This series wasn't really thought for kids. In some ways, it's similar to Scooby Doo, but here the monsters are real, and there's fantasy. Sometimes it's childish, funny, or dumb, but many episodes from the first 2 seasons, and a few episodes from the third, are aimed to a bigger audience. There are a lot of references to classic terror horror movies which kids won't understand. Some episodes, some monsters are really creepy, they cause a reaction, suspense. I don't mean to exaggerate, it's just the way some episodes are. The Hole Creature, the sewer Thing, the Slime People (inv Body Snatchers), Lost Tribe, The body swapper (The Thing), House of Zombies (evil dead), Beast from Within, the Doppelganger, the Dark Druid, the Blackwater (The shinning and the exorc), the Djini, the Scarecrow, are some of the most memorable. I recommend some of these episodes to a big audience, especially if they've seen the classic horror movies. I think only Courage the cowardly dog can match or surpass the terror level from an animated tv series "for kids".
Seasons 1 and 2 were great, but in season 3, the show lost some quality. That's when it lost the suspense the first 2 seasons had overall (except for House of Zombies, Teen Town, or the Scarecrow, to name a few). It became more childish. About the 2 part specials, they were well done overall. I recall The day of the shadows (one of the few I remember seeing during childhood), had great moments but also had flaws, they had a great idea on hand, but the way a lonely Martin saved the world was somehow predictable, not realistic. They came from the gateway was amazing. The ending, It's Alive, with the series canceled, was acceptable but a little bit disappointing (the characters were out of character, especially part 1). The show didn't need much more episodes or more seasons, but it deserved a better ending. Maybe a short 4th final season with 15 eps would have been ok.
Then, the characters are uncommon. Based on a comic, where Java, Martin, and his fiancee Diana deal with paranormal investigations, here, the writers made a change, surely given the audience. Martin and Diana are stepsiblings (his father married her mother seemingly when they were moreless 10), so I guess his mother died, and her father died, as they're never mentioned. And with 16, they go to Torrington Academy, where Java works as a janitor, bus driver, serving food. And the three make the paranormal investigations provided by the Center, a sort of Men in Black org, which controls alien activity on Earth, but also curses, monsters, ghosts, and a lot more. Anyway, Martin is like the leader, he has the useful U watch, and despite being immature, childish, uncut for study, girl chaser, fan of paranormal theories, he usually ends up getting serious, with a good heart, and risking everything to save people, the world. Diana is his step sister, and her personality is different. Straight A student, goes by the book, she gets scared more easily, and many times is like the damsel in distress. She's not perfect, and she must tolerate Martin's antics, but she has a good heart too, and has saved the day sometimes with her own skills. Now, given how much time they have to spend together, that they work together on the field, that he must save her many times (she falls on his arms), and she must save him sometimes, or the fact that she seems jealous or tired of the "girl chase" behavior, and that he feels in a similar way when she admires Marvin or some other guy, it's clear there's something going on (Eternal Christmas got the clue). For some reason, the writers made them step siblings, not half siblings or direct siblings. And recalling for example Kim Possible, or The Mentalist (saving the distance), here Martin and Diana complement each other, like Kim and Ron, Patrick and Teresa. A very good team, with chemistry ongoing. Still, it's undeniable that sometimes they also behave like siblings, with the fighting, pranking, for example. So, I think the writers handled well the relationship between the pair of protagonists. Martin and Diana love each other, tolerate each other, and they need each other to accomplish their missions. They're like a kind of couple, but not in a really romantic way, given the "step siblings" part. Then, there's Java the caveman, the third guy. He turns out to be the "muscle" of the team, he's useful in many missions. As a reformed caveman, he also gets many of the funny lines. It's a good character, but the series does not focus much on him. At least more than one episode, he deserved to be the one who saves the day, because he has some qualities Martin and Diana don't have. And many times he's abducted, and must be saved by Martin. I'd have liked better the series, if Diana or Java saved the day more often, instead of almost always Martin. The fact that only he has the U watch seems unfair. About Billy, the little alien, he gets some of the funny parts. His best moments were during the first 2 seasons, everytime he'd appear out of nowhere to scare out the trio. During season 3, he was added to the team, but he was part of the childish side. He's good, but it's also uncommon to see a fearful, tiny, kind alien, the counterpart of Ganthar, his past giant King Kong form. As for MOM (whom I thought was a real mother before), she's the serious straight side, opposite to Martin's antics with her experiments. Without doubt, her part in the Gateway, and House of Zombies, was excellent. In the finale she was poorly written, but anyway. At school, the most known character is Jenny, Diana's friend, who usually rejects Martin given how immature he is. Then there's Marvin, a similar guy to Marvin, only that he was written to be the girls crush. Still, neither Jenny or Marvin have the good heart Martin and Diana have (they're pretty self centered, unlike the protagonists). About the drawing, animation effects, sound, all is well done. A great soundtrack is needed in the suspenseful moments, and the series usually got it. The characters are pretty well drawn as some monsters are drawn creepy, so I guess that's why the show is also remembered by people who saw it.
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