Office drama, Meridian style: “The Key”
May. 20th, 2010 11:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akinoameVathek is in some serious trouble. The key he’d thrown down to Caleb in “It Resumes” is missing, and Cedric and the other guards suspect he is a traitor. He insists that he must have lost it in the battle, and Phobos shows some level of logic when he suggests that Cedric and the captain, Raythor, go search for it (don’t worry, Phobos/Logic won’t be shipped for much longer). Cedric tells Vathek he better hope they find it, and Vathek starts sweating even worse.
While the Guardians practice their magic in the riverside cave, Caleb is left to fend for himself on this strange new planet. He’s weirded out by the clothes and slang and just wants to head back home and lead his army to victory, just like any other homesick teenager. But when Blunk passes along the information that Vathek is in trouble—and Caleb finds Blunk stole the key from the hiding place—he knows he has to go back and save his friend.
The girls return to find Caleb missing and a distinct smell of Blunk-stink. They track down Blunk and Hay Lin discovers that the clothes she’d lovingly made for Caleb were traded to the dumpster-diving Passling. She freaks the hell out on Blunk, who does the only smart thing there is and bolts for the portal. Still furious, Hay Lin takes chase, followed by the others. Scared of you!
After disguising themselves, they run into Caleb and Aldarn, and Aldarn has the funniest moment in the episode, badly trying to hit on Cornelia using Earth slang as pick-up lines. But there’s a guard chasing them, and Aldarn has to run before he’s spotted, as the fugitives knock out the guard and put Caleb in his uniform. They sneak into the castle, and nobody notices that there’s a guard who looks suspiciously human and is wearing armor far too big for him, but they end up causing a commotion in the cafeteria, resulting in a battle. Standout fights are Cornelia animating the wooden table and gleefully beating up on the guards, as well as the powerless Caleb putting the various weapons to good use. Having the lame power of Heart, Will tries to do the same, only to mistakenly bash Caleb in the head with a mace. Whoops. Fortunately, his helmet protected him, and as the girls finish up, he leads them to what I can only assume is the Abyss of Shadows Vathek had been threatened with before—it’s the cliff Caleb nearly fell off of when Hay Lin saved him (“It Resumes”). They knock out the guards and show Vathek the key, but he says it’s too late to help him now. Will has a plan, though, and tells Vathek to call for help and then lie down perfectly still. She then places the key on Raythor, and when Cedric arrives with a contingent of guards, the heroes escape. All Cedric sees is the Guardians escaping the castle, Vathek having sounded the alarm, and Raythor holding the key. While Raythor is taken away, insisting he’s been framed, Vathek is sent back to work without even an apology. Phobos is truly the worst boss ever.
On Earth, Hay Lin decides maybe it’s fun dressing up Blunk, and Caleb comes to realize it’s not Earth that’s weird—it’s the women.
We’re formally introduced to Vathek this episode—a guard in Phobos’s castle who acts as a double-agent for the Rebels. He and Caleb are apparently good friends, though this may have something to do with the fact that Caleb is the leader of the Rebellion. To be honest, there’s not a whole lot to say about him this episode. He just exists to be rescued by the Guardians and Caleb.
This episode also gives us a brief look at Earth through a Meridianite’s eyes. Caleb might be critical toward the planet when he’s around the girls, but when he’s with Aldarn, he can’t help but talk about how amazing it is. He goes on about the skateboard lingo he doesn’t understand, about the clothing he’d originally said he couldn’t stand, and he and Aldarn sigh with a desperate desire for the kind of freedom the Earthlings know. This will come up again in a later episode, when we see a little glimpse of what kind of propaganda Phobos has been telling them about Earth.
Thanks to the art, we see that Caleb actually lives in the basement of the Silver Dragon; there’s a bed set up near the window. So it’s not just the Guardians’ base and his hideout, it’s where he sleeps too. There’s probably a joke about the Rebel Leader being some guy who lives in a basement, but I’m not going to make it. But I’m not too mature to make this joke: A guard in Meridian demands to see the Guardians’ and Caleb’s “papers,” like they’re in Nazi Germany. Or Arizona.
Apologies to Arizonans. I just really had to join the bandwagon on that joke, and it was the perfect opportunity.
In terms of production, this episode is pretty weak. There are mixups between voice acting and animation, including a scene where Will pulls an eel out of Taranee’s shirt and the whole time, but it’s Candi Milo you hear, playing Irma. And writing-wise, this whole season feels very off; as Greg Weisman explained it in his Q&A, the guys in charge of the first season were told to produce a slice-of-life style girl cartoon where the main characters just happened to be superheroes, and halfway through, they were told to change the approach to make it more action-oriented and suitable for Jetix. So bizarre stuff like Hay Lin’s random “donut” talk, all the jokes at Taranee’s expense, and the impromptu dance number between the Lins and Blunk feel very inconsistent with how the show as a whole develops later.
Other complaints come in the way of Caleb’s reactions to Earth. There’s a consistency issue in his confusion over the skateboards, which will come up in “Divide and Conquer,” when he starts “mumboarding” like a pro. Also, I fail to see why Hay Lin felt the need to design a whole set of clothes for him to pass off as an Earthling. Caleb’s normal outfit is a pair of long, khaki-colored pants, boots, a white T-shirt, and a brown longcoat. If he’d been wandering around in red Converses, a suit, and the longcoat, then maybe you could look at him and shout, “Alien boy!”; otherwise, his Meridian clothes are actually pretty unremarkable. Worse, his “Earth clothes”? A tighter pair of khakis, a wristband, and a brown T-shirt.
He changed his shirt to blend in. My god, this is worse than the Ninth Doctor!
“The Key” was written by Andrew Nicholls and Darrell Vickers. Raythor was played by Steven Jay Blum.
While the Guardians practice their magic in the riverside cave, Caleb is left to fend for himself on this strange new planet. He’s weirded out by the clothes and slang and just wants to head back home and lead his army to victory, just like any other homesick teenager. But when Blunk passes along the information that Vathek is in trouble—and Caleb finds Blunk stole the key from the hiding place—he knows he has to go back and save his friend.
The girls return to find Caleb missing and a distinct smell of Blunk-stink. They track down Blunk and Hay Lin discovers that the clothes she’d lovingly made for Caleb were traded to the dumpster-diving Passling. She freaks the hell out on Blunk, who does the only smart thing there is and bolts for the portal. Still furious, Hay Lin takes chase, followed by the others. Scared of you!
After disguising themselves, they run into Caleb and Aldarn, and Aldarn has the funniest moment in the episode, badly trying to hit on Cornelia using Earth slang as pick-up lines. But there’s a guard chasing them, and Aldarn has to run before he’s spotted, as the fugitives knock out the guard and put Caleb in his uniform. They sneak into the castle, and nobody notices that there’s a guard who looks suspiciously human and is wearing armor far too big for him, but they end up causing a commotion in the cafeteria, resulting in a battle. Standout fights are Cornelia animating the wooden table and gleefully beating up on the guards, as well as the powerless Caleb putting the various weapons to good use. Having the lame power of Heart, Will tries to do the same, only to mistakenly bash Caleb in the head with a mace. Whoops. Fortunately, his helmet protected him, and as the girls finish up, he leads them to what I can only assume is the Abyss of Shadows Vathek had been threatened with before—it’s the cliff Caleb nearly fell off of when Hay Lin saved him (“It Resumes”). They knock out the guards and show Vathek the key, but he says it’s too late to help him now. Will has a plan, though, and tells Vathek to call for help and then lie down perfectly still. She then places the key on Raythor, and when Cedric arrives with a contingent of guards, the heroes escape. All Cedric sees is the Guardians escaping the castle, Vathek having sounded the alarm, and Raythor holding the key. While Raythor is taken away, insisting he’s been framed, Vathek is sent back to work without even an apology. Phobos is truly the worst boss ever.
On Earth, Hay Lin decides maybe it’s fun dressing up Blunk, and Caleb comes to realize it’s not Earth that’s weird—it’s the women.
We’re formally introduced to Vathek this episode—a guard in Phobos’s castle who acts as a double-agent for the Rebels. He and Caleb are apparently good friends, though this may have something to do with the fact that Caleb is the leader of the Rebellion. To be honest, there’s not a whole lot to say about him this episode. He just exists to be rescued by the Guardians and Caleb.
This episode also gives us a brief look at Earth through a Meridianite’s eyes. Caleb might be critical toward the planet when he’s around the girls, but when he’s with Aldarn, he can’t help but talk about how amazing it is. He goes on about the skateboard lingo he doesn’t understand, about the clothing he’d originally said he couldn’t stand, and he and Aldarn sigh with a desperate desire for the kind of freedom the Earthlings know. This will come up again in a later episode, when we see a little glimpse of what kind of propaganda Phobos has been telling them about Earth.
Thanks to the art, we see that Caleb actually lives in the basement of the Silver Dragon; there’s a bed set up near the window. So it’s not just the Guardians’ base and his hideout, it’s where he sleeps too. There’s probably a joke about the Rebel Leader being some guy who lives in a basement, but I’m not going to make it. But I’m not too mature to make this joke: A guard in Meridian demands to see the Guardians’ and Caleb’s “papers,” like they’re in Nazi Germany. Or Arizona.
Apologies to Arizonans. I just really had to join the bandwagon on that joke, and it was the perfect opportunity.
In terms of production, this episode is pretty weak. There are mixups between voice acting and animation, including a scene where Will pulls an eel out of Taranee’s shirt and the whole time, but it’s Candi Milo you hear, playing Irma. And writing-wise, this whole season feels very off; as Greg Weisman explained it in his Q&A, the guys in charge of the first season were told to produce a slice-of-life style girl cartoon where the main characters just happened to be superheroes, and halfway through, they were told to change the approach to make it more action-oriented and suitable for Jetix. So bizarre stuff like Hay Lin’s random “donut” talk, all the jokes at Taranee’s expense, and the impromptu dance number between the Lins and Blunk feel very inconsistent with how the show as a whole develops later.
Other complaints come in the way of Caleb’s reactions to Earth. There’s a consistency issue in his confusion over the skateboards, which will come up in “Divide and Conquer,” when he starts “mumboarding” like a pro. Also, I fail to see why Hay Lin felt the need to design a whole set of clothes for him to pass off as an Earthling. Caleb’s normal outfit is a pair of long, khaki-colored pants, boots, a white T-shirt, and a brown longcoat. If he’d been wandering around in red Converses, a suit, and the longcoat, then maybe you could look at him and shout, “Alien boy!”; otherwise, his Meridian clothes are actually pretty unremarkable. Worse, his “Earth clothes”? A tighter pair of khakis, a wristband, and a brown T-shirt.
He changed his shirt to blend in. My god, this is worse than the Ninth Doctor!
“The Key” was written by Andrew Nicholls and Darrell Vickers. Raythor was played by Steven Jay Blum.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-21 08:47 am (UTC)Wouldn't that make Caleb some kind of weird hypocrite, him bashing Earth to the Guardians - who live there, saved him from possible death as well as torture - while saying how awesome the planet is to Aldarn?! I could be mistaken, but then again when I first saw it I just found that to be hilarious. Another thing I found hilarious even if it didn't quite fit in with the series later on: Hay Lin flipping out because Caleb ditched her clothes!
Elementwise I have SO run with that particular ball!If I recall, the 1st Season of W.I.T.C.H. ran on Disney Channel-though I remember seeing it on ABC myself for a time-before the jump to Jetix, so it was quite a while before I got back into it; ironically, the 2nd Season premiered-much to my disappointment-on the same day as the series finale of Yu-Gi-Oh! so as I knew I'd be able to see the girls again I opted to watch Atem & Yugi's climactic battle. That might be the reason concerning the whole bizarre stuff. (Blunk is just Blunk, regardless of where he was at when the series began.)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-21 05:09 pm (UTC)Pretty much, but I'm guessing it's because he's trying to make himself seem tougher in front of the girls. His rampant sexism aside, he's still just a kid who's been recently forced into this position as leader. Aldarn's probably the only person he feels comfortable being himself around--he's constantly got to play the part of Rebel Leader. I'll probably have to hearken back to this moment comes "The Underwater Caves," when all he can do is go on about how awesome his dad is (and no surprise--the guy IS Nightwing, after all).
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-23 09:38 pm (UTC)I did notice that the show gets more serious as it goes on. I was surprised at it when I was rewatching it a few months ago, and the beginning was more childish and cheesy than I remembered. The comics are a bit like this sometimes. Of course, they have seriousness and flow too, but they're not as action and plot-oriented as the show became, except for possibly the fourth and fifth arcs. The seriousness in the comics feels different than in the show, although it's still there, more like a shojo manga. I like both, and I appreciate the the show's later development. Most fantasy cartoons I've seen in the West aren't serious enough for me.
Yeah Phobos can be a stereotypical kiddie cartoon evil overlord, complete with lapses in logic and unnecessary cruelty towards employees. They even changed his clothes from the comics to make him more stereotypical, all black and red with a standard evil castle.
About Caleb and the boards: well he didn't understand the skis either, which arguably are pretty similar in their usage. A skateboard you use on the streets and sidewalks, there's no need for a slope. But his problems with boards and skiing were probably just for comic relief.
Hay Lin just likes designing clothes given any excuse to do so, although it seems like a bit too much effort even for somebody with her enthusiasm and energy.
One thing I noticed: Cornelia starts off as a shallow nasty stereotype, with a few fun moments like her fight in this episode. But eventually those sorts of comments grow rarer, at least by the end of the first season(I haven't watched the second one in years now) and I really came to like her best. Although I don't know whether I'd enjoy being around her.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-24 01:07 am (UTC)I actually got started on the second season (this tends to be a thing with me--I get started on a sequel, be it Ben 10 Alien Force, Power Rangers in Space, or whatever), so I was really shocked when I went back and watched season one and saw how different in tone it was. I've begun reading the comics, but since they've been hard to find (and for time issues), I've mostly only been reading since New Power. And then I facepalm going, "Wait, Matt doesn't make any sense!" even if it is kinda cool.
Phobos--he's a great concept. Not such a great overlord. Quite a few of my facepalm moments when I went back and watched season one for the first time were how bad his plans could be. Wait until the Book of Secrets.
About Caleb and the matter of consistency--it's mostly a thing with me that the more I like a show, the more I tend to tear it apart. It's because I hold it to a high standard, and I'll expect them to try a little harder, even if I love it. And about Hay Lin and the "scared of you!" comment, that line is a bit of a running gag between me, Shaun Garin, and Gil Grissom from CSI.
I'm really going to do a lot of focus on Cornelia's development as it comes. She's definitely a tough character, and the more I watch, the more I start to see how things are playing inside her head. Which is why I'm glad that for this series, I've got the benefit of having seen it all the way through before reviewing it, so I can track the progress (my model here is mostly Linkara's History of the Power Rangers, especially his analysis of Bulk and Skull from the original through Power Rangers in Space--I'm a complete dork, by the way). Doing an endpoint analysis on this many main characters would probably hurt me.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-24 02:27 am (UTC)Phobos is just a stereotyped evil overlord. He felt more dangerous later when he had Elyon, because she was betraying her friends for him and I was scared for her, but in the first half of the show I find myself more amused than scared. I think maybe he was scarier in the comics, although it's been a while since I read the first arc, and I found him a bit hammy there too with the dialogue. But the aesthetic design wasn't as stereotypical at least. He wore blue and floated around with baby plant things holding him up. On a shallow note, I find both versions very pretty to look at.
I understand tearing it apart. Let's face it, if a person is going to spend a lot of time thinking about a show, of course there's going to have to be some criticism involved. It's part of the fun. That's what I wanted to see. I've seen people critizing W.I.T.C.H. or praising it, but I rarely see analysis as such. I'm not very articulate myself except when I'm responding to a post, so posting my own meta isn't something I do, and anyway I'm better at trying to figure out characters and themes than I am at criticizing plot (a trait that has saved me many headaches when watching Buffy). I've probably been spoiled by all the existing meta in Buffy fandom, since the people there are very wordy and it's yummy. I don't want to pollute your thoughts, but here's the show's thread at TWOP: http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=3121293&st=255
I don't really know exactly why I'm so fond of Cornelia. I don't know if she was always my favorite character, or if she just grew on me, or if some of the fandom bashing she gets affected me, but when I rewatched season one this March it was her development I was thinking about the whole time, trying to figure her out. She's complicated, especially for a hero character. Will's complicated, but a more traditional lead heroine type. Maybe I'm not used to female characters labeled divas being developed at the forefront on a TV show. Or maybe I'm just fond of magical warrior blondes (see Buffy, Sailor Moon).
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-24 02:53 am (UTC)Part of Phobos's design in the cartoon probably stems from his need to play the part, so to speak. Meridian has to look dark and drab, and so must he. At the same time, black and red are "power colors" (to channel my dorkiness even more and reference Digimon season 3), so when he creates the illusion of a green and gold Meridian, Elyon will see his dark clothes as the sign of a powerful man, who also may be in mourning over his lost parents and missing sister.
True. I guess what I do comes from my years of English classes and writing essays. In order to defend something, you have to acknowledge its faults; the reverse is true too. Too often, fans freak out if their favorite thing is critiqued even in the slightest, not realizing that acknowledging the faults actually makes it better to love. It says that no matter what, you still love it.
Yeah, Cornelia is why I'm glad I came in at season 2. If I'd gotten there earlier, I would have had a bias against her. But I came in when you're seeing her having to tear down her barriers--particularly those involving Caleb--and really having to start growing up. I really got into analyzing her character when I RPed her at
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-24 04:01 am (UTC)But the power colors thing I hadn't thought of.
With Cornelia, I probably would have had a bias against her if I had started with the first episodes. I think I started watching in midseason though, when her meaness was somewhat justified and understandable because it related to her love for Elyon.
(no subject)
Date: 2018-08-10 04:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2018-08-11 09:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2018-08-10 04:14 pm (UTC)Also I am very curious about where I can find details of the production history. Over the years, I've become more cautious about including such details if only because I've come from other fandoms that lied about their secondary sources. So now, I try not to mention anything unless it is a primary source.