Quote:
Originally Posted by Epic.
(Post 10533326)
I will save MacArthur and cut Samey and make her entire write-up about Josee
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1. Jacques and Josee
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20160306193826
Josee; the best fictional character/reality tv contestant of all time? I think so! She is the Makosi to my Daniel. The Charley to my Hayden. The Saskia to my RileyH. A perfect contestant, and when I watched RR in 2015 I was genuinely overwhelmed at how often she (& Jacques too</3) blew me away. For the longest time, I was trying to find the easiest way to summarize this, but I think what makes the Ice Dancers stand out for me above others is that over the course of 26 episodes, I can't think of a single line by them that isn't funny, dramatic or hugely affects the season in some way.
They also are my favorite villains. Lots of people like to judge antagonists just based on their actions, but I think how they act on the whole and how entertaining it is should also be taken into account. Characters like Alejandro or Heather or Courtney are always playing games, but the Ice Dancers play THE game if that makes sense. Their devotion to winning the season was always full of passion and comedy, and it was breathtaking to view even though it was all animated. I think why it works so well is how much of a balance between comedy and drama that was given. When The Ice Dancers are sore losers about something, you never know if it'll be played for full-on laughs featuring Josee hurling and destroying equipment while Jacques bursts into pathetic tears (<33333), or if it's gonna be actually quite sad and reveal stuff about them. Unlike the other antagonists of the show, The Ice Dancers aren't necessarily bad people. They were just raised from childhood to be the best they can be at competition, and it's taken a toll on any sanity they have, and as funny and goofy as they both are, there's always an air of tragedy you can see about them. With Jacques, he's very effeminate and easily offended about things, and him dropping Josee at the olympics and causing them to get silver means he's always on edge, and even slightly missing being the best brings back all the PTSD he previously had. Josee is even more hard to think about. If you pay attention to the dialogue, she paraphrases her forceful and even more abusive mother and the slogans she'd be saying; 'Bronze is the medal of FAILURE!' . They also give her other vulnerabilites like her claustrophobia, how she hates getting help, how her competitive ego overpowers her own proper judgment. She's a hilarious character full of passive-aggressiveness or full-on tantrum violence, but it goes deeper than that. She feels like a real person, not just some comic relief. Even Courtney and Heather, for as complex and well-written as they are, still always have this cartoonishness to them. And don't get me wrong. Josee and Jacques are super gimmicky, but they have a read-between-the-lines feel to them that I haven't seen in really any other characters.
But apart from the complexity of both, they're still hilarious every time on screen. Even after watching RR more than three times, I still scream at the unexpected chaos they have in pretty much every comedic moment on screen.
From dyfunction
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20161015235536
Quote:
"You mean like if someone held you above their head and dropped you face first on the ice in a stadium full of people? On the most important day of their life?! THAT kind of covered in bruises?!"
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To misfortune
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20161016211603
Quote:
"Bronze! It's the worst medal. The road to shame is PAVED with BRONZE!"
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To motivating each other<3
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20161018212507
Quote:
"SNAP out of IT! This is a competition! Our fans are watching! EAT THE PAIN! ...and smile!"
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The fact that they're so devoted to their fans and the cameras that they raise hands in victory even if they don't win
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20161018212715
Bonding over being cheeky pricks
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20170619104755
Quote:
"I nev-ar 'ad-a prob-lam with cheat-eeng...I 'ave a prob-lem being pen-al-ized for-it."
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To tolerating Don's heartbreaking abuse of them
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20161229171644
Quote:
"Ugh! What does DON have against us? Are we too talented? Too attractive? Too AAALLL of the above?!"
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To their heartwarming policeophobia against the protagonists of the season :joker:
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20161229200630
Quote:
"Ha! In your face, mall cops!"
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There's so many other things I hadn't even mentioned. The Ice Dancers were used in just about every possible role and excelled every time. Their rivalry with the Police Cadets is my favorite interaction in the show. Their comedy is constantly energetic when incorporated. They were used for a long number of storylines compressed within just 26 episodes; being cursed with not being able to win first place and desperately trying to re-claim it. Forming a reluctant alliance with the Police Cadets that they would inevitably break within the episode after<3. The redemption throughout the season that shows their inner struggles, like how Jacques motivated Josee to punch Kitty's flashlight while being claustrophobic, cheat, get a penalty and still get first place :joker::joker::joker::joker: , and the time Jacques had to sacrifice his hair to get rid of grease so his team could catch an emu was genuinely heartbreaking, cause it really shown how much they were willing to sacrifice to win. Truth be told I was actually quite sad when they were eliminated, because even though I predicted before the season began they'd inevitably get third (silver at the olympics, bronze in RR), it still shown how much it meant to them and how much it felt like they lost. They even decide to want to become better people... followed right by Josee drowning an innocent elderly woman in a fountain :laugh2: .
All in all, the Ice Dancers, particularly Josee, are still my favorite contestants/characters to ever grace my screen and I can never get tired of them. I challenge anyone rewatching RR to keep special attention on them because there's so many empowering and iconic moments that require hindsight to really enjoy, which can't be said for most characters, and mont and blurry are putrid COWS for what they did and i hope they know how silly they look now!
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20161020194533
oh i'm meant to do a samey write-up here.
samey is a bland, forgettable character who relies on her sister to be remotely interesting. The idea of a good and evil twin with one stealing the other's identity sounds like an interesting idea, but it being done in a 13 episode season with 14 contestants just makes the whole thing rushed for me. we're also meant to think samey is some sort of likeable character, but is she ever exactly nice? we're only meant to feel sorry for her, and that doesn't make for a rootable character. Their dynamic was pretty funny on rare occasions, but the only times I actually liked Samey were situationally where she did random **** like poisoning her sister, or the amount of drags her team always threw about her while she pretended to be Amy. But she's still an utterly mediocre character around far too long. Josee would frown upon such forgettability!
