#plot plot plot plot plot

So watching the Lindsay Ellis video essay, “Why Cats?” and Andre from Black Nerd Comedy’s “CATS...I Have to Explain This,” I’m finding that the Cats movie adaptation did indeed suffer from the two things I expected it would:

1. Try way too hard to make the thing have a plot because people need stakes and action or whatever and form plots apparently aren’t a real thing anymore.

and

2. Over-adherence to realism and needing to explain everything because that’s definitely what you think of when you’re looking at a musical about 4th wall-breaking cats.

But I had assumed what was going to happen before seeing these videos was that they were going to really double down on the whole Jellicle Choice thing and make it like...a bigger thing that was a huge dilemma for the cats and like some of them feeling like “oh, maybe I should be trying to go for this because I’m not sure I’m the right fit for the life I got” which would probably turn into a megaton Be Yourself Aesop for Mistoffelees which is kind of unnecessary but kind of a nice sentiment which I’ve seen done well in a few fanfics and I can see where they would get the idea given how his uncertainty around his powers has been an implication in a few stage runs, particularly ones that depict him as not-quite-an-adult-yet.

I assumed they were going to try to take something that didn’t really have stakes except kind of for Grizabella and try to make it have stakes for more characters, since it’s kind of the closest thing to a through-line we have. But it sounds like the thing they went with was the Macavity threat, which I suppose also kind of makes sense. He trolls with the cats at a few separate points before actually going lol screw it, I’m actually gonna do something this time and kidnapping and trying to supplant Old Deuteronomy in the group, then picking a fight once his deception is revealed.

The area where that stops making sense to me is his motivation. Again, plenty of fanfics have taken his actions in the musical and given him the motive of wanting to take over leadership from the Jellicles. You can see pretty easily how people would get that from his whole kidnap-and-replace shtick. People who want to give him a more sympathetic motive will sometimes have him chasing the acceptance of the tribe but obviously in a twisted way. Either of these can work, considering that villainous characters often chase power, and if he’s a card-carrying villain, he may not understand why his crimes would get him kicked out in a “Sure I broke every human law and used my powers to just get whatever I wanted. But so what? I have them, I might as well use them” way.

In the movie, his motivation is apparently that he wants to be the one who’s reborn. Which strikes me as oddly inconsistent with what I’ve understood of his characterization. Since he’s kind of a cat crime lord, and nearly always a card-carrying villain, why would he want to go through rebirth and give that up? That’s not to say that he couldn’t be trying to pursue some kind of bizarre redemption arc in which the only way he knows to pursue it is to be completely reborn, but from the clips I’ve seen, that doesn’t seem to be what he’s going for. And pulling off something like that would require a lot more setup than what I assume the director/screenwriter/etc. were willing to do, so I don’t think it’s supposed to be some kind of Macavity Redemption Arc thing (also this is Hollywood. If Mac was going to get a redemption arc, they’d have him sacrifice himself for something, possibly reveal “lol, had some extra lives left” if they didn’t want to go full Redemption Equals Death).

So like, does he think he can somehow cheat the Rebirth cycle if he sees the Heavyside Layer? Because probably from my understanding, what he wants is access to the wonders of the Heavyside Layer, but that doesn’t make sense to me because he has to understand that if he sees it, he will be reborn, so it isn’t even like he gains unlimited access to those wonders. So like...what, movie?

And I am very aware that I’m massively overthinking something where probably the only line of reasoning was, “ZOMG we need PLOT because movie!” and so they just slapped the first plot they thought of, even if it probably should have been a more generic, “Some of the cats want rebirth because they need to learn to Be Yourself” or “Macavity wants to take over the Jellicles” plot.

❝ you don’t wanna know what i think you look like. ❞ 

antoni sighed softly, shifting the closed pocket knife in his hands, almost prepared to raise and hold it out. the other was making him, unsettled. but he remained as calm as his body would. though he just shrugged, it was the best he could give him, considering it was true. 

that was a good question. his last memory, before waking up here. he went silent, slack as he thought back. 

For Transformers: Cybertron:

1. Hero. This was not my first episode, but it was the one that really cemented me into the series. Of course, this is an important episode for Hot Shot, who has consistently been my favorite character since I was a little under 11. This episode really established him as a character I could relate to, as well as hitting on what would eventually become one of my favorite tropes: characters hitting a low point, and then getting back up.

2. Retreat. If anyone didn’t see this coming...then you probably haven’t read my posts about this show and how it destroyed my childhood XD But this episode was a MAJOR game-changer for me, almost moreso than Trap before it. I was aware that villains could feel resentment towards their bosses, even have some ideation around getting rid of them and taking their place. But I had never known a case of them plotting to betray their bosses, and get away with leaving while being good at it. Even after “Trap,” I thought probably Starscream would end up getting caught and very likely killed by Megatron in the next few episodes, and maybe he’d be able to bargain to get things back as they were before (also, first time being afraid for a villain’s life, aside from Karai of TMNT, though she was more sympathetic at that point). This episode made it clear that wasn’t going to happen. There was no going back and no reset button.

3. Ambush. This episode is probably one of my favorite later-series episodes. I haven’t always been as fond of them because due to not having access until over 5 years after seeing the first half, I’m not always as familiar. But “Ambush” was great because of the high stakes, of the character parallels and relationships it brought out in terms of the whole Override vs. Scourge (as two leaders), Lori vs. Thunderblast (as the two more feminine characters), and even some parallels between Lori and Wing Saber. This also begins the culmination of Scourge’s character arc, which I would go into so much detail on if this was a post specifically about Scourge (note to self for later...)

For Transformers: Armada:

1. Rebellion. I’m not sure what it is about this episode that always draws me back. Maybe it’s because this was when I felt the plot actually started, that the show really started showing me what it had to offer. Or maybe I’m just being a me again and it’s because of all the character stuff it gave me to analyze around Starscream. I always end up getting a new layer to things every time I come back to it. Not to mention David Kaye and Michael Dobson give some very chilling performances in this episode. 

2. Overmatch. I hated this episode the first time, and even though it was only four years ago, I have no idea why. It provided us with such gems as Cyclonus’s “My butt! What have you done to my poor butt?” as well as expanding on the Star Saber and its limitations. Hot Shot is unable to defeat Scavenger, and despite the advantages it gives him, Starscream is still able to score multiple hits during his duel. I don’t know. It’s strangely grown on me. I guess you could say it’s...more than meets the eye? *promptly slapped with a fish*

3. Either Mars or Sacrifice. Because character stuff. I like the duel play in the title of “Sacrifice.” Does it refer to Smokescreen’s last stand against the Requiem Blaster, or Megatron’s willingness to throw away his own men? Gosh, I need to rewatch this one. And then Mars is just a great episode for the characters in general, and also one of the ones that ultimately inspired me to start writing the “To Turn Spark” series, and influenced the direction it has taken pretty much since I wrote “Patrol.”

For Beast Wars:

I must really hate myself to try to pick only a max of three episodes here. Even though we’ve just established I will try to cheat by including toss-ups.

1. Code of Hero. Because Dinobot. Seriously, see yesterday’s prompt. But everything around this episode and his character arc, the camera, the choreography, is so masterfully done. I couldn’t ask for any better.

2. The Spark. This one has always been a special episode to me. Airazor was one of my favorite Maximals, but I also like the whole racing against the clock element of Rhinox and Cheetor trying to save her so she can be born, and the Predacons trying to attack. I liked how this episode started expanding on the concept of sparks, at least more than had been done in Beast Wars up until that point.

3. Nemesis--all parts. I don’t think I could ask for a better series finale. The stakes, the performances, the battle. I don’t want to go into too much detail because, after all, series finale. But still.

For Energon:

1. Well, I mean, I don’t remember much in terms of specifics, but The Legend of Rodimus had a very chilling confrontation which stuck with me.

I need to work up the nerve to rewatch that one. I liked Bulkhead and Arcee’s introductions as well, with him as this cool old guy who slags Decepticons left and right, and her as an Omnicron(?) who came up with some kind of plan to help her people survive. Shame she didn’t get more expansion. She had among the best potential for good stories in that series. Like, seriously, can I get a reboot that’s just side stories about all the good characters who never got to be expanded on?

For Animated:

I’m only about a season in, so this one will be a bit smaller...

1. Nature Calls. I did not expect survival horror in a Transformers episode. In fact, before I started playing Metroid: Fusion, I hated survival horror. Though now that I think about it, there are a few similarities between the space barnacles and the X-parasites, at least in how they play out... I’m beginning to see where my desire to play Fusion came from...

2. Megatron Rising. Want to talk about a game-changer? Here it is. I only got to see it once before I lost access, but yikes! Talk about a note to leave hanging.