Ben 10 2016 Episode Reviews: The Filth and Freaky Gwen Ben
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I'm making a series where I give my own reviews on the Ben 10 2016 reboot. I'll leave a link to the episodes for those that are interested in wanting to see it. My reviews will also contain spoilers so if you don't want to have the plot spoiled for you, watch the episodes first. I'm starting with the first couple of episodes known as The Filth and Freaky Gwen Ben. For this review only, I'm just going to copy and paste what I've already said about these episodes on the Ben 10 Reddit and the Ben 10 Club with some additions to The Filth that I didn't take note of. Helps save me some time from not having to type everything all over again. It might not be well structured but it'll do for now. After that, for the next reviews, I'm typing it from scratch. One thing that should be very much expected from me as well is that I'm going to make comparisons between the 2016 Ben 10 reboot and the 2005 Ben 10 OS. Why? Because this Ben 10 show is labeled as a reboot of said OS (although this is actually pretty much just a mere and blatant remake of the OS as it has the same title name, the same plot, and there are even episodes from the OS that are being remade and done again in the reboot). If anyone has any thoughts and opinions of their own that they want to share on these episodes, feel free to leave a comment down below.
On an additional note, I really don't like that intro that they have for the reboot. One thing's for certain, it is way too short of an intro. They just play some music, show the 10 aliens, and that's it. That's it? To me at least, the intro also just lack...I guess the right word is personality or something of the likes. The intro and main theme just seems really bland and I guess lifeless to me. Like they didn't even care that much on making a good intro.
The Filth:
Episode Link: http://kisscartoon.me/Cartoon/Ben-10-2016/Episode-3?id=72018
Review: What am I watching here? The Roadrunner cartoon? A good portion of the episode felt as if I was watching the Looney Tunes and not Ben 10 and not in a good way. Plus, Ben tries to get the Rustbucket back through means at which would risk destroying the Rustbucket. A tornado. A big boulder. CANNONBOLT. Not even Ben at the beginning of the OS would make such idiotic mistakes and choices like that. Also, instead of having to find something to throw at the maggot monster to get that magnet that's holding it together, Ben could've just simply change into Heatblast and burn the maggot monster down. Nothing else to throw at the monster? There's a bunch of barrels lying around that'll work just fine. There's no need to grab the Rustbucket and throw it; especially when there are clearly 20-some barrels right behind it. I found no jokes in this episode to be funny at all and the action was just average. Ben also cleaned the entire Rustbucket so he should already have finished all of his chores. What else on that list of chores did he have to do when the entire Rustbucket is clean? The joke at the end was just stupid and a pretty mediocre way to end the episode on.
Another thing that I noticed is that Ben even mentions how he's previously gone hero and fought some bad guys already. How long has he had the Omnitrix before the events of this episode? If Ben has already had the Omnitrix for a while now, shouldn't he already shown better improvements and capabilities with using the Omnitrix as well as having already learned at least somewhat on how to be a better hero? This is the first episode of the reboot that's been aired and it already feels as if we're at the midpoint of the series.
Another thing that came to consideration for me is that this episode could be a remake of the OS episode, Ben 4 Good Buddy, since that it follows a similar plot of some bad guys stealing the Rustbucket.
Overall, that really wasn't a good episode and the story was just weak. The jokes weren't funny. The action was just average. A good portion of the episode didn't even feel as if I was watching a Ben 10 show. The writing was pretty bad. The pacing felt too quick to the point of feeling rushed. The episode was just mediocre, if not pretty terrible.
Freaky Gwen Ben:
Episode Link: http://kisscartoon.me/Cartoon/Ben-10-2016/Episode-2?id=71909
Review: A tank at a Swap Meet? I don't think that's how it works but whatever though. The Wildmutt reference is ok although if Wildmutt himself doesn't get added into Ben's alien roster, I don't think at least a good bunch of people are going to like that reference; especially Wildmutt fans. Apparently Ben, Gwen, and Max already know about Hex so does he make an appearance in Waterfilter or The Ring Leader or...are these episodes being aired out of order? Or maybe is this reboot making the same mistake that the PPG 2016 reboot made where you have to have past knowledge of the previous Ben 10 shows to understand what's going on? Anyways, so yeah, they're doing A Change of Face again just with Hex this time around and not Charmcaster. Well, at least Ben and Gwen are arguing with each other so that's good. Like I said, I find it better for Ben and Gwen to be at each other's throats since that it makes it all the more satisfying when Ben and Gwen do get along with each other and their relationship with each other improves in the short and long run so yeah, that's good at least. Although, Gwen gave up too early and quickly after her initial run with using the Omnitrix for the first time. Even Gwen in the OS was a lot more determined, dedicated, and focused with using the Omnitrix for the first time in A Change of Face. For the reboot, it felt out-of-character for Gwen to just give up so easily in this episode even though she didn't even do much as Four Arms. Max casting spells? What the hell? The police officer that arrested Hex is an idiot. Yes, destroying a Swap Meet and endangering people's lives is against the law. They just leave the spell book on the ground? What the hell? That was really stupid of them to do that?
Overall, it was a little better than The Filth. Hex was just ok. The story was ok. The pacing, again, felt too quick to the point of feeling rushed. Two episodes in and already I can tell that the 11 minute runtime that each episode has is really hurting the show. There just seems to be too much going on here and it looks as if the writers were really struggling to squeeze all that in to such a short runtime. I believe even the PPG reboot suffered from this as well. Anyways, I didn't find any the jokes to be funny either. The action was a little better than The Filth. The writing really needs improvement though. Really, the only thing that I did like was Ben and Gwen's interactions with each other and their willingness to work together to stop Hex and that was pretty much it for the episode. In the end, I found this episode to just be either average. When compared to A Change of Face from the OS though, this episode was just not good and could thus make this episode look at least below average.
