I mean, I know most of you (which at this point...is just Spongey and Mike and...yeah that's pretty much it) think Andi Mack is the best show on the network right now.
I'm not debating that.
What I'm trying to say is that, that's a severe indicator of the sad state of Disney Channel right now.
Because Andi Mack...isn't good anymore.
To echo the title of this post...Andi Mach has an Andi Mack problem.
If you don't know what that means: you know, I thought the crash-and-burn Jessie experienced into S3 and especially S4 was pretty bad. I think in previous posts I called it the greatest crash-and-burn in network history at least as far as a series is concerned, even if it managed to coast not only to the network-topping number of seasons (4), but indeed nearly a network-topping raw number of episodes for a live-action series at 101, just 5 shy of the total record held by Wizards of Waverly Place at a 106 episode count.
I thought Teen Beach Movie's crash and burn into Teen Beach 2 was pretty hard, too, and perhaps the greatest crash-and-burn at this point overall. It went from the 5th highest-rated DCOM in network history to...well, pretty much killing off the franchise into a nearly unwatchable mess. It's literally a textbook case of how to kill a franchise before it can even reach franchise status - or really, on what not to do. Along with how to spot any of the warning signs for any staff writers who, really, just deserve to be fired.
But...let's get real here.
Andi Mack is now the greatest crash-and-burn in network history.
Too bad I'm the only one on this entire planet who really recognizes it.
Now, I mean...coming out with such a bold statement is obviously going to be very controversial. I only need to point out to fan reaction to the new Disney Star Wars movies: you have a whole bunch of people who say they're brilliant, a whole bunch of people who say they're not good, and...here's the thing. You have a whole bunch of people who just don't like them for very bigoted reasons.
I really hate the fact that even something as simple as critical quality debate has even come down to this, where it's been so politicized that saying that a work of fiction is "good" or "bad" effectively means you have to draw political lines if not fundamental ideology lines, but this is why I'm so freakin' desperate to renounce my American citizenship and move to Canada forever.
But as for Star Wars...I don't even know why "side" I...well, "side" with except that there's no way in hell I'm going to side with the bigots, obviously. But...it's not just the bigots, but the extreme reactions from the other side that have...just turned me off from Star Wars entirely, to the point where I don't even want to watch the movies regardless. It feels like the only safe way to avoid the whole debate period.
Not that LucasFilm didn't supply a heaping helping of reasons to not care about Star Wars to begin with even before Disney took over.
But anyway...I mean, I feel like I'm going on a similar limb by calling Andi Mack "bad." It's a very diverse cast, with no less than two PoC mains and another main being gay and Jewish. I'm only pointing this out because I very specifically love the diversity, speaking as not only a PoC but an Asian myself. A lot of Andi Mack's experiences as an Asian PoC has really spoken to me, especially the whole dinner thing. That was something I really, really connected with. And even though I identify as cis-hetero, I feel I really, really connected with Cyrus - to the point where "Cyrus' Bash-Mitzvah" was reviewed as not only being the best episode of the series so far, but I strongly feel it just barely missed out on achieving a literal perfect score, something exactly only one thing reviewed on this blog has gotten so far.
But...Andi Mack Season 1 was about a young girl finding herself, and her friends finding themselves too, and really seeing a family build itself after a long-lost member decided she needed to bring herself back into the fold.
Season 2...look I'm gonna level with ya'll: I don't know what the fuck Season 2 is even trying to do.
But it certainly feels more and more like a certain other show where I also went against the grain in deciding I didn't like it (well, not entirely against the grain).
Maybe it's best if I just go down what I specifically hate:
I hate the Brody/What's Her Face/What's Her Face The Little Girl Subplot
I hate the plotlines that feel like they go nowhere
I hate the interruption of ongoing plotlines in order to introduce new ones as if the writers have freakin' ADD or something
I hate how hard this series tries to have its cake and eat it too, like the big turns-out-to-be-false drama of Buffy leaving but - surprise! - she came back in like the second-to-next-friggin' episode.
I hate just how freakin' boring this show is now.
...and so, I deleted it off the recording schedule of my DVR.
Yes, that's right. I'm not even going to bother to watch it anymore.
The PoC identity that I attached to so strongly on this show now...feels like it's gone. All the other stuff I loved from S1...feels like it's gone. In its place it feels like...well, it really feels like the freakin' Girl Meets World writers took over.
Fuck that shit.
Season 2 Grade: C-, and Cyrus' Bash-Mitzvah really is bouying that up strongly. Really, in my heart, I want to give it an F-freakin-minus-minus just to show off how freakin' pissed off I am.
Season 2 MVP: I want to just make a big declaration of making everyone eat my shorts, but I have to give it to Cyrus for the aforementioned episode.
Season 2 LVP: The fucking goddamn S2 writers, who as far as I can tell are exactly the same from S1. What. The. Fuck?
Extra Thoughts:
- I know a whole bunch of people are going to come into the comments and defend the show.
Right now, I'm too drunk to care. It is what it is, and if you still like it, that's cool. But for my ability to enjoy the show (this is, after all, my blog...well, and Mike's too)...I'm being completely serious.
I'd rather be watching Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn.
"I know a whole bunch of people are going to come into the comments and defend the show."
ReplyDeleteChallenge Accepted!
The past two episodes have got me thinking aobut the show lately, and how it's gone from being really good all the time to being pretty good with some really good moments, and some...problems.
I honestly don't find said problems to be too bad in terms of my enjoyment, but it's clear they sometimes don't know what to do with certain plot points.
Buffy coming back only like an episode after she left was really dumb to me, especially with how much they built up her leaving. And the less said about Cyrus randomly not crushing on Jonah, the better.
WITH THAT SAID, I do feel these are reasonably minor problems as I do feel it's still generally at least good. The heart is still very much there and i mostly enjoy a lot of the episode.
There's just less of the REALLY good stuff for the most part, at least after the Bar Mitzvah episode. The most recent was sort of mix with how it reminds me of some of the plot problems, but still has nice moments and is generally enjoyable.
It just keeps to have more really good moments again and stop dropping plot lines at random...but it seems to be going full force with that Buffy likes Jonah and/or Walker thing and you know how much i like love triangles...
I do think calling it bad is a bit much. We went through with Girl Meets World (which i still put in the pretty good category, even with it's problems) but I feel that even more here.
The problems exist but i can't bring myself to let them brings things down for me too much. There's enough of the good stuff to make up for the issues, as i see them as bumps int he road rather than anything awful.
With that said, I'm not crazy about some of it's choices lately so i hope it can get back up to being more consistent. Or maybe ditch over arching plots, I get it's part of the DNA of this kind of show but I've been burnt out on those lately.
"I honestly don't find said problems to be too bad in terms of my enjoyment"
DeleteI think you have a much, much higher problem tolerance than I do.
Either that, or I'm halfway convinced we're basically watching at least partially different shows.
Weird I can't edit my own replies even though there's a big giant edit button, whatever.
DeleteBut this is what I'm getting at when I brought up Star Wars in the first place. A bunch of people legitimately see a good movie. A bunch of people legitimately see a *bad* movie. Neither group can seem to see eye-to-eye and what makes it worse now is that there's a whole bunch of people who hate the movie just because they're bigots, which makes the whole situation feel like I've entered into a portal into literal Hell. So, ok cool, I've accepted this is just a fact of life when it comes to discourse now.
Not to say that you liking the show and me not liking it so much is as bad as the Star Wars fandom wars going on now, but...I'm convinced that maybe there's something going on, I dunno maybe in the water or something?, that's making people's tastes nationally when it comes to creative works diverge *a lot*. I mean, it really seems like a scientific phenomenon at this point.
Either that or I'm about the only sane one on Earth right now ;)
"I think you have a much, much higher problem tolerance than I do.
DeleteEither that, or I'm halfway convinced we're basically watching at least partially different shows."
Both those things are true :p
Damn. That last comment might say more about your feelings towards this show than anything else.
ReplyDeleteI've never actually sat down and watched an episode of Andi Mack so I'm speaking generally here. Is it alarming that the show is going through a sophomore slump? Probably. But there's always a chance to improve. If the show gets renewed for a third season (unless it already has), then maybe the writers/producers can take the response of season two into consideration and analyze their mistakes.
Or it will just continue to get worse and eat itself, because if it really is Girl Meets World status, there might be no chance to improve at all.
I'm pretty dang certain it's already been renewed for Season 3, given that it's the second highest rated show on the network right now (next to...Bunk'd, of all things) and even being second-fiddle ratings wise it's still the network's marquee show. The second season finale is coming up on Monday and I can't imagine them not giving the show at least a final season given both the ratings and the massive, massive investments they've put into it (all the promotion and hoopla, the Mack Chats, and just the fact that it's single-cam makes it comparatively significantly more of an investment than Bunk'd).
Delete...I'd *still* rather watch Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn. Over both shows. I've given Bunk'd another try and...I'll have to admit it's improved and it's not nearly as frustrating as Andi Mack is now (or nearly as annoying and uncomfortably racist as it was the first two seasons) but it's hitting solidly in C territory only (as opposed to D or even F territory in the first two seasons).