MY THOUGHTS ON THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS FINALE!!
//Disclaimer: I love this show and saw this in theaters the day it came out. Each of my claims are purely my own personal opinions + interpretations, and are largely rooted in a narrative/writer’s perspective. Please feel free to (calmly) share your own thoughts below! ❤️//
THE BEGINNING/TWIST:
- Brain scans? OUCH. Such a brilliant plot point and twist. Makes everything work out in a way bittersweet way. So so good. Sets the tone so well, makes you feel truly hopeless.
- I almost wished they’d sat in it for a little longer, to make it more realistic and bleak. The first three minutes are stellar. The voice acting is phenomenal (especially Ragatha!) and the realization is just so painful. The way the characters behave toward each other is so poignant, and felt like such an accurate representation of being given such earth shattering information. I felt terrible for all of them, and believe this is one of the strongest displays in the entire show. I think if it lasted a while longer, the payoff would have been even greater later.
- I really don’t know how to feel about Jax abstracting off screen. It’s intentionally brutal and shocking, but I don’t know if it’s enough of either of those things for me to prefer it to seeing it on screen.
- And though Jax is one of my favorites, he absolutely deserved his fate. It’s hilariously dark that he’s treated like a tamed pet they kept around.
MY BIGGEST CRITIQUE:
- This imo was way way way too focused on Jax. This is coming from a Jax fan! At first, I understood based on episode 1 that the show would be about the protagonist Pomni and her two deuteragonists Jax and Ragatha. That was largely how it looked to me. Slowly however, we explore Gangle, Zooble, Kinger, and Caine with respective episodes, allowing me to believe that the show was more balanced cast-wise than I initially thought. Suddenly, episodes 8 and 9 present the idea that Jax has always been the main character, second only to Pomni (by a slimming margin). His percent stake is massive in this film. I understand he is the most popular, but narrative-wise it feels a bit disorienting to see the focus change in this way.
- The abstraction sequence of watching his past experiences with friendship was long, and I mean LONG. I would’ve preferred if it was a little more broken up. During this sequence, I was hoping to get back to Pomni’s vantage point at multiple points. I don’t think it needed to be that drawn out, because I feel a lot of the intrigue came from that mystery, and thus doesn’t need to be that explicitly described to that extent. I liked the door metaphor, but in the current situation of his abstraction, was left confused. If someone else had abstracted, would Pomni have also been met with a set of rooms?
- I felt Jax’s backstory was okay. I liked that his mother was a source of pain for him because it gave him something in common with Ragatha, but in all honestly, his trauma didn’t seem to adequately counterbalance the atrocious behavior we’ve witnessed all the time. I know that in real life, that often is the case, but I personally wish he was just like three more inches towards sympathetic. I was mostly left thinking “yeah that sucks but…“ But honestly, that might be precisely the point.
MORE STRENGTHS:
- The detail of Jax literally pushing his mother away, and then figuratively everyone else, is just so great. When Pomni hugged him, he also pushed her in both ways, amazing parallels.
- Gangle’s conflicted reaction is great, so great I was left wanting more, more complex feelings!
- God everything with Ragatha was great. Amanda is such a wonderful talent.
- The human stuff was great, especially the projector scene. Only “complaint” is that it should’ve been Christine and Felix, I just don’t rock with the names Abigail and LEEROY (😭), but it’s not all ab me.
THE CORE OF THE FILM:
- The history of Ribbit and Kaufmo was tragic, realistic, and made me feel okay with Jax being gone. Strangely, I feel Kaufmo was is indirectly more fleshed out than Ribbit, but that might just be what I picked up. I wish Ribbit and Pomni were slightly less similar.
- Wow, the sequence of their hug was masterfully done. Incredible performances from Lizzie, Michael, and all the animators/designers who made them that stage. What really shined here was the realism of the dialogue, especially in regard to decayed self worth and the confusion/discomfort from being loved. This precipice, this moment where he finally understands the error of his thinking, is the only reason the show has left for you to miss Jax. But by now, as it often is in real life, it really is too late. This was a really solid ending for Jax and the heart of the whole film.
CAINES RETURN:
- Great twist. He just shows up like it’s nothing. While I firmly believe that in like 90% of situations dead characters should stay gone, I understand that in order for the cast to find any comfort/livability in their dire circumstances, Caine sort of had to come back. I liked the stair/separation sequence, but dislike how human they made Caine. I think this is an uncommon complaint. I really loved the dynamic between human and ai. Caine has always had emotion, but his misunderstanding of humanity made him so endearing to me. Now he’s just kinda part of the gang, emotionally indistinguishable. I would’ve liked to see him surrender his authority to kinger and grant him full capability over the circus instead, but it was fine.
JAX’S IDENTITY
- Let me start by saying I am so happy for anyone who felt represented and/or connected with the portrayal of Jax’s gender identity. I appreciate how Gooseworx was able to draw from her own experiences and put it into her art, granting the audience a unique vantage point.
- In this section, I am reviewing this plot point purely from a narrative perspective, as in, how effectively it functions within the grander story/plot.
- While I found this plot point immensely moving with much to admire, my criticism boils down to how it was introduced and integrated into the plot. While there were multiple hints in earlier episodes that certainly raised eyebrows, I believe the sudden influx of information given in the last episode makes the delivery appear slightly unbalanced and jarring to the viewer. I think mixing these details in earlier/more consistently would have really benefited the story. By the end, I surmised that Jax was likely transfem, but was left with some uncertainty.
- It was only officially confirmed after the show had ended, which breaks the ambiguity that I believe actually did him a favor. I think leaving it to interpretation was the best answer, because Jax in particular is already stretched sooo thin as a character. While this is a deeply compelling side to his character, I think it just needed a little more time to bake and a little more room to breathe for it to adequately compete with everything else he’s got going on.
Anyways, that’s pretty much all I can think of right now!
TLDR: ⭐️7/10
Biggest Strength: Voice Acting + Mental Health/Relationship Themes
Biggest Weakness: Plot/Character Imbalance