Jasmine reacts to being talked to like a child about how you’d expect. Also pretty much all her expressions are gold in this.

“You think I don’t know anything, huh?”

In all fairness, her anger? Justified. Her reaction overall – a bit heightened. Not quite as immature as Aladdin’s statement, but this is going to spur her into a reckless need to prove she can do things she’s never tried to do before and screw the crash courses. 

And that goes over like a lead balloon.

This was actually, in terms of airing order, one of the earliest Jasmine-centric episodes, being the fourth episode ever aired, and it shows in these interactions in some ways. Even if this episode was written much later, or slated to take place much later, there are things, like Jasmine’s attitude here, that suggest a younger, more untested Jasmine.

In terms of actual production code order, this comes a little after “Forget Me Lots,” so try to imagine her reaction here tied with the fact that she was a street rat. She was the queen of scoundrels for a day or two. She just needs to tap back into that part of herself and then that’ll show Aladdin, right?

Riiiiight?

Aladdin is kind of a cool guy for 5 seconds and this fills me with conflict.

So a panicked rat jumps on ReaverWazu’s nose and there’s lots of hysteria to show how not manly he is and then in an act to SHOW you he’s just not up to snuff he pulls the tiniest knife ever and tries to kill it.

SYYYYMBOLISM!

And Aladdin steps in because that shit’s not cool. (Also the rat probably still would have won.)

He helps the rat leave the palace and is very gentle and awesome about it and good job, Aladdin. Meanwhile, Wazu continues mugging for the camera.

You can’t tell me this shot wasn’t intentional. LOOK AT HOW MASCULINE ALADDIN IS COMPARED TO THIS GUY. HE IS CLEARLY THE PROPER CHOICE.

Jasmine asks why he saved that “filthy thing” and Aladdin says he has a lot in common with it. THIS IS REALLY GOOD SO FAR. But then when Jasmine doesn’t seem to get it, THAT IS WHEN ALADDIN STARTS TO FAIL.

Aladdin has an opportunity, here, to explain to Jasmine how people tended to look at him before getting to know him, the assumptions people make, and then maybe explain that rats tend to be more scared of people than people are of them, and they’re actually pretty clean compared to most people. INSTEEEAD

“Jasmine, you’re a PRINCESS. WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY KNOW ABOUT RATS, OR ME. OR ANYTHING [dramatic I swear I’m not a douchenozzle swirl]” and I’m paraphrasing but look at him. Don’t you just want to punch him in the face?

It’s not even that he doesn’t have the same point he could have raised in the hypothetical I offered. It’s that he talks down to her. In the worst way possible. And oh my God, Aladdin, you cause every terrible thing that happens in your relationship.

Oh my God, Reaver, what are you doing in Aladdin?

image

So you might remember that I mentioned that the early part of the series featured suitors continuing to show up at the palace, either because they didn’t get the memo or thought it was a joke. Here we have one such specimen, Prince Wazu. In previous episodes that I have yet to cover, the other suitors will include Prince Uncouthma, a kind enough specimen who just didn’t realize Jasmine wasn’t seeing suitors anymore, and then another in “My Fair Aladdin” – who is the only one that ever intimidated Aladdin. Because Jasmine found him charming. Uncouthma was nice, and if I remember correctly Jasmine entertained the notion of visiting with him because Aladdin did something to tick her off.

In this case?

image

Yeah, his attentions are completely unwanted and unwelcome. We already know I have problems with this plotline, but let’s discuss in depth why this differs from the Ayam Aghoul situation and why I still think there’s an imbalance in how these types of characters are handled.

First, I’ve mentioned that Ayam Aghoul’s intro episode smelled of uncomfortable levels of threatened sexual assault and the attempt to make him seem more harmless by making him cartoony only made him all the more unsettling. We also have shades of this in one or two Mozenrath episodes which makes my stomach turn. In general, when this happens to Jasmine – and I mean specifically unwanted advances from villains, we have some very specific characteristics:

1. Jasmine’s consent is secondary to Aladdin’s feelings in the situation; it is viewed as a slight against him first and an attack on her person second.
2. The men doing it are rarely, if ever, portrayed as conventionally attractive and are made as non-threatening as possible.
3. It’s used often purely as a vehicle to push Aladdin into fighting back harder.

Prince Wazu’s behavior is a little unusual, in that Aladdin’s presence and dislike of the man kind of takes a back seat to the plot. Sure, he and the other men in the show are the ones that have to deal with him, but Jasmine’s feelings and her reactions take front and center in this opening scene.

image

Wazu takes the “non-threatening” category to another extreme. He’s not portrayed as conventionally attractive because his features are highly exaggerated but still echo features actually common in stereotypes of English (or Anglophile) rich men. How is he made less threatening? In some ways, in the same manner Jafar, Scar, Ratliffe, and several other male Disney villains are made less threatening: by giving frail and even subtly effeminate features, ie “gay” coding, and this in itself is problematic. It’s made absolutely clear that Jasmine will never go for this person because he’s too fragile and too foppish, and it’s just a matter of waiting for him to give up and leave when he realizes he annoys literally everyone.

Now juxtapose this with female villains that chase Aladdin: Conventionally attractive (and almost always with an underlying question of whether he could be convinced to cheat on Jasmine), and also quite dangerous (and in the case of Saleen, something of a straw feminist). The only time Jasmine is induced to act against one of these villains, it is not to save her boyfriend from sexual assault but to stop her boyfriend from assuming he’s been dumped and going with the villain on the rebound. It’s to stop him from leaving her.

Wazu is a good exaggeration of the problem that I have with how the “predatory” villains tend to be – the ones pursuing either Aladdin or Jasmine specifically. It’s problematic.

Just out of curiosity, what are your favorite and least favorite episodes for each of the recurring villains?

chaos-jacki:

dvdfairy:

chaos-jacki:

dvdfairy:

Ooh yay!

Let’s see. For Abis Mal, my favorite episode for him is tied with “Some Enchanted Genie” and “The Flawed Couple” because oh my God he and Mechanicles are comedy gold when they’re forced to work with each other.

For Mechanicles, probably also “The Flawed Couple,” though “I Never Mechanism I Didn’t Like” holds a special place in my heart because it was the first Mechanicles episode I ever saw.

For Mirage — very tough decision. My favorite episode for her is probably “The Lost Ones” because I LOVE her redesign in it, but “Eye of the Beholder” just gives us so many awesome layers and “When Chaos Comes Calling” is brill. Least favorite is probably “While the City Snoozes.” I always got bored and tuned out as a kid.

Sadira’s “Sandswitch” for all the problems I have with it is probably my favorite. My least favorite is actually her first episode because that monster’s voice makes me want to eat legos so that the crunching noises will drown out all other sound.

For Mozenrath, “The Secret of Dagger Rock” will forever hold a special place in my heart, but for the longest time my favorite episode of his was “The Lost City of the Sun” — despite my already saying it sports some of the worst animation in the series. My least favorite is “Black Sand.” I have no idea why Jonathan Brandis was not available to record for that episode, and goshdarnit, Jeff Bennett does his best, I’m sure, but Mozenrath gives me secondhand embarrassment in that episode so bad because the voice work is so terrible and borderline out of character for him. I’m not looking forward to reviewing it. I hate it that much.

For the other recurring characters (and I may miss a few):
-Ayam Aghoul — I can’t give you a favorite episode because I hate his intro and I have never been willing to sit through any of his other episodes. As soon as I became sure it was him, I would change the channel.
-Saleen only has two episodes and Jasmine isn’t in the second one, so I like the second one less.
-As silly as his first episode is, I don’t find Nefir and the Imps nearly as entertaining as I find them in “Never Say Nefir,” so that one’s gold and the rest suck. (And it is SUCH a silly episode but something about Samir the Destroyer bouncing up and going “Hi! :D” at Genie gets me every time.)
-All of the episodes with the Al Muddi bore me, but I guess the first one is marginally better than the second.
-I have never actually managed to sit through Malcho’s second episode from beginning to end, so I can’t rate those.
-Amin Damoola’s best episode is obviously the one with Mozenrath in it, “Vocal Hero.” This is just a little unfair on my part because I only managed to sit through maybe one of his episodes from beginning to end other than that one — the one with the cute monster that gives you what you want when you scare it. “To Cure a Thief” also apparently has a great parallel with the “One Jump Ahead” sequence from the movie, where “loaf of bread” is replaced with “enormous diamond.”
-For Aziz, I don’t have a least favorite episode. “Seems Like Old Crimes” is fabulous, and his second (technically third) appearance gives us some much needed CR built for Aladdin and Razoul, so he really can’t lose.

I have to agree with you on some of your choices for fave episodes. And I don’t mean to sound nitpicky, but there’s something I need to point out:

Amin Damoola’s parallel scene to ‘One Jump Ahead’ was NOT in “To Cure a Thief”. It was actually in the opening scene of “Sneeze the Day”.

Thank you for the clarification! Like I said there are certain sets of episodes I didn’t really tune in for, and his episodes are definitely among them.

Actually, Amin only appeared in that one scene, as “Sneeze the Day” was a Genie-centric episode. It was the one where he caught a cold, and it was making his magic go haywire.

Good to know! I can remember changing the channel because Amin was in the beginning (and it’s odd for them to include a regular villain for only the first 5 mins and then not mention them again so I had no reason to think as a kid that he wouldn’t be back). I look forward to watching it in full, then!

Just out of curiosity, what are your favorite and least favorite episodes for each of the recurring villains?

chaos-jacki:

dvdfairy:

Ooh yay!

Let’s see. For Abis Mal, my favorite episode for him is tied with “Some Enchanted Genie” and “The Flawed Couple” because oh my God he and Mechanicles are comedy gold when they’re forced to work with each other.

For Mechanicles, probably also “The Flawed Couple,” though “I Never Mechanism I Didn’t Like” holds a special place in my heart because it was the first Mechanicles episode I ever saw.

For Mirage — very tough decision. My favorite episode for her is probably “The Lost Ones” because I LOVE her redesign in it, but “Eye of the Beholder” just gives us so many awesome layers and “When Chaos Comes Calling” is brill. Least favorite is probably “While the City Snoozes.” I always got bored and tuned out as a kid.

Sadira’s “Sandswitch” for all the problems I have with it is probably my favorite. My least favorite is actually her first episode because that monster’s voice makes me want to eat legos so that the crunching noises will drown out all other sound.

For Mozenrath, “The Secret of Dagger Rock” will forever hold a special place in my heart, but for the longest time my favorite episode of his was “The Lost City of the Sun” — despite my already saying it sports some of the worst animation in the series. My least favorite is “Black Sand.” I have no idea why Jonathan Brandis was not available to record for that episode, and goshdarnit, Jeff Bennett does his best, I’m sure, but Mozenrath gives me secondhand embarrassment in that episode so bad because the voice work is so terrible and borderline out of character for him. I’m not looking forward to reviewing it. I hate it that much.

For the other recurring characters (and I may miss a few):
-Ayam Aghoul — I can’t give you a favorite episode because I hate his intro and I have never been willing to sit through any of his other episodes. As soon as I became sure it was him, I would change the channel.
-Saleen only has two episodes and Jasmine isn’t in the second one, so I like the second one less.
-As silly as his first episode is, I don’t find Nefir and the Imps nearly as entertaining as I find them in “Never Say Nefir,” so that one’s gold and the rest suck. (And it is SUCH a silly episode but something about Samir the Destroyer bouncing up and going “Hi! :D” at Genie gets me every time.)
-All of the episodes with the Al Muddi bore me, but I guess the first one is marginally better than the second.
-I have never actually managed to sit through Malcho’s second episode from beginning to end, so I can’t rate those.
-Amin Damoola’s best episode is obviously the one with Mozenrath in it, “Vocal Hero.” This is just a little unfair on my part because I only managed to sit through maybe one of his episodes from beginning to end other than that one — the one with the cute monster that gives you what you want when you scare it. “To Cure a Thief” also apparently has a great parallel with the “One Jump Ahead” sequence from the movie, where “loaf of bread” is replaced with “enormous diamond.”
-For Aziz, I don’t have a least favorite episode. “Seems Like Old Crimes” is fabulous, and his second (technically third) appearance gives us some much needed CR built for Aladdin and Razoul, so he really can’t lose.

I have to agree with you on some of your choices for fave episodes. And I don’t mean to sound nitpicky, but there’s something I need to point out:

Amin Damoola’s parallel scene to ‘One Jump Ahead’ was NOT in “To Cure a Thief”. It was actually in the opening scene of “Sneeze the Day”.

Thank you for the clarification! Like I said there are certain sets of episodes I didn’t really tune in for, and his episodes are definitely among them.

OMG I CAN’T BELIEVE I FOUND SOMEONE WHO TALKS ABOUT ALADDIN TV SERIES!!! <3<3<3<3 I loved all your posts!!! If you want to argue anything about it please tell me!!^_^Please keep on your great job!!!

I’m always up for a debate. It’s been so much fun to do this and I’ve really learned so much about all the characters just by doing it.

Additional thoughts on “Sandswitch” and how it could have gone

If the focus had been more on Sadira’s desire to be a Princess, thinking that being that and having Aladdin would solve her problems, what would have been awesome? Is if she got all the drawbacks to being a Princess that JASMINE was dealing with before she got more freedom. Because she had to fight for that and Sadira has not.

So she wants to go on a date with Aladdin out in the Marketplace? Tough luck, the Marketplace is no place for a princess.

Oh, you think Jasmine’s a witch? Sadira, I know it’s late and you’re a little startled, but there’s no way you could possibly know that. Besides, Razoul recognizes this girl from the marketplace. They chase her on a regular basis and she never used magic before. Why don’t you go on to bed and stop worrying your pretty little head over it?

Princess Sadira, you want to feed Rajah? Don’t be silly, that’s servant’s work!

Sadira, your lessons.

Sadira, your portrait.

No, you can’t do that by yourself. You’re a princess.

…You get the drift. She could have learned a lesson through this and maybe could have come to understand Jasmine a little better if she realized that being a Princess doesn’t make you a big shot or solve all your problems. She’d be seen as less capable, too fragile, and would have almost no say in the things happening to her. This is what Jasmine had to deal with before Aladdin came along, and sometimes even after.

I’m not saying “oh, the homeless person will learn that being rich and privileged is so much worse” because wealth means shit if you have no actual agency. She’s a damn sight more free on the streets than she would be in the palace, I’ll tell you that much.

Just out of curiosity, what are your favorite and least favorite episodes for each of the recurring villains?

Ooh yay!

Let’s see. For Abis Mal, my favorite episode for him is tied with “Some Enchanted Genie” and “The Flawed Couple” because oh my God he and Mechanicles are comedy gold when they’re forced to work with each other.

For Mechanicles, probably also “The Flawed Couple,” though “I Never Mechanism I Didn’t Like” holds a special place in my heart because it was the first Mechanicles episode I ever saw.

For Mirage – very tough decision. My favorite episode for her is probably “The Lost Ones” because I LOVE her redesign in it, but “Eye of the Beholder” just gives us so many awesome layers and “When Chaos Comes Calling” is brill. Least favorite is probably “While the City Snoozes.” I always got bored and tuned out as a kid.

Sadira’s “Sandswitch” for all the problems I have with it is probably my favorite. My least favorite is actually her first episode because that monster’s voice makes me want to eat legos so that the crunching noises will drown out all other sound.

For Mozenrath, “The Secret of Dagger Rock” will forever hold a special place in my heart, but for the longest time my favorite episode of his was “The Lost City of the Sun” – despite my already saying it sports some of the worst animation in the series. My least favorite is “Black Sand.” I have no idea why Jonathan Brandis was not available to record for that episode, and goshdarnit, Jeff Bennett does his best, I’m sure, but Mozenrath gives me secondhand embarrassment in that episode so bad because the voice work is so terrible and borderline out of character for him. I’m not looking forward to reviewing it. I hate it that much.

For the other recurring characters (and I may miss a few):
-Ayam Aghoul – I can’t give you a favorite episode because I hate his intro and I have never been willing to sit through any of his other episodes. As soon as I became sure it was him, I would change the channel.
-Saleen only has two episodes and Jasmine isn’t in the second one, so I like the second one less.
-As silly as his first episode is, I don’t find Nefir and the Imps nearly as entertaining as I find them in “Never Say Nefir,” so that one’s gold and the rest suck. (And it is SUCH a silly episode but something about Samir the Destroyer bouncing up and going “Hi! :D” at Genie gets me every time.)
-All of the episodes with the Al Muddi bore me, but I guess the first one is marginally better than the second.
-I have never actually managed to sit through Malcho’s second episode from beginning to end, so I can’t rate those.
-Amin Damoola’s best episode is obviously the one with Mozenrath in it, “Vocal Hero.” This is just a little unfair on my part because I only managed to sit through maybe one of his episodes from beginning to end other than that one – the one with the cute monster that gives you what you want when you scare it. “To Cure a Thief” also apparently has a great parallel with the “One Jump Ahead” sequence from the movie, where “loaf of bread” is replaced with “enormous diamond.”
-For Aziz, I don’t have a least favorite episode. “Seems Like Old Crimes” is fabulous, and his second (technically third) appearance gives us some much needed CR built for Aladdin and Razoul, so he really can’t lose.