User blog:Raised By Wolves/Total Dramarama Review – Episode 1: Venthalla

Hello, I'm Raised By Wolves and welcome to my Total Dramarama Reviews! Today, we'll be reviewing the very first episode of the show. The episode just came out, so needless to say...

Plot
The plot begins with Owen showing off his new "Uber bouncy ball" to Noah, Duncan and the others. He gets warned that Chef takes all toys brought from home, but then peer pressured into showing everyone how cool the ball is. As foreshadowed, Chef arrives and takes the ball from Owen, putting it in his safe. Izzy sees the code, which opens up the rest of the plot. Duncan inspires everyone to help Owen recover his ball – which was really just a cover up for his real plan, to escape the daycare. They go through the vents, and manage to open the safe. They come upon a toy wonderland, and Duncan manages to make his escape before everyone else while Noah keeps Chef busy. Then, everyone else climbs through the vents, eventually breaking it down due to their combined weight. Duncan, meanwhile, fails in his escape plan, and is caught by Chef. The episode ends with Owen's ball falling super hard and causing major chaos throughout the classroom (along with some other areas).

So overall, the plot is pretty simple, straightforward and easy to follow. I'd argue that it's too simple, but that's to be expected from a children's show. What amazes me is that the quality of the show is much better than similar shows like Teen Titans Go, which I think everyone expected before it aired. It was very refreshing and cute to watch everyone help Owen just for the sake of friendship. It gave off a warm, camaraderie feel – similar to the rest of the episode. The shenanigans of the characters made it feel a lot like the Total Drama we all know and love, particularly Duncan and Izzy's antics. Gwen, however, seemed to be a completely different person. It stands to reason that her gothic loner personality wouldn't fit so well in a children's show, while sillier characters like Owen, Duncan, and Izzy fit better.

Characters
The characters who played a role in this episode are:
 * Chef Hatchet: He is the "teacher" in this daycare, and his antics coupled with the fact that he's dealing with kids meant that he's not your everyday caretaker. His serious wartime side shows with how he locks up the toys, and his rough edges show with the way he treats Noah.
 * Courtney: Courtney is her usual Type-A, bossy self. In this case, she's basically a teacher's pet. She doesn't go along with Duncan's crazy schemes, and even he knows it, knowing she's a complete tattletale. Props to her for getting the first confessional of the series!
 * Duncan: The mastermind behind the scheme of this episode, Duncan shows that even back then he was a rebel, and not a very smart one at that. Interestingly, his escape plan has callbacks to his audition tape, when he was climbing the side of the building. Remember kids, don't try this at home!
 * Gwen: Gwen had a pretty minor role in this episode, mostly saying dark things and then ominously fading into the background. She had a good moment with Courtney and another good one with everyone else during her crane explanation.
 * Harold: He has a minor role where he pretends to be a pirate to help everyone escape the vents (and failing miserably).
 * Izzy: She has a pretty major role. She somehow remembers the passcode Chef input into the safe, and was able to perfectly recall it when the time came. In the vents, she almost helped everyone escape (because she swallowed a compass sometime in her life), but failed just like Harold. She was absolutely precious to watch.
 * Jude: Honestly, I'm not sure why Jude is here. He doesn't need to be, and he didn't contribute anything that a character like Geoff or Trent couldn't have.
 * Owen: Owen was one of the main characters of this episode, being the core of Duncan's escape plan. He remains his lovable goofball self – though I do hope he doesn't screenhog the way he does in the normal Total Drama, but rather remains a moderate comic relief, similar to Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race.
 * Noah: I normally don't like Noah, but in this episode he really shone! His jokes were genuinely witty, he was useful to the others, he bonded well with Owen, and his scene with Chef was one of the best parts of the episode. Hope this continues!

Favorite Character: Izzy Least Favorite Character: Jude

Favorite Moments

 * Courtney's first confessional.
 * Gwen explaining how cranes are going to kill everyone.
 * Everyone enjoying the toys they broke out.
 * Chef Hatchet berating a traumatized Noah.
 * Duncan's plan miserably failing and having to face Chef's wrath.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

A solid foundation for future development and more creative ideas overall, but I think it left some things to be desired – I'd love to see more favorites like Lindsay, Tyler, Leshawna, or Heather (assuming they're all in the show to begin with). However, this episode has grabbed my attention in a way that I did not expect at all, and I commend that very much. That's all for this review – see you all next time!