Discuss: Escape from the Mysterious Beyond

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

Like I said, as a writer, I can recognize these things. I've graduated college with a degree in writing and I now do freelance editing work and also work in a publishing press.

That's exactly what I'm doing, except I haven't graduated college yet. That might be the reason why I completely agree with you.

Pokeplayer, it is true that one can mix up the order of what one reveals in their writing, but remember that this is a kid's show that, despite it's inherited fan base, still needs to start off on a good limb. To do that, especially for a younger audience, one needs to start off with a clear introductory story. As Ryuukokoro said, it has all the markings of a TV pilot. This is what any show must do to ensure that it gains fans from the start. (as a corollary, this is also why most shows start getting really developed, complicated, and multi-episode story arcs in and around the 3rd season, because the authors feel like they've sufficiently set up the all-around story and characters. If you listen to the special features and interviews usually included with DVD collections, this is a common thing for directors and scriptwriters to say.)

Also, if this wasn't the pilot episode, which do think was? None of the other episodes I see look like they've been written to start the entire series off.

[Ducky123]

This is just another lovely episode

First and foremost, we see a lot of Redclaw, Screech and Thud in this episode. The Gang are under the danger of being eaten pretty much during the entire episode (hence its title is quite a suitable choice ).
Having a good ol' earthshake has never been a bad decision so far and neither is it a bad decision in this episode. While I don't think that Ducky and Chomper were closest to the developing crack (if ya want it to work, it's gonna work ), they are caught on an island with Thud who's stuck. Now that's undoubtly a great combination
I really liked Chomper being protective of Ducky (and providing us with a lot of moments to "capture" in a not so appropriate way ) and I liked the song while Adventuring was just there. It doesn't deserve further attention. Only the visuals were okay with this song.
Anyway, the "Chomper is too little" subplot is also interesting to see. I can kind of imagine Cera saying that he should be lucky because he needs less food  
The fact that Chomper shows mercy on Thud saves their lifes a little later (and Thud will be forever grateful as pictured in many fics )

So yeah, despite the obvious stupidity of the predators (what else could I have expected? ) this is a really enjoyable episode. Dunno why people hate the series...

[LittlefootAndAliTogether]

Not sure if anyone brought this up, but supposing Thud had been more right (i.e. the others had to go back as night fell) and then they weren't found, say, for about 2 weeks.

Would Chomper have caved into eating Ducky?  (I mean, eating Thud instead would be a bit harder to do.)  

That kind of bothers me.  

I mean, Thud actually brings up that subject, asking Chomper if he is going to eat Ducky.  

Another thing nobody mentioned here, at least in this thread, and I don't see it often on the forums, maybe I don't look too hard, is if Chomper gets a lot of flack from other Sharpteeth for befriending leaf eaters.  I mean, Thud seemed like he was mocking Chomper when Chomper said that Ducky was his friend.  

Chomper's odd (for a Sharptooth) behavior wasn't just questioned by Thud, but by Chomper's own father, who, seeing Chomper gathering leaves in the fifth film, says "Sometimes I worry about that boy."

Back to Chomper and Ducky, one wonders if Ducky was ever thinking, even if she wouldn't say it out loud:

"I wonder, if we are not rescueded and we stay here a few days, if Chomper might get so hungry and I will get eated by him."

Arguably, Chomper wouldn't eat her until things got so bad that he would do it in the end out of nature and no thought to it and it wouldn't be him.  And, also, one would think that, by that point, Ducky would be so poor off herself that it actually would be for the best for her if that happened (as opposed to dying of hunger, which is an awful way to die.).      

Still, if Chomper did that and then got found, would they have let him die in retaliation or still rescued him and sent him off into the Mysterious Beyond, knowing he couldn't go back to the Great Valley?  

[fanciful_flyer]

Kinda brings up a whole new thread possibility: "What do the Gang's parents think of all their adventures?" XD
But back to the episode - I liked this one too, because let's face it, most of the time we have no idea what these sharpteeth are saying. XD We have a pretty good idea, of course, but I've always been a big fan of subtitles, haha. I've always considered that the sharpteeth in the movies and series were talking (er, when they're not roaring in anger. It's all the same to them, maybe...), but in this episode it was great to know exactly what one of them was saying. Always cool, too, that Chomper is bilingual.   Hmm, I wonder if he could teach the others how to speak a little Sharptooth...

And, like I mentioned in another thread, the ending with Thud deciding not to give Chomper and his friends away was nice. Kinda showed that sharpteeth, in spite of being driven by instinct, can still have morals and such. Added another dimension to their kind.

[StardustSoldier]

Lol, Thug.

Why would he give them a "second chance" just because they helped him, even though he's going to continue hunting them later. Unless maybe we'll see in a later episode that Thud has changed.

Indeed, we do see in his later appearances that Thud goes back to being an antagonistic hunter. Which I was a bit disappointed by, as I was hoping the events of this episode would've come into play later on, and maybe even started to change Thud for the better. Oh well, the thing with Thud here was still a nice touch. I guess ultimately he wasn't able or willing to give up his predator status, but he was feeling grateful and so he was like, "Alright, I'll let you go just this one time."

Why are Red Claw and the others after the gang? It's like they're after them for a reason other than eating them.

I didn't think of that before, but you're right. It really does seem like there's some sort of extra motive there, or a missing piece to the backstory, but we have no idea what it is. Weird.

This series gives more questions than answers.

Alas, yeah, it does.

Oh well. Having seen the entire TV series now, I can say that this is still my favourite episode.