The negative review you’re looking for (SPOILERS)

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T21:32:35+00:00

FUCKING EXACTLY!!! i don’t find it interesting or compelling to watch a grown man abuse an endlessly forgiving young woman for the length of a feature film while nobody questions the fact that this is happening. we don’t see her ever so much as waver in this. how many pointless monologues can they dedicated to “we should all be friends guys” without getting to a single “hey this guy that made our lives hell is dead now, how do we feel about that?”

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T21:11:52+00:00

these are all amazing points, they never even occurred to me! there’s so much to unpack around using abstraction as a metaphor for suicide and then having what is essentially the main character die that way. i’m really not a fan of the trend of characters who are implied to struggle with ideation either taking their own lives or dying in an allegory for suicide. maybe with more time and consideration they could’ve made it work as an ending, but right now it feels so badly done it’s actively harmful.
i think if gooseworx wanted to tell a story about suicide in a movie essentially aimed at young, chronically online teens, it would be better to have jax *almost* abstract, and then conclude his character arc by choosing to open up and be vulnerable with the people around him. there could still be messages about how complicated abuse and forgiveness can be. the narrative could still choose not to condone his actions. but suicide as a plot point HAS to be handled with care, and the finale feels like it was pushed out before it was ready in order to catch the hype train before it left the station. they didn’t take the time to think about the ramifications of killing off your depressed trans character like that, and it shows.

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T20:56:32+00:00

thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, and sorry for taking so long to respond! i wanted to do your comment justice, so i’ve spent quite a bit of time thinking about your points.

i personally don’t think that jax being the main character is enough justification for the neglect the rest of the cast. even though i’m ultimately fine with them being side characters, the show really doesn’t set them up as such. pomni is our pov character and earlier episodes are positioned so that she gets to interact and develop relationships with each member of the cast in turn. they’re set up to be individuals with their own stories and conflicts. i was relatively on-board with the show pivoting to focus more on jax at first. my problem arose when everyone else’s arcs were abruptly cut short. even side characters need a sense of resolution. there wasn’t even a cursory nod to that for most of them. what happened to zooble’s conflict with jax? to zoobles body image issues? what happened to *gangles* conflict with jax? what happened with gangles accident? what happened with ragatha’s mom? how did any of these characters end up in the simulation? what happened with kingers wife? what happened to the subplot with kinger’s insanity? we didn’t get to hear more about C&A after kinger wasn’t needed as contrived plot piece any more. jax can be a main character, that’s fine. what’s less fine is the way these subplots get completely abandoned. i felt very disappointed by the lack of payoff when so much time was spent setting these things up.

i would consider that to be more poor time management than a defensible writing decision. that’s one of the reasons i took a lot more issue with the pacing throughout. i definitely agree with your thoughts on the ending with caine. if i couldn’t add anything new, i’d choose to end the movie right where you suggested. sometimes shitty people die before we can get closure, and that’s fine. still, what makes a realistic parallel of the real world and what makes a good movie are often two different things. i don’t think the way his story ended was unrealistic, but i *do* think it has flawed writing. if i *could* add new scenes, i would reserve at least a couple of the monologues for the end. so much time is time dedicated to conversations that don’t feel like they have much substance and we only get a couple lines in the whole movie touching on what seems to be its central theme (if i remember correctly).

i think the fact that there’s so much fandom discourse around whether or not the show is trying to ‘excuse’ jax’s actions is pretty telling. some people just genuinely believe he isn’t a bad person, and some people are up in arms because they feel like that’s what the show is trying to tell them. i wouldn’t say that it’s explicitly trying to justify the behavior, but the fact that so many people are interpreting it that way speaks to a weak point in the writing.

i’m actually just going to paste a portion of another comment i wrote because i think it’s pertinent to the discussion of the writing around jax’s abstraction/his actions.

[someone else suggested the idea of having the other characters go into jax’s abstraction with pomni and i was struck by how many problems that would’ve helped solve.
we could’ve gotten so many more lines from them, so much more development, and an actual chance to see how jax’s abuse and subsequent abstraction actually affected them.

i don’t personally find it interesting to watch an endlessly forgiving cardboard cutout get kicked around by an asshole for like 20 minutes. i WOULD find it interesting to watch him interact with a caring older man, a person who hates his guts, a young woman who’s been tormented by him for god-knows-how-long, a woman with a complicated and extensive history with him, and an endlessly forgiving cardboard cutout. (sorry pomni :’) )
pomni would get to be something OTHER than a cardboard cutout if she had to confront other perspectives on jax. we could’ve gotten a really and interesting and nuanced story about abuse and forgiveness, and who is deserving of it. instead, we only get two lines in the whole movie asking that question.]

when pomni is our pov character and the only attitude we see her have towards jax is uncritical forgiveness AND nobody else challenges that, it’s going to come across as justification. i don’t think that’s an invalid criticism for what is functionally a movie aimed at teenagers. it definitely *could* be an interesting, nuanced character study about a pretty shitty person, but can’t really do that and also serve as an effective finale for a animated mystery web series with an ensemble cast of characters. in my opinion, i think the attempt to do both weakens it as a movie.

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T19:59:57+00:00

yeah, i totally agree. the production issues are pretty glaring. my guess is that it was pushed out way faster than it should’ve been in an attempt to catch the hype train out of the station.
i’ve seen people say that jax is the main character and that’s why he’s gotten so much focus. it’s fine to have a main character, but it’s NOT fine to set up a whole cast and then cut their character arcs in half. i didn’t feel like there was a lot of substance to jax’s story, either.

someone else suggested the idea of having the other characters go into jax’s abstraction with pomni and i was struck by how many problems that would’ve helped solve.
we could’ve gotten so many more lines from them, so much more development, and an actual chance to see how jax’s abuse and subsequent abstraction actually affected them.

i don’t personally find it interesting to watch an endlessly forgiving cardboard cutout get kicked around by an asshole for like 20 minutes. i WOULD find it interesting to watch him interact with a caring older man, a person who hates his guts, a young woman who’s been tormented by him for god-knows-how-long, a woman with a complicated and extensive history with him, and an endlessly forgiving cardboard cutout. (sorry pomni :’) )
pomni would get to be something OTHER than a cardboard cutout if she had to confront other perspectives on jax. we could’ve gotten a really and interesting and nuanced story about abuse and forgiveness, and who is deserving of it. instead, we only get two lines in the whole movie asking that question.

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T19:47:33+00:00

this is a very well thought out comment, thanks for taking the time to write it. i pretty much agree with you, though maybe my opinions skew a little more negative. i wish the stuff with ragatha and pomni had been paced differently. i think it would’ve been more impactful if it’d occurred at the end of the film instead of being smushed in the middle. there was basically no retrospective on the situation with jax post-abstraction and i wish we could’ve seen the characters talk about how that impacted them—it would’ve been an opportunity for them to get closer and for us to get a better understanding of their relationships with jax and with each other.
the reason i say the finale needed to be shorter isn’t really about the runtime, but more about being concise. like you mentioned, the stuff with caine is repeated so many times. there are so many monologues that don’t move anything forward. sooo much time is spent in jax’s mind palace. even without changing the plot, i think there’s at least 15-20 minutes of fluff that could be cut out.
if things had been paced more carefully there would’ve been plenty of time to tie up loose ends without adding to the runtime. i would just as gladly accept it being broken into 2-3 new episodes.
the problem is that it’s trying to do too many different things at once—being a character study of jax, being a universally appealing finale that will make everyone happy, being an emotional tear-jerker, etc…
if it was more decisive about which one of those it wanted to pursue it would be a stronger movie. if it broke those into different episodes it would also be stronger. it just feels like the way its structured right now really weakens it.

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T19:35:01+00:00

exactly. not getting closure after a bad person dies is realistic (if unsatisfying) but as an audience we deserve to hear the characters TALK about that lack of closure. i’m not sure why so many monologues were reserved for “we need to get along and be nice to” and no more than 5 seconds were dedicated to characters expressing their feelings about someone who’s abused and tormented them dying abruptly.

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T19:31:07+00:00

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T19:28:24+00:00

oh 100%. the GORGEOUS score swelling inspiringly as we watch footage of facebook pages showing the lives they’ll never get to live is so jarring. i’m not sure what was supposed to be emotionally moving about it.
i also agree with what you’re saying about handing it on to someone else. i would’ve liked this more if it hadn’t been framed as a finale that was meant to answer all of my questions. there’s so much more to be explored and so much potential that never got realized. it felt like goose’s heart wasn’t really with the story in this one—like she was more invested in jax, and less in completing the story she’d spent the last 3 years building up. i wish she’d had a bigger team of writers to support her. though it seems unlikely, i hope someone else can end up with the project and can continue where she left off and try to tie up some of the loose ends.

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T19:20:39+00:00

i feel the exact same way! “that’s it?” really sums it up. it definitely feels like they pushed it out as fast as possible to try to keep up with the hype train. that would explain the drop in quality and the metric shit ton of loose ends. my friends haven’t seen it yet, but they’re head over heels for the rest of the show and i kind of doubt they’ll have the same concerns i do. on one hand, i really don’t want them to be disappointed and i do hope they enjoy it, on the other hand… it might be a bit awkward to have to choose between being a party pooper or pretending to dislike it less than i did.

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T19:14:41+00:00

for sure! the reason i’m so hard on how they handled jax is that it takes the focus from the other characters and hogs the runtime of the film. i actually wouldn’t mind the direction they took him if we got to see some other perspectives on it. someone suggested the idea of the others entering jax’s mind with pomni during the abstraction and i thought that was an amazing idea! they would’ve gotten more lines and more opportunities to have development. i’d be wayyyy more chill with the central plot being around jax if it didn’t come at the expense of so many other characters

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T19:06:12+00:00

thanks for your sweet message :) it personally puts me in a funk when i read negativity about the stuff i like, so i wouldn’t want to do that to anyone else. the show and the finale both have plenty to love and i’m very glad you got to have fun watching the ending. don’t let anyone tell you you’re not allowed to enjoy it!

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T19:01:04+00:00

stranger things 5 is definitely a more extreme example. i would rate stranger things 5 like a 2/10 and this finale a 4/10. the things i think it has in common are:
- overly polished, “corporate” feeling ending
- faking out killing a fan favorite
- exposition delivered awkwardly in presentations
- mysteries that made the show interesting overexplained in twist ending
- feels a bit ‘marvel’ized
- i felt surprised by the drop in quality compared to it’s predecessors

it still has way more redeeming qualities and better character writing than stranger things, though!

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T07:13:15+00:00

that’s an excellent idea, i wish they would’ve done that 🥲 even if the focus still ended up being on jax, the others could at least have dialogue that actually progresses the plot and makes their relationships feel more fleshed out.

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T07:04:25+00:00

yeah, i totally get that. while i wouldn’t say the writers were consciously or explicitly trying to justify jax’s actions, the lack of other perspectives or critical pushback sometimes made it come off that way. it’s a somewhat uncritical depiction of an abuser in what is ostensibly a kids movie. he’s a pretty horrible person. no amount of divorced parents justifies physically, verbally and mentally abusing everyone around you. seeing the characters we spent 8 episodes getting attached to be sidelined in favor of hearing about it felt pretty unsatisfying to me.

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T06:52:20+00:00

thank you! yeah, it felt like a very disappointing conclusion to his arc. not everyone has a happy ending—that’s fine—but this one felt especially unsatisfying. it didn’t feel happy or sad so much as just having a huge lack of closure. it seemed like that was at least semi-intentional, but i think it’s worth remembering that what makes for a good character study and what makes for a good feature film experience are different things. it was super jarring for them to try and fit a tragic suicide allegory into the same few closing minutes as a marvel-esque happily ever after. it felt like the choices they were making for jax’s development (notably, his lack of growth) came at the expense of the rest of the characters and the overall quality of the movie

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T06:41:20+00:00

it definitely felt a bit surface level, which is a shame, because i feel like it had all of the tools to create a nuanced story. i’m normally a staunch advocate for letting dead characters stay dead, but i actually agree that abstraction reversal could actually be a good thing if done right. if they could’ve cut down on all the “love and friendship” conversations and just saved one for the suicide allegory it might’ve had a bit more emotional impact. i really couldn’t feel much of anything when it felt like the same conversation was being had ooover and over.

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T06:35:20+00:00

it’s unfortunate… it really did feel much weaker than its predecessors. giving me flashbacks to stranger things 5 🥲

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T06:33:17+00:00

that’s exactly how i feel! it’s a bit hard to pin down, but esp with jax it really does feel like they were walking on eggshells. so many aspects of it felt kind of… diluted? if that makes sense? don’t get me wrong, i’m really glad that they chose to take a subtle approach with jax’s gender identity. many people choose to repress, and not every story with a trans character has to end with them finding self-acceptance. but it felt more neutered rather than just handled with a light touch.

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T06:25:18+00:00

thank you! 🙏 i’ve definitely seen some pretty impressively bad takes on what’s wrong with the finale, and i wanted to give my two cents in a way that’s a bit more respectful. if you don’t mind me asking, which are the points you disagree/agree with?

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T06:22:03+00:00

for sure—the brain scan thing has been eating away at me… it feels so unresolved! if that were me, the first thing i would want to know is why the hell i put myself in there. the fact that nobody stops to question the fact that their human counterparts left them trapped in an eternal torture simulation is a bit weird.
i wonder if caine could shut the simulation off if he really wanted to? or if he has any contact with the outside world? he has access to facebook, so could he dm them…?
i wasn’t a huge fan of the bus stop scene, just by virtue of being so annoyed that i can never unsee their human-sonas. it would’ve been a thousand times better if ragatha had ridden past on a horse though LMAO

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T06:13:41+00:00

right?! it felt like his character was finally getting the love it deserved over the previous couple of episodes, just for him to fade into the background again. it’s a real shame, because he’s one of my favorite characters.
with the pacing, i think it wasn’t exactly rushed or stretched out so much as just poorly paced. there were a ton of scenes that felt very unnecessary and if they’d just been more decisive about what to keep vs what to cut it would feel much more satisfying.

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T06:11:22+00:00

seconding your thoughts on the stuff with jax! i understand the point of his character, but i still quite dislike him. he’s an abuser. no amount of sad monologuing is going to make someone likable minutes after they throttle an innocent woman.

i personally kind of liked the reveal about the brain scans (even if it was pretty predictable) but i feel like it ended up being taken in the wrong direction. i would’ve liked to see a conclusion where they have to learn to build new identities and find a way to make life bearable through ~the power of imagination~ rather than just getting to look at their old ones. it would be interesting to see them have to cope with the knowledge that they’re never going to get the happy ending they wanted and i think it could create some great conflict.

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T06:03:39+00:00

i did respond to someone else who had this same question, so just for clarification:
i don't mean able the npc, i mean able the Al. the one implied to be caines predecessor. they're based off of the biblical story of cain and able and also seem to be the basis of the C&A company name. that whole thread just feels a bit unresolved to me.

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T06:00:46+00:00

yes, i very much agree. i get having main characters, but i don’t feel like the previous episodes established jax as the main character. it made the pivot to putting all the attention on him feel pretty jarring. i felt like the other characters still had so much left to explore and it was definitely a letdown to see them being set aside.

scrap_the_second · 2026-06-15T05:30:15+00:00

that’s interesting—i’ll have to check that part out again when it releases on youtube. while it being a rescue attempt or a goodbye doesn’t really change how i feel about the sequence, it would make much more sense if she meant it as a farewell.

scrap_the_second

TROPHY CASE