Reality shows are quite popular in television today. With long-running series like Survivor, Big Brother and The Amazing Race, people are truly given variety. These kinds of tv shows are not seen in animation very often, but the Total Drama series is a good and often humorous parody of several reality shows.
In Total Drama Action, fifteen contestants return for season two of the hit reality series Total Drama Island. Thanks to the fine print in their contracts and Owen giving up his winnings, they spend forty-two days at an abandoned movie lot to compete for one million dollars.
During their stay they participate in film-themed challenges like eating horrendous prison food, delivering alien eggs and enduring natural disaster simulators in order to win food, trips and immunity. There are even elimination ceremonies held at a theater where each castmate is voted off, but this is far from where the drama ends.
Teams and Challenges
While the set-up has changed a bit, like the Lame-o-sine being the vehicle that transports recently voted-off contestants away from the competition site instead of the Boat of Losers from last season, the formula is still mostly the same. Challenges are very physical and players will often have to use their strength or wits to pull their teams through to the next round.
Castmates are divided into two teams just like last time. The Screaming Gaffers seem to be the stronger group while the Killer Grips are obviously the underdogs as they lose challenges quite often.
Characters and Roles
The characters haven't changed too much with the sole exception of roles being switched around. Harold has been given more of a chance to show off his skills (which consist of magic camp tricks and unlocking codes), becoming more of a dorky comedic relief character. Beth is also opening up a bit more and becoming more flirtatious now that she has her braces off.
Heather isn't as manipulative and mean-spirited, but possibly only because everyone knows about her schemes at this point. She still has a rivalry with goth-loner Gwen, but her issues with the street-wise LeShawna seem to be softening a bit.
The most interesting character change is Justin. He barely talked at one time, being no more than an attractive stand-in, but now he has taken on a more antagonistic role similar to Heather. Plus, Geoff's change is a bit surprising since he is starting to become rude and fame-obsessed, traits that are quite odd for a character who is usually friendly to everyone.
Laugh Factor
Total Drama Action is quite hilarious in many ways. Viewers will see a lot of film references, specifically in the episode titles (a perfect example being One Flu Over the Cuckoos, which is an obvious nod to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) and there are many laughs to be had at the crazy antics some of the characters participate in.
Perhaps the best addition is the Aftermath portion, which puts the losing characters in the spotlight as commentators.
The only major issue is that Owen's gross-out humor is starting to become a bit much at this point. It's difficult to tell which direction the writers are attempting to take him in terms of development because they aren't really doing much with him.
The Final Verdict
While it's not quite as enjoyable as the first season, Total Drama Action is a solid addition to the series. It has most of what viewers can expect from an animated program like this and some of the character development is quite well done. Young kids, teens and even adults are sure to find enjoyment out of the wacky comedy this Teletoon/Cartoon Network show has to offer.
Total Drama Action
Rating: 9/10
Check out the Total Drama Island Wiki and blog to find out more about the series.
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