Claustrophobia

[Mewberries151]

The intro episode for Theo! ...Who really doesn't play any further part in the series afterwards (other than as an extra in the background...and one of the notable zombies in "Attack of the Zombies" ).

Granted though, he has to be Sissi's first crush (other than Ulrich )...and one of the few people to make Herb jealous (other than Ulrich *snerk* ).

Interesting mode of attack for XANA...mess with the circuits to trap everyone inside and start overloading the cafeteria's structure. Decently effective to say the least, since it kept two of the Lyoko warriors trapped and left Yumi and Aelita to fend for themselves.

What did you think about this episode? Post below.

[Carth]

Once again, first! I have a feeling this won't happen again after this season, Season 2 having started in 2005 and all. But it feels good...and despite educational stress I'm still going to go strong in my CL Review Writing Month!

I don't really remember much about this episode, which says something about its memorability. All I remember is that it involved Theo, another character who never showed up again, who basically existed to screw up love triangles. Let's see what he adds to the show.

Ohhh you TV-Y7-FV rating. Theme song.

Yay! Episode opens with a Jeremie/Aelita talk! I'm starting to love these. They're so cute, and they've done a lot to add to Aelita's place in the show as...well...a human being. Wait, if Aelita doesn't know how to be tired, then how can you be knocked out on Lyoko? I guess because Aelita didn't go in knocked out, she's stuck awake...but then how would she get knocked out/wake up later? Maybe getting knocked out is different than going to sleep.

Soccer! See, Season 4, this is what kids did for entertainment before you gave them a foosball table and made them be all lazy.

Well, this is a motley crew. Ulrich and Odd versus...Herb, Nicolas, and random background characters? (Bastien Roux, Tristan Brossard and Jean-Baptiste Pujol (aka Hot Guy), but do you need to know that?) Since I have seen cases of a bunch of guys just randomly playing a sport together because they just happen to be in each others' vicinity that's not really unusual, but why aren't the girls playing?

Ok, Ulrich, now you're just showing off. Anyone notice that after S1, even though he's on the team, Ulrich doesn't play soccer anymore?

Insert using your head joke here. In Herb's defense, Odd's hair is really big.

"Turning into a-" What? I heard "rout", what the hell's that?

the googly-eyed look he gives her. He totally thinks he impressed her I know he does.

Poor Sissi. Men always fail her. But who should come along now, but...Hot Guy, since when do you consider yourself important enough to go "hm" with everyone else?

Back on topic. Theo Gauthier, everyone! He sounds like he has an American Southern accent the first time he talks...but good, it looks like it didn't stick. He sounds like William pitched up an octave or so, but it's clearly still a Gasman job.

"Wow, I like this school already!" And he acts a little like William, too, what with the being there to start love triangles and all. I wonder if he was William before William came out of the imagination bin. (He is a little more gullible, though.)

Ulrich seems pretty happy about the arrangement. I mean, Theo + Sissi = Win, right? Herb looks pissed, though...

Apparently Sissi is totally okay with insulting her friends to their faces. Theo, on the other hand, seems slightly naïve, another trait he doesn't share with William. Despite William being like three times more attractive, Theo has a charm to him...and he doesn't seem like a bad guy, as opposed to William's moral ambiguity. (These two need to be poker buddies or something.)

Tower! Where's Aelita going? I love the tower travel sequences, they're so pretty. Oh, now I get it. Materialization heehaw. (Hey, that's less than ten episodes from now!) Jeremie's voice is getting loowwwww. like shawty

"Princess". Theo's not subtle, is he? x3 Though Odd was the next one to speak. Odd you purple-wearing person.

I like the character development-ish Herb's getting. Not only is he ugly, he's a nasty sort of temper.

So it just instantly gets dark around dinner, ne? I guess that would be accurate, considering this ep takes place in November or December.

Eeeww. Am I the only one who finds it gross that Herb has his fantasy while Sissi's drinking from a straw? Am I the only one who finds it worse that we're seeing Herb's fantasies? Or that his fantasies are so...clean? Well, like I said, TV-Y7-FV. Or maybe that's all he can hope to get from a girl. Or maybe he's REALLY naïve and thinks that's all you can do with girls. <s>He obviously has never played Parcheesi</s> Uh, moving on.

Poor Theo. I think CL's love triangles are too convoluted for his straightforward desires. Herb, why would you even think Ulrich was *competing* with you? Though I do support Ulrich's reaching out to Theo. Despite his place as an ascended background character I've developed an affection for him.

Though it is his fault he suggested a sort of price for "joining Sissi's group". Herb you rotter. I've noticed Theo has the same Brynja-like trait of attracting people's attention, except unlike Brynja, he kind of deserves it. It's still strange though.

I wonder why Sissi doesn't interfere with this. Does she want to see him suffer? Does she not care? Does she want to see him work, which is totally different from suffering? Herb, I think Theo just burned you. Why didn't this kid get more character development?

Clearly Sissi wants to see him work. Or Theo just accepts it because it's Sissi.

how Odd is just randomly in Jeremie's room tickling Kiwi... And impossible? Nothing is impossible with Jeremie Belpois!

I also adore how the toilet paper is pink. PINK. I'm sure they saved it for just this occasion. "They've left their rooms"- implies that Herb and Nicolas don't share a room, and do board at Kadic.

THAT FACE. I hate it when Aelita makes that face, though the laugh was well placed.

Scary Jimbo! And Herb, isn't this a little ambitious of you? They don't kick kids out of school for boneheaded hazing, that's more like detention. Just like they give detention for attacking school personnel.

Let me reiterate. They are boneheads. One for not realizing that was Kiwi, and two for believing it was a ghost for that long. I will now take the time to say that I am enjoying this episode. It's fun to watch, unlike Laughing Fit, which is a bit of a chore.

Kiwi is cuter as a ghost, really. And is Theo really thick enough to think they're not helping him?

Oh, right, there's a XANA attack this episode! Or maybe just a forest panaround. Electricity looks baaaaaaaad. And XANA-fied smoke-like.

This view of the feet looks dangerous. Especially when Yumi's combat boots come onscreen. If not for Odd and Theo's invisibility...no, wait, no. He's clearly too thick to realize what she is at this point, and she doesn't deserve him anyway.

Yumi's desire to go with Jeremie is a little random. "It's a shame to let good deserts go to waste." I think by this point the production staff decided that Odd's food obsession was a stroke of brilliance and they told the writers to run with it.

"Odd, you're gonna explode if you keep this up." I concur. For Odd, retribution is going to be fast and obvious.

Splosion! I love how Odd's shirt stood on end. I kid you not.

So the first three digits of Jeremie's phone number are "297". Everyone, get on your phones and start dialing. I kid, I kid...

"Let's get out of here!" That's ill-advised, Odd. Though seeing him light up like a Christmas tree was kinda cool. This ep's imaginative. And Theo's still cool! Yay!

Aelita talked without moving her mouth! That's a talent.

Jean-Pierre Delmas appears to be stuck in about 1970 as of this point. A fountain pen? Really?

Tunnel. Tunnel tunnel. Sewers. Factory.

RUNNING! Clearly Jim is not okay! SuzannexJim lolololol. Lunchroom go static.

Have I mentioned how pimp Jeremie's chair is yet. I'm not kidding. That's the sexiest chair ever.

Everything about this episode seems funny for some reason. When the chair bounced off the window I just laughed...it's a lot less scary when you know it's gonna be okay.

Yumi go "YEAH".

And it appears that XANA is now starting to hyperfocus on killing the Gang rather than just causing mayhem. Maybe cause the RTTPs are making him smarter? Theo is amazing. Herb is not. Milly is crying. Tamiya is amazing.

"He can't gain access to the city through the school!" Love, he's done that a LOT. Though I can see, if not for chance, this attack likely would have been devastating. Or else serve as a good way for Aelita to grow her beard.

Scanner.

"The pulsations radiate in two directions." They do seem to do that a lot. Well, tension tension.

Everything's going splode now! I love the teamwork I'm seeing here. Theo's still pretty neat. Awkward sexual tackle~ One wonders what would have happened had their relationship stayed.

Yumi, you need to stop running. You're panting too hard. Too easy? Psh.

Herb's going nustoface! Sissi is...strangely cooperative with this young boy's fantasies. He gets to hold her hand. This must be the best moment of his young life.

Forest tunnels? Do these ever show up again?

KRABES!

I have a feeling XANA was putting a lot into this attack. Confusing terrain and everything.

Yay for Aelita totally disregarding Jeremie and acting of her own volition to her strengths! Hopefully this means her character's developing a little more. Wait, did she just float up to that? The repeated "I have faith in you" is a bit like a love confession, which is adorable. And...inb4, is this just one of her clones?

No. But, wait, why was she just standing there if not for Yumi to save her? Geez.

Thankfully things are fine from he-
...
Awkward sexual tackle...? (Jeremie, stop smiling.)

Poor Jean-Pierre. His only daughter, stuck in this mess...

Aah, another Krabe. This Lyoko stuff's a little lackluster.

All this focus on Theo makes me wonder what they planned to do with him...

So Krabes have 40 live points, do they? Or only as many points at the plot requires? RUN, AELITA! Okay, nothing to worry about anymore. Nail biter minute, still, as the roof caves in...and the tower is deactivated. Good show, chaps.

And all that neat character development is erased as we're back at the soccer game and Herb's still a jerk. Ulrich's still impressive. Odd's "GOOAAALLLL!" made me :3.

Uh, random Theo? Why's he suddenly switched to Yumi? For lulz? Or is he so love-starved that he'll take the first thing he sees? Cause Yumi was gone the first time...anyway, it's just another way he echoes William.

And that's it.

PROS:
- Highly imaginative episode, pulled off mostly well
- Great character development
- Fun atmosphere, enjoyable
- All of the above are rare and wonderful traits in Season 1
- Theo is , if a little flat at times

CONS:
- Lackluster Lyoko
- Theo never came back
- Not entirely threatening XANA attack

All in all, I had fun with it! I'd definitely recommend it for a rewatch; even now it might make you laugh a little.
CONS: