing the songs to flow naturally in and out of the scenes. The only time where I’d say it doesn’t quite work would be in Through it All, but considering that the scene makes a point of joking about the musical elements of the series prior to that, you’re supposed to be aware of how unnatural it is, which can give it a charm of its own.

Art and Animation

Again, for the art, no complaints. Aside from some minor nitpicks that I’d shrug off--and I mean really minor, like a bird for the beginning of one episode that was huge in comparison to a second flying close to it--it’s beautiful. The style has a strong, painter-like quality that fits with the concept of this being Rapunzel’s story, matching to her--of course--being an artist. You have these bold, beautiful colors and the team wasn’t afraid of letting them shine at their best, like in scenes such as when Rapunzel and Cassandra are fighting as the sundrop and moonstone. There were so many nice contrasts that directed one’s focus perfectly on what the creators wanted you to see and that also made for rich, impressive moments in the show.

As for more subtle details, one that I particularly liked were some of the gradients and the way they’re applied, such as the blush to Rapunzel’s face. There’s something about that soft speckle around the edges that’s really satisfying, and--when comparing Rapunzel’s design to the flatter skin tone on most of the other characters--it gives her a warm glow that helps solidify her as the physical embodiement of the sundrop.

The animation is also super solid, and any critiques I have on it largely fall to things I think probably had more to do with the script than the animation itself. For example, there’s the moment when Cass and Raps are fighting in Gothel’s house where Cass ties Raps hair around a pole, in the next moment it’s off the pole and Raps smacks her with it, and then it’s immediately wrapped around the pole again with Raps trying to unravel it. It’s a pretty obvious and careless mistake to make--especially when you see how wonderfully choreographed a lot of the series is with dynamic camera shots that move fluidity with the characters. What makes me think it’s more of a script-based problem is that there are similar inconsistencies that happen elsewhere and--while animated beautifully--don’t make much sense. One example of this is in the finale, where Cass is dying. I tried re-watching the scene and checking the wikia to see how she got a fatal injury in case I missed something, but no: It’s never shown. It’s like the team decided to have her dying just so Raps could say the healing incantation one final time. If you want to excuse it, you could say it had to do with the moonstone, but then you’d also have to explain how neither of the girls showcase any physical weaknesses aside from their loss of powers when Zhan Tiri takes both of their respective gems. Which leads me to...

Writing

This is the hardest for me to discuss because so much of it is either really, really good or really, really bad. I guess to start, I’ll bring up a problem that I noticed mimicked another show, Star Vs. the Forces of Evil. Similarly to SVTFOE, the last season didn’t focus enough on the main plot to properly flesh it out--albeit, SVTFOE was much worse than Tangled: The Series could ever fear being. A lot of people try to blame this on “Well, it’s the last season: It’s all they’ve got left to tell the story in.” Ok... Well, yeah, we can talk about how Disney and other companies stink at just letting creators tell a good story in the time they need to in another discussion, but here’s the thing: The teams know well in advance how many episodes they have to work with. Unfortunately, they wasted some of those episodes. Did we really need to see Catalina as a werewolf? Did we really need Pascal to befriend a dragon? Even in the finale, with the more minor characters’ stumble into the Lost Realm, what was the point of it besides humor and getting them out of the way for a bit? I’d understand if they were episodes for lightening the mood, but they already put so much comedy relief in with the main plot that that isn’t necessary: The mood’s already light enough and there’s just not much time to waste on random filler. Again, filler isn’t a problem in itself either: You can have it, just don’t let it sacrifice main points that the show should address. One way to have gotten around this was to use more of a two-plot structure with some of these episodes: Plot A would focus on whatever fun the team wanted to have while Plot B could sprinkle in bits of information that the audience will need later for the main story--or they could even have done that with just a small scene to nudge some info in after the episode was done and before the credits rolled.

I’d like to bring up some of the points that I thought could’ve been covered better. First off, the whole “destiny” thing. Well, we get what all signs Raps’ destiny is pointing to, but as often as it was brought up for Cass, they hardly explained what she wanted after taking the moonstone. What was her plan? Initially, she didn’t want to attack/take over Corona. Sure, they tried saying she didn’t want to be anyone’s second, but everyone was going to hate her for taking the moonstone in the first place, so... good work there: I don’t think Cass would be stupid enough not to realize people wouldn’t think highly of her for it despite what the show tried to tell us. They even missed the chance for some friction between Cass and Eugene after the latter was made the Captain of the Guard: Come on, you know that would’ve set her off! Even the show questions this by Raps asking Cass what her end goal was in, I guess, the creators’ attempt at patching their mistake too little too late.

Then there was the oh-so-important eclipse that we’re told nothing about until it gets here... besides that fact that it’s an eclipse. The way the team tried to build it up through Zhan Tiri, you would’ve thought it was some cosmic magic on level with Avatar’s Sozin’s Comet. From what we could tell though, no, it’s just a normal eclipse. That’s fine, but then why not explain more about it when everything else involving the sun and moon was amplified to some magical involvement?

Thirdly, they brought the death incantation back: You know, that spell Raps was stupid enough to think she could control and then somehow randomly did for Varian because plot device despite it later being rendered pointless when the black rocks are then shown to be able to pierce through the amber just fine in S3, so Raps could’ve used those to save Varian’s father instead back when she had control of them? That death incantation? Yeah, suddenly it’s a bad thing again. I could probably write a whole other post on these types of goofs alone, but I’ve been writing this for hours now and I’m almost to the end of it.

To wrap up this section, I will, however, admit that I liked some of the little things they included and would bring up later: I just wish they had done it more. This is a method I call breadcrumb storytelling, in which a creator--for a specific moment--gives attention to something small that inevitably has a solid payback, often with the audience forgetting about it for a period only to resurface in their mind at the reveal. One major point I’m talking about here was the use of the Moonstone shard. Like many others, I actually did think they were going to show it as a sign of Cass’s slow destruction--that the Moonstone was a physical part of her and that by destroying it or overusing its power, it would inevitable destroy her as well. It was a pleasant surprise to see the shard used as the key to defeating Zhan Tiri, and just how it was used.

Conclusion

So, did I like the series overall or not...? Eh... I still find myself going back and forth on it. What I hate about it, I hate with a passion, but the good parts that are there genuinely moved me. The things that worked wrapped up nicely and it was nice, but bittersweet to see the characters get their happy ending because it did feel pretty earned and you do feel sad to say goodbye to these people and this world you’ve become familiar with. So I wouldn’t call it bad: I’d compare it to car that got totaled in a wreck and still somehow managed to flawlessly parallel park without any casualties after it flipped across the street. It’s a mess, but I can still smile at it by the end of the day.

#tangled #tangled the series #rapunzel #disney #tv show #cartoon

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chrome-blade · 6 years

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Sofia The First: Season Five Ideas

This post is a little later than I would have liked, but this is just a rundown of ideas and scenarios I would have loved to see played out had there been a fifth season of Sofia The First.

There was just... SO MUCH POTENTIAL that wasn’t taken advantage of! So many storylines that could have been explored further. So many characters that we could’ve dug deeper into, given more screen time and gotten to know better.

So, I’m going to share my ideas. Anyone who wants to add on, please do so. I really want to write more on some of these characters and I have a few OC’s and headcannons (some of which will be mentioned here).

Here we go with the list.

The Order of the Wand

I think we can ALL AGREE that the Order of the Wand was TRAGICALLY underused. I mean, Grimtrix gets all these sorcerers together to overthrow their respective kingdoms and basically become High King over them all and it’s JUST. One. EPISODE.

I mean, COME ON!

THIS, more than anything, had the potential to become SO MUCH BIGGER than just ‘Day of the Sorcerers’. The whole season could have had them as an underlying threat in contrast - or even in conjunction- with Prisma and her hunt for the Wicked Nine. Grimtrix would have made an excellent competition for Prisma; possibly even tried to persuade them to join up and help each other.

For Season Five, I could easily see Grimtrix either getting out of prison himself or being broken out of prison and promise revenge on Cedric -whom he’s FURIOUS to learn is a great hero now- and Princess Sofia.

This would tie into my other plot idea...

The Wicked Nine

Of ALL THE PLOT POINTS and potential for something bigger, THIS is the one that really screams ‘WASTED!’ To me. I mean, you have ALL THESE MAGICAL OBJECTS, all belonging to the MOST VILE, depraved and sinister villains to exist... and DON’T USE THEM? Sure, we saw Grimhilda’s Crown, but that was once and what about the rest of them? What about her heart box? (That is some SCARY ASS potential there with that. I’m thinking that she doesn’t physically take your heart, but takes your soul and traps it inside and she can take possession of your body. Talk about nightmare fuel.)

My idea? Season Five sees every one of these villains resurrected as a result of Vor. (Don’t ask me how). They’re confused AF, but they don’t care. They’re alive, kicking and want to raise as much trouble as possible. They get out of the Mystic Isles while all the confusion with Vor is going on and the Protectors don’t notice until later. Needless to say, the three Good Faries are FURIOUS and scared of all the trouble they KNOW Maleficent will bring. So now there’s THIS worry on top of the Order of the Wand. Who team up with the Wicked Nine. Nice.

I’m just trying to picture all the banter and potential for conflict, rivalries and the like between these villains. The potential is just too insane and even hilarious. Example, Dr. Facilier gets along well with Gothel and eventually Greylock. Lady Tremain considers them so BASE and associates with them as little as possible, preferring the company of Queen Grimhilda and possibly Jafar, who understand how ‘the rabble’ can be. Shan Yu gets along well with Mor’du, which is no surprise given their love of bloodshed. Only Shan Yu is calculating and planned. Mor’du’s is naturally random and without warning. Shan Yu is the only one who can keep him in line and assures that he gets fresh kill.

Grimtrix is reluctant at first, but decides to join up as long as he can get back at Cedric, the sorcerer who turned on him for the friendship of a princess.

Prisma

This is a character that, despite being crucial to the storyline of season four, was woefully under explored as a character. She was someone I actually felt truly sorry for in regards to her motivations, even though her actions were wrong. As we saw with Cedric, being in the shadow of someone like a parent is no easy thing. In the shadow of a sibling? That had to have been a nightmare. I can’t help but feel we really missed out on exploring the culture of the Mystic Isles when it comes to things like being what and who you are. Watching ‘Undercover Faries’ gives me an idea of what it must have been like for Prisma. Only MUCH worse.

My problem lies with how her resolution was handled; I was SO GLAD to see her express remorse and accept responsibility for her actions. I honestly saw it coming. But my problem is, there was very little exploration into her background to give that apology more weight and meaning. If you’re going to make a character remorseful at the end, you need to give them a little more substance to them to make that apology feel more ‘real’. I wanted to look more into who Prisma was and who she is. What happened that made her snap and try to cover the Mystic Isles with crystals? What made her crystals ‘subpar’ in the first place? Were they or did they have properties that no one thought to explore that haven’t been seen in crystals either before or in a very long time?

In season five, I would love for Prisma to get a shot at redemption. (Remorse is not redemption . It just opens up the potential for redemption). How she would obtain it would be hard but I have a few ideas there. Also explore her family background and how Crystallar culture functions.

Her relationship with Azurine would be explored in depth more. Were they always like this or were they, like Cedric and Cordelia, closer as children? At least before people started going to Azurine for crystals and pass Prisma over? I think Prisma would want to apologize to her sister, but it would be hard for her and Azurine? I think she’d want to but they would have a LOT to talk about.

Prisma’s primary motivation for gaining power for herself was to gain love for herself. Her sister, it appears, got all the love and appreciation growing up in part due to her prowess as a Crystal Master. She saw her sister being loved like that and wanted to be loved, too. But because she was dismissed with her crystals deemed as inferior in comparison, she saw her sister as competition. I have to really question where their parents were. Which brings me to...

Prisma’s parents: my headcannon is her mother was a narcissist. She treated her children like gold until their Crystal powers became clear. With Azurine, her affection intensified. With Prisma, she became distant and made a point of showing her where she stood in not just Crystal Master society, but in her eyes. She’s a combination of Gothel and Tremain but even worse, in some respects. She dressed Azurine in bright colors ‘appropriate for a TRUE Crystal Master’ and forced Prisma to wear drab colors like brown. Telling her that it wouldn’t suit Prisma to wear bright colors like blue. It was a way of telling her that she was ‘dirt’ compared to the ‘sun’ that was her sister.

Prisma’s crystals aren’t subpar but have a power that hasn’t been utilized or even seen in crystals. At least, nothing seen as useful. But it is. Figuring it out would be part of how she helps Sofia and the Protectors stop the OotW and the W9.

Prisma ends up in Enchancia under the charge of Cedric, who is reluctant but is willing to try given his own history

Prisma is naturally unsure and doesn’t know where she fits as she tries to make friends and fails at first. She eventually befriends Lucinda and meets her mother Marla, who is happy to talk to her and offer guidance. They become BFF’s. This scares Cedric (in a funny way)

At some point, she finds a baby barn owl and cares for it in secret because she doesn’t know how people will react. Sofia finds out and promises to keep her a secret because it’s clear Prisma loves her pet and is glad to see Prisma opening her heart.

Wormwood and Twitch

Let’s face it; the series wouldn’t be complete without these two. I could easily see them escaping the Protectors Tower and ending up with the Wicked Nine. Wormwood would be utterly taken by Maleficent, who would gladly accept him. Twitch would be useful and we could explore his own background more. These two would bicker, but be seen as useful.

Wormwood has extensive knowledge of everything involving the Royal Family of Enchancia that could easily be used to the advantage of their enemies. Secret entrances and ways to get in and out of the castle unnoticed. Including a few secrets of the Royal Family and Cedric, of course that could be useful.

Cedric

Now known as ‘Cedric the Great’, his reputation has skyrocketed and he’s now loved and respected across the kingdom. His confidence is up there and he’s pretty happy.

Which leads to the eventual offers of courtship from women, mostly sorceresses of important families. He’s flattered, elated and overwhelmed. Eventually, the attention gets to be too much and before long, he’s hiding in his tower again and has to be persuaded out.

Cedric is going to help Sofia, naturally and is going to be involved with helping stop the bad guys. He is understandably wary of Prisma, but is reminded by Sofia how HE once was, so he helps her find her footing and they slowly gain each other’s trust and by and by, become friends.

Wow, that’s a lot...

I would LOVE to see what you all would want from a season five from Sofia the First. Please share your ideas! I’d love to hear them! I’d love for this to be a project of sorts.

#sofia the fandom #sofia the first #headcannon #characters

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