User blog comment:Raised By Wolves/Character Appreciation - Week 12: Courtney/@comment-4726418-20170320224844

Courtney is absolutely amongst the best of the best of the show for me. She's this overly preppy, overly organized, overly paranoid, and overly Type-A crazy. Part of the reason I enjoy Courtney so much is that she's so egregiously ''mean. ''Like, if you were to say the word mean and put it next to any of the 87 characters, Courtney would fit that perfectly. But while that has of course caused her some detractors, she thankfully still verges on being on a popular appeal.

Courtney's always had some ounce of glorified self-indulgent hypocritical delusions of grandeur about herself, even back when TDI happened. This of course comes from her background of always trying to be on top (as seen in her audition tape). Episodes like Basic Straining for example are important in showing that deep down she would love to enjoy herself and have fun more. But she's so deeply rooted in the hilariously horrific ways she goes about life that harms others and herself that she'll remain in this shell of herself. I guess that would mean it would limit her development, right? But it actually ''doesn't. ''Because rather than just being a kinda bossy girl with hints that she may have a short temper who will eventually develop in Basic Straining as a fun-loving party girl there to soak up the fun with Duncan, there's a DRAMATIC turn instead with easily one of the best moments of the entire show; her elimination. If Courtney fans have anyone to thank for the amount of variation in how far her appeal value goes, it's gotta be Harold. If it wasn't for him, Courtney would've ultimately just been Duncan's "kinda bossy girlfriend". So I applaud that this direction was taking with her instead because for me it's a better direction than some of her haters claiming she should've just remained a sorta nice but a little bossy girl. It's great in TDI because it's the first season and you're only just getting to know her, but if she was like this in every season, it would just get more stale and stale.

TDA is easily her BEST season for me, no question about it. As I mentioned, the appeal in Courtney is just how far her screwed up mind can go due to the circumstances she's had in her life. And if any season shows this glory in its full view for the naked eye to see, it's this beauty right here. Courtney was, objectively speaking, f**king screwed over by the show. The rule of voting someone off is typically whomever gets the most votes from the selection of people is eliminated. But Courtney not only gets this, but she also gets it against Harold, the person who had more votes against his favor.

So there's her motive. Does she portray herself well though? Hell no xD. Instead of backing down after being screwed over and put into a corner by the show, Courtney resorts to being petty as f**k and forcing the disgruntled producers to do her bidding and make her immune from her first elimination<333. It doesn't really bother me as much as possibly several others that Courtney is so OTT in her crusade against everyone and anyone who gets in her way but it shows you right away where she's coming from. You'd also think that the fact that Courtney is so above everyone in authority in TDA would make her an annoying character who deserves more punishment. But you'd be wrong! Instead everyone in the show unanimously acknowledges virtually every episode of TDA that Courtney is a foul-mouthed volatile person (and probably in a couple of other TDA episodes too). So to have her act all uptight about how perfect she is while everyone sneers in disgust is why that's such an animation highlight.

One common complaint about antagonists in this show is how well they are at the antagonist job. But for me this really shouldn't matter that much overall. I mean it might a little, but you're avoiding so many other aspects; the entertainment value, the justification for their actions, their characterization, etc. That's why Courtney was such a great character in TDA to begin with. She was already made clear as an overly cautious person who hides a lot of her wild streak in her and TDA fleshes that out much more, achieving making her both an intriguing character from a mental point of view (her crying over a photo from home that shown how she ended up as the selfish person she became), and a hilarious character overall in TDA (I WANT A PRIZE.)

Seeing as how WT and AS are her most recent seasons, they also seem to be the most discussed ones relating to her so there's not much to go into her. For me she's kind of a slow burner in WT but once she picks up steam in the second half of the season she's back to her hilariously maniacal ways (*tries costing challenge* *SLOW MO* "Oooooops"). I think if you know me by now you know my opinion of the love triangle so I think I'll just say from an entertainment point of view, Courtney really delivered with them showing her really vulnerable self once more with her crying but then making her a fantastic villain again.

Her AS self gets a lot of stick but really the only complaint for me is those AWFUL Gwentney interactions but that's more Gwen's fault than Courtney's for how obsessed she is with her and plus, Courtney has been shown when it comes to people she likes, she REALLY rapidly likes them (TDI Duncney).

I also have to mention Sundae Muddy Sundae because I feel like she gets way too much flack for that. Ok yes, Courtney's entire development in AS was completely backtracked in the last second. Yes she's completely reverted to her TDA self. Yes Mal really did find that list she made and outsmarted Courtney of all people (f**king Mal -_-). But like, is it not completely in-character? That she would make it this far but unlike TDA have strenghtened bonds and a majority of people in her favour? It would be out of character for her NOT to have her eyes on the prize. Plus if she really did fully develop in AS, it'd kind of limit what more she could do in future seasons anyway. Now I don't AGREE that this was done, but I can completely see Courtney having in her mind "Gwen is okay but winning has always been everything duh." It doesn't matter how more likeable she became. She will always have a competitive streak to her. So no this did not ruin her character in the slightest.

Idk Courtney was a weird one for me to do this week. She's a very overly elaborate character with loads of insecurities, constant high-strung stress, and multiple varying kinds of interactions with others. I don't think I even said half of why she's so great and she really is more of a character you need to experience for yourself. So for now I'll list off some funny and iconic Courtney lines:

Geoff: * 'sprains' ankle* Ugh you guys gotta go on without me!

Courtney: *casually turns around and walks away*

Courtney: Chris I have a condition

Chris: What condition?

Courtney: A condition that prevents me from jumping off cliffs?

Tyler *knocks out Lindsay with dodgeball* NOOOOOOOOO

Courtney: finally!

Courtney: We are so sucking right now! Ok yes, Eva was a psycho. But at least she was an athletic psycho.

DJ: If we wake Duncan up, he'll kill us!

Courtney: He won't kill us, guys.

Harold: Courtney's right. We just gotta believe in ourselves.

Courtney: That's the spirit, Harold! Now go wake him up...!

Courtney: *wakes up next to Duncan* *GASPS* YOU were cuddling me!

Duncan: I was enjoying my morning sleep. You came over to me.

Courtney: You're an ogre.

Courtney: Master Chef, I just have one thing to say to you.

Chef: And what might that be?

Courtney: You REALLY need to take a chill pill. Mwahahaha!

DJ: You wouldn't let us fall to our deaths!

Courtney: O-oh yes I would! I don't even LIKE you very much!

Courtney: I'm on Team Gwen. Not because I like her. But because Trent is a loser. By choice!

Courtney: So... where's my prize?

Chris: Sorry, Courtney. It's not prize time yet.

Courtney: MAKE IT prize time!

Courtney: I want a prize. I want a prize! I WANT A PRIIIZE!

Lindsay: *looks at food on train* This is great that we all get to share this, right Courtney?

Courtney: Whoopdee-doo! I'M sticking with my cheese-flavored cheese-type PRIZE that I won! *eats*

Beth: *asks for potato chips* Can I have some?

Courtney: Did YOU win a prize? *endulges in potato chips*

Duncan: Yep, Chris is totally dead.

Courtney: No. That's not true. I-I didn't even get a decent prize yet.

Chris: The winner of the challenge is Lindsay.

Courtney: What? No fair! I was the one who did all the detective work. She couldn't tell the difference between a real Chris and a RUBBER DUMMY *kicks Chris dummy with flaming eyes*

Chris: What color is Courtney thinking of right now?

Duncan: UHHHHH, how am I meant to know??? Blue??

Courtney: *watches on TV* Burnt sienna! He doesn't know ANYTHING about me.

Courtney Conf: Gwen may even sometimes be... nice! She's not perfect though. She's INCAPABLE of making a list *folds arms*

Courtney: I'll sit out the challenge with Sam. I OWE it to him for not bringing food.

Zoey Conf: I knew Courtney had a heart in there somewhere.

Courtney Conf: This is what the SMART people do. Hang back, and let the FOOT SOLDIERS do all the work.

Courtney: Scott! I actually MISS that scuzzball!

Courtney: IT WAS NOT A COTTAGE!

Chris: Duncan blew up my cottage!

Courtney: It was NOT a-- WRAAAGH!

Zoey and Gwen: *casually talk*

Courtney: You two better not be talking about how I kissed Cameron!!

Gwen: *gasps* You kissed Cameron????

Courtney: :O

Gwen: :O

And who could forget what she did to an angry customer when she was on her break?<3333

I'm probably still forgetting like 500 other amazing Courtney quotes but you probably get the drift and hopefully these lines didn't kill you too much with laughter.

Best Moment: All the lines I listed

Best Season: Total Drama Action

Best Episode: Get a Clue