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miscellaneous_section) wrote2024-02-22 08:21 pm
miscellaneous_section) wrote2024-02-22 08:21 pm
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Why Sly/Cliff Make a Good Pairing- A M.A.S.K. Manifesto
I completely forgot about this one! I mentioned in one of my posts talking about another oddball pair. This time it's about Sly Rax and Cliff Dagger from M.A.S.K. Despite M.A.S.K. being average, I always came back just for those two in the early episodes. There was something about their dynamic that held some promise, and I can see it work and have the eventually break up. Yes, I wrote a fanfic centered around the idea of them meeting up by accident during the racing season.
I talked about how I wasn't the biggest fan on how they were dumbed down after the Panda Power episode. I missed their witty and pun-tastic banter; you never knew what you had until it's gone. Well, the episodes are up on Youtube for free so it's not truly gone.
Anyway, I wanted to gush about why I think these two worked best as a duo than on their own. I love me some villain ships! Baddies that are terrible, and utter troublemakers to everyone else but sweet only to each other.
You can go AO3 from here, or read the manifesto below the cut!
Before we begin, I must preface this. I have the first season split into two: pre-Panda Power and post-Panda Power. I truly believe the show never fully recovered from the 27th episode, and so any amount of quality it had mostly evaporated by then. So when I talk about these two as a couple, I’m mainly talking about the episodes before Panda Power. That’s where the good shits at. On with the essay!
Ah~, ships. The hypothetical BroTP, crack, canon, or just fun pairings full of romance and/or friendship. It can get heated or stay chill for the most part, but the ships I come up with I’m always hanging out in my personal little row boat out on the lake. Just doing my own thing here away from the ocean. This is one of these ships. Yes, we’re talking about M.A.S.K. again. I worry how some fans will react to it, but I have read a Matt/Bruce post-Cold Fever fic and it was good, I enjoyed it. Plus, no one batted an eye at it, so I shouldn’t worry myself too much about it. Anyway, I romantically ship Sly Rax and Cliff Dagger. In fact, I like to call the ship Demolition Husbands but that’s just me. I think they’re neat and cute together. Seriously, it brings a warm smile to my face whenever I think about it. But what really makes it that good? Well, here’s my ship manifesto for Cliff Dagger and Sly Rax.
To answer the question is simply this; the chemistry between them is good, great even. The banter, the villainous teamwork, and how intimidating and fun they can be together is great. Due to how small the number of agents on VENOM’s side was compared to the M.A.S.K. team, you get a better sense how they acted around each other compared to the good guys. But the continuity was barely there for the majority of the first 26 episodes (if not the entire first season), and the later stuff kind of fell apart. Anyway, during the early episodes, the most consistent thing was Sly and Cliff’s dynamic and I wasn’t the happiest when that deteriorated after Panda Power. It was one of the few things that kept me watching for the most part along with rooting for the bad guys to win for once. That never happened… Anyway, the banter between them was solid, but all of the interactions between them was done by one guy (Mark Hallron). Now instead of me describing these lines, and failing at it. Why not I leave time stamps to their lines. I’ll have them typed out so you guys can follow along. I also did check for captions on the videos, but they’re all auto-generated and they’re not good. From quips to teases, here are a few of my favorites.
Episode 1 (here): The Deathstone
Sly Rax: No one could have survived that crash. Too bad, she was a good driver.
Cliff Dagger: Yeah, but not a good diver.
Episode 7 (here): The Ultimate Weapon
Sly Rax: Tsk, tsk, tsk, such terrible drivers.
Cliff Dagger: Yeah, law-biding people aren’t safe at a parking lot anymore.
Episode 8 (here): The Roteks
Sly Rax: I hate those bugs! Ain’t natural.
Cliff Dagger: I think the Roteks give ol’ cold-blooded Rax the creepy crawlies.
Sly Rax: Shut up, Dagger.
Seriously, it’s actually pretty decent stuff. Now what about the teamwork? At the start, Sly Rax was a relaxed cold-blooded kind of guy, although he sounded tired about the majority of the time. The cold facade only melts away when something gets on his nerves like insects,or Cliff’s warm personality, but due to the show’s format and loose continuity, it doesn’t do much with the idea. He gets a little obnoxious in the later episodes, but that's just nit-picking at this point. Cliff Dagger was rather competent in the beginning before becoming the dumb muscle later on. He was rather stoic at times, hell, incredibly patient, too. Especially with how he handled and explained mechanical equipment, whether for demolition purposes or not. So, their early personalities actually meddled quite well, and it was interesting for the most part. It was a weird balance between menacing and chill with these two.
I also enjoyed the little touches with their interacts from the looks they give (1, 2) to the teamwork (3, 4, 5) and to this scene here in Magma Mole where I thought it was nice touch. Don't ask for an in-depth reason because I couldn't fully explain it. It's just nice. One would have to wonder how long those two have worked together; where they don’t have to say a word and they just know. Where they can get a job done with no real hiccups on their end of the mission/heist. I’m impressed when rewatching this that they decided to try this interpretation with their relationship instead of the norm for 1980’s cartoons. If anything I prefer the earlier stuff in the show than the whole comic series, both DC and Fleetway. Most cartoons would have used the dumb muscle trope and the “smart” character as a comedic duo and that’s it. While in the comics, the writers would get rid of it and the dynamic was little more nuanced. M.A.S.K. on the other hand did the complete opposite, and I wished they stuck with it longer than 26 episodes. So, how much has changed since Panda Power aired?
After Panda Power was released, whatever steam it had was running low. Or they rotated some writers with their own ideas were now handling some of the later episodes. The show never really fully recovered from that episode, so the quality has more misses than hits. Sly was more of a punching bag that complains at this point, and every living creature wants him dead. Along with Cliff now becoming the dumb muscle of the team. And so, they argued more often than not. Any of the charm, fun, and dastardly acts are gone. This is the kind of interactions I expect from Vanessa and Sly during a “good day”. The most spiteful that Cliff and Sly got was in episode 41, Stop Motion. It's starts off normal and then later on; damn! I get you guys were trying to change up some things, but it’s a bit much. It did not have to be that mean-spirited between those two, jeez. You can watch it from this point here, and another point here and keep going from there. It was a little jarring to watch when compared to the other episodes where they bitched and moaned at each other. Seriously, calm down! Well, season one comes to a close, and several months later season two premieres. Things had vastly changed since it was suppose to promote the third series of toys, the racing series. So, what are Sly and Cliff up to now? Well, it’s just Sly now in season two.
The second season is weird in terms of quality. On one hand, some of the characters, the dynamics, and the storylines got better for the most part. Hell, there were actual major plot points being planted in the show. But on the other hand, said plot points never went anywhere due to the second season having 10 episodes. Plus, a few of the character got worse or they’ve been removed entirely from the cast. Sly was the lucky one to have minor appearances and be in one PSA. Yes, the bad guys got to do the PSAs this season. Despite this, it’s kind of sad to see him alone at the Pit Stop Catapult in his few appearances, since Cliff was one of the many characters that were written out of the show. I think it was for the best because I would hate to see what they would have come up with. Especially after what they did to Malloy. And yet, Sly shouldn’t be alone in season two. Sly Rax has no one to banter or even talk to at all. What’s even the point having him around when he’s just there? It kind of makes him pointless to have around other than selling a toy. But, I think it does bring out something about Sly Rax that most people might of guessed about him, or totally ignored or missed. In fact, it gets depressing when you think about it.
In all of the first season, either people just hated him (due to clashing personalities or just the basic fact he’s a criminal), or they just tolerated him. No one actually liked him at all. But with Cliff Dagger, he actually liked having Sly around. And it wasn’t out of pity, it was just that he genuinely enjoyed Sly's company. I’m pretty sure Sly was the happiest around Dagger because of that fact. Which is interesting that I’ve noticed with Dagger is that he gets along with most people in VENOM. The only two characters that I can think of where he doesn’t were Nash Gorey, obviously, and Bruno Sheppard. And, if I may go on a tangent for a minute, why did they have to dumb down Dagger to show the differences between them? That’s too surface-level and that’s just bad writing in general. Just have them at the same intelligence level, and showcase their differences in personality and situations. It’s “easy”! Cliff Dagger is a patient guy and it’s hard to push his buttons, you have to really rile him up. Bruno Sheppard is the opposite of this. He’s overall an emotional individual, basically easy to anger. He reminds me of Cravex minus all the little nuances to him. Okay, rant over and back to my rubber ducky of a rare pairing. Yes, I think they should have kept Cliff Dagger in so Sly Rax can have someone to talk to. At least Sly will have something to do!
Any who, personally, that’s why Sly Rax and Cliff Dagger make a good ship. They had good quips and banter between each other, their teamwork was fantastic, and they have the weird balance of being funny, chill and intimidating. They understood each other like no one else, and seeing Sly Rax alone in season two wasn’t great. Not only did he lose his bike, but also the love of his life. He’s stuck working at the Pit Stop Catapult for the racing series, and he has no one to talk to who actually liked him. Seriously, as much as hate the idea of what else they could do to him, they should not have written Cliff Dagger out of the story at all since without one or the other they have nothing to do in the show. They were pretty much made for each other. Sometimes whenever I look at the figure card pack and see these two together (here). I always think to myself: keep together, do not separate.
I talked about how I wasn't the biggest fan on how they were dumbed down after the Panda Power episode. I missed their witty and pun-tastic banter; you never knew what you had until it's gone. Well, the episodes are up on Youtube for free so it's not truly gone.
Anyway, I wanted to gush about why I think these two worked best as a duo than on their own. I love me some villain ships! Baddies that are terrible, and utter troublemakers to everyone else but sweet only to each other.
You can go AO3 from here, or read the manifesto below the cut!
Before we begin, I must preface this. I have the first season split into two: pre-Panda Power and post-Panda Power. I truly believe the show never fully recovered from the 27th episode, and so any amount of quality it had mostly evaporated by then. So when I talk about these two as a couple, I’m mainly talking about the episodes before Panda Power. That’s where the good shits at. On with the essay!
Ah~, ships. The hypothetical BroTP, crack, canon, or just fun pairings full of romance and/or friendship. It can get heated or stay chill for the most part, but the ships I come up with I’m always hanging out in my personal little row boat out on the lake. Just doing my own thing here away from the ocean. This is one of these ships. Yes, we’re talking about M.A.S.K. again. I worry how some fans will react to it, but I have read a Matt/Bruce post-Cold Fever fic and it was good, I enjoyed it. Plus, no one batted an eye at it, so I shouldn’t worry myself too much about it. Anyway, I romantically ship Sly Rax and Cliff Dagger. In fact, I like to call the ship Demolition Husbands but that’s just me. I think they’re neat and cute together. Seriously, it brings a warm smile to my face whenever I think about it. But what really makes it that good? Well, here’s my ship manifesto for Cliff Dagger and Sly Rax.
To answer the question is simply this; the chemistry between them is good, great even. The banter, the villainous teamwork, and how intimidating and fun they can be together is great. Due to how small the number of agents on VENOM’s side was compared to the M.A.S.K. team, you get a better sense how they acted around each other compared to the good guys. But the continuity was barely there for the majority of the first 26 episodes (if not the entire first season), and the later stuff kind of fell apart. Anyway, during the early episodes, the most consistent thing was Sly and Cliff’s dynamic and I wasn’t the happiest when that deteriorated after Panda Power. It was one of the few things that kept me watching for the most part along with rooting for the bad guys to win for once. That never happened… Anyway, the banter between them was solid, but all of the interactions between them was done by one guy (Mark Hallron). Now instead of me describing these lines, and failing at it. Why not I leave time stamps to their lines. I’ll have them typed out so you guys can follow along. I also did check for captions on the videos, but they’re all auto-generated and they’re not good. From quips to teases, here are a few of my favorites.
Episode 1 (here): The Deathstone
Sly Rax: No one could have survived that crash. Too bad, she was a good driver.
Cliff Dagger: Yeah, but not a good diver.
Episode 7 (here): The Ultimate Weapon
Sly Rax: Tsk, tsk, tsk, such terrible drivers.
Cliff Dagger: Yeah, law-biding people aren’t safe at a parking lot anymore.
Episode 8 (here): The Roteks
Sly Rax: I hate those bugs! Ain’t natural.
Cliff Dagger: I think the Roteks give ol’ cold-blooded Rax the creepy crawlies.
Sly Rax: Shut up, Dagger.
Seriously, it’s actually pretty decent stuff. Now what about the teamwork? At the start, Sly Rax was a relaxed cold-blooded kind of guy, although he sounded tired about the majority of the time. The cold facade only melts away when something gets on his nerves like insects,
I also enjoyed the little touches with their interacts from the looks they give (1, 2) to the teamwork (3, 4, 5) and to this scene here in Magma Mole where I thought it was nice touch. Don't ask for an in-depth reason because I couldn't fully explain it. It's just nice. One would have to wonder how long those two have worked together; where they don’t have to say a word and they just know. Where they can get a job done with no real hiccups on their end of the mission/heist. I’m impressed when rewatching this that they decided to try this interpretation with their relationship instead of the norm for 1980’s cartoons. If anything I prefer the earlier stuff in the show than the whole comic series, both DC and Fleetway. Most cartoons would have used the dumb muscle trope and the “smart” character as a comedic duo and that’s it. While in the comics, the writers would get rid of it and the dynamic was little more nuanced. M.A.S.K. on the other hand did the complete opposite, and I wished they stuck with it longer than 26 episodes. So, how much has changed since Panda Power aired?
After Panda Power was released, whatever steam it had was running low. Or they rotated some writers with their own ideas were now handling some of the later episodes. The show never really fully recovered from that episode, so the quality has more misses than hits. Sly was more of a punching bag that complains at this point, and every living creature wants him dead. Along with Cliff now becoming the dumb muscle of the team. And so, they argued more often than not. Any of the charm, fun, and dastardly acts are gone. This is the kind of interactions I expect from Vanessa and Sly during a “good day”. The most spiteful that Cliff and Sly got was in episode 41, Stop Motion. It's starts off normal and then later on; damn! I get you guys were trying to change up some things, but it’s a bit much. It did not have to be that mean-spirited between those two, jeez. You can watch it from this point here, and another point here and keep going from there. It was a little jarring to watch when compared to the other episodes where they bitched and moaned at each other. Seriously, calm down! Well, season one comes to a close, and several months later season two premieres. Things had vastly changed since it was suppose to promote the third series of toys, the racing series. So, what are Sly and Cliff up to now? Well, it’s just Sly now in season two.
The second season is weird in terms of quality. On one hand, some of the characters, the dynamics, and the storylines got better for the most part. Hell, there were actual major plot points being planted in the show. But on the other hand, said plot points never went anywhere due to the second season having 10 episodes. Plus, a few of the character got worse or they’ve been removed entirely from the cast. Sly was the lucky one to have minor appearances and be in one PSA. Yes, the bad guys got to do the PSAs this season. Despite this, it’s kind of sad to see him alone at the Pit Stop Catapult in his few appearances, since Cliff was one of the many characters that were written out of the show. I think it was for the best because I would hate to see what they would have come up with. Especially after what they did to Malloy. And yet, Sly shouldn’t be alone in season two. Sly Rax has no one to banter or even talk to at all. What’s even the point having him around when he’s just there? It kind of makes him pointless to have around other than selling a toy. But, I think it does bring out something about Sly Rax that most people might of guessed about him, or totally ignored or missed. In fact, it gets depressing when you think about it.
In all of the first season, either people just hated him (due to clashing personalities or just the basic fact he’s a criminal), or they just tolerated him. No one actually liked him at all. But with Cliff Dagger, he actually liked having Sly around. And it wasn’t out of pity, it was just that he genuinely enjoyed Sly's company. I’m pretty sure Sly was the happiest around Dagger because of that fact. Which is interesting that I’ve noticed with Dagger is that he gets along with most people in VENOM. The only two characters that I can think of where he doesn’t were Nash Gorey, obviously, and Bruno Sheppard. And, if I may go on a tangent for a minute, why did they have to dumb down Dagger to show the differences between them? That’s too surface-level and that’s just bad writing in general. Just have them at the same intelligence level, and showcase their differences in personality and situations. It’s “easy”! Cliff Dagger is a patient guy and it’s hard to push his buttons, you have to really rile him up. Bruno Sheppard is the opposite of this. He’s overall an emotional individual, basically easy to anger. He reminds me of Cravex minus all the little nuances to him. Okay, rant over and back to my rubber ducky of a rare pairing. Yes, I think they should have kept Cliff Dagger in so Sly Rax can have someone to talk to. At least Sly will have something to do!
Any who, personally, that’s why Sly Rax and Cliff Dagger make a good ship. They had good quips and banter between each other, their teamwork was fantastic, and they have the weird balance of being funny, chill and intimidating. They understood each other like no one else, and seeing Sly Rax alone in season two wasn’t great. Not only did he lose his bike, but also the love of his life. He’s stuck working at the Pit Stop Catapult for the racing series, and he has no one to talk to who actually liked him. Seriously, as much as hate the idea of what else they could do to him, they should not have written Cliff Dagger out of the story at all since without one or the other they have nothing to do in the show. They were pretty much made for each other. Sometimes whenever I look at the figure card pack and see these two together (here). I always think to myself: keep together, do not separate.
