User blog:Fedora Kid/The Final Wreck-ening Review

Pros (6): Chef (from the oven mitt joke, to lines such as "I'm the evil king. Rah." and "People gonna die."); Chris's mention of taxes and other fees in the prize money (Richard Hatch, anyone?); AleHeather finally being official (even though I always considered it official. >_>); the twist that Chris threw on that ANY of the six contestants could win (THAT was gold. If that had been done earlier, it would've been interesting. It made it a much more chaotic situation, such as Al and Heather going right back to fighting); the brief Titanic reference with the butler and the violin (what can I say? Another clever pop culture reference); that music in the climax (as crappy as the climax itself was, that music was boss)

Cons (4): Owen's cameo (OK, as much as I liked FINALLY seeing Owen in this season...his cameo just didn't feel right. It was rushed and disgusting, when it could've been just as quick, funny, and awesome as his TDR cameo); the death of the 8 other all-stars (R.I.P. Lindsay, Lightning, Jo, Sam, Sierra, Duncan, Courtney, and Scott); the way that Mal and the other personalities went out (even if I were to buy the whole "reset button" bologna, the fact that it didn't end with a climactic battle between Mike and Mal inside their head was extremely disappointing. Maybe a final duel on the top of the tower as it collapses, after the other four personalities have already gone? Just something better than him just fading away. >_>); the island sinking (seriously? The island sinks? They could've at LEAST built up to it. Maybe earlier in the episode, Cameron's like "Gee, Chris, how'd you manage to make this massive, multi-layered mountain?" Then a phone call interrupts Chris's response, or something. But to throw it in so last minute just made NO sense)

Main Aspect (Con): The pacing. This episode overall just felt rushed. As Chris said, "This is the finale!" And it sure didn't feel like it. It just didn't have the same "Uumph!", the same spark, the same excitement. Just like the TDWT finale, this really fell short. Like...I don't know how to fully explain it. Rushed, again, as I said before, like the revelation that the island is sinking. Seriously? Again? That couldn't have even been foreshadowed? Rushed, unpleasant, last-minute, disappointing, unsatisfying.

Overall...it's just what I expected. This follows right in line with the premiere and the 100th episode. Huge expectations for a significant moment of the season, and it failed horribly. Not as bad as Sundae Muddy Sundae, but still pretty bad. Ironically, my summary of the season finale doesn't have much to say. I guess that best defines my thoughts on this finale: Not much to say, and not much can be said. :P

With 6 Pros and 5 Cons, this episode is a 5/10.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

I'm gonna try to keep this somewhat simple. If you want the full, long-form version of my thoughts on Total Drama All-Stars, then go HERE.

So I went into this season with low hopes when the overall concept and cast was announced. I expected pretty much just more of the same camera-hogs being shoved down our throats instead of others who needed it more (Yes, I'm looking at you, Gwen, Courtney, Duncan, Mike, and Zoey). However...although that was ultimately what we got, these writers took it to a whole new level of disappointment. Not only did we get more of the same story lines shoved down our throat when they were supposedly resolved, but we got them brought back because of inconsistencies. Gwen and Courtney shouldn't have a reason to fight anymore, but now Gwen's suddenly saying "He wasn't her boyfriend at the time!" Courtney is determined to make it to the end and throws her best friend and new boyfriend under the bus to do so, but says the final five is the farthest she's ever made it...even though I'm pretty sure final four is higher than that. And just as bad as that, we had inconsistencies in the sense that potentially awesome stories (or at least intriguing new stories) were hinted at, but then completely abandoned. *Warning: List/Rant Alert*

What was the point of Jo and Lightning's detente-type of alliance if he was just gonna be booted off next episode? What was the point of Duncan complimenting Jo, hinting at a friendship, if Jo would just be voted off two episodes later? What was the point of Alejandro flirting with Gwen? What was the point of Sam and Alejandro suddenly having a conflict? What was the point of Cameron and Gwen's friendship? What was the point of Alejandro becoming Alehandstand? What was the point of continuing to exile people to Boney Island after the idol was found (And yes, I know it may have been sent back like in Survivor, but if that was the case, then why was it never found/mentioned a second time?)? What was the point of cleaning up the island's radioactivity just to sink it? What was the point of Sam coming back? What was the point of Scottney (as awesome as it was) if it ultimately ended on such an ambiguous note? What was the point of bringing Ezekiel back again? And to add to that, what was the point of Peter Oldring being credited if Cody and Tyler NEVER appeared (except Cody in silent hallucinations), and if Ezekiel appeared only to make animal noises? He made similar animal-like noises in TDR that even sounded more like Peter, but even he wasn't credited in that season, so what gives? What was the point of Alejandro getting Heather eliminated in one episode, just to fawn over her like crazy in the next? What was the point of Izzy's cameo? What was the point of Owen's cameo? What was the point of Cameron switching teams? What was the point of Courtney being on the Heroic Hamsters when she's never done anything heroic, and if she was just gonna be switched to her rightful team three episodes later?

ALL THESE...AND MORE...just prove that this season easily had the WORST writing of any season so far. And with only four writers. In seasons like TDA and TDWT, you had over a dozen writers, and those seasons had MUCH more consistency. You mean to tell me that FOUR adults can't sit down in a room and, oh, I don't know...COMMUNICATE? Shameful. Disgusting. Inexcusable.

That's pretty much the MAIN problem with the season, and the only problem with the season that I don't cover in my Rankings (since I'm too lazy). But again, so many other problems add up. A terrible villain. Shafted characters. Repetitive stories being shoved down our throats even more. Inconsistencies. Terrible writing overall. Retcons galore. OOC moments. A terrible premiere. A terrible finale. And a terrible 100th episode. Those, and the list goes on and on and on. On this Wiki, problems with Total Drama All-Stars are like JFK Assassination Conspiracy Theories - There's just so many of them, such variety, such massive discussion on each and every single one, each person trying to argue why this problem is the one...and no general consensus on which one is the worst. But, just as we can all agree that JFK's demise was a tragedy, we can all agree on one thing: Total Drama All-Stars is a terrible season. Period. Some may argue that TDR is still the worst, but the overall, nearly unanimous consensus is that TDAS is bad, and one of the two worst seasons so far. I, personally, am in the camp that ranks it as THE worst. Period.

Final Season Rating/Ranking:

1 - 10 Scale: 2.5/10

Letter Grade: F

Stance: Oppose

Ranking: #5

Worst. Season. Ever.

And with that, I'll end on an even sadder note. For those of you who read my second update blog, this review officially marks the end, the series finale, of my Reviews. I've had fun doing these, from TDR to TDAS (as crappy as the latter was). I've had fun sharing and discussing my opinions with all of you, especially since most of my opinions seem to differ from most of the higher-ups on the Wiki. From calling Up Up and Away the worst episode of TDR, to calling Moon Madness the best episode of TDAS, it's been crazy, controversial...and fun.

So I say, to all of you who read and commented on my Reviews: Thank you.