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 Stretch
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[series:4911#628] | ||||||
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(Three episodes watched): Episode one sets up the premise: Monica is a first-class witch with a disability that is both painful and laughable. We are told that in worst-case scenarios she may vomit or faint in the presence of strangers (though I have a feeling that that will never happen). She doesn't find herself in such a situation in episode one, so it wasn't clear how seriously to take this problem. She'll be pretending to be a servant of Lady Isabelle Norton, a high-ranking young noblewoman, (maybe daughter of the King himself?) who knows who she really is and promises to treat her in a very realistic (i.e, unpleasant) manner. Her job, of course, will be to protect Prince Felix; why he needs such an extraordinary bodyguard isn't made clear. There's a fairly lengthy bit about how a magical brooch which was made to help keep track of the Prince malfunctioned; this must have been included for some reason. This scheme might just work because for all her fame Monica has always avoided attention as much as possible and most people have no idea what she looks like (and she's only 16). She'll be accompanied by her cat familiar. Episode one left me feeling undecided about this show; it wasn't clear how seriously I was supposed to take Monica's social anxiety, and it is about the only personality she has so far. The scheme to insert her into the Serendia Academy might be fun or it might not. As I often say, in order to be a success the first episode of a new series has got to leave me with some questions that I want answers to, and in this case I can't really think of any. But I suppose it was good enough to be worth watching episode two. In episode two Monica settles in at the academy and meets some people, including the Prince. I got the impression that her anxiety was so severe that she is totally unfit to even be a student, much less an undercover agent. But at least it is being treated more seriously than most shows, from which you would think that any psychological problem can be shaken off overnight if one just concentrates on doing so. There's something funny going on regarding the Prince, causing his aid to be highly suspicious of anyone who tries to get near him. But I couldn't help feeling things seemed kind of frustratingly vague. In episode three Monica investigates an attempt on the Prince's life and identifies the culprit, but surely this person is just a minor flunky rather than whoever is at the heart of the conspiracy. I found that I was having a hard time keeping focused on just what is happening here; again, I find it hard to believe that someone as handicapped as Monica could possibly have accomplished as much as she supposedly has in the field of magic. And it doesn't exactly make her an interesting character. Perhaps she's good enough at magic that I don't feel a need to feel sorry for her, but she's also so anxious that I don't consider her a dynamiic, intriguing character either. Last updated Wednesday, July 30 2025. Created Friday, July 11 2025. | ||||||||
