What aunt_zelda Thinks: The Review Must Go On

[aunt_zelda]

First, the comment I want to post on tgwtg.com, but either my internet is weird or it's not letting me post for some reason:

So, the character development and emotional tumultuous ending of To Boldly Flee, the nice closure, the crying from fans and the ultimate satisfying conclusion ... that's all been tossed out the window? That meant nothing? People who were genuinely moved by the ending of To Boldly Flee ... just don't count?

No, of course, listen to the whiners, the haters, the people who dismissed Demo Reel not for legit concerns about writing or character development but because it "wasn't new episodes of Nostalgia Critic."

Demo Reel was finally starting to kick ass, those last couple episodes? So awesome.
So now all those characters are dead. And Donnie was just the Critic all along. So it was all ultimately pointless, these past few months don't matter at all. Heck, To Boldly Flee doesn't matter at all either, apparently Because some people wouldn't stop whining about every episode of Demo Reel "not being a new Nostalgia Critic episode."

This video made me cry, but not tears of joy. This legitimately upset me. You seemed so bitter, so unwilling, the NC had to actually badger you into insanity to get you to go back to this. Is this truly what you want to do, or are you just caving to the vocal minority demanding something old and familiar over something new and different?

You said you'd wanted to do Demo Reel for years. I hate to think that some whiners ate away at your confidence these past couple months until you gave in to their demands.

First, this made me cry. Then it made me angry. Now ... now I'm just sad.

If this is truly what you want, Mr. Walker, that's your decision. But I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with it.

Here's what I typed as I watched, taking things very personally and pausing to sob in a rather frightening manner. Seriously, a lot of people on my floor were concerned about me when I went to go get my kettle from the Common Room after I wrote this

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS MEAN-SPIRITED DOCTOR WHO PLOT DEVICE BULLSHIT?!?!?!?!??!?!?!
[Edit: I meant Doctor Who plot device as in, there are people disappearing and it's scary, I did not mean that Doctor Who routinely uses mean-spirited plot devices or bullshit.]

I am actually screaming "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!?!??!?!?" and "WHAT IS THIS BULLSHIT?!?!?!?" and "NO YOU CAN'T DO THIS!!!!!!!" and I'm yelling in the dorms. So everyone on this floor probably thinks I'm insane.

And then Carl turned into Rob with a dinosaur head? I think?

And then I yelled "NO!" a lot. And pointed at the screen in anger.

Great idea Doug. Make an emotional and satisfying end for the Critic that made everyone cry and mourn and respect you and made a few assholes complain about you deciding to branch out and do something new and creative …

... and just undo the awesome ending you crafted. Brutally and cruelly kill off all the characters you spent several episodes making us love.

What the … fuck. I can't even swear creatively right now. This isn't funny. This is sad. And upsetting.

I CRIED about the ending of To Boldly Flee. The ramifications of that ending, and through the fandom, during that final month of this summer, when some truly awful stuff happened in my life with my family … I think it made me incredibly and deeply sad for quite some time. I was kinda scared for a while there, mostly because of my family stuff but also about how even THINKING of "Rocket Man" made me burst into tears and stuff. Know what got me out of that funk? Working on a script of my own and making a movie of my own with some fantastic friends of mine at college. Living the reality that making movies is a fun thing, what I want to do, something I was writing an essay on because I wanted to SWITCH MY MAJOR and spent the summer and last semester doing that. 

How dare you, Doug. HOW DARE YOU CAVE. After years of dealing with assholes on the internet, you cave to the pressure of a few cranky people who can't seem to understand that artists like to move on and try new things?! You said you wanted to do Demo Reel for years, and you finally bought a studio and got new people and … Demo Reel was just starting to hit its curve …

(On a sidenote, Nella has an adorable car. Awwwww. Tiny car is adorable!)

(Also, I like the paint in Doug's house. Or … whatever house this was filmed at, if this isn't his house. I like the colors.)

And then I'm crying and yelling "No! NO! How can you do this?! Don't do this!"

This is filmed so creepily. He is giving in to a psychotic vision making demands that badgered him relentlessly and showed up creepily in his mirror until he gave in. That's like the most awful way to bring back a beloved character who sacrificed himself bravely for the good of the world and his friends …

So then I started crying and whimpering "why would you do this?!"

Donnie was the Critic all along? Huh?

"Your mind wouldn't believe you were capable of such a selfless act."
…
…
…
[Edit: the face I made there was something you had to see to believe. It was rather something like those Rage Comic faces, in fact. I also had to pause because that line made me sob and cry and whimper "whyyyyyyyyyyy" and "noooo" and variations on those words.]
 
So this is all a big "fuck you" to everyone who cared about the ending of To Boldly Flee, was moved by it, thought it was great character development, or cried at it, or made heartfelt comments or posts online or made videos about how much it meant to them?

I'm a little scared of how hard and hysterically I'm crying right now. I had to take a break for a minute. I can't remember the last time I cried this hard. Oh, right, LES MISERABLES. 
[Edit: And somehow, I still came out of that film uplifted somewhat, singing and whimpering, sobbing and cheering. I got none of those positive emotions from this video, only the pain and the crying parts.]

This is like a nightmare.

He seems to think this is a triumphant return and it's playing like a bitter, horrible, spiteful, depressing, mean spirited pile of pretentious ignorant HORSESHIT.

And all the characters from Demo Reel get absorbed and FUCKING DIE.


Fuck you, Doug Walker. Now everyone on my floor thinks I'm going insane.

Thoughts after all of that:

First I was crying and begging and hoping against hope that no, no, this couldn't be what it was, he was gonna do some kinda twist, save them, do something, say "No, the Nostalgia Critic sacrificed himself to save the world, I don't know what kind of drug-induced bullshit this is, but I'm not having it!" and he'd kick the Plot Hole away and wake up after a drinking binge with the Demo Reel crew and tell Quinn "remind me never to chug tequila and vodka simultaneously" and that'd be the end of it. 

But it wasn't. 

I don't know what this is. Is he just caving to popular (or not so popular) opinion? Is the site traffic lagging that badly? Does he genuinely miss it? He seemed so ... unwilling. Reluctant. If this was supposed to be a triumphant return, he sure shot it like a terrifying battle between himself and a psychotic haunting specter that he ultimately lost.

Maybe it's genuine, maybe he got burned out and took a break and then wanted to get back into things. But I disagree with him even if he isn't just doing this because of fan opinions. He gave a great end to a character who started out as a silly ranting man on the internet making us laugh every week. And now that great end has been, essentially, retconned. Undone. Status Quo is God. The Critic learned nothing. His sacrifice was pointless. Know that hero we were all crying about a couple months ago, for taking on the Plot Hole and saving everything? He's now been replaced by Douchey McNitpick, zapping mistakes from the sky. A kick in the teeth to anyone who thought TBF's conclusion was good or moving or emotionally satisfying or an example of character development and a fitting end for a great character. It's like saying "You wanted a hero, huh? A nice heroic and moving end for a beloved character? PSYCH! He's going back to his usual show, his usual shtick, suffering every week for your amusement while his ultimate fate, keeping the universe from collapsing on itself, has been taken over by this caricature of a troll. That's what you WANTED, right?"

I don't want new NC reviews because of something like that. That leaves a sour taste in my mouth. It makes me sad. It makes me angry. It makes me want to yell mean things into the internet like "spineless coward" and "heartless bastard" even though those things aren't true at all. It makes me so ashamed that I said I wasn't that crazy about Demo Reel from the start, that it took me a few episodes to really get into it. That I only started writing fic for it a few days ago. 

I'm going to curl up in a ball with my plushies now. I'd say I'm going to watch NC reviews, or listen to Rob's commentary of TBF, but neither of those options are viable right now

m I in a minority here? Am I taking this too personally? Am I reading too much into the actions of an internet reviewer

Comments

[emeriin.livejournal.com]

He wants to be loved by everyone. The TBF commentary proved that. But fuck him, this was Les Mis cruel, this was Sliders cruel, you can't fucking undo everything "character development/sticking to my guns/there's going to be so much more/the past needs to be let go off"-related you've ever said. I hope his guilt breaks him.

Okay, positive: Doug's acting was brilliant. There. That's it.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

He wants to be loved by everyone. The TBF commentary proved that.
If he couldn't take critiques and trolls and whiners after four years of seeing reactions and leraning that yeah, assholes complain and legit people complain but he had a loving and dedicated fanbase ... really dude? Really? I'm sorry but ... I'm mad at him about this. After four years he should have learned how to ignore comments, ferret out the ones that were worth listening to, or take some courses to build his self-confidence.

But fuck him, this was Les Mis cruel, this was Sliders cruel, you can't fucking undo everything "character development/sticking to my guns/there's going to be so much more/the past needs to be let go off"-related you've ever said.
Yeah, I'm ... pissed. I was ranting a big when I went to go get my kettle, to anyone who'd listen. Then I hid in my room to cry some more. The words "cowardly spineless bastard" and "undoing this really tragic and emotional and wonderful ending" were uttered.

I hope his guilt breaks him.
I ... am feeling like that right now, but I don't actually want him hurt. I just want to go up to him at a con and ask "why?" and then start crying at him. And maybe sort of kick him on the shin. And cry more. And hug his legs like a little kid because I hear he's wicked tall and I'm ... not.

Okay, positive: Doug's acting was brilliant. There. That's it.
It was also very very VERY well shot. Angles, stuff flittering out of the corner, the MIRROR (omg the MIRROR) ... that was all very very VERY well done.

But when the "triumphant" music kicked in I started shouting "NO! NO! NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS!" and crying harder.

[emeriin.livejournal.com]

Rob and Holly refused to let him in on any business meetings. They had to force him to sleep after part eight of To Boldly Flee. They openly admitted to protecting him from bad comments. Everyone on the site ever has complained about his constant apologizing. And from the TBF commentary, I'm wondering if Critic's year-long depression was Doug's.

You know Lindsay said the RHPS crossover will happen now, but I can't even feel happy about that. Why at the expense of Donnie?

And oh God, Donnie, why do that to him? Why go to all that effort of making him so tragic only to have not mean a single thing?

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

They had to force him to sleep after part eight of To Boldly Flee. They openly admitted to protecting him from bad comments.
*wibbles* Good god.

Everyone on the site ever has complained about his constant apologizing.
Yeah, in his commentary for TBF I noticed he seemed to want to stop doing the anniversaries because of the "hell" he was putting people through with the film shoots. They ... chose to come, dude. Every year. Knowing it would be like that. Film shoots are like that. They're long and crazy and people get exhausted and sick but it's WORTH IT in the end.
Plus, TGWTG anniversaries were like, one of the few times everyone could get together. They were always describing themselves as a family, how happy they were to get together, despite sunburns and injuries and sickness and sleepiness and bad weather.

And from the TBF commentary, I'm wondering if Critic's year-long depression was Doug's.
That could make a lot of sense. Does that mean I'm still allowed to be angry or should I be sad now?

You know Lindsay said the RHPS crossover will happen now, but I can't even feel happy about that.
On the one hand, yay, Critic in a corset, we've wanted that for years but ... but ... I can't enjoy that now because of what's been done to get there. I just ... every time I laugh I'm going to feel guilty, because to get these laughs, to get that RHPS crossover, the Critic's sacrifice had to be fake. Donnie had to be fake. The Demo Reel crew had to be killed. These past months of getting through it and getting excited about Demo Reel were all pointless? My crying this summer wasn't worth anything? My pain doesn't matter? All the fans who cried but loved it ultimately, or at least accepted that this was the end for the NC and it was a good ending even if it hurt really bad ... we all don't matter? We don't COUNT?

Why at the expense of Donnie?
And oh God, Donnie, why do that to him? Why go to all that effort of making him so tragic only to have not mean a single thing?
*gulps* I'm not going to cry again tonight. I can't. If I start crying again tonight I won't get to sleep in time ...

And after THAT episode, about his mom, and him fighting off the creepy family and coming back all badass and triumphant ... WHY!?!??!?!?!?!?!

[twetwe123.livejournal.com]

I cried at TBF and I don't understand the rage. It's not about the characters, it's about Doug. For what 4 and a half years he produced an episode every week, worked his ARSE off every December, knew during cons and on honeymoon that he'd have to come back to more work, and after almost 5 years he burned out and mistook that for needing to move on. Almost 5 years of constant work. 6 months on he realises he's made a mistake and wants to keep doing his work with the passion that kept him going for almost 5 years. He's given SO MUCH to us with such intensity and wants to go back to what he loves after he has his breath back. He mistook burnout for an ending and made sure it was the best damn ending we could have. Why does this warrant so much rage? Especially since there is plenty of room for more Demo Reel. They bought the studio, explicitly said there'll be more time between Critic episodes, and contracted the actors.

[emeriin.livejournal.com]

But like I kept telling you last night, after five episodes of getting to know the characters, getting invested in Donnie's backstory, we get damned with "Donnie was just Critic all along and has to say goodbye to his family". For something so touted to be new, that is a major fucking disservice. Critic got a great ending, let him go.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Critic got a great ending, let him go.
Indeed.
And if he couldn't be let go (let's face it, view counts and all) why not bring him back in a way that didn't read like a psychotic breakdown where a hallucination bullied Doug into letting him back, and said he never believed himself capable of that heroic sacrifice at all?

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Especially since there is plenty of room for more Demo Reel. They bought the studio, explicitly said there'll be more time between Critic episodes, and contracted the actors.
Well, there was, before they made Donnie the NC all along and everyone else fakes or killed them off or whatever that was supposed to be.
I don't know why he did that, if he has the studio and the actors and time between NC reviews if the NC will be up every other week now. Why kill Demo Reel if he loved it so much and wanted to do it for years?
... and that's where my "the fans hated it, so he killed it brutally because that's what they wanted" suspicions come into play.

[astra-aurora.livejournal.com]

Am I in a minority here? Am I taking this too personally? Am I reading too much into the actions of an internet reviewer?

Nope. You're acting like any fan who's been dicked over by a fuck-up with a show they like, and I honestly can't blame you. I never really watched either NC or DR, but I loved To Boldly Flee, and that's one of the shittiest ways to fuck the ending up I can imagine.

Honestly, I'm worried about Doug. He sounded so enthused about Demo Reel, and now with this coming up... I hope that nothing's gone horribly wrong.

*sends hugs and bunnies*

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Nope. You're acting like any fan who's been dicked over by a fuck-up with a show they like, and I honestly can't blame you.
At least Heroes gradually fucked me over, it was something that took years and all the fans were commenting on it and on the same general page as we watched it slowly fail and left one by one. *sighs*

I never really watched either NC or DR, but I loved To Boldly Flee, and that's one of the shittiest ways to fuck the ending up I can imagine.
It was pretty bitter and mean-spirited and ... just plain weird. Why mess with the ending that badly? WHY?! Why was that necessary to bringing the NC back, ruining his heroic sacrifice ... unless he's going to have Learned Nothing at all and go back to being a selfish ranting manchild yelling at movies, because Status Quo is God? Jesus I hope not.

Honestly, I'm worried about Doug. He sounded so enthused about Demo Reel, and now with this coming up... I hope that nothing's gone horribly wrong.
I hope he just did want to get back to NC reviews, and this isn't just about the viewcounts.

*sends hugs and bunnies*
Thank you. *hugs back*

[astra-aurora.livejournal.com]

I know the feeling. I felt the same way with Glee. God, I hate seeing shows with so much promise turning into shit.

About the only reason I can think of is that Doug ended up being forced to go back to the NC, but he figured that if he was getting dicked over, he'd take everyone else with him. Which seems implausible because from what I've heard, he really isn't like that, but yeah.

[gethenian.livejournal.com]

Am I taking this too personally? Am I reading too much into the actions of an internet reviewer

Yes.

NOW BEFORE YOU GET PISSED OFF AT ME FOR HAVING AN UNPOPULAR OPINION... remember who I work for. Who my best friend is. The reviewer whose reputation on the site is often condensed into "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry..."

I know about taking shit on the internet too seriously.

Here's what you have to remember:

It's FINE to have an emotional response to a piece of media. Media is all about giving people emotional reactions -- joy, anger, sorrow, nostalgia, etc. etc. etc. It's fine when those reactions are reactions to the fiction and its presentation. (Or even fact presented in a way that is very deeply affecting -- the first time I saw Werner Herzog's "Cave of Forgotten Dreams," it did make me tear up, and that is nothing but a bunch of people filming cave paintings and commenting on what they depict and who might have made them.)

Doug is an extremely talented screen performer. He has an electric charisma and extraordinarily emotive performing style.

Entertainment sometimes is -- and MUST be -- more about what the audience wants than what the creator wants. Sometimes, what you create is something you do to meet a demand, which you benefit from.

That's not always a bad thing. If you have a product people want, and you have the option to sell the hell out of it, and if that gets you the kind of feedback and cash that allow you to live off of it, then YOU SELL THE HELL OUT OF THAT.

We should all be so lucky. Seriously. I've been on DeviantArt for 8 years and in all that time, I've made less from my art than I have working a part-time job for minimum wage in the past 8 MONTHS. I've made NOTHING working as an artist and co-producer, set director, and occasional co-writer for Brows Held High. I'm still doing all of these things, but I'm also still fishing for the one creative thing I can do that will be the magical thing people WANT to see and that will benefit me monetarily. I have a children's book being published as soon as I finish the illustrations. If that's the One Magical Thing, even though I never meant it to be a series, I'll keep doing it, because that's the thing people want from me. FOR MONEY! Goddamn!

That's not a bad thing. It's not torture to have to use your creativity to do something thousands of people want to set aside time to watch you do every time you do it. Doing NC episodes isn't something Doug has to sacrifice every other project to do -- he could always do them once every 2 weeks, or something, while working on other projects.

Doug is one lucky sonofabitch (with apologies to Mrs. Walker, who I'm sure is a lovely woman). He has CHOICES. He has TIME. He has the ability to dedicate himself to his creative, independent pursuits and he gets to live off of that.

Don't be sad that he tried something that didn't work. If you're going to be sad for anyone, be sad for those of us producers and artists who live from paycheck to paycheck with CENTS to spare, who only do that by working 2 jobs and living with our parents, who give up food and sleep and even sacrifice time with our families for the sake of helping each other out or cranking out commissions we're painfully underpaid for and which will only be seen by 100 people or less, EVER.

Doug isn't a victim here. Far from it. He has creative pursuits and the freedom to see which ones are successful and which ones are not and the time to test that over MONTHS or YEARS. Meanwhile, TGWTG isn't really very good at promoting its other producers a lot of the time. Producers largely rely on just being on the site to generate view counts -- and it DOES -- but it isn't good enough for most of them to live on, and artists and other crew get no recognition or promotion beyond a link under our producers' videos or a mention in the credits, if that.

[c]

[gethenian.livejournal.com]

Don't get me wrong -- I'm proud to be a member of my producer's team and to be part of a site that's gotten so much recognition over the years. I like and respect everyone I've met who works there -- they do SO much work as it is, and they're successful. But I don't think it's fair that people are posting about how tragic it is that the guy who gets the most views and the most feedback and the most fame and the most profit from every single thing he does is deciding to do something that the fans seem to want instead of being ~free to follow his dreams~ or something when so many of the rest of the producers and their teams work their asses off just as hard as he does and have to do even MORE work to promote themselves in order to get enough views to make bus money from what they do, and some of us literally get NOTHING out of it, we just do it for our own reasons.

You can keep taking it personally if that's what you feel. I've gotten emotionally invested in stuff before, I do get that when that happens, it just feels more important than anything else. But this is a reality check of perspective. Not a lot of people know this kind of shit, or think about it much.

Doug bought a house from the money he made from his shows. You want a tragic story? I have a wife and kid and can't afford to live with them, can't afford to buy more than $25-$50 of anything other than food per pay cycle (depending on how much I'm able to save), and we had to sell my car a few months ago to keep from going bankrupt so now I can't even SEE my wife and daughter more than a few times a month. I can't drive my kid to school or put her to bed. I can make dinner for my girls or help with homework or fall asleep with my legally recognized spouse in my arms. My producer, who keeps 100% of the proceeds from HIS show, is living in a one-room efficiency apartment and gets financial aid from his parents. Most producers can't live off of what they make from their shows, even on TGWTG. **HOLLY** can't always live off what she makes from what she does. Almost all of their artists and other crew make only a fraction, if anything, from that unlivable amount. And almost all of us are still driven to do what's popular instead of what inspires us because that's what gets us views. And that doesn't always get us much other than numbers on a screen.

That's why you're taking this too personally and reading too much into the actions of an internet reviewer. I care about Doug too... he's a nice guy who once did something for me that I feel was extraordinarily generous even without knowing who the fuck I was. He does DESERVE to be cared about, as a person and as a performer. But... so do other producers, and artists, and crew. Doug is good. I don't think most people on TGWTG or their artists/crew would be doing what they do if they didn't think that. But sometimes it hurts just a little bit when people post things like this about the guy who really MADE IT, who has a girl and a home and a career and all by doing what we're all desperately trying to do... and being on TGWTG feels at first like an "I made it" moment until you realize that it's not. It's a bragging point, but no one necessarily knows your name or cares or wants to help you out. Like being in an award-winning school choir is a good point on your resume, but no one cares what songs you sang there.

And by the way, some of us are artists only because we aren't sufficiently successful in other areas. Did you know I have as much training as Kyle does in singing? And I'm better at it than I am at art? And that I had to take out a loan of $2000 just to keep up with the quality of art that gives my producer attention and respect even though it'll take me YEARS to pay that off? No? That's because I look like a troll doll, and not in the cute way. So my producer gets to sing, not the dumb twat who does his art, films his episodes, watches movies with him and riffs on them for jokes for his scripts, helps him out with costuming, transportation, and even DOES appear onscreen with him sometimes. For free.

And you know what? I actually have it pretty good compared to some other producers/artists/crew, whose names I will not mention because it's not my place to do that.

Yeah, poor Doug.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

NOW BEFORE YOU GET PISSED OFF AT ME FOR HAVING AN UNPOPULAR OPINION
Considering the rest of the internet, you don't have the unpopular opinion at all. Everyone else is happy the NC is back and that Demo Reel got murdered.

Entertainment sometimes is -- and MUST be -- more about what the audience wants than what the creator wants. Sometimes, what you create is something you do to meet a demand, which you benefit from.
I understand that. I just feel sad that his pet project that he was so excited for and had been wanting to do "for years" and bought a studio for and hired actors for ... didn't pan out. And he made a video where he killed off his new show and got dragged back to his old show. Maybe he is happy to get back to the NC but I just saw so much bitterness in The Review Must Go On. It was filmed like a haunting, or a psychotic breakdown, not a triumphant return.

Don't be sad that he tried something that didn't work. If you're going to be sad for anyone, be sad for those of us producers and artists who live from paycheck to paycheck with CENTS to spare, who only do that by working 2 jobs and living with our parents, who give up food and sleep and even sacrifice time with our families for the sake of helping each other out or cranking out commissions we're painfully underpaid for and which will only be seen by 100 people or less, EVER.
... what? I ... how is being upset about Demo Reel getting cancelled and the NC coming back, how does that have anything to do with being disrespectful to other producers? I'm sorry I upset you?

Meanwhile, TGWTG isn't really very good at promoting its other producers a lot of the time. Producers largely rely on just being on the site to generate view counts -- and it DOES -- but it isn't good enough for most of them to live on, and artists and other crew get no recognition or promotion beyond a link under our producers' videos or a mention in the credits, if that.
Yeah. Plus I wish there were more crossovers. I was talking to Hagan at MAGFest about that, how I love that she does so many crossovers with reviewers I've never seen before, that's how I got into Kyle's vids and Happy Viking and a lot of other people.

And almost all of us are still driven to do what's popular instead of what inspires us because that's what gets us views. And that doesn't always get us much other than numbers on a screen.
You didn't need to tell me any of that. Why would you give me that kind of personal information about people? I don't want to know that. That's none of my business. How does being upset about a character retcon warrant being told that kind of personal stuff about people?

That's because I look like a troll doll, and not in the cute way.
That is a lie. I met you at MAGFest, you do not look like a troll doll. You look just fine. You have a fantastic sense of style and you're a wonderful person. I know people with unfortunate faces, or who even look like they could be troll dolls, and you are not one of them.

[lit-wolf.livejournal.com]

Want to clarify up front that yes, I too am very sad that Demo Reel was gone. I think it was finally hitting its stride, finally felt like it was getting solid ground under its feet, so it hurts to see the plugged pulled on it.

But that said... I didn't see this as a mean-spirited way of bringing back the Critic. Undoing the awesome ending of To Boldly Flee? Yes, and that's a bummer. But I'm a fan of science fiction and fantasy stories; I'm used to things being undone and, honestly, I thought this was well done. Amazingly shot, loved the funny bits (Nella in the tiny car, LOVE!), and I was glad that he at least connected the end of Demo Reel to the start of the new Critic.

I know a lot of writers. My friends are amateur writers (all of us hoping to get published one day), I have one successfully published author in my family, and I follow a lot of writers online. One thing I notice is that, when people get really passionate about a character, they can describe it as the character taking on a life on its own. That's why I was so hooked on the Critic meeting his writer at the end of TBF, because I have heard writers talk about their characters telling them what to do and making demands on their story. I have not yet felt that way about any of my characters yet but I keep working on them and I hope one will speak back to me one day.

Anyway, my point being that this felt less like Doug being bullied into writing the Critic again and more like a nagging doubt wedged itself into his mind, that he missed the character, and the Critic spoke up to say that he wasn't done yet. At least that's how I'm reading into this.

And a lot of people think this has to do with whiny fans. I don't believe that to be the case at all. For all the people who were sad about the end of the Critic, I don't think many would say they disliked To Boldly Flee's ending. Doug had to know that was a hit and that people praised him. It all comes down to viewing numbers. Even if people weren't actively hating Demo Reel, they weren't watching it. I've talked with people online who dropped off after the second or third episode, and a couple who didn't even give the first episode a chance. Of my real life friends who watch Channel Awesome videos, only one or two were keeping up with Demo Reel. Even if people weren't saying it was horrible, they weren't flocking to it like the Walker brothers had probably hoped.

In the long run, they love what they do but this is still a business for them. They gotta do what makes them money. An author wouldn't keep writing books for a series if the series was bombing. They'd stop and try writing something else, looking for the hit. That's why movies that everyone says sucked but did really well in ticket sales for whatever reason get sequels (Smurfs, Chipmunk movies, Twilight) and stuff with huge fan followings that bombed get nothing (Firefly/Serenity). It's why crappy reality shows that everyone calls 'guilty pleasures' go on for seasons and seasons while actual good shows with compelling drama and characters get canceled after only one season.

Just my thoughts for you. I hope after a night of emotions running high, we can all take a deep breath and see where things go from here.

[emeriin.livejournal.com]

I remember Doug saying very recently that even if CA bombed, he would never regret quitting Critic when he did. Which you could say is selfish in a different way, but he's got to be aware that in public eyes, this makes him look like a hypocrite.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Ooooo ... well that sheds an interesting light on things.

This just gets more awkward with every minute.

[lit-wolf.livejournal.com]

That I did not hear. But even so, people can put a nice bow on something, proclaim it done, and walk away, only to suddenly want to do more and come rushing back. As it says in the video itself, maybe Doug and Rob were burned out from the crazy schedule, cons, and anniversaries that they thought they were done for good, took a break, and realized they still had more in them for the Critic. Didn't JK Rowling declare herself done with the Harry Potter universe after the last book but she came back to write that Tales of Beedle the Bard book?

But I do agree on one thing. Even if I'm trying to look at this in a positive light, it does look really... weird. Suddenly back-tracking after such a short run with Demo Reel, returning to something comfortable and familiar, especially when it sounds like the other reviewers aren't happy with his decision (why is that even? are they just disappointed that Doug didn't make it with his new direction or are they upset by his execution? that's the one thing I can't figure out). That's why I'm hoping a V-log might come about to explain things.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

But that said... I didn't see this as a mean-spirited way of bringing back the Critic. Undoing the awesome ending of To Boldly Flee? Yes, and that's a bummer. But I'm a fan of science fiction and fantasy stories; I'm used to things being undone and, honestly, I thought this was well done.
I disagree there. It'd be one thing if the Critic was coming back and he got spat out of the Plot Hole, or decided to un-merge or whatever from it briefly for reviews and go back to it in-between things, or the Plot Hole stabilized after almost a year and he could return to his show.
But no. His heroic sacrifice was made into a joke, "you never believed yourself capable of such a selfless act" and worse, his position of being one with the Plot Hole? That's Douchey McNitpick's job now. Any average joe or internet troll could take that job, no heroics necessary.
Ok, he's back ... ok, with view counts and him wanting to get back to a character he loves so much and spent so long playing, I get that. But why undo such a fantastic sendoff and twist a heroic sacrifice into a fake, selfish, bitter joke?

Anyway, my point being that this felt less like Doug being bullied into writing the Critic again and more like a nagging doubt wedged itself into his mind, that he missed the character, and the Critic spoke up to say that he wasn't done yet. At least that's how I'm reading into this.
I really hope that was it. It wasn't the whining fans who wouldn't let it go after MONTHS. It wasn't the trolls. It wasn't the low view counts for Demo Reel. And even if some of those things did factor into it, I hope it was more that he wants to go back to the NC.

For all the people who were sad about the end of the Critic, I don't think many would say they disliked To Boldly Flee's ending.
That's what's confusing me. I get that some people hated Demo Reel so I guess that's why Doug killed the cast off so brutally (literally making them disappear for the first couple minutes) ... but everyone was impressed with the ending of TBF. So why ruin it? That's what's giving me doubts, this feeling at the back of my mind that he made that video to lash out at all the complainers who wanted Demo Reel gone. "Well, it's gone now! But that heroic end for the Critic? That's gone too! That's what you WANTED, right? Look, I'm back as the NC, are you HAPPY now?" ... it just seems so bitter to me, is all. How can I be happy the NC is back when it comes at such a cost, and in such a mean-spirited sort of way?

Just my thoughts for you. I hope after a night of emotions running high, we can all take a deep breath and see where things go from here.
I want to be happy, but all I can think about is Donnie's tragic backstory, his past as a child actor and his mother, him coming back and driving away the SWAG guy all triumphant ... that's all gone now. They were all fakes. Donnie wasn't real, he was the NC in purgatory or something.
It's going to take me more than one night to get over this.

[emeriin.livejournal.com]

It's going to take me more than one night to get over this.

I have Conversion Disorder, an illness where upset translates into physical pain. So this really does fucking hurt, I've thrown up twice and my right side is numb. After having this for two damn years and Doug and co being the only distraction I have, I think I have every right to be pissed beyond belief at him.

[emeriin.livejournal.com]

Aw fuck, someone just compared it to John Smith and the Tenth Doctor in Human Nature/Family Of Blood. 1) Doug, you don't even watch Doctor Who, stop mimicking Ten so perfectly with your writing. 2) The comparison is so perfect and cruel that I'm gonna cry again. :(

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

"I just want to be John Smith."

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF -

Fuck it, LET HIM BE JOHN SMITH EVEN IF HE IS THE DOCTOR THE CRITIC! HE WAS HAPPY! HE HAD FRIENDS! DON'T KILL HIS FRIENDS STUPID SPACE PLOT HOLE!!!!

[emeriin.livejournal.com]

"Could you change back?"

"Yes."

"Will you?"

"No."

Congratulations Doug and/or Rob, I can't even say Critic had a more dignified response to death than a 900+ year alien anymore.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it just ... stings.

Part of me is trying to think this is some elaborate joke or twist he's building up to. I mean, it was shot so creepily, like he had a fight with a psychotic hallucination and had to be dragged and beaten down into going back to the Critic. It wasn't triumphant, it was bitter and reluctant and defeated. Maybe ...

... but no, I think this is for real, and it hurts, because why kill off the Demo Reel team so cruelly, why retcon the Critic's sacrifice, why make it all a joke just to get him back as the Critic when they could have done a million different things instead? Kept Demo Reel open as an option for the future, had the Plot Hole spit the Critic out or have him say "I can do an episode every other week, but the rest of the time I need to spend as the Plot Hole" or something? WHY?!

It hurts. I feel betrayed and confused and angry and upset and sad. I'm worried about the new NC episodes, will I enjoy them, can I enjoy them after this big retcon, can I ever trust this guy again?