History Recap / TheNostalgiaCriticS8E26

'''Tagline:''' Appearing on several Top 10 Worst Lists, the time has come to look at one of the most despised Christmas movies ever.

* AnAesop: In the end, 2015 Critic realizes that he shouldn't be ashamed of his pre-reboot episodes, no matter how cheesy he viewed them, even as he is pursuing a more creative path. Likewise, 2007 Critic realizes that he should not be bound to any single form of expressing his ideas.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Malcolm and Tamara, miffed at having little role in the review, accepts 2007 Critic's offer to give them better roles... [[spoiler:as his table and camera tripod, respectively, since this incarnation of the Critic is inexperienced at casting actors]].

** Santa Christ mentions having been inexplicably resurrected after he died during WebVideo/TheCinemaSnob's review of ''Film/ThePassionOfTheChrist'' with the Critic.

* {{Flanderization}}: The pre-reboot version of the series is presented in a truncated manner, with random running jokes, video clips and memes ruining 2015 Critic's attempts to review the film in the good old ways, driving him to ask Santa Christ to immediately return him to his home timeline.

* ItWillNeverCatchOn: 2015 Critic sarcastically jokes that Luther's botox joke will never be a popular topic in other films (while showing other film clips mentioning it).

* MeetYourEarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The Critic meets his 2007 Self.

* NostalgiaFilter: 2015 Critic points this out when 2007 Critic complains about all the sketches (clipless reviews in particular), reminding him and the people he represents of things that prove prime-Critic had plenty of non-review stuff too.

* RulesOfTheInternet: As a way to console a bummed out 2007 Critic after discovering his own review is a failure, Malcolm advises him never to read the comments.

* TakeThat:
** At the scene where Nora keeps sending Luther back to the grocery without an umbrella, 2015 Critic claims they are such assholes they make the Kardashians look down-to-earth in comparison.
** After Luther decides to be a buzzkill and pass up on the Kranks' annual Christmas charity donation, he also says that the Kranks might as well sign up for ISIS.

* TakeThatAudience: Running through the whole review, but particularly when 2007 Critic sees the clipless reviews. He echos that without clips you can't criticize the movie, but 2015 Critic looks over at the ''Film/HocusPocus'' episode and the singing regarding complaints about the film, and deadpans in SarcasmMode that yeah sure he's saying nothing.

* MetaGuy: 2007 Critic thinks all the reviews 2015 Critic has done are horrible. He's basically reflecting all the criticisms and complaints towards Doug over the years.

* MeetYourEarlyInstallmetWeirdness: 2015 Critic and 2007 Critic.

* CreatorCareerSelfDeprecation: The principal focus of the underlying sketches in the review. This culminates in the 2015 Critic looking back at ''WebVideo/DemoReel''.

* AnAesop: In the end, 2015 Critic realizes that he shouldn't be ashamed of his pre-reboot episodes, no matter how cheesy he viewed them, even as he is pursuing a more creative path. Likewise, 2007 Critic learns that he cannot be bound to any single style of reviewing.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Malcolm and Tamara, miffed at having little role in the review, accepts 2007 Critic's offer to give them better roles... [[spoiler:as his chair and camera tripod, respectively, since this incarnation of the Critic is inexperienced at casting actors]].

* ChristmasEpisode: {{Downplayed|Trope}} -- despite the Critic's well-known enthusiasm for the holiday, this episode is less of a Christmas-themed episode (the film's theme notwithstanding) and more of a retrospective on the Critic's career and the marked changes in his reviewing style from 2007 to the present.
* CreatorCareerSelfDeprecation: The principal focus of the underlying sketches in the review.

* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: InUniverse, 2007 Critic finds out that people are less receptive to his "classic" take on ''Film/TheLastAirbender''.

** After Luther Krank (Creator/TimAllen) gets drenched by a passing car, the Critic dubs in him lines about how he should have done ''Film/TheSantaClause 4''.
** A scene with Vic (Creator/DanAykroyd) singing is thought by the Critic to be a violation of his agreement to not sing again after ''Film/BluesBrothers2000''.
* AnAesop: In the end, the Critic realizes that he shouldn't be ashamed of his pre-reboot episodes, no matter how cheesy he viewed them, but at the same time not lose track of his desire for change.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Malcolm and Tamara, miffed at having little role in the review, accepts Past Critic's offer to give them better roles... [[spoiler:as his chair and camera tripod, respectively, since this Critic is inexperienced in casting actors]].

** Santa Christ mentions having been inexplicably returned to life after he died during WebVideo/TheCinemaSnob's review of ''Film/ThePassionOfTheChrist'' with the Critic.

* ChristmasEpisode: Despite his well-known enthusiasm for the holiday, this episode isn't particularly Christmas-y if it wasn't for the movie being reviewed. The story in the sketches isn't holiday-themed at all. Christmas music does play over the end credits though.

* {{Flashback}}: Critic remembers the time he was picked on in school, when he tried to be a filmmaker when no one believed in him, and when he got rejected by a girl he had a crush on, when Past Critic laments how he only wanted to make videos so people would like him for once.
* {{Flanderization}}: The pre-reboot version of the series is presented in a truncated, cheap way, leaving out most of what viewers actually enjoyed about them rather than what Doug hates about them. The running jokes were never random or too annoying or frequent, and he did use skits and decent animation now and then. These may have been done for the sake of comedy, or to more clearly get the episodes' moral across.

* IHatePastMe: how the Critic partially views his pre-reboot self, in particular for his brevity and abuse of memes.
* ItWillNeverCatchOn: The Critic sarcastically jokes that Luther's botox joke will never be a popular topic in other films (while showing other film clips mentioning it).
* MetaGuy: Past Critic thinks all the reviews the current Critic has done are horrible. He's basically expressing every single bit of criticism and complaint every viewer expressed to Doug over the years.
* MyFutureSelfAndMe: The Critic asks Santa Christ to whisk him back to 2007 so he can do his deliberately half-assed review of ''Film/ChristmasWithTheKranks'', while sending his past self to 2015.
* {{Retraux}}: The episode serves as a throwback to the Critic's pre-reboot days, using the Walkers' residence, where Doug started filming his Nostalgia Critic episodes.
* StylisticSuck: The Critic deliberately tries to make the review as half-assed as possible, reflecting how equally half-assed the film is, by treating the audience to a throwback to the Critic's early days, with the same old wall, cheap lighting, cheap camera, no sets, no actors, and poorly-edited photo animation.

** At the scene where Nora keeps sending Luther back to the grocery without an umbrella, the Critic claims they are such assholes they make the Kardashians look down-to-earth in comparison.
** After Luther decides to be a buzzkill and pass up on the Kranks' annual Christmas charity donation, the Critic also says that the Kranks might as well sign up for ISIS.
** The Critic claims Luther and Nora's exchange about turning from geniuses to idiots (after learning that their daughter Blair is returning with her Peruvian boyfriend, forcing them to hastily prepare a Christmas party for them) can be applied to Creator/JohnGrisham (who wrote the original novel, ''Skipping Christmas'') by the film's audience.

* ActorAllusion: {{Invoked|Trope}} at a scene with Luther Krank (Creator/TimAllen) getting wet, with the Critic dubbing in him lines about how he should have done ''Film/TheSantaClause 4''.

* CallBack: Santa Christ mentions having been inexplicably returned to life after he died during WebVideo/TheCinemaSnob's review of ''Film/ThePassionOfTheChrist'' with the Critic.

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Malcolm and Tamara, miffed at having little role in the review, accepts Past Critic's offer to give them better roles... [[spoiler:as his chair and camera tripod, respectively]].

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Malcolm and Tamara, miffed at having little role in the review, accepts 2007 Critic's offer to give them better roles... [[spoiler:as his chair and camera tripod, respectively]].

* GenreThrowback: The episode is this to the Critic's pre-reboot days, using the Walkers' residence, where Doug started filming his Nostalgia Critic episodes.

'''Film:''' ''Christmas With The Kranks''

'''Tagline:''' Appearing on several Top 10 Worst Lists, the time has come to look at one of the most despised Christmas movies ever, Christmas with the Kranks.

* CallBack: Santa Christ mentions having been "killed off" during WebVideo/TheCinemaSnob's review of ''Film/ThePassionOfTheChrist'' with the Critic.

* StylisticSuck: Invoked. This movie doesn't try hard at all to be good, so Critic strives to make this review with as little effort as possible to avoid dignifying it with such quality. This kick-starts the review's plot. We are treated to a throwback style to when the Nostalgia Critic first started, with the same old wall, cheap lighting, cheap camera, no sets, no actors, and poorly-edited photo animation.

* StylisticSuck: Invoked. This movie doesn't try hard at all to be good, so Critic strives to make this review with as little effort as possible. This kick-starts the review's plot. We are treated to a throwback style to when the Nostalgia Critic first started, with the same old wall, cheap lighting, cheap camera, no sets, no actors, and poorly-edited photo animation.

* {{Blooper}}: There's one after the end credits of Tamara trying to be a camera tripod and getting fired.

* {{Outtakes}}: There's one after the end credits of Tamara trying to be a camera tripod and getting fired.

* StylisticSuck: Invoked. This movie doesn't try hard at all to be good, so Critic strives to make this review as crap-tastic as possible with the level of non-quality it deserves to reflect it. This kick-starts the review's plot. We are treated to a throwback style to when the Nostalgia Critic first started, with the same old wall, cheap lighting, cheap camera, no sets, no actors, and poorly-edited photo animation.

[[TheStinger ...]]

*