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

Snow Way Down

While not the strongest episode of the season, it was a fairly solid way to end season two. While Clyde is one of those characters who I have quite frankly already seen enough of at this point, I’m actually willing to admit I was pleasantly surprised with how well his character was represented in this story. I guess Clyde’s usual annoying tendencies were toned down, as well as overshadowed by the fact that the vices of his parental figures were on display and were much more extreme than his own. Had I posted predictions of the two snow themed episodes beforehand (yes, I know, I didn’t post any predictions, but honestly, by the time I would have got around to it, it would have been less than a day before the episodes were scheduled to air, and quite frankly, that just wouldn’t be worth it), I would have likely stated that despite having seen enough of Clyde as well as narratives focusing on the Clincoln McCloud duo enough this season, I was looking forward to the episode mainly because of the presence of the McBride parents, who have been somewhat underused until this point. That being said, while I appreciate the writers attempting to give Howard and Harold some more screen time and focus, I must be honest… I found their representation and general behaviour in this story to be quite grating at times.

While I understand the entire purpose of the plot was to demonstrate the overprotectiveness of the parents over Clyde, and then have the main duo react to the problem this presents them with, that still doesn’t change the fact that towards later portions of the story, it became a little irritating and insufferable. At first, some of the efforts by the McBrides to ‘protect’ Clyde and Lincoln were moderately humorous, such as how they put them in stiff suits which meant they needed 15 minutes just to urinate, or when they not only placed the kids inside a roll of bubble wrap, but then even went to the trouble of making them use the sledge on a flat surface by somehow removing the hill they were supposed to use to slide down. However, as these shenanigans continue, the enjoyment for watching these antics unfold begins to decline while the level of annoyance it generates begins to increase. At least, that was my experience, anyway. Perhaps the worst gag of the episode was the recurring joke of Howard fainting at even the mere mention of something which could be perceived as dangerous or risky. Think of Clyde’s nosebleed and fainting ‘gag’ whenever he encounters Lori. It’s a similar effect with Howard, here. Harold is a little less over the top than Howard with his overprotection and overly worried mindset, but he still partakes in the overprotective efforts nonetheless. To weigh against all that, however, it is only fair to point out that the episode does manage to redeem the parents in the end, as they do begin to overcome this vice of theirs and decrease how suffocating they can be towards their son. Harold and Howard, after witnessing Clyde courageously and independently save them from being stuck atop the Ram of Insanity while protecting himself from potential harm (as it turns out, their overprotective habits caused Clyde to automatically make himself crazy prepared for dangerous situations, which actually cleverly highlights a strength of their vice of being too protective), finally decide to lighten up on how much they take care of him, as they agree their efforts were going too far, and letting Clyde do some things for himself without interfering and restricting his affairs too much would be the rightful course of action. Of course, this appears to be a slowly proceeding work in progress, if the final scene is any indication, as Howard still uncontrollably fainted when Clyde was engaging in mildly dangerous activity with Lincoln, and they will have a tough time adjusting to this new approach to raising their son. But then again, that is the plausible outcome of a story like this. After all, change is not sudden and absolute. Most often, it is a slow and gradual process which continues over time.

Besides, while the protective tendencies of the McBrides could be viewed as vexatious or tiresome, its presence and focus within the plot did lead to some of Clyde’s best material in the show thus far. Had I have actually posted predictions on this episode beforehand, I would have estimated Clyde would likely be the weak link in the story, but on the contrary, he turned out to be its greatest strength. Considering Clyde is often seen as a waste of space and a generic Milhouse Expy by so many fans, and some of his character faults (such as his timidity and reactions towards the mere presence of Lori, and his hopeless crush on her, as well as his redundantly identical personality and interests to Lincoln) are criticised to a great extent, it is refreshing to see the character shine so strongly in this story. He actually comes across as rather badass (at least, compared to his usual standards) in the climax when saving his parents and best friend. Lincoln also functions as a serviceable supporting character in this story, as he is the one who must make Clyde realise the problem relating to the type of relationship he shares with his parents, and why he needs to take a stand and become less restrained by their interference and take some chances in life, by himself.

Ultimately, it was a mostly fun and worthwhile piece of animated television. Nothing special, but a solid way to end the season all in all. It had a few problems, was a little generic of a plot and was by no means especially noteworthy, but it had some merit. The ending was satisfying as the parents learned to (for the most part) overcome their most prominent vice, while Clyde had one of his coolest moments in the show so far. Now season two is over, my next submission will be a quick summary of season 2 as a whole (and will also touch on some other things…).

'''Final Rating: 7/10. '''