User blog:Weavillain/My Top 5 Most Overhated TLH Episodes

Originally, I wanted to start this topic as soon as Season 2 wrapped up but rather than do that, I'm going to do it right now. Why? Well, the thing is, I wanted to strike while the iron was hot, so to speak.

Panned episodes are really starting to become all the rage lately. It seems that, instead of simply going along for the ride, it appears that nowadays, episodes are nitpicked to death and are lambasted to high heaven because of it. I guess you can say that it all started with "Brawl in the Family" and ever since, anything slightly resembling that episode's formula, no matter if the context fits with what's being compared or not, will get bad marks all around. But if I'm going to be honest, episodes on this list will have pre-BitF status so that won't fit the bill all across the board. Whatever the reason an episode might appear on this list for, keep in mind that the following things are how rational, not insane people believe when it pertains to dealing with dissenting opinions: Did you get all of that? Hopefully, you did. If not, expect me not to take you seriously from this point forward, whatever that's worth to you.
 * 1) The person perpetrating them are not, I repeat,  are not meanie-weanie pants who want to make you feel bad. They have opinions just like everyone else.
 * 2) If your first instinct is to lash out and resort to logical fallacies and/or name calling as a counter argument, keep in mind that all you're doing is displaying a lack of maturity, an abundance of insecurity, and most importantly, the inability to engage in a meeting of the minds, which is something that no fallible human being should ever want. After all, we all have something to learn.
 * 3) I am right and you are wrong. Deal with it.
 * 4) In case you didn't realize, that last point was a joke.
 * 5) Agreeing to disagree is perfectly okay. You don't have to seek to change a person's mind.

Now then, before we move on, I want to clarify what "overhated" means in relation to this blog. Let's start with the basics; what does it mean for something to be "overhated"? Well, as the word implies, something that's "overhated" gets too much flak, meaning, its infamy is undeserved.

Okay, so now that you got that, what does it means in relation to this blog? Well, let's get a few things cleared up: Alright, so now that I believe we have everything covered, it's now time for us to count down...
 * Just because I believe something is "overhated" doesn't mean I think the episode is good.
 * Whatever I deem "overhated" is not a call for reconsideration of opinion. Basically, if you hate the episode, hate away all you want.

But before I jump on in, I want to give you a couple of episodes that I considered for the #5 spot but ultimately decided to put them all in a (dis)honorable mentions list instead. So, without further ado, here it is:

*cues theatrical fanfare that 20th Century Fox would be jealous of*

 (Dis)honorable Mentions:  I won't explain why I have them as dishonorable mentions unless you really want me to since I want to focus on the main five.
 * Lincoln Loud: Girl Guru
 * Raw Deal
 * Making the Case
 * Come Sale Away

And with that, we begin this list with #5:

 5. Brawl in the Family 

Let's not get anything twisted here, folks. This episode was bad. I mean, really bad. First of all, and worst of all, the premise of the episode has to be founded upon the fact that Lincoln Loud, despite living in the Loud house for all of his life, has no idea what the "Sister Fight Protocol" is. I just...can't wrap my head around that. It completely breaks my suspension of disbelief to think that someone like Lincoln isn't aware of what the SFP is. I get that every character should have their flaws and all but there's having flaws and then there's a complete dissonance between what's expected and what is (a completely skewed, nonsensical) reality. For instance, if I've been getting coffee for my boss every morning at work for fifteen years, you can't expect me to not be aware of what kind of sweetner he likes to put it in.

That's, like, a complete slap in the face of what one of Lincoln's roles in the show is: the trusty tour guide. Through his eyes, we learn about what goes on in the frantic family of thirteen. For him to not be aware of a family ritual, that resolves around dissipating sibling tension, is not one I can agree with.

That, in my eyes, is what the episode should be hated the most for the most but for reasons I'll get into in just a little bit, it's not.

The other reason why I'm not fond of this episode was that...it was kinda boring. First, they fight. Then, they fight some more. And then Lincoln tries to get involved. And then they fight. Then fight again. And, oh boy, more fighting. And then, after the boring resolution at the end, we get even moooooooooooore fighting.

How exciting (read: mind-numbingly boring). Like, the entire episode was just fight after fight after fight and I understand that that was the whole point but if the conflicts aren't engaging, why should I care if they happen?

The final reason why I personally dislike "Brawl in the Family" is because the reasons the plot drags any further is utterly contrived. Leni and Lori, after resolving the conflict themselves, are back at it again. The sisters at the end, after resolving the conflict themselves, are back at it again. Why? Because Lincoln Loud's brain decided to take a vacation to the Bahamas at an all expenses paid beach resort while the episode's events ensued. For whatever reason, he thought that blabbing off inflammatory comments, that the sisters made about each other behind their backs, would totally not incite rage. And it happens not once but twice. Like, holy chipotle chicken on a stick, how stupid do you have to be to think that that wasn't going to do you anything but absolute harm? It's a blatantly contrived excuse to make the episode happen and with a contrived premise already in plays, it only amplifies how frustrating this episode is to watch.

So, with all of that being said, how on Earth can I turn around and saw that it's "overhated"? Well, remember, just because I think an episode on this list is "overhated" doesn't mean I think it's good. Still, even I think "Brawl in the Family" gets more hate than it deserves. Why? Well, it all falls into the following reasons: And with that, ends my reasoning. Let's be clear, "Brawl in the Family" was bad and I wouldn't disagree at all about it keeping the title as "worst Loud House episode" ever. However, even I think that this episode had a few bright spots to be praised for. It's bad but not irredeemably bad.
 * The mean-spirited humor actually works in some cases: Mean-spirited humor, especially if it targets Lincoln, will often, for a lack of a better word, trigger some of TLH fans into a fit of indignant rage, often with the claims that "they took things too far" or "the writer has deep, psychological issues" or, and this is my personal "favorite", "Lincoln did nothing to deserve it". Well, to that I say, I disagree in all three sentiments. First of all, this is a whimsical cartoon. How characters deal with situations and react to said situations are going to be exaggerated from what we should expect from reality. That's the whole point. This also means that things won't necessarily be "fair". Sometimes, someone will take a whole foot for and eye but again, that's kinda the point. Second, and most importantly, Lincoln did have some of what happened to him coming. Had he simply butted out and not tried to do anything, Lori and Leni wouldn't have been at each other's throats and his other sisters wouldn't have to intervene to make things right. I didn't see this as "torture" (dictionaries are your friend, people), I saw it as a form of comeuppance for snowballing the ensuing brawls to the stages that they eventually get into. Therefore, I found it amusing in a few places, namely when Lincoln got thrown out of his room. Plus, it's really not as bad as people make it out to be. It's just...not. I've seen "Squidward torture". Even if we want to call this "Lincoln torture", this came nowhere close to what that kind of torture is. Besides, all the "torture" (seriously, people, Merriam-Webster can do much more than be a handy coffee cup coaster) has a purpose. Unlike "Squidward torture", the mean-spirited humor is done for reasons that don't revolve around hoping that there's a respectably sized audience that finds it funny. What happens to Lincoln is supposed to drive him to take the next step and thus, advance the plot and we see that once he puts his foot down and decides to defy the "Sister Fight Protocol". Thus, it's not only funny but also necessary.
 * The Aesop has validity: If the humor still doesn't do it for you, fine, but I do think that there's something to be learned from this episode. Sometimes, we really should just butt out and let a situation resolve on its own. We may feel compelled to lend a helping hand but there are cases where our hands aren't needed. We don't need to be Mr./Mrs. Fix-it-All.
 * Lisa's innocuous but vilified pieces of dialogue: What I am referring to is what Lisa says to Lincoln at the end of the episode; that Lincoln fixed everything by leaving the house. Now, for whatever reason, some fans looked at her words with a deeper meaning: that Lincoln was a nuisance who only made things worse and that everyone was better off without him. Like...no. Just...no. I can't even begin to describe how much wrong there is involved with that train of thought. Lincoln, whether we like it or not, was largely responsible for everything going into chaos. He was the one who insisted on defying the "Sister Fight Protocol" and the stern advice not to stick his nose where it didn't belong and he wouldn't listen, this starting the chain of events that ultimately lead to his and everyone else's inconvenience. Since he was the only one that wasn't willing to play ball, of course him leaving would solve everything. Lisa wasn't expressing her disdain for Lincoln. Rather, she was simply stating the only disagreeable variable to harmony (Lincoln) being out of the way, let everything resolve. I really don't think we need the world's smallest violin for this one.

If you disagree, big whoop, wanna brawl about it?

4. No Such Luck

Welp, if the last entry didn't make some of you rush to your local gun stores, buy a ton of ammunition and weapons, and furiously scour the Internet for my home address so you can violently "teach me a lesson", this one will. And to that I say, I hope you have a good lawyer and for your sake, you better hope you can get past the Doberman I have in my front yard. He's trained to take down crazy on sight.

Anyways, before I begin, I have to say that again, I agree with people who say that this was a mediocre episode. It's not as bad as "Brawl in the Family" but it is close. And ultimately, the reason I believe it is because the majority of the episode is not funny. It's just not. And no, it's not because the humor towards Lincoln was mean-spirited. It just wasn't funny.

"But wait, what's all?" you might wonder. "You don't think the episode was too mean-spirited? You don't think the family are full of demonic creatures from the third circle of hell? You don't think that child protective services need to be called about the momentary plight of a fictional character?"

Uh...no. Not at all, in fact. In fact, I think that Lincoln deserved to be at the brunt of it, if anything. Maybe not to that degree but I'm not going to pretend that Lincoln is innocent. The episode's beginning emphasized how the Louds' always looked forward to being their for their siblings big outings/events. And Lincoln didn't want to partake in that. Bit selfish there, aren't we?

"But wait," you might object, "just because Lincoln wanted some time to himself doesn't make him selfish at all!"

Well...yes and no. No, nothing's wrong with wanting some alone time but keep in mind that Lincoln is not the only one who is compelled to support his family. All his sisters do so and do it with smiles on their faces and with no reluctance at all. Again, it's not selfish to want some alone time but when it comes down to having some down time or supporting your family, wanting to do the former instead of the latter doesn't reflect to well on you.

But, that's the only reason I'm not starting a telethon for poor "wittle Wincoln". The bottom line is, he dug his own grave. Yes, Lynn was the one who started the "Lincoln's bad luck" spiel but Lincoln ran the ball with it and did a majority of the purporting, which involved breaking Lori's golf clubs. Yeah, if we're going to start applying real life implications and consequences to cartoon gags, why hasn't that gotten any hate? Did we just...forget that the destruction of property, just to feed the narrative that lets you act selfishly, is a little more than unlikable?

Anyways, with all that said, the main reason that I'm placing this episode here is that the depravity of morality is misconstrued in several areas. What do I mean by this? Well, let's start with with I feel to be guilty fan misconstrusions: Is it any wonder now why I have this episode on here? Like, I get not enjoying the mean-spirited humor and all but there's that and then there's imagining things that simply aren't there. It's almost as if those people are trying to make what they watched worse for themselves for some reason.
 * The Louds showed no remorse about what they were doing to Lincoln. This is despite Mr. Loud expressing some regret about having to leave put his son in a bad spot multiple times.
 * Lincoln was never apologized to despite everyone saying that they're sorry at the end.
 * The family still doesn't believe that Lincoln isn't bad luck and force him to wear the mascot costume at the beach. This is despite Lincoln literally saying that his family thinks he's not bad luck anymore and that they think he's good luck as long as he's wearing the squirrel outfit.

But, really, I digress. This is why I have this episode here. It's not funny, sure, but I don't think that Lincoln deserved to be scot-free here. I also didn't have much complaints over the mean-spirited humor besides it not being funny. But, the real kicker was that I see fans hate on this episode for things that didn't actually take place.

I've tried to "inform" some people about the latter but ultimately, I was out of luck.

 3. Making the Grade 

So, let's not get it twisted, "Making the Grade" wasn't anything to write home about, although I think that this episode was at least funny. Overall, it was decent. The thing is, once again, we have mean-spiritedness under fire from TLH fandom yet again. This time around, unlike "No Such Luck", I think it's both funny and well-deserved. Why? Lincoln wanted his sister to chance who she was just so he could have an easier time at school. And I guess that might raise a question:

"Well, what's he supposed to do? Just take his friends' cold shoulders?"

Yes. That's exactly what he should do. Sticking up for family > having fairweather friends. Besides, it's not as if Clyde was among that hateful group. They just consisted of background characters whom we've had no real connection to. Am I supposed to feel like this is some sort of tough decision on Lincoln's part, that he just couldn't go one day with Liam's favor? If you couldn't tell, I'm rolling my eyes here.

So yeah, Lincoln deserved to get yanked around a little here and yes, that's exactly what the episode does. The mean-spirited gags are pretty tame, at least compared to the #4 and #5 on this list, yet the pitchforks and torches are still raised high and most of it is because of one gag. Which one am I talking about? The van gag. It consists of Lincoln being kicked out of Vanzilla and Lori driving away. This all happens within the span of LESS THAN FIVE SECONDS.

'Are. You. Kidding. Me? '

Really? We can't even have a < 5 second gag occur without vitriol? Really? Unless the show got changed to "Cuddlyville with a Side of Rainbows and Glitter", I don't see why this should come off as shocking or appalling. It happened in less than five seconds but more than any gag that happens, that's the one that gets the most flak.

Besides the humor, another reason I think this episode is "overhated" is the reception of Lisa's character. Some say she came off as unlikeable for putting Lincoln in tough spots with his family and friends. Personally, I didn't mind and thought it it fit Lisa's character well, to humorous results for me, of course. See, what makes Lisa's character work is that she plays into the "immoral scitentist" mold. They pursue the adcancement of science and curiosity over emotion and morality. Sometimes, it's comeplling and other times, it's unlikeable. For Lisa Loud, it works because she's a four-year-old and as we all should know, younger children struggle to come to terms with right and wrong and need parental guidance to help them make the right decisions until they can do so for themselves. Yeah, Lisa is a genius but having brains isn't exactly the same as having a high moral compass. We see this with Leni in "One Flu Over The Loud House". She's as dumb as a bag of rocks but constantly wanted to help her sick family instead of leaving them to the wolves like the much smarter Lincoln did.

So, to recap, I think that once again, the mean-spirited humor gets too much hate, especially a nearly five second gag, and Lisa was under unwarranted amonuts of derision.

All in all, even though this episode is nowhere near good, it's at least a C-.It didn't make the grade to be considered among the best but it did do well enough to make it to #3 on this list.

2. The Sweet Spot

So we're finally moving onto Season 1 territory and if you're a long time fan of this show, this episode doesn't need much introduction. This was perhaps the most hated episode in its day but now that the show has moved on, its received less negative attention. Still, I don't see anyone moving this episode out of their "Least Favorite Episodes List" anytime soon and I really, really don't get why.

This episode was, to me, actually good. Now, you know why i have this episode this high up. The previous entries were, if they were lucky, decent in my eyes. But this one, much like the #1 spot, are good episodes in my book. Why? Well...
 * It was *gasp* funny. I really enjoyed everyone fighting over the sweet spot, seeing Lincoln try to dupe his sisters so he can get it, how Lincoln's sisters found out about Lincoln's plan, and how they didn't seem to learn their lesson at the end. I liked the latter aspect because I find it true to life. We can often forget important aesops just as quickly as we learned them when we're confronted with a situation that's not quite like what we learned to avoid but similar enough for you to say "Did I really just do that?" once you messed up.
 * Lincoln was delightful. We see Lincoln Loud at his best, using his wits to try and get ahead in the world. It was an enjoyable experience seeing him so cunning and having his sweet spot planned out after so many months of hard work. That's my favorite aspect of Lincoln's character.
 * The guilty get punished. Now, I've seen complaints about the sisters getting away with being jerks while Lincoln always "suffers" but this is one episode where everyone gets what they deserved. They all acted selfishly and duked it out over a car seat and as a result, they all had to learn to get along with each other one the couch.

So, with all of those strong points going for it, I can't really see why this episode gets so much hate? Is it because everyone involved were jerks? Well, yes but that doesn't make them unlikeable, it makes them...*cups hands around mouth* '''CHARACTERS! '''

No one is perfect and perfect characters are boring. No conflicts are boring. See where I'm going with this? This is a show that is lauded for bring grounded and relateable so why on Earth are family squabbles where we draw the line? Personally, I've seen sibling quarrels over the most petty of things and that was between two brothers and one sister. Imagine how much you'd see scenarios like "The Sweet Spot" in a large family. It makes sense for episodes like this to pop up and once again, no one got away with their bad behavior. In fact, they got off pretty easy since they destroyed the family car.

But, with all of that said, this episode doesn't get the sweet spot at #1. Oh no, that one goes to...

1. It's a Loud, Loud, Loud, Loud, House

This episode has a lot of things going for it. Like the #2 entry, this episode was funny. Constantly seeing the sisters lose it was hilarity on ice for me, especially since it meant that they'd have to get scolded by their parents and forced to get back to work cleaning up. But what separates it from that entry is that, unlike "The Sweet Spot", everyone learns their lesson at the end and get rewarded because of it. And of course, we get to see Lincoln at his best as the peacekeeper that he is on the show. Just goes to show that when the chips are down, he's the one that has to knock some sense into everyone's heads. It all makes for a really good feel vibe since we see everyone coming around at the end.

So, why would this episode be hated? Again, from what I see, it's because Lincoln's sisters are jerks to him. Well, okay, I'm not saying that's a good thing but honestly, like I said before, I like conflict. I like when characters are at odds with each other, especially when that conflict has a good resolution, which it did in this episode. I repeat, this is not "Cuddlyville with a Side of Glitter and Rainbows" (I had to switch the order of glitter and rainbows because I found out someone already came up with that name first and I'm trying to avoid copyright). Family can and will fight but with a family that loves each other, it's extremely poignant to see them rise above their petty disputes and work as a team, which is exactly what happens.

So, again, what's to hate? The fact there wasn't enough touchy-feely? That the characters acted like fallible human beings and not boring Mary Sues with no personality like Chloe from The Fairy Odd Parents?

Pssh, no thanks. I'll take my flawed but interesting characters over a consequences-free, no conflict, Teletubby utopia of snooze-inducing plots where everyone is a hippy flower child that holds hands and acts nice to each other all the time.

It'll be a long, long, long, long, time before you make me ever co-sign that type of cartoon.

 Conclusion:   And that's a wrap and unlike the ones who get at Subway, you can't eat it. Let me know what you think in the comments section but don't forget to take your mild-manneredness with you. No need for flames (or at least unfunny flames) or misinterpretation of what I'm presenting, please.