I want to ask your opinion on why Eddsworld beyond has felt so “off”
ok this is actually a very good question and the answer is this: uncanny valley.
Because we have 3 eras of Eddsworld to analyze. Original, Legacy, and now Beyond.
Legacy - animated (primarily) by Paul and written (primarily) by Tomska, it is easy to see the differences between it and the original Eddsworld in almost every aspect. The humor took a stark change from absurdist but dry comedy befitting of a British cartoon and veered into a more slap-stick/over-expressive comedy with the absurdity cranked up to 100, more befitting of American cartoons. This is unsurprising as Tomska himself has stated that he grew up watching American cartoons, thus it is easy to see where his inspirations and influences lie.
But Beyond is far closer to what Eddsworld Original was. Matt, the primary writer of Beyond, evidently has a much, much closer sense of humor to Edd than Tom did (this isn't a good or bad thing, it just explains why Beyond's writing is closer to the original than Legacy was). Couple that with the fact that Lopez, the primary animator, is trying very hard to emulate Edd's art style but has a very noticeable polish to it that Edd didn't (smear frames in place of tweening animation is one that really sticks out, steadier lines and higher frame count) and you have a recipe for a series that looks and plays out sort of like an Eddsworld episode but not quite.
Legacy was visually and structurally different and it didn't hide this fact. Of course this led to a lot of fights over the "quality" of the episodes, but the fact was, nobody I think was really arguing that Legacy looked or felt like original Eddsworld. It was clearly a different spin - Tomska's personal spin - on the Eddsworld formula. And for what it's worth, I think that was probably the smartest decision.
Beyond on the other hand is trying to emulate the original Eddsworld, or so it feels. I'm not gonna outright say Matt is trying his darnedest to copy the feel of Eddsworld original, because his style of writing could just genuinely be as we see it, much in the same way I won't argue that Tomska didn't at least try to make the Legacy episodes feel more "Eddsworld-y". But I think a lot of it comes down to what we see visually, and that being Edd's art style but in a way that's not very...well, Edd. And like, obviously, I don't expect anyone to be able to animate and draw the way Edd did. It's near impossible to copy anybody's style 1-to-1. Would it feel less uncanny if they created a new art style? Dunno.
I personally have mixed opinions on Beyond. So far from what I've seen, the highs have been really high, but the lows...ohh are they low. Unlike Legacy, which I considered to be pretty solid all throughout. No big highs and no low lows. It just stayed on a steady path thru its run.
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For anyone who doesn't know, we now have one video from Bertha's perspective:
From this we learned a few different things:
Bertha was the one to leave the threatening signs outside of Lauren's and Joey's houses for promotional purposes. She was hoping they would be intrigued and call the number... it obviously didn't work.
Scott can apparently bring pets back to life now, as he brought back Mertha, Bertha's pet goat.
Bertha has a very obvious soft spot for animals and can seemingly communicate with them. This could imply that she once was a nature witch, back when she still was a witch.
On that topic, Bertha is no longer a witch (she put on a witch hat and lamented how much she misses being able to wear it, so it seems obvious) and now mostly defines herself as an entity that is "No one and everyone, everything and everywhere all at once". Also, she's genderless and canonically uses every pronoun because of this!
We also learned that most likely the past Supreme Witch was her sister, and she did something to Bertha that Bertha still hasn't forgiven, and that seemingly prevented her from becoming Supreme Witch. Previously to that, they apparently used to be best friends
My current theory on the last point is that it's a situation similar to Eda and Lilith from TOH. With the less capable sibling cursing the other one in a way that would take away their magic so they can get the title they were aiming at. It seems to be implied that Bertha was the better witch from the fact that she mentioned that teachers would tell her that she would become the new Supreme Witch.
The difference here is that Bertha knows about the curse (or whatever else that something her sister did to her was) and never forgave her sister for it. Plus, if her sister really is the Supreme Witch as it seems to be implied, she's dead now, so there's no longer a chance for reconciliation, which is kinda sad to be honest...
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Really loving how the show is exploring the beginning of Kate and Lucy's relationship and all the insecurities that still lurk in the shadows of honeymoon bliss. There's a lot to love in 2x02:
Kate blurting out, “I want to tell my boss we’re dating,” and Lucy being completely thrown off. It’s Kate’s version of “I want to be intimate,” and Lucy pointing at the coffee shop and going, “Here???”
Lucy being a supportive, stabilizing force for Kate only for us to find out she's equally as freaked out and worried later in her own time (says it to Jesse and then, as pointed out very nicely here, she punches her girlfriend's boss's arm then tries to recover by nervously complimenting his corny apron).
"No, no it's not fine, Lucy... You make it look so easy," is giving "You're always doing nice things for me... I just wanted to show my appreciation." (Both of them feeling like they're not doing enough/doing it as well as the other and trying to do something big to make sure they're reciprocating properly, resulting in them making "mistakes" they feel the need to apologize for.)
2x02 is likely an intentional callback/parallel to 1x07 to show how far they've come:
Kate hesitantly whispering in a dark corner about being compartmented after Lucy invited her out in front of people vs. Kate, in public, outright saying she wants to introduce Lucy to her boss and coworkers and inviting her to the barbeque (and wanting Lucy's input)
Lucy being all hush-hush with Ernie in the empty hallway vs. Lucy rambling loudly to Jesse about her girlfriend possibly losing her position because of conflict of interest concerns while walking down that same hallway (and then the bullpen) now full of coworkers
Kate not wanting anyone at work, especially Lucy’s team, to find out about them (”Ernie’s not people”) vs. Kate jumping at the chance to ask Jesse for advice despite him giving her an out (in general, Jesse, who labelled Kate 'the Mean Girl™️' in the pilot, now watching her lament over her own incompetence because of a silly misunderstanding all while making silly faces and asking him how to not piss off his teammate/little sister/friend)
"You make it look so easy." "We don't have to do this today." "No, no, I want to, it's just—it's a lot for me,"
is a less combative version of,
"I'm trying to do this your way, you know, be all expressive and smiley, it's just—it's hard for me to be-" "Human?" "I'm trying here, Lucy."
They're both self-deprecating scenes for Kate. She admits she's embarrassed by herself in 1x07 and we see it in 2x02 after she confesses that this is the first time she's ever introduced a girlfriend to her coworkers. In 1x07, it's like Kate's begging Lucy to see her and understand her. In 2x02, it feels more like deep shame (especially when she looks down at "It's a lot for me") over disappointing and failing Lucy again after saying she’d do things differently this time. Lucy, who’s the most amazing woman she’s ever met, who’s crazy about her, who’s still trying to reassure her when Kate can’t even do something as simple as correct her boss when he assumes she’s dating a guy.
A big difference is that in one, Kate knows she hurt Lucy and is delivering a necessary apology after a disagreement and in the other, Kate thinks she’s hurt Lucy, even though Lucy's tells her it's fine. Kate still insists that it's not, is quick to say “it’s my fault”, and is stressing out big time over a small mistake. It also feels like the difference between the two Kacy scenes is this feeling of Kate “has to” vs. Kate “wants to”. S1 Kate is sharing because she messed up and is trying to cling onto the potential this relationship has and S2 Kate already knows the pain of losing Lucy to her own bad choices and wants to be better (1x07 ends with Kate in that state because she was prompted, but in 2x02 she starts the episode already having decided on her own that she wants to involve Lucy).
In 1x07, Lucy’s hurt and upset, so even when Kate’s being vulnerable (after Lucy offered up some vulnerability first) and turning her assumptions on their head, she lashes out. Ernie’s advice earlier in the episode is light-hearted ribbing, but also coated in the fact that maybe Lucy was wrong to make assumptions from her own insecurities. She can’t be sympathetic towards Kate just yet. Eventually, she recognizes the effort Kate’s putting in and agrees to terms that’ll make her the most comfortable. Kate’s asking for a lot of things in this scene: forgiveness, understanding, another chance, time.
In 2x02, Lucy can clearly see Kate's distress and realizes the big leap Kate's trying to make for her, for them. Sees the workplace stakes 1x07 Kate might have been worried about and spirals a little too before Jesse course-corrects her. When Kate admits how new this type of milestone is for her, despite it being something Lucy's wanted since s1, she prioritizes Kate's comfort and says they don't have to do this today. It's only when Kate makes it absolutely clear that this is something she wants to do, something they both want, that Lucy switches the type of support she offers.
Kate puts herself out there, lets herself be vulnerable, and Lucy meets her halfway: in 1x07 when she agrees to being a secret and in 2x02 when she's supporting Kate's decision to be transparent and open about them.
The first is a compromise in the dark, in the closed-door break room tucked in the corner of the office, after their coworkers have gone home. Lucy flirts and teases, but she walks away, leaving Kate to chase after her. It obviously means a lot to both of them, but they don't say that out loud, instead choosing to be all coy about it and deflecting. They probably spend the night together, Kate showing her appreciation in the comfort of her own home.
The second is a reminder and a promise that Kate isn't alone anymore because they're in a serious, committed relationship. Lucy reaches out, leaves no room for doubt as she links their hands together, and tells Kate earnestly that she's right there by her side, that she's here to stay no matter what. In the light of day, out in the open, on their way to meet Kate's coworkers. Then, she walks with her into the bbq, stands by her the whole time, and uses that Lucy Tara charm on everyone. And Kate repays all that by being brave, by being openly sweet, loving, and affectionate with Lucy in front of everyone.
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YEAH YEAH i think both opposing team concepts are good bc nelsons little league would be really funny bc the ninja are taking it SO seriously and zane letting everyone hit the ball is very nice in this scenario bc its a bunch of kids so like the absurdity of treating this charity game like life or death but the i love the skulkin bc im just imagining them all finding a real passion for baseball and becoming a legitimate team and the episode ends with that and they later have background appearances with them playing baseball
AGSHDJD YESS BOTH. BOTH ARE SO GOOD eternally sad they stopped the recurring bit of skulkin just. living in ninjago now. some of them didn’t want to go home or be evil anymore now they’re just playing baseball. there should be some serpentine on this hypothetical villain team as well it’s recreation for the former villains. serpentine kiddos in the little league…
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