The SILENT Star of Scavengers Reign

[@RobotSavetheworld]

Another one of the messages implicit in the show that I particularly loved was how "Nature does not need to prove its purpose to have a right to exist." Kris's philosophy was so deadlocked into "you need to prove you're doing something to further my goals, otherwise you're dead weight, and I'm cutting you loose" and it was such a stark contrast to the idea of planet Vesta as a character, a "being" that exists for no particular reason, that produces incredibly diverse forms of life, both beautiful and horrifying.

[@Meromorphic]

@@RobotSavetheworld I love this. Kris and her group were a bit of a hole in this video, so your addition is great

[@RobotSavetheworld]

@@Meromorphic Yeah, Kris's crew is kind of an outlier considering that they only appear halfway through the plot, but they're important to Azi's character's arc, because her initial flaw was her reluctance to connect with others, to show vulnerability, and care about others beyond the goal of strictly protecting herself. Kris's ideals are basically that kind of cruel, spartan misinterpretation of the "laws of nature", that only the fittest survive, and that anything that doesn't immediately prove its value is discarded. She keeps telling Azi that she doesn't owe anything to the other crew of the ship that's still stuck in cryostasis. That all that matters is ensuring her own safety and escape. But Azi's journey across the planet Vesta, and her witnessing of Levi becoming a "real" person she comes to respect and care for has given her a demonstration that life, while dangerous and often cruel, is more than just self-centered survival and trying to manipulate everyone and everything around you for that singular goal. It's about making connections, and opening yourself up to them even if there's no immediate benefit to yourself, or even the risk of pain. And likewise, the planet Vesta itself may appear at first glance to be a brutal, unfeeling horrorscape full of creatures with the singular goal of survival. But on closer examination, it reveals itself to be a vast interconnected web of lifeforms that have found their way to thrive by taking part in the interconnected biosphere. Vesta is dangerous, but it has its own right to exist, just as the survivors of the Vesta have a right to live.

[@nitzeart]

Nature in our world it's Luke that too. It exists because it does. Because that's what happened with evolution and that's it. Honestly, humans too because we're part of it. We just exist because. And I love how there's no morality to nature in the series too. It just is. It's still super interesting and the symbiotic/parasitic relationships in the show are very cool to explore narratively, but in the end it's just a planet with life.

[@_EggsBenedict]

scavenger's reign really is a breath of fresh air from all the other adult animated shows

[@Meromorphic]

Very much so. It's very unique.

[@pythonxz]

Between this and Pantheon, I'm in awe.

[@mrslinkydragon9910]

I agree. You don't need constant swearing and dick jokes!

[@happytrees7274]

fr, i really hate the ugly overdone animation and potty humor T-T

[@mrslinkydragon9910]

@@happytrees7274 it's so contrasting!

[@Soguwe]

Scavenger's Reign is such an underrated masterpiece What a weird, uncomfortable, mesmerising, silent, howling, alien, familiar, lively show

[@Meromorphic]

It really demands that number of adjectives. It's so many things

[@PhilthCollinz]

ABSOLUTELY, kinda makes me feel like a kid again, almost exactly like the first time i saw aeon flux and the maxx on mtv's liquid television just completely astounded by the high artistry and visionary story telling

[@toasterenthusiast8023]

you know a show is good when you get goosebumps and vividly remember scenes from it when you hear the soundtrack

[@dalellll]

I didn't interpret the planet as exerting its will through Levi in such a conscious/planned sort of way. I interpreted the fungus as being a unit of consciousness, like a framework to facilitate Levi's sentience in a maybe accidental way as a result of a kind of constant probing or curiousity maybe. The flowers grow on dead corpses which dont get sentience, but in Levi it finds a dead thing (a robot) that reacts in a differnet way, because it's animate. It and Levi become something greater. I felt that rather than the planet consciously wanting to use Levi as a tool against Hollow, Levi's heroism was a result of the curiousity and love for living things that marked Levi's newly found personality, which itself is a result of everything that had happened to Levi (the way our personalities are a result of what has happened to us) but not necessarily orchestrated by a separate sentience.

[@dalellll]

Fungus + Levi is like an inverse of Kamen + Hollow, come to think of it. One is two uplifting/creative elements of Vesta & humanity influencing each other, the other is two corrupt(ible) elements of humanity and Vesta influencing each other. Different pre-existing potentials realising each other and being realised by each other. I don't see the hollows as pure things being corrupted by humanity, but as things whose mental power/mode of life gives them the potential to be corrupted - Vesta's equivalent of humans, with humans being a part of the Earth that turns its will back onto the other parts of the Earth, as the Hollows have the capacity to do with other living things on Vesta. So there's no black & white purity or corruption (the Hollows already existed there to start with and came off as lazy jerks already lol, and Kamen's not just evil, he shows compassion and dismay at what happens when he gets together with Hollow), just these familiar patterns, including the potential for domination and imbalance, that ultimately all arise from Earth/Vesta to begin with.

[@sofialaya596]

I think kamen's ex wife had a lot of impact in that yeah

[@dannycolwell8028]

This is extremely insightful and wise. Your take resonates with me

[@nitzeart]

Yeah, kind of like the accident of our consciousness in the view of evolutionary biology. It wasn't the planet's will it was just a happy (or unhappy) accident of symbiosis

[@arnarogbjorn]

@@dalellll Kamen + hollow and Levi + Fungus shows a dichotomy that is rarely explored in such nuanced ways. A being that thrives when exploiting and a being that thrives when exploited. Levi and the fungus find a symbiosis that elevates both of them to something greater, while Kamen and the hollow make a destructive monster that consumes anything in its path. Its an amazing way to view two worlds colliding in both beautiful and horrific ways that shows how a mixing of ecosystems can yield a horror and a beauty.

[@jacqueshardin4601]

As someone who is fascinated by speculative biology, I really enjoyed Scavengers Reign. Vesta reminds me of the world building projects I would learn about from Curious Archive. Great channel that I highly recommend if you want more creative alien worlds.

[@Meromorphic]

Interesting. I've not heard of them. Definitely have to check it out.

[@jacqueshardin4601]

​@Meromorphic That's great to hear! My personal favorites include the Teeming Universe, the Yaetuan Sagas, and the Cluster. The videos about Serina and Birrin are really cool as well. Just check the playlist titled Alien Worlds on the Curious Archive channel and check out whatever looks interesting to you.

[@sonorasgirl]

I second this!!

[@iainbaker6916]

“… or maybe you just get a universe full of crabs.” 🦀😜

[@pythonxz]

Vesta is an ecosystem where most, if not all life has symbiotic aspects. It also helps that not everything is answered about Vesta. It's really fascinating. It begs more questions.

[@Meromorphic]

Yup. Fully agree. Just enough there for us to understand the function (for the most part) and a little more to tantalize. But then those things are right next to others that are a complete enigma. The contrast is 🤤🤌

[@lazydroidproductions1087]

Let’s just not forget that parasitism is a type of symbiosis.

[@pythonxz]

@@lazydroidproductions1087 True. I guess I always differentiated between the two.

[@hairlessgrizzly559]

I know the chances are very low, but I really hope Scavs Reign can get a season 2 from this move to Netflix But at the same time, the ending as we have it is pretty good. They didn't leave, but they learned to coexist with Vesta

[@rita6355]

If theres a 2nd season I can't wait for Warhammer 40k cultists

[@kalem1527]

​@rita6355 I also thought of 40k the moment I saw their ship. It was unlike anything else in the show.

[@xerlius]

I think there’s a high chance of season 2. Netflix doesn’t buy a show just to buy it, the show has above a 90% so I think chances are high we’ll see a season 2.

[@goblinofsharksnacks]

I think a s2 could explore more of the world and its concepts, maybe a little in the future someone researching life and the planet

[@YeahMackD]

Sam’s clone reminded me of the copy alien from the Thing. This show was so masterfully done from all angles I hope one day we get a continuation of this story

[@RabbitAfternoon]

I think one of the reasons Ursula seems to thrive is that she most likely has a background as a botanist/horticultist (which comes with a more indepth education of biology than some other science fields) If I'm ever stuck on a foreign planet and had to pick one person to survive with, I would pick someone with her background without hesitation. Heck that movie with Matt Damon where he gets stranded on Mars and has to survive? Guess what his characters field of study is in? BOTANY! 😎

[@Meromorphic]

I was about to bring up the Martian before reading the last sentence! Lol

[@Shadowpaw67]

There’s a detail that I cannot get out of my mind- and it’s the contrast of symbolism seen in the last episode. The image of a skull gilded in gold, frozen, unable to decompose, in comparison to the constant cycle of growth, life, death, decay, and rebirth present on Vesta is astounding

[@kobanader2591]

And at the same time the skeleton is holding a smoker on one hand (something man made) while the other hand is holding a living plant. While the whole ship seems to be infested by growths.

[@Meromorphic]

Yeah this was truly a beautiful image. It makes me wonder where the story would have gone. Perhaps a force of death and destruction set up in opposition to the force of life of Vesta?

[@rajidahae4220]

The tantalizing possibilities left open in the ending still wait to be resolved... here's hoping Netflix does the right thing there! 🤞🤞

[@DS-oopa]

I love the cheeky music references in this, especially how you snuck in music from Planet of Lana. It's been a while since I played it, but I instantly recognized the tune. Really reinforces the links in their themes, for those of us familiar with these games. It's like an Easter egg, and it tickled my brain.

[@Tunazap]

Thank you so much for this video, I originally stopped watching 10 minutes in because I found myself intrigued. After watching it all day yesterday, well... thank you so much for introducing this incredible series to your audience. Definitely in my top favorite shows of all time now.

[@Meromorphic]

Hell yeah! That's so awesome!

[@slotzoffuntrue]

I am so glad more people are learning about this masterpiece, it really deserves so much more attention

[@Meromorphic]

Hard agree. Really hope Netflix decides to pick it up.

[@Mad_Oph]

Awesome work, dude! I might be crazy, but I like to think Hollow is a metaphor for humanity's colonialist/expansionist urges. It starts off just as another survivor species, but once it's given a tool that gives it power over the environment, it loses all self-control, becoming a destructive force that consumes everything in a short-sighted revelry of dominance.

[@Meromorphic]

I can definitely see this

[@astick5249]

Really like this one, its more or less how I viewed the little guy, just never made the connection it has to the story of humans.

[@IAmBored347]

I love Scavenger's Reign. There's a reason why I enjoyed small casts ensembles so much. Not only did Scanvenger's Reign had you explore different POVs, I enjoyed how each character was flawed. My most favorite is Kamen because his motovations are pathetic and (SPOILER) let's just say he's important for why the events happened. But I enjoyed his story and his moments made me wondered if he could either redeem or succumb to his downfall.

[@Meromorphic]

Yup. The fact that we hate Kamen so much is a reflection of the amazing writing. He's so undeniably human, the worst part of us all. I think we all have a little bit of Kamen inside us, at least a small voice that we hopefully choose to ignore.

[@Bannedd567]

30:22 back when I watched the episode I said to myself out loud "granny's either a Razz or these two are gonna be parasyte plant-fungus-thingy food sooner than later" and my god was that reveal even more horrifying than I was expecting (great video, I hope the people will give this show its deserved flowers once it drops on neflix)

[@jaden2040]

This show was crazy ti tune into every week, i was always on edge about what new information I'd find out about the planet at the expense of our likeable main characters stumbling upon such information lmao

[@Meromorphic]

I didn't find out about it until later, and so I binged it all at once like the godless heathen I am.

[@MagusFlorren]

What a great video! I’ve been seeing more and more topics being discussed around Scavengers Reign. But this is the first that covers Vesta as a character. Love to see it. Thanks for the work you put into this video.

[@laizelfalse7216]

I love how last week I watched this entire series and I came to check up on you from watching your Morel Orel essay from I think a year ago and you just so happened to of made a vid almost right on time with me binging the series. Tis fate.

[@Meromorphic]

Just for you bby 😘 lol

[@hollowtheghost08]

I am so glad that people are giving this show more attention! Also just a really good video covering everything!

[@thesologoldfish]

God this show is so hauntingly beautiful. I have been yelling at all of my friends to give it a watch.

[@coreyrachar9694]

Ik! Friends never think you know crap though! Dummies r missing OUT.

[@MadeOfInkAndMetal]

I absolutely love your content, Scavenger's Reign is amazing and so is this video

[@Meromorphic]

I absolutely love your comment

[@shooshooshooshooshooter]

Just finished bingeing this last night. Completely blew me away. Really hope Netflix picks it up. Thanks for covering it. Loved your work from the Destiny days.

[@abigailaceves9230]

Ok. I know you said to check out the show before this video, but then you compared the world building to that of Pandora & Middle Earth & it just got me hooked on this video and essay.😅

[@Meromorphic]

Lol well still go check it out! 😂 But thank you!

[@saphiabaron1256]

I just finished watching it and I am absolutely stunned at how amazing it was. I like your take on it

[@JROTCBALL]

This is one of my all time fav animated shows, I really hope Netflix picks it up for a S2 🙏🏽

[@pythonxz]

If not, we need to form an Expanse-style movement.

[@SpinfoilHat]

There's a lot I don't like about Netflix (I am also angry over Age of Resistance) but I have at least appreciated seeing a couple of shows that I was torn over seeing cancelled on another platform only for Netflix to pick them up and give them the life they deserve. I'm hoping that Scavenger's Reign will go the way Star Trek Prodigy has and we all get the second season it deserves. Fingers crossed that Infinity Train might also get the continuation it deserves. I think it's mildly amusing to me to have been an Avatar fan since it dropped way back when, but I never drew the parallel to Pandora mostly because I was too busy watching the wildlife and ecosystem like i did with the same sense of awe at Pandora's bioluminescence way back when. I missed the forest and even the trees because I was too busy focusing on the cool glowing moss sitting on the bark. Glad I clicked on this video because it really puts the planet in a whole new light, also making me reflect a bit at how I get wrapped up in small details I miss the larger picture. Wish more stuff hit different like SR does.

[@Meromorphic]

Thanks so much! Yeah, the news of Age of Resistance was such a huge letdown. I absolutely loved that show. 🤞🤞

[@SpinfoilHat]

@@Meromorphic It was! I was absolutely shocked to see how much AoR looked like the original, you can tell that the people behind it put a LOT of love into making the show what it is. pretty sure that the people behind it were the original makers of dark crystal, so it was really exciting to get to see something from my childhood be re imagined for modern viewing. I honestly prefer it over the original movie! I'll often point to AoR because of how it blends practical with CGI effects to enhance what we see. truly, that show was a work of art. it really is a travesty that the show was cancelled.

[@gingerninja137]

one of my favorite parts about this show is that it presents nature with no will. Vesta is a character, but all the creatures within it are simply fulfilling their life cycles- they have no intent. they are neither generous nor malicious. like the pinned comment said, they simply exist, and that's explanation enough. also, Dark Crystal and Tron spotted!

[@Alpha23TV]

My 3rd Scavengers Reign video in a row! SO glad to see the support for this amazing work of art! Possibly the best series to hit all streaming in years! One note that I’m glad you pointed out… It did stretch credulity a bit to see Sam and Ursula so able to utilize the biology of Vesta to their advantage so early on. Granted they had been marooned for what was, likely at least 2 (earth) months, and Ursula is a biologist/botanist, but … yeah… just an easy nit to pick… Rewatching the scene of Levi being reconstructed by the creatures of Vesta answers my biggest question… it appears that the white/silver flower is a literal manifestation of the sentient entity controlling life on Vesta. The quick montage when Levi destroys the hostile Hollow shows the journey of life on Vesta. This flower has the ability to “create” life. 1) Bringing sentience to the automaton, Levi 2) Marshalling the creatures and rebirthing Levi 3) Creating/molding life that mirrors Levi physically 4) Growing on the shuttle with Chris and then birthing another baby Levi. I believe the silver flower was the actual hidden protagonist…

[@devonblackwell7405]

I'm here to announce that they're 100% is a season 2 coming out there's a trailer out now

[@jankjabronie]

Thank you for this video. Your perspectives made me feel like I was watching SR for the first time all over again.

[@Meromorphic]

@@jankjabronie 3 years on youtube and comments like these still make my day. Thank you

[@sphealking793nuggets2]

Just wanted to say watched so many of your videos, they are so quality in writing, editing and everything!

[@Meromorphic]

Thanks friend. That means a lot! Got a favorite?

[@geronimo5537]

Im some months behind finding this anime. But I can tell you some masterful hands were behind it. There are all the classic highlights from animation of past glory in this one. The creators respect the mystery and dont over explain. Some parts are left unfinished such as the books the lady took. However overall it is well done. The music is what brings it all together and it is all heavily 90s inspired. Also if you are a fan of rimworld this setting will be very familiar. Even down to the cryptocaskets. The intro music has that same tone as that of the man in the high castle. Which really brings out the emotion. The best movies are about a group. Not one just one character. This series shows why.

[@jaydayee]

This was really brilliantly done, thank you

[@Tunazap]

Coming back to this video today hahah my wife just finished watching it with me and shes obsessed now too. Had to make her watch your essay on it 😊

[@shawnreed343]

I want to make this statement *before* watching this video; I may add to it after. Yes, the corpse-flower hitching a ride in the robot's systems is a character- something of intelligence enough to theoretically guide an entire ecosystem towards self-sustainability. I'm reminded of the novel 'Children of Ruin', the second novel in a series by Adrian Tchaikovsky, a more harmonious version of a lifeform presented there. Additionally, it could be said there are actually seven characters there- the Hollow's pull of Kamen's... ex wife? from his mind might be something of an illusion, but at the same time is actual, reasonably understandable, communication... and though it comes from an entity not pictured, also does come from Kamen's own mind. So I would actually say there are seven characters pictured, rather than six. ;) I'll add more perhaps after I watch the above. Okay- to add. At the end you're talking about the characters as taking different paths; an alternate view from this isn't about paths taken, but niches, and simply 'the psychology of how someone is'. Like Myers-Briggs personality types. Ursula probably being an INTP, Azi an INTJ, and so forth. And I'd like to say that you didn't mention the other characters who survived in your version of this; Chris or Barry. Who are in a way, both literally and psychologically, outsiders, in the story. Chris potentially a psychopath, Barry quite likely autistic. Not sure where Terrence fits in that, ...naiveness, perhaps? Well-intentioned foolishness? But his part is summarily rejected by the planet. And I'd also like to point to another series of books which I'm reminded of by Vesta; the Donovan novels by W Michael Gear, in which the planet, Donovan, is as much a character and as brutal as Vesta is if not moreso. I'd also like to point to an observation I made. While watching the series, I paused when I saw the markings on the inside of the capsule where we first met Kamen. He'd spent at least fifty days inside, with no entertainment, and no company, from whenever he started counting. So in addition to the depth of his character as a broken man, he was at a point of deep, likely desperate loneliness. Which the hollow managed to fill, in a ...self-fulfilling not fully healthy way. Yet the hollow took care of him, the entire way. Past the point where Kamen was 'of use', the hollow took him in as a sort of ...ward? Or almost like... Kamen was the parasite of the Hollow, rather than the other way around. Like some sort of... useless, adopted child...? Sam and Kamen, at odds with each other in the flashbacks, are ...if you think about it, at odds with the other trying to act like theirself. Sam against Kamen taking charge and being in control like he himself is, Kamen against Sam handling things himself; the independence that Kamen so strives for. Because it's ironic- Kamen wants independence but isn't strong enough for it, and ends up co-dependent. While Sam wants to lead well, but struggles to go with the flow of the people's needs rather than against it. We see a different version of that in Chris, in the narcissistic abuse of Barry, and an illusion of agency in the manner of leadership selection in the scavenger team. Just in curiosity, has there been any word yet on whether the series will be picked up for an additional season or not? I think it might owe much of the popularity it does have to word of mouth; which grows slowly to a certain point. So maybe it just... didn't get enough soon enough? Though I would love to see maybe at least a movie sequel or somesuch, perhaps. Might be wishful thinking; it's a good and complete story in its own right, as is.

[@kyleclassified8618]

This is such a great analysis. Thank you!

[@ijlayugan4149]

Scavenger's Reign is so special. I seriously hope they'll continue it

[@torgeist.]

I'm late to party! After watching five minutes of your review, I knew I had to watch this show and did a two day break watching it. Absolutely astonishing show imho.

[@Sundji]

Wow, this recontectualization of the ending definitely elevates it for me. It felt like a deus ex machine because I didn't see the connection between Levi and Vesta. Seeing Levi as an Avatar and not simply a conscious individual really makes the ending more worthwhile.

[@lukecoleman3643]

I have a theory for this show and that is: when the hollow explodes back into it's baby form in the end, that is it restarting the cycle of life, ie: this is what happens to ALL hollows eventually and a human just sped up the process, nothing strange happened, all the conflict that happened was supposed to and aided the hollow in it's journey to be reborn and live again, they don't have children, they just renew themselves in this one way. That makes the ending way more meaningful to me at least.

[@yuzeyselkonular4457]

Such a masterpiece, respect to everyone involved.

[@George_M_]

Vesta feels like a planet engineered by aliens for utilitarian purposes, only then the designers disappeared and the system has been evolving or degenerating (see the psychic but lazy critters that just happen to turn into basically exosuits when properly fed)

[@_kaleido]

this is such a good analysis!

[@Meromorphic]

Thanks! I was pretty proud of this one.

[@Rennar3210]

I'm hoping against hope they get renewed!

[@Meromorphic]

🤞

[@thecultofdangerousgentlemen]

Excellent insights. Great vid.

[@reesefleming1829]

This show deserves all of the attention possible

[@PainfullySubjective]

very cool video. loved to hear your perspective

[@jog2243]

There’s so much depth to this show. AND you can also just watch it as eye candy cause the animation is GORGEOUS.

[@Meromorphic]

Well how neat was that?! If you haven't done so already, join my Discord and let's discuss some of your other favorite shows.

[@joeshabe]

thank you! i really enjoyed your analysis, and i do agree (:

[@rumination4679]

Pllllleeeeassssssseeee make a 2nd season!! I love this show

[@chessboy00]

Amazing analysis and commentary! Any plans to make a video on your take of AMC's Pantheon?

[@jacobtruslow8290]

I have watched this show twice over now and and I’ve analyzed it in so many different aspects about so many of the characters especially including Levi, Kamen and Hollow, and I never ever thought of the planet realizing Hollow had become an abomination and needed to be stopped by the planets Avatar, its new form of conscious life Levi. Amazing work, this story has soo so many elements to it. 16:23

[@mekkabon]

great vid ❤

[@Meromorphic]

Great comment 💜

[@Ok_Thanks]

I loved experiencing that show. I hate that we didn’t get a season two, but the story was so well explored it almost doesn’t need it - still, I’d like to see it.

[@TMomsen]

The environment is a character in a movie, what an original thought

[@bixpixter]

Thank you for the review ❤

[@natalieakins6658]

I just watched Scavenger's Reign! I was so disappointed to hear it didn't get renewed for another season by hbo. I hope it gets picked up elsewhere. I haven't seen anything with as strong characterization in a long time

[@Meromorphic]

Yup. Real shame. Moreso that it wasn't entirely a surprise. God damn Max/Zaslav

[@theviewer9363]

Levi= it. Itself. It has one personality so its not referred to as a group of people like "them".

[@Meromorphic]

@@theviewer9363 They/them can be and is often used for singular cases

[@theviewer9363]

@@Meromorphic it shouldnt be

[@theviewer9363]

@@Meromorphic its a robot. Even if ita conscious doesnt mean it should be referred to as a group of people

[@theviewer9363]

They is used for multiple people. Its one robot

[@theviewer9363]

@@Meromorphic i liked your video a lot other than that on nitpick

[@Lonewolf360gaming]

I ended up binging scavengers reign a while back after catching some clips on tiktok and if there was one way I'd describe the series its that it feels so "morbidly beautiful" the characters and journey they all go through is great but the world itself feels so alive its like a sentinet art gallery where theres so much to be taken in but with a serious amount of caution as shown in the later episodes where those other guys come onto the planet and one of them end up dying almost immediately because of a careless mistake via a plant along with a series of other things like sam and the older survior getting puppeted around by that chest parasite thing, but also beautiful things like levi going from a mere machine to a guardian of sorts for the planet and even having lil copies running around

[@vitraartist2622]

This video made me go rewatch the show again lol

[@Meromorphic]

Hell yeah

[@rylands4289]

The sixth character is that disgusting baby lizard thing

[@sarajohnson6855]

I have a visceral hatred for the disgusting lizard thing.

[@sichard.rimmons]

This is incredible

[@Meromorphic]

No u 🤗

[@dannycolwell8028]

There should not be a second season. The story is told. It was beautiful, it was creepy, it was itself, and in itself perfect.

[@dayoniic6134]

we need more videos about scavengers reign!!!

[@calvineagar1863]

I'm gonna wait to watch this until I've thoroughly dissected the show myself, but that thumbnail blew my mind!

[@robmallory]

Wait, Season 1? There is more planned?

[@lennartweber1502]

I think it is fascinating, that you see sam in such a critical light. You condemn his actions as wrong, to reach their goals. But the goal is to reach the ship, not explore the planet recklessly. Even more so they are on the clock. We see the spaceship aging, while vines grown into the hull and creature polulating the dead shell of the ship. They need to get there fast before nature takes over and their friends and family, the rest of the crew is lost. Sam focuses on keeping all his people safe. He is a leader and he takes care of his crew. This clashes with ursulas natural curiosity. A curiosity that she blindly follows. While the hedge is closing down, threatening to kill them, she just leaves behind sam, stops in her path and watches some flower. Her curiousness is compulsive and obviously she is not in control on when she gets intruiged by things. Stuff like this would be detremental in real survival situations. I know that sam is framed as a kind of blockhead stuck in his ways, but he is a leader and not some impulsive child. I would have much more prefered if their relationship was more fleshed out. Like sam rescuing ursula from great dangers, taking damage in the process or taking the mosquito bites for her. Obviously being angry at her afterwards, jut at the same time not being able to deny the discoverys ursula made. St the same time ursula needs to reconsider her actions and aproach curiosities with a little bit more forethought and panning. This would have been a plausible story arc for them to develop in the given situations. Yet this doesnt happen. Ursula never gets punished for her mindless impulsive curiosness. Somehow sam is always the one to blame, although he is the only one of them both to act rationally and levelheaded. A symbiosis of them two over the course of the series would have been so much stronger. Learning of each other and working together to play put each others strengths. This could have been wuch a good arc later on, when one of them dies and the other one not having their balancing counterpart anymore.

[@yourlocalreptillian1742]

I see the warlock insignia on your channel profile picture

[@Meromorphic]

Yup. I started as a Destiny channel. Still a bunch of lore readings if you look back far enough

[@philippak7726]

automatic checkers: no think, only demonetise!! SR is so beautiful. It feels like a more realised version of Subnautica's world. To paraphrase Yatzhee's review of it: a world that is beautiful and hostile because it doesn't know or care that you're there. I loved way it feels like the world itself is trying to teach the humans to move in harmony, but also lashing out a little... but not because it cares where they are, because it wants them to not cause harm

[@ShatteredAutomaton]

I had this thought when I first watched the show. You can't help but realize the planet is a character.

[@MentalStillness]

Well It was 9 if you include Kris, Barry and Terrance

[@Gront517]

I really wish I could watch this show😢😢

[@Meromorphic]

Psst. Definitely don't Google theflixer dot tv with an adblocker

[@Gront517]

@@MeromorphicI did and I 100 percent regret it! Don’t do it

[@che-nupet]

I recently discovered your channel and think your Essays are amazing! I would love to see you making a Video about She-Ra or arcane

[@Meromorphic]

Love both of those shows! I've thought about doing something like how Arcane depicts class violence, but I haven't quite stuck the angle yet. Also there's a second season coming, so I'd like to see where the dust settles. With She-Ra, I'm not sure at all what lens I'd want to analyze it through. But we'll see 🤷. Anyway, thanks so much! I'm glad you've enjoyed my stuff! Make sure to subscribe because there's definitely more coming.

[@che-nupet]

@@Meromorphic Nice, im looking out for it!

[@chunky16]

this show made my skin crawl idk how everyone was able to finish watching it... i actually had to stop after 2 eps because the hollow FREAKED me out

[@bhbluebird]

Nice synopsis. I think this is going to be one that people watch multiple times.

[@doughenderson6089]

I loved scavenger's reign. I've been pitching it to all my friends as Adventure Time meets Alien Covenant and I feel like that's spot on.

[@ashleigh2152]

such a good show, i really hope it gets a season 2!!!

[@feathersfororphans]

Next talk about the animated series "Pantheon".

[@Meromorphic]

I've not watched it. I'll have to check it out

[@feathersfororphans]

@@Meromorphic Most people haven't. It was an AMC animated series that was cancelled after 1 season and then put on Amazon. I may be misrembering but I think it was only available in new Zealand. If you do see it it'll probably be through piracy.

[@aria5614]

No one ever touches on the fact that Hollow looked at Kaman's breakdown and was like "that's not good," subsumed him into itself and connected to him *like he was a baby* and then went on a long journey to the Demeter to find the source of Kaman's distress. When it did, it gave him the world's most intense therapy session. I think their relationship was changing. I think Hollow itself was getting smarter. Shifting from Master servant to effed up parent and child. (Kaman being the child here of course) Of course, this is in isolation of the other stories. And the fact of the matter is, Hollow and Kaman could not stay on the outside of the story or Vesta's acknowledgement forever. At the end of the day Hollow is still a single minded greedy force of destruction that would have picked a fight it could not win eventually. And it did. Both Hollow and Kaman are lucky Levi decided to be merciful.

[@cleopatri937]

Really great essay and beautifully stated! The only thing I don't quite agree with is the assessment that Ursula wants to sort of control the life and ecosystem on Vesta. I feel from all of the survivors, she was the one who tried to understand, communicate and also appreciate the ecosystem the most, and was willing to live with it in a sort of harmony and mutual respect. Azi gave me more of the vibe of trying to understand the ecosystem in order to have control over it with the potential to eventually shift to a viewpoint that is more like Ursula's. But that's just my interpretation. I'm curious how you came to the conclusion you reached in regards to Ursula and Azi?

[@mattcy6591]

10:13 Planet of Lana/Takeshi Furukawa is that you I hear?

[@RH1812]

Recently finished watching the show. While it took time to get going, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Assumed the planet itself was its own organism/being. While there’s to be no second season, I think they achieved a complete story.

[@partycitydumpster]

"the SILENT star" *screeches until your ears bleed and you pass out*

[@Shhmevan]

An excellent video on an excellent show

[@ChrisTharpArt]

I love this show so much!

[@FelisImpurrator]

I haven't seen this, but Levi's arc sounds pretty based. I'm not too attached to the idea of humanity. Bring on the unfathomable power and breadth of new experiences that comes with symbiosis.

[@Meromorphic]

If it's anything like Unity, I'm down.

[@jimmyneutron3282]

The writers made an example out of Sam with his concern for return to normalcy and concern for the crew. It sorta irked me that the writers constantly punished Sam when his demise was met through Uraulas suggested plan.

[@AnastasiiaTishina]

if you liked scavenger reign then check Vampires of Geon (two parts , cant attach any lincs unfortunately) and AMBA(same two parts short cartoons) just check out if you see any coherens in their worlds

[@marshallbrendstrup281]

Excellent video and breakdown. I both love and hate Sam's journey; a tragic tale of the planet trying to teach him how to live until its lessons break him. My head cannon for the little plumbus pollinator is that they are evidence of alien life that integrated into Vesta's ecosystem long, long ago. Perhaps the these aliens were researching life on Vesta, or maybe they were simply stranded, but over the course of millennia they became incorporated into the biology of the planet. Maybe the survivors and descendants of the Demeter will slowly find their niche in the ecosystem, and in thousands or millions of years other space travelers will find strange humanoids tending the flora. I'm likely way off, but it makes sense to me.

[@tylerdurden343]

I really hope we can get a second season!

[@Garbly420]

i honestly hope that it doesn’t get a second season though i would be exited to see more i think it is perfect just the way it is

[@DabbleDo]

What are those somber piano notes from?? I def recognize them and t’s driving me crazy haha I wanna say The OC??

[@Meromorphic]

That's the intro to the show. Lol

[@CollinJarman]

My biggest hope watching the show was that Hollow and the Parasite that infected Sam towards the end would cross paths. A psychically powered Hollow, able to spread the plant parasite's seeds far and wide could have a dramatic impact on the ecosystem, *especially if those two species were never meant to interact, but only did so because of humanity's interference as an invasive element.*

[@jorje0068]

Not getting a second season is blasphemy

[@robesdebah4811]

One of the more interesting villains I've ever seen, is that telepathic salamander something we can call a character, or just a bit of the nature? Rewatching, it seems like Kamen is just being triggered to act and filling in the blanks. But in as much as the yellow mold seems to have a point of view, so does that panda-demon. Or does he just have a sour face and appetites fit for projection?

[@idkwhattoputhere5578]

you're wrong on one thing, for most of human history (which is rediculously old mind you), we have been part of nature, just as ursula is! Turtle Island science works by studying nature, and mimicking it. the first needle was made with a birds bone by a Turtle Islander scientist. along with countless other inventions. you discredit all but the smallest portion of humanity by claiming we've always lived against nature. that came from colonization. colonization is antithetical to human nature, its destructive to human nature, just as its destructive to nature. colonization is greed, it comes from greed. it is not the inherent nature of humans. love, kindness and community is. its the first thing we reach for when we come into this life. its what we always seek throughout our life, and most of all hope is there to send us out of this life.

[@vlasbaranyuk5663]

Vesta is the younger, friendlier sister of Catachan