Ben 10: Mixing Cthulhu with Scientology!?
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- Опубликовано: 4 авг 2024
- "These days, they call me The Dagon."
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Intro/ Outro Music: Noxi (NoxiMation)
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THIS VIDEO’S LINKS:
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Ash’s Pokemon Videos: • Designing Ancient Glam...
TIMECODES:
0:00 - Introduction
3:24 - Episode Breakdown
26:27 - The Ratings
30:35 - Final Thoughts
_______HOW MY BREAKDOWNS WORK:
Classic Breakdowns - bit.ly/3Eo9OfQ
Movie Breakdowns - bit.ly/3Eo9Zb0
Alien Force Breakdowns - shorturl.at/gmBER
Ultimate Alien Breakdowns - bit.ly/3aaSe4o
THE REVIEW
I watch each episode with my own commentary, often pausing the scenes to get my words out without having to talk over the episode, and also to point out and analyze the show's art and animation. I have seen each episode already growing up, so these reviews are to compare and contrast the five categories listed below.
PLOT (Scaled from 1 to 5 Points)
The foundation of the episode. Uniqueness and overused tropes are taken into account, but it is also judged on how well it tells the story of the episode. An episode can score a 5 even with a basic/ cliche plotline as long as it has good pacing, worthy use of its tropes, and feels well-polished. An episode can lose points due to plotholes, uneven storytelling, and relying too heavily on cliches to do the work for it.
CHARACTERIZATION (Scaled from 1 to 5 Points)
How well the characters are written. Do they feel like themselves compared to the grand narrative of the franchise? Are the supporting or one-off characters interesting, or pure plot devices? Did the humor land? Did the actions and character motivations make sense?
VISUALS (Scaled from 1 to 5 Points)
Basically, everything that happens on-screen. Character Design. Animation. Backgrounds. Creative mechanics and solutions. If there is CGI or digital effects added, how well do they blend into the show, and were they used as an enhancement, or a crutch?
IMPORTANCE (Scaled from 1 to 5 Points)
This includes, but is not strictly based on, how important the episodes are to the current story arc (if there is one) or the general narrative of the Ben 10 Franchise. Points can also be awarded for how impactful the episode was, or how favored/ important it is to the general Ben 10 fanbase. I ask myself, "If I skipped this, would I be missing out on the 'Ben 10 Experience?' "
ENTERTAINMENT (Scaled from 1 to 5)
Pretty much the most important part of developing a tv show. You can be perfect in all four of the previous categories, but the episode can still be boring. On the flip side, the episode can be absolute garbage, but still an enjoyable watch. How likely would you be to put this episode on if you were in the mood to watch Ben 10? 
Развлечения
![MURDER DRONES Series Finale [TRAILER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/p6mhC5Iatns/mqdefault.jpg)
And still Kuro's hair continues to evolve beyond human comprehension ❤️😂
Its legitimately impressive how many hairstyles he has pulled off at this point💀
Maybe his head has the Omnitrix and transforms randomly.
@@tronarclight2976 Hairotrix
@@tronarclight2976 It's a level 8076 tech
@@tronarclight2976 i mean, he did have 1 on his wrist in some of the breakdowns
The ending scene had me like
“What if Tennyson is telling the truth about Dagon?”
“Shut up”
And Conduit just gives a death stare
Religious debate through the ages.
@@blakethebeast3174 straight facts, “have faith” headass
Can't believe we're almost finished with UA.
Thank you, Team Ink Tank. One more series to go. Imma miss these breakdowns..
@@mannytwozero4449 Good thing about it is that it has 9 seasons. So it can finish atleast mid or early 2024
Well 2 as kuro will probably do the reboot especially if it does get that second series
@@lightningmr_dt449 He did confirm he's gonna do the reboot specials, didn't say anything about the rest of the series tho
Time flies when you're having fun eh?
@@BBHSN98 why would he do the specials but not the series
I have a theory, the basis for the "not getting alien tech to accelerate your species" could be somewhat based on the incident with the, Sword of Ascalon
I could see that. Especially since it was the Incurseans' first stealing Ascalon that led to their homeworld being destroyed.
I mean just in general the rapid advancements can be an issue.
Take for example an old civilization without technology.
If you introduced a lot of modern day technology like factories and vehicles and such you run the risk of causing a lot of population and introducing major changes in the environment that the people never experienced.
Such as the waste and pollutants infecting the environment and the people.
If you don't the education and medical systems in place it can all fall apart.
Alternatively the energy costs to run some of this would also be a lot, not to mention sourcing the materials would make it all expensive
@@rushalias8511 One could even argue we're not really even able to handle the level of tech we got right now. Give us tech from like 300 years into the future, and God knows that'll be even worse.
You don't give a monkey a machine gun eh lol
No
You don’t give a baby Legos might choke
I think this arc would have been a “perfect” place for Ben to break up with Julie. Keep her as a member of the Flame Keeper’s Circle. Maybe not turn her flat out evil, but show the actual effects of a cult on people.
According to dwayne they did broke up 2nd time after this episode(offscreen).
@@yashbjoshi12 That contradict the next episodes.
That would imply the writers have foresight haha
maybe even have her join the esoterica during the arc,if julie went as far to lie to fake being a hostage to ben and it would also show give us another perspective in the whole knights vs esoterica thing
@mobgabriel1767 considered ben ability ben could probably kill Edward without hurting julie, and him probably will
19:30 Personally, I kind of like how simple the Esoterica's dimensional powers are. There's no glowing outline, no obvious portal, just them fading away into thin air. It makes it feel very unique and otherworldly, more so than Ben 10 usually gets. It goes back to that famous quote, 'Significantly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.'
forever learning more and more with these breakdowns...
Thanks for always being here 🙏
I like that Ben is aware of what happened with Vilgaxia after Vilgax’ apparent demise
Maybe he found out from Psyphon after the latter's revenge attempt?
@@johnnygyro2295 either that or he did research because he cares about the species of the galaxy regardless of who lives there and Vilgax was their lord or whatever position in high power the Chimera Sui Generis has
@@axelnilsson5124 or maybe it was publicized
13:00 what’s interesting is 63 is the amount of Aliens Ben has by the end of Omniverse if I’m not mistaken. But given a few of them like Atomix and Whampire were explicitly added during Omniverse that means there’s a few aliens Ben has used that the audience has never seen
Not surprising.
I believe that Ben and crew left Vilgax at the end mostly because they were cautious of the Esoterica. A tactical retreat, if you will.
I mean, they were fighting something they’d never faced before and didn’t understand, plus they were being outnumbered. The only way they even got out was because Echo Echo put Vilgax is danger by bursting the tank, leaving the Esoterica to tend to him over dealing with them.
That’s just my opinion tho.
That's a great theory. While I believe that the Trio still could've handled it anyways, if they themselves didn't believe it, then that action makes sense.
Well being honest, seeing how Ben has some much power right at the moment in the series. I think with his pride and confidence, he would never be afraid of these goons, which he has basically beaten with ult. big chill in this episode. Especially when Vilgax, his biggest enemy is in the weakest form ever and could be captured for good.
Not to mention the esoterica are likely not all in one base PLUS have some public favor from their philanthropic front, so dismantling them wouldn’t be that easy anyway
Prpbably why they called in more plumbers the next time they fight Esoterica.
@TheGlassesPro what? kuphulu isn't an esoterica follower. he just looks like one
If the stories and cults such as the “Esoteric Order of Dagon” from ‘The Shadow Over Innsmouth’ or the various Cthulhu Cults were in modern times, I do not doubt that they would act in at least a similar way as Scientology does. Charitable donations, helping people, etc. on the surface, endorsed by celebrities and then the horrific underbelly of star-born monstrosities and fish people underneath. Thus, The Esoterica is a very good example of some of the ideas from Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, just modernized and instead of interacting with random people who don’t know what they’re getting into, it’s a kid with a watch that turns him into aliens, so fun stuff and makes my cosmic horror loving self very happy.
I’ve just realised after 96 breakdowns that Kuro always says hi but I’ve never said hi back…
…hi :)
Hi!
Get a room you two.
My biggest issue is that they just write off how Julie betrayed Ben to the Esoterica. Maybe have this cause a little tension between the two of them. Or when she realized the truth she pulls out ship and helps fight them off.
Similar to what she did in the finale?
Yeah, I don't know that before, and that pretty mess up
Ben, in this episode, is the epitome of "you're right but you are also being a smug ass about it".
Uhh Ben was being way more smug. Which didn't exactly help. He all but said her true value comes from being his girlfriend. I don't know why they made him so shitty. Like yeah it's more unique for a main character but still
@@darksideofevil13She brought up some great points with Ben that he basically had no counter to beyond "protagonist privilege, bitch."
I just realized, the part where Ben mentioned that worlds being destroyed because they adopted alien technology happened before is setting up for Azmuth's backstory later on
Somethings can be figured out without the theory being implied by someone
I like how they tied Vilgax into this. I just wish the overall storyline flowed better
I enjoy his involvement to the end of this arc with him becoming a herald of Dagon
I enjoyed this arc except the last battle, it could have been better but then again Ultimate Way Big lost to Dagon so its easy to assume no other alien would stand a chance against Fused Vilgax (except Alien X and we all know why Ben doesn't use him)
@@theamazingspooderman2697 Plus ben hadnt unlocked atomix yet
@@yashbjoshi12 Atomix wouldn’t have been a match against Dagon either
@@axelnilsson5124 Probably,he could be as he's confirmed to be 2nd most powerful!
I guess the difference between Ben and Dagon’s supposed goals is that Ben is just one person. He’s not using the Ultimatrix/Omnitrix to advance and change the technological landscape of Earth, he’s just using it to fight crime himself. Dagon’s supposed goal would be to give Earth as a whole technology beyond what humans are currently capable of using or understanding
But man Ben really should’ve just frozen Vilgax. They did NOT have to walk away.
Also, they probably get these big tanks under the guise of like running an aquarium
theory: kuro has an omnitrix that can only transform someone's hair, he has hundreds of transformations.
I love how Ben uses ChamAlien to sneakily go inside the building as Big Chill is intangible not invisible and he might not want to use Ghostfreak (he only uses him in Ultimate Sacrifice cuz he had no other option and only Ghostfreak could control minds)
also Ben tanked one of Esoterica's punch while that carnival guy got knocked down with a single punch, shows Ben's durability
The best thing about these breakdowns is that kuro's hair always changes
Just a sign of how often Celestialsapiens change the reality.
He has 1,000,912 hair styles
@@tylerprenger8063 and that's not even counting ultimates
The people at Scientology are as trustworthy and clean as a pyromaniac with a flamethrower in a paper factory during its peak season with stacks apon stacks of paper ready to be shipped.
Now that Julie has introduced Ben and the gang to the Flame Keepers Circle she will definitely have a significant role in this arc going forward, right?
RIGHT???
well, kinda
Ben knows the number of aliens he can turn into but not his girlfriend's tennis rankings. Nice detail
Says a lot about his character
Somebody once counted Ben's aliens, if he was right....
And unless Ben counted offscreen transformations (plus Ultimates as individual forms), he got his alien account wrong.
@@ianr.navahuber2195 Ben also reunlocked and gained new alien forms from Ben 10000 don't forget
@@kermitgotthesickkicks4265 that's what i meant by the "offscreen Alien species"
And Even then, Ómniverse implies he didn't re-unlock all his previous forms, given his surprise at using some older forms
@@ianr.navahuber2195 the fact that albedo has gravattack means that ultimate ben unlocked that transformation and we just didn't saw it
It’s not really a big deal but Ben saying he can turn into 63 aliens is one of my favourite scenes in the ep🤝🏾Just goes to show how far he’s come from classic, and as kuro said how much he actually thinks and cares about his transformation😂
Only 9937 aliens species left
@@leonardofarias8843 and then a million other aliens in the master control
Wait, does that include Articguana and Feedback? Or did Omniverse retcon that
Original 10 + AF 10 = 20
21. Cannonbolt
22. Upchuck
23. WayBig
24. BenVictor
25. BenWolf
26. BenMummy
27. Ditto
28. Lodestar
29. Chameleon
30. Rath
31-35 : andromeda aliens
36. Nanomech
What are the other 27 aliens he unlocked up to this episode?
Not sure if Articguana, MegaWatt is included.
Are the ultimate aliens counted as additional aliens?
@@Ultimate95 I think so they may also include the aliens Ben 10k helped to unlock e.g fastrack, clockwork
Also u forgot eyeguy
I like the idea of having Ben fight another antagonistic faction rather than only one. It keeps the story more varied plus they actually weave into the main story well. I just wish the Flamekeepers got a satisfying ending in the finale.
16:55
I don't think Vilgax going full squid takes that much out of him. I think he was just saying that the explosion left him too weak to revert to his bipedal form.
I'm convinced that Kuro has a closet full of wigs, and that he's actually bald....Or he just has a great hairdresser.
I actually like Ben using Chamalien instead of Big Chill or Jetray cause I see it as him scoping out the building and seeing what the Esoterics are up to.
I 100% agree with Kevin that Julie should be much smarter than to fall for such obvious lies (which makes her brief betrayal painful) and on his points about using alien technology to advance a society that isn't prepared for the responsibility that comes with it. Also, another way to have executed this episode is by having the story be about Congress wanting full transparency on all matters involving aliens and alien technology and Ben having to appear before a Commitee while Julie is outside, protesting alongside the Flame Keepers Circle.
Kuro’s hair is slowly going ultimate with these breakdowns
Why do I find Julie walking back and forth to the outro so freaking amusing? lmao
Despite her not knowing that the fake Dagon was Vilgax, Julie still should have given an actual apology to Ben with the latter also saying that some people can help instead of her just saying “I may have been wrong about Vilgax, but you’re wrong about not lending alien tech to those who can help”, I mean I know she looked troubled at the end of the episode due to what she was involved in but she still could have apologized.
Maybe it was pride?
@@christianparrish3292 Yeah, most likely that
@@MiraculousHolder365 yeah, pride can make you unapologetic.
Another Ben 10 breakdown sesh with Kuro is always welcome!
Nice to meet you.
@@christianparrish3292 No nice to meet YOU
@@deeznut709 NO NO! Nice to meet you ALL
@@akuma2918 NO NO NO! Nice to meet ALL OF YOU
@@qy-exotic7717OH NO NO NO NO! THE PLEASURE IS ALL MINE! Nice to meet you all all
Missed Opportunities:
If you’re going to have Julie join a cult and she seems to be a real believer in it, go all-in and have her stay with the cult and have to be convinced, really convinced, to leave it. Use her competitiveness that was brought up in “Greetings from Techadon” to help motivate her to do her best to spread the message of the Flame Keepers’ Circle, aiming to prove to Ben that he’s wrong and she’s right. Along the way, have her start to wonder if maybe Ben really is right with “Diagon’s” orders getting more and more unsettling to her.
If nothing else, it would make her talking Ben down in the series finale a bit more meaningful since she would’ve understood what it’s like to want to do something good so badly that you blind yourself to the terrible things you might do to achieve that goal. (Plus it’d tie in nicely with the Azmuth backstory we get in “Solitary Alignment”!)
Not to mention what would go through Ben’s head during all this. He’d have to fight someone he cares a great deal about. He’d never be able to hurt her, but after that stunt where she fakes being a hostage? He wouldn’t know if he’d ever be able to fully trust her again even after she sees through Vilgax’s lies. After all, she let herself be convinced once before to turn on him; what’s to stop someone else from flattering her into doing the same thing?
Final Thoughts:
This episode admittedly has some pretty big high points, but I can only list them now on re-watch because I know what’s coming and can better appreciate the groundwork this episode laid down. However, it still leaves a sour taste in my mouth because of Julie.
I don’t know if it was because of the censors or Cartoon Network or what, but this episode feels like it wussed out on a much more interesting thread for the Diagon Arc than some of the ones we actually got.
I don't know if there's a way to make Julie being in the Flame Keeper's Circle without making her look like even more of an idiot.
And she brought up some great points with Ben that he basically had no counter to beyond "protagonist privilege, bitch."
man, i never skip that intro. with each breakdown i keep watching it.
Since George was introduced this arc, I wonder if the "it's happened before" is in reference to the incursions destroying their own planet with ascalon
17:16
A good example is frieza
Who has a true form where he has the full power and a normal form that he uses to control all that powe
15:04 - considering that Dagon is a demonic god, it’s safe to say that this is actually magic
Good morning everyone
Morning!
Morning!
Good morning
Morning
And to you good sir
As much as i love UAF I'm looking forward for your breakdowns on omniverve, I think is the underrated gem of the four main Ben 10 series and i hope it gets the love it deserves
Yeah I'm waiting for it
Probably one of the largest examples of not to bring alien tech to another homeworld would probably be the Sword of Ascalon onto the Incursion Homeworld, which while it was stolen, it still lead to a planet being destroyed.
6:44 Imagine they got somebody who successfully left Scientology for the voice.
14:22 Honestly, this feels like the perfect plotline for "Animation that doesn't work well with the art style".
I remember watching this for the first time as a kid and being surprised that Vilgax was back. Besides the continuity error of his ship being destroyed in the air instead of underwater like in Alien Force, this is one of my favorite episodes of season 3.
@Caitlyn Carvalho You could argue it is against scientology only but at the same time they give them to much credit, as in 'not portraying as bad as they could/ should'.
@Caitlyn Carvalho I mean that Conduit Edward seems to be genuinly well intentioned and believe what he preaches, they have actual powers and knowledge, etc.
Which contrast with real life scientology which lacks any proof to their claims and is much likely view by the people that lead it as a way to attain wealth/ power.
@Caitlyn Carvalho Besides the fact that Scientology is generally not well liked, plenty of the elements on the episode are so alien (i mean different) that most people probably didn't even notice it was referencing that (which was helped by mixxing it with elements from H. P. Lovecraft works).
I think the Dagon arc is very underrated sure the ending was disappointing but the lead up to it was pretty awesome and different than any of the other arcs in ben10
honestly the disappointing part to that arc is that the animators decided to be lazy with the next series and downgrade everything to look worse than pokemon did in the late 90s, omniverse is my least favorite series due to the animation change the cliffhanger for the end of ultimate alien is fine they could of ended the series with him getting the official omnitrix but instead they gave us the shitty ass animation that was omniverse, this animation style and the story telling that omniverse tried to use could of been a powerful combo
@@futuredirector23 dude shut up you don't even know the difference between art style and animation so stop talking.
@@futuredirector23 I agree they has this “better” Omnitrix but than by omniverse it didn’t even work right
@@futuredirector23 another person who doesn't know the difference between animation and artstyle
@@Pai277 yeah lets see the Ultimatrix reacting to a Big Bang
I cannot wait for the Omniverse breakdowns! Despite the art style change and character redesigns, it is probably my favorite of the series and I cannot wait for you to approach it with a more clinical eye.
I love omniverse's art style personally
There are some really interesting and creative storylines, and Rook stands out as his own character from Gwen and Kevin in being part of Ben’s team.
Damn... Like Ben, these breakdowns have a long way behind them and quite a lot more to come. Can't believe we're almost done with UAF. Can't wait to get to omniverse and the FINAL final conclusion. Thanks, Kuro and everyone else that makes this channel what it is. Thanks, Ash, Kellen, Hershey, and Fro!
It would have been cool if Ben got a sample of Vilgax's DNA somewhere in UAF story and he fought Vilgax AS Vilgax
and if that squid thing is Vilgax's true form, imagine what an ultimate Chimera Sui Generis would look like
Sad til we had to wait for the reboot to get that tho
While they are a basically a crazy cult
It's kinda funny that they were technically right about the ancient aliens visiting earth part
21:30
I like to think since they’re dimension shifting that it fully leans into what you said before that no matter the angle is a flat shape.
Maybe the line from where the dimension shifting starts, changes angle as you change perspective, but it’s always a flat 2d line. So even if the person was dimension shifting by going forward, it’ll always look like it’s a side wipe transition due to the nature of dimension shifting.
Idk, hope I managed to explain my thought here enough, just a thought
18:47 I like that this kinda comes back in Omniverse in Vilgax must Croak when Attea, Six Six, Seven Seven and Eight Eight attempts to assassinate him so the Incurseans can battle Vilgaxia
The Good:
So here we have what I’d call the true start of the Diagon Arc, and I have to say that I really like the idea of this arc. A group worshiping an alien who’s a Lovecraftian horror? Makes for an interesting mirror to the Forever Knights who hate aliens of all stripes. You kind of rub your hands together, hoping the two groups will one day face each other just to watch the fireworks.
Vilgax playing along with the Flame Keepers’ Circle works very well given it gives him a solid foothold to start again from. In a way, it kind of makes him scarier since he now has fanatics on his side who will do anything he asks simply because he asks them. The fact that they’re constantly recruiting more followers adds to his army who will willingly turn over the world to him, undermining any sort of resistance humanity might have. Bravo.
I also like how Ben not only is able to catch on to the scam but understands the juggling act he has to maintain: He uses the Omnitrix to step in when there’s trouble, but he also has to step back and not interfere too much. Any one of his aliens could change the fortunes of people in less-developed areas forever but there would be far-reaching consequences by picking the winners. Not to mention he saw way back in Ben 10 Returns what happens when alien technology is mishandled by a species of a lower technological ability. It shows a lot of maturity for Ben.
On top of that, I like how Ben recognizes that Julie was essentially being courted by the Flame Keepers’ Circle so they could get their foot in the door with him. While he was a bit obnoxious in saying it, the fact is that he had a very good point: Julie was a rising star with solid tennis skills, but her celebrity first started as Ben’s girlfriend. It’s a harsh reality that Julie seems like she doesn’t want to admit to.
Finally, speaking of Julie, I do like how she bought into the Flame Keepers’ story. She wants to make a difference, to do something worthwhile, and they preyed on that. Nobody’s perfect, and we all can get led astray from time-to-time.
An empire refers to a collection of worlds/ land under one's rule. It could be that since Vilgax was assumed dead the planets under his rule decided to break away. Vilgaxia could still be fine but it's not ruling other worlds.
9:00 ben dissing her this hard is INSANE. Dude wasn’t even close to her actual rank no wonder they broke up
If you think about it, using Chamalien is better for stealth because Ghostfreak and Big Chill would carry a noticeably cold atmosphere that might give him away.
Also Big Chill's intangible form can still be seen
I think it's not Vilgaxia specifically that went to shambles. Vilgax was the conqueror of 10 worlds so it could be that multi-planetary empire just no longer exists.
I love how in the end you have Julie walking back and forth.
I can’t help but feel bad for Julie. It always feels like she’s trying to be more involved in Ben’s line of work. In this episode she just wants to use what she knows is real to help people. She should have led the next generation of Plumbers.
Disclaimers: please, forgive my poor english, my messy writhing and my rant.
Yeah,realy, I too noticed in the last episodes many plot points that could lead to Julie being more involved with the trio's business , but the story never realy seems to bank into it.
The introduction of Ship's battlearmour is the most noticeable one , but the ocassion that realy got me thinking was in "Greetings from Techadon":(spoilers)-(and sorry for going on an tangent,possibly crossing rewriting territory...)
The ep not only shows Julie's competitive side, her desire to not be leaft behind, but also shows her willingness to fight the Techadon , albeit being overpowered by it(ultimately she understands that she needed to be saved, but I though maybe she was a little bit upset for not being able to help) .
My initial thoght upon watching was that these plot points would be recalled latter , having Julie making the effort to keep up with them,to be able to help people(desire that she is show having in "the Keepers of the Flame").And since this ep "Greetings..."(and maybe this arc as a whole-but this is kinda a strech) seems to revolve around the consequences of Ben having this enourmous power that he has, and the fact that "he makes everything seems easy"(as stated by Gwen in conversation-althoght I know its not that simple..) it could've been interesting to have a storyline that opposes that, as of Julie having difficulty to use Ship's power,and both comming through a journey to find their own hero way.(also, with Julie and Ship using mechamorphs abilities to copy the Techadon,and addapt to It the way It addapted to Ben, it would've being a very cool fight-althought I may be overstimating Ships powers)
I still thing its a great episode the way it is ,but I could not contain my imagination.I recognise I may be deviating to much of the series main storylibe- I just really like the characters and wish she was more connectec to the series core for the time she was present.
This is actually one of my favorite breakdowns ever! Not in terms of the episode, but in terms of what you notice, what you catch on to, and how you critique the episode.
I think an interesting idea of what to do with Edwards would be to make him a sorcerer and immortal acolyte who sold his soul to Dagon years ago and build him some form of conflict between him and Sir George. Maybe something like Magneto and Professor X from X men or Roku and Sozin from Avatat The Last Airbender.
It seems to me that Zarkowia should also be present in this story in some way. After all, the legend of Saint George comes from medieval Europe and from what you can see, the seal is placed in the United States, if I'm not mistaken, in Colorado because the Hoover Dam can be found nearby.
If I made a mistake, I will be grateful for the news.
lad I'm not the only one who's impressed by how versatile Kuro's hairstyles have been.
If they're making allusions to Cuthulu, does that mean H.P Lovecraft exists in that universe?
And if so, is he an alien?? I really want to see him as the same species as Villgax!!
Bruh he's gonna be so damn racist.
@@zcgamerandreacts2762 Ironically the dislike of the unlike is in line with the Forever Knights and their stance toward aliens.
@@jbcatz5 the amount of slurs H.P lovecraft will brew will be astronomical bonus points since he's the same race as vilgax.
When Juli said “flame keeper circle” out loud, I was completely confused because I assumed that “flame keeper circle” was their secret hidden name because of how *obviously evil* it sounds.
If I was told “there’s this big cult of personality called the flame keepers circle” my *immediate* reaction would be: “which elder god do they secretly worship?”
Cuz with a name like *that* there’s no way they don’t secretly worship an elder god.
Tbf they didn’t make it a secret they worship Dagan. Like Julie knew, and they spout it at like every other scene
maybe they could be a community of dark souls players lmao
‘Is Dagon more tech or more magic’
Well, there is that one quote that ‘sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic’ so it may as well be both.
So Ben can become a Whatever Dagon is?
Damn, that would be very cool
I don't think Dagon has a More Complex DNA than a Celestial Sapien or That Interdimensional Energy Being which Toys where considered Level 20 Tech (that I heard was also confirmed being in the Omnitrix)
Although I don't see how Asmuth could have got a hold of their DNA
He may have collected it from when Dagon was defeated by the Avalon Sword
The Bad:
Like many things in Ultimate Alien, I like the idea, but the execution wasn’t as good as it could’ve been. To be quite frank, this was the episode that made me originally stop watching the entire Ben 10 franchise until literally the week before the Omniverse episode “Rad Monster Party” first aired. Back then, with no prior knowledge of where the series was going, I got frustrated and threw in the towel. It just got too out there, and the problems that had bothered me since Alien Force Season 3 just weren’t getting any better. If my friend hadn’t convinced me to start watching again, this blog wouldn’t even exist. I literally binge-watched the end of Ultimate Alien (it felt like torture for the most part) through the first five arcs of Omniverse (I was hooked almost immediately) in a week just so I could get caught up in time for the new episode.
As much as I like how Julie got tricked, how easily she switched back to Ben’s side left a sour taste in my mouth then and still does. I liked the idea of her being on the opposite side of the issue, but all Ben has to do is say “that’s not Diagon; that’s Vilgax” and suddenly she’s on his side again. This is the same person who moments before pretended to be a hostage to stop Ben. She was completely sold on the Flame Keepers’ Circle, but it took next to nothing to convince her that something was seriously wrong. It’s such wasted potential!
Also, why did it seem like Gwen and Kevin were insisting that Ben had to apologize again to Julie? Even Kevin admitted that the Flame Keepers’ Circle felt like a scam. If anything, I would’ve imagined he would’ve encouraged Ben checking them out more! It just frustrates me all the more.
Another one I was eagerly waiting for; I admit, this episode's reception... confuses me, because I see *a lot* of people trying to justify their dislike of Julie with it by saying she joined a Vilgax-worshipping cult. When in the actual episode they made it quite understandable while she'd fall for it, and she leaves as soon as she finds out it's Vilgax. I really don't see how she was that bad in it, honestly.... though now that I see she agreed to play hostage (yeah I had forgotten that too), maybe that's why.
Regarding the Plumbers getting their asses kicked a lot.... that has kinda been the case ever since Alien Force, really. Magister and Max were the only ones allowed to be portrayed as vaguely competent. Prior Gihill got easily fooled by Darkstar (and later killed by Aggregor), and most other Plumbers we see are used as mere cannon fodder. And that's not even getting into their headquarters being a pathetic jail in OV.
And yeah, Conduit Edward is a bit of a flat character unfortunately, so I hear you on this
Can u say anything positive about Ov?
@@yashbjoshi12 Yes, actually. Though i freely admit I am heavily biased against it, because that era did *a lot* of things that pissed me off on a personal level. But believe it or not, there *are* a few elements in OV I genuinely think are good; I just believe they're outweighted by the ones I can't stand. I honestly kinda look forward to Kuro covering OV, because part of me hope that hindsight plus his perspective might help me overcome my bias and enjoy the era a little more.
Buuut in my defense, Plumber HQ being a pathetic jail isn't a negative criticism of the show: it's a fact that's even acknowledged in-universe, with Ben pointing it out to Max. It's by design from the writers and played for comedy. And while there are arguments to like or dislike it, I do not think the trope in itself is bad; heck, they do the same thing in superhero comics and in Lucky Luke, and I find it hilarious here.
@@Theokal3 pointing out a faulty jail system that the characters themselves openly acknowledge isn't a jab at omniverse, especially since the show itself points and laughs at it.
i don't get why ov fans tend to get so defensive when someone points out a negative in the show. 🤷♂ in fact, in that same comment you literally point out a flaw in uaf as well.
@@haruuhaki yeah, I tried to be fair, because like I said, the Plumbers' competence taking a nosedive is something I feel started in AUF. Buuut I do not fault OV fans for being defensive, given how their show gets attacked often. I used to be just as defensive toward AUF, after all^^
Really wish we got to see more of Chamalien but it was great seeing him at least in this one
Dee and John holding up the entire franchise basically
@25:19
Kuro, you said Ben could beat Goku, but….
your boi is capped at Door level. 😏
Man I forgot that they made Julie cuckoo in this arc.
Pretty sure Esoterica is the singular and plural form. Kinda like Deer. Esoterican does sound pretty shwifty tho.
9:12 Yeah, this isn't the Ben that'd be skeptical of Scientology, this is the Ben that'd be roped right in. Really not the best Ben to have in this plotline...
Small thing I love about going from classic breakdowns to alien force and then ultimate is the intros of the video they probably took a bunch of effort and I love them !!!!
11:16 probably the most clever way to describe a character’s role I’ve ever heard
Man I saw this episode last month. I recall when I saw this episode when it first aired I felt tense because Vilgax was back and he was bens most terrifying villain back then
I think what would have made the Edwards and the Esoterica stand out more, and be seen as better villains, is if you introduced them earlier on, but present them as actually nice people who are just doing stuff like charity work, connecting with the public. And to distract the audience from piecing things together, you bring in the Forever Knights and make them seem unreasonable, and pretend they're gonna be the new villains of the arc, using them as a red herring. That adds a twist to the Esoterica when they finally reveal their true nature, and present people like Julie as a little more reasonable, rather than her suddenly joining clearly questionable people.
It would also follow more closely to the concept of how groups like that work, including things like cults. They don't often present themselves are evil or crazy people out front, and lure people in with a presentable image. It's not until you're deep in their group do they start showing their true nature. It would make for an interesting message for an episode, learning to be careful with groups you may join, especially ones that offer so much, yet have red flags to them.
I can’t say much about cult behaviour and dedication to worshipping an image/their God but I feel that even if the conversation was recorded most of the Flame Keepers wouldn’t believe it. Feel that most are so loyal to their beliefs and seeing what they believe is their god in flesh before their eyes would probably make most not want to listen or dismiss things that go against their beliefs. The guy at the end of the episode was probably the exception and not the norm in this cult
Also, nice to see this episode. Remember this episode and the number of aliens Ben has access to at this time being on the anniversary quiz from a while back
Personally I think the way it looks from the esoterica's perspective is they create a door that only they can see in front of them.
pretty sad that julie fell prey to them, cults like to take advantage of emotionally distraught people and taking her and Ben's relationship into account
Everyone always thought vilgax look like Cthulhu and I draw a version of him what he looks like as Vilthulhu.
I would assume the Chimera Sui Generis evolved from the sea much later we did, and with a more humid and water abundant planet, they never fully left their sea adaptations.
They can come back to something more reminiscent to what their ancestors looked liked, and that can allow them su survive extreme situations or perhaps breathe under water (since Myaxx explains they are land dwelling creatures), but that can have a great toll on their health and perhaps make it really hard to come back to their humanoid shape, if that's the case they could die before they recover.
That would explain why they think of their humanoid form as their normal form, why they see their octopus form as their "true" form, and why they would think of themselves as land dwelling
So glad to be back to this arc, I’m very interested in seeing how Kuro tackles and explores the lore because honestly… I’m not a huge fan and I find the Dagon stuff either so confusing or just uninteresting. I’m looking forward to Kuro’s dive into it, because I think it’ll help give me a better appreciation and love for this send off to the UAF era.
When Ben said 63 aliens accessible it blew me away because I never thought how Ben could even have access to that many aliens unless some of the omniverse alien were added to the ultimatrix by Ben 10000
By omniverse ben says to ben 23 he can transform over 70
Hmm. Ben 10000 supposedly unlocked and reunlocked a ton of aliens for ben
When ultimate big chill moved his mouth, it's like Ben 10 alien swarm big chill.
Ben straight up telling Julie that her value comes from being his girlfriend and downplaying her acomplishments.....yikes, no wonder she got roped into a cult.
I feel like you make Conduit more interesting by secreting him into the show earlier. Have him just show up and not do anything in the background since season 1. Like Blendin Blandin for Gravity Falls. Made him so much more interesting before he became a plot point.
Maybe as guest on Will Harangue's show?
@@johnnygyro2295 I meant as a background character, unvoiced and observing. But that works just as well.
Dude, this episode surprised me when it first Aired
"I...... Is this an Episode about a Cult ?"
Was what I was thinking
It’s nice to know who the Esoterica was inspired by
Be careful with what you say, Kuro. Scientology is well known to sue people. No matter how true the words against them are.
Dear Mr the Artist, you talked about a parody of us on a kids show, so pay us five hundred thousand dollars
Damn that's hella stupid. Those scientology guys are stupid
I wish we got more of the supposedly 63 aliens he has transformed into thats more then he has shown on screen at this point of time
Kuro got that Edna Mode cut
Lmfao
Literally read call of cthulu this morning. I'm ready for this.
The red+gold colors for the robes remind me of the Mythic Dawn, who also drawn inspiration from similar sources.
*Deep breaths*
- Julie's behavior for the Circle I expected from Ben's normal friends. Can you hang with a famous superhero, and be content with a normal life on the sidelines?
- Laughing at inappropiate times, Yuri's favorite joke. "I'm laughing cuz i'm uncomfortable!😅"
- "Santa flies a UFO" Ben, based on ur last Christmas episode, I'd not gamble on tht...
- Surprised Vilgax can be understood thru that watertank.
- As far as Plumber laws are concerned, how is the Omntrixies concerned?
26:26 in character, even outside the religion, i can see why people would not believe that.
Reminder that people *know* what Vilgax looks like from the day that he came to challenge Ben offically. No one outside of the main cast saw the "true form" of Vilgax. As such, when Ben tells everyone that he is Vilgax, they have an hard time believing it also due to the fact that it's completely different. It would be as if someone said that someone that looked completely different from you, Kuro, WAS Kuro the Artist. Even if it's someone close to you, there would be a variety of people that would just shut their brain off to that thought because it doesn't make sense.
I hope I explained it right lol
Crazy how Julie would be devoted to something as stupid as Diagon, especially when it turned out to be vilgax, nevertheless the real Diagon would enslave them all.
To be fair, as Julie pointed out, aliens do exist in their universe. She didn't have the context of the intergalactic laws, as well as Vilgax's deception.
@@johnnygyro2295 i know that she knows aliens exist, it’s just that blindly following Diagon was the foolish thing to do especially when tricking ben
I actually missed the opening of this episode so I didn’t know that the keepers had Vilgax until Ben found him in their tank
I love how supportive and genuine yall are about others on the team
5:42 I like to think that the esoterica just looks like human without their uniform to look less menacing or intimidating so people would join them kinda like how the terminator uses human tissues to disguise themselves as humans but act human to keep a low profile
25:18 this is cw's flash levels of frustrating writing.
Accurate