DR. BELCH
10-06-2001, 02:57 PM
JCA: "The J Team", part II
This was sort of a reunion show, bringing back some of the more colorful characters of the first season. After Uncle realizes the stolen book concerned an ancient artifact that could open demon portals and Shandu/Valmont plans to free his seven associates from hell, and Capt. Black is removed from officially working on the case after his superiors question his sanity (he used the "m" word over the phone!), it's up to Jackie. Since Black is a by-the-books guy and he's hamstrung with regulations, and Jackie's more or less a rogue player, it's up to him to stop the Dark Hand.
Jade contacts El Toro Fuente and Viper--which begs the question of where she acquired their phone numbers and the devil of a long-distance bill come the end of the month--and, along with Jackie, Uncle, and Tohru, begins to assemble the J Team. She even has spiffy jackets for them to wear (note a blatant product plug...though I admit I wouldn't mind having one of those babies myself. Snazzy, yet practical). Jackie is against the whole idea and forbades the girl to come with him and Uncle...but using patented Jade-logic, she, Viper, E.T.F., and his boy protege board a plane and follow. (This also begs the question of funding, unless Section 13 has a relatively big slush fund that Jackie can access when he needs to. Or maybe it's the residuals off those Rush Hour flicks.)
The funniest part comes when Jackie realizes that he and the Dark Hand boys have checked into the same hotel, and Jackie tries to slip the talismans out from under their noses. Viper ("Ex-thief!" she repeatedly insists, though she hasn't lost her touch) appears out of nowhere, and during a struggle they awaken Hok Fu. This sets off a trippy battle using the talismans, notable bits including the little goon shattering his glasses with laser eyes and Hokastral-planing himself out of his body while Toro beats the blazes out of his unconscious form. Another great bit from earlier in the ep--Toro, not realizing Tohru is on their side, attacks him in the shop, and Jackie does a crazy dance trying to protect Uncle's antiques and break up the tussle.
Note that Valmont/Chandu can't touch the artifact he's come for without burning his hands and has to use a tapestry for protection.
DYN that Rocco (the big Mongoloid-looking goon) sleeps with a teddy bear?
Great bit, also, when Tohru fakes Hok out by asking him to repeat the name of an attack, which catches him off-guard and gives the big fella enough time to land a punch.
Can't help but notice that the team spends more time squabbling amongst itself than fighting the Dark hand...and Jade is the only one who realizes Valmont/Chandu has escaped with that weird green box thingie.
And I can't end this without mentioninng how absurd Black looks trying to cast a chi spell, hopping on one leg. Does anyone hear speak Chinese who can translate Uncle's incantation, if those are actual words?
Didn't pay much attention to Cubix, but it seemed to be about a magnetic robot working in Dr. K's dungeon who ingests a massive dose of Solexaccidentally and goes mad, magnetizing anything in the city made of metal, including robot. Noted that at one point he attracted a soda can...which only works on steel cans, not aluminum, and I haven't seen a steel soda can in nearly ten years. Dr. Pepper used to package its product in an Al/stl mix, but has since gone 100 percent Al, presumably because it's more envioronmentally-friendly. That has to be the most pointless observation I've made to date in a review.... :rolleyes:
POK:JLC: "Beauty and the Breeder"
This episode features prominently the favorite Pokemopolis whipping boy, Vulpix. Actually, its tone is very reminiscent of the first episode with Vulpix, in which we see the debut of "Salon Roquet", and from the looks of thigs, James and Jessy haven't lost their touch!
Brock is estatic after he gets an e-mail from Suzy, the lass who gave Brock her Vulpix to train for her while she goes to study breeding techniques, and now comes the day he gives it back...right before a big Pokemon beauty contest.
Brock meets an old friend of Suzy's and his Ninetails, who may well be a rival for her affections but for that old dispute, inner beauty vs. outer beauty. "we're rivals, but not really enemies," she explains, which is code for I want him.
Jessyand James crash the contest, abducting the first contestant and throwing him and his Marrill in a closet...then, complete with Meowth made up like a KISS member and Wobafett wearing a cheap toupee (a "Schwimmer", to quote The Brain), they appear on stage. The kids don't recognize Team Rocket (as usual), but Officer Jenny realizes they' re up to something and throws them out. They reappear as Pokemon "doctors" and make a grab for the Pokemon, but wind up dispatched by Vulpix and Ninetails.
In the end Suzy and the Ninetails' owner decide to go into business together...as "partners" let's just say they'll be breeding a lot more than cute foxlike beasties). Brock takes it surprisingly well, but you can tell he's restraining his urges to strangle the guy, rip his head off and spit down his throat. :mad: :p
XMEN: "Badda-Boom, Badda-Bing"
Enter Tabitha "Boom-Boom" Smith, who remind me a lot of Jubilee in that she shares a talent for generating explosive energy charges...but she's decidedly more puckish and impulsive. After her tomfoolery nearly gets Kurt killed during a training exercise, the two end up confined to the mansion, doing chores and double training duty twice a day, with Wolverine.
Kurt is smitten with "Boom-Boom", and actually goes out with her, despite their grounding, to the school charity carnival. There she delights in causing mischief, blowing up everything in sight.
This episode seems to try to generate sympathy for Tabitha in giving her a crapheel of a father who seems to be a small-time hood who only wants to exploit his daughter's abillity for his own gain...not to mention Toad, Quicksilver, and Avalanche, who are hard up for money themselves after Mystique left. I was actually trying to justify her immaturity as a defense mechanism, like laughing through her pain, but about two-thirds of the way through I just wrote her off as an irredeemable brat and actually wanted to see her die some nasty, gruesome death.
After Mr. Smith robs the proceeds of the carnival, The Brotherhood ambushes them and swipes the good, but the X-Teens show up and run them off. Tabitha and Mr. Smith are taken into custody, but she gets released. Feeling like a misfit, the decides to leave the Institute.
Now here the episode could have ended comfortably...but they had to muck it up in the end. Tabitha accepts Avalanche's invitation to join The Brotherhood...and uses her talent to break open a locked door, finding Mystique's sumptuous budoir and taking it over. So...wait. What's the message here? This girl acts like a little monster, recklessly torturing/taunting people, causing property damage, breaking and entering, and accepts no responsibility for her behavior...and she gets rewarded for it with a queen-sized bed rather than a stint in juvvie or having to sell her body on the street for enough money to buy food? This doesn't seem lie a responsible message for the kids.
Also, Tabitha's makeup job gave her a weird luminescent effect on her face, even in the shadows (esp. in the scene with Kurt in the balcony), and all through this one there was a disturbing shadowy effect constantly on the bridge of her nose. Was it a trick of the light, or a bandaid, or one of those breathe-right strips? Dang-fool thing drove me nuts!
All in all, a pretty mediocre morning on KWB. I caught that special presentation of yu-Gi-Oh on Cartoon Network, and it jsut seems to be a hybrid of Pokemon and Cardcaptors, without the heart (ironic for an ep called "Heart of the Cards"). I couldn't help but note that Yugi's grandpa looks a bit like Socrates on Histeria ("Oh, I never win! Gimme a double!"), but they both have those weird zigzag bangs. :confused:
Also noted that Mojo Jojo hosted Cartoon Cartoon Fridays again (the best bit is when he tries to do some lame standup routine)...and Julius Caesar on Time Squad, voiced similarly to comedian Louie Anderson. A pretty darn hilarious Grim and Evil featured the accidental de-evolution of General Scar and Grim's great-aunt's cookie recipe. I won't spoil it for you and say what the secret ingrediant is, but I recently had a whole article about it in Field and Stream, and it's not as farfetched as one might think. Though all the while I was thinking of a Beetlejuice episode with a similar premise (the baking/selling of "Ghoul Scout" cookies)....
This was sort of a reunion show, bringing back some of the more colorful characters of the first season. After Uncle realizes the stolen book concerned an ancient artifact that could open demon portals and Shandu/Valmont plans to free his seven associates from hell, and Capt. Black is removed from officially working on the case after his superiors question his sanity (he used the "m" word over the phone!), it's up to Jackie. Since Black is a by-the-books guy and he's hamstrung with regulations, and Jackie's more or less a rogue player, it's up to him to stop the Dark Hand.
Jade contacts El Toro Fuente and Viper--which begs the question of where she acquired their phone numbers and the devil of a long-distance bill come the end of the month--and, along with Jackie, Uncle, and Tohru, begins to assemble the J Team. She even has spiffy jackets for them to wear (note a blatant product plug...though I admit I wouldn't mind having one of those babies myself. Snazzy, yet practical). Jackie is against the whole idea and forbades the girl to come with him and Uncle...but using patented Jade-logic, she, Viper, E.T.F., and his boy protege board a plane and follow. (This also begs the question of funding, unless Section 13 has a relatively big slush fund that Jackie can access when he needs to. Or maybe it's the residuals off those Rush Hour flicks.)
The funniest part comes when Jackie realizes that he and the Dark Hand boys have checked into the same hotel, and Jackie tries to slip the talismans out from under their noses. Viper ("Ex-thief!" she repeatedly insists, though she hasn't lost her touch) appears out of nowhere, and during a struggle they awaken Hok Fu. This sets off a trippy battle using the talismans, notable bits including the little goon shattering his glasses with laser eyes and Hokastral-planing himself out of his body while Toro beats the blazes out of his unconscious form. Another great bit from earlier in the ep--Toro, not realizing Tohru is on their side, attacks him in the shop, and Jackie does a crazy dance trying to protect Uncle's antiques and break up the tussle.
Note that Valmont/Chandu can't touch the artifact he's come for without burning his hands and has to use a tapestry for protection.
DYN that Rocco (the big Mongoloid-looking goon) sleeps with a teddy bear?
Great bit, also, when Tohru fakes Hok out by asking him to repeat the name of an attack, which catches him off-guard and gives the big fella enough time to land a punch.
Can't help but notice that the team spends more time squabbling amongst itself than fighting the Dark hand...and Jade is the only one who realizes Valmont/Chandu has escaped with that weird green box thingie.
And I can't end this without mentioninng how absurd Black looks trying to cast a chi spell, hopping on one leg. Does anyone hear speak Chinese who can translate Uncle's incantation, if those are actual words?
Didn't pay much attention to Cubix, but it seemed to be about a magnetic robot working in Dr. K's dungeon who ingests a massive dose of Solexaccidentally and goes mad, magnetizing anything in the city made of metal, including robot. Noted that at one point he attracted a soda can...which only works on steel cans, not aluminum, and I haven't seen a steel soda can in nearly ten years. Dr. Pepper used to package its product in an Al/stl mix, but has since gone 100 percent Al, presumably because it's more envioronmentally-friendly. That has to be the most pointless observation I've made to date in a review.... :rolleyes:
POK:JLC: "Beauty and the Breeder"
This episode features prominently the favorite Pokemopolis whipping boy, Vulpix. Actually, its tone is very reminiscent of the first episode with Vulpix, in which we see the debut of "Salon Roquet", and from the looks of thigs, James and Jessy haven't lost their touch!
Brock is estatic after he gets an e-mail from Suzy, the lass who gave Brock her Vulpix to train for her while she goes to study breeding techniques, and now comes the day he gives it back...right before a big Pokemon beauty contest.
Brock meets an old friend of Suzy's and his Ninetails, who may well be a rival for her affections but for that old dispute, inner beauty vs. outer beauty. "we're rivals, but not really enemies," she explains, which is code for I want him.
Jessyand James crash the contest, abducting the first contestant and throwing him and his Marrill in a closet...then, complete with Meowth made up like a KISS member and Wobafett wearing a cheap toupee (a "Schwimmer", to quote The Brain), they appear on stage. The kids don't recognize Team Rocket (as usual), but Officer Jenny realizes they' re up to something and throws them out. They reappear as Pokemon "doctors" and make a grab for the Pokemon, but wind up dispatched by Vulpix and Ninetails.
In the end Suzy and the Ninetails' owner decide to go into business together...as "partners" let's just say they'll be breeding a lot more than cute foxlike beasties). Brock takes it surprisingly well, but you can tell he's restraining his urges to strangle the guy, rip his head off and spit down his throat. :mad: :p
XMEN: "Badda-Boom, Badda-Bing"
Enter Tabitha "Boom-Boom" Smith, who remind me a lot of Jubilee in that she shares a talent for generating explosive energy charges...but she's decidedly more puckish and impulsive. After her tomfoolery nearly gets Kurt killed during a training exercise, the two end up confined to the mansion, doing chores and double training duty twice a day, with Wolverine.
Kurt is smitten with "Boom-Boom", and actually goes out with her, despite their grounding, to the school charity carnival. There she delights in causing mischief, blowing up everything in sight.
This episode seems to try to generate sympathy for Tabitha in giving her a crapheel of a father who seems to be a small-time hood who only wants to exploit his daughter's abillity for his own gain...not to mention Toad, Quicksilver, and Avalanche, who are hard up for money themselves after Mystique left. I was actually trying to justify her immaturity as a defense mechanism, like laughing through her pain, but about two-thirds of the way through I just wrote her off as an irredeemable brat and actually wanted to see her die some nasty, gruesome death.
After Mr. Smith robs the proceeds of the carnival, The Brotherhood ambushes them and swipes the good, but the X-Teens show up and run them off. Tabitha and Mr. Smith are taken into custody, but she gets released. Feeling like a misfit, the decides to leave the Institute.
Now here the episode could have ended comfortably...but they had to muck it up in the end. Tabitha accepts Avalanche's invitation to join The Brotherhood...and uses her talent to break open a locked door, finding Mystique's sumptuous budoir and taking it over. So...wait. What's the message here? This girl acts like a little monster, recklessly torturing/taunting people, causing property damage, breaking and entering, and accepts no responsibility for her behavior...and she gets rewarded for it with a queen-sized bed rather than a stint in juvvie or having to sell her body on the street for enough money to buy food? This doesn't seem lie a responsible message for the kids.
Also, Tabitha's makeup job gave her a weird luminescent effect on her face, even in the shadows (esp. in the scene with Kurt in the balcony), and all through this one there was a disturbing shadowy effect constantly on the bridge of her nose. Was it a trick of the light, or a bandaid, or one of those breathe-right strips? Dang-fool thing drove me nuts!
All in all, a pretty mediocre morning on KWB. I caught that special presentation of yu-Gi-Oh on Cartoon Network, and it jsut seems to be a hybrid of Pokemon and Cardcaptors, without the heart (ironic for an ep called "Heart of the Cards"). I couldn't help but note that Yugi's grandpa looks a bit like Socrates on Histeria ("Oh, I never win! Gimme a double!"), but they both have those weird zigzag bangs. :confused:
Also noted that Mojo Jojo hosted Cartoon Cartoon Fridays again (the best bit is when he tries to do some lame standup routine)...and Julius Caesar on Time Squad, voiced similarly to comedian Louie Anderson. A pretty darn hilarious Grim and Evil featured the accidental de-evolution of General Scar and Grim's great-aunt's cookie recipe. I won't spoil it for you and say what the secret ingrediant is, but I recently had a whole article about it in Field and Stream, and it's not as farfetched as one might think. Though all the while I was thinking of a Beetlejuice episode with a similar premise (the baking/selling of "Ghoul Scout" cookies)....