WesternAnimation A Little Bit of Everything in terms of Quality (Season 2)
Season 2 manages to pick up where Season 1 left off, but instead of just investigating the school, Season 2 ups the mystery by investigating details into Lee's past. In some ways, the Season is an improvement on Season 1, in others, it's a downgrade.
- Pros:
- The cast is (largely) still likeable, and the season even makes an effort to humanize Brandy and Kimmie, while the other unlikeable characters like Chaz and Irwin get reduced focus. And while there is some rough waters for some like Lee and Tina, they manage to pull through for each other. They end up feeling like True Companions by the end of the season, even including more and more into their ranks.
- Cam gets some much needed character exploration to elevate him from being comic relief to sharing the role of The Lancer with Biffy.
- The outcasts are an interesting bunch with nice designs, and there's an almost tragic element to them, that they were brainwashed into getting unsavory traits, and became social pariah's because of it. Hell, Deuce suffers from Pica. And the three make clear just how much they hate being stuck this way, even if it's become the norm for them.
- With the exception of Irwin, the Genius Club are all likely additions to the cast, Nadene in particular being a Mellow Fellow and chill friend to Lee. Even Irwin can be amusing in a Love to Hate kind of way.
- Season 2 addresses my question about the Tazelwurm and not only gives an answer to why no one seems to care that a serpent is running around, but also why the red Tazelwurm is so special and fights against the blue Tazelwurms.
- Following Holger's lead from the Season 1 finale, Cam gets to do a recap. It's a nice way of showing how Lee isn't the only one invested in this mystery, and how he has friends backing him in trying to solve it.
- The addressing of the PA system randomly going off during transition scenes was rather well done. More often than not, high school dramas condition viewers to simply ignore the background announcements since they're just noise meant to add to the setting. But here it was effectively a clue hidden in plain sight.
- Lynch actually becomes fun once he embraces being a Laughably Evil douche, and I found myself snickering at his obsession with knock knock jokes that even the VP found ridiculous.
- I like the fact that, while he's a "good guy", Barrage still is this off his rocker cyborg, and he wasn't faking his dislike of Lee. In many cases characters that were Good All Along would reveal they didn't really hate the hero, or only hated them for getting in the way of their plans. Instead, Barrage just doesn't like Lee and finds him annoying. It's so petty a reason, but it just works.
- Mixed:
- The feud between Lee and Cam was a mixed bag. On one hand, it was nice to see how Lee's paranoia was making him overlook things like Cam's monkey mode, and unintentionally pushing people away. On the other hand, it required Cam becoming an ass for two episodes and doing little to help his case of not being {=Rad Circle=} outside of just telling Lee to believe him.
- The design's are better for some of the newer characters like the Outcasts, but it just highlights the contrast with the others designs. I look at Brandy and think she'd look better if her neck was shorter since then she'd be more proportional, but as is it's still distracting to me.
- While captured, Lee questions the VP about why they hyperfocused on Lee when Biffy couldn't be brainwashed either, but the VP doesn't give an answer and just sends Barrage, Lee, and Tina off to be taken away. Now, I'm not certain if this is gonna be relevant later on, hence why this isn't a "Con", since it's not clear if this is just Fridge Logic or an actual plot point. Granted though, the fact the VP was constantly sending Biffy to detention for whatever reason, I got the impression she was shoving him there to keep him out of her way, so maybe that will be mentioned In-Universe next season.
- Cons:
- Some of the red herrings are admittedly kind of nonsensical or pointless, namely ones suggesting a main character is a willing conspirator. The Biffy one in particular is worth mentioning, since it goes out of its way to cast Biffy in as suspicious a light as possible... only for it all to be a series of contrived coincidences, with even his presence in the photo just being that he smelled cake as a kid, and didn't even realize it was Lee's party. The same goes for making Barrage out to be part of the conspiracy, despite it being heavily obvious that he's just another pawn in all this, especially when the VP was shown brainwashing him with jerky.
- The masterminds are such obvious Judas' that it makes The Reveal fall flat. Lynch being Older Than They Look was obvious enough with him pretty much being the "How do you do fellow kids" meme, and the VP wasn't even subtle about faking the nice act.
- It's a shame the Outcasts didn't feature as much this season, since they're technically Lee's Childhood Friends and could have made interesting additions to his friend circle, instead they just fade into the background after their episode.
- Tina feels like she grabbed the Conflict Ball the moment Ruby came up. She's so certain Lee is trying to frame Ruby, yet she ignores his vehement claims that she did do it, even when it's just the three of them and Biffy in the room, and when Lee makes clear he denies actually doing it. For that matter, everyone immediately rushing to think Lee framed Ruby, when she framed herself. For someone intent on finding the "truth", Tina kind of dropped the ball and failed to reveal that Ruby set herself up.
- The detail about {=Rad Circle=} knowing the password to Cam's hypnotism is just sorta dropped when it's revealed that Lee's party made the papers, except I don't think they'd go as far as to include those details. And Lee doesn't really question why Finnwich just randomly dropped off the map after that.
- As if to balance out the level of asses now that Brandy and Kimmie are made more likeable, we get Brad, a vapid and narcissistic wannabe action star who Tina is romantically interested in. He's obviously only a thing to pad out the romance between Tina and Lee, and he just feels like a dumber version of Chaz. Joining him is Superintendent Blompkins, a gonkish jackass who lacks any of the traits that makes Barrage humorous or likeable and only causes problems when he shows up.
- This season seems to go out of it's way to kick Lee when he's down. Whereas in Season 1 he was able to make genuine headway in finding out who framed him, getting clues and making friends, this season has a lot of his discoveries rendered moot, either because the villains manage to invalidate them or sheer random bullshit, and just ends up alienating his friends. The worst offenders have to be his getting expelled by Blompkins, who just met Lee and yet says he's the source of all the schools problems, and the very end where it looks like he's finally gonna exonerate himself, but Lynch manages to escape while VP is taken away by The Omniscient Council of Vagueness.
WesternAnimation An okay start (Season 1)
So far, the series is pretty okay. It has a nice Driving Question over who framed Lee, a good chunk of the characters are likeable and rounded, namely Lee, Cam, Holger, Biffy, and Tina, and each episode serves to not only further the mystery, but also explore different aspects of the school and Lee's classmates. Even the obviously reciprocated feelings between Lee and Tina are a plus.
That's not to say it doesn't have it's problems.
- The animation can be rough at times, particularly when Lee is running and his arms look like they shrank or when the Hazmats are running and it looks like they were copy and pasted.
- Some characters like Chaz and Brandy can get quite annoying.
- The character designs have extremely long necks with massive heads and tiny arms that just look off on many characters, something that happens with a lot of Nelvana shows come to think of it like with 6teen.
- Cam sometimes feels like he's a stereotype, though that at least lessens as the show goes on.
- The humor can be hit or miss, in particular the antics of Holger and Barrage.
- Just what is the Tazelwurm, and why is no one freaked out at this thing running around?
- Some of the reveals can be pretty obvious, namely due to the fact that this is a 4 Season show, so they aren't gonna reveal the culprit so early. Plus, it's already obvious to me that Lee's parents and Lynch are somehow involved with the prank, since not only was Lee's dad in that facility, but Lynch is inexplicably unaffected by the Prank Song and the one who directed Lee to Cyrus. And it's not really subtle with the Vice Principal looking for whatever excuse she can to send everyone home.
- I actually had to skip Episode 13, mainly because watching the Glamazons plot revenge on Tina, it became obvious Lee would get blamed and Tina would hate him for awhile, and I didn't want to sit through that, so I just read a synopsis.
All in all, the show is rather fun so far, and as a big fan of Gravity Falls, this is filling the void left behind by that show's end. So far, I'd recommend checking this show out if you like mysteries and nice characters, or looking for a show reminiscent of Gravity Falls.
WesternAnimation Absolutely Amazing
Canadian animation is full of underrated/underappreciated series and hidden gems deserving of more attention, and Detentionaire is the ultimate example of this. A series I have been meaning to get around to for YEARS, I'm extremely glad to say that Detentionaire has lived up to all the hype I've heard about because the show is FANTASTIC.
Detentionaire's greatest strength is easily its tightly-scripted storyline. Every episode contributes to the ongoing plots and mystery in some way; there is no filler in this show, and every episode reveals something new about its world, characters, and storyline in some way. And as a result, the show always leaves you at the edge of your seat - you always want to know what developments will come. This is further enhanced by the show's amazing skill at escalation. What started with simply trying to figure out who really pulled a high school prank soon reveals a vast web of conspiracy and intrigue dating back centuries. This is even reflected in the show's setting, which seems relatively mundane on the surface but quickly becomes abnormal once you start observing more closely. Detentionaire encourages viewers to become investigative theorists in the same manner as Lee and his friends.
Detentionaire's juxtaposition of banal and bizarre reflects how it weds serialized mystery shows with high school dramedies. Like Clone High and Total Drama, many of the characters and their plots are derived from familiar teen stereotypes and high school stories, but like those series, Detentionaire executes its teen elements fantastically thanks to its excellent understanding of teenagers and their world and its willingness to give nearly every major character at least some focus or development to create an engaging, entertaining, and solidly constructed cast. Furthermore, the mystery element becomes more pronounced as the series continues, with the school element growing less prominent with every season. Detentionaire pulls us from the mundane and into the mysterious (just like its characters' experience), offering a little something for everyone while at it.
While the writing is the main focus of Detentionaire, the show does have some nice visuals too, with excellent backgrounds; solid character designs reminiscent of those from Stoked and 6teen; and animation that, while not perfect, gets the job done. Also, the theme song is awesome.
Nelvana has a long history of great shows, and Detentionaire is easily among their best. Boasting strong writing that combines the best elements of its inspirations with an equally great cast, Detentionaire is an absolute must-watch for cartoon lovers (especially Canadians) and proof that Canadian cartoons deserve more respect (or at least better representation). I especially recommend this show to fans of Gravity Falls, Total Drama, and Clone High. This show ABSOLUTELY NEEDS to be taken out of obscurity.
WesternAnimation 3 seasons of high-school stereotypes
Detentionaire may well be the single most ambitious attempt at creating an ongoing, serialized mystery show in all of Western animation, as well as among Canadian cartoons of any genre. There's obviously a well-thought-out story surrounding the main mystery in the background here, and little clues get dropped just often enough that the viewer is left wanting more. Even if, in the first half of the series, it does tend to come off as more of a "baby's first mystery" in terms of solution complexity, by season 3 there's clearly something huge afoot.
Unfortunately, that's about the highest praise this show can reasonably get. Because for all of its ambition, the show falls flat on its face with 3 out of 4 seasons. Yes, fully three-quarters of the series is largely filler - but not even enjoyable, comedic filler like some other cartoons have mastered.
Instead, the viewer is put through a gruelling run of some of the flattest, most cliched tropes imaginable. Character after character is written as no more than a cog in the machine of high-school cliques. Even on the rare occasion when one of these is pushed into the spotlight and would, in a better series, obtain a rounded personality, here all that really happens is they gain a single extra trait.
Now, come season 4 and it's almost like a different show. The mystery is finally forced (perhaps by the show's predictable cancellation) to come to the forefront, pushing the school stuff Out of Focus. The strength of writing here, particularly in the final few episodes, allows resolving question after question at a dizzying speed when before the audience might get one reveal a season. Even the supposed "cliffhanger" ending is really a tease for more, rather than a true cliffhanger.
But is it worth sitting through 3 seasons of painful filler for one of relative greatness?
WesternAnimation An intelligent, well written show that is loved by all!
"Detentionaire" is proof that there are still good shows being made. It has a creative plot, seriously when have you last heard of a show set in high school like this, good characters, no filler, it isn't episodic, it's Canadian and the best part is you might not be seeing some of twists coming. Some you might. SPOILER I'm pretty sure we all figured out that Victoria was a villain in the first episode because she wasn't covered in prank goop. SPOILER DONE
Now I've heard some complaints and most of them are from people who clearly just watched the first episode and declared it bad. Really, guys? You watch the first episode and call it bad without seeing the rest?
The first complaint is that the name of our protagonist and hero Lee Ping is racist. First things first, "Lee" is an English name and according to [[ Word of God]] his parents have English names too: Alfred and Sue. "Ping" is an Asian name and that can't be considered racist because if you haven't noticed the guy is of Asian ancestry and sure "Lee" sounds like "Li" but that is pure coincidence.
Then there is the [[Strangled by the Red String]] complaint about Lee and Tina. Yeah, here is the laconic definition for [[Strangled by the Red String]]: "Two characters suddenly fall in love with only a flimsy explanation (or no explanation) as to how it happened." Lee and Tina have had a crush on each other since the tenth grade and you can see the two become closer as the series goes on.
Now that the complaints are out of the way what do I have to say about the show? Now it is listed under comedy on Nelvana's website but it has more than just comedy, there is Drama, mystery, action, adventure, romance, sic-fi, possibly some fantasy involving the Amazing Finnwich so basically there is something for everyone!
The characters never feel like one can just take the other's spot. Why is that? It is because the characters are all individualized with personalities, appearances, everything about individuality is done right and the cliques are even memorable. They never seem like a copy of another.
I look forward to the third and fourth seasons that will be coming. The story isn't over yet. There is more greatness to come!
WesternAnimation Deeper Mysteries, Alliances Change, and some minor annoyances (Season 3)
With Lee managing to find out who framed him, one mystery was solved, but two more took it's place: who started the second prank, and just who is the council who took the VP away? While the first one is rather inconsequential, it's just Bradley, the second one is the predominant focus, and the mystery runs deeper than before.
- Pros:
- Lee is still a likable protagonist, and his personal relationships and conflict are of course at the forefront. His temporary breakup with Biffy, his desire to protect his family from the council, his friendships with Tina and Jenny, they all make for enjoyable scenes.
- Biffy gets more individual focus and focus on his relationship with Kimmie, further fleshing him out. Kimmie likewise gets more focus, becoming more of a Lovable Alpha Bitch who has standards. The two of them and trying to reconnect is pretty charming.
- Tina continues to remain in the loop after being brought in last Season, and manages to prove a valuable friend to Lee. Jenny of the Outcasts becomes a full on Ascended Extra, too further fleshing out her personality to show a more cynical side that she is starting to move past thanks to Lee. Their vitriolic friendship is likewise a charming element.
- Lynch continues to make an effective antagonist, both in how insane he is, and how Laughably Evil he's become. Finnwich meanwhile makes a nice contrast to him, being a bit flamboyant, but still more grounded. And whereas Finch is unabashedly evil, Finnwich serves a more morally ambiguous role.
- Cassandra and her ninja enforcer both serve as very effective threats, being the first to actually threaten lethal harm to Lee's loved one, and score legitimate victories against Lee and his friends via cunning and manipulation.
- Mix:
- Barrage being Brainwashed and Crazy. From a narrative perspective, this is a good move since it shows just how dangerous the conspiracy is, but from a meta perspective, it's just resetting Barrage back to the status quo so that he'll still be the hardass sending Lee to detention.
- Cam takes a backseat this season and leads his own subplot about he and several others all being blackmailed. The good parts come from getting to see him lead a storyline of his own and the increased focus he gives to Brandy and Cyrus, as well as showing his moral integrity since he wasn't going to go through with cheating, but got dragged in anyway. The negative part comes from some of the things they're made to do being cringe inducing.
- Cons:
- Much like Cam, Holger takes a back seat this Season in favor of focusing on a subplot over his love for Helga and feuding with Steve. It's very inconsequential though and drags as a result.
- While Jenny gets to be an Ascended Extra and join the group, Lou and Deuce remain in the background and all but vanish. And while Deuce is still likeable, Lou gets a little annoying with his desperation to become popular again.
- Chaz, Brad, and Blompkins are still as annoying as ever. And while Blompkins at least seems to be a Hate Sink, his obsession with clogs is just dumb. Chaz fortunately is still stuck with reduced screen time, but Bradley continues to be vapid and annoying. The one time he looks like he might be sympathetic, when he reveals he's a fake at fencing and says Lee he owes him, gets undone by him still being this arrogant and obnoxious blowhard. Not to mention him getting Lee framed for a second prank by complete accident just because he was trying to upstage him.
This is honestly the best season yet, with way more positives than negatives. Lets hope Season 4 can keep this momentum going, as we finally find out just what is behind the pyramid.