User blog:Epic~00/In Defense of Mike and Zoey + A Balanced Perspective on Their Characters

Romance in Total Drama is a very controversial subject. That's not to say that everyone hates the romance aspect of the show. But it does however cause a lot of people to latch on to certain couples and fight over which couple is better e.g. Gwuncan vs. Duncney

But nevertheless, not many of the couples really have any angry thrown at them. Most people who don't like Gwuncan are usually people who like Duncney and/or Gwent. The same can be said for people who don't like Duncney. It means that they probably like Gwuncan.

I already discussed my personal distaste for Gwuncan and why I think it doesn't work, but this love triangle is not the focus of this rant.

Gwuncan and Duncney may have complaints thrown against them, but both ships at least have some support and therefore, are mostly divisive.

The one couple that I see to have the most amount of criticism thrown against them is Mike and Zoey.



Now that's not to say the crew of Total Drama don't like them. Mike and Zoey were probably the characters most focused on in TDRI. But it's more to do with the fanbase not liking this pairing.

Trust me when I say this: I originally detested the idea of these two being a couple. Like many others, I was never invested into anything between these two. Until I tried analyzing this couple to the core.

The main complaint about Mike and Zoey is that their entire romance is very forced and rushed. I mean, in the first conversation they ever have, this happens.

Zoey: Can you believe we're here?

Mike: ''Yeah. It's...(turns to Zoey) beautiful.''

And that's it. Mike falls for Zoey instantly. When I first saw this moment, I was enraged with how forced it seemed. But then I looked harder into what implications were intended for this moment.

For starters, let's analyze Mike and Zoey, and try to figure out what their characteristics are, including the flaws involved with them.

Let's start with Mike. The most memorable thing you think of when you think of Mike is that he suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder. This is a huge thing that has most likely damaged Mike's childhood. My theory is that Mike ended up anti-social due to his disorder and thus, didn't really have much friends. Mike wears a mask, and doesn't usually show his true self. But in comparison with Zoey, she is both similar to Mike, and a good help to him, making her a good match.

When I think of Zoey, I think of a nice, yet lonely person. The show mentions this problem with Zoey several times. As seen with her audition video, Zoey lives in a town full of loud jocks that she cannot handle properly. She's basically outnumbered, and has different views on the world. Like Mike, Zoey also seems like she's anti-social back home. Due to living in a town full of brutish jocks, I also think that this is where the awesome "Commando Zoey" came from.

However, due to Zoey's sweet and patient nature, she's willing to be nice to anyone no matter what. This is why I think Mike fell for her. Zoey isn't just someone Mike wants, she's someone that he needs. This is the reason that Zoey was one of the major reasons that Mike learned how to handle his multiple personalities.

And then there's the explanation as to how Zoey fell for Mike. As I mentioned, Zoey has proven several times that she's lonely and insecure. Dawn, the master of auras, figured this out about Zoey instantly.

Mike, like Zoey, is very caring and sensitive. He's not like anyone in Zoey's previous town.

This isn't a couple where it's an attraction. This is a couple that actually need each other.

But then there's also how you figure out just how interesting these two really are. As a couple, I can think of many ways why they bounce off each other, but I think some people may just hate the couple for their characters themselves, with most hate targeted towards Zoey.

Mike, on the levels of creativity, is a very interesting character. I sympathize with Mike having a serious problem. The poor guy can't do things without one of his personalities popping up instantly, and now his new "Malevolent One" personality is one that he himself isn't even conscious of. Mike stands out as one of the most tragic characters in the show. He's one of my favorite TDRI contestants, just behind Lightning Dawn, and Brick respectively. He's one contestant that I hope wins TDAS, or at least makes it to the Final 2.

But then *sigh* there's Zoey. Despite some interesting insecurities, Zoey mostly comes off as bland, one-dimensional, and just plain boring. There is way too much focus on how much she likes Mike, when there should be more focus on how lonely of a person Zoey is. Commando Zoey was effective because it meant that they were actually going somewhere with Zoey.

But here's what I'm getting at. Zoey is one of the most underrated characters in my own opinion. She's not necessarily a good character, but I don't think she deserves so much hate. But with this hate, it makes me realize why these two aren't a popular pairing in the first place.

Let's look at every couple on the show. Notice anything? They all have many fans. Tyler, Lindsay, Izzy, Owen, Cody, Sierra, Courtney, Duncan, Gwen, Trent, Harold, Leshawna, Bridgette, Geoff, Heather, Alejandro, Dakota, Sam, Mike... but no Zoey.

One reason why Mike has many fans is for his multiple personality. These personalities are the quirks of Mike. Not many really say they like him for his romance with Zoey. And that's just the thing. The aforementioned contestants I mentioned are either wacky characters or very relatable ones.

Unless you are a lonely person, Zoey is not relatable. And due to her bland and straightforward personality, she doesn't have much quirks about her either. Even if you like Zoey the same way I do, her best features are barely ever touched on compared to her interaction with Mike. Her interaction with Cameron is even focused on more.

This is why Zoey doesn't appeal to a lot of people. And when there's an uneven difference between these two, it puzzles others.

And that is why not much really care for this couple at all. It took a lot of analyzing for me to find some depth in this couple, but Zoey herself is overshadowed by it.

But look closer, and you may find a little more in store for this couple. I'm TheEpicDestroyer, and I support Zoey and Mike. Even if hundreds of others don't.

At least Bigez620 is great at making jokes about Mike, Zoey, and Cameron. Wow, that guy is hilarious.