Murder Drones: The Ultimate Writer's Retrospective

[@EclipseVenexus]

I think the fact that there’s a 5 hour long thank you (on Yagsterr’s channel) containing fifty plus KZbinrs dedicated to Murder Drones shows how great it is and how its legacy will continue chugging on.

[@camillesharem]

Absolutely! It's incredible how many people this show has influenced! I love it!

[@Ro_Man26]

На протяжении трех лет я активно следил за этим проектом и ничуть об этом не жалею! Murder Drones невероятно классный сериал, это шоу повлияло на меня, как и на многих людей. Самое очевидное это то, что я открыл свой ютуб-канал). Спасибо, Ларс, что показали всю глубину этого сериала и сделали его восприятие ещё лучше! Касательно 8-й серии то я остался не очень доволен ею, и на это повлияло много причин, многие из них были сказаны в видео. Я по-прежнему недоволен, как нам показали взаимодействие V и N (об этом я могу говорить долго). Фандом Дронов Убийц объединил множество людей со всего мира, и, несмотря на его " тёмные стороны", это очень классное место творческих и креативных людей! Что касается Лиама Викерса, то я не держу на него зла. Можно перечислить множество причин, почему сюжет получился таким, начиная с его неопытности, заканчивая давлением со стороны Glitch. Мы до конца не знаем, в какой именно ситуации был Лиам. И если всему виной неопытность Лиама, то мне хочется верить, что Лиам услышит критику и постарается исправить свои ошибки. Если Лиам признает их, то это будет невероятно смело с его стороны. Да и многие люди, я думаю, перестанут думать плохо о нём. «Ошибки всегда прощаются, если есть смелость признать их» (Брюс Ли). (Я был не очень доволен финалом «Атаки Титанов», но когда Исаяма извинился за такой финал, негативные мысли значительно уменьшились). Что ж, снова получился большой комментарий, но по-другому не могу, хех. P.S. И если можно, то позвольте, Ларс, я задам вам два вопроса. Первое это есть ли возможность у Лиама Викерса исправить ситуацию со всеми сюжетными дырами, взаимоотношениями персонажей и т. п.? И второе, как вы считаете, относилась ли V к одному из главных героев шоу? (Просто в один момент её показывают как значимого героя, но уже в другом её ставят на второй план, это также стало заметно в рекламах Glitch, хотя плюшевая V была очень популярным товаром).

[@camillesharem]

Hey! It's great to hear back from you! To answer your questions to the best of my knowledge: 1. I think that if Liam takes a hard look at what he did with this show and is critical, he'll realize he dropped the ball on a lot of stuff. He could, in theory, post stuff through Glitch Inn or on KZbin to help explain what happened between episodes or during them to help make more sense of the characters and close up plot holes, but I'm not sure if he'll do that. It would feel a lot like JK Rowling trying to retcon and save a lot of her weirded decisions. Like you said, if he apologizes, that might change some attitudes. others will attack him because they sense weakness. What I would recommend is for Liam to work with Glitch to behind the scenes specials that show off all the fun they had and help explain the decisions Liam made in telling his story. It wouldn't be a straight up apology, but it would bring closure to the problems. 2. V was definitely one of the main characters. From my understanding, she was one of Liam's favorites. And it's clear that she had a large part to play in the overall story. I think the problem lies in V and the plot of Murder Drones getting away from Liam. Uzi and N were always going to be endgame, but the development he gave to N and V and the dropped subplot of their shared history clearly indicates that both drones were supposed to have a much more developed relationship. And that alone would have thrust V even more into the spotlight. The biggest issue for me is how Liam didn't ever have V reveal what happened to N. And my reasoning for why that is a bad decision is because it never gave closer to them, it also makes V look a silly in retrospect, it also means that some wonderful possibilities for the plot were never capitalized on, and it leaves V hanging somewhere between main character and supporting character. Whew! I hope that makes sense! And thanks for your questions. :)

[@Ro_Man26]

Большое спасибо!

[@SenChalcolithic]

Thanks for introducing me to this show!

[@camillesharem]

It's been my pleasure!

[@erickmoczulski1582]

One thing I don't think most people touch upon is how Liams oldest projects:"Design","Yellow Halogen", "Black Dogs" influance his later works. I say that becouse when viewed in order they put everything in perspective. Every element of Murder Drones is contained in them. Spooky mansion? Check. Murder wifus? Check. Unique eldrichian tentacles? Check. Non stop fake out deaths? Yes you guess it, CHECK! Hell it even explains how solver might work since they have similar stuff to solver. Stuff like a memory conteoling monster that turns you into a semi-autunomous undead member of a hive mind. Or a pasites that give you godlike powers but its hard to tell wether you are you or a corpse pupetired by a parasite. It just doesn't end. Murder Drones is compolation of every idea, theme, worldbuilding and characters that existed in Liams brain since High Scholl.

[@camillesharem]

This is absolutely true! My personal theory is that Murder Drones was a way for him to bring closure to a lot of his earlier stories and ideas via proxy. But yes, you can clearly see all of his favorite tropes, gags, characters, and ideas on display in Murder Drones, all of them taken from his earlier stories.

[@Iso20227]

I feel like the ending being so subjective just goes to show how good of a story writer Liam actually is. Liam doesn’t have must experience writing endings, so I feel like what went through his mind was “I don’t know what the best way to end this is, so let me just do this” then he created like, 3 separate potential endings that all make sense and fit the plot and characters. And he somehow made it actually good. When Uzi ate the Solver, that is the perfect place for the ending to completely branch off into a different one. Is this a good ending where Uzi is the Solver’s host and she lives (mostly) happily ever after with her friends and family? Or is this a bad ending where the Solver is keeping Uzi in a holographic limbo as it uses her body to kill everything and everyone she loves? Or is this a neutral ending where the Solver already killed everyone, and Uzi is creating this idealistic reality where everyone survives, all for herself? Two of those are amazing eldritch endings, but also incredibly depressing. So many people prefer to believe that the ending is the good ending, where Uzi is simply stuck with the Solver as an annoying roommate on her head. Myself included. Still, that ending was amazingly done, and those credits only served to further the impact of the ending. I know that no matter what, I will love Murder Drones… *FOREVER* It has literally changed my life for the better, and I know I wouldn’t be where I am now without it. It even introduced me to this very channel. I’m just dumbfounded by how a single show could have such a big impact on so many people’s lives. It truly is a masterpiece. Not a flawless show by any means, but a masterpiece nonetheless.

[@camillesharem]

When I tell people that you need your stories, your stories need you, and the world needs your stories, Murder Drones is a perfect example of this! Murder Drones is the story that Liam needed to finally reach his dreams and and goal, and it's a story that only a guy like him could tell. It's so unique to Liam and I am so glad that all these crazy characters from Uzi, to N, to V, to J, to Cyn, and everyone else had a chance to come to life! And then when I see how this show transformed so many things and impressed so many people for the better, it's remarkable. Murder Drones will stand as a testament to what a story can do when it's inventive, bold, fun, and made to the best of the storyteller's ability! It's certainly far from perfect, but it was the perfect story to come along and begin changing the game for so many other indie creators.

[@KotKotowski-MDFAN]

1. Same 2. Same 3. Same 4. Same 5. Same 6. Same 7. Same

[@thenobody7509]

I'm pretty convinced that the solver has nothing to do with cyn and that cyn is just empowered by it. Everything cyn does is her own doing

[@rokitap.w1193]

Hey design had 3 seasons but still not finished... loved that show alot

[@metalsonic17]

why has like nobody watched this video? I was surprised this video only has 300 views!

[@camillesharem]

Thank you! Feel free to share it around with others. That always helps. :)

[@Jijiproductions3306]

Amazing, really beautiful video, lots of the points you made are things i feel the same, also as a writer i believe that just like you say is really important to ask the "What about that" every time is possible.

[@ShadowFred386]

I remember when I first checked out this show, it was because a friend of mine made a drawing of N, and I immediately got hooked just for how humorous it was with episode 1, episode 2 felt a little rocky for me, but then episode 3 was when I truly started to get invested in the unfolding story, in the drama From N trying to uncover the truth of his past, Uzi wondering where they came from and why she’s having these weird powers, V trying to shield N from everything bad, everything just added up beautifully to create a conflict where 2 people wanted to uncover more, and 1 wanted to hold them back because of her fear. Episode 5 often gets called the worst episode I see, but I think episode 5 is great because of how it displays N’s past connection to V, as well as show just what V went through as likely the first drone Cyn experimented on to make a murder drone Uzi and N coming together made so much sense and the more I watch the series again, the more I understand it was what was bound to happen, but it doesn’t make the pain you can see in V’s eyes as she loses N in that way, all the more painful to view No indie show I’ve watched since murder drones ended has given me the same feeling this show has, it has a special place in my heart and I feel it’ll only stay there longer as the time flies

[@camillesharem]

Thank you! I absolutely agree that episode 5 is an underrated gem in the series. It puts a lot into context and really gives you that emotional gut punch for N and V. And it resonates with you again in episode 8 when you realize that V could have always had N if she hadn't been so scared and just thought her actions and choices through better. But she was so convinced that Absolute Solver was going to win that she trusted its word and just endured the agony of her mission instead of focusing on N like Uzi did.

[@ShadowFred386]

@ it’s one of the aspects of murder drones I’ve always loved, is that despite the fact N and V are on good terms at the end of the series, there’s always that look in V’s eyes from the way she treats Uzi and talks to her and N still that says she’s hurt by it The fact her and N never really get the talk they needed to reconcile, and N and Uzi are now happy together, really makes me think that even if V can’t have N, shes beginning to accept it’s her fault with how she also doesn’t want to kill Uzi anymore like in episode 4, 5, and a little bit of 6 until the end V, in my opinion, is who I would label as the most tragic character in murder drones just for the emotional pain she has, reliving through the time her and N had eachother, to now, literally not even a day later, seeing him happy with someone else

[@jp_darcoze]

There are definitely things that I don't lke in this series but overall, considering the production means and the final rendering, it turned out pretty darn good. It was for sure a nice experience to discover this series! I just hope there is more to it as the ending feels kinda rushed in my opinion. I'm also glad to have seen every of your reviews! Thanks for giving envy shippers like myself a little bit of hope every time even though the odds were always close to (if not equal to) none lmao, and thanks for managing to change my point of view on the series each time!

[@camillesharem]

Hopefully Glitch will still have a few fun things waiting for us Murder Drones fans! And you're welcome. I'm happy I could bring some fun and perspective to a fun ship, like Envy, as well as provide all the reviews, analyses, and theories that I did. Murder Drones was so much fun to watch and review, a real delight that I haven't had in a while. :)

[@Jonathan83X]

While I agree with you the writing of Murder Drones is really good, I think that's what makes it such a frustrating story overall is because it wasn't given the time it needed to give a proper payoff to all the story arcs it set up. There just wasn't enough time in eight episodes to do so. So much of it went unaddressed or was massively rushed from Doll's villain arc and the origins of JCJenson and what all role they played in the Solver's creation and destruction of multiple planets and systems. Nori and Yeva's backstory as worker drone test subjects in the Cabin Fever Labs was extremely underwhelming because of how little we got to see of it. We barely knew anything about N, V and J's time at Elliot Manor before they became disassembly drones. Not to mention the show had only a handful of human characters in it and the ones it did have were barely even shown. And that's not taken into account the other stuff like the purpose of the corpse spires, what Copper 9 was like before the core collapsed, Khan and Nori's relationship before Nori was supposedly killed by a murder drone. How Doll became the murderous psychopath after her parents died, etc. That to me is why I was so disappointed when I found out it was only going to get eight episodes. There was so much more the show had yet to explore and yet it just abruptly comes to an end. Ugh... -.- Don't get me wrong. I still love Murder Drones for all the good it did give us, but I just hate how it had so much more to give and for some odd reason, Liam wanted to just end it as soon as he could. It just feels so sad the more I think about it. Murder Drones should have been a multiple saga series like DBZ and it sadly won't happen now unless someone else picks up the IP and continues where it left off(which I don't see happening anytime soon)

[@camillesharem]

Again, double the number of episodes and a lot of the problems in pacing, characterization, answering the questions that NEEDED to be answered, all of that could have been addressed easily! I don't think we needed to see the humans. It was a creative choice on Liam's part, and it fits given the central focus on the drones and that Tessa was Absolute Solver/Cyn most of the time. But we definitely needed more concrete world building and a way to sort out the red herrings from the actual clues, if even just in retrospect. No one else is going to pick up the Murder Drones IP. It's very existence is an anathema to modern day Hollywood, and no indie creator is going to touch Murder Drones without Liam's express blessing. Glitch will hold onto it for a long while to come because it is a popular hallmark of their current business and they can keep using the characters in creative ways, i.e. the recent Halloween picture with Pomni and Cyn. That's why, looking back at Murder Drones, it should be a lesson for other aspiring creators about the things that they should take to heart and in consideration for their own projects. Let Murder Drones be a strong stepping off point, not the peak of indie storytelling!

[@jakneez]

10th like

[@studior2962]

Anybody else find it really frustrating that J got a worse ending then the Solver? I'm not one of the people who were up in arms demanding that J should have been given a redemption arc, she wasn't significant enough to the story to deserve one, which is a whole other problem of its own. But why does the Solver get the happier ending of getting to hang out with the rest of the cast at the bunker after trying to wipe out the universe, killing billions of innocent human and drone lives, and J is left to rot alone in the Copper 9 badlands because...she's selfish? That's the one thing about the ending I genuinely hate, and hope if they ever return to this series and this world, they give her a nicer ending, because despite what J has done, even she deserves happiness.

[@camillesharem]

I think that comes down to how you decide to interpret the ending. Based on the visual clues, Uzi could be in a coma, or is slowly being possessed and taken over, it could all be a nice dream. Absolute Solver gets to hang around because it is an eldritch abomination and deified entity. The whole idea was that it couldn't be truly stopped for good. But as for J, I would have liked to have gotten more for her character in the end, but her trying to get off Copper 9 makes sense. There's no Tessa, boss, or anything else for her to stick around for given the events of episode 8. Had it been written differently, then she might have gotten a different ending.

[@studior2962]

⁠@@camillesharemI get that, but like knowing what we know, where is she realistically going to go if she gets that spaceship running. As far as we’re aware all of humanity has been wiped out, and the only remaining life is the main cast at Outpost 3, so if she goes out to space, she’ll likely find absolutely nothing that she can continue to take orders from. And despite what she did I do think that the cast would want to take her in, N would immediately try to get her back because he’s just that kind hearted, Uzi might have some qualms with it but overall would trust N’s judgement, with V the only one being the most against bringing her in, with J being the one to refuse their helping hand because she’s just that stuck up and stubborn, all this I would like to see in some future story to make up for J’s lack of an ending