with the new episode releasing, i figured i'd share my thoughts on ep 37 that i've been bottling up for a while.
Hardcore Manhunt shovels way too much info in such a short amount of time, and the complete lack of valuable buildup for the overarching threat of season 5 (which i will call the "Corruption" for the sake of ease) created a foundation so rocky that the future episodes will suffer in execution from it.
the Corruption was introduced in ep 30 solely as "the thing that killed Gold", serving to kickstart King's villain arch. it showed up once and served its purpose - and while some of us obviously pondered on what exactly the Corruption was, it wasn't staged as something we had to wonder about, simply because we didn't need to. all focus was directed towards the emotional factor of King losing his son, which immediately retracted from whatever wonder we could have had at what the Corruption was. that's not a bad thing, as Gold's death was, at the time, simply a narrative tool rather than a topic that would be further explored.
at face value, the Corruption was never intended to be seen as a malevolent force, and thus unneeding of future consideration. it wasn't explicitly shown to have a goal or even be a character - it was simply The Thing That Killed Gold, and because it hadn't made any other appearances, from both the past seasons and the future Season 4, we as the audience were never inclined to think further on it.
i wouldn't have been against the usage of the Corruption as an antagonistic force, whether a directly evil force or just a fluke in the game. and i'm also not against the sudden appearance of a new or returning antagonist; a storytelling practice that has been successfully executed MANY TIMES, but has only been successful under the conditions that we've seen in the past.
for example, King Orange's first appearance, and immediate establishment as a threat, works because he doesn't overshadow the current conflict, but rather exists as an extension of it (and later explained to be the conflict's foundation). Season 3 in its entirety worked so well because its conflicts were able to cleanly support eachother, where an A plot (King Orange gaining power) could happen over the course of several B plots (the characters separated in portals) without one plot trying to "dominate" the other.
this is NOT what we see in ep 37. we start off with an introduction to the A plot (the Corruption), followed IMMEDIATELY by the B plot (the Manhunt). this wouldn't be an issue if the Manhunt wasn't completely unrelated from the A plot, but because it is, it completely detaches the audience's attention from the main antagonistic force by carrying out another plot that is so unrelated and fast-paced that it feels almost like a distraction.
the Corruption is arguably both a new and reoccurring antagonist: being an already established force that was given new context. we've seen reoccurring antagonists work flawlessly as well, and i feel like i can point out why a reoccurring antagonist works without feeling cheap, and how the narrative tactics used in an appropriate re-introduction are absent in Season 5.
TDL is one of the most influential figures in AvA, for good reason. he's been around for over a decade, been the driving force for almost all the series' events, and was a refreshing villain amongst all the emotional arcs and hugs of forgiveness that we've seen in the past - working well as an antagonist force rather than a fleshed-out character, lacking trauma and driving motivation and all that fun jazz. he's an easy point of comparison to the Corruption, as they both fit more within the "mysterious destructive force" category than anything else.
the difference?
TDL is just unforgettable.
the death of such an important character was so impactful that discussion of him never ceased even years after his death. even when the lights dimmed and the credits of season 2 rolled, TDL still plagued the story, and by extension, our minds. the new antagonist that would fill in his shoes, victim, wouldn't even be an antag had it not been for TDL and his destructive reign. and we know that!
it was only appropriate that during season 3's climax, all the background suspense regarding TDL would finally be addressed. if you told me a couple years back that he actually returned, i would have groaned. and while his return would have been cheap at any other time, the exact moment at which he was revealed totally saved it.
the Corruption does not plague Minecraft. it does not, did not, and had never plague the story. and the reason i feel like it didn't land lies exactly in why TDL's introduction did - the timing.
i've already talked about why the A plot and B plot setup didn't work for Manhunt, but another component is that the A plot, the Corruption, didn't have any time to either establish itself as a presence, or mature as a threat. it would have been interesting if it made a few appearances in season 4, or hints of appearing in season 4, or literally any form of narrative padding that eased in the plot of season 5 a little more.
it would have worked if the establishment as a presence, and establishment as a threat, happened at different intervals to allow for both parts of the Corruption to mature in the narrative. except we don't get that - it's made a threat at the exact same time it's established, and unlike with King Orange, the B plot does nothing to actually assist its progression. the Manhunt plot exists to distract from an antagonist that hasn't even begun to develop. that's why it doesn't work.
alright so how do we fix this?
two things:
set the Corruption up earlier in the story as a potential threat. for example, any mentions of the Corruption outside it just being The Thing That Killed Gold.
actually hint at it in season 4. this season is great because it's full of goofy antics, which would provide the perfect contrast to an impending threat.
SEPARATE THE MANHUNT PLOT AND THE INTRODUCTION TO THE CORRUPTION!!! just make the Manhunt its own thing! it provides nothing for the overarching A plot and just serves to distract from it because the A plot is so underdeveloped! give it time to mature! show the Corruption at a more impactful time, like how TDL was introduced at s3's climax!!!
ok that's it. ummm i think ep 38 was alright, all it did was introduce the plot points of the gang being separated, king being reminded of his trauma, and the Corruption possibly being a conscious, malevolent being. it used its nine minutes wisely. ok byeeeee 🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀 sorry i spilled my rats 🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀
