Raven's Home Reviewed: Dress to Express (S3E5)

I'm too drunk rn I can't remember a good quote from this episode so I'll just post what IMDb says:

Booker and Levi find themselves on opposite sides of the Carver School dress code(that doesn't happen), while Nia and Tess clash over the authenticity of each other's recent fashion choices (that doesn't happen, either).

What is it? ...blah blah blah I think we all pretty much know Raven's Home at this point too.

...S3 has been improving but man was this a pretty bad episode, sorry. And when I looked it up on IMDb to confirm its production code I'm like...9.3/10? Are you guys high?

Not that it was...bad bad. But it wasn't good either.

This episode suffered from what I'm going to call Girl Meets World Syndrome (did I use that already? For like back in S2 of Andi Mack? Probably....) It's a bunch of tropes and After School Special Messages that frankly every kid knows by now because every grown-up has been pounding it into their heads nonstop thrown together into an episode. And to make it worse we have 24 minutes divided into three subplots.

So about what this episode actually is about. Yeah none of what IMDb says happens. Levi is filming a documentary about what Booker, Nia and Tess do - Booker is arguing with Raven on how to dress, Nia is arguing with some dude running the Earth club over Earth-shaming, and Tess is...doing some cotillion thing? That the Principal is running?

What the actual fuck?

Anyway each of these subplots resolves themselves in predictable cliche garbage, end of story, end of review, I'm done here. Nothing to see here folks.

9.3/10 on IMDb what the actual fuck folks?

Episode Grade: A big fat F. I was all set to give it a D- or even something in C range but the more I think about it the more I realize just how much garbage this episode is. Nothing of true consequence happens and unlike say A Moving Day on Andi Mack I do feel the audience basically had their time wasted.
Episode LVP: Levi for this stupid documentary framing device.

Extra Thoughts

 - National Ice Cream Day must be huge because you get two posts! I guess go out and enjoy BoGo from Ben & Jerry's too, or something.

 - Speaking as someone deeply involved in the education world Principal Kwan is fucking insane and needs to be fired tout suite, I fucking mean it. Speaking as a (somewhat) rational viewer/reviewer of a Disney Channel multi-cam KidCom...Principal Kwan is still fucking insane. There's no good plot explanation as to this whole cotillion-in-a-public-middle-school plot other than the writers just threw it in because, well, what the fuck.

 - and a more tragic and depressing note: I've talked about the role and nature of production companies and the production company cards you see at the end of shows, way back when on a post about Raven's Home S2. You've no doubt noticed the new It's A Laugh card (not sure if I like such dominating whitespace but oh well) and for a new company, Funny Boone Productions. Funny Boone Productions is named after the woman depicted on that card - Eunice Boone who was slated to helm S3 of Raven's Home and has a pretty impressive resume of TV show and movie production behind her - but tragically died of a heart attack, as I understand, before S3 actually began production, and her face being the literal face of the production card is the show's tribute to her.

Andi Mack Reviewed: A Moving Day (S3E19)

He's not a hermit chef!

What is it? ...it's Andi Mack, I'm too drunk to do this right now you know what this show is....

I've pretty much skipped over the vast, vast majority of S2 because...the show really, really went downhill at that point, deal with it. But now that the show is ramping up towards the end, I'll have to admit, it's really returned to form. I've seen most of S3 at this point (just skipping the very beginning) and while certain points...still have rough spots it's back to being the show I fell in love with waaaaay back in 2017 (although it's crazy that this show'll only be putting out new premiere episodes for comfortably well within a three calendar year span...Girl Meets World did it over four albeit only barely and then only by cheating...but still not nearly cheating as badly as Wizards of Waverly Place which managed to sneak exactly one episode into calendar year 2012 for a total of 6...and if you want to cheat even more, 7 consecutive calendar years thanks to the 2013 Alex vs. Alex special...and Austin and Ally not only managed to span 6 consecutive calendar years but Jessie,  Good Luck Charlie and Liv and Maddie did 5...man, it does kinda make me feel Andi Mack, the one show that was clearly meant to be the network's tentpole from the get-go, really did end up getting a screwjob in the end, but I really digress). 

A Moving Day is, Bee-Tee-Dubs, the penultimate episode of the entire series. Again, it's crazy to think...nope, not going to repeat that rant I just got finished with again. But at the very least they're putting to a close one important plot thread.

Yup that's right, spoiler alert: Bex and Brody actually get married in this episode, for real.

Most of the episode is either buildup to this moment, or just complete and total filler or...really, and strangely, manages to be both, but...while they are more or less throw-away in the grander scheme of things they don't feel like a waste of the viewer's time. That said it's...really hard to discern which is the "main" plot without watching all the way through and understanding how both subplots fit in to the big spoiler-laden reveal...which I just spoiled for you in the above single-line paragraph but oh well, I'm betting you've already seen this episode by now anyway.

The "main" plot-I-guess is about Bex "winning" an exclusive dinner with a celebrity chef and the whole family (minus a certain someone, we'll get to that one in the Extra Thoughts part) loads up in the car and...yeah the vast, vast majority of it is just Cece complaining nonstop about everything. That's pretty much it. You can pretty much just skip to the main event here.

But before that we also have a second plot with Buffy, Cyrus and Jonah helping Jonah's mom move stuff, and Cyrus finds a big pile of exercise tapes he recognizes because the content of those tapes apparently had been viral on the Internet for a good while now, and we find out the exercise lady in those tapes is Jonah's mom.

...that's pretty much it, too.

I can't even say the freakin' wedding itself has a lot going for it because...not a lot happens there, either. Yes it's the usual trapping of a wedding...well, not quite. It's a very spartan wedding by design and desire, but most of the actual screen time ends up being ceremonious and...let's face it, filler.

This whole big episode is just one giant case of filler, even despite the fact that it has one of what should be the most monumental events of the entire show occurring in it, and is the show's entire penultimate episode no less. 

And there's nothing wrong with that whatsoever.

For me it was a very fun episode to watch and if it had been "bigger" or especially "heavier" I don't think I would've enjoyed it as much. One of my big complaints of S2 was that it was trying to make every single damn moment literally A Moment(TM) to the point where they were pretty much stumbling all on top of themselves. Like how Buffy finally has her big chance to prove herself to the rest of the basketball team and...it runs headlong into her mom coming back from the Army (or whatever, sure it's the Army). Literally the entire show comes to a dead stop - I mean it, you can see the exact frame it happens, I swear - so that Owe can have this big Moment-Ontop-of-Moments(TM). Or Buffy having to move away...only for her to move right back literally in the same damn episode. 

You know this type of shit seems to happen to Buffy a lot, I've noticed.

But this season's seen massive improvement regarding that Moments Management(TM - and that's my trademark I'm patenting a system on how to write good dramatic middle school sitcoms) - we've seen Jonah dump Amber, date a cute deaf girl and then get schooled on how much of a tool he is, then he dates Amber again and even though he breaks up with her again Amber also does end up schooling Jonah on what kind of a tool he is too. We've seen Cyrus in a relationship that seems to be budding towards boyfriend status, we've seen Buffy in a relationship that seems to be budding towards boyfriend status. And of course the whole will-they-won't-they marriage saga which came to a definitive conclusion this episode. 

But my point is, they've toned down those damn moments by a lot, with this episode being an extreme example (a single moment surrounded by, again, pretty much filler). But it was just really, really nice seeing these crazy kids go on one of those wacky adventures even if it was pretty mundane and nothing really happened before the wedding.

Beats dropping the whole damn game because they can't wait for half-time for your mom to show up, that's for sure.

Episode Grade: A-.
Episode MVP: I'll have to give it to Asher Angel because he does do a really good serious deadpan, why not.

Extra Thoughts

 - well if I'm making a new post it must be a holiday so...Happy National Ice Cream Day. I hope you went out to Cold Stone and got that BoGo offer.

 - yeah the whole, um, "Ham" situation. This is ancient news by now but it goes to show how one guy can really ruin a show and how much a show has to scramble to get it together. I've heard that the scenes they cut out from all episodes that had been produced up to that point were almost negligible, go figure, and likewise for most of the episodes yet to air, but they absolutely butchered the episode that was set next to air right after the news broke out. I've discussed it on social media but I really wish they just put a hard hiatus on airing the episodes and actually bothered to go back and do their best to refilm new scenes. 

 - I certainly have thoughts about Raven's Home, Amphibia, and after nearly a year after the fact I just finished binging Nickelodeon's I Am Frankie S2 but...those really deserve their own posts. Maybe...whatever the next holiday is.

Cameron Boyce

Like pretty much everybody I was as shocked as you guys were when I woke up and learned that he had died apparently in his sleep from a seizure. RIP Luke :(

But I also want to talk briefly about the Debby situation. I know it's not her fault that people ended up making his death about her, but I think posting a snippet about Cameron talking about doing good on social media vs. doing bad, after shutting off all comments on her Insta...kinda seems like she's adding onto shifting his death being about her, if you ask me.

That's pretty much it.

UPDATE: Just for clarification's sake since Spongey and Shipping Wars are Stupid brought it up, but yeah, what happened was that people were bombarding Debby's social media, particularly Insta, with SAY SOMETHING DEBBY! until she just turned off all comments. Then she put up a video of Cameron at the Thirst Project talking about how social media gives people the power to do good or to destroy. That's pretty much it and she's turned comments back on. And yeah this is like...almost two weeks ago now but meh.

Anyway I just want to say...yeah, I mean, there's nothing really to say other than the obvious (or at least what Spongey and Shipping Wars are Stupid have already said).

Alexa & Katie Reviewed: Episodes S1E1-S1E3

Dylan: Well, guess what this "dweeb" is doing Saturday night? It's gonna be epic. 
Alexa: Midnight mathlete meeting? 
Dylan: That's Tuesday.

What is it?: 24-minute multi-cam KidCom

Where did it air? It's a Netflix original, which means many if not most of you have probably already seen every episode released so far by now but oh well

Who stars in it? Skylar from Mighty Med (remember that show?) and someone named Isabel May, apparently there's some ambiguity as to whether this is actually her first credited acting role whatosever, or on Young Sheldon, but either way, impressive start! Also one of the guys who hung out with the goofy sidekick from Best Friends Whenever (remember that show?) when they had their own band and Tiffani Thiesen, I don't think I need to explain who she is especially if you have a modicum of interest in these kidcoms and/or are actually as old as I am.

Why are we reviewing this? Well it's a kidcom sooo.... And also it's on this newfangled Netflix thing which I hear is a big thing!

To the best of my knowledge this is one of the first multi-cam kidcoms to actually be produced specifically for Netflix - Netflix of course hosts a bunch of other people's shows (pretty much the entire Disney Channel library at one point at least, and Liv and Maddie is still up there, at least) and they've slapped their "Netflix Original" label on a bunch of foreign shows they've imported years after the fact (Mako Mermaids being one of the most significant early ones - althougth they did indeed put money into that one it aired in Australia first, along with a few others, Ride Free and Go! Live Your Dreams, or something). Netflix itself, and by itself, has also produced a number of truly exclusive animated shows such as...Boss Baby: The Series? Really? Excuse me? But I think this is one of the first multi-cam kidcoms that specifically went straight to Netflix as a North America network exclusive.

...no, no wait, I take that back: their first multi-cam original/exclusive was a few years back, and I even mentioned this in my last post: the AwesomenessTV-produced, Hodgson and Pollack (of Suite Life and A.N.T. Farm fame) helmed...Richie Rich. What's almost universally considered the worst show in the history of Netflix, bar-none, even giving it consideration that it's a multi-cam kidcom.

So let's call Alexa and Katie the first multi-cam KidCom since.

Anyway, Alexa and Katie is about Alexa, who has cancer, and Katie, who doesn't have cancer but is Alexa's best friend. And I suppose this is somewhat of a spoiler but...as of the semi-cliffhanger end of E3, everyone thinks it's Katie who has cancer, not Alexa (although the immediate next episode seems to make no effort to build off this but, um, whatever). But fore the most part the show seems to be fully about Alexa overcoming being in remission and undergoing treatment while having to live a normal life, although said treatment definitely seems to be front and center of everything.

Now, those of you who have been following this blog from the beginning (which from what I can tell is everyone reading - so like the three of you, Hello Spongey and Shipping Wars Are Stupid) will know I've survived cancer myself. It's literally a big reason why I'm ultimately even writing this review - and I don't mean just analyzing the cancer aspect of this show, but as in having this blog in the first place. And I can say from personal experience how Paris Berelc and her character portray the experience is, at least how I feel in my (I'd say, very informed) opinion, is very accurate. It's probably the one singular aspect I appreciate best about the show. 

And that's a very big chunk of the show right there, being what the very premise revolves around. As for the other aspects, well...they tend to revolve around that. The vast majority of Alexa's interactions are framed around her cancer experience, whether with her family, Katie or with pretty much everyone and all plot developments concerning school. Katie is navigating trying to be the best friend of someone who's physically limited by cancer treatments. And that's it. That's the show right there. Not in a nutshell, (well yes) but practically every plot point can be summarized as occurring in relation to Alexa's cancer. So it's not exactly a casual, "normal" depiction of these slice-of-life school and family-focused KidComs (however high-concept they end up being, like Liv and Maddie) but I suppose that's the whole point.

As such, again, that whole cancer aspect is what I latch onto the strongest, but looking at it objectively as a KidCom I'd say it's...somewhere in between Season 1 of LaM and somewhere in S2 when that show suddenly got really, really good. Definitely leaning towards the former for the time being, though. It's got a lot of those S1 teething problems I've talked about before, both specifically and in general (no I'm too lazy to look up the specific posts, sorry). And I think the writers are going to take a while to figure out how much they want to balance the cancer vs. regular slice-of-life antics thing, and I suspect as the show goes on it'll lean more towards the latter. But so far, it's solid and promising enough, and I'm pretty impressed with how honestly it's showing what it's like to be a cancer patient - not necessarily the during, but especially the after when there's that huge sigh of relief but also that huge adjustment period and coming to terms that you're not really 100% yet.

Episode Grades: B- for E1, B for E2 and 3.

Episode MVPs: ...I guess I'll give it to Paris Berelc for all three, although I think Isabel May comes close or even exceeds at moments.

Extra Thoughts:

 - so the three of you who bother to read this (high again, Spongey and Shipping Wars are Stupid) are probably wondering how I'm even watching the three episodes without Netflix, save for burning a free trial period. I just got done visiting my parents and so I watched it off their account. They've given me permission to use their account but I've heard horror stories of Netflix tracking this stuff so if someone can fill me in before I commit, I'd appreciate that.

 - so apparently and given my last post I write on this blog during holidays now. Happy Independence Day, ya'll.

 - the opening quote was chosen strictly on the basis of how quite literally out of place it is on the series' TVTropes page, being not only very randomly at the bottom of the main (and so far only for the series) page, but not even detached from what happens to be the last trope listed there.

 - speaking of which it's from the fourth episode which I got about halfway through, with Dylan being played by Jack Griffo in a role we're, let's face it, very not used to seeing him in. So here you go folks, as close to a Mighty Med-Thundermans crossover as we're ever, ever going to get.

 - ...yeah the "live audience-chosen prank" aspect of Just Roll With It, isn't working. They really want to have their cake and eat it too with this show: wrap around a typical kidcom with very impactful, meaningful moments but not expect the jarring interruptions and breaking pranks to not interfere with it. Like I said they should've made it basically Walk The Prank but with Disney Channel regulars exclusively instead. I'll write more on that later.

 - yeah Bunk'd is...marginally improving. Enough to get out of C Territory? ....eeehhhhh. The latest episode, the rather so-straightforwardly-named-it's-kinda-bizarre Yes, Lies and Tower Escape is the first one in series history to get into B territory on this blog, right at a B-. So maybe Phil Baker is onto something again after all.