User:RuleroftheBisons97/Super Pahk'd Season Review



Before creating this blog, I tried to think of a creative name for it such as Pahk'd Open or Pahkitew Palooza, but then I told myself, think like Sugar. And she replied, "Who cares?" As such, I went with a simple title, besides it's not like anybody would read this blog ... I know, eye roll, get on with it, but, disclaimer: I will do my best to remain neutral in terms of characters as I would not want a flame war caused because of a line read the wrong way.

Total Drama: Pahkitew Island, is without a doubt, one of Total Drama's best seasons ever. I've looked at some users rankings and it is mostly ranked third, and I'd agree. Characters weren't reduced simply for fodders and each had a special place in the season whether it'd be through numerous references or a significant storyline.

As thirty of you may recall, I previously submitted a blog asking for your opinion on what is the most important aspect of a Total Drama episode: drama, comedy, interactions, elimination, plot, or characters. I'll base my review on these aspects of the season.

CHARACTERS


Amy's time in the competition was short, but memorable. Joining Total Drama mainly to rival her sister's attempt, Amy quickly demonstrated her dominance and torment over Sammy whom she nicknamed "Samey". But, thanks to the "Little Apple of Death", and a boost in confidence, Samey was able to trick the others into believing she was Amy, ensuring that she get the boot in 12th place. Amy, later returned, thwarting Samey's own chance and was blasted out of the cannon once more.

While I enjoyed Amy, (seriously, I crack up everything she says "You beg my pardon") her and Samey's story was wrapped up pretty quickly. Besides from her being the "mean twin", we never got to learn more about her. Why does she think herself better than Samey? Why is she labeled The Cheerleader Twin(s) when the only thing connecting them to it is their outfits. Who joined the squad first? Samey or Amy? Amy had potential and some even nicknamed her Heather's replacement, but Amy only had one goal in mind: torment her sister. Her story arc wrapped around Samey, and the only other interaction she had was with Rodney due to his attempts of wooing her failing.

Amy participated in challenges periodically (though she was often paired with Samey) and it's unclear how far she could have made it if Samey had indeed been eliminated. Considering her only other arc was with Rodney, who was eliminated immediately after her, it's safe to assume not much, especially if her conflict with Jasmine brewed into an all out cat fight. Amy isn't defined by her stereotype as she's different than her twin, yet one-dimensional to her actions resulting in her being "mean".

Beardo may have been the first one out, but he clearly left an impression with a reference in three other episodes, including his own beat boxing CD. While he was clearly an elimination fodder on the show, once you think of his audition tape, you realize he could have at least a few episodes to develop. He mentioned he was shy and tended to be bothersome until getting to know people better. Is this connected to his ability to express himself through sounds? Most likely. Regardless, even this plot would only suffice a few episodes before being eliminated. While he fits his stereotype, he's defined by it with no other emotion or expression.

Dave lasted all the way to the merge despite his fear of germs and dealing with the goofy characters surrounding his team. Puppy love soon ruined his chances when he met Sky and soon became determined to win her affections unaware of her boyfriend back home. Yet, the thought of being her drove him to obsession and he all but slipped into insanity when he tossed any chance of winning the money away for a chance to be with a girl he'd barely met.

Initially, Dave had a lot of potential. His labeling guaranteed at least a variety of plots yet the writers chose to stick him with unrequited puppy love for one reason or the other. I would have personally loved to see him with Ella instead of Sky in order for him to learn that not everything is as crazy as he makes it out to be, and falling in love with a "crazy" person would surely make him question this. Dave receives a lot of criticism from the fanbase as his germaphobia was annoying to watch after a few episodes and his obsession with Sky derailed his character to the point of coming off as desperate and attempts to make him sympathetic were either a hit or miss. As his only plot was with Sky, it's hard to see how he would develop without her. One key plot point in Hurl and Go Seek was his semi-alliance with Sugar, which could have been expanded for another episode, but he would have most likely be eliminated due to his dependence on Sky and inability to continue with the game.

Normal is a broad term yet Dave isn't defined by his stereotype. Instead, he performs a backwards-flip and spirals out of control. Whether this was the writers' intention or not is debatable, but Dave is most surely someone who can come back and conquer his germaphobia, meet a crazy/wacky girlfriend (not to the extent of Izzy, she's too awesome), or reveal why he considers himself sane. Maybe he's from the rich lifestyle and goes to a boarding school? I don't know, but he definitely needs to develop.

Her hair as black as night, her skin as white as snow, and her dress as pink's as Cinderella, Ella parodies the stereotypical Disney Princess with a cute personality and a beautiful singing voice to match. Ella quickly became several users' favorites as her attempts to befriend Sugar and rejection by Dave drew sympathy from the fans and her amazing exit from the show left a memorable impression.

Ella interacted with every member of her team (with the possible exception of Beardo) and was always immensely nice to each of them, setting up possible friendships and conflicts. I would have loved to see Ella singing a medley to Beardo's beat-boxing, that would make an awesome friendship, one provides the beat and the other sings. Or maybe her friendship with Leonard extends to a crush? Their both fairytale characters. The sad realization is that Ella was defined by her personality with the singing just an extension. Why is she wearing a dress? Why does she loving singing so much? Does she actually believe she's a princess or is she a huge fan of someone and she's cosplaying as her? For a sixteen year old, it's pretty sad to be flaunting in a princess costume. In terms of her personality, she had a chance to show a meaner side of her in I Love You, I Love You Knots, but Clucky beat her to the button.

Despite whatever Sugar thinks of her, Ella's one-dimensional bubbly personality and beautiful singing ensures her a spot in fan's hearts whether it be of love or annoyance.

The Australian Survivor Jasmine is one of Pahkitew Island's



DRAMA
Oddly enough, not one person voted for this category. Guess Chris was wrong ...

Drama is directly connected to all of the other aspects I considered made up a Total Drama episode. This season's drama comprised of three major interactions. I'll discuss more about these when we reach interaction.

Pahkitew Island is applauded due to the interactions of the characters, and those interactions are what made up most of the drama. Rodney falling in love periodically, Sugar's rivalry with a friend-seeking Ella, and a minor love triangle between Dave, Ella, and Sky among more. Past seasons, especially World Tour and Revenge of the Island, brought up the concept of alliances and sabotage due to Heather, Alejandro, and Jo's strategies. Admittedly, this was getting old and Pahkitew Island didn't consider sabotaging another until the fifth episode where it was quickly shut down by Chris, and an alliance wasn't mentioned until the seventh, and one didn't form until episode eleven.

Another unique Pahkitew platter was the ambiguity of the main antagonist this season with debates between either Sugar or Scarlett as the one who should claim the title. Sugar began messing with her teammates and succeeded in eliminating Ella and Jasmine while Scarlett briefly held control of the island's self-destruct sequence until she was bested by none other than ... Sugar. Though there were many antagonistic moments between evil cheerleader twin Amy, Scarlett, and Sugar, all three females were never antagonistic outright as each chose to either torment her sister, gamble lives for the million, or play the game to win.

With alliances and antagonists taking a backseat this season, two relationships blossomed. Dave immediately became attracted to Sky due to his seeing her as the only other "sane" person on this island, (Sammy and Jasmine were also contenders) yet Sky refused to reciprocate those feelings due to her determination to win the game and having a boyfriend back home. Meanwhile, Jasmine found herself attracted to Shawn, but his zombie obsession combated his emotions and a misunderstanding led Jasmine to believe he was only toying with her.

Overall, drama isn't as important as Chris makes it out to be. The viewers demanded a laid back approach to the season and Pahkitew delivered. Without a main antagonist, characters were free to either make or break their way to the finale based on their choice alone though one did use underhanded techniques to ensure a spot in the final three. While drama is an integral part of Total Drama, underplaying it allowed Pahkitew Island's characters to shine and their interactions to blossom.