I think I know why people hate this episode and I don't think it has to do with the main plot or the bit anti climactic ending.
But first the main plot. That's honestly what lowers my score. The episode seems to have a lot to say about war and modern politics, which is represented by Hawk and Dove, one representing the right and the other the left. But it doesn't really say much.
And it paints a warring "foreign" country as more nuanced and sympathetic than just war hungry. But why it fails a bit to me is that it could have been more. It still basically makes Ares, who's just unabashedly blood thirty, the driving force and doesn't address really why this conflict is happening outside of his involvement.
Maybe Ares is a analogy for the war economy? It's possible, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the intent. But I think the writers' resistance to directly condemn any group that may be tied to real people or governments kind of deprived it of that critique and he just comes across as an amoral villian of the week.
BUT here's why I think THIS episode is rated worse on here than even that one where they're turned into kids, and it's common in a lot of shows with a specific episode or 2 more hated than the rest This episode deals with sexism. More importantly more subconscious mysogyny of men.
And when you do that you're going to get a lot of angry viewers, esp with a male dominated audience, bc people don't like to be told they could subconsciously be a part of the problem. It's the lack of overtness and Wonder Woman being just kind of over it all and pissed off instead of patient that I think caused the ratings.
Throughout the episode different characters talk down to her, make comments on her body, or undermine her feelings in some way even when they think they're being helpful. And it builds up until basically one character literally just says it.
But except for that it doesn't paint the mysogyny as super in your face or the woman isn't a complete angel about it. There's no big sexist evil to deflect the problem onto and there isn't a woman being made to act better than the people around her deserve.
But first the main plot. That's honestly what lowers my score. The episode seems to have a lot to say about war and modern politics, which is represented by Hawk and Dove, one representing the right and the other the left. But it doesn't really say much.
And it paints a warring "foreign" country as more nuanced and sympathetic than just war hungry. But why it fails a bit to me is that it could have been more. It still basically makes Ares, who's just unabashedly blood thirty, the driving force and doesn't address really why this conflict is happening outside of his involvement.
Maybe Ares is a analogy for the war economy? It's possible, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the intent. But I think the writers' resistance to directly condemn any group that may be tied to real people or governments kind of deprived it of that critique and he just comes across as an amoral villian of the week.
BUT here's why I think THIS episode is rated worse on here than even that one where they're turned into kids, and it's common in a lot of shows with a specific episode or 2 more hated than the rest This episode deals with sexism. More importantly more subconscious mysogyny of men.
And when you do that you're going to get a lot of angry viewers, esp with a male dominated audience, bc people don't like to be told they could subconsciously be a part of the problem. It's the lack of overtness and Wonder Woman being just kind of over it all and pissed off instead of patient that I think caused the ratings.
Throughout the episode different characters talk down to her, make comments on her body, or undermine her feelings in some way even when they think they're being helpful. And it builds up until basically one character literally just says it.
But except for that it doesn't paint the mysogyny as super in your face or the woman isn't a complete angel about it. There's no big sexist evil to deflect the problem onto and there isn't a woman being made to act better than the people around her deserve.
