T.K.O. Rules
With how beneficial the powers of T.K.O. have proven to be in the finales of both Seasons 1 and 2 and how K.O. has easily been able to utilize them, one would think all is good with him. You probably couldn’t even blame K.O. for thinking all is good with him too. However, as there is more to tell of this series, it’s fitting to get cartoons like this to show there is more to tell with dealing with negative emotions. At the same time, it’s a very strong showing of different tones, which make the experience feel better-rounded.
It starts off perfectly innocent with K.O. coming home and going through his after school routine, showing great respect for his mother, Carol’s, rules all throughout. It’s cute stuff, and it even allows K.O. at a new level at life skills as Carol decides that he’s ready to stay home alone while she’s out. This is relatable enough to people eager to grow up, and it gets even more so when K.O. is all alone to contemplate on a few things. The biggest one shown is how he wishes his after school snack could consist of more cookies instead of just one. He’s able to resist the temptation and figures out another way to make the most of his time home alone.
This is where his trust for T.K.O. is at the forefront as through a little meditation, he visits him in the house he made for him in his mind. As was previously mentioned, it makes sense that K.O. would see T.K.O. as a friend now after how compatible they’ve proven to be. That said, the story makes a point that T.K.O. is still an amalgam of K.O.’s negative emotions, and he lets them be known. He elaborates on K.O.’s slight disdain for his mom’s rules, saying that they should be allowed to more freedoms, in one case more cookies, now that they’re a higher leveled hero. Although K.O. has solid counterarguments, it doesn’t change T.K.O. still having a point. Nevertheless, K.O. trusts T.K.O. enough to take full control of their body while he hangs out in the mind.
It’s here where the extent of T.K.O.’s negativity not shown for a while makes itself known. He goes completely berserk making a mess of the house for the fun of it, relentlessly condemning all of Carol’s rules and making the domicile unhospitable. These moments are juxtaposed with how K.O. functions as he spends most of the time cleaning T.K.O.’s messy house. Just as T.K.O. gets really out of line, using equipment from a construction site to mess up the house, K.O. sees this on a TV viewing the physical world, and calls T.K.O. back. There’s a tense confrontation confirming that T.K.O.’s dark destructive ways are still intact as he attacks K.O. before the fighting is settled and K.O. goes back to deal with the mess. He cleans it up before Carol gets home, and even gets to share his true feelings about her rules, at least the one-cookie rule. Carol is understanding and commends her son for being honest, suggesting all is well.
However, the sweetness is followed by major
ambiance. Because of this one incident,
K.O. calls T.K.O. into an elevator that takes him down to his subconscious to
put T.K.O. back where he came from. It
seems that as a hero, K.O. is doing everything he can to make sure no negative
emotions run his life. However since they’re a natural part of everyone, one can assume
something bad will come of this, and since T.K.O.’s negativity had some point,
you feel how betrayed he is. Really any human being would naturally feel betrayed when being punished so harshly after one bad action, especially when everything works out. This is
just a big way this cartoon effectively mixes the innocent with the heavy,
astounding with its personifications of how life can be perceived.
A+
Season 2
Rankings
1. Your World is an Illusion
2. T.K.O.’s House
3. Final Exams
4. CarolQuest
5. All in the Villainy
6. Dark Plaza
7. GarQuest
8. Dendy’s Power
9. Crossover Nexus
10. Lord Cowboy Darrell
11. Bittersweet Rivals
12. Beach Episode
13. Red Action to the Future
14. My Fair Carol
15. K.O.’s Health Week
16. Are You Ready for Some Megafootball?!
17. Boxman Crashes
18. Wisdom Strength and Charisma
19. Gar Trains Punching Judy
20. I Am Jethro
21. Mystery Sleepover
22. Super Black Friday
23. Point to the Plaza
24. Project Ray Way
25. Special Delivery
26. Seasons Change
27. The So-Bad-Ical
28. Monster Party
29. Sidekick Scouts
30. Whacky Jaxxyz
31. Rad’s Alien Sickness
32. Plaza Film Festival
33. OK A.U.! Alternate Universe
34. Let’s Watch the Boxmore Show
35. Be a Team
36. Plaza Alone
37. Soda Genie
Season 3
Ranking
1. T.K.O. Rules
2. We Are Heroes
3. K.O., Rad, and Enid!
At one point there's a drawing of TKO being surrounded by darkness, crying and saying "I can't stop!" This proves that he feels awful about what he does, but since he's TKO's Shadow in Jungian Psychology (aka the repressed, therefore unknown, aspects of the personality including those often considered to be negative), he literally can't help.
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