i would have LOVED if each character was actually given an episode and it followed this exact formula:
cold open > caine’s latest adventure that relates to the character of the hour > pomni’s one-on-one with said character where we learn their struggles + what caused them to use the headset > adventure goes wrong and the group has to work together to complete the objective and go “home.”
we could have simultaneously learned about c&a and the characters this way. you could go chronologically too, starting from kinger’s episode and ending with pomni’s own episode explaining why it’s abandoned and what prompted her to explore it.
gooseworx explaining that each character had their own episode was shunned to the side within itself. having an episode dedicated to each character also leaves the pilot and the last episode to be worldbuilding and c&a focused. they missed out heavily on foreshadowing lore with more than just “jax had a friend that i shouldnt have brought up :(“
the pilot started off with c&a being a mysterious looming antagonist and the concept of virtual reality being a focal point of contention, but by the end of the show we’ve learned… literally nothing. we dont know who c&a is, how each character got their brains scanned in the first place, literally all of the compelling mystery is lost by the second episode. jax was homeless, gangle was hospitalized, how would they have such easy access to vr headsets if the last thing they remember was being in those places? what was caine made for? its implied that pomni found her headset while exploring an abaonded building, where is any of that?
for a show that generated so many theories about the worldbuilding it seems to have forgotten about everything but its favourite characters. you cannot even ask yourself these “whys” and “whatifs” because the plot made you forget about all that after the pilot. i dont wanna go to social media to find key plot details
WOW! 😮 THAT WAS JUST AS BAD AS YOU GUYS SAID IT WAS! MAYBE EVEN WORSE?
Spoiler review below👇 in bullet points
Okay! Let's start with the positives.
• This sequence was very pretty/well choreographed. The emotion/loss felt meaningful.
• I liked the cartoony sequence with Jax and Zooble (in Jax's mind palace). TADC doesn't do abstract/surreal sequences often enough, but when it does, it lands pretty well (except for the Jax abstraction floating in ep.7. I didn't like the visuals there). Seeing how Jax's twisted worldview affects his perception of people and his own actions was pretty well expressed in the looney-tune visual language and dialogue. It really, really makes me wish this approach was used with the adventures.
Similar to Gangle's episode, every adventure should've been an exploration of the characters and their worldviews, with surreal elements and unique visual languages. Caine tries to extract data and learn about humanity in the form of 'adventures'. Unfortunately, the show never went down this route.
• When the music wasn't over-the-top corny, it was good. Mostly. Sometimes. (there was like, a dubstep-like remix at some point? Pretty goofy).
• I really like the POV camera-perspective with Jax's memories. It was shot like the Blair Witch Project - pretty good choice, imo. It puts us in the character's shoes a lot more effectively because we *experience* what it feels like to be stuck in the 'VR' world of TADC. The uh...live action segments weren't staged very well. But the circus POV camera was inspired. I honestly think all of the flashbacks should've been shot this way. Imagine if we got to experience some of Ragatha's memories in this claustrophobic camera-style, seeing through her eyes. Sigh...if only.
Now on to the negatives! My god.
I don't even know if I can remember them all. What a clusterfuck.
Pomni
• Nothing. We got nothing. Moving on!
Kinger
• Kinger does not face any repercussions for (partially) creating the Circus. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. He got off SCOT FREE. Even worse, Caine and Kinger do NOT get a scene together. That's right. You heard me - no conversations. No confrontations, no anger, no fear, regret, guilt, disgust, anguish? Pride?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Fucking what??? Kinger helped MAKE Caine! Caine is a creation of humanity! A monumental and potentially dangerous technological innovation! Are we seriously NOT going to talk about this??? This is Frankenstein and his monster!
I have read dozens...maybe even a hundred fan-made confrontations between Kinger and Caine. And all of them - yes ALL of them put more thought and care into their dynamic than TADC ever did. Enough said.
But hey. At least we got another soppy comfort scene between Kinger and Pomni, right? Don't be sad guyyys. Imprisonment? The looming threat of madness? Your loss of humanity? Everything's gonna be okaaaaay. Oh, brother. 🙄
Ragatha
• There is a scene where Ragatha...cries. And she says she...wishes that she abstracted instead of Jax.
This happens, of course, not long after Jax hurls his usual abuse at Ragatha and insults her by telling her she's pathetic for still living with her abusive mother.
Look - what else is there for me to say? Not only is Ragatha left with a pitiful amount of screentime, but almost all of it is devoted to Jax, and how Ragatha feels about Jax, and Jax, and Jax Jax JAX. Ragatha gets a schmaltzy, rushed resolution with Pomni and then they walk away and have the most awkward scene in the show. Their smiles look painfully unnatural. They don't even walk off together - they walk AWAY from each other, like two ex-high school classmates pretending not to know each other. Not to mention, Pomni calls Ragatha her best friend - completely unprompted and unearned. What makes Pomni feel this way about Ragatha??? They don't even have ONE bonding scene together.
Absolutely pathetic. I thought TADC was sexist before but wow. This really takes the cake.
Gangle
• Like Ragatha, Zooble and Kinger, Gangle gets very little screentime.
Most of Gangle's screentime is spent with her mourning her abuser and wishing she could cry.
Gangle wants to cry for the man who made her life a living hell.
I have no words.
Ribbit and Kaufmo
• I'm pairing these two together because these characters aren't really treated like people. They're just bullet points in someone else's sob-story.
Ribbit came from a Mormon family, before cutting ties with them. Interesting!
That's it. That's all we learn about her. Ribbit only exists to create more sadness and trauma around Jax. Ribbit does not have a dynamic with any of the other humans, or Caine. Ribbit doesn't have flaws or virtues. She is nothing. She came from nothing, and she returns to nothing.
Similar to Ribbit, we don't learn much about Kaufmo beyond what we already knew about him. Uhh, Kaufmo tried to tell Jax his conspiracy theory about the exit, and Jax pushing Kaufmo away means he's partly responsible for his abstraction. I'm probably going to be saying this a lot but FUCK JAX. It's actually comical how disgusting and irredeemable of a person Jax becomes in this episode. It's gross that the audience is expected to sympathise with and mourn Jax when he is such a shitty person. It is *undeniable* that Jax makes the circus a worse place to live in, but the show is never going to address the implications.
Zooble
• Zooble's character was the perfect gateway for exploring the more human, raw parts of real life. Zooble was the only human who had the guts to talk about sex, and how it's a vital part of (most) people's lives and wellbeing. The only human willing to talk to Caine, who tried to explain body dysmorphia to a person who never had a "real body". The only human who challenged the circus and was not willing to play along with the sanitised, child friendly philosophy that the circus represents.
The finale Is more sanitised and immature than all of the episodes combined. When building a 'new life', there is no mention of bringing the real world back to the humans (no, the 3 second reference in the credits doesn't count). Sex, swearing, aging, growth, decay - natural life is completely absent here. The circus is just as artificial and timeless as it's ever been. The illusion of change, basically. Jesus, even the most amateur fanfiction is better than this.
What's this got to do with Zooble? Well, as I've said, Zooble has always represented realism, in all its flawed, mismatched glory. But uh, yeah.
We get nothing. Zooble gets nothing. Nobody gives a fuck about Zooble.
Moving on!
EDIT: Forgot to mention that Jax makes fun of Zooble's queerness/non binary identity after their FUNERAL (in the mind palace scenes). Thanks Jax! Fucking fantastic! He will receive no consequences for this!
Jax
I'm going to have to summarise here, because otherwise we're going to be here all day. And I really don't want to think anymore about Jax than I have to. I'm sick of him.
• Yes, Jax ate almost all the screentime. Welcome to the Jax show.
• Maid Jax makes a baffling reappearance here, and it's really uncomfortable. Feels like a fetish, honestly. I don't get the obsession with Maid Jax, but geez! Leave me out of it! I don't wanna watch this...voyeuristic nonsense. It doesn't serve any purpose other than a pointless distraction.
• Pomni sees a (unclear...fantasy? Intrusive thought?) lemme try again.
Pomni sees a scenario in Jax's brain where Pomni offers comfort and Jax VIOLENTLY chokes Pomni on the FLOOR. It's gruesome. Her face turns black and she almost dies.
Pomni has no reaction after witnessing this. You could swap out this scene for literally anything (even a meme!) and the context would feel exactly the same. Pomni wouldn't care if Jax stabbed her in the chest 47 times as long as he cries a little afterwards. This woman is hellbent on killing herself, I guess. She's going to forgive That Man no matter what.
Pomni has no self preservation or dignity whatsoever.
• Jax sexually harasses Gangle after she loses Zooble to abstraction (in this hypothetical scenario). He waits for Gangle to be at her absolute lowest and then delights in breaking her down through psychosexual/psychological warfare. It's pretty clear that there is no line Jax wouldn't cross (almost). Again, Pomni witnesses this mind-projection and has no opinions on it whatsoever. Not only does the poor writing flanderise Jax to the point of making him comically evil, but it also reflects badly on Pomni. She comes across as an amoral asshole who doesn't give a fuck what happens to other people, as long as her 'friend' doesn't personally affect or victimise her.
• Jax abstracts. On one hand - yayyyyy! 🎉🎉🎉🎉
On the other hand - hmmmm. 😐 The audience is clearly supposed to have mixed feelings and feel bad that Jax abstracted. Personally, I don't give a fuck. It's a net positive! But the show clearly doesn't want you to see it that way. I mean, yes, concluding Jax's arc was always going to be difficult. But killing a shitty character as a form of 'redemption' is almost always a bad trope, and usually signifies that the writer doesn't know how to solve a moral quandary. I think it also doesn't help that Jax wanted to die for most of the show, so he really isn't sacrificing anything. There is an irony there - that Jax got what he 'wanted' and be careful what you wish for...but TADC doesn't have the maturity to tackle such a complex set of emotions as this.
Whether Jax is dead or not, the crux of the matter here is that none of Jax's terrible actions mean anything in the show. I'm not asking for karma necessarily - but the humans treat Jax with so much kindness that it feels completely unearned. Nobody behaves as though Jax's behaviour is really all that harmful, which is the worst part of this entire episode. Even Caine's behaviour is treated a little bit seriously...not nearly enough, but it's a crumb compared to Jax's big fat NOTHING.
• Time for Jax's crybaby backstory! Wow! I don't care. I cannot even put into words how much I DON'T CARE.
There is something very concerning I have to mention. Two things, actually.
Deadbeat dad, divorce, mummy issues, yada yada yada. All the stale tropes are here. But here's what worries me.
1) Jax admits to *possibly* killing his mother. This is very serious. I say possibly because neither Jax nor the audience know. He's a fucking coward, so he ran away. Maybe it's the translation of the dub, but the way Jax tells this story is INCREDIBLY concerning. "I pushed her. She fell to the floor. She didn't move". So basically, very passive language here. Jax isn't framed as the aggressor. It's very detached. As though the narrative is trying to give Jax as much leeway as possible, absolving him of responsibility. I'm not trying to obscure the facts here - it was an argument, Jax was yelled at, triggered. It's not exactly clear whether his mother was abusive, but they didn't have a positive relationship. Nevertheless, it is very concerning how much Jax's violence is downplayed here.
So, how does Ribbit respond to this confession?
"The police didn't go looking for you, so I'm sure your mother is alive".
Jesus christ.
This isn't a purposeful choice from the narrative here - we're not supposed to see this as Ribbit enabling Jax's darkest tendencies, or see Ribbit as a flawed friend with dubious morals. I think...I think the show wants us to see this as a bonding moment? Fucking hell. What's really bad about this exchange is that it's not even about Jax's mum, not really. Jax feels bad because something bad happened to him. Because he doesn't enjoy the feeling of guilt.
Jax doesn't actually feel remorseful. At the end of the day, it's always about how Jax feels. It's not about the people he hurts.
Jax never faced any consequences for his actions, and he's upset that he has a conscience. In another world, this could be well written, potentially. The backstory is cliche and incredibly tacky, but there's a kernel of truth there. But uh, yeah. There's no self awareness in the narrative whatsoever.
Look, go read Clockwork Orange. Or watch it. It's way better than this Jax slop, I promise. It explores all the same themes but EFFECTIVELY.
2) Jax is revealed to be homeless. Already this post is too long, but I'll summarise. Stereotype is reinforced - working class people bad, they are sick, destined to continue cycle of abuse. Poverty is the source of mental illness (WRONG; gross oversimplification).
This also follows a trend of writing amoral characters and then over-simplifying their behaviour by giving them a "reason" for their shittiness, which retroactively absolves them of their guilt. The opposite of dehumanising - humanising TOO MUCH. There is no "good/legit" reason for horrible people to be horrible. It is not a good message for your story. We need a culture of accountability and forgiveness that is EARNED, not expected. Rehabilitation only works if the person is willing to make sacrifices.
Caine
Phew! That took a while. It's 2:44 am right now, so I'm just gonna have to speed through this.
• Caine/Blue dot scene (and the seperation) was really stupid. Caine's bad behaviour is actually caused by his evil twin brother living in his brain, which he just PLUCKS out and throws away, no problem. Not only is this a fundamental misunderstanding of Caine's psychology, but it's also a cheap way to absolve him of his guilt because it was all (apparently) his evil twin brother.
This scene also DIRECTLY contradicts Zooble's talk with Gangle about how you can't just remove the parts you hate about yourself, because they're real. Bitch, you thought! Nahhhhh. Why don't you just take the part you hate and rip it out of your head, like Caine did? You're so dumb, Gangle, come on. Get with the program. LOBOTOMISE YOURSELF.
• Quick, easy, unearned redemption. I think Caine torturing the humans was OOC anyway - I hate it. But regardless of how I feel, as always, the humans under-reacted to Caine. MASSIVELY. Bro literally tortured them and got welcomed back into the group after like, 5 mins of talking.
• Caine magically understands the humans and their conflict with him. Somehow. Idk how. I guess bro just needed a 5 minute time-out to figure out what took him DECADES to understand, despite there being no logical reason for him to come to this conclusion.
• Caine being deleted/dead meant jackshit, apparently, because he came back - just like that. No rhyme, no reason or explanation. I guess Bubble was the blue AI because he's gone now, even though Bubble works much better as a representation of Caine's ID/repressed thoughts. WEEEEAK!
• Caine's personhood or rights are never discussed, and neither is his identity outside of serving the humans. The show spends so much time convincing you that Caine is a real person here, but when it comes down to crunch time, TADC has no interest in exploring Caine's future or personhood whatsoever. Instead we get a wacky montage of everyone getting along like the ending of a bad sitcom.
• With the Moon not being programmed to love Caine, it is more or less confirmed that all NPCs have the potential to be sentient, artificial people. The implications of this are completely ignored. Caine's dialogue about mixing up humans and NPCs is completely unanswered and pointless. The humans are brain-scans (SOMA confirmed), which essentially means they are very similar to NPCs. But none of this matters - the show couldn't care less about the philosophical implications here.
• The Blue AI is put in a little cage at the end, Caine, wtf? Why would you do that??? (Ogh, look at how they massacred my boy...)
Ok, I really need to sleep. I've probably forgotten some points, but let's just list the most frustrating questions here.
• We don't know why C&A exists as a company or what they were trying to achieve by creating Caine.
• We don't learn about Scratch or the developers.
• For some reason Caine briefly gets access to WIFI??? We don't know why Caine hid the truth from the humans that they were brain-scans (we can only guess). Caine makes a PowerPoint presentation for the humans using their social media information to give them "closure". It's very cringe. Thank god all the humans were terminally online! Apparently the IRL humans documented their lives religiously to the point of oversharing. IRL Ragatha no longer lives with her mother. Also TADC, social media is NOT an accurate reflection of people's real lives. It's a very biased, unreliable source of information. This is so poorly written (I mean, the whole episode is, but come on).
• The abstracted humans are not put to rest (deleted) but instead live in this glorified zoo/aquarium. Creepy.
• Pomni hugs an abstracted Jax and falls into his mind dungeon like she's got magical powers or something? Kinda nonsensical and uh...cringe. Sorry.
• Kinger never apologises for his involvement in making the circus. Not even once. Also nobody gives a damn that Kinger was even involved. Caine has no feelings about being created inside of a digital prison.
• Jax doesn't apologise either. Caine is the only one who apologises.
• We don't know why the humans forgot their names. We don't know why the circus is modelled like a kid-friendly videogame. There's a lot of shit that makes no sense which we will never get any answers to.
• If I was in prison and someone showed me a PowerPoint presentation of Another Version of Me Achieving My Dreams, I would absolutely abstract. Immediately. No question. How tf would this give anybody a sense of closure? On what planet is this a good idea???
Wow, that was very long! If you read all of that, kudos to you. TLDR: Awful. Terrible. A massive waste of everyone's time. Don't buy tickets. 0/10.
I honestly think it would fix a lot of problems if ribbit was scrapped and the person jax opened up in the past was ragatha. If they were former close friends that drifted apart, it would give weight to the weird tension/animosity between them that was pretty much scrapped by episode 7. Not to mention
It would give importance to their parallels of parental abuse
It would make jax's actions less heinous if he didn't drive two of their friends to suicide (kaufmo was more carelessness than outright malice anyway)
Ragatha could have a less than pleased reaction at jax badly injuring her mother and it would feed into her belief that she's not allowed to express any negative emotions if she want to keep her friends. Making so the both of them trigger each other's parental abuse traumas.
It would make the emotional moment between pomni and ragatha (jax's current and former bird) more powerful
It would generally tie the jax/pomni/ragatha subplot together a satisfying way
Having strict, religious parents fit with ragatha's character
Jesus, jax doesn't need three people to project their mommy issues onto
And if you think "why would you want to erase a nonbinary fem character?", ribbit is barely a character so it would be beneficial to take their role to flesh out a character who need it.
I try not to fall into the "I never liked their work anyway" ditch when an artist/creator reveals themself to be a terrible person
BUT
a feeling I do have and will stand by is "While I enjoyed their work overall I did have some gripes that I overlooked out of affection and whimsy, but now that my loyalty is gone and my affection tainted there is nothing holding me back from enumerating my many grievances, to which the revelations of the creator's shittiness may or may not provide a new and infuriating context."
Jax may have suffered (it was basically all his fault but still) but what does he learn?
The best you can do is "he learns that people will help you even at your worst", but not only is that kind of a weird lesson to give to an abuser of all people, it also means fucking nothing! Because he STILL insults Pomni in his last moments! He never thanks her for anything she's done!
And other than that, what else does he learn?
He learns that he can physically assault people with little to no pushback. He learns that he can harass and traumatize people and no one will get on his ass for it for more than two seconds.
He learns that no matter what he does, people will bend over backwards to keep him stable, even at their own expense.
And, again, what a terrible fucking lesson to give to someone with almost no redeeming qualities, someone who's basically done nothing but hurt people for years.
the biggest issue that ive had with tadc’s writing since the beginning is a lack of a clear goal. i know the whole theme is accepting stagnancy and finding joy in the mundane but the idea that all the characters were brainscans wasnt shocking without a proper red herring. there was no actual way to escape nor a clear timeline of events getting towards the idea of escaping that audience could follow. the final reveal became much less compelling when we didnt have an escape to root for in the first place.
I really love that we call movies movies. early 20th century we saw moving pictures and went woah. those pictures are moving. they're moving movily. they're movies. like yeah no. it's movie
sometimes people on here talk about "accountability" in a way that shows they think that the person they've decided is in the wrong can't actually do anything to redeem themselves other than like. suicide.
origamiaround
titsay
andulkaphoto
tangentwithtanner
turnnoffyourmind
gracieabrams
blakekathryn
amandla
