Animated Atrocities #3: Basic Straining(Total Drama Island) · 1:50am Jul 10th, 2023
I know people love this episode, but this is going to be a major unpopular opinion because I really don’t like it that much. And it all boils down to one simple factor, Duncan is a majorly unsympathetic prick and he’s the leading role today. Oh what joy./s
So let’s begin the episode shall we?
The episode begins with Harold revealing someone had made smores with his underwear. It is quickly revealed that Geoff and Duncan did this to screw with him. Before much else happens Chef calls everyone to the dock of shame to begin this episode's challenge.
Okay, getting this out of the way now. I do not care if it’s a cartoon or if it’s in-character, I am going to complain about the Duncan and Harold subplot because Harold really doesn’t deserve the torment since he cleaned up his act from episode ten and we’re supposed to like Duncan, well this isn’t exactly likable now is it?
The beginning of the episode doesn't really do a good job making our protagonist likable in the slightest. If anything it makes me want to root against him which we will later find out during the episode. Once the campers make it to the dock, Chef tells them their next challenge. Survive his boot camp, the last person standing wins immunity for their team.
The first challenge is to hold a canoe over their heads and if Chef catches them take their hands off, they will be eliminated. So what do our brilliant protagonists Geoff and Duncan do? Break the rules entirely by having Geoff use a fishing rod to give Harold a super wedgie. Seriously, did no one see that?
This almost causes Harold to get eliminated because screwing with Harold is totally worth being at a disadvantage. After holding the canoes all day and into the night, Lindsay drops out and the first part of the challenge ends.
At dinner time, they are treated to a feast of garbage, and no, it’s not Chef’s cooking, but actual trash. Duncan and Geoff seemingly give Harold some apple juice as a show of good faith and remorse. That sounds really nice- JUST KIDDING, they just gave him kitchen grease and pretended it was juice, because isn’t watching the innocent suffer so HILARIOUS? I hated this with Coderra and the Amy-Sammy plot and I hate it here! Courtney reacts with disgust about the Harold situation and Duncan decides to be a pig and make a comment about how if she wants to kiss him, he might let him. How is this cute, I genuinely want to know.
The next challenge is to write a 300 word essay explaining what they like about Chef. Trent and DJ are the ones unable to finish it and are therefore eliminated. After the challenge Duncan has the bright idea to antagonize Chef, something he doesn't take kindly to.
Courtney stops Duncan from further angering Chef and when she confronts him on his behavior, he decides to flirt with Courtney instead of actually listening to her. Oh my, I’m getting butterflies, oh wait those are moths. Yeah, I’m alright with the opposites attract dynamic, my flair makes that pretty damn clear but there needs to be a level of mutual respect if you want me to want this be canon. I do not get that with these two and before anyone comes at me for shipping Codeather or Scoey or WHATEVER like a certain someone who shall remain nameless did yesterday, those are fanon ships, not canon ships. I can judge them differently if I so please just because I like their dynamic and want to see fanfics about them. While if I’m dealing with a canon ship, I need an actual basis on if I want to see it succeed within the show or perish in flames within the show.
Duncan and Courtney continue to bicker right before the next challenge. If the show didn’t shove their “romance” down my throat, I'd think these two didn't like each other, anyways the challenge is to complete an obstacle course in under a minute. Harold gets too hurt to continue and is eliminated. During the challenge the ever so loveable Duncan continues to irritate Chef. Chef eventually gets sick of Duncan's crap and gives him a night of solitary confinement in the boat house.
One question, am I supposed to feel sympathetic towards Duncan’s plight? He knew he was antagonizing Chef and pretty much ignored every warning to stop it. Oh but he’s a bad boy so it’s in his nature. Give me a freaking break.
After Duncan is locked up for being an idiot, Courtney goes to check on him and bring him dinner. An act Geoff teases Courtney about. Courtney continues to deny she actually has feelings for Duncan, something Geoff doesn't believe. Honestly, that’s kinda funny, good job Geoff, you don’t completely suck here.
At the boat house Courtney asks why Duncan doesn't ever follow the rules. He never actually answers the question and just chastises Courtney for being a rule follower and asks her why she always has to follow the rules. To which Courtney responds that not following the rules gets you locked in the boat house. Duncan spins this as a good thing saying it got him in there with her. This is somehow enough to change Courtney's entire moral compass and she is then willing to go steal peanut butter and jelly from Chef and Chris.
We get to the scene where they steal from Chris and Chef and honestly I DO like it, but again, the way we got there was forced as all Tartarus. Yes, I’m using MLP terms because I don’t care enough to actually curse.
They then bring food back for the rest of the campers and Duncan once again makes Harold’s life harder by putting peanut butter on his bed. How charming.
After Harold is done being tormented, because he apparently hasn't suffered enough. Courtney gets sick from eating too much. After Courtney recovers she and Duncan have a conversation that has her deny she has any feelings for him. Despite that she still kisses Duncan and Harold sees this, seemingly foreshadowing something awful about to happen, or at least in the show’s point of view.
The final challenge for the boot camp is to dangle upside down atop a tree. The only ones left are Gwen, Heather, and Owen for the Gophers and Duncan, Courtney, and Geoff for the Bass.
Duncan, Heather, Owen, and Courtney are quickly eliminated leaving it down to Geoff and Gwen. Before long Geoff is also eliminated leaving Gwen the last woman standing and the gophers the winners. The Gophers celebrated their win and the Bass get ready for elimination.
So at elimination, Duncan is promptly disqualified for his disobedience and jeering plus evading his punishment and stealing food from Chef. Oh wait, that would be what would happen if Duncan wasn’t protected by plot armor, no instead Harold is seemingly about to be eliminated and Courtney is just very smug at the fact that’s about to happen. Isn’t Duncney just soooooooooo likable?
However, in a massive surprise, Courtney is the one eliminated. Something everyone seems to be shocked by except Bridgette apparently. Duncan swears no one voted for her, and Courtney refuses to accept her loss and threatens to sue the show. Duncan and Courtney share a moment together and she leaves and I have been hard on this couple but it did have a good moment here. We then cut to Harold, where it's revealed he rigged the vote to get back at Duncan for the torment he put him through.
Duncan definitely deserved some form of payback for the crap that he did this episode and put Harold through, but targeting Courtney was not the best idea and I would say Courtney was an innocent bystander this episode but considering how crappy she’s been to Harold in a show where what a character does in a show DOES carry over to the next, I can’t be too mad at this.
And that was Basic Straining. It's definitely not one of TDI's best episodes. Mainly because Duncan is so painfully unlikable and doesn't really have any sympathetic qualities other than the fact his girlfriend got eliminated which I don’t care for either way. Viewing Duncney today just showed that this ship was never likable since the start of the series and it only got worse until they finally broke up.
I’m sorry if I’ve been harsh to this episode, especially if you like Duncan and Duncney but I had to get an Atrocity out for Total Drama and this episode had something I could talk about.
I am surprised that Chris let it slide that Harold tampered with the votes.
But knowing him, he probably went "This is just juicy for ratings" or something
5737114
I’m surprised he let all the Duncan crap slide too so it evens out.
5737118
Chris is pretty much a maniac for ratings(and whatever chaos he sees in his shows)
Honestly, I hate people like Duncan. He kind of reminds me of sunset shimmer. They’re assholes, but when they get their karma we’re supposed to feel sorry for them.
5737274
I agree. People feel sorry for Sunset in Rainbow Rocks but really she was worse than Starlight. I didn’t hate her though.
5737286
I wouldn’t say she’s worse than starlight. I always thought they were equal, but I agree I don’t really hate her. Just how the fandom sees her.