Nightmare Ned: A Rude, but Respectably Resilient Character who also Thinks About Gender

11:34 AM · Dec 29, 2020 "weird al coded"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11:41 AM · Dec 29, 2020 "my mutuals who love weird al vs my mutuals who have declared weird al their enemy"

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finally got to a show that I liked enough to watch to the end that I hadn't seen already. Too bad it's only 13 episodes.

It makes sense why it's good, though. We have creatives from Rugrats, Spongebob, and various Dreamworks films here. As someone who grew up with all those things, it makes sense that my own sense of humor would mesh well with the show. But at the same time, creative differences and overbudgeting seem to have been its downfall. At least you still get a good show out of it. That they only air once... And never again...

Nightmare Ned was supposed to be a franchise, and I'm sure failed franchises are nothing new to Disney. In the Disney watch alone we will be seeing another one. One a bit more outwardly catastrophic than this one, but that's a ways away.

But usually if you bring up Nightmare Ned to someone, they talk about the computer game, which, while having a similar premise, is a bit different aesthetically speaking.

The nightmares in Nightmare Ned the game are a bit more grotesque, with a sort of collage style. The different "levels" in the game also represent different themes: school, doctors, puberty, the unknown, and death. There's also some songs in the game and they're all bops.

The show on the other hand doesn't really have overarching themes, as it's an episodic series. However, every one of these themes from the game is touched upon in at least one episode, for better or for worse. Nightmare Ned doesn't really stand out artistically either, opting for normal visuals with occasional brighter colors. A lot of primary and secondary colors are used for some of the more surreal nightmares. The greens in "Ants" particularly speak to me!

Meanwhile the real world is a lot more realistic looking and muted. The use of colors isn't a huge thing in every episode, but the ones where it is are an absolute delight.

12:06 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "i love the colors in this one. so muted but also so fun....."

Ultimately, this makes the show a lot more "normie" than one may believe a lost media cartoon called "Nightmare Ned" would be, but I don't mind that too much. There's still a dark undertone I can appreciate.

11:53 AM · Dec 26, 2020 "i think you can describe nightmare ned as like "goth media" stuff like growing up creepie or invader zim or ruby gloom but it's more atmospheric instead of character based."
12:16 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "nightmare ned isn't really overly surreal but i guess it's surreal and entertaining enough? i can't really think of reasons why i like it i just do. it doesn't really have any dislikeable qualities, and the flaws only make it more fun"

While I discussed cartoons with fantastical elements in my last post, this one doesn't really step far outside the realm of reality save in the dream spots. The weirdest we get is subversions of the premise. For example, an episode may be someone else's dream instead of Ned's, as is the case in at least one episode.

The premise isn't anything new either. There's a ton of media about some kid working stuff out through dreams. 

11:43 AM · Dec 26, 2020 ""my child is fine" your child has vivid nightmares every night"
12:22 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "nightmare ned appeal is that it has a very similar plot to 5000 fingers of dr t i just realized it."

Despite everything, the show is really good, and it's hard to explain why. Ned as a character is very likable at times and unlikable at other times.

11:26 AM · Dec 26, 2020 "ned is kind of a jerk"
12:11 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "ned is such a dislikeable character but it's kinda in a funny way. ned just like.... "freaks ride the school bus" fuck you maybe you deserve nightmares."
12:30 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "he's been complaining about the ghost stories the whole time i think that's funny and neat"
12:56 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "ned being critical of horror is probably my favorite thing about him"

The more I think about it, the more I think it's a smart move. He doesn't really get along with girls, he thinks that only weirdos take the bus, and he can be a little annoying, so seeing him get pushed around doesn't feel entirely unfair. At the same time though, he has relatable qualities too. Despite all his fears he's pretty critical of the horror genre, he can keep cool when he needs to and is surprisingly good with coping with his problems, and he has an interesting relationship about gender. A lot of these qualities make you want to cheer Ned on even when he's a little bit of a jerk.

Wait. What was that about gender?

12:32 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "the two genders"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have to talk about "Girl Trouble." I don't know if it's my favorite episode of Nightmare Ned, but it's probably the most well known. After Conrad and Vernon (who, by the way are named after Conrad Vernon, who co-directed films like Shrek 2, Monsters vs. Aliens... sausage party.... the.... addams... family... movies....) trick Ned into using the girl's room, Ned has a dream that he is a girl, and has to convince people that he's actually a boy.

It's... Surprisingly Transgender?

1:34 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "the style change...... (this nightmare has ned as a girl. kinda interested in the takes ned has on gender.)"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1:38 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "ok ned shows no interest in men either. i guess he just hates women"
1:40 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "hilda but fucked up"

 

 

 

 

1:43 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "i think ned walked away from this experience with a better understanding of gender."

In the end, Ned learns to use femininity to his advantage and learns to enjoy it, and the episode ends with the very open ended line "Dear Diary, I just had the strangest dream. It made me feel kind of funny."

There's a lot of different interpretations of this episode. Something for trans men. (The scenes in the dream definitely feel like a transmasc struggle.) Something for trans women. (Ned embracing being a girl and not knowing what to make of it.) Something for nonbinary folks like myself. (Ned just thinking about gender in general and coming to decisions later in life.) I am almost entirely certain that wasn't intentional from anyone on the crew, but man, this 90s cartoon really does feel better than the trans rep in cartoons we're getting now.

Also, starting this episode I started making jokes about Ned's dad being an intense trans ally. I personally think it's funny, especially considering that the usual thing to do in fandom circles when there's a cis dude you don't like is act like they're transphobic. I just thought it'd be funny to do the opposite of that, considering dream!Ned's dad was a lot more accepting of Ned being a boy than his mom (bar is on the floor).

1:36 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "HI? going a little cazy bc ned's dad is more trans friendly than his mom"
1:42 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "on behalf of the trans community, thank you, you disgusting creature."

 

 

 

 

 

11:29 AM · Dec 29, 2020 "that's his gun he shoots transphobes with"

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a lot of recurring gags with this show. Before trans Ned, there was Gay Ned.

11:57 AM · Dec 26, 2020 "he can save only one companion. his faithful dog spot or his beautiful girlfriend. which shall it be? UGH! the answer's so obvious! save the dog!"

 

 

 

 

12:42 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "nightmare about ned going thru puberty.... finally the nightmare where ned realizes he is gay" 

There was the amount of times I wish Ned would swear, only for him to do it, Live On Stage, during "Steamed Vegetables.

1:00 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "LET NED SAY FUCK"
1:01 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "ned fucking snapped at a cowboy"
11:31 AM · Dec 29, 2020 "i love how close this show gets to swearing. this was the edgy disney cartoon here"
11:54 AM · Dec 29, 2020 "veggietales are PISSED OFF"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12:06 PM · Dec 29, 2020 "NED CUSSED"

I'd actually like to put a couple links here to some of these. The cowboy thing is from "Show Me The Infidel," and it honestly feels like the most passionate line I've heard in any of these shows. Also here is Ned swearing. I've had preteens tell me "suck" isn't a bad word anymore back in the mid to late 2010s when I told them not to swear, but man I still got in trouble with my friends' parents for using it so it counts.

Oh yeah uh. I said I'd bring up recurring elements of One Saturday Morning era. Courtland Mead? Yeah he shows up a lot. We're gonna see him again with leading roles in Recess and Lloyd in Space.

Anything else? Well there's an episode where Ned goes to Canada which is funny because I watched it shortly before moving to Canada myself.

1:47 PM · Dec 26, 2020 "oh this ep has ned immigrating just like me!!!"

Overall, I think what makes Nightmare Ned the series so appealing to me is the off the wall settings, the colors and aesthetics, and the humor. But it's a lot like the stuff I was raised on, so of course I'd enjoy it! Hell, it just barely missed the top ten for me! anyway stream rat tango bye

Overall Rating for Nightmare Ned: A Tier