User blog:Weavillain/POLL: "The Loudest Yard" & "Health Kicked": Is a "Versus" Really Necessary?

We just love to compare things, don't we? What is it about human nature that compels us to make parallels and contrasts between two or more items? Well, search me because I have no earthly idea. That's for a quick Google search or a Psychology college course to deal with. Today, I'm going to try and get in the meat of yet another somewhat popular comparison within The Loud House fandom; that being about the two episodes "The Loudest Yard" and "Health Kicked".

Now, I kinda saw this coming a mile away when the premise of HK first came out. Before it was announced, TLY was the show's go-to "exercise" episode. But with HK's premiere, the comparison between the two was basically inevitable. But this time around, a comparison seems a bit more...combative than usual. See, instead of simply trying to discover similarities or differences, the crux of the comparison seems to be about "(X) was (Y) done right/wrong".

Now, this is why I'm trying to discover if a "versus" is important. Should the episodes be compared in such a way, where it's argued if one episode "did its job" better or should they be viewed as their own separate entities? Well, in order for me to agree with the "versus" mentality, I'd have to believe that there are enough similarities to warrant a comparison of that nature. So, without further delay, I'm going to be making a list of both similarities and differences between HK and TLY and leave a final verdict about whether "versus" is necessary or unnecessary. I'll try not to nitpick and only make substantial points so if I gloss over something, it's either because I deemed it unimportant or human imperfection reared its ugly head.

I'm sure you'll be kind enough to point any faults without being abrasive, right? Right? I can trust you? No need for pinkie promises or anythig akin to that?

Well, if you say so.

Similarities

 * The irony: This is perhaps the most talked about similarity between HK and TLY and it's no surprise to see why. In TLY, Rita wants Lincoln to exercise because he's a couch potato that stays indoors and plays video games all day. In HK, this time, it's Lincoln who intiates the "get healthier" sentiment towards both his mother and father. The roles are reversed but ultimately, the situations are pretty darn similar.


 * Disaster cometh: Both episodes have negative consequences occur when the "oppressed" characters try to get out of exercising by trickery.  In TLY,  after agreeing to substitute for Lincoln, Lynn winds up injuring herself and when Lincoln has to play, he costs his team the victory by scoring on the wrong end of the field. In HK, after tricking their parents into beliving that they had made significant progress with their health, the kids are horrified to realize that they signed up for the Royal Woods Ultra Extreme Ninja Competition. Even though the costly ramifications aren't resolved in TLY, I still find this a worthy similarity to make.

Differences

 * The premise: In TLY, it dealt with Lincoln trying to get out of playing football by having Lynn do all of the work. In HK, it's more about the kids trying to get their parents to exercise and the parents taking their health craze too far, which inspires the kids to attempt to cool down their parent's enthusiasm. Now, the reason I find this to be a difference is because of the ratio between the moving but similar parts. In TLY, there isn't as much time spent on Rita trying to get Lincoln to exercise as the kids getting their parents to exercise in HK. The former is a means by which the plot is established while the latter, more or less, is the plot.


 * The moral(s): Despite both episodes having an exercise theme to it, I really don't think the episodes have similar morals at all. TLY's morals seem centered around not taking shortcuts and that deception can come back to bite in the worst way. In HK, it's way more focused on exercise, in that while exercise matters, moderation is what matters the most. Yes, you could say that both episodes have the "deception" moral but in TLY, the entire episode builds up to making that point, unlike HK.


 * Character motivation: In TLY, Rita's motivation isn't really explored. She just wants her son to get out of the house and exercise. In HK, the kids have the same motiavtion with their parents but it's taken further than that; they want to ensure that their parents live long enough to see them all grow up. The latter is way more sentimental than the former.


 * The importance of exercise: TLY doesn't really dwell on the importance factor that much. It's an episode that features exercise but isn't about exercise. HK is the opposite, so much so that the episode fails to hold up without all the different exercising aspects that the premise explored.

Final verdict
Now, before I lay it out for you, I'd just like to point out the elephant in the room, the fact that I'm trying to see if a comparison is necessary...by making comparisons. Well, again, this isn't about any ol' comparison. This is about the "versus" mentality; whether "X" did a better job than "Y" because they're both "exercise" episodes.

Well, if the last difference didn't do much to reveal my thoughts, than nothing else really will. That's right, I don't think that the episodes warrant a "versus" stance; they're both episodes that are independent enough to be left as their own thing. Yes, they do have their similarities but I think the differences are far more significant. I believe that "Health Kicked" isn't "The Loudest Yard" done right or vice versa because utlimately, they both convey different tones and messages.

Does "versus" make sense?

Yes

No