White Lotus

Challenge #14

In your own space, create a promo and/or rec list for someone new to a fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it and include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

So, my favorite Transformers show is always going to be Beast Wars. Doesn't matter if any show every comes out that I can understand is better, it was my first and it's always going to be My Favorite. But I'm not here today to try to get you to watch Beast Wars. Ask in just about any Transformers fandom space what shows to watch, people will stop whatever they're doing to tell you to watch Beast Wars. But here and now, I want to try to convince you to watch Rescue Bots. Yes, the Transformers show for preschoolers.

Hear me out:

Do you like consistent continuity that avoids bogging itself down? Well, this show has got it.
How about quick, quirky humor? It's got that too.
Aliens trying to fit in on Earth and not always doing a good job? That's, like, half the premise.
Colorful characters with distinct personalities? Got 'em.
Steady development of those characters and their relationships? Yep.
Cute family dynamics balanced with interpersonal drama? Uh huh.
Firetrucks? One of the main characters is a fire truck!
Simple but satisfying musical scores? Rock on.
The voice of LeVar Burton? You're not gonna believe this...

All that, plus it was the first-- and is still the only-- Transformers show to have an episode that's a musical. You wanna argue with that, you've gotta do it in song.

Now, I might as well say that the show has some pretty obvious flaws and makes some questionable choices. It's kiddie copaganda, for one thing, albeit not on the same level as some other kid shows. The idea behind the Bots hiding in plain sight as highly advanced rescue tech only even kinda works if you don't think about it. The team has one (1) female character who is written as a "girls' girl" type but who barely interacts with other women. Each member of the human family has at least one episode involving a love interest just so you know they're all straight. The show flirts with some deeper social ideas that it is clearly not prepared to commit to. The lack of Decepticons is a novel touch but the human villains are hit or miss. One of the side characters gets shortchanged in favor of another. Aaand it probably would've made more sense for a show with so much emphasis on science! to be more, y'know, genuinely scientific rather than taking so many liberties for the sake of Rule of Cool/Funny. It's also part of the Aligned continuity, which is probably not a flaw to most people but I hate revolutionary-movement-gone-corrupt Decepticon origin stories, so it's a big one for me.

Having said all that-- and acknowledging there's probably more I'm forgetting-- I still find the show very enjoyable even as an adult. (So does my mom, as an adult who doesn't even care about Transformers, for whatever that's worth to you.) While the target demographic for the franchise is small children, the show was written to be appealing to families. Its utmost aim is telling fun stories and it hits that mark more often than not. It's episodic, so you can come in at just about any point, but it also builds on previous stories and has a plethora of background call-backs, so you get more out of watching it all the way through. optimus Prime and Bumblebee show up occasionally but not to the point where it feels like the show is relying on them for publicity. It doesn't take itself too seriously but it does play itself straight and has genuine heart. There's a lot going on under the surface, which you can choose to examine or ignore at your leisure. Above all, you can tell that the writers respected the project and the audience.

Am I gonna try to tell you that this show will change your life or expand your mind? No, of course not. It doesn't have anything revolutionary to say to anyone who's watched Mister Rogers or My Little Pony or any other show you might've grown up with. But it is crafted with care and it is fun. Which, I mean, Transformers is a children's IP first and foremost. Yes, there's a lot of room for grittier and more mature takes-- there have been plenty of those throughout the years. The show itself has its own more serious, even (relatively) intense moments. But as much as I can appreciate when the brand's media takes a harder look at its own premise, what I will always appreciate most is a new take on a kids' property that doesn't feel the need to apologize for itself. Rescue Bots knows what it is and it doesn't let that stand in the way of being a good time for fans of all ages.

Well, work started on a delay and I still ended up being late, lol. It wasn't as hard as I expected to find a ride but there were fewer drivers out than usual. Not sure if that was because of the time or the weather. Honestly, the roads weren't bad at all. Even our hill is fine. A lot of stuff was shut down just in case, though.

Several clients were closed for the day and others also opened late. Even those that were open didn't send us much. I finished what I had left over from Friday and waited for hours to get a call telling me it was time to pick up new stuff. When they hadn't called me by three, I just went over. There was a single car in the parking lot and the building was closed. They left without telling us. I still have a key, so I went in just to check if maybe they'd left some work for me in the lab and forgotten to call. Nope! Idk about the rest of the place but it seemed like no one had been in the lab all day, since the empty trays I took over on Friday weren't put up. Everything should be back to business as usual tomorrow, so at least this won't put us too far behind.

Tbh, I kinda regret bothering to go in. I'm sure I'll be glad of it later, when I want to use the PTO for something fun, but it felt like such a waste of a day. I had things I could've done at home with that time. Ah, well. At least I know what the roads are like and am contented that we're not trapped.

Oh, and another thing! That new girl at work, the one who likes Transformers, gave me a Wheeljack Blokees model kit because she got a double (they're blind-boxed) and knows I like him. It was a very simple little snap-together kit, only took about fifteen minutes, and he's pretty cute even though he's not from their chibi-style line. Blokees pretty much lost my attention with their lackluster Arcee-- and they barely had it before that, what with the lack of female characters-- but they're pretty satisfying to snap together, ngl. Too bad the Ratchet in this line is ugly and out of scale, so poor Wheeljack's gonna have to be without his man. I don't see myself bothering to pick any more up but I'm glad I have this one.