Okay so I did not want to watch this show. We need to establish that fact. I DID NOT WANT TO WATCH THIS SHOW. I spent weeks telling myself “DUDE… YOU’RE NOT GOING TO WATCH THE NEW FAIRLY ODD PARENTS SHOW… YOU CANT… I WON’T LET ANY MINUTE OF MY SHORT PRECIOUS LIFE ON ANOTHER CARTOON”

not because I wouldn’t like it– NO I KNEW I WOULD LIKE IT. It’s because if I even get a crumb of something I know I like, there’s a chance I might be obsessed and go insane or end up drawing like 400 pngs worth of an obsession (cough camp camp cough).

It was one afternoon on a fateful August night where people who I thought loved me and who I hold near and dear to my heart sat through one rant of me saying this about this show, smiled, then INSTANTLY PUT ON FAIRLY ODD PARENTS: A NEW WISH SO I HAD TO WATCH IT……………………………..

And here we are. I’ve watched all the Peri episodes. I’ve watched some of the others. I really like this show. I want a season 2. BUT I am not getting so invested that I go asylum-core on this. I can feel it. I can feel myself wanting to write insane character analysis essays. I can’t do this again dude… I can’t….

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THE APPEAL

I really like how Peri and his godkid Dev’s relationship is. It is SO TOXIC.

OF COURSE they had to inject Dev with the “neglected child” upbringing. I love Dev soooooo much. He’s a mean girl and an ipad kid mixed into one toxic, self-sabotaging mess. This boy has never felt a loving touch in his life. He can’t get the attention he needs from his Dad, so he takes it out on his peers??? HUH!?!?!? Can you say DADDY ISSUES?!?!?!

THEN there’s Peri. A FAILURE of a Yaoi Tumblr Sexy Man Peri. Watching the preview, you think that Peri is going to be this suave, cool mentor who will help Dev become anything he dreams of. But no… No…. Peri arriving is SUPPOSED TO help Dev, but instead Dev becomes increasingly worse as the show goes on.

Peri is the only fairy born in the last 1000 years, he has all eyes on him, he gives in and dives into the family business, becomes a godparent…. everything was supposed to go his way, BUT HE JUST SO HAPPENS TO GET THE WORST KID EVER AS HIS FIRST ASSIGNMENT.

Dev is godkid: HARDMODE. Dev was raised with every material possession he could want under the sun, he doesn’t NEED anything that can be easily attained by one wish. The entire show Peri is constantly trying to please Dev without any successes. On the first day Peri spends the entire morning trying to poof the perfect cupcake for Dev, FAILS, then when they arrive at school Peri is already tired and needs a break. IT’S SO SAD.

I see Peri as that “fresh graduate, gung-ho to do a good job” then he’s met with the cold slap of reality that this job was NOT as easy, glamourous, or fulfilling as he thought it would be. Before his entrance he heard that Dev was miserable… he arrives, promises Dev a better life…. THEN INSTANTLY IS BEEFING IT. Peri clutches on to DA RULE book for dear life, hoping the limitation from the rule book can persuade Dev from doing awful things to others, BUT NO, DEV HAS TO RAISE A DEMONIC SPIRIT BACK FROM THE DEAD because he… felt bad for being misunderstood by a new friend? The kid doesn’t know how to cope with anything he’s feeling, and neither does Peri!

In each episode it feels like Peri’s just grappling for an inch of moral stability in Dev to convince him NOT to take his anger out on others.

Dev is constantly belittling Peri’s abilities and making Peri do everything to please him JUST to tell Peri at the end that he’s not good enough. By the end of the show, it makes me grab my head and howl that Peri is shaking, crying, vomitting fairy confetti and exhibiting the telling signs of surviving something like spousal abuse lol!?!?!

I like that Peri keeps trying… until he CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE AND BREAKS UP WITH DEV????? They literally break up and Dev instantly partners up with the anti-fairy verion of Peri 😭 what the fuck ?

It’s so interesting that Dev kept pushing and PUSHING Peri to the limit like he was TRYING to make Peri go away. THEN PERI DID!!! HE GAVE UP!!!! That must have been such a clear sign to Dev that in the end no one actually cares and WILL give up on you. Peri coming back must have made him double his pessimism… and that’s why Dev set off to be the villain of the season 1 finale 😭😭😭😭

The entire duration of the season after Peri appears, Dev manipulates the power of his own personal supernatural creature to be more of a mean girl to his classmates, mentally abuse said creature and uses him as personal punching bag, AND THEN takes over the supernatural realm and effectively planned to destroy the world as we know it.

I love Dev because all this anger and lashing out… the source is his father Dale Dimmadome (Note to self: I am NOT writing a fucking essay about the generational trauma of the bloodline of Doug Dimmadome is the owner of the Dimmsdale Dimmadome) and Dev will do EVERYTHING IN HIS POWER to make everyone else in the world feel awful, but WILL NOT direct his anger or malice towards the source of all his turmoil. He never tries to make his father feel terrible, EVEN at the end when his father neglects him for the umpteenth time.

BUT THEN but then………. at the pinnacle moment where Dev is at his worst……. it’s Peri saying that he cares about Dev… says it so naturally… that is what makes Dev stop being evil…. ;__; even after all the abuse Dev hurls Peri, Peri still wanted to make Dev happy…. give him his little wishes….

can someone help me feel normal about this. I WANT TO FEEL NORMAL ABOUT THIS FUCKING MOMENT:

so that’s the appeal. THAT’S IT. SIGH .