"Tangled: The Series" Talkback (Spoilers)

[SweetShop209]

I checked my t.v. guide. It shows this week's episodes being reran during the week of October 21, still at 1pm. I don't know if it's permanent, but it's interesting.

 

[Fone Bone]

Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure "No Time Like The Past"

I love that. I love that in the past Rapunzel wound up changing Eugene for the better in the present.

Rapunzel is right. Teenage Max is cute.

I love seeing the occasional perspective of how everyone in the past is seeing Rapunzel and Pascal. Eugene and Lance look very confused over why they are cuddling each other.

Origin story of The Smolder.

Great episode. *****.

 

[Light Lucario]

I checked my t.v. guide. It shows this week's episodes being reran during the week of October 21, still at 1pm. I don't know if it's permanent, but it's interesting.

I heard about them going into reruns during the next hiatus. I was hoping that it would be at a better timeslot considering that a lot of kids aren't home from school at 1PM, but I shouldn't be so surprised. They've been treating the series poorly for a long time. At this point, I think that we're lucky that Disney Channel kept the series long enough for the creative team to finish the story they wanted to tell. Tangled deserves way more attention and promotion than it gets, but at least they didn't cancel it after season one or two.

The more I think about it, the more mixed feelings I have about the ending to No Time Like the Past. I still like the idea that Rapunzel was a positive influence on Eugene's life even before they actually met, but I don't like that they used time travel to have Eugene agree with Rapunzel. It just gives off the implication that he was wrong during their argument, which I don't think was the case. Neither Rapunzel or Eugene were in the wrong. Rapunzel not wanting to give up on her friend was perfectly understandable and her belief that Cassandra will come back is probably helping her to deal with the pain of her betrayal. However, I also think that Eugene's point was pretty valid. Cassandra was the one who left them behind. Not wanting to give up on a friend is a nice sentiment, but it doesn't take into account friends who break your trust or hurt you. Eugene's point wasn't really that Rapunzel should give up on Cassandra, but rather that she should focus on her own emotional well being first and foremost. At most, it might have been a bit blunt, but I don't think he was wrong. Plus, Cassandra's betrayal wouldn't have hurt just Rapunzel. It obviously hurt Eugene since their relationship had improved to the point where he considered Cassandra like his sister. Losing that kind of friendship must have hurt him too.

I think that it would have been better to just have Eugene remember what he went through as a kid when Rapunzel came back from the past or they just talked things out afterwards. That wouldn't have erased Eugene's valid point and it also wouldn't have made people question just how much has changed if Eugene always believed that you don't give up on a friend. Granted, I'm still pretty sure that the creative team didn't want to give the implication that we're in a different timeline now or that Eugene has changed drastically to where he isn't the same one we've been following from the start. It doesn't ruin the episode or anything like that, but I think that it does give off more problematic implications than the writers intended or were aware of at the time. I don't see this time travel plot being important for the overall storyline, so all of these issues might be more moot, especially when I could see Eugene being unwilling to forgive Cassandra if she tries to hurt him or Rapunzel again.

 

[Lonestarr]

Dear Lord, the "Blank Hours Earlier" trope is one of my most hated TV tropes ever. Curse The X-Files for coming up with it, and curse every single following show that thought it was a good idea. In reality, it makes us feel like we're wasting time playing catch-up. It's super annoying.

Dude, this trope is older than your parents. I'm not too keen on it myself, but it was hardly original to wherever "The X-Files" took it from.

 

[Fone Bone]

Dude, this trope is older than your parents. I'm not too keen on it myself, but it was hardly original to wherever "The X-Files" took it from.

True. But The X-Files popularized it for serialized stuff though. It would have been a annoying gimmick that didn't effect much otherwise.

 

[Fone Bone]

Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure "Beginnings"

Wow, Cass and Rapunzel's origin story makes me dislike Cass even more than I already did. The ending didn't endear me to her either.

I will say this: I appreciate that this season's tone is so far less dark than the last's. I hope it stays that way because the last season was a mess because of that.

That was all right. ***1/2.

 

[zoombie]

Beginnings

A nice flashback episode, so when does take place? The time line of this show with the movies, it can get confusing.

That blue haired girl, she is a totally instigator. Why Cass is letting this girl get in her head is beyond me.

 

[ShadowBeast]

The DVR is useless with Rapunzel. Last week, apparently the episodes aired early and so the recordings missed the first couple of minutes and today, the episode the last few minutes of the episode. And I can't finish the episode because the Disney website ask for some cable password that I don't have and the OnDemand hasn't put the episode up yet.

 

[SweetShop209]

Well, I can explain that, at least the "cutting off a few minutes" part. At 12:55, they show an episode of Mickey Mouse (2013). Of course, those shorts last 3-4 minutes, and not a full 5 minutes. Since they don't air commercials afterwards, once it finishes, the episode immediately starts, even if it's before 1pm. My advice is to set your DRV to record both Mickey and Tangled. It'll be awkward to watch, but you at least get the full episode.

 

[Red Arrow]

I love how every foreign language is German. I wonder why that is.

It's incredible that none of the other Corona citizens blame Varian for his part in the invasion. Did I say incredible? I meant NOT credible.

I think it is because he is a child. It was heavily assumed in season 1 that children shouldn't be taken seriously. I bet many adults don't take him seriously.

 

[RainbowCupcake]

The DVR is useless with Rapunzel. Last week, apparently the episodes aired early and so the recordings missed the first couple of minutes and today, the episode the last few minutes of the episode. And I can't finish the episode because the Disney website ask for some cable password that I don't have and the OnDemand hasn't put the episode up yet.

I had the same problem with Amphibia. Do you have the option where you can set your recordings to start and end a few minutes before/after the premieres? That's what I had to do.

Anyway, since I've been bad about catching up, I'm just going to give a quick recap on what I thought about these recent episodes.

"The Lost Treasure of Herz Der Sonne" was just a fun light-hearted adventure. It was entertaining seeing everyone team up together. My favorite pairing was Varian and Xaiver, and I also loved the Roadrunner-esque segments with the animals. Lance and Eugene also made for a pretty funny side story. Guess we're never going to see Caviar Lance. The ending fight with the skulls was spooky (like my current avatar ) and it was nice to see Feldspar be useful for once. All in all, a nice breather episode.

"No Time Like the Past" showed us Lance and Eugene's teenage years, something I didn't expect to see. Interesting how Rapunzel and Pascal became the Stabbington brothers, a pretty cool twist. I thought it was funny how Eugene sounded like Ron Stoppable, and how Lance's voice crack came and went. While this episode was a fun window into the past, that's probably all I'll remember about it.

"Beginnings" was yet another "past" episode. I like that this show really tries to explore a bunch of moments in the characters lives, which helps build a more cohesive timeline. Seeing all the different queens annd princesses were cool. I wish we got to explore all of those lands.

 

[Light Lucario]

I will say this: I appreciate that this season's tone is so far less dark than the last's. I hope it stays that way because the last season was a mess because of that.

I honestly don't remember season two being that much darker outside of the season finale. If anything, I thought that the pacing was the biggest problem for season two. I haven't rewatched it yet, so it might flow better than I expected it since that also happened when I rewatched season one. Considering the buildup to Rapunzel and Cassandra's eventual confrontation, what we learned about Rapunzel's hair in this episode and that one of the episode titles for this week is called "Be Afraid", I'd suspect that the tone will get darker as we progress through the season.

Beginnings

A nice flashback episode, so when does take place? The time line of this show with the movies, it can get confusing.

Well when the flashback started, it stated that it took place two years ago. The series itself started six months after the events of the movie, so I assume that this happened within the first couple of months of Rapunzel and Eugene living in the castle.

That blue haired girl, she is a totally instigator. Why Cass is letting this girl get in her head is beyond me.

It's really not that hard to understand. Cassandra is not in a good emotional place. She can't think clearly and she is still relying entirely on her emotions for her decisions. So being told that she doesn't have the full power of the Moonstone is going to enrage her and make her more willing to lash out against Rapunzel.

The DVR is useless with Rapunzel. Last week, apparently the episodes aired early and so the recordings missed the first couple of minutes and today, the episode the last few minutes of the episode. And I can't finish the episode because the Disney website ask for some cable password that I don't have and the OnDemand hasn't put the episode up yet.

That does sound frustrating. I'm surprised that your cable provider hasn't put the episodes On Demand. I don't have any experience with DVR, but setting it up for a few minutes before the episode starts might help.

Anyway, I thought that this episode was pretty good. I liked that Rapunzel was clearly trying to find another Cassandra and Eugene could see it even if she didn't want to admit it. Admittedly, it was pretty strange to go from the end of the previous episode where they were both not willing to give up on Cassandra to where their attitudes changed. Rapunzel was more set on moving past Cassandra, while Eugene realized that she hadn't gotten over her. I guess that doesn't necessarily change their whole never give up on a friend message completely, but it did feel pretty jarring. At the moment, I'm just taking it as a sign that No Time Like the Past was a fun filler episode, which would probably be for the best. Even without factoring in the problematic implications from the ending, I don't think it would really help if the series factored in time travel as a key plot point.

I liked seeing how Rapunzel and Cassandra became friends. Considering how drastically different their personalities are, it made sense that they wouldn't instantly get along with each other. It was also nice just to see a bit more of how Rapunzel and Eugene were so soon after the events of the movie. Seeing some more of the other kingdom princesses was pretty cool, even if some of the challenges for the competition were pretty strange.

I liked how both Rapunzel and Cassandra's flaws made it difficult for them to connect. Cassandra was perhaps a bit more harsh than she needed to be and was used to keeping her distance from other people, but Rapunzel was being too pushy as well. It came from a caring place and she was genuinely excited at making a friend, but being too pushy can turn people off too. Charging through emotional barriers and personal spaces can definitely upset people, even if you had good intensons. I liked that once they were more emotionally honest with each other, they were able to connect and actually do well in the competition.

Rapunzel's anger after learning about Cassandra's offer was completely understandable. She thought that they were genuinely having fun together and becoming friends, but the offer would taint that as Cassandra simply using her to get what she wanted. Keeping secrets like that would also still be a pretty huge sore spot for Rapunzel. Cassandra using Rapunzel for her own gain would most likely remind her too much of what Gothel did, especially when this flashback probably took place a couple of months after the events of the movie. When they both said that it would be better for them if Cassandra did take up that offer, I realized that without Cassandra taking Rapunzel to the rocks during the series premiere, we wouldn't even have a series. There could have been another way to get Rapunzel to the rocks, but Cassandra is also a key player in the overall storyline.

The giant robot lion was a weird choice, but it did make the last event pretty memorable. Eugene's concern when Rapunzel was kicked was touching, although I swear his voice sounded different for that one line. I really liked how Cassandra chose Rapunzel over the chance to be in that army. She easily could have, but she didn't want to leave Rapunzel. It was a nice way to show that their friendship at least did have some weight for both of them at some point. Cassandra does feel guilt for what she did and is being manipulated, but it's still hard to say if she really still values her friendship with Rapunzel at the moment.

I liked that Rapunzel finally let her guard down the moment she saw the old spirit bracelets. Despite all of her protests that she has gotten over Cassandra, she clearly hasn't and the pain is still understandably fresh. I love that Eugene came over the reassure immediately. It just shows why I love their relationship so much. They just have such good, open and healthy communications. Plus, they've both needed a good hug with each other after Cassandra betrayed them. I especially liked that Eugene pointed out that what Cassandra did was a big deal. While I'm sure that Cassandra will be redeemed somehow, I also hope that they don't brush her actions aside completely. Not only did she hurt the people who care about her the most, but her actions could put the whole world in danger. If they can redeem her while still recognizing that everything she did was pretty messed up, then that might work out.

The ghost girl also provided some interesting information about Rapunzel. Apparently Rapunzel has some of the Moonstone's power, which actually would explain a lot. Despite having her long blond hair back, Rapunzel can't heal anyone, but her hair is as unbreakable, can act as a shield and she is able to use the Hurt Incantation. The idea that she has a bit of the Moonstone's power makes sense. It may also explain why the rocks no longer explode when she touches them. I'm not sure if Cassandra is going to cut off Rapunzel's hair to get the rest of the Moonstone's power, but that would be an interesting way as to why Rapunzel loses her hair again. Overall, it was a pretty good episode.

 

[ShadowBeast]

I had the same problem with Amphibia. Do you have the option where you can set your recordings to start and end a few minutes before/after the premieres? That's what I had to do.

I actually had the recordings set to end 2-minutes after, and it still wasn't enough. I set the rest for 10-minutes, just to be safe. Though knowing my luck, they'll play early like last week. There's an option for setting it for earlier, but it doesn't work.

That does sound frustrating. I'm surprised that your cable provider hasn't put the episodes On Demand. I don't have any experience with DVR, but setting it up for a few minutes before the episode starts might help.

It is strange because last week's episodes all came on to the OnDemand before the episodes aired, so it's just weird.
What's really frustrating is that this was very good episode, one of the best of the season so far.

 

[Light Lucario]

It is strange because last week's episodes all came on to the OnDemand before the episodes aired, so it's just weird.
What's really frustrating is that this was very good episode, one of the best of the season so far.

That is strange. It's possible that new episodes premiering nearly every weekday for two weeks threw them off. Sometimes there's a bit of a delay from my cable provider to update On Demand, but it usually happens with Adult Swim more so than with Disney Channel.

I also didn't realize just how huge Cassandra giving up that opportunity in favor for Rapunzel really was until thinking more about the episode. Cassandra wants to have the spotlight herself and dreams of her own glory, but she's always on the sidelines instead. She could have easily found that through a warrior women's army, but she valued her new growing friendship with Rapunzel instead at the time. Knowing what we know about Cassandra, that sacrifice was huge. She may still care about Rapunzel and their friendship, but it's too buried underneath her rage and pain over her abandonment.

While I'm sure that Cassandra will be redeemed at some point, I also hope that things just don't go back to how they were afterwards. Cassandra's betray hurt Rapunzel and Eugene so deeply that I don't think it would be possible for their relationships to just go back to normal. A lot of this does depend on what Cassandra does and what her plans for the Moonstone's power are, but right now, it just feels like their relationships are permanetly changed due to Cassandra's betrayal.

 

[glennbyrnes]

Do you suppose that the little spirit guide of Cassandra is really Gothel's ghost?

 

[zoombie]

The King and Queen Of Hearts

So the king and queen are still not fully back, I didn't know that. No wonder they have been off screen all this time. One thing I learned from Back To The Future, one way for people to fall back in love is a third party obstacle, and King Trevor fits that Biff Tanon role just fine.

Queen Areana personality has changed a little bit, she is more like her younger self and less of the mellow mature version she become. If only her sister could see her now.

 

[Last Spider]

Beginnings is the only episode this season that I have found utterly boring.
It's also the only episode so far where Cassandra plays a major role in the plot, hmm funny how that works.

 

[Light Lucario]

I thought that The King and Queen of Hearts was pretty good. It still feels so weird that they didn't address 's memories problems sooner. They wouldn't have really fit with any of the plots for the previous episodes, but they really should have made it clearer about their condition sooner. I kept wondering what happened to them after the season premiere for so long. I thought that Varian would be more upset over not being able to help restore their memories, especially when he was at least partially responsible for it, but they wanted to focus more on their relationship than just have everything magically fixed.

Even though Rapunzel was set on trying to bring her parents back together, I really liked how she kept reassuring Eugene that they would sign the book together. Eugene's smile when Rapunzel said that she loves him too much to forget about signing the book was just really sweet. Although, I'm a bit surprised that they didn't sign the book back in season one. I just assumed it happened off-screen, but it makes much more sense to show something like that on-screen.

I liked that we got to see what was basically younger versions of Arianna and Frederic. Arianna was more like Rapunzel with her desire for adventure and exploration. Frederic was more cautious, uncomfortable with almost everything and focused almost entirely on his egg collection. It kind of made me wonder how they got married the first time around when they were pretty polar opposites of each other. Rapunzel's efforts to bring them together was sweet, genuine and had some funny moments, but I liked that they started together through their shared love for Rapunzel instead. The love and appreciation for their daughter set up a good foundation for their love for each other to come back more so than a romantic dinner or boat ride could do.

Of course, King Trevor showed up to provide some extra conflict. I never would have thought that he'd he be interested in Arianna. I liked that Rapunzel saw right through him and they didn't spend the whole episode just trying to keep him away from Arianna. The whole Navy Seal bit was so stupid and yet hilarious at the same time that I kind of love it. I also really love that she punched him the moment he was trying to force her into a marriage. Rapunzel's group came to save her, but Arianna ended up saving them instead, or at least helping them out once their boat was out of commission. I just really liked that she wasn't the damsel in distress. Punching King Trevor for being a huge creep was also immensely satisfying. I liked that Frederic and Arianna were naturally coming closer together. Despite being so different from each other, they still admired the traits they see in each other. I wasn't expecting Frederic's egg knowledge to actually save the day, but that was pretty neat.

Considering that King Trevor attempted to force Arianna into a marriage and he did destroy a historical Corona item, I thought that he'd have more punishment for his actions. He was trying to use a loop hole in the rules, so maybe that would have saved him from facing jail time. Still, Rapunzel making a new book for the Day of Hearts was pretty fitting. I loved that Rapunzel and Eugene finally got to sign their names together. That scene and their kiss was just so sweet and heartwarming. One of the many reasons I love their relationship is because it's such good written fluff that appeals to my inner hopeless romantic. It was sweet that Frederic and Arianna were slowly starting to get their memories back after seeing Rapunzel and Eugene kiss each other. I just wonder how they'll get the rest of their memories back or if that will be saved for near the end of the season. Overall, it was a pretty good episode.

 

[glennbyrnes]

Arianna and Frederic are both living proof that Paula Abdul was right.

 

[Fone Bone]

Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure "The King And Queen Of Hearts"

I'll tell to why Frederick is a catch and what Arianna sees in him: He's the whole package. In that if she chooses him, he comes with Rapunzel. Who doesn't want that?

I am a little bit alarmed to realize Frederick and Arianna have been wandering around in a fog for the past few episodes, and I'm glad it's finally being addressed.

Arianna not only digs Shorty-tossin' bar fights. She's good at 'em. I love that Shorty-tossin's occur at a designated time.

Love Frederick calling Eugene Roomie. I think this is not only a good restart for him and Arianna. It's good for him and Eugene too. He seems far fonder of Eugene without having the whole backstory to weigh the guy down. And I like that.

They did some great expressions with Trevor as he's caterwauling over Frederick's case of "The Sniffles". I capitalize both words because that's how big a deal Trevor is making it out to be.

Rapunzel and Eugene sadly don't kiss much on this series. I like the ending very much for that reason.

I love like that Trevor gets the frying pan, King or not. That's Rapunzel's version of diplomacy.

No, Lance, you ain't gettin' no big tips this evening. Try again.

This season has been a return to form. Last season was by turns too meandering and too dark. This is the way the series is supposed to be. ****1/2.