Winx Club "Junior League" Talkback (SPOILERS)

[sag_2002]

It's Friday, and that can only mean one thing here at Toon Zone: It's time for a Winx Club talkback.

THE STORY SO FAR:

It's been quite an eventful 2 and a half months for Bloom, our major character. After learning she has "Winx", she was placed in Alfea, a magic school where fairies go to hone their magic. Together with her new friends Stella, Flora, Musa, and Tecna, she forms the Winx Club. The five girls use their powers to protect the realm of Magix (and, to an extent, the entire universe) from evil forces, including Alfea's rival school, Cloud Tower, home of Stormy, Darcy, and Icy (the Senior Witches).

The past 2 weeks have been especially interesting for Bloom. 2 weeks back, she was forced into a fierce battle with the Witches, who made the tragic mistake of attempting to off the Winx girls. Last week, a simple midterm turned into a wild ride when her pet rabbit, Kiko, almost got killed himself.

Both times, Bloom was able to escape using her wits, a little spell action, and a mysterious new power known as the Dragon Fire. Whenever something happens to anger Bloom, she fires up and unleashes an unbelievable amount of power that knocked the Treacherous Trio for quite a loop in its first appearance. Last week, the Witches were ready for the power, and almost nabbed, only to have it disappear from them.

Will Cloud Tower be able to gain Bloom's power source? Will Bloom realize her power? What awaits our girls this week?

Well, I've got the answer to that last question. Apparently, the Winx still haven't learned their lesson from a couple previous episodes, as they travel out of Alfea yet again! This time, of course, they deal with a big water-based monster. Will they survive?

You should know the rules by now. Comments to come when the episode airs.

[sag_2002]

Ok, I'm not too sure about today's episode. On the plus side, there was quite a bit of fun action and some intriguing stuff (especially when the girls dealt with the turtle in the middle). However, I'm gonna have to deduct 1.5 points on account of not explaining the whole incident from last week, and for Bloom not getting mad and using her super-cool power.

So, I'm giving this one a 2.5.

[Frank15]

I seem to disagree with sag's assesments a lot, it seems. I'd give the show a 3.3 today. By no means was it bad... it felt a bit "disjointed," though. That's not necessarily bad, but not something I'm used to for this show. Simply, the episode felt completely self-contained. Then again, the episode put heavy focus on Flora and Tecna, which was quite enjoyable. I liked it, anyhow. I know Darcy in particular will like that absolutely no mention of Bloom's specialness was mentioned today .

Notice Tecna did not seem affected by the narcoleps gas, though she put her little face shield on anyway. I'm guessing she just reacts slower to the gas, or something; otherwise, she wouldn't have needed the face shield. I'm guessing the slower effect on Tecna has to do with "that thing."

I can't blame Tecna whatsoever for getting upset with Flora. Completely understandable. And then Bloom decides to make Tecna into the bad guy... what nerve!

Stella was being her usual bratty self, sure, but I sorta' can't blame her here. I mean, who wants Uncle Ed to invade their space? Then again, Stella was acting rather princess-y on the nature hike, like she deserved better treatment than anyone else. Then again, I guess it's to be expected from her, but really, that she went to the forest, even if she didn't have to, for Flora's sake... I think it shows that Stella's got niceness in her, even if it doesn't often show.

I certainly loved the ladybug crawling on Stella's arm, though. That was priceless :anime:! "Zitbug!"

Flora's just sweet. Her cowering to Tecna early in the episode seemed so her. And she's got a little backbone, at least, like when she shut Stella up after her little tirade when she fell in the mud. Ha!

Seemed Musa was the only fairy who didn't really do anything in the episode. Except for being eaten, anyway. Almost forgot she was there. But she likes pancakes! Yay! Just knowing that makes me like Musa more.

The turtle was sleeping? The turtle was pretending to sleep? It didn't really look like either to me.

I thought our Trio would've been responsible for the monsters in today's episode, but I guess not. Surprised they never appeared.

It looks like next week, our Trio seems to be causing trouble just for the fun of it, with no real intent in mind. I'm not sure how true that'll wind up being, but if so, then yay! They need to just have a little fun every now and then .

Junior League... guess the nymphs watch a little too much Detective Conan .

[Deonanna]

I'd give today's episode a 3. It was still entertaining, but the lack of the witches made it a bit dull, IMO. But, there was an excess of Flora, which is always a good thing!

On a side note, Stella's line to Flora regarding her potion was great. "Don't you dare mess with us, or we'll hit you with a daisy and go all herbal on you!" Haha.

I'm still wondering if we'll ever find out what happend from last week and the dragon fire suddenly dissappearing...

[Darcy]

I'd give it a 3.5, mainly due to the complete absence of the witches. Not even a glimpse of them. I like Flora more after this ep and Stella more, too. Yep, you heard me. Stella did nothing to bother me this ep and instead was very amusing. I loved it when she was running around screeching about the zitbug in the background. Bloom was annoying as usual. It's good that she stood up for Flora, but Tecna had plenty of reason to be angry. Granted, this is a cartoon, so obviously they had to have the good guys and the bad guys in the situation instead of doing the simple thing: compromise. The little undines were adorable. Loved them. Speaking of Tecna, she continues to rock. I so love her. Musa still rates an "eh." Her annoying vocabulary made a reappearance, though not as bad as previously. If Musa stays mediocre and Bloom stays obnoxious, then Stella may actually make the jump to behind Tecna and Flora on my list.

More later after I've watched it again. I still need to do the summary for the LJ group, too. Later today or tomorrow.

[Viper]

I really liked this ep, mainly because it focused on my favorite, Flora! I kinda felt bad for her wanting to move out after the fall-out with Stella and Tecna. I liked it when she helped defeat that "willow tree" monster with her powers. It's time to see what special abilities the rest of the team can do.

I agree that Stella still needs an attitude adjustment, although she does have a sweet side to her. She & Tecna DID apologize to Flora for what happened in their dorm room.

Good ep. I give it 3 stars--not much action, but the rest goes for Flora! I really like her!

BTW, Deonanna, I haven't had a chance to say this yet, but...nice avatar of Flora. I like it.

[Frank15]

[Stella] & Tecna DID apologize to Flora for what happened in their dorm room.

And Flora also apologized to them: I think that's key. Bloom tried to make it sound as if Stella and Tecna were completely at fault, and painted Flora to be completely innocent, who herself knew that she had made a mistake.

End result: I like Stella a little more, and I like Bloom a little less.

[loyalheart]

i liked this episode, it was nice to have a break for those witches for an episode. but it kinda seemed like an filler episode, like out of sequence.

i give it a 3

EDIT: is winx club going to keep it's 8:30 timeslot? Because if not it's in for some competition this fall when "The Batman" comes to kidswb at 10:30am - which i believe winx does the best

[Darcy]

Yup, upon seeing it again, my new ranking of the Winx girls is Tecna, Flora, Stella, then Musa and Bloom tied for last. Bloom was just really self-righteous in this episode. I especially hated the end where she practically forced Stella and Tecna to apologize. It would have been better if they'd done it on their own and I think they would have. Flora gets credit for taking part of the blame herself, and Bloom is blind for thinking Flora's faultless.

This was a good episode because every girl (except Musa) did something. Stella showed good character (mostly in putting up with Bloom's obnoxiousness without snapping back at her) and she showed intuition about the swamp. Bloom helped to take out the nasty tree and she saved Musa. Flora did her little whammy on the tree, and Tecna saved them all from sleeping.

The only real flaws were the unrealistic argument, Bloom's attitude and the lack of witches. They could have at least been shown briefly, plotting or in detention or something. They're the highlight of the show!

[TWS]

I liked this episode quite a bit. Didn't even mind that the witches weren't in it. It shows the Winx girls doing stuff other than battling the forces of cloud tower, which probably takes up only a fraction of their time. Although, I do realize that Flora's potion is to protect them from the witches. One of the things that I really liked about the episode is that it showed a range of utility spells instead of the regular offensive/defensive spells.
The whole first part of the episode, with everyone ragging on 'Flo', was hilarious. Even though Flora is my favorite, the other girls did have a point. Blooms self- righteousnessjust kills me.
Next week, Stella in a cowgirl outfit, yee haw!

[Frank15]

Flora did her little whammy on the tree,

Hehe! I didn't even realize they had Press Your Luck on the fifth Moon of Marigold .

I don't think I ever hated Stella like some of you did. I dunno', but I felt there was good in her that was getting largely ignored. On the same token, I shouldn't have questioned Darcy's dislike for Bloom .

[Darcy]

In retrospect, I never hated Stella, I just didn't like her. Now I do. But I am having very hateful thoughts about Bloom. *shifts Bloom into last place behind Musa*

[sag_2002]

In retrospect, I never hated Stella, I just didn't like her. Now I do. But I am having very hateful thoughts about Bloom. *shifts Bloom into last place behind Musa*

Well, as you know, I'm quite the opposite. I've not been a big fan of Stella, and Bloom quickly became my favorite. But Stella did rise up in my ranking a couple notches this week, and should rise a bit more next week.

Also: Can't wait to see the Witches back, and making a fiasco of the beauty pageant. Next week looks fun.

[Deonanna]

BTW, Deonanna, I haven't had a chance to say this yet, but...nice avatar of Flora. I like it.

Thanks! =) I just got bored and was toyin' around in PSP, hehe.

[Mighty_Bojingo]

I'd have to defend Bloom on this one. Sure she was putting the blame on Tecna and Stella, but I think Bloom was a little ticked about how far they went with treating Flora. I mean, what's more important? Homework or your friend? I dont think they would given it second thought about going to the swamp to find Flora if Bloom didnt scold them. It was just Bloom's concern for her friends. Plus Bloom didnt officially say it wasn't Flora's fault, so maybe she partially believed it was Flora's fault but felt no reason to make any comment on it, after all, Flora was sorry for the mess so Bloom didnt need to say anything to Flora. But still, i didnt like how Tecna and Stella went off on Flora.. Well, Tecna i can understand, but not Stella.

[Darcy]

I mean, what's more important? Homework or your friend?

I dunno. Tecna got mad, but she didn't get that mad. I mean, she sounded more exasperated than anything. I would have been much more angry about having to redo my homework (Flora could have offered to help her, not that she needs it) and getting tied up in a closet for who knows how long (it could have been hours) than Tecna was. It only looked like she was really mad because of Flora's cowering. And following the same logic, what's more important, your experiments or your friends? Flora was out of control. At least she recognized it though.

I dont think they would given it second thought about going to the swamp to find Flora if Bloom didnt scold them.

I think they would have once it sunk in that she was gone. We didn't see why they went after her. They just appeared, so who knows if it was Bloom's doing or if Tecna and Stella cooled down? Neither one was still angry with Flora when they arrived in the swamp.

Well, Tecna i can understand, but not Stella.

I can actually see Stella's side, too. The plants were ruining her things, which were quite expensive by the sound of it. Yeah, it's just makeup and clothing, but if a friend of mine ruined one of my fancy $200 coats, I'd expect her to replace it. It's common courtesy. Flora may have run off to find a counterspell, but she could have done the easy thing to stop them earlier: moved them out of the room immediately when Stella complained.

It's difficult to say who was right and who was wrong because this is such an unrealistic argument. In reality, Stella and Tecna would have gotten mad, Flora would have said she's moving out, and during the process of her packing, someone would have stopped her and compromise would have been reached. Alfea's huge. Flora should have been able to find a spare lab to work in. But instead she pulls a martyr/drama queen move and leaves. I like Flora and she remains my #2, but the beginning of this episode did not make her look good at all. She needs to grow a backbone. If plants are walking all over you, there's a problem.

[Deonanna]

The only real flaws were the unrealistic argument, Bloom's attitude and the lack of witches. They could have at least been shown briefly, plotting or in detention or something. They're the highlight of the show!

Ah, my thoughts exactly! I still enjoyed the episode, but it was just dull and not very exciting without them. But, at least we know they'll be in full mode for next week's episode. Can't wait to see it! ...in English at least. I downloaded it a while back but it was in Italian.

Oh, and I'd kill to see a shot of Griffin trying to give those three detention. Can we say hillarious?!

[Darcy]

I imagine witch detention would be pretty bad. "Okay, everybody, put on your pink frilly dresses and start hugging the children and puppies." "NOOOOOOO!" Hee hee hee.

[Frank15]

I mean, what's more important? Homework or your friend?

The friends, of course. It wasn't just Tecna or Stella, though: Flora was letting her work get in the way of their friendship, as well. So why is it OK for Flora, but not Tecna or Stella? Bloom was taking sides, instead of trying to find any sort of comprimise, or just keeping her figuratively big nose out of it.

I dont think they would given it second thought about going to the swamp to find Flora if Bloom didnt scold them. It was just Bloom's concern for her friends.

Of course they would have! They needed a little time to calm down, though, but they're not heartless beasts or anything. Tecna and Stella do care about Flora.

Plus Bloom didnt officially say it wasn't Flora's fault, so maybe she partially believed it was Flora's fault but felt no reason to make any comment on it,

I guess it's all up to interpretation. I saw absolutely nothing to convince me that Bloom was aware that Flora was not perfect.

Flora was sorry for the mess so Bloom didnt need to say anything to Flora. But still, i didnt like how Tecna and Stella went off on Flora.. Well, Tecna i can understand, but not Stella.

You seem to think Stella and Tecna wouldn't have apologized otherwise. I see no reason to believe such. Bloom didn't need to say anything to Flora--you're right--but she didn't need to say anything to Stella or Tecna either . And I'm not sure why you can't understand Stella's getting upset: the plants were ruining her clothes and her makeup. Tecna or Musa would've been upset too, I'm sure, but just because Stella's a bit spoiled at times doesn't mean she deserves to have her stuff ruined.

Oh, and I'd kill to see a shot of Griffin trying to give those three detention. Can we say hillarious?!

I have a hard time imagining Miss Griffin being overly harsh with them. Just seems our Trio wouldn't take much from her before punishing her somehow.

[lostrune]

Hmmm... just when I found an episode with a tight plotline, there's no poll.

Yeah, this episode wasn't much frustrating at all. Seems everything was logical, and hardly any loose ends in and of itself. I enjoyed finally having to relax.

Hopefully, the writers would be as careful with the scripts in the future.