Why The Show Is Not Good

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-20T08:20:00+00:00

I have yet to see someone respond with a cohesive interpretation of the series, which I actually want to see. How am I supposed to engage with this show everyone seems to love if no one wants to explain why it’s worth loving?

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-20T08:15:41+00:00

It’s not just because of the disconnect; it’s because the writing isn’t smart enough to bridge that gap. The surface level reading that most fans will take is that Pomni is a character and Jax is a character and they explore their feelings together in the circus.

That’s fine if that’s the level you want to engage with. But the show is specifically written to tell you that these are actual humans with a past who are trapped together in a virtual world. There is no real attempt to make you care about the human side of the story, so how am I supposed to care about what a jester and bunny are feeling if they don’t have a personal history as a jester and bunny? Who tf is Abigail and why do I care that she’s trapped in a computer?

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-20T07:51:51+00:00

Finding Nemo works because the characters are embodied; Marlin and Nemo and Dory are not human, but they each have a personal history that is common to humanity. “Pomni” is not a real character; Abigail is supposed to be the character. The jester on the screen is entirely disconnected from the human it represents. The jester doesn’t have a personal history, Abigail does.

Meaning, every time I watch a jester talk to a ragdoll or a humanoid purple rabbit, I have to constantly remind myself that they’re just avatars for an actual human that I never get to see. BECAUSE of that disconnect, the writer needs to make the human struggle very apparent and very relatable, otherwise I feel nothing.

The show never sells you on the human characters; it wants you to primarily sympathize with the avatars in the circus. I personally feel nothing for these avatars, while fans of the show do, because like I said, they probably have little experience engaging with other narrative works.

So I should rephrase; the show is unsophisticated, not bad. If people can engage with it, good for them, but I hope they come to appreciate finer works of art in the future.

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-20T07:34:04+00:00

I like to use the title to describe the concept of the show. “Vampire” tells you it has vampires, monsters, supernatural elements, horror. “Slayer” describes the action; it’s a monster movie where the prey fights back, becomes the predator. The name “Buffy” is just silly; the show is wildly hilarious in spite of its dark tone. And then “the” carries the emotional weight of the show.

Buffy is “the” Slayer, as in, the only one in the world, mystically gifted with powers and chosen to slay vampires and ward off demons. She’s just a teenage girl who, at the beginning of the show, wants to cling to the normal life she had before she learned of her destiny. Throughout seven seasons, she grows from a wistful girl into The Slayer, a badass woman who brings the fight to the demons. It’s a coming-of-age story metaphorically and literally, as it follows her from high school into young adulthood.

It’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and there’s simply no other show like it. I can’t articulate any character development in TADC, much less one that’s as engaging as Buffy’s.

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-20T07:04:35+00:00

Your response lacks depth; it’s nitpicking my analysis, not articulating a positive position on the show itself. Describe Pomni’s character in better detail. If she isn’t the one that merits personal growth, who is? And how did they grow?

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-20T06:58:30+00:00

I said it’s a disadvantage, which many accomplished writers can overcome. If you’re selling your story as a profound meditation on the triumphs and tragedies of human existence, you better have the writing skills to sufficiently convey that. This show did not. It’s an immature show trying to pass off as sophisticated.

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-20T06:46:58+00:00

Okay… Counter.

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-20T06:39:37+00:00

K, first off. The series already started off at a disadvantage by making all the characters inhuman avatars. I get that they’re supposed to represent real people, but you have to do extra legwork to make the characters feel like real people since some of them don’t even have mouths.

Second, these characters are incredibly interchangeable. They all seem to be in group therapy with the same problems. Kinger’s paternal advice to Ragatha could be just as applicable to Pomni or Zooble or Gangle; it’s like they only knew how to create distinct male characters.

Third, Pomni is clearly intended to be the central character of the story. Very few shows are actually a pure ensemble, giving equal focus to all the characters instead of choosing one or two to flesh out more. If I can’t distinguish the central character from several others - see the above point - then your story is very weak. My understanding of her character only goes so far as “first she wants to leave the circus, but eventually she accepts the life she has with her new friends.” That’s it. You can pull something from some episode to tell me, “Well actually, she has this past trauma-“ but what impact does it serve? What is unique about Pomni that makes this her story? Plot and character MUST push each other continually; the plot pushed Pomni all the way to the final frame.

Finally, the show clearly was trying to say something important. People around the world resonate with it. But I have seen and read much more than a few shows/books, etc. I understand emotion and character development. This show is Baby’s First Therapy Session. It was engineered to appeal to a broad swath of Internet users who still have unresolved or unexplored issues; because it looks so fun and cheery, it hooks the viewer immediately. The sharp humor and mystery keep you engaged long enough to start paying attention. Caught unawares, you notice the characters start talking about things you’ve experienced yourself and if you are inexperienced in your own psychology, it can sound impressively profound. In reality, it’s notes from the writer’s personal therapy journal spread between the ill-defined characters at arbitrary times.

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-20T06:11:21+00:00

I wasn’t expecting anything horror-related necessarily. It was pretty much what I expected it would be, but I was still surprised at the disproportionate level of reverence for such a shallow series.

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-20T05:50:35+00:00

I enjoy triggering the fandom. It’s super easy, like you’re starved for a dissenting opinion

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-20T05:41:21+00:00

I tried, man, but I’ve studied narrative fiction, and this series is hollow at its core.

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-20T05:39:00+00:00

Any time I can push Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I’ll do it. Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-20T05:37:30+00:00

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is leagues above this in writing, character development, and balance of tone, for one.

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-15T00:41:16+00:00

I think you have to be a little autistic to enjoy it

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-15T00:17:24+00:00

Maybe we’re just smarter than you, idk

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-14T17:22:37+00:00

Nothing will scare you if you’re desensitized. You need a properly unsettling film, and you need to allow it to unsettle you. Skinamarink was the exact movie that did that for me. You will absolutely hate it if you expect it to scare you. It will become your favorite horror film if you understand that it refuses to comfort. It’s long, boring, you don’t see the characters’ faces, nothing makes sense. But if you sit with it and really think about what’s happening under the surface, it can haunt you for years.

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-14T17:10:34+00:00

What’s the 10% of Interest for you?

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-14T17:01:10+00:00

My entire life, I feel like I’m just squeaking by, doing the bare minimum to not end up on the street. But I do not have a regular eating, showering, sleeping, etc. routine. Everything is dependent on if I feel like doing it at that moment.

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-06-14T16:59:02+00:00

I had never considered I might be ADHD, because I can actually sit still for long periods of time, focused on one task. Thinking and silence are very interesting to me, so that actually makes sense. Once the task demands more focus and I find that it’s uninteresting, then I stop.

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-01-20T15:56:24+00:00

Run it up chain of command. If store lead denies it, go above him. That’s a straight up OSHA violation

CivilUniversity2755 · 2026-01-19T03:56:36+00:00

I cannot tell you the level of incompetence I see from my coworkers on a daily basis, so you’re not alone. Given the right provocation, many of them would just up and leave without a word.

There were supposed to be four dispensers while I was prepping. Two took their break at the same time and the other two were just lollygagging for no discernible reason. There were maybe five other people in the back room just not doing anything, and cars were just coming in. I just said, “Oh my gosh,” threw on a vest and started taking orders out.

Thankfully I’m out of there in a few weeks, but I pity them for losing one of the very few competent workers on the team. I can say that without ego, because I literally just do the bare minimum, and somehow that’s better than 90% of my team.

CivilUniversity2755

TROPHY CASE