Is the cerebus rollercoaster ruining the flow of the series

*victory_angel* · 05-15-2015, 02:07 PM

Cerebus syndrome is a term that is used to describe the tonal shift between light and dark in the series. The term is derived from the Cerebus the Aardvark comic book series. ( A character that isn't a stranger to TMNT as their stories did crossover at times.)

A Cerebus Rollercoaster is what happens when the Cerebus syndrome shifts zig zags.

Typically nick releases episodes in groups of four or five and if one pays attention you can see a tonal pattern to each episode.

The first episode is always going to be the most lighthearted of the batch.

A good example of this would be the episode: Turtles in Time.
Is aired as episode 19 but stamped as episode 20.

The two-three episodes following this are a mixed bag
sometimes they give you what we expect which is either filler or drama. Depending on what the previews suggest.

Such as Mondo Gecko's episode pretty much being for the most part filler as we expected it would be. Though somewhat darker then the Noxious Avenger.

But other times they give episodes that throw you for a loop. Such as the preview offering dark drama and instead we get lighthearted fluff. Or we go into an episode expecting filler and we get something better.

An example of this type of episode would be the Clash of the Mutanimals where the preview shows Raph being mind controlled by the Shredder. And we wanted that to be a dramatic thing that impacted the team and instead it was over in 5-10 minutes.

The final episode is always the darkest of the bunch and offers a lot of the dark drama before we have a break and are ascended to a lighthearted high once more.

Do other people feel the show would be better if it just took more of a straight forward tonal shift to the story. Rather then buffering the dark intense episodes with lighthearted filler. Or are you fine with things as they are?

~~Amaranthus~~ · 05-15-2015, 02:32 PM

Maybe it has something to do with there being so many different writers.
I don't know, but it's annoying. I like this show, but I'd like it even more if every episode was as good as the finals.

*Jephael* · 05-15-2015, 02:48 PM

I find it amusing how people get so wrapped up in an animated series that's predominately made for children! We're not the target audience, okay? Get over it!!!

*CyberCubed* · 05-15-2015, 02:53 PM

The pacing of the actual show is fine, its just the way Nick airs new episodes that's off.

Once the series is completed and we can watch the series back to back there will be no problems.

~~Amaranthus~~ · 05-15-2015, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jephael

I find it amusing how people get so wrapped up in an animated series that's predominately made for children! We're not the target audience, okay? Get over it!!!

lmao what?

*Luckyday* · 05-15-2015, 02:59 PM

Depending of the subject matter, then yeah it can be really jarring. The Northampton arc being a complete departure comes to mind when thinking about this.

In my mind, when something horrible or traumatic has happened then there should be a backlash, repercussions or maybe hints of PTSD. Something at least show that they were effected. The only way for it to be okay with showing a light episode after previous one is to show closure.

A good example is Buried Secrets. When April went something heavy, Leo help her through and then she became okay.

A bad bad example is when April found that she is mutant and the show did nothing with that. Is she okay? We don't know! It's makes her look a stepford smiler that pretends everything okay but inside is a ticking time bomb of crazy. Also it makes other characters look like assholes when they're not broken about something. I am not asking for tears. I just want them act human rather then one dimensional stock characters.

There are more examples but that's my two cents on the topic.

*victory_angel* · 05-15-2015, 04:38 PM

They did do something with it about having April vaguely say she's special when Casey asks her how she is able to sense stuff.

So odds are that the Turtles are giving her the space needed to in order to come to terms with it on her own. After all learning that you were created by the very creatures that are making your life a living hell would be hard to deal with. And that isn't something you should pressure people into accepting.

The fact she just gives that vague answer just shows she doesn't want to own up that she isn't human...or at least part Kraang. Partially because she could be afraid that people like her father and Casey could reject her because of it. And also it means there is more to her story then we know at this part and it's a double edge sword with wanting answers and yet worried that she might not like the answers as they are given.

But she does let Donnie study her powers as a means of helping her understand them and knowing what extent they can go and in a way helping her learn to control them. So we have seen some development with them rather then leaving it as a Deos ex Machina

And as I have pointed out before when Donnie tells her she's a mutant, it's not that she is a mutant specifically. But it more he had no other way of describing what she is. I do have this theory that April isn't a mutant...but a neutrino and perhaps this plot can be brought even more into light when the Fugitoid comes into the show

*pennydreadful* · 05-15-2015, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jephael

I find it amusing how people get so wrapped up in an animated series that's predominately made for children! We're not the target audience, okay? Get over it!!!

There is no "target audience" - it's pitched at TMNT fans of all ages, both new and old. If that wasn't the case, they wouldn't have so many homages and references to old pop culture elements and past TMNT incarnations that kids today are waaaaay too young to get (or that newcomers to the franchise wouldn't be familiar with).

*Luckyday* · 05-15-2015, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by victory_angel

They did do something with it about having April vaguely say she's special when Casey asks her how she is able to sense stuff.

So odds are that the Turtles are giving her the space needed to in order to come to terms with it on her own. After all learning that you were created by the very creatures that are making your life a living hell would be hard to deal with. And that isn't something you should pressure people into accepting.

The fact she just gives that vague answer just shows she doesn't want to own up that she isn't human...or at least part Kraang. Partially because she could be afraid that people like her father and Casey could reject her because of it. And also it means there is more to her story then we know at this part and it's a double edge sword with wanting answers and yet worried that she might not like the answers as they are given.

But she does let Donnie study her powers as a means of helping her understand them and knowing what extent they can go and in a way helping her learn to control them. So we have seen some development with them rather then leaving it as a Deos ex Machina

And as I have pointed out before when Donnie tells her she's a mutant, it's not that she is a mutant specifically. But it more he had no other way of describing what she is. I do have this theory that April isn't a mutant...but a neutrino and perhaps this plot can be brought even more into light when the Fugitoid comes into the show

I guess so but sorta pisses me off that the writers never really gave real context on her thoughts and feeling meanwhile when they found out who Karai really was and when she slowly found, Splinter said somewhat "We need to allow her to accept it in her own time." out loud in the show.

Since Kraang Conspiracy was suppose to air before The Good, The Bad, and the Casey Jones it would seems more then likely of when April was just finish talking with Splinter right before turtles caught Casey, their conversation was probably Splinter comforting her since he would know exactly where she was coming from in trying to come to terms with being not strictly human.

I bet you anything that they had to cut out and make it off camera because it would been a huge spoiler alert even though the Kraang Conspiracy was suppose to show before The Good, The Bad, the Casey Jones, which is a shame since it was probably a very touching scene that showed the bond between them and maybe made feel closer then before.

But enough with my past grievance since I guess April finds that it makes her feel-I don't know-special and is interested in exploring her powers since it doesn't make her feel like nobody on the team. That's my head canon.

Anyway do you think it helps having some type of closure helps before watching a light and fun episode?

*victory_angel* · 05-15-2015, 08:48 PM

Like you said it depends on the episode and what they leave you with. Wormquake had a good ending and it followed with mazes and mutants was a good breather afterwards.

But with the Season two finally, we ended with the Turtles being homeless and orphaned. And on top of that their older brother was at deaths door and instead of having Drama with that, we instead are told three months have gone by since then. That is sort of okay because it was a season opener.

Still this next episode already has Karai poisoning Casey maybe April or maybe for a twist Murakami as she implied that the first person she poisoned died already. And it's possible that one of the Turtles could be poisoned as well. And we know if one of the Turtles is bitten by Karai it won't be Leo as he has had down time already.

But the next episode is actually episode 20 not episode 19 and we see the Turtles wondering about in their larp costumes. That isn't something one would expect they do after discovering that a person they have been trying to help has been brainwashed into serving their greatest enemy and is out for their blood.

*Luckyday* · 05-15-2015, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by victory_angel

Like you said it depends on the episode and what they leave you with. Wormquake had a good ending and it followed with mazes and mutants was a good breather afterwards.

But with the Season two finally, we ended with the Turtles being homeless and orphaned. And on top of that their older brother was at deaths door and instead of having Drama with that, we instead are told three months have gone by since then. That is sort of okay because it was a season opener.

Still this next episode already has Karai poisoning Casey maybe April or maybe for a twist Murakami as she implied that the first person she poisoned died already. And it's possible that one of the Turtles could be poisoned as well. And we know if one of the Turtles is bitten by Karai it won't be Leo as he has had down time already.

But the next episode is actually episode 20 not episode 19 and we see the Turtles wondering about in their larp costumes. That isn't something one would expect they do after discovering that a person they have been trying to help has been brainwashed into serving their greatest enemy and is out for their blood.

Man that is just weird pacing, but I guess this might mean that the episode ends on a positive note for Karai?

I know that might be a long shot.

05-15-2015, 02:07 PM	#1
victory_angel Foot Elite Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ca Posts: 3,108	Is the cerebus rollercoaster ruining the flow of the series Cerebus syndrome is a term that is used to describe the tonal shift between light and dark in the series. The term is derived from the Cerebus the Aardvark comic book series. ( A character that isn't a stranger to TMNT as their stories did crossover at times.) A Cerebus Rollercoaster is what happens when the Cerebus syndrome shifts zig zags. Typically nick releases episodes in groups of four or five and if one pays attention you can see a tonal pattern to each episode. The first episode is always going to be the most lighthearted of the batch. A good example of this would be the episode: Turtles in Time. Is aired as episode 19 but stamped as episode 20. The two-three episodes following this are a mixed bag sometimes they give you what we expect which is either filler or drama. Depending on what the previews suggest. Such as Mondo Gecko's episode pretty much being for the most part filler as we expected it would be. Though somewhat darker then the Noxious Avenger. But other times they give episodes that throw you for a loop. Such as the preview offering dark drama and instead we get lighthearted fluff. Or we go into an episode expecting filler and we get something better. An example of this type of episode would be the Clash of the Mutanimals where the preview shows Raph being mind controlled by the Shredder. And we wanted that to be a dramatic thing that impacted the team and instead it was over in 5-10 minutes. The final episode is always the darkest of the bunch and offers a lot of the dark drama before we have a break and are ascended to a lighthearted high once more. Do other people feel the show would be better if it just took more of a straight forward tonal shift to the story. Rather then buffering the dark intense episodes with lighthearted filler. Or are you fine with things as they are? __________________

05-15-2015, 02:48 PM	#3
Jephael That whack job behind you Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Carlisle, Pennsylvania Posts: 8,143	I find it amusing how people get so wrapped up in an animated series that's predominately made for children! We're not the target audience, okay? Get over it!!! __________________ "I like it. Simple, but effective!" Raphael; The Mean Machines - 1988

05-15-2015, 04:38 PM	#7
victory_angel Foot Elite Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ca Posts: 3,108	They did do something with it about having April vaguely say she's special when Casey asks her how she is able to sense stuff. So odds are that the Turtles are giving her the space needed to in order to come to terms with it on her own. After all learning that you were created by the very creatures that are making your life a living hell would be hard to deal with. And that isn't something you should pressure people into accepting. The fact she just gives that vague answer just shows she doesn't want to own up that she isn't human...or at least part Kraang. Partially because she could be afraid that people like her father and Casey could reject her because of it. And also it means there is more to her story then we know at this part and it's a double edge sword with wanting answers and yet worried that she might not like the answers as they are given. But she does let Donnie study her powers as a means of helping her understand them and knowing what extent they can go and in a way helping her learn to control them. So we have seen some development with them rather then leaving it as a Deos ex Machina And as I have pointed out before when Donnie tells her she's a mutant, it's not that she is a mutant specifically. But it more he had no other way of describing what she is. I do have this theory that April isn't a mutant...but a neutrino and perhaps this plot can be brought even more into light when the Fugitoid comes into the show __________________

05-15-2015, 08:48 PM	#10
victory_angel Foot Elite Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ca Posts: 3,108	Like you said it depends on the episode and what they leave you with. Wormquake had a good ending and it followed with mazes and mutants was a good breather afterwards. But with the Season two finally, we ended with the Turtles being homeless and orphaned. And on top of that their older brother was at deaths door and instead of having Drama with that, we instead are told three months have gone by since then. That is sort of okay because it was a season opener. Still this next episode already has Karai poisoning Casey maybe April or maybe for a twist Murakami as she implied that the first person she poisoned died already. And it's possible that one of the Turtles could be poisoned as well. And we know if one of the Turtles is bitten by Karai it won't be Leo as he has had down time already. But the next episode is actually episode 20 not episode 19 and we see the Turtles wondering about in their larp costumes. That isn't something one would expect they do after discovering that a person they have been trying to help has been brainwashed into serving their greatest enemy and is out for their blood. __________________

05-15-2015, 02:32 PM	#2
~~Amaranthus~~ Banned Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: West-Flanders, Belgium Posts: 1,815	Maybe it has something to do with there being so many different writers. I don't know, but it's annoying. I like this show, but I'd like it even more if every episode was as good as the finals.

05-15-2015, 02:53 PM	#4
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 43,838	The pacing of the actual show is fine, its just the way Nick airs new episodes that's off. Once the series is completed and we can watch the series back to back there will be no problems.