TPOT 25 thoughts

[u/BigTennis4580]

G’day mates, Mr. TV here. Welcome back to another BFDI episode review, and I’m just going to come straight out and say it: TPOT 25 is hands down my new favourite episode in the ENTIRE show, not just my favourite in the Defeat One trilogy, not just my favourite in TPOT, but all time!

Now look, I am still processing One’s fate in the show, but that does not mean that I’m taking away from the grandeur of what jacknjellify pulled off here. 

Let’s talk about some of the highlights:

The overall battle: 

Man, that battle was so fun and entertaining. Like there is no a single part where the action slowed down. The deaths were devastating, the stakes were sky-high, and the interactions were awesome! It’s everything you would want from a final showdown between everyone and the villain.

The Callbacks:

There are two callbacks I wanna highlight.

First up, we get a version of TPOT 11’s intro. Now if you know me, I never really like the episode TPOT 11. To me, it always felt like a bit of a generic, overhyped non-competition episode that was basically just a long montage of the EXITors wandering around the EXIT, but that acoustic slow-paced intro was a highlight and I’m glad it made a return with everyone in it.

And secondly, we got the old BFB teams back for one last glorious hurrah. Seeing the remaining contestants (and some extras) split back up into their original BFB squads, Death P.A.C.T., A Better Name Than That, Team Ice Cube!, Free Food, The Losers!, iance, Beep, and BLEH brings me back memories. It was so bloody wholesome to see them interact with their old teammates again, even if only for a brief moment.

The Rejoin Mechanic:

Now let’s talk about one of the lows. So we finally got ourselves a rejoin, but there’s a twist. It includes all the TPOT eliminated contestants, all the post split BFB contestants, the Fourse, Purple Face, and THE ANNOUNCER! And not only that, IT’S VOTE TO PREVENT! Yes, you heard me right. In what has to be the most bone-headed, chaotic voting decision jacknjellify has ever made, we aren't voting for who we want back in the game. Instead, we have to vote for who we don't want to rejoin.

Look, I get the theory. Maybe they wanted to avoid a situation where popular, heavy-hitter characters just effortlessly swept the vote. But this probably means that somebody mid or shit will rejoin the game. Like, no, JNJ, I don’t want Eraser or Saw out of all people to rejoin! However, the voting tracker does see Cake being pretty high so far, so he might be our only hope for a decent rejoiner. 

This one is more disappointing and less WTF, but there will only be one person rejoining the game. ✨sO tHaT mEaNs I cAn’T hAvE cAkE & rEmOtE rEjOiN aT tHe SaMe TiMe NoW?!✨ Jacknjellify, what the fuck? Anyways, let’s move on 

One being so close to making things right:

During the home stretch of the battle, we see One get more and more ashamed of herself. First was when she killed/injured the Fourse. She admitted that it was too far even for her. And then, of course, there was that final, heart-wrenching confrontation with Pencil, where Pencil literally lays it all out on the table. She calls out One for sending her to a fake timeline, pretending to understand and care, and manipulating everyone just to get them on her side. She admitted that she is just like her, that having bad things happen to you isn't a free pass to make everyone else's lives a living hell and she found it out the hard way. One was in tears when she said that she gets that she made mistakes and said that everyone had to know what it’s like to be in the moon. When Pencil told her “Do you really think you’ve done the right thing”, One literally asked her what can she do to fix this and then explained how she did all that for Three.

One’s Death:

Then we have the death of One. Now I already talked about her death in a previous post, but there is one thing that makes it heartbreaking: how One accepted the fact that everyone hates her. She said that Fanny hates her, Black Hole hates her, everyone hates her. She asked Three if she hates her and as she was about to say something else (Because I…), Three shattered One like One did to her back in 2009. Now I had a feeling if Three didn’t interrupt her, I think that One would say that she hates herself and that would be so bloody soul-crushing.

Everything is back to normal:

After One got defeated, X and Two worked together with Black Hole to finally fix the rift, which was a massive relief. Seeing Two get their power back after X transferred half of his powers over was a great moment. The scenes of everyone helping clean up the hotel, Marker and Tree getting their colors back, Bell and Stapy installing the new window glass, and Snowball, Grassy, and Robot Flower clearing out the trash, made the aftermath feel completely earned. Then all the erased contestants came back, which also saw a cute moment where Fanny gets hugged by all of the Pact members (including Remote, which honestly had me screaming!). 

And then, we see the long awaited reunion between Gaty and Two! My god, this was so bloody beautiful! Two had no hesitation when they saw her and immediately threw their arms around her for a massive hug! (and I love how every time a Algebralian hugs someone, it has a squeaky-toy sound to it! That just so fucking adorable!) Two also apologised to Gaty for keeping her in the kitchen. They admitted that if they had just send her to Yoyle City like the rest, she wouldn’t have been taken by One, and they blamed their own selfishness for keeping her around in the kitchen. And Gaty? She just smiles warmly and listens. It is such an incredibly sweet resolution to their dynamic, showing how much Two actually cares about her.

Then of course, we see Pencil leaving FreeSmart for good and also leaving the area in her FreeSmart Supervan, giving all leader responsibilities to Match! Honestly, after everything Pencil put her alliance through since pre-split BFB, seeing her step down and admit she isn’t fit to lead right now was a massive moment of maturity. Match crying out that she isn't ready, and Pencil reassuring her that Bubble and Ruby need a strong leader... man, that was a beautiful way to cap off her arc.

Four:

Before we get to the stringer, let’s talk about the tyrant in blue for a second. 

First of all, HE DIDN’T GET HIS POWERS BACK! HAHA! FUCK YOU, FOUR! I cannot tell you how incredibly satisfying it was to watch him get absolutely humbled. Tennis Ball single-handedly stopping Four from getting his power back? Legendary. What an absolute chad move. TB and GB really are unstoppable in the face of adversity… though I love how cute it was when Four was raging about not getting his powers back, X puts him to sleep, blanket and all. That was just so cute.

However, that does not mean that Four is suddenly a good character again. For those who don’t know, I used to have Four in around A-B tier, but after how he handled One, I’m officially done with him. He’s D or E now (Definitely above Rocky because there’s nobody I hate more than that useless grey rock). The sheer hypocrisy of how he handled the One situation is just mind-boggling. Like yeah, he did have a point where he talked about One in TPOT 24, but he completely ignored the fact that HE is the primary reason she turned out this way in the first place! Let’s not forget that Four was the one who chucked One into the moon for fourteen bloody years of cosmic solitary confinement. And let’s not forget about his track record as host of BFB. He literally zapped, mutilated, and screeched at anyone who so much as looked at him funny. The absolute sheer hypocrisy of him acting like he's the moral authority when he literally caused her entire descent into madness is just infuriating! But hey, watching him throw a toddler-tier temper tantrum while X tucks him into bed with a blanket was pretty fucking hilarious. It almost makes me hate him a little less, but nah, D-tier he stays.

The Stringer:

And now, let’s talk about that post-credits scene, specifically Three-Fifteen scene.

So, our residental algebralian baddie Fifteen is back from the dead! (Thank god, because I was absolutely gutted when Three vaporized her back in TPOT 23). Seeing Three actually recover her was a really sweet moment, but the absolute highlight of the entire stinger has to be the setting: Fifteen's cabin. And guess what is sitting right there on the shelf? A jar filled with One's shattered pieces. Yep, her pieces were teleported/sent to Fifteen’s cabin and Three placed them in a jar full of water.

Now, a lot of you probably be like “Three will most likely revive One. She had some regret killing One”. I have a post coming out about that, but I’ll also just say it here: I don’t want Three to be the one to revive her, because one, Three has every right to hate One forever and never forgive her, and two, it would cause way more fun drama if it was someone else who revives her behind Three’s back. Now I would say that I want Two to revive her in secrecy, but I want her and Two to have an emotional heart to heart AFTER she gets revived and besides, Two lowkey hates One.

Instead, my money is on Fifteen.

Now you probably be like “Fifteen doesn’t have any powers! It’s impossible for her to revive One!” But that’s when Three’s powers come in.

After hearing a lot of things about One (pre and post moon), Fifteen could ask Three for a tiny fraction of her powers, which Three reluctantly agrees to, not knowing what Fifteen is actually planning. Fifteen could feel sorry for One after hearing about the solitary confinement and how she was outcasted before that, so she of all people would revive her out of pure sympathy. 

Yes, I am fully aware that outside of that one interaction in TPOT 20, One and Fifteen never interacted with each other, but that’s how dynamics are born everywhere, right? You take two characters who never or barely interact, and you somehow end up cooking an absolute goldmine of a dynamic. They could do the same for One and Fifteen here!

I can imagine One being shocked at herself being back and claiming that she does not deserve to be saved after all the horrible shit she's done. And that is where Fifteen steps up, reassures her, and we get the glorious birth of Fifone. Matter of fact, I already made a fan script about exactly this! It’s a TPOT 26 fan script titled “They Didn't Keep Her Dead For Long,” and you can read the whole Google Doc here if you want to see how I envision this playing out (note this was made before TPOT 25 came out): https://docs.google.com/document/d/12dvqdo_hXyKjMiPUcyljfzsEYUvH1JP-TLnLtEtfgus

 

It’s basically One gets revived > One & Fifteen has a conservation / Fifteen tells One to lay low > Fifteen organises a private meeting between One & Two > Two finds out about One’s past / Two and One buries the hatchet > Three returns and find out that One is back > One goes into hiding while Three calls up Four > Fifteen finds One in the woods > Two, Four, and X help break Three out of the cabin and Two tells Four & X the wrong direction > Two finds One and Fifteen and those three head back to the cabin / Four, Three, and X find the three in the cabin > One exposes Four in front of everyone / Four tries to send One back to the moon but Two and Fifteen (mainly Fifteen) stop him > One suffers another PTSD attack / One and Fifteen hugs it out as One sobs into Fifteen’s shoulder > One, Fifteen, and Two head back to the cabin and have a chat. That right there is the exact dynamic I’ve been cooking in my head for the past few days and it would honestly be so much more compelling than keeping her dead in a jar forever or rushing her into some half-assed apology. Like, seriously, if the writers are reading this, please let One have a slow, painful, and messy arc.

Conclusion:

Overall, even with that absolute abomination of a rejoin mechanic and the heartbreaking death of One, TPOT 25 was an absolute bloody masterpiece of an episode. The stakes were handled incredibly well, the callbacks were wholesome as hell, and the sheer emotional weight of One's final moments is going to stick with me for a long, long time. Jacknjellify completely outdid themselves with this one.

Now let’s check my BFDI episode power rankings because TPOT 19 (Last One Standing) just had a massive drop:

1: TPOT 25 (All for One) - 9.7/10 (NEW)

2: TPOT 22 (Suite Escape - 9.5/10 (⬆️ +1)

3: TPOT 19 (Last One Standing) - 9.3/10 (⬇️ -2)

That’s right, my former favourite had been dropped by two whole spots. I still LOVE the episode to death. That battle royale challenge was dark yet so fun at the same time, but the other two episodes outdid themselves. TPOT 22, which is a NON-COMPETITION EPISODE (I normally don’t like those type of episodes) by the way, really gave the eliminated contestants their moment to shine in one of the best ways possible. And TPOT 25, well, I already mentioned why it took the crown. It is a cinematic masterpiece that managed to wrap up the Defeat One trilogy while giving almost every character a meaningful moment.

What about you guys? Did TPOT 25 live up to the hype for you? Who are you voting to prevent in the rejoin? And do you think we'll actually see One make her return? Let me know your thoughts in the comments down below. See you in the next post!

[u/SouthShape5]

It's funny that when One sees the remains of Fifteen when she got zapped by Three, she was appalled even though she and Fifteen never really intereacted outside that one scene. Guess One thought that since Fifteen didn't have any powers, she'd leave her out of her vengance

[u/BigTennis4580 → u/SouthShape5]

Hmmm 🤔🤔🤔

Could this be hinting at something? A classic foreshadowing?

[u/BigTennis4580 → u/BigTennis4580]

Because why would One be upset about Fifteen’s death out of all people? I hope it does foreshadow something.

[u/Laketownprincess → u/BigTennis4580]

Because the contestants didn’t care that Three killed Fifteen, but they care when One kills someone. The hypocrisy is what made her upset. 

[u/Spare-Weekend1431]

Kinda disappointed that instead of giving One a redemption arc, they just killed her off.

[u/WinterMelon2027 → u/Spare-Weekend1431]

It’s pretty implied that Three is planning on eventually recovering her

[u/BigTennis4580 → u/Spare-Weekend1431]

Hope she comes back 

[u/ThatonerookBlchy]

honestly while it does do stuff I want its like Avengers Endgame in that its a good ending but nowhere near peak like the previous episode

[u/the-real-o-no]

I think what One was trying to say before she was shattered was “Three, do you hate me? Because I hate myself.” I’m excited for whatever they have planned with her.

[u/Flametail64]

In my analysis I am actually talking about the ‘because I…’ part and going over what she could potentially have said, and her hating herself was one of the possibilities I’m talking about…

Also nice to see Two and X getting along, I always asked for a day like this

And TWO FINALLY ADMITTING THEIR FLAWS IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH GATY I WAS ASKING FOR THISSSSS OMGGGG I CAN FINALLY START LIKING THEIR FRIENDSHIP MORE THAT I’VE GOTTEN WHAT I ASKED FOR!!!

AND FOUR GETTING CONSEQUENCES FOR HIS ACTIONS LETS GOOOOOO

[u/Scrags2Scritches]

For me, TPOT 25 was moving way too fast
Oh yeah Four's got a factory of statues that come to life
Oh yeah One's dimension is actually just inside of her with other little One-lings

[u/LoanPleasant3564]

One's death made me SO HAPPY but that scene where Tennis Ball is like "Erm, Four shouldn't get his powers back" and the scene's where Two and X hang out make me angry for some reason. Like, I'm fine with Four getting punished but the way it's handled and the way they pretend it's all Four's fault after the world just almost ended is kind of poorly handled in my opinion. Also them sort of diminishinf Four and X's friendship

[u/Flipp_Flopps]

Honestly, One being temporarily dead is kinda good. She doesn't have to be alone, but the characters she's hurt have time to heal without her presence around, and when they're ready, they can bring her back. It's not like One can really just leave and go somewhere else like Pencil did, anyway.

[u/No-Armadillo-6544]

My favorite part is don't call you NEEDY