Clone High

Try hard humor at its floppiest. So much of it is referencing the high points of the original that it feels like it has nothing new to say. What the writers might have had to say, surely they were too afraid to go there. I feel like Ghandi got them in so much trouble back in 2001, that the whole experienced has been stifled by the fear of being cancelled. This new reboot is full of jokes, but none of them land. The new characters are just milquetoast archetypes that other shows have done better. Frida Kahlo is a nice touch, Confucius is almost as capable as a watered down replacement for Ghandi, but still the whole thing feels stifled, bereft, and empty. Do yourself a favor and rewatch Another Period, maybe even drunk history. Everything this show tried to do this go around has been done better elsewhere by a mile. Just finished the first three episodes this morning and I want my time back.

I really don't think it's as bad as everyone is making it out to be, but it does lack a lot of the charm the original had. I don't entirely hate the concept of modern commentary and they definitely could do interesting things with it, but I think they're leaning too hard into it here. I'm sorry but I don't think there's any show out there that can reference TikTok without making me feel put off. The use of modern terms is also a bit overabundant for my liking, and even confused at points. You do get the tightly-written comedy of Phil and Chris here, but the rapid fire delivery gets overwhelming at times.

Aside from the narrative direction, there's also the elephant in the room -- the character design. The only new characters that actually look like the historical figure they're supposed to represent is Frida and Columbus, and at least you could tell what their characters are like upon first glance. The others feel noticeably flat and rely heavily on the voices and script. Most of them already appeared in the original show, I don't understand why they couldn't have just used them as references. As the show went on I got more used to them though and they definitely grew on me.

Overall, I can't lie, it's been a fun watch so far. It's not exactly like the original show, but I didn't really expect it to be. The only thing it really needs to do for me is slow down the pacing, dial back the modern elements a bit, and flesh out its new characters more. It's far from a misstep, but it does need some time to gain its footing.

The twenty years belated reboot/sequel to the cult cartoon series Clone High is dominated by a single question. Why? Why reboot it? What is the function of this reboot? The Dawson's Creek teen dramas the show was originally satirizing are now a thing of the past, and the edgier humour must be cut out or skipped over, so why even revisit it at all? What's even more galling is that outside of its fundamental pointlessness and some lame "how do you do fellow kids" gags it's actually pretty solid, Scudworth and Mr. B are still very strong as a duo and in one episode they even give up all pretence, ignore all the new characters and just do an episode about the two of them. It's awkward. I'm now raising both my hands, open, palms upward, looking imploringly.... "why?"

I have very mixed feelings about this long-awaited revival season. On one hand, it's nice to FINALLY see this wonderful show be continued after all these years post-cancellation. The show makes the effort to continue right here the original left off, with a clever way to bridge the time gaps between the two seasons in real time with a very funny time-skip montage. The new characters are decent at varying levels, and some storylines and jokes are done well. Particularly episode 9 with Mr. Butler-Tron. That episode was surprisingly heartfelt and very engaging. And I appreciate the new jabs at some of the dated writing styles of the past. And even though Abe's treatment is a little too harsh, it admittedly does feel satisfying to see Joan and JFK rewarded while Abe and Cleo get humbled after everything they all went through in Season 1 with a little role-reversal. But that being said, the revival season has its fair share of frustrations. My biggest issue is that the show feels like It has become just another teen drama; the very thing the original was parodying. Several episodes and moments feel a little too much like fanfiction with the original characters at times feeling too out-of-character or becoming too flanderized. The new writing feels inconsistent and misunderstanding of the original show's satirical style and characterizations, instead fixating on its new inflated cast and trying to appeal to Gen Z Tik Tok culture. Gandhi is gone (albeit understandably since he got the original show cancelled), Abe is outcasted by both the cast and the writers, Joan feels like she's too self-conscious about popularity, JFK feels too soft/dumb like a Labrador, Cleo is downgraded from her OG cleverly passive-aggressive charmer coercer persona to a much more stereotypically ditzy abrasive valley girl, Scudworth feels even less competent and now regulated to simping over his new boss, and Mr. Butler-Tron has been heavily sidelined (aside from his amazing backstory episode). The new characters are decent, but they're comparatively blander with less defined roles and overdesigned colorful designs that feel jarring with the OG art style (though I do love Topher). The political commentary is certainly hit-or-miss, and some of the recasting feels like downgrades despite the good intentions behind the decisions. Despite my complaints, the show is still a decent watch and I'm still glad that the show was revived. It may not be lightning in a bottle like the original, but it's overall still a decent show that slowly regained its mojo and makes me cautiously hopeful for season 3.

I really enjoyed the original show, but this is just weak. So many cliche sentiments and themes. One thing that is still consistent is the comedy, but even that has died down significantly. It just isn't the same. They are missing the original flare of shock comedy, and most of the jokes don't land well. I'm still slightly optimistic about the shows future, because I can tell that all they need is there, they just can't figure out how to put it to the screen. The idea that teenagers who have been frozen for 20 years, and are now living in 2023, makes for a lot of potentially interesting stories and themes.