Thundercats
So I've been watching the reboot of Thundercats for the last month or so. The show tends to go between the two extremes when it comes to quality. There's a handful of plot driven episodes that are -really freaking interesting- but then you have some filler that ranges from stupidly amusing/character moments, to "is this the same goddamn show?"
Anyway, I could weigh the pros and cons of the show for a while, but this post is mainly about the finale and some issues I'm not really sure were resolved so well.
Thundercats isn't super impressive with its treatment of women in general (there's so few outside of the main cast that even -exist-, I can't really come up with a reason for this other than it hasn't occurred to the creators to think of including girls that aren't love interests or children). However! We do get Cheetara (I'm not gonna talk about Wilykat for this, since she's not an adult and her role is mostly defined by age) who is a straight up badass. She saves the guys all the time and only a few times really needed any kind of support herself. Unfortunately this coolness is offset by her being somewhat relegated to being Lion-O's emotional support character, ugh. But when the writers haven't decided that she's gotta be all touchy feely with him for the episode, she's overall the kind of character I would've totally looked up to as a kid, if maybe a little lacking in development for her motivations.
So the last few episodes have been making the love triangle of Lion-O/Tygra/Cheetara more explicit. Lion-O is a generally emotionally immature teenager with a hero complex who acts like Cheetara is something to be "won". Tygra unfortunately (who was generally pure win until this) got set up into the Nice Guy situation, complete with getting mangsty at Cheetara for an episode for not noticing him. Cheetara, for most of the onscreen interactions in the show has been mostly preferentially touchy with Lion-O (with a few exceptions) past the point of just emotional support in my opinion. I'd honestly buy the triangle if Cheetara kissed both of them on the cheek before going into the astral plane or some of the other stuff she does that tends to make them think she's into Lion-O. Its kind of inexplicable, just from a consistency standpoint/looking at Cheetara as a character with motivations and shit (which I think the writers have some issues with).
Tonight's episode finally gave some backstory to Cheetara, mostly revolving around how she became a Cleric. More frustratingly though, this was framed as Tygra's flashback and how he met her, unfortunately framing Cheetara's first damn focus episode out of 13 as being "love interest development". I don't really have any complaints with the flashback itself since it was nice to see her doing something because she wanted to, but that we finally got to see this and it was tainted by menfolk fighting over her was almost entirely what I expected.
In terms of character behaviors tonight, Lion-O didn't have any big revelations (I swear to god he's regressed since the first 2 episodes, he was actually likeable in them. He could see in shades of grey, now he's just an immature teenager who thinks he's always right). Tygra treated Cheetara like an object some more in his head, getting mad at Lion-O for getting things he doesn't deserve (all of his complaining about Lion-O's sword entitlement is always paired with mentioning of Cheetara), so by that logic he's angry because he "earned/deserves her" more. Ugh.
After the brothers beat each other up and things are resolved-like, Cheetara pretty much shows up and sort of apologizes for causing them to fight more "she could've been more clear". And tells Tygra she's been into him since they were cubs and all that. I like this pairing you guys, it hit a couple of my buttons (childhood meeting, ect) and they're easily my favorites on the show, so I'm all behind them getting together. But this is a kids show, and I'm kind of troubled by how they handle most moral lessons pretty blatantly, but didn't at least punish both Tygra and Lion-O in some way for treating Cheetara like an object. I just don't want little kids watching that and thinking it's alright/normal.
There's another issue in the framing for this episode, in that one of the elephants predicted that Lion-O would be betrayed by Tygra, and he's "never wrong about it". They repeat this like twice, and then he walks in on Tygra and Cheetara kissing. I can't begin to understand how objectively this is any kind of betrayal of him by either cat. Maybe emotionally he feels betrayed/surprised, but the show made it unclear as to what you were supposed to take that as. The writers don't really feel like this is betrayal do they?
I know the show wont give Tygra crap for being Nice Guy 'cause I know how much entitled boys cling to that perspective, but I'm holding some hope that next season after he acts like a dick for a while, Cheetara just takes him aside and tells him off for being a dumbass and that it's her choice who she wants to be with. Honestly though, I think the resolution of the love triangle could've waited, it's kind of rushed considering how little we know about Cheetara at this point. I'm hoping she isn't defined from now on as a love interest even more, but at least I don't think they'll make her weak because of it. It seems like Tygra likes that she's tough, so I don't think the writers will need to dumb her down so the viewers can understand why she'd even be interested in Tygra (like if she needed to be helped/whatever).
Thundercats, I like you, but you're disappointing me. I haven't given up on you, but I don't like seeing such predictable perspectives taking dominance in terms of how these things are handled.Thundercats, I like you, but you're disappointing me. I haven't given up on you, but I don't like seeing such predictable perspectives taking dominance in terms of how these things are handled.
Anyway, I could weigh the pros and cons of the show for a while, but this post is mainly about the finale and some issues I'm not really sure were resolved so well.
Thundercats isn't super impressive with its treatment of women in general (there's so few outside of the main cast that even -exist-, I can't really come up with a reason for this other than it hasn't occurred to the creators to think of including girls that aren't love interests or children). However! We do get Cheetara (I'm not gonna talk about Wilykat for this, since she's not an adult and her role is mostly defined by age) who is a straight up badass. She saves the guys all the time and only a few times really needed any kind of support herself. Unfortunately this coolness is offset by her being somewhat relegated to being Lion-O's emotional support character, ugh. But when the writers haven't decided that she's gotta be all touchy feely with him for the episode, she's overall the kind of character I would've totally looked up to as a kid, if maybe a little lacking in development for her motivations.
So the last few episodes have been making the love triangle of Lion-O/Tygra/Cheetara more explicit. Lion-O is a generally emotionally immature teenager with a hero complex who acts like Cheetara is something to be "won". Tygra unfortunately (who was generally pure win until this) got set up into the Nice Guy situation, complete with getting mangsty at Cheetara for an episode for not noticing him. Cheetara, for most of the onscreen interactions in the show has been mostly preferentially touchy with Lion-O (with a few exceptions) past the point of just emotional support in my opinion. I'd honestly buy the triangle if Cheetara kissed both of them on the cheek before going into the astral plane or some of the other stuff she does that tends to make them think she's into Lion-O. Its kind of inexplicable, just from a consistency standpoint/looking at Cheetara as a character with motivations and shit (which I think the writers have some issues with).
Tonight's episode finally gave some backstory to Cheetara, mostly revolving around how she became a Cleric. More frustratingly though, this was framed as Tygra's flashback and how he met her, unfortunately framing Cheetara's first damn focus episode out of 13 as being "love interest development". I don't really have any complaints with the flashback itself since it was nice to see her doing something because she wanted to, but that we finally got to see this and it was tainted by menfolk fighting over her was almost entirely what I expected.
In terms of character behaviors tonight, Lion-O didn't have any big revelations (I swear to god he's regressed since the first 2 episodes, he was actually likeable in them. He could see in shades of grey, now he's just an immature teenager who thinks he's always right). Tygra treated Cheetara like an object some more in his head, getting mad at Lion-O for getting things he doesn't deserve (all of his complaining about Lion-O's sword entitlement is always paired with mentioning of Cheetara), so by that logic he's angry because he "earned/deserves her" more. Ugh.
After the brothers beat each other up and things are resolved-like, Cheetara pretty much shows up and sort of apologizes for causing them to fight more "she could've been more clear". And tells Tygra she's been into him since they were cubs and all that. I like this pairing you guys, it hit a couple of my buttons (childhood meeting, ect) and they're easily my favorites on the show, so I'm all behind them getting together. But this is a kids show, and I'm kind of troubled by how they handle most moral lessons pretty blatantly, but didn't at least punish both Tygra and Lion-O in some way for treating Cheetara like an object. I just don't want little kids watching that and thinking it's alright/normal.
There's another issue in the framing for this episode, in that one of the elephants predicted that Lion-O would be betrayed by Tygra, and he's "never wrong about it". They repeat this like twice, and then he walks in on Tygra and Cheetara kissing. I can't begin to understand how objectively this is any kind of betrayal of him by either cat. Maybe emotionally he feels betrayed/surprised, but the show made it unclear as to what you were supposed to take that as. The writers don't really feel like this is betrayal do they?
I know the show wont give Tygra crap for being Nice Guy 'cause I know how much entitled boys cling to that perspective, but I'm holding some hope that next season after he acts like a dick for a while, Cheetara just takes him aside and tells him off for being a dumbass and that it's her choice who she wants to be with. Honestly though, I think the resolution of the love triangle could've waited, it's kind of rushed considering how little we know about Cheetara at this point. I'm hoping she isn't defined from now on as a love interest even more, but at least I don't think they'll make her weak because of it. It seems like Tygra likes that she's tough, so I don't think the writers will need to dumb her down so the viewers can understand why she'd even be interested in Tygra (like if she needed to be helped/whatever).
Thundercats, I like you, but you're disappointing me. I haven't given up on you, but I don't like seeing such predictable perspectives taking dominance in terms of how these things are handled.Thundercats, I like you, but you're disappointing me. I haven't given up on you, but I don't like seeing such predictable perspectives taking dominance in terms of how these things are handled.