1x01 - "The Torque Armada"

Hum, The Torque Armada is certainly no episode that I have seen often yet - somehow it doesn't seem to hold the rewatch potential for me personally, but when I took a look at it for the Rewatch I think it was better than I had remembered it to be.

I should probably take another look at it for this poll, but as far as my memory serves it would probably be "okay".

To me, it serves its purpose as a soft, post-Adventure Begins pilot, but if it were any later in the series, it really wouldn't do much for me. The animation is pretty average and the plot fairly formulaic... but it does introduce one of my favourite villains, and gives a little fuel to the Beer shippers

For a first episode into a series (pilot notwithstanding), I'm not too fond of this episode as the "intro". Buzz's behavior would give a bad impression of his character to new viewers if it weren't for the fact that he's an adaption of TS Buzz, considering that I can't recall him acting so brash and somewhat angry during most of the series as he does here, save for small doses.

Going by production order, "NOS-4-A2" would had made a much better intro episode for the fact that it helps sets up the characters (Mira still called "Princess" as a method to first reveal this fact to the audience, the way the characters first show up in the episode is in a manner that well introduces their personalities to a new audience, and there's the constant establishment of Zurg as an Evil Emperor again as a method to first reveal this fact, the good animation to draw people in, etc.).

Torque Armada would have served better as an episode if "NOS-4-A2" aired first and this one soon after. But, even so, the animation isn't particularly spectacular, Zurg seems much more malicious than he does in most other episodes, and I'm not fond of Buzz's behavior as I mentioned before. However, this serves well to give explanation for Torque's powers, which is always a good thing considering how much goes unexplained in this series.

Also, I think Zurg's voice is a little off in this episode, if I recall right? I don't think they quite had the full grip on how to make Zurg's voice just yet, it being such an early episode. Same with the Grubs, now that I'm listening to a few clips of it. (I find this strange considering that my example episode of "NOS-4-A2" has Zurg's voice much better made despite being an earlier production number? Maybe the order they voiced the episodes in a different order than they produced them.)

I voted yesterday as "So-So" and I think I'll stick to that vote.