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Animated Atrocities: Love Struck!

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Show: The Fairly Oddparents
Episode: S3 E7
Year: 2003

Writer(s): Scott Fellows, Butch Hartman, Steve Marmel
Director(s): Sarah Frost, Gary Conrad, Butch Hartman, Bob Boyle (Art), Guy Moon (Music)


Most every show, even in their best periods, has at least one dud under their belts. Courage the Cowardly Dog has "Ball of Revenge", The Angry Beavers has "Gonna Getcha", and Bob’s Burgers has "Family Fracas". The Fairly OddParents was once a good show before they started forcing in unnecessary characters and doing stupid or cruel plotlines in desperate attempts to stay relevant. I treasure the original series before “Fairly OddBaby” and still love it to this day. Beyond "It's a Wishful Life" and "Just the Two of Us!", this is probably the worst episode of the show from before the 6th season and the worst to come before "Channel Chasers" without a doubt. This review is also going fix a lot of the problems some people have with MrEnter's review of "Love Struck!" in case they don’t understand his beef with the episode.


First of all, yes, one major problem the show itself has is stereotyping. All men are idiots and all women are nags, evil or far too good for the men they're with. MrEnter even brought up "The Boy Who Would Be Queen" several times, an episode that proved these stereotypes wrong for sure, but he never brought up how Trixie was in the episode proper and how it gave her depth.


The main issue I have with the episode proper isn't these stereotypes but the unfortunate implications that arise from creating a world of separate genders and no "love" so to speak. Let's talk about love: even as an aromatic, I know what love is and how it's supposed to work, going beyond the whole romance setup and sex and whatnot. Love can come from places such as a platonic friendship, love of your family, pets, interests and even the love you feel from the kindness of others. This episode basically says that love is all about being romantic and nothing else! When you have Cupid force a cat and dog to smooch-smooch and whatnot, it's clear that this is all love is about in this show.


Cupid has always been an antagonist in most all of his appearances or at the very least an asshole in this show. In "Apartnership!" (his debut episode), he tried to forcibly separate Cosmo and Wanda because Momma Cosma paid him off. He was among the holidays that tried to kill Santa Claus in "Christmas Everyday!", and he manipulated Remy and Timmy into doing his grocery shopping risking their lives over the false promise of rule-free wishes in "The Big Bash". So yeah, Cupid is a dick. In most incarnations, Cupid (or his Greek equivalent Eros) understands to pair those who're truly meant for one another, and Timmy and Tootie truly are meant for each other despite Tootie’s tendencies. But this Cupid comes off as a smug selfish asshole that wants to rub his diaper in Timmy's face that he can't get the girl HE WANTS. And Timmy is legitimately in the wrong for trying to go after Trixie, a girl who doesn't give a shit about him. But the way Tootie is presented most of the time as obsessive and basically a stalker, can you blame the guy for not caring about her?


Cupid explains that Valentine's love (not usual love, just VALENTINE’S LOVE) is what fuels him all year and it is supposedly the most powerful magic of all, with the exception of a Fairy-versary muffin that can grant any user one rule-free wish. So really given most Valentine's Day flings are small affections and whatnot, he doesn't have shit for power. But he can make ANYBODY fall in love at any given time, and he hasn't done his job yet by this point. Who’s to say he couldn't make Timmy fall in love with Vicky? Or Principal Waxelplax? Or, hell, his own MOM? This Cupid is just dickish enough to get away with shit like that.


Anyways, because Trixie brushed off Timmy under the usual circumstances, Timmy snaps and wishes for a world without girls. This is easily one of the most destructive wishes he's ever made, realistically a world without females would lead to the end of humanity unless males learn to asexually reproduce. You'd think there would already be a rule in place about not wishing for things that might do that. But the logic of wishes tends to always shape whatever the plot wants them to be since this IS a children’s show and all to avoid truly horrific implications. It merely separates the genders behind a wall like Romeo and Juliet and somehow this also makes both genders forget the other existed for plot convenience, I guess. What I'm saying is the exact wish is very confused and it just gets kind of weird.


I understand the purpose was to exaggerate the typical male/female stereotypes for comedy, but it kind of goes a bit too far. I'm a guy and even I know cleanliness isn't girly and that you need order in a society. I'm not mad, just weirded out. The guy side is a hellhole of lawlessness and filth, and the girl side is a Greek utopia. I know this is a children’s show, but I thought we moved past the 60s stereotypes. To be fair, I did get a couple laughs from this episode, just hearing Tara Strong say all this meat headed manly stuff does give kind of a chuckle. But seriously, if Timmy wasn't aware that Tootie has a good heart behind her crush, then he's an ass.


I am fully aware of the reasons why they couldn't explore the LGBT side of romance in this episode, and it's not because they didn't think through their implications. It's because it's a goddamn children’s show! In the 1990s and 2000s, talking about gays and such was forbidden in children's entertainment because of Christian zealots and homophobes who don't understand them at all. The episode wasn't meant to offend those cultures, but the implications are there, and many unfortunate implications do happen by accident. But when you have a wish involving love that affects the entire world and you're not allowed to swing that way, it's noticeable to any adults that watch this series. And keep in mind, 
The Fairly OddParents is one of those cartoons that appeals to all age groups, or it used to anyways, so some adults with a brain may have easily noticed this and blown it out of proportion.


"The Boy Who Would Be Queen" was made to specifically go against the mold of these stereotypes and prove that, yes, girls can be interested in things like video games and comic books and boys can love soap operas and pretty pink ponies. The issue with "Love Struck!" isn't the stereotypes (although that’s one of the major problems); it's how superficial they make love out to be. Even children’s shows in this era knew better than to make love purely romantic. And when you have a society of both men and women separate, it gives off a weird vibe no matter what age you are.


The thing about what it's trying to say about love is: you aren't in love unless you're in a romantic relationship. The thing is, Timmy's 10 years old! He shouldn't be romantically involved with anybody! Then there are characters like Vicky or Principal Waxelplax who aren't in a relationship, does that mean they don't get love? Frankly, I'd say given how fast and loose Cupid is with his magic, he deserved to die especially with how confused the message about love is. No, I don't think kids will take it seriously but you never know, impressionable youth and all that. You got to deal with stuff like actual love with more tact that this; otherwise, you end up using outdated stereotypes and confusing everyone. It's far from the worst episode of the show, but it's still bad for the best years of a once great show.


Cringe-Inducing Audio: 3
Cringe-Inducing Visuals: 0
Lackluster Writing: 5
Annoyance: 2
Disturbing Content: 3
Unnecessary Cruelty: 5
Rancid Morality: 4
Low Production Values: 0
Unfortunate Implications: 7
Character Derailment: 1

Final Score: 30/100



Fairly Oddparents is owned by Nickelodeon and Viacom and I DO give a shit!

Animated Atrocities is from :iconmrenter:

Regulas314
Image size
1668x1284px 274.37 KB
Make
Apple
Model
iPad
Shutter Speed
1/17 second
Aperture
F/2.4
Focal Length
4 mm
ISO Speed
50
Date Taken
Feb 10, 2016 5:12:11 PM -05:00
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sarahjim798821's avatar

I can understand Trixie rejecting Timmy when she's around her friends(to maintain her popular status), but rejecting him while they're alone is really low.