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grenadine-grenades · 2 months

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Korra's Upbringing

In the Legend of Korra I noticed that they only mention the way Korra was raised primarily in passing. Making remarks about how Korra grew up very isolated and not knowing anything about the outside world. It was always presented as ‘oh yeah the White Lotus never let me have friends my own age because I had to focus on training’ I think we just gloss over how traumatic Korra’s upbringing had to be.

When she goes to Republic City for the first time she immediately gets into trouble because she doesn't know you need money to buy things, she thinks everyone already knows she's the Avatar, and she basically doesn't know how the outside world works. It makes me wonder what the White Lotus was teaching her in the compound. Was she just focusing in on bending all the time? I'd assume that if you were going to isolate the Avatar from the rest of the world you'd at least keep them up on current events, political affairs, and teach them basic manners and customs in case of diplomatic meetings.

Along with the fact that no one knows or cares that Korra is the Avatar when she goes to Republic City. This could be explained by the fact that the Red Lotus tried to kidnap Korra when she was younger, but that would probably be world wide news considering that people know who the Red Lotus are. She'd also probably have to leave the compound at some point to give her opinion on world affairs when the time came to it.

What were the White Lotus's intentions with Korra? Were they going to let her out of the compound at some point or just make her stay only letting her leave when they decided that the Avatar's impute would be useful. It honestly comes up as a really messed up situation all around especially when you look at the way Korra acts around people.

She hasn't interacted with anyone her own age except maybe her cousins but Korra never really got along with them. It's why her relationships with Mako, Bolin, and Asami are so messy at first.

SHE. DOESN'T. KNOW. HOW. TO. INTERACT. WITH. PEOPLE!

I honestly think that the air of confidence that Korra puts on is something to compensate for the fact that she's an overall insecure and awkward teen girl. Like literally she thinks the first guy she likes is her soulmate.

Korra in the beginning

While I am one of Korra's biggest defenders I feel that Korra's upbringing largely informs why she is the way she is. When we first meet Korra she is a sheltered, hotheaded, and naive teenage girl who expects things to come easy to her. This makes her come off as spoiled and overzealous, jumping head first into the conflict with the equalists while only getting a surface level briefing of who they are and what they are trying to do (take away bending). Korra doesn't take the equalists that seriously thinking she can just hack and slash her way into stopping them, it's only until she is challenged then defeated by Amon does she really start being cautious.

Korra is at her best when she is challenged on a level other than purely physical fighting. While Korra is shown to be a strong fighter she is up against people who will kill her the second she shows any weakness. She doesn't hesitate but doesn't properly assess the situation she's in, like when she publicly challenged Amon she didn't truly realize how truly dangerous the threat she was up against was.

Korra really in the beginning a half-baked Avatar. She developed her own opinions on who the Avatar should be and it caused her fail again and again. It's only when she gets rid of the preconceived notions she had in her head is when she finally succeeds.

Later in the show she changes for the better becoming more calm in her approach to conflict. She’s still hotheaded but ends up learning from her mistakes.

#not me just airing out my opinions #tv review #legend of korra #this is just an incoherent mess #this is awful but enjoy #gonna end up adding more to this later

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tokyosmono · 11 months

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Ok, so, I watched the pilot for The Idol against my better judgment after reading the Rolling Stone article about it and reading the poor critic reviews.

It's just as gross and exploitative as people say. I felt physically grossed out by the leering, objectifying gaze of the camera. The Weeknd's alleged behind-the-scenes contributions to the "male perspective" of the show make the scenes between him and Lily Rose-Depp that much more nauseating.

The dialogue between Jocelyn's team the whole first thirty minutes felt like the thinly veiled airing out of Sam Levinson's grievances we got in Malcolm and Marie but put through a "cancel culture/anti-woke" meat grinder. "Mental illness is sexy" and locking an intimacy coordinator in a bathroom came off like Euphoria meta-commentary from Levinson.

I don’t care about nudity in movies/TV if it's done in a way that feels respectful of the actors. But the descriptions of the nudity in this show as "fetishistic" are spot-on. The sex scene at the end of the episode where Jocelyn is being suffocated and he sticks a knife through the silk made me feel weird and uncomfortable. The constant shots up Lily's skirt and in increasingly skimpy outfits for no reason in random scenes felt so on-the-nose for the reaction they're trying to get.

It's not revelatory or exciting. It's just repulsive and relying on shock and outrage for clicks.

Don't waste your time. Don't hate watch. I'm not interested in encouraging a deluded edgelord on a power trip with HBO dollars behind him.

#the idol #sam levinson #lily rose depp #the weeknd #hbo max #max #tv review #criticism #euphoria #malcolm and marie #discourse

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inspector-constable · 9 months

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Aziraphale and the Gray Area: Why is he like that though

Good omens season 2 spoilers ahead

One of the things religious trauma gave me is a strong sense of right vs. wrong. The idea that there is always a right way to do things or a right course of action, and to not do things that way is simply wrong. This is more than just feeling afraid of being punished for doing the wrong thing; it feels like part of my identity. I think of myself as a good person, so I want to do good things and I want to do the right thing. If I choose to do the wrong thing, I lose myself and I lose what I value in myself. Sometimes it’s a good thing to feel like this, it’s what led me away from a religion that preached hate. Sometimes it’s not such a good thing, because I can hurt people by trying to do the right thing, or by trying to put my personal sense of morals onto other peoples’ situations. I have been picking through my beliefs for over a decade trying to confront and dismantle the harmful ones. It’s a painful process and it takes a long, long time.

How much longer must it take for a literal angel, a servant of God? We have the pleasure of seeing this process in Aziraphale through the ages, and it’s a lot slower than fans want it to be. I think people see Aziraphale in his moments in the gray area - lying, disobeying orders, being a bastard, enjoying human food, and loving and trusting a demon - and they think that he must be just fine with being in the middle: mostly right, a bit wrong, very human. But that characterization oversimplifies and misses Aziraphale’s true nature.

The sense of justice and good vs. evil is central to who Aziraphale is. He is not just another angel following commands; he is doing what he truly thinks is right no matter what the consequences may be. He ends up being quite a bit more good and loving than any of the other angels we meet, because he isn’t okay with doing what he knows is wrong. He knows it innately, but also he knows it because of what he was taught. When you’re taught that hate and violence and greed is wrong, but then you see hate and violence and greed being perpetuated by your teachers, you start to wonder where that dividing line really is.

That’s where the gray area comes in. When Aziraphale gives away his sword, he’s aware it’s not technically the right thing to do, but decides it is the actual right thing to do to protect Eve and Adam and their child. Same as when he lies to the angels about Job’s children, only this time instead of fudging the truth and avoiding the confrontation, he has to make a direct choice to do something that is technically wrong - lying - in order to avoid doing something he really, really knows is Wrong - murder. In this case, he’s not okay with lying despite it being wrong, he’s okay with lying because it is the right thing to do. It still causes a large amount of internal conflict when he thinks he will be sent to Hell for disobeying, but that fear of punishment didn’t stop him from doing what he thought was good.

For Aziraphale, the gray area is not about being a little bit evil, it’s about fudging the Rules and disobeying authority in order to remain completely good. Since Crowley is in the gray area with him, surely Crowley must be in the same boat of wanting to do the Right thing. Throughout thousands of years of history Aziraphale never stops arguing the side of Good, trying to convince Crowley to do the right thing. Sometimes he finds that Crowley was actually right all along, and then Aziraphale can feel safe to align himself with whatever the demon is doing. Sometimes Aziraphale even tries to convince Heaven to do the right thing with him. During Armageddon, Aziraphale avoids telling Crowley the truth because he thinks it would be better to get Heaven to stop doing the wrong thing. And he’s right, a lot of problems would be solved and life would be easier if Heaven would listen to Aziraphale and stop inflicting their harmful views on the world.

It would be nice if Aziraphale would realize, at the end of the first season, that Heaven is not interested in being good or even being right; they just want to win. Aziraphale is too naive and pure to believe that of Heaven. After everything, he still wants to be an angel, and he still wants to be part of a Heaven that is doing good. What he did at the end of season 2 is not at all out of character for him. It makes perfect sense that he would want to take the opportunity to change Heaven for the better. Anyone can see what a delightful place it would be with Aziraphale making the decisions. Angels could drink hot chocolate and stack books in their offices or pop down to Earth to go to the theater. Humans could live without worrying about Armageddon or the Great Plan or having their lives destroyed over a bet. And demons (or at least one specific one) who were good and loving could be forgiven and become angels again so they don’t have to be forced to carry out evil acts and always be looking over their shoulders.

Aziraphale didn’t do what he did because he doesn’t accept or love who Crowley is. He just genuinely believes that Crowley is still an angel deep down and that Heaven is where he belongs, where he could be the most happy. A better Heaven, where Crowley could create stars to last millions of years and put anything he wanted in the suggestion box. Aziraphale wanted to create a life for them to be together without any more worry of secret meetings, gray areas, and war. When Crowley rejected that life, it broke Aziraphale’s view of Crowley and his goodness. As ridiculous as it sounds, Aziraphale never expected that Crowley wouldn’t jump at the chance to be an angel with him again, and now his perception of their relationship is shaken.

Ultimately, Aziraphale can’t be so selfish as to choose to run away with the being he loves, when he knows he can do so much more good if he returns to Heaven. And so in trying to do the right thing for everyone, Aziraphale does the wrong thing for Crowley and himself. This is what is so hard about Aziraphale’s gray area; it cuts both ways. He has so much learning and unpacking to do, and I’m afraid he’s going to find that he will have much less power to change Heaven than he thought. All we can do is beg for a third season and then Wait and See.

#just my thoughts #writing this to try to heal myself after the finale #tv review #good omens #good omens season 2 #good omens spoilers #good omens season 2 spoilers #gos2spoilers #gos2 spoilers #aziraphale #michael sheen #religious trauma #exvangelical #character study

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filmmarvel · 7 months

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Sex Education Season 4 Review

Unfortunately it wasn’t as good as the others. It’s less that it was bad or that I didn’t enjoy it, and more that it sort of failed in its duties as a finale. I really liked the finale, it wasn’t until I finished it that I was left like… that’s it?

Starting with the Pros: I’m glad they had the sense to end it here. This season has gotten hated on pretty hard so far, which makes sense, but isn’t quite deserved. Even though it wasn’t as good as it COULD’VE been, it was still good! In particular, Aimee, Eric, and Adam had wonderful and satisfying arcs which I found quite compelling and felt like a lovely send off to each of their characters. Maeve’s ending, despite being a point of controversy, was fitting. She had a difficult but moving season, and her destiny was always to be a writer. As disappointing as it is that she doesn’t end up with Otis, I thought the writers justified it quite well. It would’ve simply felt wrong for her to stay back in Moordale just for Otis. She was always going to get out.

This brings me to the Cons. I have to say, my biggest disappointment with this season has to be Otis himself. Being the lead character, I really wish they would’ve chosen a more personal storyline with more depth to it to send off his character. Instead, they had him acting like a child the whole season. He’s the primary character and yet he has the least interesting, least sympathetic, least moving storyline. It was all about his relationships with Maeve, Ruby, and Eric, and his competition with O. Nothing really about him. They didn’t give enough closure as to how his future looks- he’s no longer the school sex therapist, which is disappointing. He agreed to think about working with O, but that’s all, and that isn’t the most satisfying conclusion. They left him in a very nondescript place. Additionally, many former cast members weren’t in this season. As a result, I felt that there were a number of missed opportunities. My other big complaint is, predictably, the change in setting and new cast of characters. I really didn’t love the new school. I don’t think I need to elaborate on that too much, it was just kind of over the top in a way that felt misplaced and unrealistic. As for the new characters, most of them weren’t bad, they were just unnecessary. The one character I did have an issue with was O, who was a rather grating presence. Which I don’t think was something all that good for a finale. I didn’t find her character at all interesting or sympathetic. She was really annoying, and didn’t grow on me at all over the course of the season.

To sum things up, I wish the writers had just focused on the characters they had already. The new characters weren’t as interesting (naturally), and I thought the season could’ve benefitted from more of a personal journey for the characters we already know and love- such as Otis, Jackson, Ruby, or Viv. When a show ends, I always really like to have some closure on where each of the characters are headed in the future, such as new passions, future relationships, careers, etc. While again, they did a lovely job with this with a few characters, there were a lot of characters who just left me unsatisfied (namely the aforementioned 4). I enjoyed the ending, but it left me feeling like a lot of precious time was wasted with new characters and misplaced storylines. It didn’t feel as though the writers quite understood how important this season was, and failed to treat certain characters with the care they deserved.

#sex education netflix #sex education s4 #sex education season 4 #otis milburn #maeve wiley #aimee gibbs #jackson marchetti #ruby matthews #vivian odusanya #eric effiong #adam groff #emma mackey #asa butterfield #ncuti gatwa #tv review #sex education show

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riviuus · 3 months

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Oooh opinions on the new pjo show so far? Specifically the most recent ep?

oh my god it is so great

like the show overall is everything i wished and more, even tho, yes there are scenes that arent in it that wouldve been great BUT we got sooooo many other scene we never wouldve gotten

like the scenes in the most recent episode. because we have to think realistically here, you cant make the transformation from the book to the series perfect and have everything like it was in the book so the best thing is to have the author do these necessary changes so it wont fuck up the story too much. thats exactly what they did ( they also made it more modern, like not everything that was fine in 2005 is fine now, they also show more modern struggles)

and the most recent episode is just so important to me tbh. walker and leah especially absolutely killed it! the ares casting is literally perfect (THATS MY FATHER RIGHT THERE!) and grover is just so special and everything we needed.

also the seaweed brain... i screamed... loudly... my family was concerned for my wellbeing

baby percabeth is everything

so this sums it up i think (:

#lol #percy jackson #percabeth #percy jackon and the olympians #percy series #pjo tv show #pjo fandom #pjo series #pjo #pjo disney+#percy and annabeth #annabeth chase #my opinion #rant post #mini rant #tv review

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deafening-enthusiastic-dreamer · 1 month

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Queen of Tears

I truly admire the new techniques used in terms of camera angles and the way it tells the story in a way.

this scene was soo good.

I love how they show . rather then tell us how she feels when she hears about the fact that she has only three months to live. There are parts where they do the exact opposite, which i am somewhat iffy about. I hope they reduce it along the coming episodes.

the scene below though short, feels perfect at this time- it feels like foreshadowing of events. and also the long shot with symmetry and the pillar that acts as the divide, along with the lighting showing different moods. Very interesting to see.

also the shots when they reveal her understanding of time being lost. the static images with handheld camera scenes shows how unstable and confused she feels.

also this is the very first drama that i have seen that has willing broken the 4th wall. Its very rare and feels quite invasive as a viewer. But I do like this non traditional way of story telling, so far in the series.

#kdramas #kdrama #south korea #tv series #comedy #romance #netfilx korea #tvn #tyv korea #queen of tears #review #reactions #reads #tv review #ott #series review #k drama recommendation #recommendations

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yikes077 · 4 months

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I know I’m so late to starting the show and yes, the cast is great and the kids are doing so awesome. All of the visuals are exactly how I imagined and I love it.

But there are so many parts that in the book felt like they were so vital that were suddenly just quick and vise versa. Like the fight with Miss Dodds and the Minotaur, the effort it took for them to get up that hill and the way the fights were over so quickly when these were big moments.

There were also some moments that were just so weirdly out of character. Sally fighting with Gabe like they were both New York mobsters, Grover not getting into trouble with the council, Percy not being the one speculating that his mom is alive, Mr. D not being as unhinged. Just some of the dialogue and plot choices are off.

And the way Luke just started giving backstory that wasn’t supposed to be given until book three. It feels like they’re rushing the story, and it scares me that they aren’t planning ahead for more seasons.

I don’t know, there definitely might be a hint of the “it’s nothing like the books” sickness that haunts me, but some of it was just disappointing. For the powerhouse of story telling that D*sney is supposed to be, the writing is just off and there is so much exposition in the dialogue and such a lack of the idea of “show don’t tell” that if I didn’t already love these books I might not have gotten through the first episode.

#tv review #percy jackson if annabeth had a gun #percy jackson #percy and annabeth #percy jackon and the olympians #percy pjo #pjo tv show #pjo series #pjo #pjo fandom #pjo spoilers #pjo disney+#movie review #percy series #pjoverse

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ballingb-a-g-s · 13 days

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X-Men 97 has been incredible it perfectly understands the characters and their roles it's been able to avoid falling into telling the same stories that we always see adapted but episode 5 is something else spoilers obviously the animation has peaked it's looked a little rough in regular dialogue (when it doesn't really matter) but it's clear to me where the budget went the explosions in this episode looked better then everything that came before combined especially gambits final push to kill the Godzilla Sentinel mind boggling and from a writing perspective the first 2/3 of the episode is perfect setup for the siege on genosha it shows the audience that genosha is a nation full of promis then ties it to one of the most popular characters in nightcrawler and show you what it means to him then winds up it's guy punch first with magneto and rogue then with cable showing up trying to warn Madalyn then boom(literally) the siege starts and they hold back enough there not showing strewn everywhere but beloved characters are just getting killed left and right leaves the audience almost shell shocked given how light the violence had been to this point. Leeches faith in magneto makes what ultimately happens to them all the more devastating and gambits death basically perfect. With them killing of so many big characters I'm left wondering if some major skipping is going to be done so that show can reach the krakoan age way early

#i should not be writing stuff #x men 97 #xmen #xmen ep 5 #tv review #animated tv series #animated tv show #gambit #magneto #rogue #movie review

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jwilliams051197 · 9 months

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Just watched the Invincible: Atom Eve Special, and it was beyond incredible. I did not know how tragic her backstory was, and by the end it gets very emotional. One of the final shots of her changing her family picture frame to who she considers family was extremely well done. I've really got to start reading the comics, because after rewatching the first season and then watching this, I'm really impressed how well written everyone is.

#invincible #atom eve #tv review #omni man #tv special #review #tv

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hua-mo-jin-is-a-cutie · 3 months

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this is the only social media website where I feel like I can talk about this without getting hated by teenagers with no media literacy, but I watched (pirated) Hazbin Hotel. And while I'm still very critical of Viv herself and the decisions she's made about her staff and her public statements and her past actions, some of which are very gross, for what it's worth, I think Hazbin is alright.

There are things I'd do differently sure, but it's like... aggressively average. The music is hit or miss, with mostly catchy tunes accompanied by lyrics that often made me cringe a little by how they already feel like outdated references to current slang. I also really don't enjoy when they have a big musical number come out of nowhere and have other characters acknowledge that they're singing. It really takes away from the musical numbers themselves. it's like musical writing 101 to NOT do that.

I know this is something people tend to criticize, but I'll be honest I like most of the character designs. They have fairly distinct silhouettes and it's kinda what drew me in enough to watch it in the first place. I'm particularly fond of Nifty. I do think some of them are a bit too complex, too busy to be super appealing, and must be hell to animate. I also think there's not really much cohesion in character designs of the world other than color, and even that's a stretch. I wish we'd at least been given some sort of reason in the show that some demons are furries and others aren't.

The animation is pretty nice, though the camera movement tends to make it a bit hard for my eyes to focus when there's a lot going on.

I've seen a lot of people complain about the pacing and while I agree that things are moving too fast, that we need time to get to know these characters and this world and earn these, what are supposed to be, hard hitting moments. I also acknowledge that I like fast pacing. I want it to slow down, but not astronomically, just a smidge.

I'd say the writing is also hit or miss. Sometimes it's got me fairly entertained, but other times it's making me uncomfortable and not on purpose. Again, slang that will quickly become or already is irrelevant is a major issue for me.

Contrary to what I've seen many people saying, I actually thought episode 4 was handled decently enough. Honestly the pacing is really the only thing holding it back for me. It doesn't feel like it's glorifying or romanticizing sexual abuse or domestic violence. It frames Valentino as the abuser he is when it's most important, even when he is a bumbling idiot in other scenes. Scenes of abuse between angel and Val are taken seriously enough. I wasn't a huge fan of the song Poison, but I also don't think it's romanticizing SA. I mean it literally ends with Angel sobbing on the floor so... I dunno how anyone came to that conclusion. There are times when the show jokes about sexual assault which I do think is distasteful and is one of my gripes with the writing overall, however when it comes to the topic of angel and val, it's handled well enough.

I'm interested in seeing where the plot goes with how episode 6 ended even with it's flaws. It's going in an interesting direction so far and I think the music of that episode was pretty good, calling back to the first episode's song with Adam in a clever way.

So overall I'd give Hazbin like a 6/10. It's fine, but it's got flaws. I'd like to see the kinks ironed out in season 2 and have Viv acknowledge some of her mistakes or at least take criticism well for once.

Anyway, stan Nifty, she's best girl.

#hazbin hotel #vivziepop critical #tv review #Also I'd like to clarify for anyone that does wanna say I'm invalidating the SA survivors that dislike episode 4 #Your allowed to dislike it #If it's triggering that's totally valid #While I haven't experienced exactly what angel is going through #I have been manipulated and I was sexually asulted #though mine was a 1 time thing and also in a medical setting #so pretty different #Point being #Not every SA survivor is gonna feel the same way about it #It's okay to not like the show #But let others find comfort in it's portrayal of Angel as a victim because they might just relate to it #It's okay to depict victims that aren't perfect #Peace out yall

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wits-writing · 10 months

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“A Wonderful Experience”: Why Transformers: EarthSpark and Nightshade Matter

I’ve been a Transformers fan to one degree or another for as long as I can remember. Whether it’s early memories of watching Beast Wars, renting the G1 animated film on VHS from Blockbuster, or reading the numerous excellent comics that have come over the years, I’ve always found something to love about this franchise. So, I was probably going to find time to check out the 2022 CGI animated series Transformers: EarthSpark eventually no matter what. But one little bird changed that from an “I’ll get around to it eventually” to “I need to make watching this show a priority.”

A little bird by the name of Nightshade (voiced by Z Infante)!

I’d already heard from people I trust about EarthSpark’s quality as a series, but finding out about the franchise’s first prominent, explicitly nonbinary Transformer got me eager to dive in. I’ve discussed characters I relate to and read nonbinary themes into in the past, but getting a chance to see a show in a franchise I love feature that kind of representation with intent was exciting. Given the fact I’ve written 3000 words analyzing the character of Nightshade now, it’s easy to say I wasn’t disappointed!

The topic of gender and how it relates to the Transformers as characters has been one of many long, exhausting fandom debates over the franchise’s nearly four decade history. I’m not here to relitigate any of that, so take it as read from here on out that the Transformers as characters do have and express gendered identities throughout the history of all its incarnations.

To give a quick primer on EarthSpark as a whole (and why it’s great) before digging into Nightshade’s character in specific:

The series is set fifteen years after the end of the Autobot/Decepticon War. The bots that managed to survive the fighting and remain on Earth are presumed to be the last of their species. All of them are stuck in a holding pattern where the only options currently viable are a life in hiding or working alongside the government-funded alien threat detection/response agency GHOST. Optimus Prime and Megatron head up the latter efforts, in the hope of finding some peaceful balance between humans and Transformers going into the future (though neither of them are fully at ease with the situation, as GHOST clearly has ulterior motives of their own.)

The grim outlook for the Cybertronians takes a turn for the better with the birth of two new Transformers. The Earth-sparks of the show’s title (called “Terrans” throughout the series), Twitch and Thrash, who are bonded to the human children Robby and Mo Malto. Helped by Optimus, Megatron, and the Malto kids’ parents, GHOST agent Dot and her husband Alex, the decision is made to keep the Terrans a secret until the extent of what their existence could mean for the Transformers future as a species is fully understood. The Terrans become an official part of the Malto Family (lovingly referred to as “Malto-bots” by the other characters.) At the halfway point of the first season, in the episode “Age of Evolution”, this unconventional family unit expands further with the birth of three more Terrans, including Nightshade.

Between puzzling out the Terrans’ existence, hiding from GHOST, and fighting threats like the human mad scientist Mandroid, there’s a lot of thematic meat on the bone of this series’ setup. The main one I’m interested in digging into through the lens of Nightshade’s characterization is how the Terrans are written to feel like kids figuring out who they want to be as they grow up. Transformers has a history of designating one or more bots in its series central casts as the rookie/kid character, not insignificantly the Terrans’ primary mentor, Bumblebee, has been traditionally positioned as that very rookie. EarthSpark adding the narrative weight of representing a potential for all Transformers, particularly in how they’ll relate to humans while living on Earth, onto these characters gives more meaning to them being under that role.

The Terrans learn lessons about who they want to be and who they can/can’t trust (not always determined by old alliances like Autobot/Decepticon) from the older Transformers and humans alike. Also proving through their actions everything new they’ll have to offer the world they call home through the gift of their existence. Each Terran has been given the appropriate space so far to have their characters develop, each in their own directions, through this theme.

Nightshade is exemplary of this, best understood through looking at how they’re characterized before/after their first focus episode “Missed Connection”, about them forming a bond with Decepticon scientist Tarantulas.

[SPOILERS for EarthSpark beyond this point]

Before “Missed Connection”

Something that genuinely impressed me going back through EarthSpark for the sake of writing this piece is how immediately Nightshade is fully themself from their earliest bits of screentime in “Age of Evolution.” While the other two members of the second batch of Terran Transformers, Hashtag and Jawbreaker, have their names confirmed upon them by their connection to Robby and Mo, Nightshade actively introduces themself with a bow and a flourish (“It is a delight and a surprise to meet you all!”) This beat quickly establishes their self-assuredness in their identity and that, while they’re later shown to have occasional introverted tendencies, they are anything but shy. I’m also fond of how the scene establishing their pronouns as Optimus lays out their plan of attack also foreshadows their eventual alt-mode, since they ask to be represented by an owl-bobblehead during the planning. The one scene serving as a contrast to their outgoing demeanor, as they recoil at the sight of Mandroid’s cruelty, gives the first hint towards their eventual desire to protect those in need.

There’s only two episodes between Nightshade’s debut in “Age of Evolution” and their first focus episode; “Hashtag: Oops” and “Outtakes.” Since neither is their focus episode, there’s not much to say about how they’re portrayed in either one (in fact, Nightshade’s entirely absent from “Outtakes” as anything but a brief visual cameo.) “Hashtag: Oops” does still manage to establish some key parts of Nightshade’s personality. Firstly, their comfort in themselves as they proclaim they don’t need an alt-mode (“I like who I am as I am.”) Secondly, their inclination towards tech and engineering as they secretly build a new underground base to surprise their family and give everyone more room to operate within. The latter also indicates their “better to ask forgiveness than permission” approach to their tinkering and scientific work. Which comes back around in a big way during “Missed Connection.”

Which finally brings us to the episode that’s the primary reason I’m writing this piece at all!

“Missed Connection”

Being Nightshade’s first proper focus episode in the series, their current state as part of the ensemble cast gets reestablished in short order. Namely, how they feel out of place around their siblings. Their affinity for science and technology leads to them making their own fun separate from the rest of the family. A pattern that gets highlighted by Nightshade working to perfect a new training drone while the rest of their siblings are playing a game of tag outdoors in celebration of Robby and Mo having the day off school. When later questioned by Alex and Dot about why they don’t spend more time with the rest of the family, Nightshade says it feels like their siblings treat them like they’re “speaking another language.”

This sense of isolation informs why Nightshade is so eager later in the episode when they find a connection with Tarantulas’ own work with tech. Simultaneously providing an opportunity for Alex to offer them something they can connect with while trying to figure out how to connect with others. Like any good nerdy dad, he does it through the magic of reading. He offers Nightshade a copy of his favorite book from when he was growing up, “Winged Sentinel”, an in-universe fantasy/sci-fi series they immediately connect with and find new aspirations. Which we hear as they repeatedly call back to the books like about its hero “protecting those in need.” Their connection to this book quickly leads to the one they find working with Tarantulas, as they were in the local cemetery since it was the “last known address” of Winged Sentinel’s author.

(Quick aside: First time I watched this episode, that detail had me thinking the show was going to do a “Nightshade learns about mortality” type of story. I was relieved when not only did Nightshade grok what happened to the author pretty fast, but the episode in turn swiftly shifted to the dynamic between Tarantulas and them.)

“Missed Connection” finds its central theme in Nightshade and Tarantulas’ discussions on identity and finding one’s place within that world rife with conflict that can be directly hostile to those like them. There’s a recurrent motif in the dialogue of Tarantulas’ cynicism born from eons of experience and Nightshade’s youthful enthusiasm. Though cynicism is far from all the elder Transformer has to offer, as he also provides Nightshade with a new perspective on alt-modes they hadn’t considered and ultimately guides them to their choice.

Nightshade: Aren’t I sufficient as I am? Tarantulas: Alt-forms aren’t meant to complete you, as though you have a missing part, they further express who you already are.

Combining that with Tarantulas’ frustration at the “constrictive labels” of Autobot/Decepticon adds to the resonance this episode has with the nonbinary experience. The concept of “passing” gets explicitly evoked by him while discussing his plan to create a hard-light hologram projector so he can live freely as a human while evading GHOST’s forces. Which is the first proper disguise Tarantulas has taken in his life. While his giant spider alt-mode may provide plenty of utility, it’s anything but discreet.

His plan and attitude informing on it connects back to the broader central theme of EarthSpark as a series of the Transformers finding a new way to live on Earth among humanity with the Terrans representing the way forward. He can’t see a way forward besides hiding who he is and the only safety he can think to offer Nightshade is to join him in that life of discretion. His outlook’s best emphasized by his assuredness that the Autobot/Decepticon War resuming is inevitable, alongside that eventuality dragging him out of whatever peace he does find.

However, cracks in Tarantulas’ bleak worldview show as he begins to admire Nightshade’s exuberant demeanor and determination to be a protector. That admiration for a Transformer with the potential to live unburdened by all the hardships he’s seen leads to him delivering the best, most resonant line in the episode:

“It is a gift to know yourself so well, so young. Take pride in that.”

A beautiful sentiment aimed directly at members of EarthSpark’s target demographic on their own journeys to express their identities.

Unfortunately, the bond these characters have found can’t last. When Tarantulas recognizes Dot as an agent of GHOST, he acts rashly under the assumption that she’s holding Nightshade prisoner. He kidnaps Alex and her, planning to erase Nightshade from their memories so they can go into hiding with him. As a fight between the bots eventually breaks out, Nightshade commits to acting like the protector they aspire to be and chooses the alt-mode of a green armored owl, based on the hero of Winged Sentinel. (Alex’s proud declaration of “You read the book!” while witnessing this is great.) A form that isn’t a disguise but expresses themself as they are and what they want to be going forward.

Nightshade and Tarantulas’ conflict has grown intense enough by this point that the elder Transformer’s admiration for the young bot doesn’t come through in his reaction. Rather he flips it into an insult providing Nightshade their opportunity for a sharp, direct retort (and other best line in the episode):

Tarantulas: You’re still just the lost protoform I first met! Nightshade: You’ve just proven you don’t really know me, because I was never lost!

When the fight ends with Tarantulas’ hologram projector destroyed in the skirmish, Nightshade reflects on words Dot offered them earlier about how everyone deserves a second chance and convinces their family not to hurt Tarantulas any further. However, it seems to be a decision out of their hands as GHOST is drawn to their location by the fight. Tarantulas, finally understanding Nightshade’s situation as well as who they are, offers himself up as bait to lure GHOST away from the Maltos. Running off into the forest as Nightshade reflects on the broken hologram projector the two of them made.

Multiple rewatches of this episode, as well as the first season of EarthSpark as a whole, has reaffirmed it as my favorite episode of the show so far. The tight focus of the dynamic between Nightshade and Tarantulas, alongside the deeper meaning that can be taken from pretty much every exchange between the two, is exemplary of what makes this series standout wonderfully as part of the vast Transformers canon.

After “Missed Connection”

Since there’s not that much of the first season left after “Missed Connection”, Nightshade’s once again mostly off to the side doing their own thing. But there are small bits that show how their experiences in that episode have changed them. They actively spend more time around the rest of the Malto Family, like helping Bumblebee train for an upcoming race and showing that they’ve formed a bond built on mutual tech-obsession with their sister, Hashtag, as they work together to further upgrade the underground headquarters.

We also get a fun minor bit of their “better to ask forgiveness…” way of operating when they add some high tech bells and whistles to Dot’s prosthetic leg as a Mother’s Day present in the episode “Bear Necessities.” A plot point that later gives the show an opportunity for Dot and Nightshade to have a nice mother-child bonding moment as she explains to them why she liked her leg the way it was in terms they can understand (“something like this is personal”) while not completely shutting them down over it (“I’m open to some small changes, but they’ll have to be ones we come up with together.”)

Though the biggest moment post “Missed Connection” moment for the character, as well as my personal favorite single scene in EarthSpark so far, comes from their subplot in the season 1 two-parter episode “Home.” As the Malto kids and the Terrans go into Philadelphia to see more of the wider world, we get to see Nightshade continue acting as a protector for those in need as they save a young person named Sam from getting mugged in an alley. Nightshade notices a pin that says “SHE/THEY” on Sam’s handbag and tells her their pronouns in return. The two end up having a conversation about how the things that make them who they are can also make them targets for intolerantly minded people. This interaction ends with Sam affirming they feel safe around Nightshade and giving the young Transformer a simple but effective explanation of what being nonbinary means.

This not only gives Nightshade further context to understand themself, but also has the important touch from a metaperspective of having a human character be the one to explain the concept. An effective dodge of what’s frequently cited as a pitfall of using aliens/robots to explore these facets of human identity, making it as clear as possible for anyone watching (especially the target demographic of kids) that Nightshade’s nonbinary identity is in no way just a product of their being an alien robot. Rather, it's an identity that simply feels right for some people living in the world. One that people who identify with it and explore their connections to it can find immensely fulfilling.

Or, as Nightshade puts it at the end of this conversation:

“What a wonderful word, for a wonderful experience.”

(Before I dive into my conclusion, I want to say I deeply hope this isn’t the last we see of Sam in the series. Both for representation’s sake and because I like seeing the Terrans bond with humans outside of their immediate family circle.)

It would feel wrong to end this look at Nightshade’s character and how that reflects on the best qualities of EarthSpark as a series without giving proper credit to the creative voices involved in bringing them to life. Namely, writer Mae Catt (she/they) who wrote the episode “Missed Connection” and one of the three writers on “Home”, the other two being showrunners Nicole Dubuc and Dale Malinkowski. While fundamentally I believe anyone could write any kind of story, authenticity comes through stronger when writers from the same background are involved. Catt’s passion for writing this show comes through beautifully in these episodes and in how they’ve discussed the show on social media.

Her understanding for what these characters and stories can mean to the young people watching gets clearly reflected in recurrent elements of EarthSpark’s story. Aside from Nightshade’s admiration for the main character of the Winged Sentinel novels, we also see moments in other episodes of their siblings trying to figure out what being a Transformers means through in-universe Transformers comic books telling the story of the Autobot/Decepticon War.

It’s also what drove me to write this piece. I see Nightshade in all their creative, expressive glory and it makes me happy for the kids watching Transformers: EarthSpark, seeing them, and relating to them. Every story has the potential to be a guide someone out there can use to move closer to their heart. Nightshade’s being that guide to nonbinary kids now in a way I never could’ve dreamed of growing up is, simply put, wonderful.

Happy Pride! 💛🤍💜🖤

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