Thursday, October 1, 2015

Steampunk'd Season 1 Episode 6 [Review]

Before we get started I have to say something. I have been getting a lot of flack (and I mean a lot) due to my reviews having spoilers in them, but not having a spoiler warning. Well, I don't really know how to do a review without spoilers. Even if I only focused on the art of the show, it would still be a "spoiler" because it revealed something you wouldn't know without watching first. News flash, my friends. All reviews have spoilers. Some just more than others. Like this one. So if you don't want to know that -CENSORED- went home, then maybe this isn't the review for you.

Wait. My spoiler was censored? Well just check it out under the cut. And under the rest of the episode's review.





It's simply not the same without Karianne on the set. She was such a beautiful soul, and without her around, the realization that only one can win sets in even deeper. We are down to only Charles, Eddie, Ave, JW, and Miss Morgan. So many favorites are gone, but at least my girl Ave is still in the running. After last week, she's going to have to pick it up if she wants to make it to the end.

As many people watching the show have realized, the editing focuses far more on the drama than on the actual making. That is incredibly apparent when we get a dramatic statement out of JW right out of the gate. He hears Eddie taking credit for things he did last week, and has decided to put huge targets on both their heads. As Jeannie points out, there are only five of them left, and the end is getting ever closer, so if there ever was a time for sabotage, it would be now. Not that I want JW to win or anything, but if that means Miss Morgan gets sent packing, I'm all for it, and the show would be better, and less dramatic, too.

There was so much going on in the opening segment. They announced that the new room was the bathroom, and it is a nautical theme. Everyone, especially Miss Morgan, seems very excited. And to state the obvious, our lovely host points out that it's three on two this time, with Eddie being able o decide if he wants the full team, or the small team. Eddie has a weird bond with Morgan, so he picks her up, and takes Charles by default. JW is the short ended team, having only Ave on his side. They have to have a moving part to move water from the barrel to the tub, as well as an outfit that resembles pajamas.

And here I was simply fascinated by Thomas' sexy hair being down and looking amazing. I'm not just saying this because I know he reads this weekly. I mean it. If only I could have gotten a screen shot. Oh well. Hope he doesn't mind me crushing from afar.

The Junkyard has been completely re-decked in useful nautical themed stuff. Ave has some obvious concerns about working with JW, mostly because he isn't much of a planner and she was on the bottom last week. She has had two close calls now, and I won't stand for her being in the bottom again. Eddie's team seems more cohesive, being that he and Morgan have become close over the corse of the show. It's not that I hate Miss Morgan, but she really seems to have two completely different sides to her, and seems to be too much of an over the top antagonist. Charles feels a bit out of place on their team, too, given his closeness to Ave and his distance from both Morgan and Eddie.


The good news about having teams that (mostly) get along is that the drama is at a minimum. As I said before, the steampunk community has been up in arms about how the show has too much drama. Well this time around, we got to see a lot more of the making than usual. We got to see the really cool development of Eddie's thought process on how to develop the water pump. We also saw Ave going through the process of trying to decide if she wants to sew or hot glue. JW was against it, but she did explain in detail the pros and cons of sewing versus glueing and made a good point for her side.

Speaking of the whole JW no-glue scenario, I really like how he came off to her. In the beginning of the show he was very judgmental and harsh, but this time, he really pulled her aside and explained why he wanted it hand sewn instead of glued. He wanted both of them to succeed, not just him. We already are quite aware the judges are going to love his wood and metal working for this challenge, but he wanted to ensure their victory by having Ave at the top of her game. He has come a long, long way since his first time up as team leader.

There were a few last minute jitters, including Morgan being very uninspired by the nautical theme, Charles being pretty much nonexistent in this episode, and JW telling the judges Ave's creation would be completely hand stitched. There was a definite increase in the drama in the latter half of the episode, but the first half's extreme focus on making made it hardly noticeable. Before you could even blink the rooms were done and they were up to speak with the judges.

That sigh of relief when time runs out and the pressure is over.
We welcome back our amazing judges Kato, Thomas, and Max, as well as make room for the episode's guest judge that fell out of the sky at the last moment, Chloe Dykstra, who is apparently a cosplayer. It looks like the credentials to be a judge on this show aren't very high. Maybe I can come in for season two as a guest judge because I'm one of the two people on the internet reviewing this show. I'll be damned if the other guy beats me out!

On to the rooms. You know, what matters. Apparently.

Team Eddie - As much as the judges doted over the stencils for the rivets, I totally hate it. It's totally obvious they aren't real and it doesn't look nice. Eddie is a very good story teller, but it doesn't really help cover up the things that weren't great. It looked kind of basic, and the mechanism was very impractical. I was sad to see that there was a distinct lack of Charles in the room. His harpoon was very fun, but it was such a small part of the room, and the aging of the metals really didn't seem like it was that much of a challenge.

Team JW - I absolutely love this room. I love the metal work, the pipings, and the overall aesthetic of it all. Ave really pulled off the entire outfit, and made it work for her. I really feel like the water pump for JW's room was much better, and the overall concept was much better put together. Ave made a lot of cool accessories and bottles. JW busted his butt to make the room everything it was.

I could sit here and tell you everything the judges talked about, but I was so mesmerized by Thomas's beautiful hair that I didn't catch a whole lot of the conversation. And before you say I could just rewind it because it's on a DVR and DVRs can do that, shut up. I would just end up in love again, so it wouldn't do any good. What's important is that they all seemed to agree that this is the tightest competition so far. It could really be either team that wins.

Personally I feel like the winner was glaringly obvious. Even shorthanded, JW is an amazing artist and really shined through, showing what someone can do in three days when they are pushed hard enough. It certainly didn't surprise me when they announced that Team JW was the winning team. That means that JW was the top maker. The second place winner was Eddie, making them both captains for two episodes in a row. Congrats, guys.

That means that we know three of the top four already, being Eddie, JW, and Ave (who was safe due to being on the winning team). The bottom two left over are Charles and Morgan. Suddenly I had a sinking feeling because, well, I knew good and well that much like Cheryl Ann on Skin Wars, she was destined to be top four (not top three, but top four) in order to keep the drama going as long as possible. It also makes sense that the final four would be two builders and two designers. So obviously Charles gets sent home. It's been real, my friend. You were awesome, and I hope to keep seeing your fascinating creations online for years to come.

2 comments:

  1. "takes Eddie by default" - I believe you meant " takes Charles by default"

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    1. Thanks for catching that. I tried to read over this one before posting it but mistakes are bout to happen. Updated :)

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