User blog:Justsomeordinarydude/Snow Way Out (The Loud House): A Reaction.

Snow Way Out

An enjoyable and admirable little tale to say the least. Lana is among the more improved characters this season. While in season one some viewed her as a little bland, season two has blessed the character with numerous focal episodes which done wonders in regards to enhancement, development and likability (she was already a likable character to begin with, but her days in the limelight have served to make her more so). Lana undergoes a personal struggle in this story, as she convinces the other siblings to go to Burpin’ Burger with her in order to have a chance at winning a competition by finding a hamburger wrapper decorated with skidmarks. The reason Lana cares so much is she has a pipe dream of becoming a member of her idol, Bobby Fletcher’s pit crew. As the narrative progresses, it becomes clear Lana deeply values her goal and will go to great lengths to obtain and retain the hamburger wrapper. Of course, the plot, being the plot, has to throw obstacles her way, and when the restaurant is buried in snow, and only Flip has the means of helping them escape, Lana has to show the true strength of her character by surrendering her prize to the blackmailing businessman, as her companion Hops (oh look, another instance of continuity, as Hops first became her companion earlier this season in Frog Wild. Pretty neat!) was able to make her cognizant of the fact that her being hell bent on defying Flip’s offer and keeping the prize was making her inadvertently selfish, as her actions were inflicting suffering and hardship on the other siblings, who were all trapped, cold and in despair because of her. Upon this realisation, Lana immediately decides to give up her prize, in spite of how much it means to her, because she cares about the well-being of her family and puts their needs before her own desires. This is another instance of tasteful writing which paints Lana’s character in a positive light, and reflects on how Lana (or really, any siblings for that matter. Yes, even Lori, Lola and Lynn) will give up certain things which may mean a lot to them individually, if it means it helps their loved ones when they are in a problematic situation.

As the protagonist, Lana is a lot of fun in this episode. I really enjoyed her relationship with Hops, as they work together to achieve Lana’s goal, and share a number of moments, comedic and otherwise, throughout the episode. Hops was even the one to point out Lana’s wrongdoings and selfishness and enable her to come to her senses. The rest of the siblings had a few moments to shine as well. Lisa was the first to reject Lana’s idea of driving to the restaurant due to the presence of snowfall, only for Lana to manipulate her perspective by reminding her of the alternative meal option, which then prompts Lisa to instantly abandon her pessimistic and opposing attitude, and race into the car while calling shotgun. Leni has a moment when her simple-minded nature actually pays off, even if it almost causes Lana’s plan to fail initially. Leni mistakes the winning wrapper as a piece of litter, and goes to dispose of it, only for it to turn out to be the prize Lana was seeking, and Leni therefore inadvertently and unknowingly allowed Lana to win the competition, which was a moderately amusing moment. Lucy also gave us a funny moment when suggesting the siblings huddle closely to fend off against the surrounding cold (similar to how the leading group in The Big Bang Theory slept together with their warm bodies in contact as a means to survive the cold climate of the north pole when the power went out). Of course, when the siblings listen to her advice and begin to do so, Lucy humorously begins to regret this suggestion, as she is reminded how she doesn’t like to be closely huddled together with others, which is typical of her quiet, gloomy and introverted nature. John DiMaggio does a great job as the voice actor for the episode’s antagonist, Flip (think Bender if he were an overweight human with a business, and took a level in jerkass). Speaking of which, it was a pretty cool detail how Lincoln’s previous voice actor, Grant Palmer, made a returning appearance in this story, voicing the employee at the Burpin’ Burger. Bobbie Fletcher was also a pretty cool character, and she was fortunately able to give Flip at least a little taste of comeuppance by dumping some snow on his head after he successfully blackmailed the Louds for the competition wrapper and abandoned them in the cold, buried building until they surrendered to his demands. Her whole attitude and demeanour seemed to resemble how Lynn might be when she’s older, or maybe that’s just my interpretation. Of course, the happy ending she shared with Lana may be a little hollow and ineffectual when you think about it. Bobbie offered Lana a position in her pit crew when she turns 18. Lana is currently 6, meaning she must wait 12 years before she can realise her dream. By that time, Bobbie will likely have either retired from racing or be nearing the end of her career (sporting careers never seem to last an especially long time, as it becomes more impractical and dangerous the older the participants become). Still, at least the ending was still satisfying in the sense that Lana was able to receive emotional satisfaction from the events which transpired, as in her head at least, she is one day going to become a member of Bobbie’s pit crew.

All in all, this was a fun and slightly touching little story which served as another solid character piece for Lana Loud, who I would argue, has been the character most improved throughout season two, relative to how her character was regarded before it started.

'''Final Rating: 8/10. '''