Topic of the Week || Deconstructing Deconstruction

This one goes out to long lost friends...

[@BradenINSANE]

I specialize as a deconstruction worker. Meaning I take buildings apart and destroy them. I'm currently wanted in 12 states.

[@yobabycolin2933]

Let's get this deconstruction worker to 1,000 likes.

[@azzzanadra]

Demolishing is an actual job by the way, making sure that the building is destroyed the eight way.

[@TeamFriendship8600]

Me too! My kill count is 3424-and still going! I'm currently standing in front of the Empire State Building! *licks lips as my finger hovers over a button*

[@Bruhcation]

Yes too, I’m going to deconstruct the World Trade Center next and will be my 10th building

[@swashbucklemchrue2323]

Should’ve gotten those permits man.

[@e-fungus4132]

I actually started re-watching Full House and Family Matters in quarantine. I know their realities are bullshit, but it's such a breath of fresh air after over a decade of "everything sucks and your life has no purpose"

[@mbdg6810]

true. I think that is why people like that era of TV

[@swashbucklemchrue2323]

All tv show realities are bullshit in some way or another, since it’s pretty much impossible to capture real life with 100% accuracy in such a short timespan. Shows like Full House are supposed to be an escape from reality anyway, and going into them with that mindset will make it much easier to find enjoyment from them.

[@h193013]

@@swashbucklemchrue2323 The mom was dead in Full House so not everything in that show was sunny.

[@Lauren_210]

@@h193013 Also Stephanie dealt with difficult issues such as keeping her classmate's physical abuse a secret for him or being peer pressured to smoke cigarettes.

[@sanfransiscon]

They show an ideal that one can strive for. It might not work out, but having hope in something unlikely is better than resigning to nihilism.

[@jackmcmorrow9397]

I think one of the best takes on the "friends forever" trope is from recess, inn the episode where the gang finds out TJ and Menlo, a no-nonsense stick in the mud, used to be best friends. But as they grew apart due to different interests, they still remain connected by having TJ always come to menlos birtday, no matter what. Its nice to see friends go their separate ways in a non-vitriol fueled spat, and still be close somehow.

[@swashbucklemchrue2323]

Once you get past high school, it’s especially hard to keep friends cause there’s no longer something to funnel everyone down one track. Friends will go to college, move away, stay behind, have families, and so forth. It’s not impossible to keep up friendships when that happens, but it gets harder and harder as the years go by. Appreciate the good times you’ve had with your old friends, and make sure you have the social skills to make new ones wherever you end up in life.

[@najadamu2724]

Plus, people will just inevitably change in personality as they get older and pick up new interests while dropping old ones that you might've had in common with them. There are some close friends I used to have that are almost completely unrecognisable to me today, for one reason or another. But it is what it is.

[@manticoraus]

Friends forever doesn't mean always together. So much as significant influence and hopefully come back something part of my parents lives. But not having them doesn't mean you are wrong Making and building new ones and there not even content so much format of tv. Irl people come and go In serial media that harder See supernatural. Things had long evolved beyond two boys in a car. Even castiel took awhile to be regular. But casting and commitments...

[@KeybladeMasterAndy]

Also, don't be afraid to keep in touch with old friends, even if it's infrequent texting.

[@kimberlybogert7031]

Am trying but it's kinda had for me especially cause of my austim..but I'll keep on trying..

[@manticoraus]

@@kimberlybogert7031 I have found that the need for personal connections is so essential the failures so persistent the efforts are worthwhile if only for a...cathartic failure.

[@jarahknuckey9064]

I think Bojack Horseman had the best 'everything sucks and your life has no purpose' world, because it's more of a 'sure, life sucks and can suck. And purpose isn't something that really exists. But it's up to you to find that purpose, and it's up to you to make your own purpose, so life can suck a little bit less.'

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

eh.......... not really. THey kinda try to have their own cake and eat it with todd and mr. peanutbutter (and no. i don't care that is part of the joke. that's like pointing their faults and saying "but oh well. it is what it is"). If Anything a better show that embodies that would be HAPPY!: a show that starts with a girl getting kidnapped by a hobo dressed as santa claus, with said girl's imaginary friend looking for someone to rescue her, and only finding a drunken hitman for help (because said hitmanis the only one who can hear, see and touch the imaginary friend)

[@CantusTropus]

Sounds nice, but I don't personally think "make your own purpose" is a thing you can really do, but I suppose it's the best of a bad lot.

[@birthdayfruitecake8158]

I like that message.

[@manticoraus]

Life has no purpose or role assigned to you. If you don't fulfill that it will suck. But if you do, everyday,even in losd you can fill it with meaning

[@swashbucklemchrue2323]

Optimistic nihilism. Not at all a bad way to view life. Lot better than getting stuck in your head about purpose and meaning, at least.

[@loiggin7658]

This might be a lot of modern adult animated shows’ problem. They are so focused on being nitty and gritty that they don’t seem to care about being clever or raising interest. It’s like they think adult’s only like to hear jokes about how terrible life is and that’s it.

[@zzz43344]

Ikr

[@Tool30301]

It's like season 1 of Family Guy compared to later

[@zzz43344]

@@Tool30301 Exactly

[@TeamFriendship8600]

Just because it's satire doesn't automatically make it clever or poignant.

[@zzz43344]

@@TeamFriendship8600 Indeed!

[@darthkhan29x98]

'The Goldbergs' had a deconstruction-reconstruction episode on the concept of friends forever.

[@loiggin7658]

True!! The Goldbergs deserve more love.

[@gabebarnes6814]

I remember hearing something about how that show was based on the creator's life. So I can definitely see the show having realistic moments.

[@adampkalb]

What was the name of that episode so I can watch it again? What season number was it from?

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

@@gabebarnes6814 It is. At the end of episodes, Adam F. Goldberg, the creator himself will play video clips from his childhood during the 80's so we can see where his inspiration directly came from.

[@darthkhan29x98]

@@adampkalb Season 6, episode 16. "There can only be one highlander club".

[@pistaalkohol]

I feel like deconstruction is used a lot of the time only as an excuse to populate a fiction with only the most despicable people possible. Like in the Boys. The writers seem to think that there is a problem with superheroes being nice, because not everyone is nice, but I mean something like a Superman book already have despicable people in it, they are the villains.

[@annana6098]

I saw the commercials for the boys and haven't bothered to watch it. It looks like a show about a bunch of jerks doing whatever they want.

[@rainpooper7088]

Background characters too. At this point when a comedy show is set in a town of sorts, expect 99% of the general population to be unlikable assholes waiting to screw over the main characters for their own selfish gain at every turn. It’s really kind of bad when I see an episode of a show aimed at a fairly young audience and just want the villain to blow up the civilians already. The weirdest part with those is that the target audience for these shows likely never even got in contact with the tropes these shows claim to be deconstructing, so what’s the god damn point of doing a deconstruction without reconstruction in this context?

[@victoracosta4796]

I read "The Boys" comic, but I eventually stopped because it got too depressing for me. The thing that made me quit reading was when Mother's Milk talked about how his mentally disabled brother died; it was so graphic and disturbing to me, it made me feel physically ill. And it hit home for me because I have a brother whose mentally disabled too.

[@etrangray-mane8610]

The show will be worth watching when an actual good guy/girl throttles Homelander. And I mean breaks bones and makes him bleed.

[@victoracosta4796]

@@etrangray-mane8610 From what I know of the comics, I think they eventually kill all the superheroes.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

THIS QUOTE that seems to become more relevant with each passing day. A quote that Grant Morrison wrote in their fourth-wall breaking final issue of their "Animal Man" comic book run (especifically, from Issue 26, published on the 1990): "We thought that by making your world more violent, we would make it more "realistic", more "adult". God help us if that's what it means."

[@alannahfisherman1321]

Well, is it at least true?

[@Coldsummer91]

THANK YOU!!!!!!! I always FUCKING HATED how Malcolm in the Middle ended. I always wanted Lois to learn she can't control Malcolm's entire life like that. I worry Lois normalized being an over bearing mother in many cases. Because many young people have there moms drive many of their decisions. Does anyone else notice this.

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

I haven't watched the series, but I hear people not having the most positive opinions on it. I remember there being an episode of Family Guy where they did a cutaway gag and the mom was killed.

[@CantusTropus]

Is that the one where Lois threw Malcolm down the river (metaphorically) to help Reece on the grounds that Malcolm was smart enough to fend for himself and would end up having a decent life no matter what happens, unlike his brother? I can't remember the details.

[@Coldsummer91]

@@CantusTropus No I'm talking about the very last episode. You thinking of the one when that teacher purposefully failed Reese to make him suffer in a special class.

[@YamatoFukkatsu]

@@CantusTropus As Coldsummer91 mentioned, that was a different episode, though its conclusion was no less shitty. Not only does Malcolm get shade thrown on him after Lois FORCED him to be Reece's tutor and getting nowhere with it, but as we see by the end of the series, Reece didn't really have a future regardless. He ends up being a janitor (not that he really minds..... hell, he was shown being able to cope just fine even when homeless not long prior, though it is a shame that the series never really emphasized his culinary talents in the end).

[@YamatoFukkatsu]

You know what especially bugged me about the ending? Lois expects Malcolm to go through hardships just so he'll be more sympathetic towards the plight of lower-class people (as if Malcolm didn't suffer in those exact conditions enough already). However, as we've seen time and time again throughout the series, the family's lousy lot in life is at least partially their own damn fault. Not that they weren't screwed over by a few assholes here and there, but the family was far from innocent. Remember that early episode where Lois and Hal are actually fairly productive people once they give up on being sex addicts, only to return to the status quo by the end? Seems all the more like a major "Oof!" moment when we see the series end on Lois pregnant with their 6th kid.

[@scorn787]

Mr Enter, you are at this point the most "real" person I know. This isn't a compliment but neither is it a condemnation. I don't fucking know what it is. A single frinedship isn't forever but that's okay is an odd message. I've had frineds who are not friends any more. I didn't fall out with them and they didn't fall out with me but we did choose other paths from each other. If they were to turn up at my door they would be welcome but I wouldn't seek them out. They have become some what strangers and that's okay for all of us. Don't be yourself be better is a much better message. The only time you should look down on someone is when you are helping them up.

[@knightwing5169]

Do you actually know him, or is your friendship with him a parasocial one?

[@najadamu2724]

@@knightwing5169 Almost definitely parasocial lol

[@HydraSpectre1138]

People either take the blackpill (life sucks and is unfair, then you die) or the whitepill (nothing’s wrong, it’s all sunshine and rainbows). But Mr. Enter took the greypill, to see both the good and the bad. To acknowledge life and reality for what it is. The greypill is very hard to swallow, even more than the blackpill. But it is the most mature outlook in life. The blackpill says that “nothing matters and we should all just die”, the whitepill is childish naiveté. The greypill says that “nothing matters, but that doesn’t make happy moments feel any less happy”. The greypill says that “nothing matters” is one of the happiest facts of life, since that means all the pain, suffering and misery you feel does not matter. And you are free to choose happiness, kindness and forgiveness.

[@Mars_over_seer]

A topic I found that parallels this is villains. Nowadays we’re getting “deep” villains with complex backstory, and have to be sympathetic. Even evil villains that have committed genocide are given redemption arcs, Steven Universe for instance. Recently, villains that are evil for the sake of evil are being criticized for being simple. Some critics criticize a show for having mustache twirling villains when they can just be as entertaining and push the characters forward.

[@UnorthodoxIndividual]

Well it is possible to have a 3 dimensional villain while still making them purely a villain. Thanos I think is a good example, he has sympathetic elements, but is clearly an evil villain while still being a fully fleshed out character. Evil for the sake of being evil can get stale which is why the mustache twirling villain criticism exists, but it is possible to have while also having fully formed characters.

[@SSBBPOKEFAN]

@@UnorthodoxIndividual Or you can go the Kid Icarus Uprising route and have a villain you love to hate. As evil as Hades is, he's easily the best part of the game, and ALWAYS steals the spotlight whenever he's onscreen.

[@kotlolish]

The best example from recent history is... "Xehanort" from KH3. They tried to redeem all his factors. Ansem, Xemnas and more. From the 3 main Xehanorts (not counting his younger self since he doesnt get redeemed). Xemnas gets the only pass as he has shown he genuiely cared about things in the past as the organsation 13 leader. He wasn't purely selfish, he was following a path of emotions. Ansem seeker of darkness? Possibly redeemable to some degree due to Riku.. but not fully.. the guy is still a heartless who went too far. Xehanort himself... OOH FUCK OFF. "I wanted to use kingdom hearts and darkness to destroy everything so I can protect you from the Darkness." Wich we later find out ---SPOILERS--- Xehanort... forget it... I would have forgiven him if he said: "Having all the worlds join with darkness is the only way, the light may not overshine like it does now! To save everyone we must become one with darkness as it's the only way to live forever. All the suffering that went through would be gone." And bang! Redeemed as he was MISGUIDED. But then he gets smacked sense into him, saying: "Keyblade wielders balance light and dark, you are no better from those who overshine the light." And interresting plot point! There... that's my rant over.. I know "Dark road" might explain more.. but to me... he shouldn't be redeemed like this. I don't see why he litterly joined the dark side so he can eradicate the dark side. That's like Anakin joining the sith to go: "Ooh I did all this evil so I could destroy the sith! It was my plan all along to do this much damage just so no one can do it!"

[@zzz43344]

@@UnorthodoxIndividual Yes

[@zzz43344]

@@SSBBPOKEFAN Indeed

[@thelastwindwaker7948]

So much of this. I can't stand seeing so many sitcoms that are nothing but families that hate each other. I don't care about escapism or whatever, but I just want to see families actually care about each other without the tired cliches started from shows like Married with Children. And don't even get me started on edgying kids media because idealism is childish and characters need to die so that a bunch of adults can take Digimon or magical girls seriously.

[@Lauren_210]

While not a sitcom, This is Us is an excellent family drama show that doesn’t use a lot of tired cliches and involves a large family that do care for one another despite having their own issues. I highly recommend it if you are interested.

[@zzz43344]

@@Lauren_210 Haven't seen it myself, but it sounds interesting.

[@Lauren_210]

@@zzz43344 It’s wonderful and it’s actually my favorite show with Avatar: The Last Airbender at a close second. The basic premise of the show involves the lives of the Pearson family. Jack and Rebecca have three kids (two born from a triplet birth with the third child dying afterwards and one black child they adopt) and the show follows the family throughout various times in their life. The three kids are 36 years old in the present timeline and the show goes back in time to show their life to when they were growing up as kids and teenagers or what their parents lives were like before and after the kids were born. We also get flashforwards to a later time period and see where the family are in the future. We also follow other family members in the Pearson family since it expands over time and you get background on other characters.

[@kittyheart2843]

Ikr, look at they did to Magical girl animes (the only I can think that are normal are 'Precure' and 'Miraculous Ladybug', also I think Sailor Moon is an exception as it was always a teen show that was presented to kids, Viz doing the final season and Crystal doing the story from manga is just making it more obvious) I do love Madoka Magica and I do think Magical Girl Raising Project is a good show, but what I would give to have normal magical girl anime again instead of this gore/overly angsty/shock factor stuff

[@murderman8578]

@@kittyheart2843 Watch Wonder Egg Priorty

[@Next0gen0]

"You shouldn't try being yourself. Be The Best of Yourself!" Now There's a moral that would fit on...actually, it's hard to imagine a modern show where that would work.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

i mean i would prefer for a show or media to deconstruct ALL the aspects of that. even the whole idea mr. enter gave. because, at the end, you are never "yourself". you either have to behave like socity tells you, or adjusting to some social norms, etiquette, and even when you do something you like, some people might end up telling you you shouldn't do something (either in a good or bad way). and not to mention, what if "being yourself meant being something society hates" ?

[@sanfransiscon]

@@ianr.navahuber2195 I disagree that you are never yourself. How you adjust the way you present yourself to others is a part of who you are. You're only not being yourself when it goes against your core values.

[@jlev1028]

Batman: The Animated Series actually made fun of the trope. When Killer Croc escaped justice by hiding in a circus, the freak show performers took him in, telling him that all Croc needs to be himself. Unfortunately, "being himself" meant doing criminal shit, and when the freak show performers found out, Croc said "You said you could be yourself out there, remember? I guess that's what I was doing. Being myself."

[@aros0018]

Weird answer to this but I'd argue that's a big part of the Harley Quinn cartoon, especially the romance plot that eventually comes into it. No spoilers in case you haven't seen it but in the cartoon there is someone who Harley loves who loves her back but the person declines getting together with her because they're afraid she'll just break their heart, and that worry isn't completely unfounded given what's happened between them in the past. The person is in love with Harley, but it has to be Harley's best self who wins them over into actually being in a relationship together. A big part of that series is making Harley confront her own faults and toxicity and trying to overcome them, lest she lose the people she actually cares about.

[@KeybladeMasterAndy]

Something wholesome and well thought-out. Maybe Green Eggs and Ham season 2, if that happens.

[@lordbritannic]

i have only one friend left from my childhood. been friends since 1989.

[@danielmedina4276]

Really? Who is he?

[@lordbritannic]

A lad named Neill.

[@BaboDex]

Some sitcoms like Friends and The Middle have problems, sometimes they are not solved, sometimes they are.

[@h193013]

Are we talking about The Middle with the Hecks or Malcolm?

[@tomtheconqerur]

@@h193013 malcom in the middle

[@h193013]

@@tomtheconqerur I wasn’t sure. I like The Middle with the Heck’s better

[@ddjsoyenby]

i enjoy both of those.

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

The ending of Friends was bittersweet imo

[@exiledPostman]

I definitely relate to your hypothetical situation with Edd getting sick of Ed and Eddy stagnating while he did something with his life.

[@shadowslayer205]

That description of what Ed Edd and Eddy's future would look like is pretty much how Akeem Lawanson portrayed it in his series of music videos.

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

Except Big Picture Show exists. It's kind of implied that at the end where they manage to become friends with the others and get jawbreakers, Eddy stops being a scammer.

[@DementedDuskull]

It's refreshing to hear that BFFs isn't a realistic concept, I've spent many nights wondering why I've never had a friend for longer than four years

[@juliet4093]

glad I am not alone in this, I lose so many friends and feel like I am doing something wrong, then I thought about it, most media acts like I shouldn't be losing friends kinda gets to you

[@ChillstoneBlakeBlast]

It's a First World issue that evolved from it being a very old norm. You see, back then, people did not travel and stayed in just a certain community. Nowadays, this is not a norm but an uncommon luxury. As someone who has lived in different Countries, I can tell you the concept of BFFs is basically non-existant to the commoner that lives in the city. Like Enter Said: Friendships usually form from circumstance, not from actual humble beginnings. But just because they are circumstancial does not mean they are "bad".

[@manticoraus]

It is realistic but much like upper class suburban stable lifestyles it takes opportunity and work. Why fim was so refreshing Even as friends the mane 6 had to work at it constantly with each other and own flaws. Even achieving goals and growth lead to new challenges But cultivating their virtues can be own reward

[@YujiUedaFan]

Yeah, I thought like 5 people didn't have many friends, including me. A lot of people criticize Mr. Enter, but he does give sage advice.

[@magicmoonmonke]

YMMV, I'm still besties with mine for 12 years

[@TheVodkaHaze]

There's nothing inherently wrong with deconstruction because it can explore the way tropes, characters and genres play out in reality, which can be useful for the audience. There's nothing inherently good or bad about it, it comes down to execution. Reconstruction is harder to do I find, but it can be done. Archer is a reconstruction of spy fiction, and it works fine.

[@stevep9177]

The Sandlot handled "friends slowly drifting apart" pretty realistically

[@h193013]

I know there’s a movie called Stand By Me. I have never seen it but I want to.

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

@@h193013 It's based off a book by Stephen King

[@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881]

@@h193013 seen it a few times. It's a good movie

[@MegaMagicdog]

@@h193013 I've seen the film - it's very good! Try it.

[@superjackster0165]

@@h193013 That has a very realistic version of friends drift apart. The main character, as an adult, narrates the film. At the end, he says. “As time went on, we saw less and less of Teddy and Vern (two of the main characters in the film). Until eventually they became just 2 more faces in the halls. It happens sometimes. Friends come in and out of your life like bus boys in a restaurant”

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

Man. All the trending about deconstructions reminds me of what TVTropes said about Grant Morrison's Animal Man run. Quoting said page: "Morrison's Animal Man run is one of the earliest examples of a mainstream superhero comic criticizing the then-current tendency of making characters more grim and gritty, as well as abandoning many of the more light-hearted and colourful ones. "

[@patworx1]

I think most friends eventually end up in this place where they still like each other but they don't see each other very often.

[@ChillstoneBlakeBlast]

I have experienced it a lot...

[@tidepodpadthai2633]

I wish more people talked about the whole "best friend" thing. That's why I love the ending of MLP. They've drifted apart and all live their own lives now, but the Mane 6 are still on good terms with eachother, even if they're not as close as they used to be. Yeah, they're still friends, but they aren't really _best_ friends. And even if they aren't as close anymore, they're still of course friends and they're on good terms. You can end a friendship without ending on bad terms.

[@ShadowWingTronix]

What worries me about that is that other annoying trope, the reunion movie. I could see one or two people still being friends or continuing things they did. My problem with Ghostbusters 2 is that The Real Ghostbusters showed them still busting ghosts together and fighting all kinds of horror but in the movie everything ends after Gozer, the romance between Peter and Dana (absent from the show granted) has to start all over again (see also the rant I could make about Banderas's second Zorro movie), which is the normal rather than the exception. Everyone doesn't stay together, fine. NOBODY stays together out of the entire cast? Seems as equally unbelievable.

[@BlueBlazeKing]

I mean the Mane 6 have been through a lot together, some even knew each other when they were little. So unless something major happened they would still be friends, it’s just they have their own lives

[@Szgerle]

Imagine anyone bringing up that abortion of an ending as a positive example

[@Tool30301]

My favorite example of deconstruction and reconstruction actually comes from Mr. Enter's Re- Animated review,"Imagine if you could switch brains with other people at will or considering personality glands are a thing why aren't they bidding over the rich talented and influential people notice that what I'm bringing up is creating more possibilities not limiting possibilities, the best creativity comes from working with in limitations not weirdness on top of weirdness."

[@GodOfOrphans]

Kinda reminds me of an episode of Angel where there's a black market for important destinies.

[@Tool30301]

@@GodOfOrphans Haven't seen it you just sold me on watching it

[@GodOfOrphans]

@@Tool30301 Cool, It's season 4 episode 3 The House Always Wins, if you just want to check out that specific episode, but it might be a bit confusing if you jump in right there since it kind of assumes you're familiar with the characters.

[@JCBro-yg8vd]

This is what happens when the pendulum swings too far in the opposite direction in compensation.

[@chewitt1227]

The thing about "bffs" really hits me. I have had many friends who have either moved away or stopped liking me for no real reason. I am a loner, but I do have friends. I just never hang out with them. Friendships are not easy to keep alive and occasionally we meet people who stay our friends for many years, but just like humans ourselves, friendships are not eternal. You will be able to make new friends sure, but at best, a former best friend may become someone who you are cool with.

[@jean-lucpicard7966]

I totally agree. One thing I should point out is that when deconstructions become too common in art and entertainment they usually face a revolt of sorts. The rose-tinted attitude of the 1980s was a revolt against the nihilism of the 1970s exemplified by movies such as The Godfather, Dirty Harry, Chinatown and Taxi Driver. Those works in turn were a revolt at the rose-tintedness of the 1950s and 60s exemplified by works such as I Love Lucy, Leave It To Beaver, The Flintstones, The Sound of Music and even Star Trek (sadly, utopian science-fiction became unpopular at around this time and it has only recently begun to return with the success of The Orville). By the end of the 1970s it was clear that deconstructions were becoming less common with the runaway successes of Star Wars, Rocky and Grease. There were a few works in the early 1980s such as First Blood and Blade Runner which had that pessimistic 1970s attitude but in the 1980s entertainment became very optimistic to the point of being rose-tinted. Obviously, that attitude in turn faced a backlash in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. I would not be surprised if the "let's deconstruct everything" attitude of the 2010s, exemplified by Dawn of Justice, Bojack Horseman and Game of Thrones, faces a revolt in the 2020s but we will have to wait and see.

[@ShadowLarvitar]

Oh I know, I have autism and hate how it's treated. I gave a character in a fan fic what I have and just treat him like an ordinary character, he's the comedic relief but that has nothing to do with his diagnosis

[@woobgamer5210]

It's sad how the only few times i've seen an autistic character done right, is potentially not even on purpose or what was intended by the show writers So, unless its explicitely stated, you might never know if a character has autism, you just have to gauge on their language, their interests, their expression. The only problem I have with those few is that, all three characters all speak quite monotonously, like they're perpetually bored, hell all three struggle to facially emote.

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

@@woobgamer5210 And the way they're portrayed doesn't even fit the description of Autism, but Savant Syndrome. You're right about the other stuff: why are they always unexpressive, monotone robots that always talk about doing certain tasks very specifically to a fault, but are really great at math for some reason? I've never actually met someone with Savant Syndrome, but NO ONE I've met with who has Autism irl acts like that.

[@notchuckproductions5029]

This is why Shrek soft Reboot would never work, because unless Shrek 5 is about “You know Classic Fairy tales and the traditional Disney movie are actually not that bad,I’m sorry” there’s no ponit anymore(hell all the movies after Shrek 2 started have that ponit of view)

[@ddjsoyenby]

yeah plus those actually had a decent story of their own.

[@markdaniel9657]

At least Shrek 4 did. Shrek 3 didn't have a point in existing, apart from turning the franchise into a meme

[@e-memes808]

In all honesty, the franchise being a meme is the only thing of much value I have with the series at this point.

[@markdaniel9657]

@@e-memes808 I thought Shrek 1, 2, and 4 had valuable lessons in them

[@e-memes808]

@@markdaniel9657 2 was just re-hashing 1's and I honestly think 3 got too much crap even though I liked it's take on responsibility with both the whole king/father aspect. 1 and 4's messages, particularly 4's, while perfectly fine, feel not so unique. I don't hold the Shrek films in as much of a high regard as everyone else anymore.

[@Mars_over_seer]

Batman: The Brave and the Bold is possibly one of the best Re-constructions of the superhero genere. It basically retells classic Silver-Age stories in their original format, but adapts them in a fun way. Not just that, My Hero Academia is whole premise is as clique as it gets, but it’s executed so tightly it doesn’t feel too much like it’s predecessors. The entire plot is just a reconstruction on classic super hero tropes. Edit: Well shit, this comment devolved into a MHA chat.

[@Wiki1184]

I adored Brave and the Bold as a kid. Wish it got more love when it comes to people discussing Batman.

[@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881]

I mean I have been publishing a fan manga where Deku is pretending to be a villain to fight other villains, but my aim is solely just wanting a story where Deku can freaking win against them without being narratively handheld with the usual "you didn't win but____" narrative.

[@dylansmith5206]

@@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881 BTW!! This may be me!! But I really hope the villians in MHA don't get a redemption arc at all!! Considering how horrible, malicious, and the fact that they clearly do not want to change their ways at all!! It's fair to say that Tomura and his goons all deserve to croak and go straight to Hell in a handbasket!! No debate!! No Argument!! Like seriously!! I'm not gonna shed tears if somebody puts a bullet in the eye of one of the antagonist!!! There's really no to keep those fuckers alive (Just make up some new bad guys for everyone to fight) and giving them redemption stories would so extremely stupid, forced, and contrived in the worst way possible!!! Almost as stupid as giving Azula From Avatar a redemption arc in spite of how much of a gigantic pile of shit she is and that attempted to murder people for no real reason!!!

[@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881]

@@dylansmith5206 i do feel bad for tomura considering his backstory but I sure as heck don't want him to win. I'm just grateful he and the other villains made the series interesting after I got fed up with the student narrative dicking around , giving dumb character like tsu more screentime instead of cool ones like virtually the rest of the class, and Bakuguo killing any interest I had in Dekus plight because anytime Deku achieves anything good that jackass is right around the corner to put him back in that same spot he was since the beginning, quirk or no quirk.

[@dylansmith5206]

@@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881 While Tsu Or Sue isn't one my favorite character (Unpopular Opinion- I really do wish Kyoka would be given more time to shine). I will give Tsu Or Sue (This). At least she ain't Ochako levels of useless, incompetent, Super awkward to watch, and poorly written (Why does everyone want her and Midoriya to end up as a couple again). Also. About you feeling bad about Tomura. To quote Mr. Enter from Family Guy review. "It doesn't matter how mean Sauron's Parents were to him"! "It doesn't magically make him a good guy after all the horrible stuff he did". And furthermore. To steal a quote from Bojack Horseman "You can't keep doing shitty/awful things to other people and still expect people to feel bad for you afterwards". Feel free to either agree or disagree with me.

[@leeiif]

I have a friend who I've been friends with despite us changing paths and moving away. But the person I called my BFF disappeared from my life almost the moment after graduation.

[@josepharmstrong1788]

Deconstructions feel a lot like that one kid who brags that they know every swear word in the English language. They think they're edgy and adult because they know no-no words that make teachers and grandmother angry, except they only annoying because of their cocky attitude and that's the only stand-up routine they know. Robin Williams and George Carlin did swear, but the swear was never the joke. It was always the set up, payoff, and delivery that made their jokes work. Even in Carlin's Seven Words On Television, the swearing wasn't the punchline, society was. One deconstruction I'm sick and tired of is the Disney Princess deconstruction. It's because ALL of them are the SAME! They ALWAYS portray a Disney Princess as a ditsy airhead that's always singing, talking to animals, and about how boy crazy they are. Taking a look at the Disney Princesses (characters), only two fit that description, Snow White and Aurora. Then EVERY Disney Princess deconstruction adds on a sing-song type voice, so all Disney Princess deconstructions aren't even deconstructing Disney Princesses/Fairy Tales as a whole, they're only deconstructing Snow White. And the CSI effect hit the Disney Princesses hard, and the characters becoming a merchandising franchise only poured salt on this open wound. I'm willing to bet money that people who backlash the Disney Princesses don't even have fresh memories of the Disney Princess movies and when/if they watch them, they don't pay attention to anything beyond what was mocked by people who were upset they didn't get a female Rambo. Meanwhile, people who actually revisit these movies and look for finer nuances in character interactions and dynamic discover that ALL of the Disney Princesses are not that bad.

[@bluecoin3771]

Agreed. That's why even though I'm interested in making a magical girl type show, I have no interest whatsoever in pandering to the woke types, specifically they are seeking to never be happy. If anything, the Lisa Simpson archetype is in need of deconstruction/reconstruction, the wise beyond her years wonderchild who's vegan and an activist and if only the world saw things her way. Years of dealing with her real life equivalents, (aka every feminist Karen in the past decade) has shown me that the Lisa Simpson school of character writing needs to die in a ditch.

[@channel45853]

This is kinda how I feel about Call of Duty campaings. There seems to be a myth that simplifies them down to pro-war flicks that glamorize war. While making a fun video game that is anti-war is likely harder than most think it is, as the game has to be fun. But everytime people talk about something like Spec Ops: The Line or even Modern Warfare 2019, it seems they act like the past Call of Duty games were pro-war propaganda when that couldn't be further from the truth. They were war games that were fun but they critique and show the bad sides of wars and governments. They also show the bad side of humanity and why a war would be started. Black Ops 1 shows the bad sides of the C.I.A. and Modern Warfare 1 (the original), shows that the U.S. military can be falliable and this ends in a nuke that takes out a lot of U.S. soldiers. Modern Warfare 1 seems very anti-war and realistic, possibly even better at it than MW 2019, yet people oversimplify it and other CODs and then prop up MW 2019.

[@jlev1028]

On your "most friendships end with a whimper, not a bang" rant, I have personal experience to back that up. My first friendship was with Wendy back in elementary school, and we splintered off after graduation. Even though I still saw her in middle school, she no longer attended the same classes as me. And I never saw her again during high school. My second friendship was with a blond boy in 6th grade, and it was stronger. Unfortunately, in 8th grade, we had a fallout due to him befriending a class bullie, and even though I saw him again in high school, I never bothered to reconcile, especially since he no longer went to the same classes as me. Finally, in 11th grade, I befriended Colin thanks to the Best Buddies program. I thought it would last even longer, considering I spent an afternoon at his house and watched Frozen night with him. The sad thing was his father was in the Air Force which meant his family had to relocate every 6 months. The last time I saw him was near the end of the school year. I don't know where he is now so there won't be any chance for a reunion. In short, two of three of my breakups were completely out of me or my friends' control.

[@aquelgamermexicano]

I will say though, both The Simpsons AND Malcom did put the pieces back up, it wasn't just a deconstruction of the Full House mentality, it showed that despite all of it, family will be important in your life, flaws and all. The Simpsons showed that families are a mess by default since not everything will go according to plan, and that every member of it is flawed instead of the perfect father/wife/son/etc. But that the efforts and care were there and that their actions will speak volumes at the end despite not knowing how to make your family happy. Malcom on the other hand, showed that family is difficult and a responsability, plain and simple, you have to deal with a lot of issues in life and that you simply need to work through it because nothing will just be given to you. The ending itself plays on a raw enviroment that the family cares about each other, but it showed a family that is not all sunshine and rainbows because EVERYONE is a piece of work, it's very clear in the show, and it's clear that for a reviewer so proud of its time doing it, you don't really give things a proper look once you set your mind about them.

[@ddjsoyenby]

agreed and in the simpsons in the early seasons they were good people.

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

Are you talking about Malcom in the Middle? Lois is a piece of shit, she deserves to die alone and miserable.

[@rhondahoward8025]

You know what I thought you were going to get into? How characters are obligated to remain "friends" with someone even if they are shown to be toxic, insensitive, abusive, manipulative, uncaring, or callous towards them. I mean even Ed, Edd 'n Eddy had Double D saying, "Enough is enough!" when Eddy's pranks went much too far, the breaking point being when he pretended that Ed and him were drowning in quicksand. Drake and Josh had an episode literally titled "Josh is Done" where Josh decides he's not mad at Drake anymore, he's just done with him, and his life actually gets better for it. It's only when Drake makes a truly heartfelt apology and admits that "I need you way more than you need me" along with other things that Josh finally decides to give him another chance.

[@nicholassims9837]

Emperors New Groove did the deconstruction on being your self as Kuzco had to change himself .

[@grapeshot]

But there are exceptions to the rule I am still friends with the group of friends that I have known since 1985 and I'm 46 years old now. We've separated and when are various ways like when I went to the military but in the end we eventually all come back together.

[@MrGamernova]

Yeah, while I did part with some friends I still have some from childhood I talk to this day, actually finding a nearby theater to watch Godzilla vs King Kong with one of them as I type... well as soon as I stop typing, you get the idea.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

probably the problem is that people see everything in absolutes: either in "everything sucks" or "everything is good" or "everything is a middle ground". When sadly it is "everything previously stated and nothing and more". Some people's lives do resemble cliches of sitcoms (the good and the bad). Some people's lives are so weird they make fiction look tame. and some have other. it is weird

[@GodOfOrphans]

Biggest hurdle is just staying in contact in my experience, also avoid anyone with borderline personality disorder they will backstab you at the drop of a hat no matter how long you've been "friends" and are not worth the effort, trust me I speak from experience on this.

[@tbk2010]

That's awesome!

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

But 1985 was 36 years ago

[@MagicalMaster]

If all you do is pull things apart you end up with nothing to stand on. Reconstruction is the most important part of deconstruction. Yes, pulling things apart is a good way of understanding things, but putting it back together is how you show that you've learned from it.

[@emiliebennett15]

The reason why you don't like Malcolm in the Middle is the same reason why I'm generally not the biggest fan of deconstructions. I have a dad with a short fuse, my middle school life sucked, etc., so deconstructions had this effect of rubbing salt in my wounds. I'm grateful for the existence of reconstructions to quash the flaws that bother me at least. Regarding the BFF trope, a message like yours can definitely work in a show aimed 7 to 10 year olds. Besides, it managed to work in MLP in its first season or so. For myself, I've made a surprising number of friends both off and online over the years in my life, but most of us haven't kept in touch for a long time. I've even forgotten a few with time.

[@emiliebennett15]

@@unicornlover1237 I was talking about how not everybody can end up BFF in real life.

[@EatWave]

Most writers not realizing the importance of genre reconstruction is exactly what made Watchmen so negatively influential to Americana throughout the 1990s.

[@zzz43344]

So true

[@KhaosAdmiral]

genre reconstruction is part of the reason why I love series like Gurren Lagaan.

[@thecinematicmind]

The Dark Knight Returns included.

[@kittykittybangbang9367]

@@KhaosAdmiral Same, even though I never really watch that much mecha animes.

[@peregry]

In defense of the "Best Friends Forever" trope, it originated very early on in media, one could make a strong case for it going back all the way to the Epic of Gilgamesh. The idea certainly appears in the Bible from Johnathan and David to Christ's Disciples. As you noted, most friendships are predicated on the sharing of a common community, and this is exactly why in prior times "Best Friends Forever" wasn't actually false for people's lives. Consider, it used to be the case that most people would be born and die within something like 50 miles of each event. When that was the case, your shared community, the local organizations, your Church, etc. were shared with many of the same people throughout your entire life. Maybe you worked different jobs, but you still went to the same Church or belonged to the same local club. Your local community was just that, local, and most folks stayed within that local community. Thus, friendships began in school would last throughout one's entire life. It is only within the last 30 or so years with the growth of the Internet and the push for everyone to go to college has this situation begun to change, where more and more people no longer will die close to where they were born, and where local community institutions have collapsed to be replaced by digital communities. Thus, we have seen the collapse of childhood friendships surviving to adulthood.

[@gars129]

Im a urban planner student at a left leaning college, one of my old best friends is a married construction worker, another is a breakdancer, and another is in med science and playing Fortnite as a hobby. Our common bond was playing Pokemon, which I only play ocasionally now. I once thought all my friends outgrew me because they played less Pokemon, but then I got into Urban Planning and my old best friends don't care much about trains or politics, while Im neither married nor am knowlegable in most of their fields and hobbies. I still miss them, but to varying extents, we are all very different people now, though our friendship could still be rekindled one day.

[@srslydoatm9251]

What if we had a parody of a sitcom where the sitcom starts off cheesy but gets darker each episode but the laugh track still plays, like say, a body getting murdered.

[@Lauren_210]

Isn’t what Wandavision has been as of recent?

[@RakoonCD]

It would kinda get old quick.

[@zzz43344]

@@Lauren_210 Huh.

[@batfang25animations39]

Sounds like my kinda thing honestly

[@notchuckproductions5029]

Too many cooks? That’s are bush ? The Simpsons? Literally deconstructing the classic sitcom formula, is an easy target for parody/Deconstruction these days,witch is why that kind of formal is mostly dead, outside of kid channels and or it being by a tv legend.

[@toasturhztoastbunz896]

Reconstruction is the reason why I love movies like Shrek and Megamind all the more.

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

Too bad the former is a big reason why animation in the west is seen as being "for kids" and the latter seems like lightning in a bottle.

[@HydraSpectre1138]

@@AkameGaKillfan777 It was actually the terrible Shrek imitations that took the wrong lessons from Shrek that gave animation a bad name. Shrek is like the Half-Life of animation, they are both groundbreaking masterpieces that were heavily influential. Unfortunately, all of the imitators took the wrong lessons from both of them. Shrek deconstructed and then reconstructed fairytales, giving what would usually be the villains of these stories their happy endings and showing them as not being as mean as they appear, while Half-Life took players on a breathtakingly spectacular but incredibly linear journey across Black Mesa. Shrek imitators thought that mocking fairytales and making pop culture references was all you needed to make a good animated film and it dragged down the reputation of Western animation, while Half-Life imitators thought that making first-person shooters linear for the sake of being linear and slowing down the character would make them more like Half-Life.

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

@@HydraSpectre1138 That's what I meant. The Simpsons, South Park and Family Guy did the same thing for adult cartoons.

[@channel45853]

@@HydraSpectre1138 linear shooters aren't bad on their own. And I think Call of Duty and Battlefield were more inspirations than Half Life, especially because they are multiplatform.

[@barrybend7189]

Key to a good deconstruction playing it safe for most of the story and only change small things then take a good reveal when the time is right.

[@ddjsoyenby]

the secret is to know what your deconstructing and make it good in the first place.

[@Universeofmany]

"The Weekenders" did a pretty good explanation for why Be Yourself CAN work. Namely deconstructing "Be yourself because it will make you attractive"; instead Tino is told "Being yourself won't necessarily make the girls/boys fall all over you; some of them still won't like you; that's life. But you should be yourself because you won't like you if you're not yourself." Given that said advice is coming from a mother who consistently gives great life advice, it's a pretty solid moral.

[@HydraSpectre1138]

It deconstructs the moral only to reconstruct it right after. That is great.

[@alexchap7744]

I'm in high school right now, and when me and my two close friends went to dinner with our parents, we found out that our dads were also close friends in high school, but they hadn't spoken to each other in years.

[@caslaBBalsac]

Bojack Horseman made me appreciate the UNrealistic. The way it ended was incredibly fucked up. BoJack gets his comeuppance at a point when he no longer deserves it, and while his future doesn't look COMPLETELY bleak, he lost too many things he held dear at a time when he was actually trying to be a better person. Yes, it's realistic, but fuck realistic.

[@caslaBBalsac]

@@johndavis9321 Don't read comments about shows if you don't want spoilers. The first two words of my comment were a dead giveaway that spoilers MAY be ahead, so, yeah...........

[@caslaBBalsac]

@@johndavis9321 Even if I were to do that, other comments won't. So you'll still have the problem. Besides which, I don't believe in marking spoilers. I think there's too much emphasis on plot reveal, and not enough on plot enjoyment. I think people need to relax and enjoy content whether they've experienced it before or not.

[@caslaBBalsac]

@@johndavis9321 I didn't mean in this video specifically, I meantin general. I mean yeah, I didn't specify that, but I didn't think I needed to either. I also didn't specifically mean with regards to Bojack Horseman either, just in case you didn't know that.

[@SuperDuperHappyTime]

Me: Enter is right, there’s no such thing as Best Friends Forever. My Wife: EXCUSE ME?!!?!?!?!

[@mariofan1ish]

I think this video is both one of the most interesting you've posted and potentially the most valuable one you've posted going forward. I've encountered bits and pieces of reconstruction already across various media, and generally when I do see it, it's an incredible breath of fresh air and it's leaving me excited to see what the future can bring to the table. Something with a nice mix of positivity and gloom to bring forth the best of what has been created over the decades. It also influenced my own writing. One thing I didn't realize I missed was villains who were evil for the sake of being evil; your Frieza, Dick Dastardly, Plankton, Him, etc. Everyone says that for a villain to be good, they have to be deep and complex, and they need a tragic backstory, or be an anti-hero. And while that works, and there will always be a place for it, I didn't realize how great a simple villain can be until I saw examples that didn't conform to that ideal. The Snatcher from a Hat in Time, Hades in Kid Icarus, Frieza (again) in the Tournament of Power and Broly, where he was put back to his original personality and was delightfully devilish in every scene he was in. And then I was reminded of older examples like Mojo Jojo, Palpatine, Bowser, King Dedede, Crypto and Pox, Norm the Genie, and Red Death from Venture Bros. These characters steal the show whenever they're on screen and allowed to demonstrate their personalities. Are ANY of them deep, or complex, or sympathetic? No. Not at all. And that's part of why they're so much fun- they love what they do and can even spew infectious enthusiasm for it. As such, I've decided that while motivation and plot are important, a villain should, more than anything, have a presence. A dramatic presence? A comedic presence? Maybe they ham it up and steal the scene? I don't know which, but one of them.

[@aisadal2521]

Oh cool, never thought I'd see somebody deconstruct deconstruction lol

[@APoleYouKnow]

Yeah. What is this? JREG?

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

Crush the pieces into pieces as they say.

[@alexflenner3778]

@Dallac Ais. You could also say he reconstructed deconstruction!!..

[@starwars90001]

the perfect argument against deconstruction is good vs evil. Deconstructionists will say that there's no good or evil just sides ignoring the fact that there are things most people regardless of culture, belief, or nation think are wrong: an example is murdering children. Yes lot of things are grey but there is black and white.

[@jlev1028]

And that's why I hate postmodernism.

[@hecklejack7726]

I wouldn’t be so confident of that. In Ancient Rome it was normal to kill children. Who’s to say there isn’t still a society that does that?

[@jlev1028]

@@hecklejack7726 Standards have evolved. I'm pretty sure in most societies today, infanticide, rape, cannibalism, and genocide are considered wrong.

[@redzgaming6880]

WWII is the perfect example of IRL good vs evil.

[@hecklejack7726]

​@@jlev1028 I still doubt it, Africa for example has genocides happening regularly.

[@edmilmaldonado5756]

Which show do you want to do? Craig McCracken's new Netflix cartoon, "Kid Cosmic"? Or the "DuckTales (2017)" series finale?

[@rhondahoward8025]

This whole "everything sucks" general mentality does have to stop with modern shows and cartoons. Like jesus, everything isn't just doom and gloom, you know?

[@thaddeusr.3967]

Well making things too saccharine or too depressing is a bad thing. The key is to find a balance.

[@mediamuncher6982]

Topic of the week: Cartoon characters not moving even tho they still have time to move.

[@jlev1028]

That's more of a comics thing than a cartoon thing.

[@dddmemaybe]

at first I thought you were making the classic jab at anime ironically not being animated lol.

[@JohnnyOMalley22]

"Even when a video game has you staring a character that's explicitly going on a murder rampage, it's painted as a really bad thing. The goal of the game, Hatred, is to just kill random people, but nowhere does it say that that's a moral or a good thing to be doing. And just the tone of the game makes it clear that you are the villain in that game." No, Mr. Enter, that's seeing the context of the game and actually listening, instead of simply "half-listening." If more people did that, most video-game-related "controversies" wouldn't exist. How would we be able to constantly bash the Far Cry series for being racist and glorifying violence if we acknowledged things like "Jason following the path of the warrior is destructive and causing him to lose his humanity" or "Pagan Min is a dictator, the antagonist, and admits his Freudian excuse was just an excuse so he could hurt people, so the game is not glorifying the bad things he does?" How would we able to say that Rockstar Games makes sexist filth when the characters that act sexist are regularly portrayed as people you're supposed to hate and occasionally stupid? How would we be able to say that Halo is racist and sexist if we realized that Sgt. Johnson is one of the most beloved and heroic characters in the game, or that Tartarus is a violent bigot that regularly threatens people he hates with violence, so the game wasn't implying he wanted to rape Miranda Keyes, nor was the game glorifying it? How would we able to say World of Warcraft's conflict between the Alliance and the Horde is bad because it's not too different than fascism because. . . . . .if we didn't ignore all the reasons the characters are fighting?. . .Or that both groups are made of different races?. . .Or that the game constantly reminds you how bad war is? How would we able to claim any game is bad if we actually paid attention to who's the hero and who's the villain, instead of secretly believing the only real bad guy is the people that play and like video games? Seriously though, Mr. Enter. Thank you for pointing that out. It's not as amusing to watch people **** up at doing research on a video game as it use to be.

[@ddjsoyenby]

plus hatred on some level is meant to be a joke, the mc is kind of a bumbling idiot who lucks into his k1ll1ng spree being successful and says lines like "i can hear your guardian angel weeping for you" and "one nation under d3@th" in his superserial gravelly voice.

[@jlev1028]

@@ddjsoyenby Why did you censor the words "killing" and "death"? Do you think any child reading your comment will think you were swearing?

[@ddjsoyenby]

@@jlev1028 just to make sure youtube doesn't nuke it.

[@lucasred_eyes6785]

We currently live in an age of reaction to old art, soon people are going to make new art out of the ashes of these old trends, improving on them! Then in another few decades the "new" art will have overstated its welcome, trends creating tropes and soulless corporate sludge. Then the next era of reaction begins! People poking fun at the silly tropes that have popped up over the years and the blatant attempts to fit in with the times....

[@shadykitty7493]

sad thing is malcom in the middle made me think my abusive childhood was normal

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

That sucks

[@HydraSpectre1138]

I never saw that show, but I feel bad for that. I also thought my abusive and neglectful childhood was normal, especially as my parents kept telling me that I’m so awful that most other parents would’ve actually just thrown me away or murdered me. Even though they never gave me a chance.

[@shadykitty7493]

my mom kept playing oliver and telling me that if she wanted to she could ahve just left me at a orphanage @@HydraSpectre1138

[@IsabellaCataldo]

I remember thinking about this "deconstruction" thing a while back. It really annoys me when people deconstruct things the same way that other people have already done so, but still pretend like they're doing something groundbreaking. For example, people love to deconstruct the old trope of female characters being forced into the "damsel in distress" role by remaking them into this "strong independent woman who don't need no man" character type. Not that there's anything anything wrong with that character type, but I hate that people pretend like it's still novel or groundbreaking when we've had "strong female characters" in the media since at least the 80s or so. It's not original anymore, guys.

[@zzz43344]

Agreed

[@eatatjoes6751]

It really aggravates me when a reboot of the old thing maliciously tries to mock the original it was based on.

[@zzz43344]

@@eatatjoes6751 Me looking at Cartoon Network disapprovingly: Same, man, same... 😔

[@GodOfOrphans]

It's actually been around even before the 80's particularly in books, the 80's is just when the most mainstream and arguably the best examples came out. I also distinctly recall it not being particularly ham handed and preachy in any of the classic examples, typically treated as more incidental or addressed briefly and moved on from, nowadays it's preachy anvillicious, pretentious, and all the story focuses on, good ideas and thought provoking questions be damned.

[@Reapermaskhybrid]

A good example of deconstruction and reconstruction is Evangelion and Gurren Lagann. The former shows the harsh reality of a conflict involving giant robots fighting monsters that could end humanity and the trauma of our main characters while the latter, despite having the trimmings of a typical Saturday morning cartoon, has more teeth to it and actually shows some maturity besides sophomoric stuff.

[@JohnnyOMalley22]

Those two shows are respectively used as examples of Deconstruction and Reconstruction.

[@Reapermaskhybrid]

@@JohnnyOMalley22 Exactly, and I prefer the latter since it still shows conflict isn't all smiles and rainbows but it isn't knocking you on the head with the grim and gritty stick over and over.

[@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881]

I enjoy EVA because it was at the right time where everything wasn't all deconstruction so it really did feel like a gem while other things were fun being themselves.

[@Reapermaskhybrid]

@@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881 The idea sounds good on paper but the execution is always harder to pull off, EVA did do a good job of showing what an actual war with alien monsters and robots would be like but at the same time the character definitely needed some work (especially Shinji since he needed to stop moping and get to fighting the angels).

[@Reapermaskhybrid]

@@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881 Hell, I like GaoGaiGar because it was meant to be a direct response to Evangelion, it's not all sunshine and rainbows but it shows the heroes are trying to make things better despite the odds being against them.

[@Bopperann]

"Be your best self," that's indeed waaay better.

[@HighLifeProds17]

You eventually subvert expectations so long that the subversion itself becomes the expectation...

[@HydraSpectre1138]

I wonder how you can be so meta by subverting expectations by playing things straightforward.

[@pkkingcrimsonrequiem1332]

A big victim of this is superheroes (mostly affected DC heroes now that I think about it. One can argue that Marvel heroes were the first sort of deconstruction since it challanged the notion of Superherors being perfect examples by introducing relatable human flaws in their characters). Once Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns came out, everyone started to try and make their superheroes as dark as possible. Everyone loved the 89 Batman and started to treat the 60's series as nothing more than a punchline. It's why everyone hated on Brave and the Bold and unfairly compared it to B:TAS. People couldn't handle the idea that superheores can be silly. People shit on Superman because they can't accept that Superman as a character represents the goodness of humanity.

[@KhaosAdmiral]

I'd say there are some shows that do manage to make the whole what if Superheroes were awful people like for instance, The Boys which takes a more nuanced take of showing that though some supes are horrible people, they aren't all complete pieces of shit.

[@eatatjoes6751]

The thing is - Malcolm in the Middle was good and groundbreaking, but when everyone tried to rip it off in varying degrees of success without realizing why their deconstruction was a good thing at the time - yeah...it's not good. Hell, have you watched the Middle? That's a good show because it's not always bitter. Also, I find a lot of bad deconstruction to be, like, huffing its own fart fumes. This is why I hated the deluge of fairy tale deconstructions after Shrek because the deconstructions forgot why Shrek originally ended up working - Shrek was inspired by Disney fatigue at the time, everyone hated it and wanted something new. Now that even Disney is trying to become counterculture to itself a decade after everyone already wore it out, it's no longer viable anymore and instead is seen as shorthand for "lazy writing." Another show I'd recommend is Raising Hope - because it's a show about asshole teen parents, BUT because Jimmy (their son) has a kid now by a girl who is in prison - the parents grow to accept that they're grandparents now and they all see the baby as another chance they didn't have to raise Jimmy right.

[@zzz43344]

Yeah

[@BaboDex]

The Middle is fantastic, it has Eden Sher in it.

[@mbdg6810]

I loved the middle

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@BaboDex one of my favorite moments in the middle was when Axl was left trapped in the library of college. and he opening up to a statue about the pressure he is feeling and all. for a character like axl who before that point had always being a egotistic jerk at worst, a dumb jerk with a heart of gold at best , i actually genuinely felt sympathy for him

[@eatatjoes6751]

@@BaboDex I freaking adore the Middle.

[@horse14t]

I wish there were more shows that talk about Toxic Friends and how to recognize and cut them off! I've had a few toxic friends in my life and while I was _friends_ with them at the time, now that they aren't in my life anymore the toxicity becomes super obvious and makes me glad I don't have contact with them anymore! I thought MLP: FIM was the perfect show to eventually tackle toxic friendships, especially in the early seasons given the theme of the show but then they never did :(

[@hedonismbot1508]

They kind of did with "Griffon the Brush-Off" all the way back in season 1.

[@misterzygarde6431]

I could see potential in having deconstruction that aren’t all doom and gloom. Like for example.... Ed, Edd, and Eddy end up learning to cook and they try and sell their food to the others. Eventually they don’t really do scams any more... they have something that could work, why go back to something that always failed them? Another idea is in Transformers. The IDW comics have had factions that dislike both Autobots and Decepticons. But for a deconstruction, a third faction could decide that in the end, while both side’s fighting has ravaged Cybertron, the Autobots are the lesser of two evils compared to the Decepticons. Another idea could be for Pokemon, where the idea of a Pokemon revolution happens, but it turns out that it happened due to a ban on Pokémon battling. Part of the relationship between humans and Pokemon is battling and some are unhappy towards the ban. Getting rid of a huge part of culture is bound to cause backlash.

[@kevint6922]

I'm really digging these topics of the week, maybe even more than the reviews.

[@KhaosAdmiral]

same here

[@isafvoltage]

Me too

[@jlev1028]

I just wish one of them wasn't a literal reading of a short story.

[@misterbubbles6389]

This is why Madoka Magica is still my favorite anime. It deconstructs the tropes in Magical Girl anime, yes, and it often gets tragic and downright horrifying in the process, but that's not why I love it. I love it because it reconstructs them and ends with the message that hope and believing in people are important, and that believing a problem can be solved and working to find a solution, even when it seems certain that all is lost, can pay off in the end. Deconstruction these days paints this miserable, cynical, grimdark perspective on "reality." When you tell people that, it becomes self-fulfilling prophecy and people stop believe things can be better and thus stop working at it. It's a dangerous and toxic mindset. Shows like Madoka Magica teach that, yes, things aren't sunshine and rainbows, but they can be better. The problems we face are not intractable nor insurmountable, and that's why it's so goddamn important for us to have hope. Hope is HOW things get better.

[@firelightyear]

I don't know what you said but you really turned Madoka Magica into a life lesson after 10 years of trying to know what the moral is... You know the quote at the end of the final episode does make a good senior quote... "Don't forget Always somewhere, someone is fighting for you. As long as you remember her, you are not alone..."

[@Astolfo2001]

Don't @ me for this but in my humble opinion, Lyrical Nanoha (at least the first three seasons, Vivid Strike, and the movies) and Symphogear are both way better than Madoka Magica.

[@noahalcantar2431]

@misterbubbles6389 the Madoka Magica series now went to shit again in the rebellion movie after Homura stole Madoka God powers the become the devil for selfish reasons deconstructing the reconstruction

[@noahalcantar2431]

@misterbubbles6389 let's hope that the series gets better again in the fourth movie

[@yeager1957]

For what it’s worth Malcom in the Middle’s Francis plot line is great. His whole jump from total fuckup to successful family man over the course of the series is.,. Lets just say it hits close to home in the right ways for me

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

Was he the kid that joined the army and pranked their rivals to win by setting up a diversion?

[@jasmidnurmi9857]

I know best friend forever is like 99% impossible, but I still like the trope. It gives me warm, fuzzy feels. It's important to keep in mind that TV-shows, books and movies aren't supposed to be realistic, unless they are meant to be documentaries, so even the most cynical, down to Earth shows can have unrealistic things in them. As long as it fits the narrative.

[@callummoore6962]

I guess this is why a lot of people liked the Friends finale "The Last One" a lot because in a way it is implied that it isn't a best friends for life and it is a moving on to the next stage in life scenario.

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

Yep

[@pinkdiamond1847]

I'm glad I'm not the only person who feels uncomfortable watching Malcom in the Middle.

[@shannonmcelroy8454]

I think the best analogy for deconstruction is the game of Jenga. You start with a well-made tower and try to expand on it by removing pieces of it and stacking them on top, but inevitably because all you're doing is removing the skeleton of the building it all comes crashing down. What if instead of just removing the pieces you add new ones or replace some of the missing pieces with better blocks? That way you're giving as much as you're taking away.

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

There is a reason why those blocks at the bottom originally worked. You don't need to fix what isn't broken.

[@kidanarchy2105]

I agree wholeheartedly. I'm working on a superhero story, and with stuff like Watchmen, The Boys, The Authority, and plenty others, most new takes in the genre are deconstructions. My story stars some thoroughly fucked up people, but being superheroes helps them grow, rather than bringing out the best in them. Because, it's a very easy observation to say "You'd have to be fucked up to wear a costume and punch criminals". A harder observation is that maybe the people you meet along the way will make you less fucked up.

[@eamonndeane587]

You should check out Kurt Busiek's Comic book work. He's brilliant at doing Reconstructive work (especially in JLA/ Avengers and Marvels).

[@kittykittybangbang9367]

@@eamonndeane587 don't forget invincible

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

Deconstruction as a tool is useful in measured manner Doing just that with nothing else is pretty vapid and edgy, despite how much those who do that deny that. Not everything needs to be the watchmen, you can have batman the brave and the bold too

[@dynamosaurusimperious6341]

Full House. *a masterpeice of a show*

[@notchuckproductions5029]

it is ironically

[@trxpn3rd]

@karensimp _ yes

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

It's pretty good as a sleep medication alternative

[@alstinson]

Really informative talk, as a creator in training, I'll come back to this again and again. I agree, you can't go one way (Full House) or the other (Malcolm in the Middle), there's a better route, being realistic, but not pessimistic or nihilistic.

[@BugsyFoga]

So basically Subversion of expectations don't always work and aren't fresh and new as they use to be .

[@draketheduelist]

Such is the way of postmodernism. Pretty much, the only thing left to deconstruct is the petty, destructive, and talentless act of deconstruction itself. You only need to mention certain names to feel that internal cringe and know deep down that deconstruction has gone too far. Picard. Captain America. Superman. And the straw that arguably finally broke the camel's back, Luke Skywalker... and I don't even *LIKE* Luke Skywalker. I've heard people describe the deconstructing of deconstruction described as a few things: neo-modernism, post-postmodernism, or just vanilla modernism. The idea is that, yes, we *know* life sucks, but we won't let that be an excuse to live down to expectations. It's generally common to many Marvel movies, which is why they made buttloads of money while their dour DC counterparts don't because they're still still stuck on Chris-Nolan-mode and spit out crap like (let's just identify the elephant in the room that probably was the catalyst for this video...) the Snyder Cut.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

technically speaking grant morrison has "decontructed the reconstruction". And by accident. As they mostly write whatever they feel like writing. Sure sometimes criticizing turning everything into "dark and more grittier" but everything else? Just look at their works on Animal Man, DOOM PATROL, and their JLA run from the 90s' Or their Multiversity book or The Green Lantern book for more recent examples.

[@Brotherofthe4thCompany]

@@ianr.navahuber2195 You left out All-star Superman. If I'm not, Grant Morrison wrote it as a love letter to the Silver Age of comics. Similar to Alan Moore's "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow."

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@Brotherofthe4thCompany i forgot about that one. Thanks

[@CantusTropus]

Deconstruction comes out of the philosophy of Derrida, and just like his philosophy it's ultimately just a destructive insanity. It can have merit sometimes, but just pointing out that fiction is unrealistic is usually pointless. Not all stories are meant to be realistic - some are fables, some are inspirational stories, some are flights of fancy. We're just so cynical and jaded these days that we naturally assume that we're constantly being lied to. We can't believe in anything anymore, which is why simple and unironic media is relatively rare.

[@hecklejack7726]

And yet... At the end of the day, it starts to become justified to not believe in anything.

[@marvinthemaniac7698]

Bojack was responsible for destroying Sarah Lynn's life in a way.

[@Nameless82284]

True but it was Sarah Lynn's fault because it was her choice, like Todd said "It wasn't your bad childhood, it wasn't the drugs, it wasn't the stress, it's you, it's you." Sarah Lynn choice to take that path, she could have been better but she didn't, take a look at me. I have issues from my childhood from being alone and being bullied my whole life, instead of working out to get stronger and buy weapons to get revenge, I chose to be better than them and go to classes. True my wounds healed, but my scars still remain and I have trust issues but I'm still doing the right thing and making the right choices.

[@marvinthemaniac7698]

@@Nameless82284 when did Todd say that?

[@e-memes808]

@@marvinthemaniac7698 It wasn't exactly that word-for-word but it was the same sentiment. Season 3, Episode 10, "It's You", at the very end.

[@marvinthemaniac7698]

@@e-memes808 gotcha

[@Nameless82284]

@@marvinthemaniac7698 It's all Bojack's own fault for being the way he is, sure his parents ruined his childhood but Bojack was a much nicer person before his acting career started, same goes for Sarah Lynn, did Bojack ruined her life? Yes, but but she chose to go through that path. It's not Bojack's fault she died, she was the one who chose to continue doing drugs without thinking of the consequences. Yes, Bojack should have stopped her but Sarah Lynn choice to do it. Sarah Lynn ruined her own life, not Bojack.

[@Pr0jectFM]

I love how Steven Universe Future deconstructs best friends forever.

[@e-memes808]

I just wish that the relationship of SU and SUF was similar to that of Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden.

[@juliagoodwin9510]

I like deconstructions, but these days I just want to enjoy things and not worry about the details...

[@ddjsoyenby]

it depends tbh.

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

I just want whatever something sets out to do, it succeeds at.

[@mesektet5776]

Deconstruction and reconstruction is probably one of the biggest seals in engagement for me. Games like City of Heroes, shows like Daria and movies like Die Hard all show a standard, subvert said standard, but then show how to adjust regardless. Die Hard gives us the sophisticated Bond Villain, whose just acting out of greed, not some greater scheme with a hapless idiot hero, who knows he’s a hapless idiot, but is still going to do all he can to save people. Daria spits in the eye of every family friendly sitcom trope, but still acknowledges how that affects someone on a social level to have no solid happy place. City of Heroes loves both breaking and embracing super-hero/super-villain cliche’s showing that after Not-Batman arrests the violent arsonist for the 10th time he really wants to just kill him instead of locking him up, but having Not-Luke-Cage point out, if a volunteer law-enforcer decided to use lethal force, the law would start cracking down on that sort of thing. It’s something that tends to make certain media stand out in their genre, it’s why things like Animaniacs , Bojack Horsemen, Yu Yu Hakusho and My Hero Academia stand/stood out in their fields.

[@moonbeamsun9066]

I recommend The Middle. It’s Malcom in the Middle as a reconstruction and it’s one of my favorite shows of all time.

[@h193013]

The show with the Hecks? I love that show! I like it more than Malcolm.

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

Is it really a reconstruction? Or are you just saying because their names are similar?

[@SubTonic]

The best friend part really hit a nerve for me. I've lost three of them over the course of my life so far. One because they joined the military and I never heard from them again, the other two being clashes of changing personalities. It really, REALLY hurts to lose best friends, which is probably why I've closed the doors to the friend part of my heart and thrown away the key. It's like...losing a very close pet; you want another one, but getting one means inevitable pain, and I don't think I can go through that pain anymore without seriously endangering myself.

[@trueblade3636]

Look what you were saying at the beginning of the video: ''a lot of friends are just by circumstance'' Now at the end of the video, you were essentially saying that in your own cartoon: ''A lot of friends *break up* just by circumstance'' So in conclusion, people can be just be friends

[@apopofculture]

I think the “forever friends” trope can make people hold on to friendships after their expiration because they feel like having “forever friends” is necessary to being a fully fleshed out human being. Love that you’re always bringing us back to reality.

[@andykishore]

I remember how much you went after morals back in 2013.

[@shooterperson]

I'm so glad someone finally put deconstruction shows into light. Shows always bring into light the issues the previous shows have and continue to bring up questions and flaws after another with no real answer outside of apathetic reality and broken families. There's little to no real answer outside the initial message they portray, so it feels like an empty conclusion that I'd never get to because I lose interest halfway through. If you bring up questions with no answer of your own, then I feel that you're not being constructive; rather, you're being a contrarian. Also, if everyone is fringe, they become mainstream; and deconstruction shows feel super mainstream.

[@LOEKASH]

If you want to see a good depiction of this "best friends not forever" thing, I point you to The World's End. Yes, the Edgar Wright movie. I know that sounds ridiculous to say about a comedy about drunk people fighting aliens, but the story is actually a lot more dramatic and meaningful when you truly think about it. And on top of its themes of morality and addiction, it shows its audience the unfortunate of your friends going through different paths

[@1Reevee]

The lifelong friend thing being generally untrue is a hard lesson I've had to, and still am trying to, learn.

[@timmckee6340]

on the whole best friends forever thing recess actually DID do a episode on it, in some friend its revealed that TJ and Menlo used to be best friends but they grew apart. Yeah its a little undercut due to the fact that TJ went to Menlo birthday party as well as by what you said that the 6 are going to be friends for life, but at the lest show acknowledged that this happens.

[@lonebattledroid4474]

Oh I hated this series but my sister always made us watch it. It only had 1 joke that made me laugh. The only kinda funny thing looking back now is the fact that Bob Saget (guy who plays the dad) has to act all family friendly despite the fact he's a very raunchy man.

[@BaboDex]

I only now Bob Saget because of the Tourettes Guy.

[@mbdg6810]

It's definitely not for comedy.

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

I only know Bob Saget, the end.

[@zer0w0lf94]

I knew you were going to mention BoJack Horseman as soon as I saw the thumbnail and title. I think this quote sums up your point quite well. “Yeah, well what are you gonna do. Life’s a bitch and then you die, right?” “Sometimes. Sometimes life’s a bitch, and then you keep living.”

[@JustAnArrogantAlien]

I swear, deconstruction has done far more harm to our entertainment than it has good. With everything being torn to pieces, nothing is left standing to inspire, or even bring people joy anymore. Whatever happened to using fiction not just to reinforce our own cynical view of how dour life can be, but to motivate us all to strive for better? Take Superman: he was once the definitive aspirational hero. He embodied the best that humanity could be, inspiring the rest of us to follow his example. But years of attacks from bitter nihilists (Zach Snyder, for instance) have led to many condemning Superman as too "goody-goody." The modern Superman has been re-envisioned into a flawed, broken, pathetic shamble of a human being, barely able to defend himself from the vicissitudes of life, let alone save anyone else. He's not inspiring; he's pitiful. _Game of Thrones_ is another good example: deconstructing the "childish" heroism of _The Lord of the Rings_ by basically making its heroes into Orcs. You're totally right; all this deconstruction has robbed our stories of any true deeper meaning, replacing it with borderline nihilistic rubbish about how miserable our world can be. I've had enough of it, personally. Let's aim higher.

[@hecklejack7726]

At this point, it’s not “let’s aim higher” It’s “CAN we aim higher?”.

[@JustAnArrogantAlien]

@@hecklejack7726 Sadly I'm inclined to agree.

[@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881]

That's why it was so easy to dump marvel and DC for me. Say what you will about their current practices but I think that's just another side effect of their continuous deconstruction. How long are you going to tear down these legacy titles to the point where they can't even save a cat from a tree without making a damn essay out of it.

[@CaptainSpiffari]

4:55 But wouldn't Eddy and Ed have stopped scamming after the events of the Big Picture Show?

[@storymaker299]

I will disagree with you slightly in the case of Harry Potter and another example being say Avatar the Last Air Bender. In both these stories, the Harry, Ron, and Hermione go through more together than most typical friendships, as does Team Avatar, both groups essentially end up as families. I would also point out that in both cases they quite literally end up as families. With Harry marrying Ginny and Ron marrying Hermione they are technically family members. Similarly Aang marrying Katara makes him family with Sokka. As for Zuko and Toph, he would continue to improve the world alongside them for years.