User blog:DestructiveMilkshake/Second Half of Total Drama Toxic Brawl Review

So, VUF said he would make the second half of Toxic Brawl review once the finale for it finished... it is now the All-Stars final 6. I think it's about time to review the second-half of an underrated, but still not really good season. Pardon if some of these are a little... short, but it's been a while since we were in this season.

Episodes
The Toxic Treasure of Wawanakwa

This was the point after the merge when people began getting really sick of Femme Fatale, even though it was the most faboo allieance ever. The challenge this episode was basically a trivia challenge, which was the worst possible challenge for an early merge episode as it barely gave room to develop interactions. Jo and Lightning's and Scarlett and Eva's conflicts intensified, and Staci had a nice scene for her development, if it was a bit abrupt. This episode kind of exemplifies the mediocrity that was evident in a lot of Toxic Brawl. Alejandro going here was good, as the Villains' Alliance as a whole was running dry of plot. Rating: 3/10

2014: A Toxic Owen

Compared to the episodes around it, this episode is pretty good. Behind the scenes drama spiked shortly before this episode, so when the elimination was tense as hell and so was the controversial quit. The challenge for this episode was unoriginal, but it was necessary after two episodes with horrible challenges and provided for some decent entertainment. The Jock moment <3. The elimination made the episode infamous however, with Scarlett supposed to be going but Owen quitting to save her. But eh, did anyone actually care that Owen left after floating for so long?

Rating: 7/10

I Feel Like I Just Kissed A Plant

From what I remember, this episode was at an equal level of quality as the one before it. Jo and Scarlett vs. Eva drama came to a head in this episode, and it was pretty fun to watch. Staci officially joined Femme Fatale, and with Brick becoming the swing vote, it was the first time Femme Fatale was in actual danger of losing their  iron grip. The challenge basically revealed who were the targets for the episode, and the elimination ceremony was very tense as both sides expected Brick to stay with them. Eva going before Beth or Sadie was disappointing, but I think everyone that was in the game knew about the controversy surrounding her rp'ers moves. This was imo the first actually good merge episode.

Rating: 8/10

Chris & Stitch

This is a terrible episode for a big amount of reasons. First off, the elimination of Eva kind of eliminated a lot of drama from the cast, and only when me and VUF purposely stirred the pot did it begin heating back up. There was almost nothing going on this episode, and it could pass as total filler if it didn't have an elimination. The challenge dragged on HORRIBLY long, and that put major detriment to the episode. There were some accusations of godplay thrown around, some behind the scenes drama regarding the judges, accusations of rigging, all for a sloppy and just... boring challenge. Sadie going was meh, but Beth going would have been preferable as Sadie had some dramatic potential. I know this episode really turned a lot of people off from the season after a streak of better episodes, and the criticism of the season spiked and people began wanting to quit. VERY unentertaining episode of season-killing proportions.

Rating: 1/10

The Squirrel, The Shark, and The Monster Behind

To be honest, if this episode didn't happen, Toxic Brawl would be known as an irredeemable piece of crap on the level of All-Stars. Luckily, this episode did happen. The drama this episode spiked and so did the entertainment level as Scarlett and Jo's alliance finally began to crack and shatter. Scarlett turned to Staci as protection in the game, and Jo stood on her own as she stirred the pot massively by airing out everyone's dirty laundry. Everybody was talking, and most people had stuff going on for once. The challenge was actually well-organized, and the first part especially was working for character interactions. (Un)surprisingly, Noah left at the elimination, and he honestly should have left earlier. All of his plot was in the early episode, and the only thing he was really doing was trying to go against Femme Fatale. This episode began a streak of strong episodes that didn't stop.

Rating: 7/10

Broken Barrels, Broken Bonds

The challenge was okay, and each pair did their own thing which was pretty neat. Jock drama reached its climax this episode as Brick finally stood up to Jo and Jo showed she actually cared about Brick, even though it was for just a little bit. Scarlett and Staci and Lightning and Beth had some interactions too, but Jock really stole the show for me. My only real problem with the episode is how weird the second part of the challenge was and the drama from the previous episode didn't carry over too strongly. Femme Fatale finally began cannibalizing on itself, and the elimination, while technically a blindside, was completely and widely known pretty predictable. The episode is overall meh, and with a few strong points.

Rating: 6/10

In Chris We Trust

I wasn't here for most of the episode, but from what I heard the eliminated campers were decent and the drama from the transcripts was okay. The challenge at the end was okay, and Jasmine winning was cool and choosing Staci. I don't really think i can give a solid judgement for it, but it kind of broke the flow in the season, despite possibly being good in it's own right.

Rating: 6/10

Monster Falls

IMO, every episode from here on out is a great episode. The challenge was creative and not sloppy besides a certain spectator blurting out answers, and Jo vs. Everyone was reaching it's peak. Scarlett began showing her true feelings to Staci, and had a memorable fight with Jo this episode. Beth went, who nobody really misses, even though Lightning was originally supposed to go. The episode is pretty short, but other than that it has no real flaws and we were left with a very solid final 4.

Rating: 8/10

Sleepless in Awkanawaw

Everyone left in the competition at this point was causing drama of some kind, and the final 4 dynamic was really cool. We had the 3 stars of Toxic Brawl and a solid character in Lightning, and visiting the Playa showed some cool interactions between the eliminated contestants and the final 4. The challenge was really short, but the interactions carried the episode and Dave stabbed Jo... again. Scarlett then eliminated her, and was supposedly set for a finale with Staci. The cast really played well with this episode.

Rating: 8/10

There's No Crying in War

The gem of the season. <3 Scarlett and Staci's plot, that had been building up for several episodes now, finally reached its conclusion with Staci realizing Scarlett has been using her the entire time. Scarlett by this point has been established as the clear-cut antagonist, and while I don't want to vainly shower myself with praise, was widely considered one of the best in RP history. Staci meanwhile had a rocky road as a protagonist, and her development was really showing by now. Lightning was okay, but didn't do much in the episode besides exist with Alejandro. The challenge was slow-paced at first, but began to pick up when Chris released the animals and it ended goodly with a Staci win. Then the shining moment of the episode happens: Staci blindsiding Scarlett. There's a ton of reasons as to why this is my favorite elimination ever: the shock factor at Scarlett not making final 2, Scarlett receiving her karma, Staci completing her development, and Scarlett's rage at being eliminated was a sight to behold, and Staci layed a verbal beatdown on her for her actions. Scarlett's breakdown at being eliminated and her kicking and screaming was the perfect way for her to go, and the perfect conclusion to her plot in the season.

Rating: 10/10

Toxic Battle For A Not So Toxic Prize

Good finale and a great finisher for the season. The finale managed to be suspenseful the entire way through, and the eliminated contestants were a joy to watch as they interacted. The final 2's dynamics are very strong, and the challenges each were entertaining (besides trivia but eh). The final challenge was particularly thrilling, as the finalists jumped off an exploding cliff. Staci won a very deserved win in the end, and the season ended on a very strong note, and set up for the strong premiere of TDAST2.

Rating: 9/10

Contestants in the second half
TBA

Comment your opinion (with reasons) below plsss, I worked hard on this.