Kamen Rider Gotchard Episode 4- "Antrooper Labyrinth!" Discussion
 

Houtaro encounters the Three Dark Sisters once again when trying to retrieve another Chemie.

As expected, Deepmariner Malgam is completely useless. He's defeated in just 35 seconds. That's pretty much his whole screen time in this episode.

Valvarad's Chemy Riser is different than the Academy's ones. His has a gattling gun barrel. Could it be that his CR is made by a different organization? Or perhaps he modified it himself, given the fact that he's the one who made the Valvarad suit.

Why does Spanner act friendly and casual toward Rinne? Perhaps he has known her (and her family) for a long time. His smile @ 06:58 looks kinda creepy. Could he be the new Kusaka? He also says that he's equal to Minato (and the others, probably referring to other teachers at the Academy), but his Ring has green gem, while Minato's has red gem. I think he's the type of person who often overestimates himself.

Looks like my hypothesis in episode 1 about Kajiki was correct. He could be an outsider who eventually succeed in uncovering the existence of the alchemy world. Also, it turned out that Minato's Neuralyzer spell isn't as powerful as I thought it was. Some people managed to remember their encounter with Gotchard and or the Chemies and spilled it on the internet. The fact that Kajiki mentions (and still remembers) that some information will be immediately purged means that the spell doesn't work uniformly. The same information purged from one or several individuals/sources may still be retained by other individuals/sources. This chaotic information asymmetry will inevitably result in distrust in society. I think this is the most interesting aspect of Gotchard's story so far. Can the writers elaborate on this potential plot? It can result in a very interesting dynamic in the story.

Renge continues to be goofy. I'd like to see how she uses Kamantis for other purposes than capturing new Chemies. I wonder what was Sabimaru's actor's reaction when he found out that he only needed to utter one word in this episode. The synopsis stated that Sabimaru also likes Chemies. He'll probably switch his personality from an awkward, asocial nerd to a talkative nerd when Chemies come into topic.

Houtarou keeps transforming using 2 matched RCC's. Hasn't he ever wondered what would happen if he attempts to transform using 2 mismatched RCC's? I'm interested in seeing how the writers elaborate that.

VenoMariner form looks ugly. Both the shapes and the colors are ugly. Well, what more can I expect? The synopsis stated that there are 101 RCC's, so it means that there are at least 50(!) forms. No one can keep their creative juice flowing smoothly 50 times in a row. Even Build, which I consider the Rider with highest number of blatantly unnecessary forms, only had 30(!) Best Match forms, and 75-85% of them were ugly. So, I can expect Gotchard to have more ugly forms than Build did. Quality will always beat quantity. At least, the AntWrestler form that will debut in the next episode looks much better.

Lachesis looks strangely weak and incompetent in this episode. She looked more powerful in human form in previous episodes. It could be that physical strength isn't her forte, but mental/psychological manipulation is. Clotho is the muscle of the group, and she'll be the focus in the next episode.

The fact that Lachesis knows that Rinne is Fuga's daughter probably means that Fuga and the Sisters' boss were once allies. It looks like they've already known each other. They were probably working together to use alchemy to change the world, albeit to two different directions. I don't think Fuga was a random outsider who incidentally stumbled upon a sophisticated, newly developed tool and decided to steal it to realize his own ideals. Fuga's motivation was probably like Sennin/Edith's from KR Ghost.

From the attitude of several characters like Fuga or Spanner, it looks like the Gotchardriver is a whole different tool compared to other common alchemical tools or weapons like Valvarusher. I have a hypothesis that the Gotchardriver is a tool created by the Sisters' big boss, who is also the ruler of Ouroboros.

Houtarou's dad's face is still intentionally obscured. It starts to smell like a red-herring to me. LOL.

Getting more about Fuga.

Guess the story actually addressed that Rinne is cold to Hotaro (albeit no longer condescending as in ep. 1, even to his cooking at the end), with Hotaro asking her it. Later Lachesis revealed that Fuga is apparently murdered. Previously there are some saying that Rinne's acting is stiff, but it can be perhaps just her type of personality (which as said here, also addressed that she's cold), but perhaps it'd be true in her reaction of hearing her father's death of being more of regular confusion (other than shutting down, with Hotaro dragging her along as usual), despite Lachesis gloating over her despair, albeit later she does shed tears.

Her father's teachings was to put rules above anything, while he himself breaks it. Growing up she now claims that she has no purpose to live unlike Hotaro, and she just performs alchemy for duty. Though performing her duty would benefit others, she does lose sight, with her child self claiming that her goal is the Kamen Rider sensibility of making everyone smile. Rules aren't be all end all of anything, so this'd be a case of child misblaming the parent, being lawful can block goodness (I prefer good) in making everyone smile. Maybe like the Chemies itself. The type to snap out of her funk by re-remembering her original purpose, saying she likes seeing her father smile.

It's lucky for Hotaro to accept Renge's deal this time as, they're only borrowing Kamantis and they'd return it later, so Hotaro gets 2 more Chemies without paying. Hotaro's empathy wins him over again here when he pretends to give up his Gotchardriver to Lachesis, only for the Chemy he befriended (and traded), Energyl to attack her and foil her plan. Hotaro's cooking actually fails here as it's not Rinne's taste....

Not unlike Submarine Malgam (but in less creepy way).... Spanner apparently has an interest to Rinne as well, her being his soft spot and the only one he's courteous at. At the end, so alchemy has its limits as Rinne showed, thus reducing it being broken and all solving, requiring Spanner to let Hotaro borrow Madwheel to free themselves.

Spanner's feelings for Rinne are probably the same reason why Deepmariner Malgam got so thoroughly beaten by Valvarad. I've compared Spanner to several Secondary Riders already, but yeah, the way he acts two-faced in his interactions with Houtarou and Rinne is a lot like Kusaka. While we don't see much of him in this episode, he definitely seems like a show-off who wants others to think he's bad*ss. Maybe "Kurogane Spanner" is a name he gave himself to stand out more.

Personally, I like VenoMariner and I wouldn't mind seeing the green and pink combo used more often. Regarding the 50 forms, some of those are presumably using Ride Chemy Cards outside the group of 101, since it's currently unknown how Gotchard can use Level 10s for the standard 8 categories. I will agree with you about Build, but for me, that's due to his asymmetrical design generally not appealing to me, unlike RabbitRabbit. The number of forms was also a problem though, as so many never got used and poor ScorpionGold didn't even make it to canon.

Yeah, if some people think Rinne seems stiff, well, that's in her personality, like you say. Doesn't seem fair for them to complain about her actress for depicting that. But then there are those who also think Houtarou is too hyper, so it's impossible to appease everybody. I think Rinne's reaction to Fuga's apparent death is still pretty tragic, like, she's clearly not the type to become hysterical, but she basically told Houtarou that her life no longer has meaning and that he shouldn't bother saving her, which shows a lot about the lonely despair she feels.

Neutral Good FTW. While those types may not be recognized as "lawful", they still follow their own internal laws as guided by a matured moral compass, rather than the external law created by authority to maintain order. They're willing to do unpleasant things for the sake of good that lawful types are reluctant to do, but they won't do it brazenly like chaotic types either. I think it's the most direct and reliable course towards good that is often seen in Kamen Rider.

I have to say, this show is rather boring so far. I'll give it a few more episodes, but I feel like passing on the whole thing right now.

The formula seems so watered down while every story and character they throw at you is entirely unoriginal. This show is so tiring to me because I feel like I have seen the original already and this is the Netflix-adaption or something.

I don't like a single character so far, the suits and effects are meh, and the story is what it is.

So I am not the only one who feels like this

Kurogane is a common surname, but Spanner? Yeah, ain't buying that. The writers might as well make his fate ends like Kusaka's, who became a Rider out of hubris to test his physical limit, and ended up dying because it turned out each transformation brought him closer to death.

My gut tells me that Houtarou-Rinne-Spanner's dynamic will probably be similar to Takumi-Mari-Kusaka's one, while Renge-Sabimaru's dynamic will be similar to Keitarou-Kaido's typical manzai one.

At first, I thought many of the RCC's only function as power ups/weapons/armor modifiers, like the majority of Drive's Shift Cars or Fourze's Astroswitches. But I was wrong. The existence of the Blank RCC means that the level 10 cards can be used in tandem with the Blank RCC to access a new form, very probably a super form of each category, like Build's Rabbit Tank Sparkle form. Level 10 RCC + Blank/level 0 RCC = 10. It still adheres to the original rule of 10. So, it's actually even worse now, because if level 10 RCC's do work that way, and if there are other RCC's beside the original 101 ones, which I'm 90% sure, then it means that there will be more than 50 forms. Gulp!

So far, I predict there will be:
= (9 ordinary RCC's per category x 10 categories) + (1 level 10 RCC's per category x 10 categories)
= (90 ordinary RCC pairs that grant ordinary forms) + (10 level 10 RCC pairs that grant super forms when each card is fused with the Blank RCC)
= 45 forms + 10 forms
= 55 forms!

If there is one final form for Gotchard, then Gotchard will end up with 56 forms. And that still doesn't include Spanner's Rider forms or the third Rider's (most likely Minato) forms, who'll transform with different driver(s).

Why can't we have small number of base forms with great, thematic, unified designs, like any KR shows before Build? Ghost's 15 base forms look paltry if compared with Build's Best Match forms. Gotchard (and Build) are what happens when Bandai goes completely out of control.

The sheer number of forms a Rider uses also negatively affects his characterization. To me, the more forms a Rider has, up to a point, the less competent he is in my eyes. I'd rather have a clumsy Shinji Kido that can fight and win in just one form for 33 episodes than a genius nerd that changes forms 3 times in just one episode.

I concur. So far, Fuga hasn't shown malicious tendencies. He very likely broke the rules not out of malice, but out of moral duty (and probably desperation as well). I think he was faced with the common moral dilemma of choosing between obeying rules (and or saving small number of people) or disobeying rules (and or saving greater number of people).

His name reads as "black metal spanner", so his surname is either conveniently fitting, or he changed that as well to fit his given name. Who knows?

I think Renge is the Kaido with her attempts at bargaining, while Sabimaru is the Keitarou with his "rotten people allergy". I wonder who'd be the Kiba and Yuka in this comparison.

The Level 10s for astrology and mythology are also known to somehow be a pair, even though they don't add up to 10. So that's at least 46 forms for the group of 101, in addition to 3 forms for power-up cards and the Final Form, increasing the total to 50. If the 10+blank sounds are actually canon, then it's 58, although I'm inclined to believe those are just for merchandise play value since they don't make a face in the Driver and "adding" 0 feels like a cheat.

This is what makes Decade Violent Emotion so intimidating, since he looks similar to the base form but can use all the Attack Rides he wants. Guys like Ryoutarou and Sento (especially as Katsuragi) aren't the most naturally adept fighters, so yeah, they need those form changes/inventions/Imagins to compensate and even then, there's some trial and error for them figuring out what works and what doesn't, like alchemy. Houtarou has strong reflexes and dexterity though, so number of forms isn't inherently reflective of a Rider's talent. In Hibiki's case, his first form change is proof of training hard.

Yeah, like, I can understand why Rinne feels like it's a hypocrisy, which it is, but Fuga's high regard for the rules is probably why he had the conviction to act against them. I think he made a moral judgment based on weighing those rules against what needed to be done and that's probably what he really wanted to teach Rinne. The importance of knowing the limits and where and when it's appropriate to push them. But Rinne was only a kid at the time, so she didn't read the subtext. At least now she realizes that she doesn't truly resent him and wants him to be okay.

Which was what I'm saying back in Die's 555 thread (regarding Yuka). I do think that Hotaro is too hyper though. While you can't appease everybody, it seems that the morally bankrupt + hammy characters would be the most acceptable with almost no haters (they can exist, but it tends to be frowned upon), like Kuroto and Woz, most memeable and quoatable. But yeah, I don't want if they're considered as the only right way to write/act (or behave, for irl people).... which'd sadly have me go through people like Inoue to convey this.

People in fanbase do seem to often view law as the be all end all of good too (and consider law breaking as bad/grey), and seem to think lawful good is the nicest or most empathetic person around, above other good alignment too. By this, the common main Rider character type would be viewed as lawful good by them only because they're nicest (following principles and wanting to fight for justice is seen as lawful). When honestly those main Riders (or those similar to them) would be neutral good as you said. And chaotic is also not necessarily brazenly like you paint them as with it being worse than other good (like those putting law on pedestal), it can be just like if you break the law in things like bypassing bureaucracy or authorization that limits them in doing good (which means, no actual harm, just ignored formality).

The idea of a lawful good Primary Rider sounds kind of like a contradiction, as Ishinomori specifically created Kamen Rider as a hero burdened by their sins. Neutral good examples would likely rather live lawfully, but what they do and what they are brings chaos, which even a cop like Shinnosuke isn't immune to. Chaotic good examples are less likely to care how others feel about them, or may even want them to stay away, like how Takumi is a loner due to his fear of betraying them, but that behavior is also what allows Kusaka to frame him in a poor light. Too much law or chaos can be detrimental.

Congrats on your 1200th post!

So! 5 Episodes in on Gotchard (I didn't have time to review them separate) and honestly, I'm kind of into having a nice fun show instead of a more serialized season we've had so far in Reiwa (whether it remains that way is yet to be seen).

So, first off: Gotchard's music is quite catchy and I like it. The opening might even be my favorite of the Reiwa shows so far, though it kind of reminds me of a Sentai Opening in a way. I don't know why, maybe it's because it sounds more fun and energetic than what we've had so far, and yes, I'm aware Saber's was the same way, but I think it had some underlying tones in it that made it seem like it'd have much darker moments.

Next: as I said when we first saw the suits, I love them! Gotchard is definitely one I loved instantly with the Steam Train/Grasshopper motif and of course I'm a sucker for scarves, it really does feel like an Anniversary suit in a way (which fits since Shin Kamen Rider came out this year and that was another 50th Anniversary project, so it wouldn't surprise me if Gotchard is another semi-Anniversary project), though it's definitely glossy like Revi's suit, which I think works better with this one since it's got a machine built into it. I also just adore the combination theme, which reminds me of Build, and while I don't think they're all meant to reference Riders, I can see some inspirations which fit Revice's way of adding them into the designs.

Valvarad's form is neat, nice to see a non-Rider suit form. The Maglams are interesting in how they are an amalgam (yes, I knew the joke was intentional on Toei's part), but the fact that they have static limbs connected to them is a neat detail that helps them stand out compared most Rider Monsters.

Third: as said before, I'm fine with a lighter show that's more fun, in fact I'd be glad if that's what this whole season ends up being! Sure, there's a lot of setup and track record of how some things might go down, but I don't mind it at all. So long as it keeps being enjoyable and doesn't rush the story (looking at you, early Saber), drag out less than stellar executions (looking at you, Revice), or something affects the production (looking at you, Unspecified Virus of Unknown Origin interfering with Zero-One), I think this will be a fun season.

I know I'm saying fun a lot, but I'm honestly enjoying Gotchard's first impressions. Sure, I can already make guesses like "the Alchemist Higher Ups might be evil" or something, but for now, I'll stick with it!

I do agree with law not being the be all end all of good (and I'm just talking about how in general fanbase do view being lawful as being the most good in general), but you're just having bleak view on chaotic ones (and Takumi being a loner isn't even an example). Didn't you talk about Franklin's philosophy of preserving freedom (with you complaining that it's something need to be advocated in Revice)?

Chaotic good isn't about constantly breaking the law, they focus very strongly on individual rights and freedoms, and will strongly resist any form of oppression of themselves or anyone else. They don't value law not because they're apathetic to others' fates like you're implying (e.g. what others feel about them, which seem as in not giving a f*ck, when this sounds like they very much give a f*ck about others but with different approach), but because they value their own consciences (rather than duty) as a guide for good and when the law restricts their and other people's freedom.

Neutral good use whatever means to promote the most good, either tearing down a code of laws, following a code of laws, creating an orderly society, causing the breakdown of harmful kinds of order, or staying away from society altogether. Their only goal is to do good, full stop.

While too much of an either may be bad, the best solutions are not always the exact middle between two extremes. It's a fallacy called Golden Mean.

How do I fall behind to you and others in my posts....

But even Franklin used lawful means to pursue his chaotic ideals of freedom. He understood the importance of maintaining a reputation for credibility and affability to bolster his debates, which is something that Ikki and Sakura lacked when preaching the same ideals to Daiji. The smartest person in the room listens patiently, but the Igarashi siblings only speak loudly.

I'd still call Takumi chaotic good, as another example would be the deal he made with Murakami to revive Mari in exchange for joining Lucky Clover, which he betrayed. However, Murakami had previously betrayed his deal with Kusaka (who betrays everybody) after he was tasked with joining Lucky Clover, so there's chaos on both sides which justiFaiz chaotic means, same as mutually condoned stealing in OOO.

What I meant is that chaotic good types can be super efficient at preserving freedom, but their actions may inadvertently make it easier for chaotic evil to thrive, which they'll have to take care of later. However, like you said, sometimes neutrality is impossible and either chaos or law must win, so I admit the fault with neutral good types is that they take longer to make a decision than their lawful and chaotic counterparts. Like Wataru's half-and-half nature and lack of confidence making him conflicted between Fangire law and human law, until he eventually settled on his own chaotic ideals of co-existence (Kiva Emperor is a literal Golden Mean). Depends on the situation, I guess. Ultimately, good is good, so I can't claim that any philosophy of good is "better", only which one I prefer.

It could be a nickname due to the fact that he made the Valvarad suit himself. But if a mid-level alchemist like Spanner can use alchemy to make his own battle suit, then could there be other alchemists that wear their own man-made suits similar to Valvarad?

So far, Spanner's characterization is a combination of Keisuke Nago's snobby elitism and Kusaka's hubris and creepy infatuation, although his infatuation for Rinne is not necessarily romantic. It'd be quite predictable if it were romantic.

Sabimaru isn't as straight as Keitarou is. He's at least as eccentric as Renge is. Or maybe Keitarou is more eccentric than I thought he was?

As far as I know, Keiichi Hasegawa tends to prefer intrapersonal drama to interpersonal drama, so we probably won't get a Kiba or a Yuka in Gotchard.

The 9th category is not astrology, but astronomy. The mythology/10th category cards that they're paired with are exactly 10 numbers higher than its number. For example, astronomy card #81 is paired with mythology card #91, #82 with #92, etc.

Astronomy is the study of celestial bodies, which are things in the heavens/sky. The kanji for the heavens/sky is, surprise surprise: 天 (ten). That's the pun at work here. So yeah, it's another form of rule of ten. Mythology also often has religious overtones.

So, 36 base forms + 10 astrology/mythology base forms + 3 super forms + 1 final form = 50 forms. Still way too many forms. I also think it'd be really underwhelming if level 10 cards for category 1-8 don't grant actual forms.

I think it'd be better if some of those 46 base forms are allocated to Spanner and the 3rd/4th/5th Rider and can only be used by them. It will take away much of the burden of mediocrity from Houtarou.

Yeah. It only looks like hypocrisy because she doesn't know the whole picture. I don't think she actually resents him, because she still doesn't know his actual reasoning for breaking the rules. She was probably shocked, confused, and disappointed. Now, if it was already proven that he did it out of malice, then she deserves to resent him.

There are times and situations when rules must be broken, and it can only be done in very very very rare, highly consequential cases, and it must also be done with the very highest level of prudence and ethical standard. There are rare times when fire must be fought with fire, or violence must be fought with violence.

Be careful. Good is not equal.

Some people choose to sacrifice liberty to achieve petty goodness.
- "Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." (Benjamin Franklin)
- "He who gives his freedom for safety gets none of them." (Thomas Jefferson)

Tyrants mask their tyranny as something that benefit their victims.
- "Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." (C.S. Lewis)

Quote #3 is the reason why Ace Ukiyo is the worst character in the history of this franchise. He's the perfect antithesis of heroism.

Several additional points:

- I've just realized that there's quite a big logical leap in episode 2 @ 04:42 when Rinne immediately assumed that the one who gave the Gotchardriver to Houtarou was Fuga. How could she assume that the one who stole the RCC's from the Academy 10 years ago and the one who gave the Gotchardriver to Houtarou were the same person? He could've been someone else entirely. Fuga could've had one or several accomplices, or he could have given the RCC's to someone else first, or even had the RCC's stolen from him. Even if in later episodes it will be proven that the Academy found out that Fuga was the sole culprit of the RCC theft without any accomplices, no one could've known what happened to him after he vanished. 10 years is a very long period where anything could've happened to Fuga. He could've then begun working with someone else entirely unknown to the Academy, and that someone could've betrayed him and taken the RCC's from him, and the Gotchardriver was acquired by a second different person without any connection to Fuga, etc.

I don't understand Rinne's logic in automatically assuming that the one who stole the RCC's was the same person who acquired the Gotchardriver and later gave it to Houtarou. There are too many different possibilities, yet Rinne could immediately know the truth and pinpoint it with total accuracy and conviction without a shadow doubt. Even Minato seemed to have the same conclusion, unless he's a double agent who has been informed with the truth all along.

- It would've been better if the writers revealed the most minimum amount of information in episode 2. They should've kept Rinne in doubt and only referred to the RCC theft as incident, without hinting that the traitor was Fuga. They should've let Lachesis do the reveal in this episode. It would've been far more impactful, because the reveal would've made Lachesis seem crueler and more sadistic as someone who prefers to break her enemies by mental and psychological torture, and more importantly, it would've shocked both Houtarou and Rinne. Houtarou would've been shocked by the fact that the traitor was the man who gave him the Gotchardriver and that he's Rinne's dad. Rinne would've also been shocked to learn that her dad was the man who gave Houtarou the Gotchardriver and that he was already dead. Now that's one super impactful, dramatic reveal.

- I said earlier in this thread that Houtarou's dad is just a red-herring, but I think there's another possibility. I think that Houtarou's dad is probably not an adventurer, but is (or was) actually an alchemist. He could've been "memory-holed" or "erased" from existence due to an unknown circumstance that probably had something to do with the alchemy world, the Ouroboros, the Gotchardriver, or something similar. His situation is probably similar to old Yuuto's one from Den-O. He even could've been dead all along, and Houtarou and his mom have been totally oblivious because they had been Neuralyzed way before the story started. They are probably intended to be just several of the many pawns of the grand plan of the main villain, until Fuga gave Houtarou the Gotchardriver and thus unknowingly help him break the chain of illusion and manipulation. This unpredictable, unplanned action that somehow helped contribute to the defeat of the main villain could be an interesting potential plot.

This is a highly probable hypothesis, because there's nothing that can prevent an alchemist from using the Neuralyzer spell on another alchemist. An alchemist can probably not tell whether someone (or even himself) have been Neuralyzed. What if someone who you Neuralyzed Neuralyze you, without him knowing that you Neuralyzed him, or without you knowing/remembering that you Neuralyzed him? The resulting information asymmetry could be very chaotic and unpredictable. If it's indeed the case, then I think it could lead to a very interesting ambiguous, Machiavellianistic game of manipulation, kinda like the film Total Recall (1990) turned up to 11.

Also, if there's a Neuralyzer spell, then could there be a De-Neuralyzer spell, like in MIB?

It feels strange to me, but yeah, having finished this episode, I'm on the verge of nope'ing entirely out of this series. It's trying so hard to be "Cardcaptor Pokemon," but it's not succeeding at much. It seems like it want to hit the Pokemon "I connect with my battle pets emotionally" thing going for it, and I'm just not buying what they're selling. I haven't disliked a Rider lead this much in, um, ever. I don't know whether the blame the actor or director for our hero's inane, constant shouting. The only thing that's been at all interesting has been the non-Rider magic. It seems like Rinna actually gets to do things sometimes, which is nice.

Although I wonder whether Geats raised my expectations for Rider a bit too high, but I seem to recall most Rider series left me at least a little curious as to where their plots were going by the time I watched their fourth episode. With Gotchard, there's just nothing.

Director / producer 100%. No actor does this on their own, and all the other characters also being one-dimensional caricatures does suggest that good actors are being forced to do dumb acting.

But Houtarou really is terrible. Dumb shouting, stupid verbal gimmick phrase, boring and bland. Easily the worst we had since Zi-O, but I think I actually prefer Sougo.

Yeah it is. I caught myself thinking a few times that the show would be better if Rinne is the lead and Kamen Rider is the secondary hero.

Then again, they do next to nothing to actually put the alchemy theme to good use. Houtarou is a student for how many episodes now? Did he even have one single class, one single lecture? Or is the school just permanently on monster hunting trips now?

Geats was very good. But I have witnessed enough good shows ending to say: It is never the fault of the previous show being too good in comparison.

The current show really is just that bad.

Here come the Geats apologists (cultists?) defending the indefensible and bashing any series that aren't Geats.

“It's easier to fool people than it is to convince them that they have been fooled.”
– Mark Twain.