User blog:Fedora Kid/Food Fright Review

Pros (6): Gwen (seriously, that opening confessional was one of the heaviest moments in the show's history - she reveals that she only came back just to make things right with Courtney, and then cries in a pretty genuine and heart-breaking way. A very emotionally impacting confessional); Scott (from his gruel-related humor in the opening, which was funny, but creepy, to his constant flirting with Courtney in a, once again, hilarious-but-creepy manner, to finally reviving his interest in the immunity idol, he was very funny in this episode); once again, the torture montage scene full of well-timed physical gags (from Sierra eating fish eyes and puking, to Duncan and the mouse trap, to Gwen and the crabs, to Courtney and the jelly followed by her hilarious flinging and paranoid confessional, to Alejandro and the fire ants, all of it = priceless); Sam (this was the one - and sadly, only - episode in the season that returned to TDR-style Sam. From his clever lines, to his video-game-pumped determination, he was much better and more TDR-esque here, in his final episode, than he was in the first three episodes); the resurgence of Alejandro/Heather (FINALLY); Cameron (from his hilarious physical gags, such as the bear and falling through the branches, to his hilariously bad performance in the obstacle course); the challenge (although this was the first challenge where one aspect - the pancake eating - wasn't based on a previous challenge at all, it was still very enjoyable and TD-esque)

Cons (3): Courtney (UGH. She eavesdrop on Gwen's confessional with a seemingly-concerned look on her face...realizes that Gwen came back to make things right with her, in a seemingly-concerned tone of voice..."YEAH RIGHT!" Is there seriously NO hope for this character? -_-); the continuation and rapid expansion of Sierra's Cody hallucinating; the elimination (although I'm glad Sam's finally out, this was just not the way to send him off. But after such a terrible, bland run, I guess I should be grateful that he's gone as early as this. Now here's to hoping that Cameron's next.)

Main Aspect (Neither): That very brief moment between Mike and Duncan. At first, it was a nice bit of new/old interaction with Mike trying to encourage/befriend Duncan, and then turns to a very ominous/possibly foreshadowing moment between them. I seriously have no idea what they could be possibly building up to some sort of revelation that they knew each other before the show? That would be an extremely interesting aspect: Two characters who knew each other outside of Total Drama. I seriously have no clue where they could be going with this...hence why this is neither a pro nor a con, just something that stuck with me very much.

Overall, the weaknesses of this episode weren't nearly as noticeable as the strengths. What I really like about this episode is how it's finally setting the tone of the season with some foreshadowed new/old interactions that could very well mean something (from Mike/Duncan to Courtney/Scott), as well as a revived focus on our favorite already-established relationships (Alejandro/Heather and Duncan/Gwen). It's also setting a new, much much heavier tone to the Love Triangle story, gradually shifting away from the relationship aspect (Duncan/Courtney and Duncan/Gwen), and focusing much more on the Courtney/Gwen aspect that will probably dominate the season; it also clearly establishes the roles in this story in a perfectly clear manner: Gwen is the regretful one who genuinely wants to apologize and make things right, and Courtney is the stubborn, doubtful, evil one who will probably never got over her stubborn, immature refusal to accept any form of an apology from Gwen. But with that being said, this episode will probably ultimately be more memorable for what it foreshadowed/started rather than what was actually in the episode itself. Good, but just that...good. Nothing fantastic.

With 6 Pros and 3 Cons, this episode is a 7.5/10.