Line #17 YMMV/GenLock


1	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
2	** The amount of rabbit AnimalMotifs attached to Cammie, including having her [[DigitalAvatar Ether avatar]] as a bunny. Is this merely because she finds rabbits [[BunniesforCuteness cute]] or is she part of the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom?
3	** [[spoiler: Marin ordering the arrest of the gen:LOCK pilots when they protest her GrayingMorality in ''The Grand Guignol''. Is it that she CantTakeCriticism or that they unknowingly stomped on her TraumaButton by bringing up the horrors she's responsible for? Or is it a result of her increasing extremism making her believe they were going to escalate from protest to taking action and she decided to cut that off at the knees?]]
4	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
5	** The Season One theme song, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5Xeg8AUpv8 "Belgrade"]] by Battle Tapes, is an upbeat electro-rock ballad that goes hand in hand with the series' high-octane adrenaline mech action.
6	** The Vanguard's heroic orchestral leitmotif, which plays prominently during scenes like the Vanguard's entrance in the Battle of New York and the Holons' BigDamnHeroes moment during Operation Coyote.
7	** The somber piano piece that plays in Weller's flashback in Episode 6 is hauntingly beautiful.
8	* FanficFuel: [[https://i.redd.it/t3fqcifqm3g21.png A map showing Union and Polity controlled territory]] has inspired a ton of theories and meta about not only the Union’s origins but other fronts in the war away from the North American theatre the main narrative takes place in.
9	* FanNickname:
10	** Sinclair very quickly earned the nickname Simclair among the subreddit. [[spoiler:The Sinclair that arrives at the Anvil is a Union plant instead of the real Sinclair.]]
11	** Before its official name was released, [[spoiler:Nemesis]] received the nicknames General Nanomachines, [[{{VideoGame/Warframe}} the Stalker]], and [[Film/RevengeOfTheSith Grievous]] from the ''gen:LOCK'' official Discord, and was dubbed [[spoiler:[[OffWithHerHead Headsnatcher]]]] by Website/{{Tumblr}}.
12	* FanonDiscontinuity: Virtually almost the entire fanbase would like to pretend or outright ignore that Season 2 ever happened [[DarkerAndEdgier due to its bleaker tone]], [[HotterAndSexier the inclusion of sex scenes]] (which even Season 1 animator Torrian Crawford - who left Creator/RoosterTeeth earlier in the year - [[https://twitter.com/AnimatedTorrii/status/1461771262502576128 made his dislike for known]]), and turning several named characters such as Colonel Marin and Miranda into [[TookALevelInJerkass assholes]]. The latter is regarded as an egregious example as despite having an amicable relationship with Chase in Season 2, she acts much more harshly towards him [[spoiler:and even sells him and his team out when he expresses his doubt in the Polity after learning they started the war with the Union, in exchange for a promotion which proves [[AllForNothing for naught]] when Marin orders her execution with the rest of the team's]]. That is to say nothing of her sudden change in relationship with Jodie [[FriendsWithBenefits to casual lovers at best]].
13	* GeniusBonus:
14	** The Union's full name, The Great Union of the Fourth Turning Republics, is a reference to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss-Howe_generational_theory Strauss-Howe Generational Theory,]] which posits that societies cycle between several different archetypal eras. The Fourth Turning, or Crisis, involves the destruction and reformation of a nation's institutional life in response to an existential threat, with revived civic authority and decreased individualism as a result.
15	** One of Weller's many holographic boards bears the note "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus Ship of Theseus]]". [[spoiler:It's probably not a coincidence you can see it clearly in "The Only Me I Know" while Weller is leading up to tell Chase that his mind is actually a copy, with the original having been captured by the Union.]]
16	** The word "Holon" comes from classical Greek; it means something that is a complete unit in and of itself, but which is also part of a bigger whole, like a cell in a body, a member in a team, a mind on the Gen:LOCK mindshare network... The concept of holons is an interesting topic in philosophy related to issues of identity and conformity.
17	* HarsherInHindsight:
18	** The commentary track for Season 1 included several blithe quips from Haddock that have aged poorly in the light of reports that he was an abusive figurehead to work for during the show's production, such as remarking that "RT hates us" for requiring several end-of-season character models be ready for the first season's opening sequence and multiple discussions about how much work was required for the Nanosmoke.
19	** Leon's blatant BusCrash in the first episode of Season 2 was a somewhat amusing statement that disgraced creator Gray Haddock would not be returning. It became less amusing when the rest of the season witnesses CharactersDroppingLikeFlies, with the characters chosen to kill off coming across as nothing so much as the show getting rid of some of its more expensive voice actors. The jab at Haddock becomes even harsher than ''that'' with 2022's revelations that his abusive directorial practices were more the fault of Rooster Teeth corporate culture in general rather than his alone (management largely knew about but never cared about Haddock's mismanagement so long as his shows kept making money) and were very much still going on after his firing, with Haddock's dismissal more coming as retaliation for the show's first season going over-budget and as a scapegoat manuver to placate critical fans upset at the show's production.
20	** With how bleak the second season was, people have chosen to consider it non-canon, citing the production being handled by [[OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight HBO Max was the blame]]. A couple of years after its release, Volume 9 of {{WebAnimation/RWBY}} released and shared some similarities with Gen:LOCK's second season, namely being "more about the characters" and [[spoiler:a main character being DrivenToSuicide, to the point where it's even worded as Ascension]]. The kicker? That volume was handled ''by'' the same production crew that has handled RWBY the whole time, meaning that the same excuse that Gen:LOCK's second season got couldn't apply.
21	* IKnewIt: After Dr. Weller revealed Leon was ''Gen:LOCK'' compatible, most people guessed that Leon would end up using Sinclair's Holon during the climax.
22	* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt:
23	** Episode 6 has Dr. Weller leave the story by [[spoiler:performing a HeroicSacrifice via blowing himself and a bunch of Union soldiers up so the gen:LOCK crew can escape.]] Many immediately voiced their skepticism afterward, namely due to him being an important character to the narrative, and being the only one capable of properly upgrading the Holon's into the forms displayed in the intro sequence. Soon ideas ran wild of him either [[spoiler:surviving the explosion and escaping on his own or with other Anvil survivors, or that Caliban has a cyberbrain itself and a copy of Dr. Weller's mind is uploaded into it. Others believe the explosive was actually an EMP like device allowing for his survival.]] And then [[spoiler:it turns out they ''would'' in episode 7: while Creator/DavidTennant is still in as ''Caliban'', an early gen:LOCK experiment that possesses Weller's accumulated knowledge and some of his mannerisms, Caliban doesn't have a true copy of Weller's personality. Episode 8 would then confirm that Dr. Weller did indeed die in the explosion.]]
24	** The events of Episode 6 ends with NothingIsTheSameAnymore, [[spoiler:the Union having overrun the Anvil and unleashed Nanotech across it, and Chase unable to contact Colonel Marin, Migas, or any of the Strider crew.]] Skeptics immediately pointed out that there were top billed actors amidst these characters and that at the very least, [[spoiler:the Strider pilots possess suits that can block out Nanotech, meaning at the very least Leon, Jodie, and Miranda survived.]] They also pointed out that killing off several of these characters would result in several {{aborted arc}}s and ignore the TheLawOfConservationOfDetail, [[spoiler:including the LoveTriangle between Chase, Miranda, and Jodie, as well as the mentioning of Leon being a potential gen:LOCK candidate as well as there being a sixth holon with no pilot. Come episode 8, it's revealed that everyone survived thanks to the late Dr. Weller's idea of mimicking the Union's signal to the nano-machines that prevents it from killing their own troops or sympathizers, saving everyone's lives.]]
25	** Season 2 Episode 5 ends with [[spoiler:Cammie, a fan-favorite character, essentially committing suicide by letting the Union nanobots disintegrate her. Come the end of Episode 6, it turns out she's ''somehow'' still alive within the smoke.]]
26	* MemeticMutation:
27	** "Watch gen:LOCK." Rooster Teeth went all in on advertising the show prior to its launch, with most of the videos on their channel, even ones unrelated to Rooster Teeth's animation division, having a bumper at the start hyping the show, alongside Gray hijacking several ''RWBY'' panels to bring up the show. This eventually led to Gray developing a memetic reputation for blackmailing people into watching the show. When ''RWBY's'' sixth volume featured a large mecha in the final third, right before ''gen:LOCK'' started airing, the fandom response was almost universally jokes on how "the gen:LOCK ads are getting really subtle."
28	** Kazu's ass got a lot of attention, especially after staff revealed that Kazu's model was unique in that it had rigging done ''specifically'' for his butt.
29	** Stylizing content related to the series in the same method as the title itself, e.g., eagerly awaiting the release of the sound:TRACK or the blu:RAY.
30	** "How'd they get Blaine Gibson?" was a common joke made in response to the original cast list, as most early material featured the misdirect that there would be ''six'' Holon pilots; it didn't escape fans' notice that five were played by major celebrities and one by Rooster Teeth staff member Blaine Gibson.
31	** "This one's about the characters."[[labelnote:Explanation]]During the production of gen;LOCK, this was made to be the founding core tenet of the writing. This statement would be mercilessly mocked by the show's detractors, both for the criticisms levied towards the characters, and for the implication that other mecha series ''aren't'' about their characters: a common FandomEnragingMisconception about the mecha genre and its fans.[[/labelnote]]
32	** "I'll buy it off you for $10."[[labelnote:Explanation]]When it was announced that ''Creator/RoosterTeeth'' would be shutting down in 2024, many news articles would have a notice that several of the shows the company was working on (Such as ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' and ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue''... Along with ''gen:LOCK'') would be sold to other companies. Given how ''gen:LOCK'''s reputation has gone down the gutter after the second season, many people joked about the show not being purchased at all, or random people purchasing it for a very ComicallySmallBribe.[[/labelnote]]
33	* MisBlamed: When it became clear that the series was taking a much darker turn, many fans believed the changes were caused by Creator/RoosterTeeth. In actuality, RT has nothing to do with Season 2 whatsoever, with one of the animators from the previous season downright saying it was a disservice to what the original crew had done.
34	* OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight: This has become the case with the vast level of criticism regarding Season 2. Season 1 was not perfect by any means, nevermind the controversy surrounding it and series creator Gray Haddock, but several fans would rather have Creator/RoosterTeeth remain in charge of the series, though whether these sentiments remain after [[https://twitter.com/KdinJenzen/status/1581450708477300736 it's revealed by one of Rooster Teeth's former employees]] that the company was in on how bad Season 2 was gonna be but did nothing to change it remains to be seen.
35	* OvershadowedByControversy:
36	** ''gen:LOCK'' was meant to be a breakout hit in a similar vein to Creator/RoosterTeeth's previous show ''RWBY'', with the intent to put RT on the map for animation projects. While the show was well-received critically, it being locked behind Rooster Teeth's FIRST premium membership meant the viewbase was small and reports suggest the show's massive budget (especially its high-profile voice cast including Creator/MaisieWilliams, Creator/KoichiYamadera and Creator/DavidTennant) lead to it underperforming. Discussion about the show, however, would be dominated by [[https://www.popdust.com/rooster-teeth-crunch-2638895587.html revelations in June 2019]] revealing how harrowing of a production it was for the Rooster Teeth animation team, who reported no overtime leading to as much of a third of ''gen:LOCK'' (and a third of the corresponding ''RWBY'' season) being effectively made for free. Further accusations would be levied against at-the-time Head of Animation and showrunner for ''gen:LOCK'', Gray Haddock, for prioritizing resources and sabotaging other animated shows (like ''WebAnimation/NomadOfNowhere'') to siphon their budgets to compensate for ''gen:LOCK''. Even worse, it was rumored that the show's financial problems, combined with the disastrously poor sales of Rooster Teeth's new game, ''Vicious Circle'', were a direct cause of the company laying off 30% of their staff later that year. Discussion about the show without acknowledging the production is now near-impossible.
37	** Anything good that one can say about the tasteful, creative, and trans-affirming sex scene between Kazu and Val in Season 2 Episode 4 is overshadowed by what surrounds it. Firstly, it's the second sex scene in the series, the first being between Jodie and Miranda in the previous episode; as that was the first time the series had ''ever'' featured sex and nudity, came completely out of nowhere, was loud, and focused primarily on Miranda's irritation at their total lack of chemistry, the fans were a bit too taken aback by the awkwardness to be receptive to a ''good'' sex scene an episode later. Secondly is [[spoiler:the fact that Kazu [[SexSignalsDeath is killed off later in the same episode]], coming across as an instance of BuryYourGays, a trope which does not sit right with modern audiences.]]
38	** The nature of [[spoiler:Cammie [[DrivenToSuicide effectively committing suicide]] via [[AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Ascension]] (with a PublicServiceAnnouncement even being made on the topic of suicide in the episode it occurs in making it seem like it was being treated as a ''very'' bad thing), only for said suicide's impact to be negated when it's the very reason she returns as a powerful {{Technopath}} over nanotechnology in time to save the day, as well as Ascension being treated as a good thing when it becomes the team's answer to stop Project Twilight and a solution provided to the ''whole world'']] in Season 2 is another hotly mentioned unfavorable aspect of the show whenever it's brought up in conversation nowadays, with many people agreeing the show's portrayal of suicide is both very disgusting and sends an outright harmful message by treating it as a positive solution. Not helping this is when another [=RoosterTeeth=] series, ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', had similar usage of plot-and-character-progressing suicide throughout Volume 9[[labelnote:Explanation]]The Paper Pleasers killing themselves when Jaune was trying to force them to stay alive only to be reincarnated via ''RWBY'''s own form of Ascension as better people, Ruby, after undergoing a DespairEventHorizon of which being ignored by her friends was a part of similarly to Cammie, being tortured into killing herself via Ascension only to effectively get an enlightening self-discovery chat out of it, and Neo willingly committing Ascension for the sake of finding herself[[/labelnote]], detractors of either or both webseries immediately drew negative comparisons to what ''gen:LOCK'' did.
39	* ParanoiaFuel: Union nanotech, which is capable of devouring people in seconds, can be disguised as something as small and innocuous as a ''coin''.
40	* SalvagedStory: The Union were heavily criticised in Season 1 for being generic villains with no backstory, with the series never explaining why they seek to control the world. Season 2's press summary makes a point to mention that the series will gain several Union characters as [=POVs=] to show their side of the war and why they fight.
41	* SecondSeasonDownfall: Season 2 is widely regarded by fans as a ''massive'' step down, thanks to the show downplaying the slick mecha action and character moments (widely regarded as some of the best parts of the series) in favor of half-baked political drama, having various characters [[TookALevelInJerkass take several levels in jerkass]], [[DroppedABridgeOnHim dropping bridges on]] characters like [[spoiler:Kazu]] and fan-favorite [[spoiler:Cammie]] for shock value, and its unrelentingly bleak tone.
42	* ShallowParody: ''Robo Shogun'': the ShowWithinAShow that Kazu grew up on is presented as a satire of 70's [[SuperRobotGenre Super Robot anime]], and shown to highlight the ValuesDissonance between American and Japanese culture. Except for the fact that it's completely inaccurate to what it's supposedly satirising and even racist towards Japan in some ways. The titular [[NominalHero Robo Shogun's]] bigoted tendencies of [[StayInTheKitchen viewing femininity as weakness]] and [[DisproportionateRetribution executing an old man after he sustains a major wound]] would have been ''harshly'' criticised by shows like ''Anime/MazingerZ'' and ''Manga/GetterRobo'', and have him rightfully portrayed as a villain. For reference, while ''Mazinger's'' protagonist Koji Kabuto [[PoliticallyIncorrectHero did initially hold sexist views]], these were portrayed as a character flaw and he eventually grew out of it, not to mention he was nowhere near as bad as Robo-Shogun.
43	* ShockingMoments: Episode 6 hits the floor running with NothingIsTheSameAnymore. [[spoiler:The Nemesis is the original Chase and the current one is a backup copy of his mind taken when he uploaded before the Chase we now know as Nemesis was captured, the Anvil is attacked by the Union and the Nemesis, Dr. Weller [[HeroicSacrifice blows himself up]] to let the gen:LOCK crew escape and the Anvil is overrun with Union Nanotech, with Chase unable to contact anyone else at the base as the pilots are forced to flee.]]
44	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Season 2 has received a ''swathe'' of criticisms regarding a number of changes made to the series following Gray Haddock's departure. The significant DarkerAndEdgier shift away from the Season 1's more lighthearted tone, the increased amount of [[BloodierAndGorier visceral violence]] and [[HotterAndSexier sexually explicit]] content, several named characters such as Miranda [[TookALevelInJerkass Taking a Level in Jerkass]], the significantly downgraded and stiffer animation by Creator/BardelEntertainment, and the Battle Tapes ThemeTune [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking being dropped]], have all been major points of contention since the show's debut on HBO Max.
45	** The ''extremely reduced'' mecha action is a sticking point for many people, especially given Season 2's changed direction seem to hold nothing but contempt for Mecha as a genre, going out of its way to depict InUniverse mecha series [=RoboShogun=] as a parade of sexist and toxically masculine tropes.
46	* TooBleakStoppedCaring: Season 2 has progressively alienated many fans due to its bleaker and more miserable tone. Most of the fun character moments and slick mecha action have been replaced with half-baked political drama. The Polity and several of its members (Marin) have [[TookALevelInJerkass taken several levels in jerkass]] with little build-up. And finally, the senseless and unceremonious deaths of prominent named characters. [[spoiler: Both Jodie and Kazu in episode 4 are killed off with little fanfare, and most egregiously, fan-favorite Cammie in the episode right after, [[DrivenToSuicide functionally commits suicide]]]]. Many fans have made their disdain for Season 2 clear in episode discussion threads and the official Gen:Lock Subreddit, with many loudly declaring they're done with the series after the events of Episodes 4 and 5.
47	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: Surprisingly, a vocal number of parents have come out to express their complaints against Season 2's HotterAndSexier scenes as this means they can no longer watch the show with their young children. While ''gen:LOCK'' does have the ''outward'' appearance of a brightly colored Franchise/PowerRangers-esque {{Mecha}} cartoon, the show never hid the fact it was made for older audiences with WordOfGod citing that the series was envisioned first and foremost as a MilitaryScienceFiction inspired by ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' and the works of Creator/TomClancy. The first season alone featured graphic violence and a mass-casualty incident in the form of the Union's terrorist attack on New York, dark humor, profane language, and thematic elements exploring various philosophical, political, and social issues that wouldn't be considered appropriate for children. The fact that gen:LOCK would eventually air on Creator/AdultSwim's Creator/{{Toonami}} block only reaffirms that it was meant for older audiences.

Context YMMV / GenLock