The Tribe 30 Day Challenge (My Take)
1. When did you first start watching The Tribe?
Back when I was around Primary school days! I first caught the show at my father’s workplace as there was a private room (that I could access) which had a TV! I would watch The Tribe till my dad finished his work to bring me home.
2. What were your initial views of the show?
I found it to be very scary yet engaging. The empty city and the Locos was very convincing to me as a little kid. They unfortunately only aired Series 1 in Singapore, so I eventually forgot the show’s name but always wondered if the Mall Rats had a happy ending. It wouldn’t be until 2015 where I finally rediscovered the show (which was more dramatic than I remembered it to be haha).
3. What are your views on Zandra. (Useless/awesome/annoying…?) and why?
Zandra was one of my favourite characters as I also enjoy fashion, watching TV and the comforts of home. She was a fun character overall and I really loved her comic relief. Even in a post-apocalyptic world, she still happily went on with life which was surprisingly nice to see. Zandra didn’t take things very seriously but she still had a brain unlike Gel. When she died at the beginning of Series 2, I was very close to tears. Zandra had started to develop away from her material obsession and was preparing to be a responsible mother, only to leave poor Lex behind. The Mall felt very empty without her presence and I didn't accept her death till the end of the season. I’ve always wondered what her development would be if she had survived and given birth to Lex’s baby... :’)
4. Who is your all around favorite Character in The Tribe?
Oh mannnnn... they were my favourites all together haha! But if forced to choose it will probably be Salene. I liked her since the start as she was a very nice and caring person. Surprisingly, I related and sympathised with her more than any other character on the show (even though I’m a boy I’m very connected with my emotions). I struggled with self-esteem and depression just like her. The scene where Salene attempted suicide was very touching because her friends stopped her (since I had also attempted to throw myself off a building before). This is a very unpopular opinion but Salene was very overlooked and deserves far more recognition. Yes she made her mistakes but finally grew into a strong person and became city leader in Series 4. Although many people said she sucked as city leader but she obviously couldn’t do much against Ram, at least she got them the Hospital (which to me is a throwback to when she struggled with Bulimia and now has the chance to help similar people). Series 4 really was her spotlight and I HATED how they reverted her back in Series 5 to a complete mess.
Here’s a picture montage to all the times Salene had a big heart for others but also her sufferings.
5. Crazy Trudy or Sane Trudy and why?
Sane Trudy because she’s an admirable, strong sweetheart! She has grown so much since her introduction from a scared little girl to a strong woman who offers sincere and capable support. I definitely look up and admire her growth! But Crazy Trudy is also enjoyable as I love Antonia’s acting. Trudy had potential as a villain during Series 2, her creepy vibes still give me goosebumps.
6. What is your favorite season (series) of The Tribe and why?
It’s either Series 1 or 3 and honestly very hard to pick! Series 1 because it was the only one I watched during childhood and had that post-apocalyptic vibe (which I felt the later seasons had mostly lost). It also housed some of the best storylines of the entire series, the Mall Rats forming, the birth of Brady, the revelation of Brady’s true father, the Tribal Gathering, Hope Island, Tribe Circus invading the Mall and the Eagle Mountain saga. Series 3 because it was the final season to use most of the original cast, Amber’s return, Pride’s introduction, The Chosen’s takeover of the Mall, the struggles of the captive Mall Rats, and the chilling finale where the adults seemed to have returned in a plane flying over the city.
Both seasons unfortunately suffered flaws, the abrupt disappearance of Paul was what kept Series 1 from nearly being prefect (makes me wish his actor hadn’t left). Series 3 had similar problems, Patsy and Ryan disappearing, Amber and Trudy temporarily exiting the show for two periods, and the poor quality of the middle episodes of the season due tot the aforementioned reasons.
If I was really forced to choose it would probably be Series 1. Since it was the beginning of a post-apocalyptic world and the Mall Rats individually dealt with the situation in their own ways. By the end of the season, each of the cast had grown so much and some have became couples! All of them were ready to face the future together, which was what personally made it special for me. :)
7. Did you watch The New Tomorrow and what did you think?
It wasn’t good at all. The characters were dull and uninteresting and it was way too kiddish, so I was majorly disappointed it had little to do with The Tribe. The only praise I would give to that show is the beautiful filming locations and the new music. The cancelled Season 6 would have been awesome with the newer budget The New Tomorrow had, which sucks. I don't recommend watching it at all.
8. Lex and Zandra or Lex and Tai-san?
Lex/Tai-San! Their relationship worked much better and it’s the prefect example of opposites attract! Lex the bad boy and Tai San the spiritual girl, I never thought they would end up together when I first watched the show. Tai San has really helped Lex develop and soften down. The one that shocked me most was Lex agreeing with Tai San not to trade The Guardian for Amber and Trudy (despite Lex’s hatred for The Guardian). As for Lex/Zandra, it was nice yet stereotypical seeing the bad boy with the pretty material girl. It lacked real love, which was a shame because Lex only objectified Zandra. While people argue that Lex loved her in his own way, I think otherwise as I feel Lex grieving over Zandra’s death was his guilt of letting her down. I don’t think he really loved her honestly.
9. Favorite “evil” leader and explain.
MEGA! Because he was cold and calculative. Putting fear into the citizens with a supposed outside threat so they’ll turn to him for help was simply genius. That guy created a new virus which was honestly insane. The only problem with Mega was that he didn’t feel threatening compared to the rest of the villains. This is where The Guardian feels more appealing...
10. What was your favorite tribe?
Mall Rats! Since they had a lot of diversity amongst themselves and accepted whoever wanted to join. They strived to bring a fair and just society despite opposition. Even giving the antidote away for free. I definitely want to be in a tribe that upholds these values!
11. Which tribe do you think you would be in and why? (not just because you like it.)
I see myself as being with the Mall Rats because I’m a city guy. The Ecos and Technos seem very appealing to join but I don’t think I can handle tribesman and computer skills as much as I want to. I’m a very slow learner. The Ecos would be a lovely getaway from reality though haha.
12. Favorite season finale?
Every season finale had it’s charm so it’s hard to choose! But I like Series 2′s finale as it always gives me goosebumps watching the whole city fall to The Chosen’s tyranny. It was completely silent and no words were spoken till the Guardian announced their victory to Zoot, while Ebony helplessly watches from a clifftop. It’s predictable but I liked the execution. Series 3′s finale was another one that gave me goosebumps, everyone watches the plane flying over the city and unknown people parachuting down. It really seemed that the invading Technos were the adults at that time! The show could have gone in any direction after that finale, so Series 3 probably wins for me.
13. Season 5 finale. Did you think it was an abrupt, but great ending, or really bad cliff hanger?
I agree it’s abrupt but not necessarily great. The finale felt rushed to me. It hinted at the possibility of a fresh new start for survival like at the beginning of the show, which made me excited. This is an unpopular opinion but I really liked the unused Series 6 ideas, sure there’s reveal of some new technology, but come on, the scripts don’t show anything like what Series 4 had, it’s just freaking machines rampaging the island. The Privileged and the Discards conflict was clearly a “screw you” to beauty standards like Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie and Fitch, which I feel would have been a good message to young viewers. The return of Bray, Alice and KC was also something I wanted to see. I really liked how they planned to end Series 6 as open-ended by having the final scene to be the same as the Abe Messiah video. Only this time it’s Bray and Amber holding Baby Bray. It would have eased my mind if the show had been cancelled after Series 6, shame the boat scene is forever in our minds. The Tribe: A New World novel is solid too and I love that they brought back Bray, but I feel they keep dragging the story for the novels. Shame we will never see the Mall Rats encounter the Privileged and the Discards as the concept was interesting. But who knows what future novels will bring!
14. Did you like the twist with Amber’s return, or think it was really cheesy.
It was never cheesy but a happy twist! The show was set in a Post-Apocalyptic world, so how was it extreme? Amber’s return was one of the most exciting storylines of the whole show. It was crazy yet very believable! The episode which explains her survival has been one of my favourites, given she was a big favourite of mine too! Amber was very headstrong but was always on the look out for others than herself. The Mall Rats were very lost without her so it was awesome she came back, her story was far from finished. Cheers to Amber!
15. Bob or Cloudy and why?
Bob as he had spotlight and didn't just feel like the Mall Rats’ loyal canine. He felt like a real friend protecting his tribe, he was a dog I definitely would have wanted! Cloudy was an unneeded replacement I never cared about (it never did anything other than finding the missing Ebony). The creators didn’t bother to make him as interesting as Bob, who I wished had stayed longer on the show. RIP Bob, we’ll miss you forever. :’)
16. Did you miss Paul or no?
Yes, but it was hard to care about him initially because he didn’t develop enough before his disappearance. Although I wished he had stayed as his sensing abilities could offer a lot of interesting storylines, he’ll undoubtedly be an onscreen hero to deaf people watching the show. It’s a real shame!
17. Do you think Ebony was all bad?
No! In fact she’s very misunderstood! Ebony has a good side she just wants to deny. If you have watched Series 2 you know her pattern, once she feels heartbreak and betrayal she’ll go back to the Ebony we all know. I wish a man would finally arrive on the scene and love Ebony for real. Jay/Ebony had the best chemistry and it sucks they fell apart. Then again, I’ve always enjoyed Ebony’s character. All the villains on the show know she is a serious threat, which is somewhat admirable knowing she can show who’s boss if you give her enough time to destroy you. Haven’t we all wanted to show that some people are fools who picked the wrong person to mess with? Here’s to hope Ebony will find a real gentleman one day!
18. Most emotional death scene?
Zandra. As mentioned before, she was the only one which moved me very close to tears, yet I was able to keep them from coming. She was that bubbly girl in her own world who was getting ready to be mother, but death stepped in. I felt when Zandra died, a part of me also died. Wasn’t able to get over her death till the end of Series 2, this was a feeling to a fictional character I’ve never felt before. I had a similar experience reacting to Siva’s death, but not as strong. Zandra left an unfulfilled longing of what could have been and I really wish she had stayed on the show so we could see how she would have reacted to The Chosen and the Technos.
19. Least favorite character and why?
DANNI. No questions asked. Annoying isn’t enough to describe her, she was simply the worst character in the entire franchise. She just walked into the Mall and acted like she was the boss, announcing her Bill of Rights and got whiny when things didn’t get her way. Such as when Bray had to memorise the formula and when the kids were playing basketball, she be like “stop fooling around and get to workkk.” Always up and about everyone’s business, like just chill man. Why the Mall Rats made an outsider their leader was beyond me. Danni was very hypocritical too, Bray asked if she wanted to dance but she declined. Then Ebony offered to dance with Bray and she got super jealous within seconds!!!!! I hated her relationship with Bray and was one of the most difficult things to watch. Danni knew Amber “died” and it wasn’t even 10 minutes before she started making a move on Bray, seriously?? Most of all I never understood why Bray could fall in love with her as she’s nothing like Amber, just whiny about her Bill of Rights. Simply put, the creators tried to make her “Amber 0.2″ but it didn’t work!!! Amber was FAR more interesting and they were annoyingly pushing her to be the replacement, when she should have stood out more individually. It would have been better to make her a fighter character instead of a leader type, since her first appearance had her with a bow and arrow (that was my initial impression of her). I must admit however that she seemed better in the last three episodes of Series 2 but then they got rid of her LOL. Danni is the only missing character whom I hope stays dead, she was never interesting enough to continue with. While I felt like her backstory was just to make us feel sorry for her, it had potential. But because they barely did anything with her character and tossed her off the show, how was I supposed to care? No offence to Ella, who did her best with the role that the lazy script writers obviously didn’t put any effort with.
20. Pick a season that wasn’t as great as the others and why?
Series 2. It was annoying to watch that season as I felt the Mall Rats weren’t making the best decisions despite the recent death of their two friends. Although their efforts were sincere like giving the antidote for free, they did so many stupid things which lead to The Chosen’s takeover. “Ultimate power ultimately corrupts” is probably this season’s moral. But it’s a shame though, the antidote storyline was interesting and the costumes for Series 2 were some of the best. It’s difficult to go through that season more than once as many things were hard to watch. *cough* Danni *cough*
The only aspect I enjoyed about Series 2 was The Chosen’s creepy vibes, I loved the idea where they snuck up on the Mall Rats and took over when it was too late. Crazy Trudy had a worthy spotlight as well! It’s a huge shame that The Chosen were no longer creepy in Series 3 anymore.
I’m also tempted to say Series 4 and 5 due to the show becoming too lighthearted by that point. But it wasn’t hard to watch unlike Series 2.
21. Favorite song from The Tribe? (Opening/ending credits or album)
Probably Abadeo as it has a very happy and catchy tune to it! Beep Beep, Abe Messiah and The Dream Must Stay Alive are my other favourites. I have throughly enjoyed every song The Tribe has ever offered however!
22. Amber and Jay, or Amber and Bray?
Bray/Amber forever!!! I loved their chemistry in Series 1 and they were really suited for each other. While I was happy they reunited in Series 3, I must admit it didn’t feel the same as before. But it sucks they both got separated TWICE. So heartbreaking as they never got enough time together. Jay/Amber were okay but I felt Jay might have been leading her on, as he did with Ebony and Trudy. Like make up your mind bruh.
23. Who would you have put Trudy with if you wrote The Tribe?
I feel there were no suitable people for Trudy in the show IMO. Maybe Martin? But their relationship was a one night stand, so I feel reluctant to put them together as they never had much moments on screen (Plus he is dead lol). Trudy did seem happy with Jay, but we all know Jay was just leading her on. I’ve never shipped Jay/Trudy too which is something that should not have happened. Here’s to hope that Trudy will meet her man-to-be someday! She deserves someone who’s worth it.
24. Funniest unintentionally funny scene?
Probably in Series 1 where Trudy threatens Bray with a plastic knife lol.
25. Would you have forgiven Danni for her dad starting the Virus?
As much as I dislike Danni’s character, what her father did was entirely separate from her own annoying deeds, so yes I would forgive her. A father’s sins is not the children’s after all.
26. Ellie and Luke, or Ellie and Jack?
Jack/Ellie! They were a super cute couple when they first started in Series 2. Both Jack and Ellie have grown so much since then, so their Series 5 moments were the best! But I disliked Ellie for going with Luke when she knew Jack was still alive. Luke/Ellie did have some cute moments I admit, but it didn’t work out compared to Jack/Ellie.
27. Would you have joined Zoot, or feared him?
I would have feared him! But screaming “Power and Chaos” is actually fun lol.
28. Do you have a favorite episode of the tribe?
Too many to remember haha.
29. One of the reasons The Tribe ended was because the characters were growing up, which was straying from the original concept. Do you think this mattered, or was it a good idea to end?
Absolutely not! Were the actors even that old?? There was always room for introduction of new and younger kids, which was already done with Gel, Sammy and Lottie. Anyways, while the characters were growing so were we! Fans weren’t reverting back to toddlers, so it was all the more reason to have continued it. We could have seen how children would have survived till adulthood in a Post-Apocalyptic world which lacked parents. Many things could have been taught and shared. If they wanted to cancel the series at least give it a proper conclusion! Not cliff-hang it! This is why us fans have suffered for years waiting for a continuation of our beloved characters. All of which felt like they were part of our lives. Just look at how proud I am of how the characters grew up below! They’ve come a LONG way.
30. Finally, talk about some of your favorite moments in The Tribe. (Try to include some from all the seasons.)
Ho ho! This will be a long list..
Series 1: The first episode, Cloe and Bluebell, Zandra scenes, Trudy and Ryan taking care of bulimic Salene, Jack and Dal’s bromance, Bramber moments, the Tribal Gathering, Tribe Circus invading, Locos take the antidote, and the journey to Eagle Mountain.
Series 2: Creepy Chosen, kidnapping of Brady and Trudy, the flashbacks, Alice and Tai San’s friendship, Crazy Trudy and The Chosen capturing the city.
Series 3: Jack taken away by Chosen and Ellie’s grief, Amber’s return, introduction of Pride, captive Mall Rats divided, Trudy’s redemption, defeat of The Chosen, Salene’s near suicide and redemption, Trudy protecting the pregnant Amber, Cloe brings Jack back to the Mall, and planes arriving in the finale.
Series 4: Salene as leader, Jay/Ebony moments, Ved/Cloe moments, Dee/Patch moments, Ebony makes up with Siva, Mouse’s cuteness, the Mall trashed by addicted outsiders, Technos attack the Eco camp, Tai San’s return and final showdown with Technos.
Series 5: Liberty, Ram’s redemption, Jack/Ellie moments, Mega’s scheming, Jack saving the Mall Rats from a bomb, Ebony grieving over her sisters’ death, celebration party of Mega’s defeat, Bray, Alice and KC revealed to be alive, and the final scene on the boat.