This is a new series in which I am coming to terms with the over abundance of kids shows I paid far too much attention to whilst I was stuck at home with a baby. In this series I will rate the shows based entirely on my own opinion, therefore it is in no way an attack on the shows as I am a grown ass adult who is not within the general age demographic shows like these target. However, as a casual outside observer, I can both appreciate the hard work that goes into these shows in order to teach my child, as well as find the flaws that get missed and are hopefully improved upon by viewers like us on the outside who only really wanna see shows like this thrive. I chose paw patrol as a first episode, as it's my daughters favorite, as well as one of the shows that I am most torn about as I enjoy it quite a bit for her, but see many faults that could be improved.
Ah yes, Paw Patrol, a show I only knew about in a quickly passing craze as my youngest sibling was only within it's target age demographic for a short period before I moved out into the world of adulthood and started to miss all of the newer kids shows. Then one magical day, about a year after giving birth, my daughter was introduced to the show and it has now been a household staple for the last two years. My year two year long stint as a stay at home mom was well spent loving this show and also despising it to my very core, but mostly appreciating it for doing what it does best and for the most part rocking it.
Pros
While the animation is a little stilted at times, the art of this show is really well done. All of the character designs manage to remain unique and memorable without appearing over the top. I also appreciated the Jojo's reference when it popped up. For a show made to sell as many toys as possible, there's a lot of thought put into each character, and their mannerisms. I think the voice acting is really splendidly blended in with this as well.
I actually really enjoy the aspect of teamwork, especially the way it's utilized in this show. They really do a good job of giving each character enough personality to justify the toy they make, and when their skills are put to the test, the solutions are for the most part very logical and well executed.
The expansive cast really does fill out the city, despite it being a pretty small one. I am particularly impressed with the Turbot tribe and it's titular entanglement throughout the city. Seriously though, Cap'n Turbot, while mostly a marine biologist, hones many adventurous skills he uses to upkeep the lighthouse AND the museum, with the help of his French stereotype cousin. Not even to mention the whole, while a bit unnecessary still an exciting addition to the shows expansive lore, Dinosaur land guarded by the sister Turbot and her plucky kiddo, all of whom bare the iconic Turbot jaw. They're definitely my favorite part of the show, even Francois when he isn't being an incredible ass. It's just another example of how much thought and care is put into making each character unique and memorable.
Cons
Speaking of this shows expansive lore, while it's mostly a neat way to sell toys, I am actually unable to keep up with the expansions, plot-wise. I could understand the Dinosaurs, really, I mean Santa canonically exists so Dino's aren't that far off the table of plausibility, but when that mighty meteor smacked into Adventure Bay and opened up a whole can of inconsistencies, I was a bit flummoxed and honestly began to question this world more than necessary. I mean, a LOT of it's magical properties started to feel like quite the stretch for me. And because I haven't seen how the arc actually ends, but I know it eventually does, I was just utterly baffled that they move on to... Motorcycles? What a downgrade. I honestly wouldn't want anymore toys if I were a kid. How do you go from super powers, to bikes. C'mon.
And, speaking of these two arcs, they call out a very important aspect of the world that makes it feel overwhelmingly unfair. What is the actual logic behind who can and can not talk in this world? Much like the pluto/goofy conundrum, some animals can talk while others are just pets, specifically cats. Almost all of the main cats in the show are villains, as they're supposed to be evil counter parts to the paw patrol run by the evil rival mayor. Fine, decent joke. Poor cats, but some aren't evil. They're just... Pets. So fine, cats get to live as pets, not fully sentient beings with personal agency. I was fine accepting this as fact, until they actually call it out by allowing some cats to talk, but only when one has special powers (and is evil), and the other is just really good at motorcycling. Okay. I guess. It's at this point that my brain shuts off and I turn my attention to my phone. The show isn't for me, and for the most part it's a solid kids show.
Until Rider does something that makes me uncomfy. This boy. This... Child? No. This monster....
Okay, to preface this immense tirade I am about to embark upon, I want it to be well known far and wide that I am not one of those cynical bastards who glares disapprovingly at children's media, critiquing it and scowling at it as if it's secretly a dystopian reality to be feared... Normally. This show honestly broke me a bit though. I am generally the most optimistic a grown adult can reasonably be about a show for toddlers, because as an older sibling of 6 and a mom I have been watching toddler shows actually nonstop since I was a baby myself. So believe me when I say, I am incredibly concerned about Rider. Not enough to ban the show in my house, but enough that I have thought about it far more than necessary, and when my daughter is older I plan on using some of his more disturbing actions as lessons for things we don't do to our friends and especially our pets.
The favoritism
My boy. My good, radical dude. Poor, sweet, under appreciated Zuma. Rider, my man, why the hate?! As the single most, and bafflingly so, underutilized member of the paw patrol, Zuma suffers the most from the Chase hogs the case issue. I get Rider wants Chase to be the undisputed "Leader" of the team (despite it clearly being Rider himself, and Chase actually struggles mentally with this) However, for what actual purpose is there to literally demote my boy Zuma on his own damn turf, simply so Rider can force Chase into a rescue? Zuma leads NOTHING! They live in a bay, and not even the strikingly few instances of Sea patrol feature Zuma as the lead dog. I've seen Rider force Chase to play life guard, AND has built him his own sub, just so he can side bar poor Zuma again and again. He's even been snubbed by Marshal, the walking disaster. The first time I noticed this, I Googled "Why does Rider..." and the first result was "hate Zuma" š I'm not alone here. It is tangible.
The emotional (and sometimes physical) abuse
Rider is very controlling. At first I appreciated the encouragement he gives his dogs to try their best, and the constant approval he provides at the end of every episode felt like a nice touch. Now, however, I feel uneasy whenever he says "You're all good pups." It's not by choice. The idea of the paw patrol being Adventure Bays task force against crime, disaster and misfortune isn't inherently bad at all. Dogs in our world work all the time, and they're incredibly important and well appreciated by society. However, Rider deploys the pups for quite a bit more than this.
Every beck and whim of crazy Mayor Goodway and her ridiculous chicken antics and buck-wild feud with Humdinger. Every time farmer Al and Yumi fail to properly upkeep their own farm. Every time Mr. Porter neglects his grandson or runs out of ingredients. Every time Daring Danny nearly gets himself killed. Every time Cap'n Turbot ventures too far into the unknown for the sake of scientific discovery. Every. Little. Thing. And, okay, this is a kids show. Shows of this episodic nature gotta have those silly B plots or one off adventures to fill air time and maybe spark a toy set. But these are supposed to be emergency service animals. And while I get small towns can be sleepy and maybe Rider is out there justifying the horrifying budget he cons from the government, but the manner in which he calls every single one of his pups to drop what they're doing (usually playing) run to the tower, fully suited and lined up, just to be told Chickaletta has been misplaced again and we need Spy-Chase for unnecessary gadget use and Sky to carry the mission in the background with Rider front and center to bark orders while the other pups just watch... It starts to really feel like Rider is just gleefully playing super hero and likes that he has a devoted team of loyal animals who will drop everything they hold dear to keep him pleased. Again, I know it's a kids show, so I can find this a forgivable blunder to be easily blamed by episodic formula.
Less justifiable, however is the manner in which he will sometimes use his dogs. Specifically Chase and Sky. I would consider these two the most devoted and loyal to the team and specifically Rider. Take poor Sky, for instance, who is the only dog who ever takes to the sky, despite Rider having provided the other dogs, especially Chase, with flying gear on numerous occasions. He's got no problem sending Chase under water with Zuma's shit, but tossing him up to deal with the one thing that consistently terrifies Sky to the point of affecting her performance, Eagles, is just too much apparently. She's had multiple episodes where she is faced with one of those damn birds, and is filled with unease every single time and Rider does nothing but force her to deal with it. With how much Rider misuses Chase, you'd think he'd have figured out that it'd be better to send him at least up there with her. Alas, Rider keeps him grounded and close by, and for what? Whatever the fuck Rider wants. That's what. To my utter horror one day, that included using Chase to prove a terrifying point. Chase is allergic to cats (go figure) and the Kitty Catastrophe crew was up to no good. Rider figured this out, but instead of openly informing everyone that it was the cats causing mischief, he decided to abuse his dog. He shoves a piece of cloth or something that was touched by a cat into Chases face which caused him to sneeze as it was loaded with cat allergens. I don't think I need to say anymore about that one, other than bad move writers. Don't do that shit.
These dogs will do anything for Rider all for that sweet reward of praise and maybe food. Like that time Zuma stayed back at the tower while Rider took the whole team to the circus mission even though the only one who really wanted to go was Zuma himself. Like every time Rocky will force himself into water if Rider demands it despite having a terrible aversion to it. Like when Ruble is about to eat something and he has to leave it behind to report to the tower, even when he isn't even going to be utilized. Like the fact that Marshal, known accident prone klutz, feels the need to interrupt what ever dangerous maneuver he was doing to bust into the tower as quickly as possible and smack into the other dogs in the process. Rider is very reliant on their quirks to drive them into striving to be better, but will only ever praise them when they've done something for him first.
The Movie
I liked this movie. I thought it did a good job of keeping what works for paw patrol, while adding a new environment and animation budget. But dang all mighty, Rider. Holy shit. They turn him up to ten on the edge (as edge as a Canadian dog lover can be lol). For the first time ever they let him express his grievances with Humdingers bullshit (if you had a real police force you could have locked him up years before just saying...) and it's honestly hilarious. But dark. Really dark. Like, there was calling him the worst mayor ever, which was valid, but intentionally popping into his new city to prove he disagreed with his politics by vigilantism... Boy oh boy, that's something else. And yeah, it was necessary in the end, but why for the first time ever does he suddenly care about another city's affairs? Because fuck Humdinger. LOL. Then there was the excessively dangerous dropping of Humdinger and his cats down the elevator shaft rather than attempting to use any stairs. Which was one thing, but the fact he most certainly enjoyed it despite pretending otherwise. I cracked. That was the kind of sadistic nature that left me rolling after that movie. But when my daughter is a bit older, there will be a definite lesson out of that one.
All in all I actually really like this show. Clearly, otherwise why else would I know this much? While there are many many aspects of it I would change if I were suddenly given the mantle of writing, there are parts I wouldn't change for the world because they work so well. It brings me a lot of Joy that my daughter loves this show so much. I love tossing my money into the corporate fire so she can smile and thank me for a new toy or coloring book (thank you dollar store). I think it's important to remember that what matters most about shows like paw patrol are the kids who watch it. They learn important lessons while also retain enjoyment. As a parent, that's all I really ask for.
tl;dr- Long winded explanation that I think this show is a solid 7/10 and could use a little less Rider. Thank you ā¤ļø
š¶šš·š®ā»ļøšāļø
Picture Credits go to the Paw Patrol wiki, as well as Paramount+
Paw Patrol and it's characters are properties of Spin Master