The new 10 episodes of the Secret Saturdays are shaping up very nicely. You'll have to wait until the Fall to see what I mean, but here's a little teaser image of just a few of the many cryptids that will be making an appearance. That's the Lake Van Monster, Xing-Xing, Arabhar, Vltava River Sprite, and a new Naga...
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
New Episodes
The new 10 episodes of the Secret Saturdays are shaping up very nicely. You'll have to wait until the Fall to see what I mean, but here's a little teaser image of just a few of the many cryptids that will be making an appearance. That's the Lake Van Monster, Xing-Xing, Arabhar, Vltava River Sprite, and a new Naga...
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25 comments:
Gorgeous Cryptids... can't wait. More Nagas and the Arabhar are much appreciated. Are the new ones really as soon as Fall?
Can't wait to see the new beasties, Jay.
Hey, quick question regarding the latest ep "Something in the Water". Why did all the residents of Sanctuary II have their heads shaved? Was it for some ritual purpose, or did prolonged exposure to the electricity produced by the Lau cause their hair to fall out?
I have to second the love for the Arabhar and the new Naga there looks pretty cool, too.
It was nice to see Doyle again in SitW (especially when he got 'buzzed' by the Lau. Twice. LOL) I'm always hoping to see more of him and Baron Finster.
I also must say that I can't wait for the release of Beast of the 5th Sun! I hope there'll be some more info or maybe gameplay screens from it sooner or later.
Caution: You are about to read a long rant thinly disguised as a comment on the show.
I've been all set to complain about certain...situations, but now that we've got "Something in the Water," I suppose I'll have to forgive Doc (and you, by extension) for the way he's been treating Doyle overall.
I've literally been trying to pout through every new episode since Owlman that didn't include Doyle (emphasis on "try," thanks to Black Mondays--I couldn't help but giggle at "bad copy bad copy bad copy," and Drew Monday going gaga over hot chocolate was difficult to take with a straight face).
But neither of you (Doc or Jay) are off the hook for the the Owlman episode. I would like to see the specifics of that one resolved at some point. The thing is, it seemed to be nothing more than a filler (not that there's anything wrong with that) and an excuse to kick Doyle out (which I do have a problem with). Argost either didn't need the map, or else already had it, so covering it up was irrelevant. The Saturdays reached the Tomb without consulting the map. It only confirmed where they were; it didn't lead them there, so they almost may as well not have found the map in the first place.
And as to the "excuse to kick Doyle out" theory, not to mention the real source of my rant....
Stop me if my blatant Doyle fan-girl-ism compels me to misremember details.
Doc's "plan" was to...chase an unknown predator (that it was a man in a rubber suit was irrelevant; they didn't know that at the time) through (presumably) unfamiliar territory, let it choose its own hiding place, then just walked in after it with...what? A couple of flashlights as their only certain defense? (And with regards to their actual weapons, I'd like to repeat that "unknown predator" bit.)
Doyle's plan was to set a trap and lure the Owlman where he wanted it to go. Granted, the "unknown predator" part still applies, but I'm still not seeing the problem with changing plans (other than that nobody else knew Doyle was changing plans).
The part where Zak was the "bait?" We never actually heard the plan, so we don't know if that's what Doyle had in mind. (My current fan-fiction theory is that Doyle meant himself to be the bait, yet Zak "improvised" and ran in before Doyle could stop him.)
Doyle gets yelled at for using a plan other than Doc's (and Doc actually threatened him before Doyle could explain).
I mean, fine, Doyle needs to learn teamwork...which includes consulting team members when one feels a change in plans is necessary. Although Doc's "you're acting like a solo mercenary" still makes me wonder about Doc's intelligence, as does his "plan"--did anyone else see the irony? I mean, it'd been how long since Doyle had left Van Rook? And (gasp) Doyle's acting like a "solo mercenary." Granted, we don't know how long he'd worked for Van Rook, but still.... (As to the "solo" part, would you really have considered that a "team" when Doyle worked for Van Rook?)
But Doc needs to learn to actually be flexible with his plans.
As I've read elsewhere, a plan seldom survives the first engagement with the enemy.
I would like an episode in which Doc sees why he's not obligated to come up with "the" plan.
Sorry for my rant. Finally had a chance to get ahold of you, so I had to get it off my chest.
I'd like to make more posts in the future, but I don't feel another rant coming on. (Kind of depends on future episodes, though.)
Urk! Wow, that last comment was longer than I thought. Seems even "previewing" on the posting page doesn't help.
Anywho, In other news....
Had another look at the Ten Hero Tusk website, and I've got to ask: Who's Jonathon Benton? Who else co-founded the group? And when will the show ever mention them?
Also, when, if ever, will we see the Siberian Ice Spear make an appearance on the show?
Oh, and when do we get to see what Doyle had done since the avalanche, and how he came to be Van Rook's apprentice? That seems to be a very popular fan-fiction theme, but I'd like to know the canon version.
Yikes, Nicole. Your perception of how much thought goes into a single script is skewed. It's not nearly that complicated! These things, by the very nature of episodic tv, need to be cranked out fast. We don't have time to dwell on every little detail. We just do our best.
The Owlman episode developed because I wanted to do an episode about the Mawnan Owlman. It was also really fun to get to do an episode that had a 'Wicker Man' vibe... weird goings on in an English village. And we knew at some point we wanted to do a quick Scooby-Doo homage by having a cryptid turn out to be an old guy in a suit.
Doyle was never meant to be a full member of the Saturdays. His character is designed and written as someone independent. Deal with it. And the map that is revealed to the Saturdays when the tunnels collapse moves the plot forward by leading the Saturdays to their next clue.
It's a great episode.
I realize that humor, even of my warped variety, doesn't translate too well in text, so I apologize if any of my previous post was taken as...other than intended.
As to your replies:
"Your perception...is skewed"
I did state that my blatant fan-girl-ism would likely...um...skew my perception of that episode, didn't I?
"We don't have time to dwell on every little detail. We just do our best."
Understood, and accepted. We are all human, and all we can really ask of each other is "our best."
"Doyle was never meant to be a full member of the Saturdays."
Also accepted..especially after Doc apologized in "Something...Water" for having always given him a hard time.
It was the way Doyle was made to leave in Owlman that gave me problems, not his actual absence.
"the map...moves the plot forward...leading the Saturdays to their next clue."
Did I miss something, or is that an episode that hasn't come up yet? (There were a lot more symbols, as I recall....)
Something in the Water: Nice to see Doc finally apologize to Doyle, though I was hoping to hear him say Doyle had a point about inheriting his family fortune. As for the main story... Encounter at Farpoint much?
To answer another question, I had nothing whatsoever to do with the 'Ten Hero Tusk' thing, and haven't a clue why or how the people involved chose names. What is Ten Hero Tusk supposed to mean, anyway? I don't get it at all. The characters mentioned won't be appearing in the Secret Saturdays cartoon.
Jay:
RE: Ten Hero Tusk.
Okay, good enough. I thought it might be something like that, but I wasn't certain. I probably could've worded that question better (like I should've done with all my other posts, apparently).
I'll translate that as fodder for fan-fiction, without concern for canon.
Otherwise, I guess I'll have to find a way to contact Cartoon Network if I want to learn more about that one.
For the record, though, my admittedly skewed perception of the Owlman episode was based on a number of things:
1. I try to get into shows (and books) that I like so that I can identify with the characters as if they were real people. I had assumed that one of the goals of all writers (whether script or book) was for their audience to be able to do this. If I had worded my comment better, you might have been able to take it as some kind of attempt at complimenting your ability to get that effect...rather than the rant they came out as. (Does this mean I should try harder to distance myself from the show when I watch it?)
2. My comments on the apparent (to me, anyway) "purpose" of that episode were only on how the plot related to the Kur theme, and had nothing to do with the episode's merits on an individual basis. If I were to ignore the treatment that I saw as unfair, the episode itself was very cool.
I really am quite sorry if my original post sounded like I was insulting you or the show.
As to my other question regarding that episode, though:
You mentioned that the map would still be relevant in leading them to another clue.
I ask again, since it seemed to be mentioned only after the fact in "Cryptid vs. Cryptid." Was there something I overlooked? Or is the map going to be relevant again in later episodes?
I look forward to more episodes from the Cryptid-keeper and master of the bizarre, Jay Stephens.
Really great designs! I love the cute sprite(?) thing with the long hair. Curse you Jay, I now have to do extra-ciricular studying to keep up with the Cryptid-balooza which is your show! :P Seriously, I am chatting with people on the CyrptidSaturdays forums and they are all like, "Ya, the blah-blah Lizard Man was great, though he is normally pink. But it works to highlight the blah-blah-blah-blah. I wonder when the blah-di-blah will show up?"
And then I am like, "Uhh, yea. The 'blah-di-blah,' that thing is...awesome and...uh...neat...yeah."
Sigh, I guess class is in session. And my teacher's name is Wikipedia. :p
Hey Nicole,
I don't normally butt in on Jay's blog - I read it as a fan like everybody else here. But since you're asking a writing question, I hope Jay will forgive me for jumping in.
I story edited the 36 episodes of The Secret Saturdays that have been (or are being) produced so far. Including the Owlman episode, obviously.
I'm flattered that you think of the Saturdays as real people. I do, too. And since Jay and I are both dads, maybe we lean a little more toward the parental point of view. If I remember right, Doyle did use Zak as bait in the church. Zak was the one who had to draw the Owlman up the stairs, then hope that Doyle's rope snare worked. If it hadn't, Zak's trapped in a small space with a supposedly deadly cryptid. Doc's plan was less imaginative, sure, but the risk was lower for everyone since it was shared equally. If you used one of my kids as bait, you'd be off my team, too.
Also remember that it wasn't just that one incident. Doyle's actions also got Zak an arrest record earlier in the episode, and his rush to use the jetpack in the tunnels possibly killed a cryptid that was on its way to being subdued. I love Doyle as much as you do (maybe in a different way), but I get where Doc and Drew were coming from in this episode.
As for the map, it's true that the Saturdays deciphered it a bit too late (and that Argost found the tomb of Kur by other means). But if it hadn't been for the map, they wouldn't have known they were at the tomb in "Cryptid vs. Cryptid," and that Argost had opened it. Instead of trying to prepare for what comes next, they'd still be searching for a way to find and open a tomb that had already been picked clean. I'd say it was still important that they found that map.
Wow. When I butt in, I really butt in with a ramble, don't I?
And as long as I'm here, I'll answer teknomage, too. I've never seen an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Had to Google what "Encounter at Farpoint" even was. Believe me, I'll own up to our story influences - "Something in the Water" writer Andrew Robinson and I are both clearly big Jaws fans, and Jay already mentioned the Wicker Man vibe of the Owlman episode. But Trek ain't one of them, for me at least. Story coincidences just happen sometimes.
"Story coincidences just happen sometimes."
Well, I totally buy that, actually. There's been so much written for so many media over thousands of years, no one can be expected to know all of it, nor to avoid unwittingly repeating certain ideas. Heck, I fancy myself a writer (and maybe someday others will agree, or not), and one of my great fears is writing something so similar to something I've never seen/read/heard of that no one will be able to believe I didn't rip it off. (To say nothing of my penchant for intentional pop culture references and homages; because after all, the only thing in life that truly matters is entertainment, IMHO.) So anyway... I was just pointing out a similarity, and if it was a coincidence, that's... okay. Either way, good story, as usual.
Thanks Brandon. I just got home from a crazy time at the NCS Reuben Awards, and I haven't had the time to write a decent response to all this stuff. I sincerely appreciate your jumping in to clarify some points. You're a far more authoritative guy to speak about the aspects of how the show is written than I am, and I'm sure we all appreciate your wisdom.
Nicole, Nicole, when will you learn? Internet, "permanent," tone of voice does not translate to text, readers not telepathic, etc.?
Thank you all, Jay Stephens, various other fans...and Brandon...for being patient with me
Brandon:
I was actually hoping I was done with the subject of Owlman--not counting fan-fiction, of course. (I'm told I have a thing for not being able to let something go. I'm trying to prove that false, but so far I seem to be unsuccessful....)
But since you replied.
"...since you're asking a writing question, I hope Jay will forgive me for jumping in"
So do I! (Grin)
..."Wow. When I butt in, I really butt in with a ramble, don't I?"
No problem (at least not with me). This is all useful information. Some of it is something I've already considered, some of it isn't. It all helps.
"...maybe we lean a little more toward the parental point of view"
I completely understand. If we knew for a fact that that was Doyle's plan all along, I (not a parent, and don't want to be) would agree with kicking him out just for that. Although...didn't Doc's plan later involve using Zak as bait? That argument sounds like double standards--if one accepts it at face value, without actually having heard either plan...which is the other part of my personal gripe.
We, as viewers, have to assume that Doyle intentionally used Zak as bait--we never actually heard Doyle's plan(s), so we actually know less that's going on than even the characters (or the writers, for that matter).
It is implied, but it isn't stated outright. (And implications leave plenty of room to interpret however we may choose, should we be of such a mind. I am nearly always of such a mind.) Whether the implications are read or viewed can make a huge difference in how much one can interpret, it would seem...at least to me.
And again, Doc never really never gave him a chance to explain.
(And I would like to point you to my current fan-fiction theory on that scene.)
"...Also remember that it wasn't just that one incident"
That one incident just happens to be the one that sticks most in my mind, the one I can describe the most (not necessarily the best) what I didn't like about it.
My admittedly skewed perspective would like to disagree with the outcome of some of the others. (Realism versus script, again.)
Killing the Owlman did free all of those people from its control, and again, we can only assume that they would've been able to subdue it, otherwise.
Anything else about that scene would be in the neighborhood of "your cryptids are not like my cryptids". (It just seemed odd that it could be weakened by light; it's an owl, not a vampire!) But then, Ghost in the Machine pretty much proved there's more to being a "cryptid" than simply being unknown or ignored by mainstream science, so I suppose that could serve to explain that confusion.
The arrest record? No comment. I've never been to England, so I don't know how realistic (or not) that that scene was.
Ah, I guess I'll have to leave it at "to each his own opinion." And hope I can keep myself from looking for more reasons to delve into what should have been ancient history before I even brought it up!
Other than that, yeah, I still agree that it was a wonderful episode.
I just seem to have a strong dislike for the "unfair" that can be completely out of proportion to reality. Or...something.
It's a fair criticism, Nicole. I'm pretty sure Zak's been used as bait in other episodes as well. It's usually his own idea, but in this case, you're right. Doc was the one with the plan down in the caves.
So is Doc guilty of a double standard when he asks Doyle to leave? Maybe. Possibly even unfair, like you said. But I fully believe it's what Doc would do, and given the circumstances, I believe Drew would agree as well. Same way I believe that Doyle felt like everything he did in this episode was justified. I can live with characters making bad decisions, as long as they're not fake/unmotivated ones.
Have I mentioned how much I love that you care this much? No need to apologize for that.
Brandon and Jay, thanks for all the info and patience. Though I'd tried to think of other perspectives to my question, it seems I'd never really considered those other perspectives.
Such as Brandon's remark:
"...they'd still be searching for a way to find and open a tomb that had already been picked clean..."
That's what I overlooked. I literally did not consider the fact that they'd be wasting all that time.
Though I'm still open to the possibility that the map will still be relevant. (There were other symbols on it, after all.)
Now, non-Owlman comments.
Jay, my earlier question about Ten Hero Tusk?
I feel like banging my head against the desk.
Jonathon Benton?
I'm guessing Johnny Quest and Dr. Benton Quest. But without actually getting hold of whoever created the THT website....
One (hopefully) final question.
I'm not asking to bring up the Owlman debate again (or drag it on), I'm only asking because I like to write fanfiction, and try not to violate official canon too much.
Brandon, your belief that "Doyle felt like everything he did in this episode was justified."
Personal belief or official canon?
Just so I know how much I can play around with his character in my fanfics before I start contradicting the official story.
(Horns holding up the halo....)
Jay's the ultimate authority on what's canon and what's not. Creator/Executive Producer privilege and whatnot. I was going by Doyle's attitude in the episode itself - "I get things done," "I improvised," "That's how I do things" (paraphrasing here). Sounds to me like he felt justified.
I agree. Doyle, Doc, and the emotionally torn Drew, are all perfectly in-character in 'Owlman'. Doyle is a lovable but reckless guy, and a recently reformed criminal. I wouldn't trust him if I were the Saturdays.
::sigh::
I can't believe I seem to have missed all of this.
Jay and Brandon... you may have not been responding to me, but you do not know how much it means to me that you come into defend like this. I really love you guys. I do not fear being emotionally abused by being such a huge fan when I see wonderful guys like you. It quite literally brings tears to my eyes after the ordeals I've been through in defending what matters most to me. Thank you... Thank you.
There are those of us who care about the show and characters so much, that they truly are living entities that touch our very lives and souls. I don't know how much more I can try to explain this without sounding "crazy".
I treat them with the utmost respect... as if they were your very children (wishing they could have been mine). Only you can speak for them... no one else can.. regardless of intention. They are real people. I just want to let you know there are people out there that care in THAT sense.
I'm sorry... I just had to get that emotional load off my chest.
Btw... I always just assumed a homage to Johnny Quest on the Ten Hero Tusk site too.
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umm can soemone tell me how old is fisk...and the name of the first episode of season 3 i dont want it to be spioled i just want to know
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!
I need to see them!!! I want to know when they premire! GOT TO KNOW!!!
Wow, really cool cryptids, esp. the one in the top right corner. ^^
This new season is going to be good! I look forward to watching it. If Doyle doesn't throw that relic away, I wonder what's going to happen to him.
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