The Casagrandes Nickelodeon 
Episode 20a: Strife Coach
This is an episode about Ronnie Anne and her Friends learning that the coach we met some past episode , Coach Crawford. is retiring. This is apparently good news to the kids because he was a touch gym teacher. This is where the plot gives us Mrs. Kernicky: the woman who lives in the Casagrandes' apartment building. They notice that she teaches yoga and seems to be an easy touch which makes the kids attracted to the idea. I wonder what could go wrong?
They get Mrs. Kernicky the job at the school and start to take advantage of her easy going approach because of course they do. That means, the next day, the kids find out that Mrs. Kernicky was somehow able to get all the desks replaced with exercise bikes, the lunch room had become an obstacle course. (Which I think is slight some how, they had money for that) The reason was the kids' acting lazy and stuff inspired Mrs. Kernicky to make the school more focused on fitness. (power move?)
Ronnie Anne doesn't know the capital city of Argentina , that'd be like thinking the capital of Brazil is Rio. (Go on look it up, if you think I'm wrong) Now the plan is get rid of her. (not by murder, that'd be a different show) Ronnie Anne's plan is to get Mrs. Kernicky fired. (Ifthis was a different show, there's an easy way, but anyway) The next day is Mrs. Kernicky gets the kids to go the arcade, just to make the kids feel bad for their plans.
They realize that Mrs. Kernicky's workouts have helped them, and now the guilt. So Ronnie Anne and friends decide to fix their evil plan to almost maim the principal. The principal is mad and fires Mrs. Kernicky and then Ronnie Anne tells the truth and convinces the principal to not fire the woman.
Pretty good episode, good to have a little development and focus with Mrs. Kernicky. I do hope they continue with her in the gym. Good message value of physical learning and don't take advantage of people. The episode has some fun moments in it. Not bad I give 7.1/10.
More after the Jump
Episode 20b: Gossipy Girl
This the final segment of season 2, yeah this show does 20 instead of 26 that's weird, but let's go!
I'm going to do this one differently. This episode is kind of a harsh one in the respect of the story it's telling. The first two minutes set up some aspects that will build this episode. First, Ronnie and her friends are playing truth or dare. Going back to the theme song, the idea of her friends being part of her family, that's something the friends' episodes have that the have a bond and work together. Now truth or dare requires some trust in each other, especially if you are revealing some secrets. Meanwhile a part that the viewer should also notice is the Sergio and Breakfast Bot part of the first two minutes, this plays a role and is less unnecessary to the story the episode wants to tell later.
It continues with more secrets like Ronnie Anne saying she once dreamed of her having a wedding with Artemis. (The boy we've seen in "Two of Clubs" and in "Spin off") The episode renforces to us, the viewer, what the rules of their truth or dare is "no secrets are out from the group" and has Sid say that line. (Keep that in mind) In away, the episode is showing it's hand early, but I notice it more in re-watching.
Now I said this episode is harsh and still in that first 2 minutes, we get our first glimpse: That's right somehow everyone at school found out that Ronnie Anne, dreamed a dream of Artemis. Not just found out, but made an elaborate wedding arch, got an organist, doves and rice. Which is an excessive way to do anything really. Ronnie Anne runs off embarrassed. This is part of what I said earlier, this is part of the harshness the episode brings. This moment was done just enough to make the impact of understanding how Ronnie Anne would feel without going too long to seem cruel. There is a line, it's a hard writing line, but it's not badly executed.
The trust thing now is coming up, it's breaking a bond, the episode's message is kind of subtle maybe not on purpose and this might be me reading way too much into it, the idea is that trust has a fine line and anything can destroy trust in each other. Ronnie Anne confronts her friends because they would be the only ones who would know this secret, that was spread on phones some how without knowing the sender. (Would be easy to call the number or something, right?) The friends swear they didn't didn't do it. We know these characters enough, that maybe they didn't do it and if you know the writing you might even see it more, but it could maybe sow doubt that hey maybe one of them did do something wrong. (Making the viewer also question the trust bond) There is evidence that they were the only ones who knew. They end up also having doubts in each other of who could be someone who leaked a secret.
There's 2nd mass text, that reveals Casey's secret to the school. This clears Casey. Ronnie Anne and Casey are bonded now and maybe their trust is restored, but they suspect one of the others and go and try to figure out which one. Then plot convenience takes over for a second and clears Nikki and Sameer, leading towards Laird now. (That doesn't even make sense, knowing his character) The the plot helps Laird out and now .... Sid.
Remember that she's the one that repeated the rule at the start, did she do it? The other thing the episode might be doing, even by accident is kind of showing a slight sense of mob rule. The others suspect Sid of doing, and she can't have a secret revealed because she did all dares, which is not going to give her an easy out. To the friends' credit it's not an automatic mob rule like thing yet, instead they only have doubt but want to prove it with a test. Ronnie Anne and them go and put Sid to a test by making up fake stories and if they get out she's the secret releaser.
Sid brings Breakfast bot with her and you should notice that. Now the friends make their fake stories, and the story of them accidently eating Lalo's biscuits. They only have circumstantial evidence, but that happens for real and the others decide together to avoid Sid until she tells the truth, the truth they've already assumed. This episode might be slightly getting into the realistic world which makes it more harsh than a normal episode of the show, it's playing it overly dramatic but it there. The idea of something spreading around and wondering who started it and the chaos that brings is part of this episode's core.
Later Sid is talking to Breakfast Bot, and she remembers that she does weird things in her sleep and thinks that maybe she sent them in her sleep. She writes a letter to Ronnie Anne explaining things and saying she's going to make it right by exposing her secret. Ronnie Anne's reaction is more flippant which I found interesting, that she's alright with Sid going out and exposing her secret as a payment for her "crime" even though she knows how it felt already. I'm not sure what I think about that, but it feels off somehow. Then again, it feels realistic that someone would see that as justice ,perhaps. I know we talk about characterization, but humans don't follow a mold so sometimes we'll do something like this.
Anyway she figures out that Sergio poking the robot has caused the secrets to get released, which was a nice play to that detail mattered in the episode. The friends get there too late after Sid reveals her secret and every friend gives up an embarrassing secret. The ending has everyone apologize to Sid and it's over.
I said this episode is kind of harsh, is it bad? No, I don't think so, the episode has an uncomfortableness to it, that maybe pours too close to realism that one wouldn't be used to this series. The idea of how everything played out with the friends could really happen between friends and people. The episode strays a line to make sure that it doesn't go too far and remembers to have some light moments and humor. The episode is a little surprising and gives a strange feeling to it since it doesn't feel like the same show where there's an episode where everyone thought a badly disguised drone was an actual bird. I think that there's something that works for this one and shows it has something under the surface. I'm giving it 7.5/10
Season Thoughts
I think this season was slightly stronger than season 1; though Season 1's episodes with Ronnie Anne focus were the strongest episodes. The copying of the Loud House of giving Ronnie Anne a large group of friends was introduced in season 1, starting with Sid. then later adding Laird. I think they are a fun group to see and Laird as grown on me as a good addition.
Season 2 did start giving Sid some episode focuses, since they did a good job of introducing her in Loud House season 4, and giving her and Ronnie Anne friendship development in season 1, and that continued in Season 2. It was a nice step that the show has given her a good focus.
Carl seems to have been given some more focus, that's fine. I think what they are going for is that some focus group says that they like him a lot. He's a fun character to see stories about, and since he's not the most "pure of heart" characters meaning he does schemes and stuff it works to see what he learns in a plot. They have also found ways to balance him out to show that he's still young.
Sergio is a fault as a character because I figure he exists in characterization because he's a bird and can get away with things that a human character on this show, probably couldn't. I think they bring him in too much on focus and some of his episodes just kind of die out on me. Maybe pair him up with someone other Bobby or Carl to see how he works with someone else. Sergio and Sid would be fun to see.
The show decides to get a pinch hitter this season, that being Lincoln Loud. I do think a spinoff should stand on it's own feet from a parent show, the inclusion of Lincoln is some episodes is fun, and I do like to see him with Ronnie Anne and Sid, I just hope it's used sparingly and not over done. I do want to see the world they made for The Casagrandes first and foremost. For clarification: I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just hoping it's used just enough to not be taking away from other aspects to make the spin off stand alone. I don't want them to be too reliant upon this.
Episodes that surprised me (the good way) : "Home Improvement" I like the episode where Tim and Al.... oh .. giving Laird some focus a good idea, he was new to the group didn't have much about him. He was first introduced the same episode as Becky and I thought both were just going to be one and done, but Laird was added to the group and this episode was something I wanted to see and glad it came out and was pretty fun to watch.
"Do the Fruit Shake" I wasn't expecting anything, but the episode was a fun episode with Carl and Sergio (best use of Segio probably) and giving us a backstory on a background character is pretty great, and the song was awesome.
"Chancla Force" It was weird but fun, I think I like dream twist episodes more than I think I do.
Episodes I loved : A Very Casagrandes Christmas, Home Improvement, I, Breakfast Bot, An Udder Mess, Operation Popstar, Zoo-mergency, Do the Fruit Shake, Dynamic Do-over.
There's no episode that stands out as worst, but the weaker episodes are weak as heck. Like : "Just Be Coo", "Bad Cluck" (Though, I do like its insanity) , "No Egrets" or in other words I think Sergio focused episodes are the weakest.
What about "Teacher's Fret?" the only good thing about this episode is Becky existing. I don't know it's like they forgot their formula of character learns a lesson about their action, not character learns a lesson and tries to do it again.... but good thing there's a time limit. Yeah it sucked.
I think the weakest episodes were mostly just weak but not awful , except "Teacher's Fret" Also, "Just be Coo" was gross and weird , and wasn't my taste.
Anyway, this was fairly good season, it has more confidence in their stories and they even tried to give some side characters some more stuff. I am also glad they gave us (Read me) more Becky thank you show people.
Anything else? Nah, I gave my thoughts indepth on each post.
That's it for now, tune in next time when I tell you who has a crush on you for only $4.99!
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