5. 3 favourite characters?
Esteban, Elena, Naomi. (Though it's a very close call between Naomi and Valentina ngl and sometimes, Elena annoys me a little and gets bumped down a place or two).
6. Least favourite character?
Shuriki in the sense that she's the one who personally evokes the most angry feelings in me. But I also thinks she's a particularly good and effective villain and a very effective means of creating high stakes and woobifying Esteban further, so she can stay in my book.
I also really dislike Cristobal Castillo a fair bit for obvious reasons, but I think he also works fairly effectively in the context of the show as both a temporary baddie and as foil to Esteban (even if I wish we could've seen them interact more).
I think Fiero and Zopilote are both really interesting conceptually but were largely wasted in the show itself. Maybe they would've worked better if they were combined into a single character. Ash's evil mentor who serves as a foil to her and to Mateo, allies temporarily with Shuriki for POWAH (but always plans to betray her) in S2 and is both very proud of and very demanding of Ash. But in their current incarnation, they're just kind of there and largely pointless to me.
In terms of characters who weren't specifically designed to be villains, I am not particularly fond of Flo, Charoca, Luisa, or Mateo. I wouldn't say I "hate" them exactly as all do have some moments that I enjoy and have a role to play in the story. But even at their very best, I am decidedly "meh" about them compared to the others. Particularly Mateo. (I recently made a post about what I see as pretty clear writer's bias/favoritism toward him and why it aggravates me).
9. Favourite season and why?
It's difficult to say, since I think each of the seasons have their own particular strengths and weaknesses.
S1 is most consistent on an episode-by-episode level. At this point, the show is mostly filler/world-building but its much less glaring and disruptive here than in the later seasons. Also "Island of Youth" and "King of the Carnaval" have my whole heart.
S2 is best at pacing and balancing filler with the main plot. Shuriki is also by far the best villain on the show, and while there's still a lot of missed opportunities with that (which I'll get into at the next question), her return and defeat are handled reasonably well. I also feel that S2 has the best Dia de los Muertos episode (" The Jewel of Maru") and the best holiday episode ("Snow Place Like Home"). That being said, S2 is particularly aggravating to me as an Estefan since he does pretty much nothing of substance for an entire season--with the exception of an (admittedly great) cousin rap battle and a bit of (shared) focus in the Navidad episode.
S3 is probably my favorite and there is so much to love about it. the show finally gives Esteban the characterization and plot focus that he has deserved all along--and as a bonus, they gave him magic powers, a (reluctant and fortunately temporary) villain era, a redemption arc, a sparkly magical outfit( that pairs with Elena's) and an extremely stupid new hairdo to boot. I also love love love Elena's emotional magic (particularly as a parallel with Esteban's teleportation and just the aesthetic of her dress changing colors with her mood). I also love Victor and Carla redemption (even if I wish we could've seen more of them). In S3, we were introduced to Chloe, Antonia, Ixlan, and Rebecca who are some of my faves of the supporting characters. I love everything about "Dreamcatcher" and most of "The Magic Within" (except for Flo and the mood whiplash she brings with her) and "Coronation Day" as well.
But for all that is great about S3, there are some notable flaws as well. The most obvious of which is pacing. (Granted that this is probably unintentional and a lot of the problems are due to Disney airing things wildly out of order). We will go from some of the most devastating and emotionally exhausting episodes on the show to just super low-key filler episodes without any preamble and it's so frustrating. That being said, S2 did a much better job integrating the main plot even into filler episodes. (Ex: There was a little bit Victor and Carla shenanigans in "Royal Rivalry" and a few scenes of "Carla-as-Rita" even in the mostly filler science fair ep). It's also wildly funny to me how we will go through multiple S3 episodes without Esteban appearing or even being mentioned, yet the moment he does show up--either in person or conversation--he is accompanied by the affirmation that Elena is 110% incapable of being normal about him. It's like he either doesn't exist at all to her OR he is one of the only things that exists to her. There is absolutely no middle ground. It's hilarious.
I also have mixed feelings about Ash, Chatana, and the Four Shades of Awesome as villains. Chatana in particular seems underdeveloped and underused. While I mostly like Cahu as the final Big Bad, the other Shades seems kind of random and out of place, and I also think Cahu should've been introduced an episode or two earlier. Even if she doesn't appear, we could've learned that summoning her was Ash's plan and what she expects to accomplish. As well as the stakes of what they are risking by doing so.
16. Most ridiculous plot line?
The absolute nonsensical timeline/episode airing order throughout the whole show but especially in S3. Honestly, ridiculous is not at all the right word, but the plot arc--or at least plot element--that I find most aggravating is Esteban's plot during the S2 "Shuriki Returns" arc. Or more specifically, the complete and utter lack of Esteban plot during said arc. More than anyone else on the show except possibly Elena (and even that is debatable), Esteban's entire character has been shaped by 41 years of Shuriki's reign, coupled by his own guilt for enabling that reign in the first place and his lingering fear and trauma from the Dark Times in general.
As such the Shuriki returns arc should've been nearly as crucial to his character development as it was to Elena's. And yet...all we get is "The Right Thing to Do" and a few tiny little moments in "Song of the Sirenas" (him hiding behind Francisco on seeing Shuriki again and wanting to be rescued first from the tower). That's it. Three little moments, two of which are specifically played for laughs and all of which only really contribute to Esteban's character development if you really stop and think about them beyond the surface level.
Esteban uses his body as a shield multiple times to protect Elena from Ash (and later Cahu) in S3 and yet, he sees Shuriki and he immediately darts behind his grandfather for protection like a scared child. He literally does a song and dance to try to persuade (and then force) Elena to stay as far away from Shuriki as possible. He jumps the line to try be the first to be rescued from Shuriki and then his second thought is to protect the youngest and most vulnerable person in the room (Isabel) instead of himself. It's almost (sarcasm) as it he knows better than anyone exactly what truly horrendous things that Shuriki is capable of and wants to protect himself and his family from them.
I mean, I understand that the nature of this being a children's show discourages them from delving too much into Esteban's trauma and what exactly the Dark Times looked like. If they reminded the eight year olds watching that 41 years is an insanely long period of time to live alone without family, friends, or freedom, they would probably get so many angry letters from parents. Yet in the very first episode of the show, they just low-key reveal that Shuriki enslaved the noblins .
I don't think it would've been too much to have Esteban be like "Remember the noblins. Remember your parents. Remember the amulet. These are only a few examples of the terrible things Shuriki has done . I've seen them all firsthand and I've seen countless more equally nightmarish so I will not let you go after her now" before he breaks into his Hamilton audition piece.
Or even just there be a brief moment during the "Shuriki Returns" arc where someone is like "How are you holding up, Esteban? This must be so scary and stressful for you too/ you in particular." But no, this was apparently too much to ask for.
24. Favourite song from the show?
My favorite songs from the show are always the random ones with guest characters as opposed to the actually plot-important ones with main characters, lol. So my top 5 would probably be: "You Can't Catch Me," "A Little Bit More," (Val, my beloved) "More, More, More" (which is probably the most underrated song on the show imo), "You Want to Live Forever," and "The Gift of Night" and probably in that order.
If you held a gun to my head and told me I had to pick a more important song that is song by a series regular, it would probably be either "Something I Would Never Do" or "Let Love Light the Way."
