Some folks are trying to redefine pug breeding standards to make them healthier! They're breeding 'retro pugs' designed to look like the standard before the brachycephalic look came into fashion, and they're generally better proportioned, with longer limbs and snouts that dramatically reduce their health issues. I hope they become the new standard!
I saw one at the Renn Faire last year. They're like, twice as cute! I think how they do it is by mixing in beagle DNA or something, and then letting that puggle DNA back into the general pug population or something. Idk, I'm not a genetics person so I could be wrong. Still, that was one of the cutest pugs I'd seen in my entire life!
I didn't know people are doing this, but that gives me a little more faith in dog breeders now. I feel horrible for modern purebred dogs, from Pugs and Bulldogs, to German Shepherds, Retrievers, and Cavalier King Charles spaniels, almost all of the breeds at this point honestly
As a trans woman, it was the first time I'd ever seen myself and my problems as a trans person on screen. When Barney flat out said he's trans in the second episode and how that affects his decision to move out and resent his parents, I FELT THAT!
there's a game called "Tell me why", It's a good game, you may want to check it out! Trying to not spoil it, it's about these twins reuniting after 10 years, one of them is trans, and basically they're trying to find out more information about their mom's life before she died
God, the thing with Barney and his grandmother hits hard. Potentially triggering recounting of life experiences ahead. I’ve had a similar situation, my mom loves me and accepts me, my aunt did, she recently passed, but my grandmother like - no disrespect to sex work, but she has stated several times loud and clear that because I am a trans woman I’ll inevitably turn to prostitution because no one will hire me, and therefore she must fix me before she dies. She also hates the fact that I am a lesbian because... god, her reasoning is also awful. And you know, my mother can’t stand up to her. When I had a mental breakdown because of my grandmother, my mom actually apologized to my grandmother for me having a fairly understandable breakdown due to a barrage of transphobia. She apologized to her. Later on, after many a fight and sobbing discussion, my mom recognized how messed up that had been, and I forgave her because my grandmother is abusive, and also did quite a number on my mom when she was growing. She was actually genuinely afraid my grandmother would physically assault me. My mom and me have been talking strategies, if I ask to leave, we leave, no questions asked. If she missgenders me, correct her. Things like that. And I no longer obliged to see her. God, sorry for the rant it’s been hard.
Generational trauma is so f****** hard. I'm glad your mom recognized what she was doing and is fixing it, and that you can support each other in dealing with this toxic part of your life
Hey I'm so sorry that's happening that's really stressful and hard. I'm really sorry you have to go through that I send as much support as I can!! We're here for you anytime you want to talk!
norma being shown as that obsessed with pauline was great (': it made me feel less ""cringy"" for also being obsessed with this one character. i buy fan made items and official ones of them, i love talking about them, i even just love doodling them, theyve basically become the default thing i draw
That's me with characters in pretty much any fandom I'm in, I always get a feeling one's a favourite that I then proceed to obsess over, draw, and read and write fanfic with them. It was Undyne for Undertale, Peridot for Steven Universe, Reigen for Mob Psycho 100, Starscream for Transformees, and so on, with almost any piece of media I get into.
Norma is one of my favorite canon autistic characters in media, she's intelligent without being a super genius, socially awkward and loves talking about her special interests, also her way of remembering people by occupation was something I loved since I also can't remember names. One thing I'm hoping for in season 2 is seeing more of Norma's home life, in season 1 we saw some of Barney's but not much of Norma's beside her mother being supportive and a little overprotective. If we see her sister in season 2 we might see the more negative side of being autistic and living with neurotypicals.
Are those all autistic traits? I'm asking because I've had a few psychologists theorize I may be somewhere on the Asperger's side of the autism spectrum, and I behave in similar ways. I've never bothered getting myself properly diagnosed, because doing so would mark my 7th neurodivergent diagnosis, and there comes a point where the labels start feeling meaningless. Still, if you can also relate to Nora, do you have any techniques or tips you use to best take advantage of that part of yourself?
As an ugly person with fetal alcohol syndrome and several other facial deformities, I totally get the obnoxious “out of your league” rhetoric that comes with wanting to be with conventionally attractive people. I do however think there’s something to be said about not letting us set our expectations too high or give us false feedback about our own appearance.
On the off chance that this might be useful also for you: have you happened to watch the Ted Talk by a really cool guy whose name I of course now forget: "Own your face"? He has multiple physical differences since birth and has endured many surgeries. At some point he decided enough is enough, this is my face, these are my leg stumps, let me get on with my life. Somehow listening to him helped me come a lot closer to accepting my own fragile connective tissue, that some part of my body can just break randomly, and that does not have to be the end of the world. It's just a fact of my life. Best wishes from Finland!
I feel you! I have a missing eye, a flat ragdoll-like nose and a range of other disfigurations that are enough to make me ugly, but not enough to make me pitiable or inspiring. As painful as it is to be surrounded by people so much more beautiful than myself all the time, it is also great to have a mind re-wired to look past appearances.
Personally, I always keep in mind that physical appearance isn't all too important in the context of long-term love. Sure, attractive people get a head-start, but there's a reason why so many Hollywood relationships crash and burn. It'll require a great deal more effort to find "the one," but all that means is that when you do you know it'll be something that lasts... ...or at least that's my theory. I'm an aromantic and a hardcore introvert, so my understanding of relationships is purely from the perspective of close platonic friendships, and reading psychology papers. I understand romantic relationships come with additional emotional attachment, but I can't really experience that part firsthand, so it's unfair of me to say "just shake it off and try again" like I know the pain of heartbreak.
I love how the show addressed Norma's feelings about her special interest falling apart, after learning that Pauline is an awful person. I used to have a special interest in Harry Potter and I felt a very similar betrayal when JKR came out as a raging transphobe. It's a very difficult thing to go through and I love that this show actually addresses it.
I had similar feelings when I found out Scot Cawthon donated a shit ton of cash to a bunch of anti LGBT republicans. I still love fnaf and probably always will, but dang that hurt. Those episodes with Norma hit very close to home.
@@amog8202 ooh, uh yea srry to tell ya my friend, guys a trump supporter. :/ It seems like it came more out of ignorance than hate, he literally tried to pull the "it's alright I have gay friends" card lmao. (Or ig it was employees/fans in his case). Still, it was a real punch to the gut knowing my support of the franchise for eight years had been indirectly supporting people who want less human rights for people like me :(
This was a really surprising show. For so many progressive concepts, it felt realistic and subtle enough to treat the concepts with respect while still being a genuinely good, spooky, silly show.
I'm also trans and Autistic, and have been struggling with my weight all my life. Literally when I saw Barney when starting this show with my sibling, I yelledd 'Oh my God he's fat!' Because I was so happy
I've seen my 5 yo son watch this and it makes me so happy and emotional that he is able to see people like me, his parent, on screen!! Also the fact that I am Autistic and he likely is too, and he is able to see characters he can relate to, such as Norma. I'm really happy with it and I look forward to season 2! Edit: also, I cried when I found out that Norma is canonically Autistic! Like you say, our existence is so often ignored that I thought I could only headcanon her as such.
"The moment they allowed their son to be verbally abused right in front of them, they rightfully lost his trust" this line was something I couldn't put into words about why I was so angry at family that had technically done nothing to me. Not the same situation as this character, but thank you for putting this into words.
i was thinking that pauline turning out to be evil seemed to be similar to all the stuff with HP just before you said it. those books were my special interest for all of childhood and middleschool, so finding out the creator hated my existence was really hard to reconcile with.
Same here, I grew up with HP and used to look up to JKR, she came out as a raging transphobe right around the time I came out as trans, and it felt like such a huge slap in the face. Especially because there's a bit in her manifest that specifically targets Autistic trans men such as myself. Norma's song shows that sense of betrayal really, really well. I sobbed when I first heard it.
Oh gosh, same! That series helped me stay afloat while I was in a mental hospital. It literally helped keep me alive while I was in one of my worst places, despite all the ick that's in the books themselves. Rowling is just flat-out evil, and coming to terms with that being true and the fact that HP kept me stable in and after being shoved into Mentally Ill People Prison being true at the same time _hurt._ I'm just glad that Quadball is distancing itself, since that's one of the only things that can get me to be super active for a long period of time.
I'm not trans but I understood Barney's struggle with his parents, I grew up with my mum constantly telling me that I needed to be grateful when she was giving the bare minimum and when I wasn't I would get yelled at and it was all very emotionally damaging, while it wasn't the same situation I could understand some of Barney's feeling and that was nice, also norma having anxiety was so relatable it made me happy
As someone who falls somewhere in neurodivergent scale, I adored Norma so much, me and my trans brother would jokingly say Norma and Barney was literally just us, that was the first I ever saw someone struggle the way I did on TV, it made me so happy finnalt seeing someone else who hates touch, hates eye contact, and has social anxiety just like me
Another thing about Barney's grandmother, her... attitude is hinted even before the fears episode. In ep 2 "The Tunnel". When chasing down Pugsley, Barney yells out something along the lines of "why cant you be the Pugsly I knew" or "why cant you be my Pugsly", to which he replies by stating Barney "sounds like gam gam". That's a little detail I thought was neat. How sometimes we dont even notice how our hateful family affects us. Also; Norma is a MIRROR AND I LOVE HER. Also word play. Norma =/= normal Edit: HOW COULD I FORGET!? Ep. 1: "The Job" and Barney asking his mother if she told his grand mother "that BARNEY would be there".
I see that I definitely need to watch this show now. I've had two of my favourite RUclipsrs recommend it. Also, I'm trans and probably autistic, so it'll be cool to see that in the show.
Is great to have well done representation once in a while. I’m really excited for the second season that coming October 13th as well, and I hope you will like it too!
oooh I knew a second season was going to happen, but I didn't know there was an official date yet so I'm really excited to have found that out! That's so soon!
I have to say, Dead End is basically everything I've been looking for as a Gravity Falls fan, and that's not even including the amazing rep we're getting with it too! I sooo can't wait for the next seasons
Pauline herself is also voiced by a drag queen so I personally hc her as a trans woman. But even if she isn't canonically so, the fact that they made a woman with a deep voice like her being this big idol that everyone adores is going to be so important for so many women who sound like that. Not to mention how the demon's sister is voice by an actual trans actrees too! This show is full with representation everywhere.
Honestly, her being trans would make stuff like her obsession with being beautiful and loved come off more sympathetically (if still evil) and potentially been a contrast to Barney's own experiences. But its probably best as a headcanon for niwow.
As a female aspie one thing I appreciated about Norma’s character is that she has an admirer, Bahdya. Aka Deathslide. The fact that it was Bahdya who went to comfort Norma and not Barney (not that it would’ve been a bad thing if he did) and how Bahdya always sought out Norma’s company time after time destroys the trope of the autistic person clinging to one friend. Which is huge for her character in it if itself since she has trust issues, especially when it comes to making friends I’ve actually been there, and I’m glad to see Norma having multiple friendships and be desirable herself (a friendship which may or may not be blossoming into something more, or maybe that’s the Kahassan shipper in me. And that’s the ship name I went with since I can’t figure out how to put Bahdya and Norma together)
I am and authistic guy who likes guys and has struggled many years with weight and was told that was "obsessed" mani time and i cannot tell you how much Dead End made me happy. Both Barney and Norma are so relatable for me. This show handles so well their personalities and their problems and I especially loved how Norma overtalked about her special interest, since i too tend to become like that when something is of great interest to me. Loved it. And, by the way Oakwyrm, I love your illustration of yourself, it's beautiful!
5:28 oh I liked it, it’s such a realistic thing that I’m surprised it’s not portrait in media more often, like I’m not out to my parents yet but I know that it would be like that, the “fake acceptance”, of superficially showing that they are supporting to see me happy but deeply wishing that I was straight and not standing up for me in times of discriminating, I had no idea this show existed but now I’m glad to know, thanks man.
same, my parents are... not left leaning to say lightly and ive heard them misgender and dead name so many trans celebrities. I don't use they/them but ive heard my parents mock those who do. i refuse to come out to them bc i know how theyll behave, and if i would be suprised and they didnt start screaming at me i know for absolute sure theyll deadname and misgender to others when im not around. they cant change so im planning on cutting them off like theyre a tumor, they are a tumor to my mental health.
@@RokkTheRock sorry to hear about it pal, the thing about parents is that one day you leave their home, so i hope that either your parents accept you for who you are or that you just find happiness away from them.
As far as I know, conservatives have not complained about this show being 'woke'. That might be because Dead End is not something big like Star Wars or a Marvel movie. But to me that means if we give other, more original media a chance to do be outside the norm instead of relying on a popular franchise, then the sky is the limit as they say. Also, such bigots are cowards when the thing is such good quality and is not their favorite franchise or whatever.
For me I liked its cause the characters felt right, the show worked, and it didn’t feel like anything was forced nor that an agenda was being pushed. It was good.
i saw one video a few months ago and it had a lot of views. it was your typical conservative crying "brainwashing the children" bc trans people and other "woke" stuff but still.. 😟
I think it's really good that we can have just these original shows that center these characters. Because the more of these that are out there, the more normalized it's going to be, and less people are going to be mad or confused when it makes its way into more popular mainstream things.
This is one of my favorite shows, I’m extremely disappointed that it got cancelled, I hope that Hamish Steele is able to finish their story in their comic like they were planning when it first got cancelled. I was so happy to have a canonical autistic character that was ACTUALLY written by someone with autism, because I rarely see that (not including webcomics, webcomic creators make a lot of great autistic characters). It was also amazing to have a trans lead, I didn’t realize that when I saw the first episode, but as soon as I heard cavedown start playing I KNEW 👏👏👏
I’m a trans guy and I didn’t know dead end was a thing so when it popped up on Netflix and I saw Barney on the thumbnail, my trans-dar went off immediately. Then I watched the first episode and heard him listening to Cavetown and verbally said “Oh yeah, he’s trans af”
What does Cavetown have to do with being trans? Is there a trans band member or something? I'm genuinely curious because I'm not very familiar with this band.
@@GracefullyAutistic pretty sure cavetown isn’t a band but just one person, who is a trans guy named Robin and who’s songs (not all of them) reflect the trans experience
@@creamsimulator Oh ok, like I said, I'm not too familiar with this artist, so I didn't know it was only one person. But at least now I understand the reference, so thanks for the info. :)
I may or may not have cried when I first watched the part where Barney said that he was trans out loud. Like, I made a joke about it initially when Cavetown music played over a scene of him getting ready in episode 1, and I knew what was up in the conversation with his mom, but like. It just hits different to hear it out loud. The fact that someone in a TV show is openly like I am makes me feel like I'm finally allowed to just _be_ without having to joke about it for once. I just hope that they give Norma a similar "I'm Autistic" moment in season 2. I love her, and I love that she's so blatantly Autistic and that she's based off of Hamish Steele's own experiences, but like... I need to have that feeling about both of the things I am, I think. Or if not having it be part of a similar moment to Barney's "I'm trans" speech, at least have it be mentioned explicitly in passing. This is like, literally the only gripe I have with this show other than the fact that I'm impatient for season 2. It is far from show-ruining for me, but it's also so easy to fix. Also, (spoilers ahead) if I had a nickel for every time a rich body-hopping dead person decided to be a problem for an ND-coded conspiracy-board-haver commonly depicted as brown and their soft-spoken gay friend with family issues who learns to actually stand up for themselves but also has to stay in the place that said body-hopping dead person runs for a while, I'd have two nickels. It's not a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. It's especially weird that one of the times was The Magnus Archives, and that the other was Dead End: Paranormal Park.
@@coffeemetroThis is late, but it’s really good. OSP once described it as “a shotgun blast of phobias,” since each episode tends to focus on something that someone will have a phobia about. Also, as someone who’s done archival work, I could connect with the archivist complaining about the lack of organization in the collection.
I had a gripe with Pugsly too. Having him walk on two legs after he can talk does personify him more as a character but, I was so upset. That would cause irreparable damage to his hips. Especially with him constantly walking only on his back legs for the rest of the show.
Thank you for introduing me to this wonderful show! And, for what's it worth, there are breeders out there trying to undo some of the hideous harm inflicted on pugs and re-breed the healthier pugs of days past, when the poor buggers were allowed to have, you know, working noses and such.
When I first saw this, I thought it was going to be “stereotypical trans boy with blue hair and pronouns haha” But watching it all they way through makes me feel so included and I loved Barney so much and Norma
I still can't believe netflix cancelled this show. We had such a good thing going and the representation was unlike anything else i've ever seen (besides the owl house, also cancelled mind you.) As a neurodivergent queer person (Demisexual, Pan and Nonbinary) representation like this means the world to me...
I loved this series. I relate to Norma so hard. I was a just a weirdo kid who wasn't causing a problem for anyone else, so I never got any kind of diagnosis except being lazy and disorganized and clumsy and erratic and awkward and also "so cute!" and naïve and hilarious, even after I became a competent adult. Now I have a very loud autistic kid who refuses to let his problems be ignored, and bully for him, and it has changed my view of my entire life. The fear episode was the most accurate description of what social anxiety feels like I've ever seen, I've been in that place. My Frankenstein spoke right to might heart about the refuge of fiction and hyperfixation, how your interests can feel like shelter and sustenance. I just loved her and the way the show respects and legitimizes her feelings and needs. In your words, Norma, "you made me feel so seen."
I relate with Norma a lot because she's autistic like me and I understand how she feels. Including with the sensory struggles, feeling different, wondering how can people make friends way easier, my special interest in Little Nightmares (by the way that game is a MASTERPIECE to me, I heavily recommend it) and so on. One light hearted event is that when I was with two other girls in a class, I was wearing a Little Nightmares T-shirt and the one of the girls commented that she was a fan of the game, that immediately caught my attention and we talked about how we love it and that its FANTASTIC! (It gave me a massive confidence boost and I was able to be myself completely) And for Barney, I can also relate since Im a demigirl panromantic. I had some similar experiences with my mom having trouble understanding non-binaries and one time she said that people that use they/them just want attention, she did ended up understanding that it affected me a lot because I use she/they pronouns and I don't use it for attention, its because that's how I feel. But just a disclaimer, my mom is NOT transphobic nor homophobic. (She used to have a brother that was gay and she grew up in a supportive family.) My mom is also recently understanding some LGBTQ+ genders like non-binary folks. My friend is non-binary and I told her that its how my friend feels and how they use they/them.
I am so glad you talked about this show!!! It quickly became one of my favorites!! As an autistic person who also recently had to grapple with a certain She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Norma’s reaction and song were SO relatable and there is not way that was a coincidence! And I really loved Barney’s story line as well! God, when he told his parents that accepting your child is the bare minimum and that they need to stand up for him, that was amazing! And I loved that they showed that nuisance. Because yes, to a point they are good parents, but that goodness ends when they allowed their son to be verbal attacked BY HIS OWN GRANDMOTHER!!! YEESH!!! Anyway, this show is awesome and I’m glad more people are talking about it!
Oh god, if you replaced "chest small enough to hide in a baggy sweatshirt" with "waist and torso the right size for a depressing percentage of 'feminine' clothes" that sentiment about how being fat makes passing feel impossible would describe some of the issues I'm having with my transition rn perfectly.
The touch thing is incredibly important. I have a lot of trouble asking people not to touch me, and I suspect that part of the reason I was described as "rude" and "arrogant" on an eval a few months ago is that I asked a superior not to clap me on the shoulder because it made me uncomfortable. A girl I had a crush on didn't realize that I was trying to express greater attachment to her once we got closer and I told her it was okay if she wanted to hug me as a greeting, because she assumed that being autistic and touch-averse also meant I was aroace. My friends, most of whom are huggers, make an effort to respect my boundaries and go for lower-touch interations, but they're the first people I've ever been around for whom that's the case.
being an autistic adult i really wish i had a show like this as a kid. the face your fears episode norma's depiction accurately describes my entire experience in group activities as a child, from touch aversion to sensory overload to social anxiety. good autistic representation is slim and especially for female characters. this show handles a lot of big issues in a way still easily digestible and fun for children to watch
Thank you for mentioning that Barney is jewish!!! It so often gets overlooked, and with the amount of antisemitism in so much popular media nowadays (go look up stranger things and the umbrella academy antisemetism) it’s so important to have this kind of positive representation and to TALK about it.
I seriously thought Dead End would just be a show that I liked but would be mid or garbage to everyone else's eyes, but with good representation. I'm so glad I'm wrong and many others genuinely love it. I love the characters for more than what they are, but who they are as people, I love all of the things it does to normalize people outside of the straight/gay, white people that are fit to society's beauty standards. I love how these characters face their problems in a way that feels like them as a person, not a story being pushed along, so they have to get over this or that this episode. I think the show is great and wow, what a wonderful change in animation media without making it a romance focus thing.
Your introduction of the 2 main characters hit me like a sack of bricks. And suddenly you're now a way more reliable RUclipsr. Thank you. And then you're description of chubby you're getting more relatible by the minute.
This show was soo good that it didn't even bother me that one of the characters had my deadname. Also the dog is adorable and I relate to Barney soo much. Though I am surprised that when Barney dressing up as a dinosaur they didn't make a Barney the dinosaur reference.
@@jebkerman5422 I mean, it probably helps that the suit would probably be *very* happy to be preforming at a birthday party in general? Like, at worst it would try to run away with him because it got its own idea about how things should go, but generally seems like it would be more than happy to help
I’m bi with a similar family situation as Barney (they supposedly accept it and like my current girlfriend; but they also don’t seem to have my back and when my brothers gf got invited to his birthday dinner and mine didn’t get invited to mine). I’m also autistic. This series speaks to me in a way I didn’t think I needed until now and I adore it. I didn’t know Steelish Ham is autistic but it explains why Norma is handled so beautifully!
yes! i struggled so much as a teenager because my parents were "accepting" on the surface (and were much more surface level accepting than parents of other queer teens around me who were being physically abused), but were like barney's parents in dead end. i felt so guilty all the time that i wasnt grateful that they were letting me wear the clothes i wanted and letting me keep my hair short, and was never able to understand the fact that i wasnt being treated well. it really is a slow poison like you said.
I absolutely love this show! I'm so incredibly happy with the story, the representation, the characters, everything! I started watching since it fits into that Addams Family/Gravity Falls family friendly spooky niche. So getting hit with amazing canonical representation was such a pleasant surprise for me! I'm bi, Chicana, and autistic. Norma just hits so incredibly close to home.
I love this show so much I can’t wait for the next season!! The scene of Norma’s anxiety attack made me incredibly anxious too - but at the same time I was like THIS IS IT!! this is exactly what it feels like! it’s so well illustrated
Cute story. I've been out as trans since I was 15 and didn't transition until I was 18. My mom took some time but she finally accepted it and has been very supportive. Unlike she has been when I first came out. What's funny was one day my mom literally picked out this show and we watched it together. I can relate to Barney and his grandmother not being respectful to him and after my mom watched all that I think she internalized that and now when my grandma is rude or misgenders me my mom learned to stand up for me as to not put me in that isolating experience of no one standing up for me. This show can affect anyone besides people who are neurodivergent or LGBTQ+. It literally taught my mom how to treat me better and stand up for me when I am being disrespected. I highly recommend watching this with other people!
Thank you for doing a video on this show! I was so happy to see a show like this as I’m also trans and autistic, Norma and Barney make me feel so comfy 😊
I really appreciate how effective and straightforward your intros are; I am working on simplifying how I write and speak to better convey complex points and your videos often serve as an useful example of what I'm working towards
This is probably my favorite cartoon for 2022. The characters feel extremely real, and you can tell they aren't there just for representation. They are relatable and their own people. It's a conclusive story about them and their conflicts, while still having a supernatural plot involved. Also as an autistic woman, I connected so well to Norma and her character, as well as her struggles in the episodes.
I'm scared very easily (although I'm an young adult) so after watching one episode I didn't wanna continue at first. But at the same time I was already that hooked on the story, that I had to watch it anyway. And I love it soooo much. I'm transmasc, my family says they accept me, but don't even use my pronouns and I might be autistic. So this representation means the absolute world to me. /gen
thank you for doing this. I was hoping to see you make a video on the show the second I finish watching it. Can't wait for season 2, and here's hoping it is as good as the last one.
i fucking loved this show but the comics are another level barney cannonically has scars that are possibly cannonically sh scars and he changes his hair colour almost every chapter!!! iconic
This was such a good show. I watched the musical episode while I was going through a faith transition, and Norma’s Frankenstein song really hit different.
I really wish they hadn't called Barney Barney. But that's an extremely small nitpick, he's a great character otherwise. This is a really personal thing, since I grew up on Barney the Dinosaur and the themesong keeps getting stuck in my head.
The only big reason i checked the show out was because of Alex Brightman which i am a big fan of. My 3 favorite shows he’s been in, the first he was the main “antagonist”, the second a robot demon, and then this one he’s a possessed pug
I only started the series. But I still love Alex Brightman playing Pugsly and demon. We had a song he basically duetted himself lol. Also if he sounds familiar he does Beetlejuice on Broadway and Fizzaroli in Helluva Boss
never heard of Dead End before stumbling across this, I paused six minutes in and here I am hours later having watched it all so far. thank you for the video and the introduction to the show!
We have a confirmation for season two I was worried because karens were complaining about it and you know companies have a habit of siding with those guys and canceling a show on season one
Kinda late to the party but here u go :)) As a neurodivergent myself it was so refreshing to see someone like Norma be portrayed in such a way that feels so familiar. Also as a hijabi I nearly cried when I saw badyah as one of the characters in the show . Like not only was she portarayed as an actually character and not some insert to attract people to the show but she actually had a purpose in the show and served a role throughout the seasons. As well as that she isn't some boring tasteless character like some other shows netflix has put out with hijabi characters but she's funny ,has personality and is so SO relatable ! I love this show so much still mad at Netflix for cancelling it :(
Can I just say real quick Barney’s little brother Patrick is so supportive of him and his transition and I don’t really see that a lot in media however I do have experience with this as the younger sibling when my sister came out as trans I was very happy although I didn’t know what that meant I supported her I used the right pronouns I respected her she was one of my guardians after all when I came out as trans she respected me just as much as I did to her.
Younger siblings are gold when it comes to accepting things that are far from the societal norm. I'm so happy my brothers automatically accepted me as trans and never deadnamed me since I came out.
@@Howdyasdo absolutely like I said I was really young when my sister came out and I didn’t understand but I still respected her and I’m happy that your little brothers did the same for you. Also it’s kind of weird to see someone comment on something that I wrote 10 months ago but I don’t really care anymore... I forgot about the comment? well it’s good to see it again.
The transmed side of tumblr that views skinny white no-hair-dye-allowed normal-clothes-only as the only acceptable way to be trans is already spreading a ton of rumors about this show in an attempt to get it to bomb, so I'm happy to see it be reviewed honestly and with an emphasis on the positives rather than fabricating negatives.
I felt connected to the show- it felt real and I don’t know why… all the characters just felt like they were me but in their own way- I loved this show so much!❤
Small additional note that I only noticed in the clips from the show that popped up throughout this video. I love that Barney very clearly resembles his dad, and his younger (cis) brother more closely resembles his mom. They could have very easily made Barney resemble his mom, but I like that even though they didn't necessarily have to for good representation (there are plenty of trans guys who more closely resemble their mom and trans women who more closely resemble their dad) but something about putting some distance between that very subtle but generally assumed norm felt good to see.
One thing I loved was how the show makes it clear how Barney’s grandmother treated him without ever actually showing her berating him. It allowed the show to explore important themes without subjecting the audience to any transphobic rhetoric. It really meant a lot to me that we never hear Barney get misgendered and we never hear his deadname.
I really appreciated how Barney being trans was only a single aspect of his 3-dimensional character. It defined a great deal of his struggles, but it did not define who he was as a person. THAT is how you do representation!
This video is how I learned of this awesome show, a show I’ve been hyper fixated with for months it’s has been and probably will keep being great. Thank you 👍
Norma's canonically bi, she has a sweet coming out moment with her own mom in the show. Sadly, the show's been canned after 2 seasons due to low viewing numbers
As a fat trans man myself Barney was a GODSEND. AND HIS INTRODUCTION SCENE HAS A CAVETOWN SONG???? I had to pause it I was so shocked and happy to see representation I never thought I get. Not to mention the nuance with the casual transphobia of his family.
I love this show, probably gonna rewatch it for halloween I'm autistic myself and i heavily relate to norma, especially when she realized who pauline really was. I've had that happen a lot when i was a teenager and it is devastating And i love the way they treat her being touch averse. I am myself and i also once tried to do that with a DND character, she had a close sibling like relationship with another party member and was ok with hugging him or general contact when expecting it but refused to touch anyone else. Unfortunately the rest of the party thought this was some character flaw to overcome, or the result of some past trauma in her backstory she didnt want to talk about she needed to overcome and not just a part of who she is, so they kept pushing it
The scene of Norma's fear also gave me the "oof" feeling you talk about. I am not autistic, but I suffer of severe social anxiety and have huge problems with just interacting with people. Afyer that scene I needed to pause the show and processes that... It was a bit too real for me.
![Gunna - HIM ALL ALONG [Official Visualizer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HiCxoDeo0hc/mqdefault.jpg)
Some folks are trying to redefine pug breeding standards to make them healthier! They're breeding 'retro pugs' designed to look like the standard before the brachycephalic look came into fashion, and they're generally better proportioned, with longer limbs and snouts that dramatically reduce their health issues. I hope they become the new standard!
I saw one at the Renn Faire last year. They're like, twice as cute! I think how they do it is by mixing in beagle DNA or something, and then letting that puggle DNA back into the general pug population or something. Idk, I'm not a genetics person so I could be wrong. Still, that was one of the cutest pugs I'd seen in my entire life!
I didn't know people are doing this, but that gives me a little more faith in dog breeders now. I feel horrible for modern purebred dogs, from Pugs and Bulldogs, to German Shepherds, Retrievers, and Cavalier King Charles spaniels, almost all of the breeds at this point honestly
The future generations of pugs deserve that. We really messed up their DNA.
Pugsley does look more like a retro pug, so that's just going to be my headcanon lol
@@consume_arsenic he looks pretty brachycephalic to me...
You were right to distrust Netflix, I'm still so mad they cancelled the show
As a trans woman, it was the first time I'd ever seen myself and my problems as a trans person on screen. When Barney flat out said he's trans in the second episode and how that affects his decision to move out and resent his parents, I FELT THAT!
Fellow trans woman, I too felt that! Right in the gut!
there's a game called "Tell me why", It's a good game, you may want to check it out! Trying to not spoil it, it's about these twins reuniting after 10 years, one of them is trans, and basically they're trying to find out more information about their mom's life before she died
@@bluesusername Sounds cool, I’ll check it out.
Too real
🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️
God, the thing with Barney and his grandmother hits hard.
Potentially triggering recounting of life experiences ahead.
I’ve had a similar situation, my mom loves me and accepts me, my aunt did, she recently passed, but my grandmother like - no disrespect to sex work, but she has stated several times loud and clear that because I am a trans woman I’ll inevitably turn to prostitution because no one will hire me, and therefore she must fix me before she dies. She also hates the fact that I am a lesbian because... god, her reasoning is also awful. And you know, my mother can’t stand up to her. When I had a mental breakdown because of my grandmother, my mom actually apologized to my grandmother for me having a fairly understandable breakdown due to a barrage of transphobia. She apologized to her. Later on, after many a fight and sobbing discussion, my mom recognized how messed up that had been, and I forgave her because my grandmother is abusive, and also did quite a number on my mom when she was growing. She was actually genuinely afraid my grandmother would physically assault me. My mom and me have been talking strategies, if I ask to leave, we leave, no questions asked. If she missgenders me, correct her. Things like that. And I no longer obliged to see her.
God, sorry for the rant it’s been hard.
🫂
Generational trauma is so f****** hard. I'm glad your mom recognized what she was doing and is fixing it, and that you can support each other in dealing with this toxic part of your life
*hugs you* I hope you're feeling ok!
I hope you're having a good day and the strategy works!
Hey I'm so sorry that's happening that's really stressful and hard. I'm really sorry you have to go through that I send as much support as I can!! We're here for you anytime you want to talk!
norma being shown as that obsessed with pauline was great (': it made me feel less ""cringy"" for also being obsessed with this one character. i buy fan made items and official ones of them, i love talking about them, i even just love doodling them, theyve basically become the default thing i draw
I get obsessed with characters as well
I have an entire area in my room dedicated to eevee (the Pokémon).a bunch of merch that I call my eevee shrine
That's me with everything in hollow knight
That's me with characters in pretty much any fandom I'm in, I always get a feeling one's a favourite that I then proceed to obsess over, draw, and read and write fanfic with them. It was Undyne for Undertale, Peridot for Steven Universe, Reigen for Mob Psycho 100, Starscream for Transformees, and so on, with almost any piece of media I get into.
ah yes, the special interest rabbit hole :) it's totally normal and also very much ok! don't let other people tell you otherwise
Norma is one of my favorite canon autistic characters in media, she's intelligent without being a super genius, socially awkward and loves talking about her special interests, also her way of remembering people by occupation was something I loved since I also can't remember names.
One thing I'm hoping for in season 2 is seeing more of Norma's home life, in season 1 we saw some of Barney's but not much of Norma's beside her mother being supportive and a little overprotective. If we see her sister in season 2 we might see the more negative side of being autistic and living with neurotypicals.
I love how Bhadra was stoked for her nickname. Who wouldn't want to be addressed as "Deathslide"?
i hope we get a lot more norma in later seasons!
Are those all autistic traits?
I'm asking because I've had a few psychologists theorize I may be somewhere on the Asperger's side of the autism spectrum, and I behave in similar ways. I've never bothered getting myself properly diagnosed, because doing so would mark my 7th neurodivergent diagnosis, and there comes a point where the labels start feeling meaningless.
Still, if you can also relate to Nora, do you have any techniques or tips you use to best take advantage of that part of yourself?
There is another artistic character called Gin ibushi who is from a horror game that is pretty interestingAnd sort of similar to deadend paranormal
@@sleepy_mushr00m HI HELLO! Gin is my boy and I love him and I love the fact his cat outfit is his comfort outfit!
As an ugly person with fetal alcohol syndrome and several other facial deformities, I totally get the obnoxious “out of your league” rhetoric that comes with wanting to be with conventionally attractive people. I do however think there’s something to be said about not letting us set our expectations too high or give us false feedback about our own appearance.
On the off chance that this might be useful also for you: have you happened to watch the Ted Talk by a really cool guy whose name I of course now forget: "Own your face"? He has multiple physical differences since birth and has endured many surgeries. At some point he decided enough is enough, this is my face, these are my leg stumps, let me get on with my life.
Somehow listening to him helped me come a lot closer to accepting my own fragile connective tissue, that some part of my body can just break randomly, and that does not have to be the end of the world. It's just a fact of my life.
Best wishes from Finland!
Here it is, and his name is Robert Hoge
ruclips.net/video/QbxinUJcLGg/видео.html
@@ronjaj.addams-ramstedt1023 thank you so much
I feel you! I have a missing eye, a flat ragdoll-like nose and a range of other disfigurations that are enough to make me ugly, but not enough to make me pitiable or inspiring. As painful as it is to be surrounded by people so much more beautiful than myself all the time, it is also great to have a mind re-wired to look past appearances.
Personally, I always keep in mind that physical appearance isn't all too important in the context of long-term love. Sure, attractive people get a head-start, but there's a reason why so many Hollywood relationships crash and burn. It'll require a great deal more effort to find "the one," but all that means is that when you do you know it'll be something that lasts...
...or at least that's my theory. I'm an aromantic and a hardcore introvert, so my understanding of relationships is purely from the perspective of close platonic friendships, and reading psychology papers. I understand romantic relationships come with additional emotional attachment, but I can't really experience that part firsthand, so it's unfair of me to say "just shake it off and try again" like I know the pain of heartbreak.
I love how the show addressed Norma's feelings about her special interest falling apart, after learning that Pauline is an awful person. I used to have a special interest in Harry Potter and I felt a very similar betrayal when JKR came out as a raging transphobe. It's a very difficult thing to go through and I love that this show actually addresses it.
I had similar feelings when I found out Scot Cawthon donated a shit ton of cash to a bunch of anti LGBT republicans. I still love fnaf and probably always will, but dang that hurt. Those episodes with Norma hit very close to home.
@@justanothercomment wait he did w h a t
@@amog8202 ooh, uh yea srry to tell ya my friend, guys a trump supporter. :/
It seems like it came more out of ignorance than hate, he literally tried to pull the "it's alright I have gay friends" card lmao. (Or ig it was employees/fans in his case).
Still, it was a real punch to the gut knowing my support of the franchise for eight years had been indirectly supporting people who want less human rights for people like me :(
@@justanothercomment zoinks scoob, more things trying to repeal what little rights we have
@@amog8202 ruh rho! :,)
This was a really surprising show. For so many progressive concepts, it felt realistic and subtle enough to treat the concepts with respect while still being a genuinely good, spooky, silly show.
I'm also trans and Autistic, and have been struggling with my weight all my life. Literally when I saw Barney when starting this show with my sibling, I yelledd 'Oh my God he's fat!' Because I was so happy
I've seen my 5 yo son watch this and it makes me so happy and emotional that he is able to see people like me, his parent, on screen!! Also the fact that I am Autistic and he likely is too, and he is able to see characters he can relate to, such as Norma.
I'm really happy with it and I look forward to season 2!
Edit: also, I cried when I found out that Norma is canonically Autistic! Like you say, our existence is so often ignored that I thought I could only headcanon her as such.
"The moment they allowed their son to be verbally abused right in front of them, they rightfully lost his trust" this line was something I couldn't put into words about why I was so angry at family that had technically done nothing to me. Not the same situation as this character, but thank you for putting this into words.
i was thinking that pauline turning out to be evil seemed to be similar to all the stuff with HP just before you said it. those books were my special interest for all of childhood and middleschool, so finding out the creator hated my existence was really hard to reconcile with.
You and me both! 😢
Same here, I grew up with HP and used to look up to JKR, she came out as a raging transphobe right around the time I came out as trans, and it felt like such a huge slap in the face. Especially because there's a bit in her manifest that specifically targets Autistic trans men such as myself. Norma's song shows that sense of betrayal really, really well. I sobbed when I first heard it.
Oh gosh, same! That series helped me stay afloat while I was in a mental hospital. It literally helped keep me alive while I was in one of my worst places, despite all the ick that's in the books themselves. Rowling is just flat-out evil, and coming to terms with that being true and the fact that HP kept me stable in and after being shoved into Mentally Ill People Prison being true at the same time _hurt._ I'm just glad that Quadball is distancing itself, since that's one of the only things that can get me to be super active for a long period of time.
same here with the dream smp
@@Screwdriver-lj4im What did they do this time?
I'm not trans but I understood Barney's struggle with his parents, I grew up with my mum constantly telling me that I needed to be grateful when she was giving the bare minimum and when I wasn't I would get yelled at and it was all very emotionally damaging, while it wasn't the same situation I could understand some of Barney's feeling and that was nice, also norma having anxiety was so relatable it made me happy
As someone who falls somewhere in neurodivergent scale, I adored Norma so much, me and my trans brother would jokingly say Norma and Barney was literally just us, that was the first I ever saw someone struggle the way I did on TV, it made me so happy finnalt seeing someone else who hates touch, hates eye contact, and has social anxiety just like me
Another thing about Barney's grandmother, her... attitude is hinted even before the fears episode. In ep 2 "The Tunnel". When chasing down Pugsley, Barney yells out something along the lines of "why cant you be the Pugsly I knew" or "why cant you be my Pugsly", to which he replies by stating Barney "sounds like gam gam".
That's a little detail I thought was neat. How sometimes we dont even notice how our hateful family affects us.
Also; Norma is a MIRROR AND I LOVE HER.
Also word play. Norma =/= normal
Edit: HOW COULD I FORGET!? Ep. 1: "The Job" and Barney asking his mother if she told his grand mother "that BARNEY would be there".
I see that I definitely need to watch this show now. I've had two of my favourite RUclipsrs recommend it.
Also, I'm trans and probably autistic, so it'll be cool to see that in the show.
Is great to have well done representation once in a while. I’m really excited for the second season that coming October 13th as well, and I hope you will like it too!
oooh I knew a second season was going to happen, but I didn't know there was an official date yet so I'm really excited to have found that out! That's so soon!
That soon??
I have to say, Dead End is basically everything I've been looking for as a Gravity Falls fan, and that's not even including the amazing rep we're getting with it too! I sooo can't wait for the next seasons
Pauline herself is also voiced by a drag queen so I personally hc her as a trans woman. But even if she isn't canonically so, the fact that they made a woman with a deep voice like her being this big idol that everyone adores is going to be so important for so many women who sound like that. Not to mention how the demon's sister is voice by an actual trans actrees too! This show is full with representation everywhere.
Honestly, her being trans would make stuff like her obsession with being beautiful and loved come off more sympathetically (if still evil) and potentially been a contrast to Barney's own experiences. But its probably best as a headcanon for niwow.
omg really??? thats so cool!!!!
As a female aspie one thing I appreciated about Norma’s character is that she has an admirer, Bahdya. Aka Deathslide. The fact that it was Bahdya who went to comfort Norma and not Barney (not that it would’ve been a bad thing if he did) and how Bahdya always sought out Norma’s company time after time destroys the trope of the autistic person clinging to one friend. Which is huge for her character in it if itself since she has trust issues, especially when it comes to making friends
I’ve actually been there, and I’m glad to see Norma having multiple friendships and be desirable herself (a friendship which may or may not be blossoming into something more, or maybe that’s the Kahassan shipper in me. And that’s the ship name I went with since I can’t figure out how to put Bahdya and Norma together)
I am and authistic guy who likes guys and has struggled many years with weight and was told that was "obsessed" mani time and i cannot tell you how much Dead End made me happy. Both Barney and Norma are so relatable for me.
This show handles so well their personalities and their problems and I especially loved how Norma overtalked about her special interest, since i too tend to become like that when something is of great interest to me. Loved it.
And, by the way Oakwyrm, I love your illustration of yourself, it's beautiful!
i’m so fucking upset they cancelled this show
5:28 oh I liked it, it’s such a realistic thing that I’m surprised it’s not portrait in media more often, like I’m not out to my parents yet but I know that it would be like that, the “fake acceptance”, of superficially showing that they are supporting to see me happy but deeply wishing that I was straight and not standing up for me in times of discriminating, I had no idea this show existed but now I’m glad to know, thanks man.
same, my parents are... not left leaning to say lightly and ive heard them misgender and dead name so many trans celebrities. I don't use they/them but ive heard my parents mock those who do. i refuse to come out to them bc i know how theyll behave, and if i would be suprised and they didnt start screaming at me i know for absolute sure theyll deadname and misgender to others when im not around. they cant change so im planning on cutting them off like theyre a tumor, they are a tumor to my mental health.
@@RokkTheRock sorry to hear about it pal, the thing about parents is that one day you leave their home, so i hope that either your parents accept you for who you are or that you just find happiness away from them.
@@RokkTheRock * solidarity fist bump * Chosen families are the best. I hope you find yours sooner rather than later!
As far as I know, conservatives have not complained about this show being 'woke'. That might be because Dead End is not something big like Star Wars or a Marvel movie. But to me that means if we give other, more original media a chance to do be outside the norm instead of relying on a popular franchise, then the sky is the limit as they say. Also, such bigots are cowards when the thing is such good quality and is not their favorite franchise or whatever.
Ive seen alot of those people be mean to the show,of course it depends where you look but atleast the fandom can stomp them out easily
For me I liked its cause the characters felt right, the show worked, and it didn’t feel like anything was forced nor that an agenda was being pushed. It was good.
i saw one video a few months ago and it had a lot of views. it was your typical conservative crying "brainwashing the children" bc trans people and other "woke" stuff but still.. 😟
I think it's really good that we can have just these original shows that center these characters. Because the more of these that are out there, the more normalized it's going to be, and less people are going to be mad or confused when it makes its way into more popular mainstream things.
This is one of my favorite shows, I’m extremely disappointed that it got cancelled, I hope that Hamish Steele is able to finish their story in their comic like they were planning when it first got cancelled. I was so happy to have a canonical autistic character that was ACTUALLY written by someone with autism, because I rarely see that (not including webcomics, webcomic creators make a lot of great autistic characters). It was also amazing to have a trans lead, I didn’t realize that when I saw the first episode, but as soon as I heard cavedown start playing I KNEW 👏👏👏
It's so cathartic to see characters so similar to yourself reach a happy ending. Even if you dont have the closure, it helps
I’m a trans guy and I didn’t know dead end was a thing so when it popped up on Netflix and I saw Barney on the thumbnail, my trans-dar went off immediately. Then I watched the first episode and heard him listening to Cavetown and verbally said “Oh yeah, he’s trans af”
What does Cavetown have to do with being trans? Is there a trans band member or something? I'm genuinely curious because I'm not very familiar with this band.
I want to know too
@@GracefullyAutistic pretty sure cavetown isn’t a band but just one person, who is a trans guy named Robin and who’s songs (not all of them) reflect the trans experience
@@mofinadesdita6890 here you go
@@creamsimulator Oh ok, like I said, I'm not too familiar with this artist, so I didn't know it was only one person. But at least now I understand the reference, so thanks for the info. :)
I love this show. I HAD to binge it after the 1st episode, and how they handled barney being trans still makes me cry.
I may or may not have cried when I first watched the part where Barney said that he was trans out loud. Like, I made a joke about it initially when Cavetown music played over a scene of him getting ready in episode 1, and I knew what was up in the conversation with his mom, but like. It just hits different to hear it out loud. The fact that someone in a TV show is openly like I am makes me feel like I'm finally allowed to just _be_ without having to joke about it for once. I just hope that they give Norma a similar "I'm Autistic" moment in season 2. I love her, and I love that she's so blatantly Autistic and that she's based off of Hamish Steele's own experiences, but like... I need to have that feeling about both of the things I am, I think. Or if not having it be part of a similar moment to Barney's "I'm trans" speech, at least have it be mentioned explicitly in passing. This is like, literally the only gripe I have with this show other than the fact that I'm impatient for season 2. It is far from show-ruining for me, but it's also so easy to fix.
Also, (spoilers ahead) if I had a nickel for every time a rich body-hopping dead person decided to be a problem for an ND-coded conspiracy-board-haver commonly depicted as brown and their soft-spoken gay friend with family issues who learns to actually stand up for themselves but also has to stay in the place that said body-hopping dead person runs for a while, I'd have two nickels. It's not a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. It's especially weird that one of the times was The Magnus Archives, and that the other was Dead End: Paranormal Park.
Magnus Archives Magus Archives Magnus Archives ❤️❤️❤️
@@elsiepatton7632 I've been planning to listen to it, how is it and how would you describe it.
@@coffeemetroThis is late, but it’s really good. OSP once described it as “a shotgun blast of phobias,” since each episode tends to focus on something that someone will have a phobia about. Also, as someone who’s done archival work, I could connect with the archivist complaining about the lack of organization in the collection.
I had a gripe with Pugsly too. Having him walk on two legs after he can talk does personify him more as a character but, I was so upset. That would cause irreparable damage to his hips. Especially with him constantly walking only on his back legs for the rest of the show.
I think it was less about him talking and more about the creators needing him to be able to perform magic with his paws.
Thank you for introduing me to this wonderful show! And, for what's it worth, there are breeders out there trying to undo some of the hideous harm inflicted on pugs and re-breed the healthier pugs of days past, when the poor buggers were allowed to have, you know, working noses and such.
When I first saw this, I thought it was going to be “stereotypical trans boy with blue hair and pronouns haha”
But watching it all they way through makes me feel so included and I loved Barney so much and Norma
I still can't believe netflix cancelled this show. We had such a good thing going and the representation was unlike anything else i've ever seen (besides the owl house, also cancelled mind you.) As a neurodivergent queer person (Demisexual, Pan and Nonbinary) representation like this means the world to me...
I loved this series. I relate to Norma so hard. I was a just a weirdo kid who wasn't causing a problem for anyone else, so I never got any kind of diagnosis except being lazy and disorganized and clumsy and erratic and awkward and also "so cute!" and naïve and hilarious, even after I became a competent adult. Now I have a very loud autistic kid who refuses to let his problems be ignored, and bully for him, and it has changed my view of my entire life. The fear episode was the most accurate description of what social anxiety feels like I've ever seen, I've been in that place. My Frankenstein spoke right to might heart about the refuge of fiction and hyperfixation, how your interests can feel like shelter and sustenance. I just loved her and the way the show respects and legitimizes her feelings and needs. In your words, Norma, "you made me feel so seen."
I relate with Norma a lot because she's autistic like me and I understand how she feels.
Including with the sensory struggles, feeling different, wondering how can people make friends way easier, my special interest in Little Nightmares (by the way that game is a MASTERPIECE to me, I heavily recommend it) and so on.
One light hearted event is that when I was with two other girls in a class, I was wearing a Little Nightmares T-shirt and the one of the girls commented that she was a fan of the game, that immediately caught my attention and we talked about how we love it and that its FANTASTIC!
(It gave me a massive confidence boost and I was able to be myself completely)
And for Barney, I can also relate since Im a demigirl panromantic.
I had some similar experiences with my mom having trouble understanding non-binaries and one time she said that people that use they/them just want attention, she did ended up understanding that it affected me a lot because I use she/they pronouns and I don't use it for attention, its because that's how I feel.
But just a disclaimer, my mom is NOT transphobic nor homophobic. (She used to have a brother that was gay and she grew up in a supportive family.)
My mom is also recently understanding some LGBTQ+ genders like non-binary folks.
My friend is non-binary and I told her that its how my friend feels and how they use they/them.
I am so glad you talked about this show!!! It quickly became one of my favorites!! As an autistic person who also recently had to grapple with a certain She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Norma’s reaction and song were SO relatable and there is not way that was a coincidence!
And I really loved Barney’s story line as well! God, when he told his parents that accepting your child is the bare minimum and that they need to stand up for him, that was amazing! And I loved that they showed that nuisance. Because yes, to a point they are good parents, but that goodness ends when they allowed their son to be verbal attacked BY HIS OWN GRANDMOTHER!!! YEESH!!!
Anyway, this show is awesome and I’m glad more people are talking about it!
Oh god, if you replaced "chest small enough to hide in a baggy sweatshirt" with "waist and torso the right size for a depressing percentage of 'feminine' clothes" that sentiment about how being fat makes passing feel impossible would describe some of the issues I'm having with my transition rn perfectly.
The touch thing is incredibly important. I have a lot of trouble asking people not to touch me, and I suspect that part of the reason I was described as "rude" and "arrogant" on an eval a few months ago is that I asked a superior not to clap me on the shoulder because it made me uncomfortable. A girl I had a crush on didn't realize that I was trying to express greater attachment to her once we got closer and I told her it was okay if she wanted to hug me as a greeting, because she assumed that being autistic and touch-averse also meant I was aroace. My friends, most of whom are huggers, make an effort to respect my boundaries and go for lower-touch interations, but they're the first people I've ever been around for whom that's the case.
being an autistic adult i really wish i had a show like this as a kid. the face your fears episode norma's depiction accurately describes my entire experience in group activities as a child, from touch aversion to sensory overload to social anxiety. good autistic representation is slim and especially for female characters. this show handles a lot of big issues in a way still easily digestible and fun for children to watch
Thank you for mentioning that Barney is jewish!!! It so often gets overlooked, and with the amount of antisemitism in so much popular media nowadays (go look up stranger things and the umbrella academy antisemetism) it’s so important to have this kind of positive representation and to TALK about it.
I seriously thought Dead End would just be a show that I liked but would be mid or garbage to everyone else's eyes, but with good representation. I'm so glad I'm wrong and many others genuinely love it.
I love the characters for more than what they are, but who they are as people, I love all of the things it does to normalize people outside of the straight/gay, white people that are fit to society's beauty standards. I love how these characters face their problems in a way that feels like them as a person, not a story being pushed along, so they have to get over this or that this episode. I think the show is great and wow, what a wonderful change in animation media without making it a romance focus thing.
Dead End was so niceeee
I thought you uploaded this today because of the announcement of season 2 lol. We're getting more seasons.
I'm chubby, gay, Jewish and ftm. barney makes me feel so seen.
Your introduction of the 2 main characters hit me like a sack of bricks. And suddenly you're now a way more reliable RUclipsr. Thank you. And then you're description of chubby you're getting more relatible by the minute.
This show was soo good that it didn't even bother me that one of the characters had my deadname. Also the dog is adorable and I relate to Barney soo much. Though I am surprised that when Barney dressing up as a dinosaur they didn't make a Barney the dinosaur reference.
Maybe that itself was the reference 🤯
I am surpriced how he was ok with wearing what was essentially an undead cursed demon zombie just a few hours ago...
@@jebkerman5422 I mean, it probably helps that the suit would probably be *very* happy to be preforming at a birthday party in general?
Like, at worst it would try to run away with him because it got its own idea about how things should go, but generally seems like it would be more than happy to help
This was timed so well! The creator announced the next season was coming out next month (oct 13! really surprisingly fast)
I never knew this show existed, thank you so much for bring it to my attention! I’m so excited to start watching!!!
Netflix, much like Cartoon Network does with its own content, really did this show dirty
I’m bi with a similar family situation as Barney (they supposedly accept it and like my current girlfriend; but they also don’t seem to have my back and when my brothers gf got invited to his birthday dinner and mine didn’t get invited to mine). I’m also autistic. This series speaks to me in a way I didn’t think I needed until now and I adore it. I didn’t know Steelish Ham is autistic but it explains why Norma is handled so beautifully!
yes! i struggled so much as a teenager because my parents were "accepting" on the surface (and were much more surface level accepting than parents of other queer teens around me who were being physically abused), but were like barney's parents in dead end. i felt so guilty all the time that i wasnt grateful that they were letting me wear the clothes i wanted and letting me keep my hair short, and was never able to understand the fact that i wasnt being treated well. it really is a slow poison like you said.
I listen to Norma's song several times a week. I hope a follow up video on season 2 is coming
You MUST watch season 2! It's amazing!!
I absolutely love this show! I'm so incredibly happy with the story, the representation, the characters, everything! I started watching since it fits into that Addams Family/Gravity Falls family friendly spooky niche. So getting hit with amazing canonical representation was such a pleasant surprise for me! I'm bi, Chicana, and autistic. Norma just hits so incredibly close to home.
I love this show so much I can’t wait for the next season!! The scene of Norma’s anxiety attack made me incredibly anxious too - but at the same time I was like THIS IS IT!! this is exactly what it feels like! it’s so well illustrated
Cute story. I've been out as trans since I was 15 and didn't transition until I was 18. My mom took some time but she finally accepted it and has been very supportive. Unlike she has been when I first came out. What's funny was one day my mom literally picked out this show and we watched it together. I can relate to Barney and his grandmother not being respectful to him and after my mom watched all that I think she internalized that and now when my grandma is rude or misgenders me my mom learned to stand up for me as to not put me in that isolating experience of no one standing up for me. This show can affect anyone besides people who are neurodivergent or LGBTQ+. It literally taught my mom how to treat me better and stand up for me when I am being disrespected. I highly recommend watching this with other people!
Thank you for doing a video on this show! I was so happy to see a show like this as I’m also trans and autistic, Norma and Barney make me feel so comfy 😊
I really appreciate how effective and straightforward your intros are; I am working on simplifying how I write and speak to better convey complex points and your videos often serve as an useful example of what I'm working towards
This is probably my favorite cartoon for 2022. The characters feel extremely real, and you can tell they aren't there just for representation. They are relatable and their own people. It's a conclusive story about them and their conflicts, while still having a supernatural plot involved. Also as an autistic woman, I connected so well to Norma and her character, as well as her struggles in the episodes.
I'm scared very easily (although I'm an young adult) so after watching one episode I didn't wanna continue at first. But at the same time I was already that hooked on the story, that I had to watch it anyway. And I love it soooo much. I'm transmasc, my family says they accept me, but don't even use my pronouns and I might be autistic. So this representation means the absolute world to me. /gen
thank you for doing this. I was hoping to see you make a video on the show the second I finish watching it. Can't wait for season 2, and here's hoping it is as good as the last one.
i fucking loved this show but the comics are another level
barney cannonically has scars that are possibly cannonically sh scars and he changes his hair colour almost every chapter!!!
iconic
Pugsly could of still been a pug, just make him a retro pug or a pugXrussel😔
ALL OF THIIIS. i was about to mention about retro pugs but i wanted to see if someone else did already
Oh we are getting season 2, sooner than I, and many other, expected
Ive rewatched dead end alot of times by now and I am very excited for s2, which is about to come out this october!!
Very excited for season 2 on Thursday!
Norma is bi. Idk what had come out by the time of this video but in season 2, she realizes that she is.
I really loved this show so much, I can't wait to see more adventures
This was such a good show. I watched the musical episode while I was going through a faith transition, and Norma’s Frankenstein song really hit different.
Lol I was literally gonna request you cover this show today. I love it so much and can't wait for season 2!
Super excited for season 2 this October!! This was one of my favorite shows and I binged it so fast XD can’t wait for more of it!
holy shit i thought the plot sounded familar. turns out i read this back in 2018 on tapas when i was just starting to realise i was trans.
Unless Dead End gets picked up by another streaming platform, then we won't get another season :(
I really wish they hadn't called Barney Barney. But that's an extremely small nitpick, he's a great character otherwise. This is a really personal thing, since I grew up on Barney the Dinosaur and the themesong keeps getting stuck in my head.
AHAHAHAHAHAHHA
HE EVEN DRESSES UP AS A DINOSAUR IN ONE EPISODE-
I absolutely adored this show, hoping it gets more seasons.
The only big reason i checked the show out was because of Alex Brightman which i am a big fan of.
My 3 favorite shows he’s been in, the first he was the main “antagonist”, the second a robot demon, and then this one he’s a possessed pug
“Ant”agonist I got it Beetlejuice is my favorite role he’s in I actually just saw it! 🪲🧃
I only started the series. But I still love Alex Brightman playing Pugsly and demon. We had a song he basically duetted himself lol.
Also if he sounds familiar he does Beetlejuice on Broadway and Fizzaroli in Helluva Boss
never heard of Dead End before stumbling across this, I paused six minutes in and here I am hours later having watched it all so far. thank you for the video and the introduction to the show!
We have a confirmation for season two I was worried because karens were complaining about it and you know companies have a habit of siding with those guys and canceling a show on season one
Kinda late to the party but here u go :)) As a neurodivergent myself it was so refreshing to see someone like Norma be portrayed in such a way that feels so familiar. Also as a hijabi I nearly cried when I saw badyah as one of the characters in the show . Like not only was she portarayed as an actually character and not some insert to attract people to the show but she actually had a purpose in the show and served a role throughout the seasons. As well as that she isn't some boring tasteless character like some other shows netflix has put out with hijabi characters but she's funny ,has personality and is so SO relatable ! I love this show so much still mad at Netflix for cancelling it :(
Can I just say real quick Barney’s little brother Patrick is so supportive of him and his transition and I don’t really see that a lot in media however I do have experience with this as the younger sibling when my sister came out as trans I was very happy although I didn’t know what that meant I supported her I used the right pronouns I respected her she was one of my guardians after all when I came out as trans she respected me just as much as I did to her.
Younger siblings are gold when it comes to accepting things that are far from the societal norm.
I'm so happy my brothers automatically accepted me as trans and never deadnamed me since I came out.
@@Howdyasdo absolutely like I said I was really young when my sister came out and I didn’t understand but I still respected her and I’m happy that your little brothers did the same for you. Also it’s kind of weird to see someone comment on something that I wrote 10 months ago but I don’t really care anymore... I forgot about the comment? well it’s good to see it again.
The transmed side of tumblr that views skinny white no-hair-dye-allowed normal-clothes-only as the only acceptable way to be trans is already spreading a ton of rumors about this show in an attempt to get it to bomb, so I'm happy to see it be reviewed honestly and with an emphasis on the positives rather than fabricating negatives.
I felt connected to the show- it felt real and I don’t know why… all the characters just felt like they were me but in their own way- I loved this show so much!❤
10:53
THANK YOU!!!! I was thinking the same thing throughout the whole season!!! I'm glad I'm not the only one!!!
Small additional note that I only noticed in the clips from the show that popped up throughout this video. I love that Barney very clearly resembles his dad, and his younger (cis) brother more closely resembles his mom. They could have very easily made Barney resemble his mom, but I like that even though they didn't necessarily have to for good representation (there are plenty of trans guys who more closely resemble their mom and trans women who more closely resemble their dad) but something about putting some distance between that very subtle but generally assumed norm felt good to see.
I'm pretty sure I read at least one of the original comic books this show was based on or something. I enjoyed it.
Sad it got canceled. They cancel a lot of LGBT animations. Like Q-Force was my favorite. So funny.
One thing I loved was how the show makes it clear how Barney’s grandmother treated him without ever actually showing her berating him. It allowed the show to explore important themes without subjecting the audience to any transphobic rhetoric.
It really meant a lot to me that we never hear Barney get misgendered and we never hear his deadname.
Another show to put on my already sizable need to watch list.
I really appreciated how Barney being trans was only a single aspect of his 3-dimensional character. It defined a great deal of his struggles, but it did not define who he was as a person.
THAT is how you do representation!
As a trans autistic person with family problems myself, this is my comfort show and I'm so glad to hear someone talk about it. :)
10:54 I heard people have actually been breeding pugs without the critical health problems. I think they’re called Retro pugs?
This video is how I learned of this awesome show, a show I’ve been hyper fixated with for months it’s has been and probably will keep being great. Thank you 👍
Norma's canonically bi, she has a sweet coming out moment with her own mom in the show. Sadly, the show's been canned after 2 seasons due to low viewing numbers
As a fat trans man myself Barney was a GODSEND. AND HIS INTRODUCTION SCENE HAS A CAVETOWN SONG???? I had to pause it I was so shocked and happy to see representation I never thought I get. Not to mention the nuance with the casual transphobia of his family.
I love this show, probably gonna rewatch it for halloween
I'm autistic myself and i heavily relate to norma, especially when she realized who pauline really was. I've had that happen a lot when i was a teenager and it is devastating
And i love the way they treat her being touch averse. I am myself and i also once tried to do that with a DND character, she had a close sibling like relationship with another party member and was ok with hugging him or general contact when expecting it but refused to touch anyone else. Unfortunately the rest of the party thought this was some character flaw to overcome, or the result of some past trauma in her backstory she didnt want to talk about she needed to overcome and not just a part of who she is, so they kept pushing it
You're in luck, season 2 releases Oct. 13
I’m so glad that you mentioned the pug thing- I was thinking that the whole time!! Lol
SEASON 2 IS ALREADY OUT EVERYBODY!!! So go watch it and give it a lot of love so we can get another season!
The scene of Norma's fear also gave me the "oof" feeling you talk about. I am not autistic, but I suffer of severe social anxiety and have huge problems with just interacting with people. Afyer that scene I needed to pause the show and processes that... It was a bit too real for me.