I went to watch TADC: the Last Act and almost died in the process
(Spoilers below the cut.)
Greetings, everyone! For this review, I will retell my impressions on the movie with some of my own experience sprinkled in. I was originally very excited to watch the movie, but sad as well when I found out my friend couldn't come with. That and several mounds of generalized anxiety and personal events made me weary to go watch the movie alone. Almost as if foreshowing my potentially impending demise... but I went nonetheless.
It's been a while since the last time I went to a theater. I didn't miss the constant talking and pop corn chewing that is frequent in my country, but fortunately it slowed down in frequency as episode 8 went by. Also, here's an important rule for theaters: if you're gonna make jokes, you have to be funny. Saying things like "bruh" or "goodbye!" when a character dies are a cheap excuse for commentary. Be responsible, people!
Onto the movie itself. I knew the Last Act would break me emotionally, but I wasn't any more ready by knowing beforehand. The tragedy aspect was heartwreacking and merciless. I'm gonna say this many times during this review, but Gooseworx is a very smart writer. She knows how to place their characters in very uncomfortable situations, and never have the stakes been as dire as the beginning of episode 9 when the crew finds out Caine is dead.
The scene sets up a recurring theme for both the episode and the series as a whole: supporting people is difficult. Especially when you don't know where to stand yourself.
Then we get into Jax's backstory. It's interesting how his mindscape scenario is a reflection of the relationship between them and the others: Jax has been constantly facetious, obtuse and abrasive to those surrounding them. You can see it in the initial strange door scenes where we see how he'd react to the crew' deaths. The fact that they *have* abstracted at this point make the fact that Pomni is reaching out even more poignant.
Also, we find out that Jax is almost certainly a trans woman. They don't use the "t" word, I assume because Goose wanted to let the character be up for interpretation (which is why I use they/them pronouns for Jax here), but I am amazed that they went there in such a meaningful context.
Jax's falling off with Ribbit was easily the tragic highlight of the movie. It goes back to the theme of how supporting people is difficult, but so is living in your own skin. I deeply related to Jax's fear reaction after sharing their deepest secret with Ribbit because I, too, have regretted opening up to people. It's even more painful because Ribbit *was* supportive of them, she was vulnerable, she was a save space, she even tried to apologize for whatever she might've done wrong, but Jax was simply too scared to listen to her.
Some people have criticized the movie and the series as a whole for focusing on Jax, but I don't think that's just because it's the writer's favorite character. To me, Jax is the representative of the entire circus crew's conflict. They have every problem everyone else has: they feel meaningless, like Pomni; they're afraid of judgement, like Ragatha, they mask their emotions, like Gangle; they hate their body, like Zooble and they're burdened with guilt, like Kinger.
From the beginning, Jax was the antagonist, they sabotaged everyone else's wellbeing and if the story had been conventional, they would've kept everyone from exiting the circus in episode 7. But because TADC isn't a conventional story, nothing Jax ever did mattered and they could've earned their forgiveness at any point if they had just reached out. Which is the core of their tragedy.
I could say more about Caine and the crew's adjustment to their new reality, but this review is getting too long, so I'll cut to the chase. As an avid Ragapom fan, I was *ecstatic* we got an emotional hug, no matter how platonic it was. I'm just glad Ragatha got the love she deserves, even if she's a hardcore girlfail who never managed to prove herself in the series.
Some people said the ending was rushed, but I didn't care too much either. I like the hopeful note it sets because it's definitely something I needed to hear in this point of my life. TADC is anything but cynical, it shows that as long as you're honest to yourself and open to others, you can change. In spite of the fact that sometimes you can't. Which is a harsh, but extremely valuable lesson that we need in today's world.
Also, you're probably curious about how I almost died, right? Well, funny story, when I got out of the theater, it was raining a *lot*. It wasn't heavy, but it was abundant and I knew I couldn't make the long way back to the bus station equipped with my light summer clothes. So I used all of my survival skills to buy an umbrella from a tourist shop and a rain coat from a sports shop *just* before they closed. My feet got soaked, but at least I made it to the bus stop in one piece.
What? Okay, so maaaybe I exaggerated a little bit in the title. But there wasn't a non zero chance I died, right? In my defense, I am an extremely stupid person and I'm amazed I managed to find the right equipment for the rain. Goes to show ya how, even when you're alone, you can always rely on yourself.
Thank you for reading and happy finale! I'm just gonna huddle in my home and start working on my post-canon Ragapom fic. Avert your innocent eyes, though, cuz it might get spicy! 😈😈😈
(With handholding.)
Have a great day, and stay tuned! ✨️












