fanis01

This game takes me back, it was one of the few PS2 games I had as a kid, and I've never actually gotten around to finishing it. Until now.

To start with the good, for a simple Zelda clone, this game is actually a lot better than one would think. The world is expansive and varied, challenges are usually interesting, and the lore is actually kind of varied. There are books scattered around everywhere that have useful information, like about Motes, Petpets, or how to get past that stupid Endless Staircase that stumped my entire family on how to do it until we just looked it up online.

On top of that, if you play the game properly and upgrade your equipment frequently, you actually can feel yourself getting more powerful. I really noticed it with Roberta, at first I thought that she was just not that useful in combat, but as I upgraded her wands I noticed that she was getting much more powerful, to the point where I think I actually used her more than Tor in Hero's Rest.

It's kind of a game that got better the further I got into it, like in Act 3 as I was doing all the side quests, and the entirety of Act 4, I was much more into this game than I was with the first 2 Acts. To the point I would almost say this is a good game... Almost.

It does have a few flaws, most of them minor, like some annoying enemies, some side quests that aren't really that easy to complete, and some level design not being that great, but there is really only one major flaw in this game that does keep me from calling it "Good", and that's the camera. The camera will get stuck on everything, it literally drags across the floor when you need to aim at something above you, and does become a major pain in less open areas.

That being said, all the effort put into the tiny details do make up for it, like how the luck system works, or how different effects can clue you in to what element your enemies are aligned to and therefor what mote to use, and even the Cursed effect making some enemies impossible to defeat. The amount of effort put into this game is respectable, dare I say even admirable. For something that could have just been a cheap licensed cash grab, they put a lot of care and effort into this game, and while it sucks it's not a better game, the fact that it's not a bad game is pretty amazing.

Nitro Rad, in his video about this game, which full disclaimer inspired me to actually play and finish it, brought up the potential of a remake, and I think that would be cool. Update the visuals, fix the camera and few other smaller issues, and I genuinely think this would be a good game, potentially great even. Maybe NeoPets isn't as big as it once was, but I think this game has some potential to be more, so I can't help but say that I do in fact recommend trying out this game.

Also, to anyone else who has played this, did you also ship Tor and Roberta?

I could probably stop there because most people know that the 1001 X before you die books are... I'll be generous and say stupid. Honestly, they're kind of good as like, reference books or even just a starting point if you want to get into things like comics, movies or video games... though that last one is definitely less so. Honestly, I do agree that these books are dumb and kind of pointless, I will also argue that only doing 1001 and not having extra parts or something like that is kind of limiting, like what happens after we somehow manage to finish all 1001 entries? However, 1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die has a very unique issue... it's a bit of a mess.

They don't just keep this to comics books, they have newspaper comics, manga and graphic novels, magazine comics, I'm pretty sure they only don't have webcomics because the book was written by old people. Really, almost every kind of comic is in here, Underground, super-heroes, comics based on cartoon characters, manga, comics that became graphic novels, like, I get it, "comics" covers a lot of ground and there are a lot of things that qualify as "comics" out there, I mean, if we want to just restrict it to comic books, what we consider a proper "Comic book" not a graphic novel, only dates back to the 1930s, while graphic literature as a whole dates back even further. That being said, it is still really weird to go from a page about Paul Gillon's "The Survivor" which features a cover art of what appears to be a woman and a robot getting intimate, and then read about Bill Waterson's "Calvin and Hobbes" on the next page.

They also have some weird entries, like they just have an entry for "Mickey Mouse"... okay, any specific stories or issues? They do this a lot with some comics, they just give you the name of the comics and leave you to it, the most egregious examples are the entries for Superman and Batman, literally just being Superman and Batman, not Action Comics or Detective Comics, nor "Action Comics no. 1" and "Detective Comics No. 27" It's the same with Plastic Man (Police Comics No. 1) and Wonder Woman (Sensation Comics No. 1), and for a bunch of other superheroes. Like, do they want me to read all of the Batman comics? Starting from 1939 all the way to now? Or do they just want us to read the Batman comics starting from 1940, which has 713(ish) issues, that one does make more sense, but they aren't clear, especially when they show the cover to "Detective Comics", I know I'm sounding like a massive nerd here, but this is exactly the reason I, and a lot of other people, have found comics to be to esoteric to get into.

I think the weirdest entries for me, has to be the Tintin comics, there are five Tintin comics in this book, which is a fair number, there are a lot of Tintin stories that are worth reading. They include, "The Blue Lotus", "The Castafiore Emerald", "The Secret of the Unicorn", "The Seven Crystal Balls", and "Tintin in Tibet". Question; Why do you have "Secret of the Unicorn" and not "Red Rackham's Treasure"? Or "Seven Crystal Balls" and not "Prisoners of the Sun"? I mean, "Tintin in Tibet" is a good comic, but I wouldn't put it in place of either of those two. I guess the idea was that, because "Secret of the Unicorn" and "The Seven Crystal Balls" are both clearly part one of a two part story, it would be a given that readers would pick those books up next. If that's the case, why not make them share an entry? You can do that, you are writing this book, you can cheat if you have to. It's like if they did the same in the 1001 albums book, and gave two entries to System of a Down's Hypnotize and Mezmerize, like, no... they can share an entry.

As usual though, stuff that is missing is also pretty weird. Like, they have Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Popeye comics in this book, but they decided that other comics based on cartoons and TV Shows beyond a certain point just weren't worth it, so there is no Simpsons comics, no Buffy comics, no Dr. Who, no Muppets or Fraggle Rock, I dunno, I think it's weird that they wouldn't toss some acknowledgement to some of these franchises that do have a following.

I think though my biggest problem is that it's just inconsistent, again they have an entry of "Mickey Mouse" and "Batman", but when it comes to Uncle Scrooge, no they can just throw in two or three issues, and Don Rosa's "The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck", I'm sorry, why are all the Mickey Mouse comics apparently worth reading, but only two Uncle Scrooge comics, specifically "Only a Poor Old Man" and "The Second-Richest Duck"? Why not "The Midas Touch"? why not "A Gal for Gladstone"? why not "Odd-Ball Odyssey"? Why only have "Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life" and not the entire series? Why have "Usagi Yojimbo", but not "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"? Like, what are the choices that went into this? Why do some comics get to have the full series in the book, and others don't? Was it really hard to think of one more comic that you had to split up the Uncle Scrooge entry into only two comics?

As for comics I would have included? For Newspaper Comics, I'd say "Pearls Before Swine", "The Far Side", maybe "Pooch Café" I do like that one. For graphic novels and Manga, "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time", genuinely it's a fantastic manga, it's a two-parter but it's really good, you can also throw "Majora's Mask" in here since it is a direct sequel, and it condenses the game's plot so nicely. "Anya's Ghost" would have qualified, it was a Summer 2011 release, so it just barely makes the cut. For graphic novels that were published afterwards, "Nimona", it was originally a web-comic, but you can pick up a physical print of the book, so bleh. "Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands", a bit of an uncomfortable read, but a solid one. If we do want to qualify web-comics, that is a list in and of itself, but I like "Cyanide & Happiness", and I'd also go with "Erma", "Pixie and Brutus" and maybe "How To Be a Mind Reaver". As for other comics, "Super Mario Adventures" I believe those were originally published in Nintendo Power, "The Simpsons", if I had to pick a specific story, "The Battle for the Barks' Billions", speaking of Barks, there are easily a bunch of Uncle Scrooge comics I'd add, but for other duck comics, Topolino's "Gladstone Gander and the Solitude of the Four-Leaf Clover" is an absolute must read, you can find a translated scan online. I'm a big fan of Squirrel Girl, so maybe one or two of those comics, and maybe a SpongeBob Comic or a Sonic comic.

If anything, the 1001 books are really good discussion pieces, genuinely, I like talking about these books, their faults, their right-choices, their odd-choices, their purpose, their worthlessness, the stuff they missed, like it's all just really fascinating stuff to discuss. I dunno, what do y'all think? I just wanted to spout about this book.

I would like to start this post with a question; What do the following movies have in common?

Star Wars, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Alien, Back to the Future?

If you guessed they were all of the same genre, you would be correct, because even though one is a fantasy movie, one is a shoot 'em up action movie, one is a slasher horror movie, and one is a comedy movie, they are all science-fiction.

You know how a lot of people are making the argument that "Animation is not a genre", well a lot would argue that being animated does not give a movie a set of tropes and clichés to work with, other than being animated. For example, Coraline is an animated film, but it has different story beats and tropes than something like Cinderella, another animated film. Coraline is a horror movie while Cinderella is a fairy tale fantasy movie. Honestly, I think the same can be said for Science-Fiction movies.

When you think of a genre, you usually think of movies that define the genre. When you think of comedies, you might think of The Hangover, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Clerks, Spaceballs, Modern Times, movies that defined comedy. Think of action movies, you may think of First Blood, Fight Club, Die Hard, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Goldfinger, The Avengers, again movies that defined what an action movie was. You can't really do that with Science-Fiction, because when you think about the movies that defined Science-Fiction, what do you get? Let me list off a few movies I think define the Science-Fiction genre.

1. Star Wars - A sword and sorcery western fantasy film

2. Frankenstein - A Universal monster horror film

3. Alien - A slasher horror film

4. TRON - An action adventure film

5. RoboCop - A satirical bloody shoot 'em up action film

6. Terminator 2: Judgement Day - A shoot 'em up action film

7. Avatar - A fantasy war film

8. Iron Man - A superhero action film

9. Godzilla - A Kaiju monster film

10. Everything Everywhere All At Once - A... geez... a Dark Dramedy? Dark humour and family drama?

Ten movies, right there, all Science-Fiction and yet all other genres.

Now you may be asking, "Okay, but you just listed many more descriptors, so does any genre label still apply?" And the short answer is yes, they still do. You can cross genres over, like The Crow, a Superhero Horror movie, or all of the Road Trip comedy movies, which are adventure comedies, or you could just make The Princess Bride, which is like... action/fantasy/romance/comedy, The Princess Bride is one of my favourite movies.

A genre label is a generic way to tell the audience what type of movie they will be seeing. An action movie will have a lot of fighting, they may be gun fights, they may be fist fights. A comedy will try to be funny, they may be using slapstick comedy, gross out comedy, satirical comedy or it may be a farce on something popular or prevalent in culture. A drama will try to be serious, maybe it's a crime drama, maybe it's a courtroom drama. A fantasy movie will be full of magic and non-realistic things, maybe it's sword and sorcery, maybe it's fairy tale, maybe it's Shrek. A Horror movie will try to be scary, maybe they'll be scary with zombies, monsters, serial killers, giant monsters, bodily harm, or maybe they'll just make it a very atmospheric horror. A science-fiction movie will be a movie that has fantastical elements that can be explained with technobabble. That is all, the only Science-Fiction movie I can think of that I wouldn't really give any other label to is Metropolis, but silent films are different from many modern films, so even though it is a great movie, I wouldn't use it as a counter to this argument.

If a genre label is supposed to be a descriptor of what we'll see in a movie, than what does Science-Fiction really tell us? Are we gonna get a Sci-Fi comedy like Back to the Future? Maybe a Sword and Sorcery movie that's set in space, like Star Wars, or maybe we'll get a slasher flick in space, like Alien, pray to god someone who was uncomfortable at the sight of excess blood and violence didn't get tricked into watching RoboCop, love that movie, but I get that it can be a bit much.

Ultimately, the Science-Fiction label tells me as much as the "Animation" label does, and if we're going to argue that Animation is not a genre, we might as well also argue that Science-Fiction is not a genre. It only tells us what we'll get on a surface level, fits way to easily with other genres, and looses a lot of respect because people only ever see it as one genre, and that goes for both animation and Science-Fiction.

Tragedy is a large part of the art of storytelling, and the "Tragic character" is often one of the most loved characters in media. The tragedy can range from a little girl who left her home trying to find the family of a little star, only to lose her own family in the process, or a warring family, whose feud cost them the lives of their children. The great tragic characters are the ones we sympathize with, and often wish to see them overcome their tragic situation, but by that token, would the greatest tragic figure, be someone who doesn't even seem to be tragic? We don't see it from their perspective, we see it from someone else's. So, I have to ask, is there any better tragic character, than Gladstone Gander?

From the outset, Gladstone Gander may not appear to be the most tragic character in Disney Comics. He is the luckiest duck in the world, never has to buy anything, never has to earn anything. He always faces his day with a smile and a vibrant green clover, which puts him in contrast to his cousin, Donald Duck. Donald is down on his luck more often than not, he is often in debt, and he is often at the receiving end of a scorn by his Uncle Scrooge. Donald may seem like the more fitting tragic character, but when you look at the lives they lead, Donald may actually have a better life.

Donald does sometimes feel like he's not good enough, there are a couple comics that follow the "It's A Wonderful Plot" trope, where Donald ends up wishing he was never born, and gets shown that world. In one story, Huey, Dewey and Louie are in an orphanage where they're constantly bullied, Daisy is in an unfulfilling and romanceless relationship with Gladstone Gander and Scrooge McDuck has no friends or family to celebrate with. Donald often feels unloved and unappreciated, but take a look at what he has. His nephews, whom he stepped up to raise when his sister got lost in space. A romantic partner, who despite their arguments, still loves each other deeply. Scrooge even considered Donald his favourite nephew, and endlessly tires trying to instill his values into the lad. Donald may be envious of Gladstone's unnaturally good luck, but Gladstone could also be envious of what Donald has.

In one Topolino story, Paperinik and the (un)lucky Holiday from Topolino 3377, Gladstone admits to Duck Avenger that his luck sometimes pushes people away, whereas Donald has the affection of his Nephews, and the love of Daisy. These are what he doesn't have, and why he envies his cousin, because he doesn't feel like he can change how it is. Granted, this is a quick and dirty translation, so it may not be completely accurate, but other stories do highlight the kind of tragedy Gladstone lives with, and two stories in particular highlight this in two different, but significant parts of his social life, his love life, and his relationship with his family.

In A Gal for Gladstone, Gladstone is upset that Scrooge trusts Donald with important work while he gets overlooked. That is until Magica De Spell takes away Gladstone's luck, and disguises herself as a woman named Matilda to get Gladstone romantically interested in her in an attempt to steal Scrooge's number one dime. However, Magica ends up getting feelings for Gladstone, culminating in the climax of the story, where she has to reverse her magic to save Gladstone from falling, but it ends up revealing her in the process. The last panel of the story is a full page image of Gladstone sitting by the river he took Matilda, holding a single flower and lamenting, and he says; "Trouble is I feel like I got just a taste of something I'll never be lucky enough to find again."

This tragedy has seeped its way into the fandom with MagicStone, a fannon pairing with Magica De Spell and Gladstone Gander, and no writer really emphasizes the tragedy of this relationship more than Sarah Jolley. Sarah Jolley, also known as ModMad, is a Tumblr user, known for the comic "The Property of Hate", but they've also made a series of Unofficial Duck Comics, predominantly focusing on the relationship between Gladstone and Magica, but of all the comics with these two, none highlight the real tragedy of it like "Enough Time to Fall''.

In this story, Magica has gotten a hold of Scrooge's dime and is close to melting it in the fires of Mt. Vesuvius. However, Gladstone Gander just happens to be around and takes the dime from Magica. Magica makes Gladstone fumble, and after a snide comment, Gladstone has had enough.

"No... Let's talk... About Matilda."

The two argue about that one day, and after some choice words, Magica takes Gladstone's luck away. After Gladstone almost falls into the volcano, Magica runs in to save him, and returns his luck. After reaching safety, the two admit that a relationship would never have worked, in part due to their families. However, the final panel is a full page, with Magica depressedly hanging her head out the window, and Gladstone telling Scrooge that Magica has feelings. In the previous panel, Gladstone says he sees other people feel the realization that they can't win, and that he didn't want to be cruel to Magica. Although unofficial, this story highlights Gladstone's tragic love life. Daisy is in love with his cousin, and it would never work out with Magica. However, even more tragic than Gladstone's love life, is Gladstone's family life.

In a two part story called "Gladstone and the Solitude of the Four-Leaf Clover", Gladstone overhears his cousin Fethry talking to Donald about him, and learns that they're avoiding him. This breaks him, and he decides to leave Duckburg, depressingly asking for a one-way ticket to the countryside and ditching his identity. At the start, he is hesitant to make friends, he knows his luck can turn other people away, but eventually, he gets roped into activities by some people in town, and he finally has real friends, but at the end of the first part, Grandma duck recognizes him and in part 2, his friends are mad with him. He lied to them about who he was, and they're not happy with that, nor his true identity. While all of this is happening, Duckburg is dealing with the worst storm it has ever seen, and everyone is attempting to evacuate, until Gladstone Gander shows up. He realizes he can use his luck for good, and uses it to stop all the misfortune that has befallen Duckburg. He's a hero, and for a brief moment, he is loved, he is the good luck charm of Duckburg, and as everyone leaves him once more, he now knows that he can never leave Duckburg for long. He sadly heads back home, content to fall back into his empty life and routine.

Then the phone rings. "The Solitude of the Four-Leaf Clover'' ends on a happy note for Gladstone, his friends in the country forgive him, and welcome him back to visit anytime. The final panel takes up a quarter of the page, and features Gladstone and his new friends sitting around a small table, laughing.

What does it mean to be lucky? We all look at other people and think "That guy must be lucky", or "There goes the luckiest woman in the world", but really, that is all luck may be, something we see in other people. Gladstone is a reminder to us all, that while other people may seem to never have misfortune upon them, that doesn't mean they're happy. Gladstone lives an empty life, and he knows this, what's worse is it seems nobody else does. Sure, Gladstone has the fancy prizes and endless good fortune, but he doesn't have the love and admiration of his family, nor a steady romantic partner. There are not too many people in his life he feels like he can really talk to about this, either. He told Duck Avenger because he had no clue that it was really his cousin Donald he was talking to, and while Fethry may always listen, he may not always understand. All Gladstone wants is a normal day where nothing special happens, where he has the friends that are turned away by his luck. All of this highlights the main difference between Gladstone and Donald, both are tragic characters, with their own hardships and trials, but Donald can always overcome his trials, if he needs money, he can always turn to his Uncle to find work. If he needs company, he has a selection of friends he can spend time with. What does Gladstone have? If he needs money, he'll find fifty dollars on the side of the street. If he needs company, someone will be near him, but they won't be his friend. Donald is allowed to get mad and be angry, because people will understand why he is, but if Gladstone expressed himself to the wrong person, they'd laugh at him. After all, how could someone so lucky be so miserable, and this is why Gladstone resonates with a lot of people. Because it's interesting to explore this side of the character, the tragic side that everyone around him ignores. This is why I believe that Gladstone Gander is the greatest tragic character in Disney history.

Personal Notes: I had this in my head and I wrote it out a few days ago. I'm thinking of turning it into a video for my YouTube channel, but we'll see how that goes. I really enjoyed exploring the more tragic side of Gladstone Gander, exploring how his luck can be more of a curse than a blessing. There is a lot of comics with Gladstone, so I don't think I've even scratched the surface here. When I sent an ask to ModMad about how they'd like to be addressed in this write-up, they sent me a link to a bunch of different duck comics if I needed any inspiration with this so if you're curious and want to get into these comics, here are some good ones to check out; https://modmad.tumblr.com/post/162896379525/duck-comics-links

Hands down, one of my all time favourite television shows has to be Fraggle Rock. Not only is the puppetry really good, I mean this is the Jim Henson team so it was always gonna be superb, but the writing is top notch. It was not afraid to showcase some really heavy subject matter for young kids, and it never talked down to them. Throw in a literal buttload to catchy songs, likeable characters and some excellent performances from everyone involved, and I'm honestly surprised that this show isn't as beloved as Sesame Street or The Muppet Show. Why is that? Fraggle Rock is one of the best children's shows, puppet shows, 80s shows and Jim Henson shows and I want to celebrate it, plus there was also that reboot/remake that happened not too long ago and I should have celebrated it's premier but I didn't think about it, so... Here are my top ten favourite Fraggle Rock episodes.

10. "The Doozer Contest"

This was one of the first episodes I remember catching on TV, so even though it has one of the more, err, simple morals of the show, I do have a soft spot for it. In this episode, Flange Doozer and Modem Doozer get into an argument about what part of their new experimental tomato extract and mustard powder doozer sticks the Fraggles loved the most, (Ketchup and Mustard ha) this causes the Doozer community to get into a competitive spirit, Flange and Modem's kids even get into a physical altercation. I really like how Flange's wife tries to talk him out of the competition, and considering he was the one that initiated the challenge, it is interesting for them to take this direction. In the end, it's all down to the wisest of Fraggles to decide which additive is better, and the Fraggle they pick is Wembley, which is hilarious on its own. Yeah the moral is pretty basic, and the song is not the most memorable, but I have a soft spot for this episode, and it is always nice to see more Doozer lore in the show. Maybe not one of the best episodes, but I couldn't leave it off the list, want to argue, than I throw down my helmet and welcome you.

9. "Gone But Not Forgotten"

This episode means a lot to a lot of different people, especially to those in the LGBTQ+ community, so while it isn't high on my list, I could not leave it off. Wembley takes his first solo hike but ends up falling and meets an interesting and friendly new creature named Mudwell, however, when Wembley tries to befriend Mudwell, his friendly demeanor becomes very rude, which of course hurts Wembley's feelings, and the reason why he became rude, his lifespan is short. This isn't the first episode of the show to talk about death, but this is the first one where a death actually occurred, Mudwell didn't want Wembley to be upset, but in the end, Wembley is still with him. This episode is also very strong because it tied into the HIV/AIDS crisis, which really hit close to Richard Hunt, who lost friends during that time, and eventually lost his own life to the virus in 1992. Even the song in the episode, "Just a Dream Away" is very emotional and full of allegory about the circle of life and death. This episode means a lot to a lot of people, and it would be wrong to exclude it from my list, it ain't high on mine, but I still love what it stands for.

8. "All Work and All Play"

This episode was the first to really dive into the Doozers, one of the three non human species that tie the world of Fraggle Rock together. While Doozers are builders and workers by nature, one Doozer, a young Cotterpin Doozer, would much rather draw and have fun. After running out from a ceremony where she was suppossed to take her helmet, she decides to run away and live like a Fraggle, and she happens to find one of the most active and energetic Fraggles she could, Red Fraggle. Unfortunately, while they try to find common ground, the truth of the fact is that Doozers are not Fraggles, and Cotterpin goes back to her home almost in shame. However, there is a light at the end of this tunnel, I won't spoil the ending, but I will say that it's both a nice ending for Cotterpin and a fascinating bit of Doozer lore. This episode gave us a lot of new information about the Doozer species, we see their home, we learn about their culture, we even learn a bit about their history and their legends. A fascinating episode that gave us a new look at some of our favourite little green men.

7. "The Bells of Fraggle Rock"

This is Fraggle Rock's only main Holiday special and it not only gives us some lore about Fraggle traditions, but it also has a very interesting message about faith. Gobo begins to feel that the Fraggle's holiday, The Festival of the Bells, is just a waste of time, and decides to put meaning back into the holiday by finding the great bell, and Cantus the Minstrel follows him. I'm just going to give you all a heads up that I am going to spoil the ending to this episode so if you want to watch it without known what's coming, here's your chance to skip to the next entry.

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When Gobo gets to the Heart of Fraggle Rock, he finds that there is no Great Bell, and yes, the real Great Bell was the bells they had all along. However, Gobo learns the true meaning of the celebration, and in some way the true meaning of faith, as Cantus tells him that the bell was possibly never there, and it won't be there in the next celebration, but that is not what matters. It's a very interesting take on the subject, and tying it in with the Winter Solstice and Christmas, just makes it stronger. I haven't really talked about the Doc and Sprocket "Home Base" segments but this episode has some of the best, as it's just Doc and Sprocket exploring different holiday traditions from around the world, it just gives it that warm and sentimental feeling during the coldest of times. If you put this episode on, there's a promise that you're going to love it.

6. "Let The Water Run" / "A Friend in Need"

I'm putting these two episodes together because they both have the same strengths, in that they both show how much our main group of friends really care for each other.

Let the Water Run is the earliest episode, and shows just how connected the Fraggles, Gorgs and Silly Creatures are, Doc turns off the water in the workshop, which means the recently drained Fraggle Pond can't be refilled, which means the Gorg water supply is dried up. This is especially bad because Red Fraggle was planning a swimming show. Gobo believes, after reading a postcard from his Uncle, that a special tool can be used to solve the water supply problems, a special tool that can summon water from the sky, an umbrella, Uncle Traveling Matt's segments are interesting and funny, it's like the prototype of those aliens understanding human concepts comics. Anyway, Red, being the stubborn Fraggle she is, tries to get the Umbrella, but just can't do it, and asks Gobo to help her. It's a cute episode that not only shows the theme of interconnectivity, but also shows what the Fraggle Five are willing to do for each other, even if Red is a bit stubborn. Plus, Red kisses Gobo and they are totally my OTP.

A Friend in Need is a bit different, as Sprocket ends up getting stuck in the Fraggle Hole and needs to be unstuck. Gobo tries to get some Greaseberry leaves from the Gorg's garden, but ends up getting caught. Where Let the Water Run shows the friendship between Red and Gobo, this episode shows the friendship between Gobo and Wembley, as Wembley and the others believe that Sprocket ate Gobo, and Wembley is not very happy and full on tries to attack Sprocket. In the end, Gobo is able to get Sprocket unstuck, and we see that Sprocket and Gobo begin to be on friendlier terms with each other.

Overall, both of these episodes show the relationships these characters have to a cute, charming and lovable degree. Check 'em out.

5. "The Thirty-Minute Work Week"

This was the first episode of the show to be produced, but the fifth one to air. It's really fascinating to see just how well they understood what they were doing and nailed the show on it's first production. This episode goes into Fraggle culture, particularly their culture behind work and jobs. Every Fraggle has some task they do on the daily, Gobo is an explorer, Red tends to the water, Mokey gathers radishes, and Boober does laundry. Wembley however, doesn't have a job, and his friends encourage him to find one. This includes showing them their jobs, and even getting tough with him. However, in the end, Wembley chooses a job and his friends are by his side to encourage him. It's amazing when a show's first production can really nail the tone, feel and quality of the rest of the episodes, TAKE NOTES MODERN TV SHOW MAKERS!

4. "Junior Faces the Music"

We've seen that every other species in Fraggle Rock has their own tradition, Doozers have their helmet ceremonies, Fraggles have the Festival of the Bells, but we haven't really seen a lot of the Gorgs. We've gotten bits of their legends and stories, but not a lot about their traditions. Well, this episode showed us a very special Gorg tradition. Junior Gorg wants to play the Royal Kazoo, but his father is a bit apprehensive of the idea, and that's because if Junior doesn't play it right, he has to be banished to the swamp for a hundred years. However, with the encouragement of a shadowy Cantus, and on the best songs in the entire show, (seriously why isn't "Ball of Fire" on any of the original soundtracks?) Junior will play the Royal Kazoo on the night of the Blue Moon in front of five Fraggle Witnesses. It's a fantastic episode that really does show Junior's eagerness to be king, how much his family does care fore him even if they don't always show it, how interconnected the Gorgs and Fraggles really are, and so much else. It's a great episode, and it has one of the best songs of the show, seriously give us a release of all the music of the show guys! Please!

3. "The Gorg Who Would Be King"

We all have those moments where we thought we really wanted something, but then when the time comes we aren't sure if we're really ready for it. Throughout the series, Junior has been eager about being the next Gorg king, but now the time is coming that he might actually become king. According to Gorgic tradition, when the last leaf of the Nirvana tree falls, the new king must take the throne. Junior decides to eat the last leaf on the tree, so that it technically never fell and he wouldn't have to be king. However, this ends up shrinking the Gorg prince, and he has to see the universe he is next in line to rule from a different perspective. The final season really went all in about the theme of interconnectivity and unity, and this episode is probably the best example. While shrunk down, Junior learns his place in the universe, and where he fits in amongst the Fraggles and Doozers. It's also interesting that they paired Junior Gorg with Wembley, who has had a history with the Gorgs since the first season, seeing Wembley stand up for someone else is always a treat, he may be indecisive, but he knows it's always right to stand up for his friends. I don't want to spoil the ending, but the final shot also strengthens the theme of the show. It's a perfect showcase of the show's core themes and a look into more Gorg tradition, it's practically perfect.

2. "The Honk of Honks & Change of Address"

Yeah, another tie, but in my defense, these two episodes just go together. These were the two final episodes of the series and they could not have ended this show on a better note.

Honk of Honks is probably the most blunt way of getting the shows themes across. Cantus wants to make the "Song of Songs" but to start it, he needs "The Honk of Honks" and assigns Gobo to find it. However, Gobo is more interested in the new discovery that the Silly Creature Doc can't see him. However, Gobo does figure out that to find the Honk of Honks, he needs a honking device from everyone around the rock, the trash heap, the Doozers and the Gorgs, but it still is not enough. After some explanation, Gobo learns that to finish the Honk of Honks, he has to touch the Silly Creature. This entire section of the episode is one of the best moments in Fraggle Rock, and I'd argue in any kid's show. Doc learns that his friend, the often heard of but never seen Ned Shimmelfinny, has to move away because of a health concern. This news really gets to him, and to Gobo, who gives Doc a sympathetic pat. This, finally reveals Gobo to Doc, and the entire scene is so well done, it could have made this episode this high on the list on its own.

However, this episode is followed by "Change of Address", where Do and Sprocket have to move because they decided to be with their friend Ned. They ask Gobo to come with them, but he declines, and after going to the Trash Heap for some advice, she wants Gobo to tell them that they cannot leave the magic, but it seems to be too late, Doc and Sprocket have left. However, Gobo realizes that the Trash Heap never said Doc should not leave the magic, just that he cannot. The ending of this episode, is topped off with everyone singing the Fraggle Rock theme, and it's one of the more emotional moments of the show. The perfect encapsulation of everything this show was about, all of it's themes, messages and concepts are perfectly shown in the one moment, and it's the end of the series. I think Fraggle Rock really excelled where similar shows have struggled, this was the perfect way to end the show. What could top it?

1. "Marooned"

Yes, the seventeenth episode of the first season is my favourite episode of Fraggle Rock. From the outset, this episode doesn't seem like anything special. The fraggles are planning a surprise party for Boober's birthday, in order to pull this off, Mokey tasks Red with distracting Boober by taking him on a hike. This however, gets them trapped in a cave in, and they must get rescued. Yeah, from the looks of it, this isn't really any special episode, or is it? Every episode prior to this has been a standard kids show affair, granted they've been really good kids show affairs, but even the more tense ones like "The Terrible Tunnel" and "Don't Cry Over Spilt Milk" wouldn't be out of place on other kids shows. "Marooned" is the first episode that really shows what kind of show Fraggle Rock is, it is a show that does not talk down to its audience, it is a show that treats them with respect and it is not afraid to go into some dark and heavy places. Sure, they've hinted at this with some episodes, but nothing will make your heart sink like Red saying that they are running out of air, and asking what it's like to die.

"Marooned" was the episode that could have been a disaster, it could have completely ruined the show, but it was done so well, that it is kind of the perfect episode. The previous entry focused on the episodes that showcased the themes of Fraggle Rock, but this episode perfectly sums up what Fraggle Rock is, it's a show that was not afraid to take itself and its audience seriously. Just thinking about Red and Boober's conversations while waiting to be rescued, thinking about them bonding, keeping their spirits up with a song, even giving up hope. Kids shows have gotten a lot more serious with their audiences and do expect them to take some heavy themes and subject matter, and I think a lot of it can be traced back to Fraggle Rock. Think about it, the turmoil of Steven Universe going through his crisis of identity with the Crystal Gems who are going through the trauma of war, Dipper and Mabel having to decide whether to trust their Great Uncle and if he really is who he seems to be, Scrooge McDuck admitting he was responsible for the disappearance of Huey, Dewey and Louie's mother, would we have these moments if it wasn't for Fraggle Rock? Would we have those iconic moments and stories if not for Fraggle Rock going all out and have their characters asking about the nature of death?

Marooned is not just my favourite episode because it's well written and offers some depth to two of our favourite characters, it's my favourite episode because it meant something for the show, and for children's show in general. It broke barriers, it danced our cares away, and it is my favourite TV Show of all time.