Carmen Sandiego (Netflix)

[Steve]

So yet another Netflix reboot of a beloved part of our childhoods.


youtu.be/shbiwCCMDHQ

Having watched it... I thought it was pretty good. They meld the various incarnations (games, the 90s animated show) into a decent new version. Since this is blatantly an origin story, aging Carmen down works for it.

Also, unlike the 90s show, it doesn't have that dumb fourth-wall breaking mechanic and the characters really just being in a computer game. I can tolerate the edutainment bits with facts about various locales or historical items being worked in, since they usually find ways to integrate it into the story in some way.

[Worffan101]

Huh, that seems pretty neat! Something I can send my younger cousins, anyway.

[Yukaphile]

More reboots? Sigh... the generation of nostalgia is having their nostalgia raped and pissed on for the sake of corporate greed...

[Admiral X]

Can't say it looks too appealing to me. As far as reboots go, they literally turned an antagonist into a protagonist. She was never in any sense a good person, and the idea that she steals only from other thief is just baffling. Also just the overall tone. I liked it better as a game show where larger than life thieves stole larger than life items, like entire landmarks.

[MissKittyFantastico]

Me and Carmen go way back - Where In The World on the school Apple IIs, later on Where In Time at home (I think that was on a 286). I never really followed any of the shows, but I loved those early games.

The show seems pretty solid. I'm not stuck to it like She-Ra - I mean, I can watch an episode and then not automatically hit 'next' right away - but it's fun, I like the Kim Possible balance of real stakes and whimsy, and the infodumps are a fun callback to the whole thing's edutainment roots (and honestly I didn't know a thing about Vermeer a couple of days ago, so it's not like they're not doing their job as well).

[Yukaphile]

I always loved Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego? As if she's the Doctor, lol.

[Steve]

Can't say it looks too appealing to me. As far as reboots go, they literally turned an antagonist into a protagonist. She was never in any sense a good person, and the idea that she steals only from other thief is just baffling. Also just the overall tone. I liked it better as a game show where larger than life thieves stole larger than life items, like entire landmarks.

That part of the characterization is derived from the 90s animated show, where she would go out of her way to avoid causing harm to people, even rescuing her pursuers at points if they were in mortal danger.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

I liked the cartoon. Theme song was kinda damp though.

[SabreMau]

Perhaps if they made it as a Lupin style series. And also got Rockapella back:


youtu.be/s1EIUP8tvbE

[CharlesPhipps]

All superhero stories are going to be alternate continuities.

Gina does an amazing job as Carmen.

She's adorable throughout the series whether as an adult(ish) character or a kid.

I also love the random geography facts that are unrelated to the story but the result of its edutainment roots being parodied.

"You know Istanbul achieved it's independence in 1923 in a proxy war with Greece and Britain?"

"....what does that have to do with anything?"