User blog:Tomas T/My opinion + analysis on Courtney

Courtney is maybe the most controversial character of the franchise. She is one of these characters that or you love her, or you hate her. During my ranking list of the first generation, I placed Courtney on the 5th spot and I explained why. But I feel that a character like Courtney should get a blog with my full opinion about her during the show because her character changed so much. So lets begin!!!

Not so happy campers - what is Courtney's role?
The first two episodes of the first season were written and produced before the rest of the season. This is why there are so many things that just does not fit to the rest of the series. Like escalators near to the cliff, the hot tub, the conflict between Noah and Duncan (that seems to be way more serious), the sexual tension between Duncan and Heather, Courtney's voice actress and stuff like this. One of the thing that I think were changed is the role the writers wanted to give Courtney is the "The girl next door" role. She was really nice and open-minded. Did it was the right way for her? Well I don't think so. We already have a "girl next door": Bridgette so I don't think we need another one. However it seems the second episode changed the intentions of the writers. It looks like Courtney is going to be the main antagonist while Heather will be just spoiled princess (in other words: mean version of Dakota). But once again, in the next episode it was changed. Heather return to be the main antagonist while Courtney turned into the perfectionist preppy girl.

Total Drama Island - The Power Of Acceptance
A lots of people claim that TDI Courtney is her best version and I agree. This is the most balanced version of her and in fact, I think this is the most complex version of her. She is the first person in the show who ever showed any complexity. In "phobia factor" Courtney lied about not having a fear. She was so ashamed about it. Why? because she wanted people to like her and she thouth that if she admit about dumb fear she has, they won't respect her. Her will to be seen as perfct by others to be loved is so strong that evan Duncan, the tough, admit he has dumber fear than hers. And still Courtney did not. Her conffesion in the end of the episode she showed how bad she feel about losting the challange for her team. It was a rare time she admit she messed up. I think this version of Courtney is so beloved because a lots of people can relate to Courtney's hidden will: be loved by others. And from Courtney's POV, the best way to be loved by other is being the best in everything. In TDA Courtney said that "my mom raised no sucker" hit she has strick mom who wanted her dautgher to be perfect.

While Courtney had her moments of being meaner to others, it did not bothered her team that much. They knew this is Courtney, these are her flaws, they need to accept her and let her do her best. Courtney got the acceptence she wanted, especially from two people who really gave her easier time: Bridgette and Duncan.

Bridgette
Bridgette was Courtney's BFF during this season. They got along pretty well, took care on each other and prevent the other to spend her time with bunch of DJ and other dumb or clueless guys. What is really amazing in their friendship is the fact that both of them messed up so much and yet they accept each other flaws. Bridgette never seems to be bother by Courtney's mannerism and Courtney never hold any grudge for Bridgette. In two episodes in a row Bridgette's clumsiness ruined their challange. In episode 5 Bridgette "killed" Courtney's violine and injured her head and in the very next episode Bridgette set the tent on fire. Yet Courtney still was Bridgette's friend (in fact, in episode 5 Courtney forgave Bridgette at the same episode). rewatching the show, looking at this friendship really give us new fresh of air for Courtney. Seeing her interacting with people who are not Duncan or Gwen. If there will be some mirical and we will get new season and Courtney will be there, seeing Bridgette and Courtney's frienship will the best for her (and adding Sky to this friendship. I think both of them can be really good friends)

Duncan
While I can't stand Duncan and his relationship with Courtney in future seasons, I loved it in TDI. A relatiosnhip between "good girl" and "bad boy" is a known cliche in films and tv shows. Most of the time it is written in shallow way. with some kind of mary sue who fall in love with some guy with forced edgyness. But here, there was good explantion for why Courtney and Duncan fall in love with each other. They both learned new life leasons from each other. Duncan learn that it is fine to admit that he has softer side and its ok to show some affection to his friends. He learned to accept this side of him. And Courtney learn to keep her mind open, that its ok to not go on the safe road and sometimes its fine just to have fun. They both gave each other the thing they are missing in their personal life. This was the thing that made a lots of people falling in love with the ship "Duncney". Unlike the future seasons, where Duncan and Courtney just showed the worst of each other, in TDI they showed the best of each other.

Total Drama Action - When you are nice, nobody respect you, but when you are mean at least they afraid of you
The in-universe world became really mean for Courtney for not good reason. Sure she had some flaws but it seems people overracted about her. Sure she was pain in later on the season but when she debute, everyone behaved like she is the worst thing ever, even thout Harold and Duncan are the only two people who had major interactions with them in TDI (While she shared only one scene with Lindsay, one scene with Owen and at least off-scream scene with Leshawna). It all began with Lindsay's comment about nobody likes Courtney in episode 22 of TDI. Courtney was on the safe group during TDI: the "Duncan and Geoff's clique" so saying nobody really likes Courtney wasn't that true. But it make sense for Lindsay and Courtney to have mutual hate for each other. They both are total opposite of each other. Each one of them represent things that the other object. But with the others, the way the girls talked about Courtney wasn't nice at all. Beth never knew her and Leshawna, it was impailed they have good off-screen relationship in TDI why would Leshawna talk about Courtney like this? Yes Courtney become more and more mean during the season progress but in fact she had her reasons to be mean:

Nobody accept her anymore
Courtney just return to find out everyone is upset about it while she did nothing bad. Evan Duncan, her boyfriend, passed out when she return (means that Duncan aware that he did something bad: flirting with Gwen). People behaved like the devil is arrived. But she return because she sue the show for good reasons: she cheated out in the former season, and never got a chance to return while both Izzy and Eva, who voted out fair and square, returned. So why would Courtney be nice to people who actually mean towords her for no stabel reason?

"But she voted for Owen!!!"

So what? is there any rule that prohibits people voting for Owen? If all the resepct Owen was eliminated fair and square as well for thtree reasons:

1. He because of him they lost

2. he tried to eat his teammates. his mental health really went wrong and he need help. help that he cant get in TDA. Just because chasing after Lindsay and Beth he had to go.

3. Chris said that they can't vote for Courtney and every vote for Courtney won't be counted. But the KG voted her. So instead of blaming Courtney, they only can blame themself.

And I really hate how Owen's character got shilled during this season. Giving him dumb elimination because the writers could not stand the thinking about non-antagonist campers voting for him for their own personal will? and they gave him a speech. I hate character shilling.

"She was too bossy since she arrived"

Well while bossy people could be PITA sometimes, the case of the KILLER GRIPS is special. They are one of the most unfocused team ever. Izzy was insane as always who chang her name all the time, Trent trhowed the challanges, Owen was farting machine, Justin was lazy who took off his shirt all the time and Beth was fangirl of Justin and Brady. Lindsay is the most stable person in this team and she had the motivation to lead them. But since she was in a useless team, it did not worked for her very much. The thing the team hadn't was organization. Courtney arrived, she bring her organization to the team, and because of her organization the team won the last two challanges (two of only three victories) and it seems the team were kinda ungraftul to never give her credit. Without Courtney, They would lost Owen in episode 13 and Justin in 14.

Playing nice did not helped her in TDI
Its conneting to what I wrote in the begening of the section. Courntney played the game nice in TDI. But it helped her? not so much. She did nothing wrong since episode 6 and still she was cheated out. But Duncan and Heather, both of them played dirty and they made it to the 4th and 3rd places. It makes sense for Courtney's POV to think "To get ahead in this game I need to play dirty". So turning Courtney to antagonsit wasn't idea that came out of the blue. It make sense in her narative as a perfectionis person.

Courtney as the antagonist, the good and the bad
I think Courtney was decent antagonist. Sure, compere to Heather and Duncan in TDI both Courtney and Justin were inferiour, but still they both did decent job with being antagonists with Courtney being better. There are two main type of antagonist: The manupulation master (Heather, Justin, Alejandro, Scott, Sugar and Scarlett) or the competitive and motivated with poor social skills (Duncan, Jo, Lightning and the ice dancers). Courtney belong to the second type. She was so motivated with fire in the eyes, she cared more about winning the game instead eliminating others

This version of Courtney was great. Yes of course I will always prefer her TDI persona, but with season that (I see) as a boring, Courtney give the drama we needed so much. I think Courtney was decent. Untill...

The last six episodes of TDA
Before TDAS, I considered the last six episode of TDA (without counting the special) as the worst episodes of the show. A lots of things that I hated happened in them. I will talk about them in other post. But there is one thing that I will talk now: Courtney in these episodes. While Courtney in episodes 13-20 was great and at the same time the season became better, episode 21 just dumped all the good progress the season did and Courtney as well. In those last six episodes, Courtney wasn't the competitive and motivated girl I knew. She was more like a whiny and annoying b****. I could not stand Courtney in those episodes, in fact the only character I loved during these six episodes were Lindsay and Harold (who had the shortest screentime in these episodes).

So TDA Courtney is complex character to me. From one hand she did great, from the other hand, the last six episode did awful thing to her character and she wasn't enjoybale anymore. For me, I wish the season stopped at the 20th episode.

But evertyhing is going to change during...

Total Drama World Tour - Return to the roots (or not...)
So after TDA got a lot of backlash back than it seems TDWT (and the later seasons) try to cancel this season and it seems like the writers want to writing TDA off of the canon. One of the ways of TDWT to "cancle" TDA is turning the character back to their TDI self. One of the characters who return to their original personality was Courtney. She wasn't mean and agrresive anymore, she was more teamplayer than trying to be the leader (there are moments where she has argues with Heather but it wasn't that bad as TDA) and people seems to accept her or at least she did not bothered anyone like it was on TDA. It seems the destiny of being so controversial is fading. And instead of Bridgette, she has Gwen as bestie (and for nemesis, Lindsay was replaced with Heather. huge diffrence). While I agree with the claim that team amazon are overrated, I still love their dynamic. It was all good until...

Goth Kisser+Boyfriend Kisser=cheating
When Duncan return, instead of break up with Courtney (why he wanted to break up with her anyway? all he did in the second half of TDA speical is talking how much he miss Courtney and love hear mean ways) he decide its better to cheat on her with one of her only two friends (while the other friend, Bridgette, eliminated long ago) and it seems he has not remorse. But what really made me angry is how the in-universe nobody even felt a little bit bad for Courtney. The only time someone showed any kind of sympathy for her was Heather (how ironic is this) who later took Gwen's side (another irony. Alanis should put that in her song) and Alejandro who did not cared at all about her and he just used her anger for his advantage. Both Courtney and Duncan were bad girlfriend and boyfriend to each other. But if Duncan at least had a sligh of respect for himself, the best thing he could do is come clean to Courtney and break up with her. Even Gwen was awful here. She thoutgh that her boyfriend cheated on her in TDI. And what Gwen does? being the "other woman". Gwen did to Courtney what Heather did to her. With Heather it was a strategy, here it was with the intention to begin a relationship (in Gwen defence I will say that Duncan was the one who started this all. He was the one who came inside the toilet, he was the one who hold Gwen's hand, he was the one who put his arm on her backm he was the one who grabbed her, he was the one who kissed her first. Gwen just passivly went with the situation).

Of course Courtney wont be nice, of course Courtney want to get rid of both of them. Two people who Courtney really cared about just backstabbed her. Of course she will be angry.

Is TDA Courtney returned? Is she the secondry antagonist of the season?
Well... I don't think so. Yes she had bad mod during the love triangle arc, but it wasn't because she was antagonist (because she wasn't). It was because of pain, anger and rage. At this point Courtney had only two options: keep on cry about her cheating boyfriend and backstabbing bestie or do something to get back at tham. They both hurt Courtney so bad, why would Courtney let than the chance to win for second time? This is Courtey we are talking about. Yes Courtney has the right to be angary and vote for Gwen. Gwen was the shameless person who backstabbed her new friend, felt remorse for two minutes and now she want to get rid of her? I was on team Courtney all the time, with my first watch and will all my rewatchs (and belive me, I rewatch this season so many time, my favorite after all). Courtney got a treatment of an antagonist while she herself was the victim here. Im glad that she had the last laugh on Gwen. Still annoyed me that Duncan outranked her so she never got the chance to revenge on him.

Total Drama All Stars - A new beginning(?)
When the season began, Courtney had a suprising moment, moment that she never got any proper credit: she got over Duncan, Gwen and their backstabbing. She does not care about them. From her POV, she just want to win the season, these two backtabbers can do whatever they want. But it seems Gwencan can't get over Courtney. Duncan want her attention and he began to use Gwen to get it from Courtney and Gwen want to make thing right with her (from one hand she claim she want to makes things right with her, but from other hand she never say "I'm sorry" and instead try to give her flowers because form her POV she didn't do anything bad). Unlike TDWT where it seems the writers represent Courtney as mean girl who want to interrupt Gwencan, now Gwencan are the people who want to interrupt Courtney's privecy.

I'm going to adtmit that Courtney was fun most of this season. Yes her scenes with Gwen were cringy but at least we saw Courtney happy and there was another person (who is not Bridgette) in TD universe who actually cared about her. Courtney wasn't mean this season, she showed some joy of life. And yet she kept on her classic mannerism.

Scott
While at first it seems out of the blue and this ship is disliked by many people, I actually love their relationship. It seems they really happy with each other. Scott, after he gave up on his schemes from TDAS, find a girl who likes him and accept his farm life. like Duncney in TDI, once again the theme of opposite attracts is playing here. But unlke TDI when it was in temrs of personality, here its more a lifestyle thing. Scott love to be in a relationship with high-class girl and she was curious about his farm life. The relationship with Duncan, at least in TDI, gave Courtney a lot. She learned to keep her mind open, and be more free spirited. But at the end of the day, their love story was more thing of adrenaline. Duncan with being a boyfriend of girl like Courtney (in look and personality) and Courtney with being in realtionship with free spirited person like Duncan. But both Duncan and Courtney have dominant personality and eventualy their personalities clushed with each other when Duncan realize he prefer someone who is more in his mind like Gwen.

But Scott, he has dominant personality but its did not clushed with Courtney's. In fact their personality seems to complete each other. This was the first time we actualy got to see happy Courtney without winning challanges.

She got over Duncan (who wasn't here anymore), she and Gwen are friends again, she had new cute boyfriend and it seems that nobody really bothered by her. Well...

All the development just scrapped
There are a lot of awful things in SMS but I just want to talk about the worst thing SMS did: scrapped Courtney's development. Yes, Courtney's actions in this episode fits for her, if being more specific: her TDA self, and being even more specific: her TDA six lest episodes self (=the only version of Courtney that I really dislike). Yes Courtney's action are not unreistic and are not out of character. So why I still hate the events of the episode?

because its scrapped Courtney's prorgress through the season. In this horrible season, Courtney showed she is more mature now. She got over Duncan, she maneged to forgive a person who is not Bridgette, she find a new boyfriend, she opned up about her problems to Zoey, a person Courtney did not trusted before, she even wasn't that obbsessive with being perfect all the time, she even felt bad for Heather after Alejandro's eliminated her and with the expection of Lindsay nobody really was bothered with her presentence. With all this, Courtney was about to come to a point that she finally has some peace in her life, a point she finally does some peace with herself.

But the writers had to ruined it. There is a lot of behind the scenes actions here with scrapping Courtney vs Zoey finale in favor of Mike. But even if Courtney is not going to win the season, it does not mean that they had to ruin it. Courtney still could be eliminated and still, keeping on her development, returning home as a new person.

How to fix Courtney if we will get new season someday?
While Courtney in the finale is a great idea for redemption, I don't think we need it. There are other ways to fix her. First is a season without Duncan or Gwen. In TDI she never had interaction with Gwen and most of the season she wasn't in a relationship with Duncan. So the first move is to not include these two in a season. The second step is giving Courtney at least two people she can trust and will be friends with her or at least allies. One of them should be Bridgette. The other one could be Sky. They both have similarities so they can understand each other. And she need to have new conflict. While I love her conflict with Lindsay, I think it would be more intresting to have conflict with Dakota (who turned human). Dakota is more confidence than Lindsay, more sassy than Lindsay and she stand for herself better than Lindsay. So it could be more intresting to see their conflict. Even Courtney vs Dakota is a perfect final two. In multi-generation season, having Dakota instead of Lindsay is great replacemnt. About romantic life, I think it will be great if Courtney will take a break from romance for a season. To be more focus on herself. In short: bring TDI Courtney back.

Personal opinion
As I said in my ranking list (where Courtney got the 5th place) Courtney is really interesting and complex character. She represent a lots of peope dream: being good, being loved. Her character knew better times and bad times. But She always had something to donate to the series. I really glad Courtney is exist.