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The Problem with Skylar’s Powers

Okay this is an interesting one because it turned into something completely different than it was supposed to be - which is why I’ve written this little intro bit last. This was supposed to be Skylar’s INSECURITY post and had started off that way until I realised that what I was writing was actually about something else entirely - so I just went with it. Then I found some very interesting lines from a couple of the Elite Force episodes and it changed things once again. So it’s turned into a bit of a rant post about how little the show actually cared about the source material - and just did whatever looked most cool without thinking about it. Enjoy.

With Elite Force we see the return of Skylars powers and with them she is able to feel whole once again - with them she believes she has the power to take down any foe that stands in her way and no reason to feel inferior next to the others on the team. In Mighty Med, for her, her powers were her source of control - they made her feel strong, heroic and admired - so by having them taken from her - she was robbed of her security and her identity as Skylar Storm - the superhero. It took making a whole new identity as Connie Valentine for her to regain some of that control again, for Connie was a persona which she could build to her own will - it allowed her to find solace in just being ‘normal’ and understand that she is not defined by her powers.

Thanks to the help of Kaz and Oliver, she found a place where she was accepted as one of the norm - where she wasn’t weak because she had no powers - where she wasn’t a failure for losing again the Annihilator - where she wasn’t defined by her past. A place where she was perfectly normal the way she was - just like everyone else. Kaz and Oliver helped her find a way out of the darkness by showing her the world in a different light - a different perspective. They gave her admiration and respect through their friendship, and believed in her when she didn’t believe in herself - teaching her that true strength comes not from superpowers, but from the power to keep going no matter what life throws at you.

Even after losing her powers again in season 2 she is able to get back up and carry on - fixing the problems she caused while under the Annihilators evil influence. She understands and accepts that she isn’t going to be the person she was, finally realising that she can’t keep wasting the life she has been given wishing to be someone else. She is literally reborn and with it gains clarity, balance and perspective on what’s important - the people who love and stick by you no matter what. After all, it was her powers that ultimately betrayed her by turning her evil, and her (non powered) friends who fought for her and her life to be saved in the end.

In Mighty Med she learnt to accept herself as she is and love the person she had become - to understand that just because she didn’t have her special powers didn’t mean she wasn’t special. She grew. As a character she teaches the audience that change doesn’t have to be bad - losing something that was a part of you doesn’t mean you’re broken or are no longer whole - it just opens you up to another perspective. You don’t need to be fixed, you just need to evolve - to embrace the change instead of longing for what’s gone. Nothing stays the same as time naturally brings change to everything - Skylar’s Mighty Med journey illustrates really well, as she doesn’t get her powers back in the end - she doesn’t even get new powers from the Arcturion space rock - she stays the person she has become and that is perfectly okay...

Which then brings us to Elite Force — where they completely disregard ALL OF THIS! The show devolves Skylar’s character growth by having herself and the other characters keep emphasising that she won’t be able to fight Roman and Riker because she is powerless. Bree literally says in episode 1, after Skylar is captured by Roman and Riker that, “without her powers she won’t stand a chance against these guys.” Thereby pushing the association that powers equal strength - despite all the work done in Mighty Med to explain that that isn’t necessarily true.

The show doesn’t even try to present Skylar defending herself in her own way before establishing that’s she can’t. Instead, it has her be the one captured by the baddies and need saving. Shows her angry with Oliver for just having powers - basically calling him useless for not having gotten hers back yet. Then immediately finds a way of restoring all of her own powers to their original state - because that’s the only way she can be a member of the team. It completely goes against the message she stood for.

I think it might have been really interesting to see her work really hard to prove that she deserves her place on the team - whether she’s powered or not - because she believes in what they are fighting for and wants to be a part of it. Then if they find that it’s not working - maybe a mission goes wrong or she’s pushing herself to an unhealthy limit - they can discuss finding a different solution. Though it doesn’t have to be getting all her original powers back - it could have been giving her bionic enhancements or designing her a personal form of external weaponry that she can fight with - she didn’t have to return to exactly how she was.

Not only would this have diversified the power sets a bit more - but it would have sent a better message - that you should alway fight for what you believe in no matter what. To push yourself. Know your limits. Then adapt. Don’t just say it’s not fair - then expect a power up. Not all superheroes are powered - infact some of the best ones are the ones without powers - Black Widow, Hawkeye, Green Arrow, Batman and all the Batfam. These are the characters who put in the most work and the most effort to prove they can keep up with their superpowered teammates - to prove that they don’t need to have powers to fight - to prove that they are equal and should be respected as such.

These heroes are much more inspirational because they are the ‘normal’ ones - the ones we as an audience can relate to most. They’re the mere mortals amongst the gods - yet are often the last ones to fall because they know their mortality.

In episode 1, Roman says to Kaz, “you took away the only thing that made our father special, and forced him to live his life as a mortal. That’s a punishment far worse than death.” With this line we are given the warped reasoning of why the baddies are being bad - Rodissius and his family are angry that he’s had his powers taken from him - just like Skylar was when she first had hers taken from her. The stories mirror each other. However, the difference is, while Skylar had Oliver and Kaz to guide her towards acceptance, Rodissius was surrounded by his powered family pushing him towards vengeance. He can’t understand how he can be strong without powers - the very something Skylar spent 2 seasons learning. It could have been so interesting to see how that played between the pair of them, as she would have been able to empathise with him and his pain in a way the others couldn’t.

However, yet again that doesn’t happen, because by having the team and Skylar all think that she needs powers to be strong enough to be on the team and fight - they are actually reinforcing the ideology of the villains. She’s a mere mortal who isn’t special enough to be on a team of gods - completely the wrong message they should have been telling - and all because it looks cooler when Skylar has powers than when she doesn’t.

It’s both fascinating and frustrating to see all the things I keep finding for these post. I do wish the show would have given more respect towards to Mighty Med side of things - as it’s clear they just abandoned all of it in favour for either Lab Rats stuff or new stuff. Mighty Med was a great show and deserved having more of its ideas running though into the spinoff to support the characters a bit more.

Anyway I’ll give the INSECURITY post for Skylar another try tomorrow - see if I can actually stay on topic. Also, sorry this is really long I couldn’t be bothered working out how best to spit it into two - it’s so late right now. But as ever

There’s more to come...

INSECURITYseries -

Kaz

Of all the characters I’d say Kaz is the one who is given the least amount of development - he’s given little to no personal growth at all really. Other than a brief stint being the serious one in the first episode - he just remains the same old easygoing Kaz he was in Might Med - with seemingly no worries nor cares - just enjoying life as it comes. This stays the case throughout most of the series - that is all except in the episode ‘The Superhero Code’ when we meet his little brother Kyle.

It’s really interesting to see him in this episode as he shows a side I don’t think he’s ever shown in either series - and that’s his vulnerability. It’s seen from the very beginning in the opening scene - Bree asks if he’s showered and he replies (not very enthusiastically), “Yeah I had to. My younger brother Kyle’s coming to visit.” Immediately he is presented in a state that he usually wouldn’t be bothered about being - clean - yes he follows up with a comment about his pen exploding in his face which you would obviously wash off - but it still highlights that he cares about the impression he makes on his brother’s arrival. He doesn’t want to make a fool of himself as he really wants to establish that bond he’s never been able to make. He is uncomfortable being his true self in front of Kyle. Suddenly all the confidence he showed in annoying Megahertz and infiltrating Mighty Max Prison is gone and he becomes doubtful of himself - believing the only way to be cool is to be different.

This doubt is strengthened with the realisation that the visit was to in fact meet Bree and Chase - the bionic people - and not him at all. Suddenly, he sees himself as the fool he didn’t want to be, all because he was wrong for believing that Kyle was missing him. This clearly hurts Kaz and leads him to think that he must be powered like them to be finally accepted and liked by this person who has no respect or interest in him.

To have powers is to be cool - an idea he can actually fill - however, because of the superhero code he is sworn to keep that aspect of his life a secret, meaning he must forge another false self to hide behind. With each identity he puts on, a bit more of his true self is buried away - leading him to lose the security of what makes him him. Quickly the episode manages to break down those foundations that kept him feeling in control and pushed him to the point of wanting to escape the very place he called home - to remove himself and Kyle from the ever worsening situation and get away from the people who were supposed to be his friends.

His need to escape heightens his anxiety and pushes him to find ways of seeming more interesting than Bree and Chase without revealing his powers - which leads to the tour. However, this immediately goes wrong when Chase joins them - at Kyles request - and allows his own desires for admiration to fuel his actions instead of allowing Kaz the space he needs to bond with his brother. Chase’s ignorance shows a lack of support and forces Kaz to find more ways of looking better - resulting in his weekend of having fun with his brother, becoming a petty competition against Chase - who has no idea how insensitive he’s being.

I love the moment where Kaz actually confronts him, as it isn’t over done in any way or turned into a massive confrontation which leads them to a super competetive fight over Kyle, or even played for jokes (like most things in this show). It’s straight and to the point. Kaz never breaks from being serious which amplifies his emotional state in the moment, he’s frustrated and wants a bit of respect from his friend - which is totally understandable. For me the most powerful emotional moments come from when the goofball character is being serious, because that is when you know the matter is no joke - when your joker isn’t even laughing - it strengthens the moment and is helped by Chase understanding and complying with his wishes.

Kaz finally has the freedom to spend some family time with his brother, however the damage has been done and Kyle is able to play off his siblings insecurities in order to manipulate him into doing things he definitely shouldn’t - like going into the unauthorised areas. You can see Kaz genuinely try to move out of the area knowing that it is wrong for them to be in there - he does show moments of being responsible for Kyle’s safety - but it’s his insecurity which ultimately dictates his judgment. Kyle definitely knows how to get what he wants from people - even bragging that he knows how to work their parents to get the race car bed Kaz never got as a kid.

With this episode we are presented a deeper look at a side of Kaz which we don’t get enough of, it highlights how sometimes the hardest people you can face and be normal around is family. The fear of not being ‘right’ can take over and make you doubt yourself, and when you doubt yourself you lose all sense of control - which makes you vulnerable. Kaz opened himself up to manipulation because he let his insecurities cloud his judgment. Rather than believe he can be as good as Chase in his own eyes, he allowed Kyle to do something stupid - as a means of proving himself better - which lead to Chase getting hurt, his bother almost getting killed and him revealing his powers. All things that ain’t that great.

I think the main takeaway with this Kaz storyline, is that you should find the self that you are comfortable with and believe in it, rather than constantly changing to satisfy the views of others. After all, the only person who truly has to live with it everyday is you. Understanding your true self can really help to find balance and control in our day to day life - which is something we should all strive to achieve - for our own piece of mind.

(Quick side note - I haven’t gone into the whole Kyle finally accepting Kaz stuff because the way I see it is, the whole episode is about teaching Kaz that he doesn’t need to be a superhero to bond with his brother - yet Kyle’s acceptance still only comes after thinking Kaz is also bionic - he even says it would be cooler if you were a superhero. And in my mind that just defeats the point of the episode.)

Anyway, that’s the first one done - I honestly didn’t think I had anything to say on Kaz but apparently I founds something. I think the next one is going to be Skylar, though that will probably be shorter as her instances with insecurity aren’t as prominent as the others. We’ll see what happens.

There’s more to come...

Rethinking ‘The Superhero Code’

This follows on from Kaz’s insecurity

In the last post I made about Kaz’s insecurity I mentioned that I found the final resolve between himself and Kyle problematic as it kinda defeated the point they were trying to make. They made the episode about Kaz not needing to be powered to be cool in his brothers eyes - yet Kyle still only accepts him after finding out the truth and deciding Kaz must be bionic and therefore cool. It’s not the most Poignant ending. Instead, what I think they should have done is make it about Kaz’s intelligence instead of his powers.

Kaz is clearly not the most brainiest of characters in the show - he is in no way stupid or in the same vicinity as Adam - but he just has other ways of thinking when it comes to solving problems - much like Leo in the early episodes of Lab Rats. He’s even shown to be bored by smart talk throughout the series and doesn’t care about what people think of him because of it - he is ok with the way he is. However, if you readd Kyle to the equation, but instead of being a little skater kid who is very similar to Kaz, you make him a little brain box who is a lot more like Chase - you get a more natural divide and reason for the brothers never being close growing up. This also would make Kyle’s interest in Chase more about seeing him as an intellectual equal, instead of just fanboying over the fact that he’s one of the famous bionic people. It makes Kyle less of a manipulative kid and more someone who has struggled connecting with people because they don’t think the same way he does.

Kaz is supposed to come from a huge family - surely his siblings aren’t all like him - there must be some different personality that maybe don’t fit in as well as the others might. Now maybe it’s just me but I think Kyle being naturally gifted with a more mathematical or scientific mind would have been a lot more interesting to see - as it makes him naturally very different to Kaz. Also intelligence is something that can make a person feel inferior without much effort - seeing Kyle bond with Chase in a way he never could or laughing and joking about things he cannot understand would be tough for him - and likely make him feel pretty powerless and stupid.

Kaz would still be under the impression that revealing his powers would make him more interesting, but it would be sourced in the belief that he will never be able to match Chase in the same way - no matter how many cool powers he has, he will never be as smart as his brother needs him to be. It could have been an interesting opportunity for Kaz to bring up the events of the crossover - where he actually experienced what it’s like to have Chase’s super smarts - maybe he would even consider trying it again (I’m sure it’s not too much of a stretch for the machine being hidden amongst his mass of horded items), or even consider sabotaging Chase’s chip to make a fool of him. Anything to make himself look less like an idiot and more secure in himself.

The episode would still have the dilemma of Kyle being stuck and Chase failing to save him - and Kaz would still have to discovery the answer that will free Kyle. But instead of just using his powers in a way that just seems impulsive, he thinks back to what he knows - like he and Oliver used to in Mighty Med - and works out the solution in his own unique way. Similar also to how Leo’s cartoon knowledge helps stop the runaway train in Lab Rats.

He would still use his powers - revealing the truth - but this way his brother would see him as the one who found the solution that the two geniuses didn’t - Kyle would be impressed with his smart thinking and not his powers - they would just be a cool bonus. This moment would open Kyle’s mind to alternate ways of thinking - that you don’t have to know big words and complex theories to be smart and interesting. While Kaz would finally understand that true intellect isn’t about knowing everything - it’s about using what you do know to fix the issue - therefore reaffirming his belief in himself and his ability.

You don’t have to like the same things or think the same way to connect with someone. It’s all about finding a common interest that you can both enjoy - maybe Kaz and Kyle’s could have been using their own unique ways to solve problems - Kaz using comics knowledge and Kyle using scientific. Both would learn from each other and that would be how they bond - instead of it just being that Kaz is cool because he has powers.

Anyway, this was just a thought I had with the episode, which I think would have been more interesting, compelling and less problematic than what they chose to do.

(Bonus comment)

Also, this way Chase is not shown in as negative a light, as it makes sense why he would want to hangout with Kyle - Chase is hardly ever able to talk about the things he wants to talk about because no one understands or cares. He’s obviously going to get over excited by Kyle’s admiration and interest in him - making him blind to the hurt he’s selfishness causes Kaz. He is desperate to find someone who he can be himself around and talk freely to without being told he’s boring or annoying. He wants the friend and an equal he’s never been able to find. (I’ll probably continue this when I get to Chase’s insecurity post - so stay tuned.)

There’s more to come...

INSECURITY

After watching the first few episodes of Elite Force again, I realised that INSECURITY actually plays quite a big role in all of the characters - each has at least one episode where they’re seen struggling with it. And as a concept it is actually really interesting as it normalises them more - instead of just being super/bionic humans who take down evil and save people all the time - they become teenagers with emotional struggles which audiences can relate to. It shows them battling against their own psychological demons - highlighting that nobody’s perfect - even with super powers - emotions always play their part.

(Some personal stuff about me) In my art practice I have started exploring the ideas of emotional nonsense and using a range of original characters, which represent my own versions of the seven deadly sins, as a means of understanding my own mind to achieve more balance in my day to day life. They are MOTIVATION, LACKLUSTRE, STUCK, DELIRIUM, COMPULSION, OVERWHELMED and INSECURITY (you can check out more under #thesins). I created them after falling into a bit of a creative rut, where I couldn’t do anything, think of anything and found myself just going to the studio - doing nothing - then going home to do nothing. This went on for weeks and really started messing with my head, surprisingly putting me in quite a bad place emotionally (and I am not a very emotional person, I can assure you now.) I realised that I had no control over all the things I was feeling and that was causing me to feel completely overwhelmed and was hindering my productivity. Emotions are extremely powerful elements which have a massive influence on the mind - but because they’re invisible, they are incredibly hard to fight against when they overwhelm you. But by assigning a character/physical being to those emotions I found I could reclaim a bit of control back from them and gain a greater sense of balance in my day to day living (they’ve been a huge help in keeping me sane throughout lockdown.)

But back to the actual point I’m trying to make - I am now fascinated by how emotional struggle is portrayed in characters onscreen, and though I didn’t immediately realise it - all 5 members of the team face their own issues with INSECURITY - which is actually really cool. Though overall I don’t believe it’s utilised to the standard it could have been, which kinda goes back to them wasting time with all the filler episodes instead of building a half decent plot, and is never really discussed so to help combat the problem for each of the characters, but it does provide interesting insight into the minds and personalities of these fictional growing teenagers.

I want to see how these insecurities influence the characters in the context of the show to highlight how they have developed with the changes they have been subjected to. As, despite the lack of plot or structure, there is something very interesting to be found in the way the characters have been written and the decisions they make throughout the series.

So to avoid this getting too long, I’ve decided to split it up into parts - a separate post for each character - that way I can go into more detail should I need to and get things posted more frequently. Also I’m intending to keep these more positive as to break up the more negative focused posts - because like I’ve said before, I don’t hate Elite Force. I’m gonna tag this little sub series as #INSECURITYseries, so stay tuned as I’m gonna try getting the first one out for tomorrow - however I haven’t actually started writing it yet so we’ll see if that actually happens.

To be continued...