Tangled the Series Review: Challenge of the Brave

By Shannon Fox, @shannonfox

 

Welcome to your weekly recap of “Tangled: The Series”! This week, Cassandra tries to prove her worth as something other than Rapunzel’s Lady-In-Waiting and manages to win the title of “Worst Communicator Ever”, Rapunzel continues to be ridiculously adorable, and Eugene is an obnoxious sports fan.

 

Let’s get into it, shall we?

 

This Week’s Special Guest

 

Danny Trejo (Machete, “Sons of Anarchy”, “From Dusk ‘Til Dawn”) as “Wreck Marauder”

 

The Episode

 

Corona is holding their annual competition called “The Challenge of the Brave” to find the fiercest warrior of them all!  And guys, Cassandra just wants to be where the people are.  She’s feeling a bit underwhelmed by the Lady-In-Waiting life, and decides to compete to prove her worth to the kingdom.  Trouble is, when Rapunzel finds out, she wants to compete with Cassandra.  Which Cass doesn’t want.

 

So she straight up lies to our Blondie, telling her she needs an invitation to compete, and this is only the BEGINNING of my side-eye at Cassandra in this episode.

 

The competition begins, but there’s an somewhat famous face in the group of contenders: Wreck Marauder,  a ginormous dude who wins all the things, apparently.  

 

 

Eugene and Pascal are cheering enthusiastically from the sidelines–  little TOO enthusiastically, because they get moved up to the nosebleeds when Eugene becomes the Disney version of that drunken guy at a football game who keeps yelling nonsense and falling on people (and let’s not even talk about the vuvuzela.)  Cassandra, meanwhile, is trying to gain some respect from her fellow competitors through “trash talk”, but isn’t getting very far, particularly after Rapunzel shows up to show her support.  Girl is the WORST at trash talk and manages to make Cassandra look even worse.  

 

But once Rapunzel joins Eugene to cheer her friend on, she finds out that she doesn’t need an invitation to compete.  And c’mon, you know what she did next (much to Eugene’s horror, at first).

 

Cassandra is totally not thrilled that Rapunzel has stolen her thunder.  But instead of, y’know, talking to her friend, she just kind of gets mean.  And yeah, you can totally enter more side-eyeing right about here.

 

Cass and Rapunzel go through each challenge, while Eugene and Pascal continue to show their support from the stands (until they get thrown out for overuse of vuvuzela). AS THEY SHOULD. 

 

 

As Rapunzel starts to overtake Cassandra in the rankings, Cass gets angrier and angrier.  And look, I get that having your bestie steal your spotlight is a rough situation.  But that does not excuse the fact that Cassandra decides to CHEAT by having Rapunzel’s chosen weapon– a frying pan, of course– never make it out to the playing field.  

 

FOR SHAME, CASS.  YOU’RE BETTER THAN THAT.  *even more side-eye*

 

Nevertheless, the final melee battle begins, and Rapunzel is still able to hold her own, even weaponless.  This infuriates Cassandra.  Rapunzel, naturally, is confused at her friend’s anger, and that’s when Cassandra gives it to her: she calls Raps “oblivious” and uncaring to how much the contest meant to her.  She wanted to prove her worth and be respected– two things that Rapunzel doesn’t need to do, since she’s already the princess.  

 

 

Rapunzel explains that she looks up to Cassandra, which is why she entered in the first place.  But she apologizes, and Cass goes on to wreck Wreck (I had to, shush).  Unfortunately, she also accidentally disqualifies herself, making Rapunzel the winner.  But our lovely, adorable princess gives the trophy to Cass.  And all’s well that ends well.

 

*final side-eye*

 

Random Thoughts from Shannon’s Brain

• Lloyd, Cassandra’s owl, finally returned from Hogwarts this week!  (Note: “Lloyd” is the name that I have given him because HOW CAN HE NOT HAVE A NAME?!  Also, he’s probably not a Hogwarts owl, but you never know.) 
• Like, why would you do this?

What kind of skill or bravery does this show? Lady, get a new THING, you know?

• “Whose house is this? This is Wreck’s house!”
• Pascal dancing made my life.  I love that frog. 
• Eugene saying, “I respect you all too much to lie to your faces” RIGHT after Cass lies to Rapunzel was the greatest unintentional burn!  I’m so sad that he didn’t even know it was happening.  
• I cannot tell you how hard I laughed at “Skull Kickr” being that one guy’s mom’s name.  SKULL. KICKR.  I’m totally calling MY mom that from now on.
• WHO IS THIS MAN. WHERE DID HE COME FROM. I MUST KNOW MORE.

 

• The goofy yell from “Skull Kickr” guy was JUST WONDERFUL.
• Why is that V.I.Pig so important? Does he provide some sort of service to Corona? I’m asking the real questions here, folks.
• Also, Eugene leaves his WALLET? In the ARENA?  Oh, hon.  Your money is GONE, babe.  Like, probably call the Corona Credit Union, too, because someone is totally buying some bales of hay and like, apples, on your dollar.
• This all being said, can we examine the fact that Eugene’s thieving past hasn’t left him COMPLETELY, since he totally steals the money he made from those Rapunzel wigs?  (I’m okay with this.)
• I had a real issue with how Cassandra acted in this episode, obviously.  Is Eugene the ONLY one who knows how to communicate properly on this show?  Why didn’t Cass just TELL Rapunzel how she felt? And why didn’t she apologize, too, when Rapunzel did, since she was the one who got mean? Urgh.  I like Cassandra, I really do, but she totally disappointed me this week.  
• That all being said, I laughed harder at this episode than at any of the others, so it gets that award, at least!

 

That’s it for this week’s episode!  Let us know what you thought in the comments below.  See you next week!

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