The New Legends of Monkey (Episodes 7-10)
Feb. 27th, 2018 12:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meteordustThe complete series on iView (until 27 February 2018)
Musings on Episodes 7-10:
* Episode 7
- I always love the moment when a villain is afraid of a new villain, and Raxion and Shaman hesitating to go into the forest of the Spider Kin was suitably ominous.
- I wasn't sure I trusted Gwen at first, but I liked that she kept Tripitaka's secret. I liked that somebody challenged Tripitaka about her deception, when so many people were relying on the prophesised saviour, and I liked even more that Gwen was convinced by what Tripitaka had already achieved. Though it was pretty predictable that she would sacrifice her own life to save Tripitaka from the poison.
* Episode 8
- I feel like this was one of the strongest episodes, emotionally. Tripitaka's decision to seek out her mother is a great chance for digging deep into character. When she stands up in the village square and recites the letter, over and over, until someone responds - it gave me shivers.
- I've been worried that Sandy would be devastated at learning Tripitaka isn't the monk of prophecy. But she was very accepting. It's a really refreshing and mature, that Tripitaka is being judged on her actions.
- I loved that Sandy was wary and sceptical of the mother and sisters, and kept testing their story in less and less subtle ways.
- Sandy's speech, where she reveals her own tragic backstory, was a powerful moment.
- This is supposed to be a kid friendly show, so I'm trying to keep my thoughts G-rated. This resolve was tested when Monkey gets tied up against a tree, while a handsome demon taunts him.
- Pigsy's plan is terrible, but luckily Raxion is happy to sell out his boss.
* Episode 9
- Immortality is a classic villain motivation, so why not? And Davari being a former friend makes it personal.
- Everything about the confession scene is adorable. Monkey finds Tripitaka in a dress and thinks he has the wrong cell and then thinks that Davari tranformed Tripitaka into a girl. His frowny confusion at her explanation is hilarious.
* Episode 10
- THEY DID THE EMBER ISLAND PLAYERS! The creators are definitely A:TLA fans. (Or Hamlet fans, I suppose.) The two little kids were so cute in it.
- Locke and Pigsy meet again! Also, the banquet reveals that, yes, the demons are multicultural too.
- There was a lot of deus ex machina in this episode. Tripitaka taking control of the Font Demons to fight against Davari was an unexpected move. A monk summoning demons? We're not in Buddhism territory anymore, I guess. I'd sort of hoped that the key to defeating Davari would be the power of friendship or something. And then Tripitaka spotting the convenient robotic sphere and knowing it could imprison Davari? Hmmmmm.
- But I loved the moment Davari made Monkey choose between stopping the ritual of immortality and saving Tripitaka from falling to her death. When he leapt over the balcony after her, I cheered. And I loved, loved, loved the way the cloud finally made its appearance. We've been waiting for it all season, and it paid off in the best Big Damn Hero moment.
- So, did anyone else get a slashy vibe when Shaman, protecting Davari, said, "Touch a hair of his head and I'll kill you?"
- It's not the end of their journey! They have more scrolls to find and more adventures ahead of them.
* I really love these characters! Their dynamic is super heartwarming, and I feel like we've just scratched the surface of the possibilities. I kind of want seven seasons and a movie. But I'll settle just for renewal.
* Bonus extras! The website has six short episodes of behind the scenes.
Musings on Episodes 7-10:
* Episode 7
- I always love the moment when a villain is afraid of a new villain, and Raxion and Shaman hesitating to go into the forest of the Spider Kin was suitably ominous.
- I wasn't sure I trusted Gwen at first, but I liked that she kept Tripitaka's secret. I liked that somebody challenged Tripitaka about her deception, when so many people were relying on the prophesised saviour, and I liked even more that Gwen was convinced by what Tripitaka had already achieved. Though it was pretty predictable that she would sacrifice her own life to save Tripitaka from the poison.
* Episode 8
- I feel like this was one of the strongest episodes, emotionally. Tripitaka's decision to seek out her mother is a great chance for digging deep into character. When she stands up in the village square and recites the letter, over and over, until someone responds - it gave me shivers.
- I've been worried that Sandy would be devastated at learning Tripitaka isn't the monk of prophecy. But she was very accepting. It's a really refreshing and mature, that Tripitaka is being judged on her actions.
- I loved that Sandy was wary and sceptical of the mother and sisters, and kept testing their story in less and less subtle ways.
- Sandy's speech, where she reveals her own tragic backstory, was a powerful moment.
- This is supposed to be a kid friendly show, so I'm trying to keep my thoughts G-rated. This resolve was tested when Monkey gets tied up against a tree, while a handsome demon taunts him.
- Pigsy's plan is terrible, but luckily Raxion is happy to sell out his boss.
* Episode 9
- Immortality is a classic villain motivation, so why not? And Davari being a former friend makes it personal.
- Everything about the confession scene is adorable. Monkey finds Tripitaka in a dress and thinks he has the wrong cell and then thinks that Davari tranformed Tripitaka into a girl. His frowny confusion at her explanation is hilarious.
* Episode 10
- THEY DID THE EMBER ISLAND PLAYERS! The creators are definitely A:TLA fans. (Or Hamlet fans, I suppose.) The two little kids were so cute in it.
- Locke and Pigsy meet again! Also, the banquet reveals that, yes, the demons are multicultural too.
- There was a lot of deus ex machina in this episode. Tripitaka taking control of the Font Demons to fight against Davari was an unexpected move. A monk summoning demons? We're not in Buddhism territory anymore, I guess. I'd sort of hoped that the key to defeating Davari would be the power of friendship or something. And then Tripitaka spotting the convenient robotic sphere and knowing it could imprison Davari? Hmmmmm.
- But I loved the moment Davari made Monkey choose between stopping the ritual of immortality and saving Tripitaka from falling to her death. When he leapt over the balcony after her, I cheered. And I loved, loved, loved the way the cloud finally made its appearance. We've been waiting for it all season, and it paid off in the best Big Damn Hero moment.
- So, did anyone else get a slashy vibe when Shaman, protecting Davari, said, "Touch a hair of his head and I'll kill you?"
- It's not the end of their journey! They have more scrolls to find and more adventures ahead of them.
* I really love these characters! Their dynamic is super heartwarming, and I feel like we've just scratched the surface of the possibilities. I kind of want seven seasons and a movie. But I'll settle just for renewal.
* Bonus extras! The website has six short episodes of behind the scenes.
