User blog comment:Weavillain/My Nitpick w/ Leni Loud/@comment-4618045-20180417220313

Well, I figured you were expecting this sooner or later. So here it goes.

I agree with you on much of your argument, although (and this is probably due to my own bias) I blame that less on Leni and more on the show itself.

When you have a show with eleven main characters (plus Clyde, the parents, and occasionally RA) and you’re trying to Tell eleven-minute episode’s with a fairly rigid structure and consistent comedic tone, it can be hard to utilize all that you’ve got. As a writer, you have to make decisions not only on who should get the focus for episodes but also for how you treat any characters that may show up in the periphery. The problem becomes when you keep some characters in the background for too long or if you’re so caught up in keeping your episode’s story in eight parts of equal length (as described by the show writers in a Nick Animation Podcast) or if you’re compelled to throw jokes here and there and all over the place.

For some characters, I think it turns out wonderfully. Lori is a great example of this. She has so many episodes where the writers can show off all her good sides (and bad). And while her development isn’t immune to those writing constraints the Staff imposes on each episode, all that time in the sun does pay off. And I’m happy for Lori. And I’m also happy that you are having such a blast with all of those Lori episodes. I would never want you to lose enjoyment over whatever arguments I put forth here.

But Leni doesn’t have that luxury. She’ll get two (maybe three) episodes a season where she gets a considerable amount of time. And I think the shortcomings you put forth are largely due to the show’s treatment of her. They stuff her in the periphery for way too many episodes, meaning that most of the lines she may get have to be for comedy or endearment because to spend any amount of time being serious would take the episode out of focus. And as someone who loves Leni more than anyone else on the show, this is a frustrating experience.

Deep down, Leni is someone I sense has more to her than that. Way more than the show has given her even an inkling of credit for. There are some scenes where I see her talking or moving around and I think to myself “What if people saw me as only a joke?”. That’s the power a show (or one’s imagination) has the potential to produce. And it’s not like the show cannot go all the way. I believe that I can and if Lori’s transformation is any indication, it has an obligation to.

So when all is said and done, I agree with you. I don’t think I can disagree with you too much on how Leni is currently treated on the show. But because I see too much of myself in Leni’s actions (particularly the ones that aren’t intended to be interpreted that way), I cannot blame Leni’s character for it. I believe the show simply hasn’t done enough to show Leni for all the colors that she is. Either that, or my bias is getting in the way. Again.