2021 Was A Good Year In Spite of COVID-19
Jay’s List of Some of the Best Things to Happen in 2021
When 2020 finally came to an end, people had more reasons to celebrate than normal; after all, 2020 was the year from Hell. However, if people were expecting 2021 to be when things reached a state of normality, it didn’t. First there were the people storming the US Capitol, the struggle to get everyone vaccinated, and now even more COVID variants setting us back. It feels like we’ve barely made any progress.
Despite COVID-19 being a major pain, though, 2021 felt somewhat better than 2020; at least entertainment wise. Don’t believe me? Here’s a look back on 2021 through the eyes of this blog, which shows that there was a lot of good to come out of this year.
WandaVision Started Off a New Year of Marvel Content
After more than a year in exile thanks to COVID-19, the MCU returned with a vengeance with WandaVision. This fusion of Marvel with sitcoms spanning from the 1950s all the way up to the present day, combined with the overarching mystery, kept fans guessing from start to finish. It was one of the best ways I could’ve started 2021, even if it did drag at some points.
In addition, it also set us up for the eventual debut of the Young Avengers.
South ParQ Vaccination Special Gave us a Laugh When We Needed It
Last year, South Park gave us a very bleak look at the world, even for them, with their Pandemic Special. The fact that the show was outright begging its fans to vote Trump out of office was an indicator of how bad things had gotten. Thankfully, they rallied with the South ParQ Vaccination Special, giving us some genuine laughs when we needed them most.
Besides poking fun at Q-Anon and storming the Capitol Building, the Vaccination Special also saw Mr. Garrison return to South Park to be a teacher once more, which also meant that the woman who was meant to be temporary got killed off by COVID; no one in South Park cared, though, as the entire cast celebrated getting vaxxed to “Down by the Lazy River.” Sadly, it looked like the four boys broship was over, despite my optimism about their future. I was wrong…before being right again.
DuckTales! Reboot Series Finale
I fell in love with the 2017 reboot of DuckTales! from the moment I saw it. I watched every episode, enjoyed all the adventures and drama, and just ate it up. This is the gold standard that anyone rebooting a beloved cartoon should aspire to measure up to. So, you can guess that when the series finale came around, it was a big deal for me. I honestly hope that Disney keeps these versions of the cast around for future projects, as I absolutely adored them. And that ending to the finale was just the icing on the cake!
The Owl House, Season 2
If you’ve read my blog, then you know that I’m a big fan of The Owl House. Thus, seeing the show return for its second season was a major highlight of the year for me. Having established its setting and characters, The Owl House hit the ground running in its second season. The stakes got higher, plot threads building since the start got connected, and did I mention that Lumity broke the Internet? Because it did!
The one downside to all of this is the fact that Disney refused to give the show a fourth season. They’re not even giving it a full third season; just three hour long specials. That’s not a lot to work with, but fans have come out to show their support for the show on social media, so maybe Disney will change its mind.
Speaking of showing support…
Amphibia Season 2 Finale & Season 3
Just like The Owl House, I was hyped for the return of Amphibia as it got set for the second half of its second season. To my joy, the show managed to largely meet my expectations, or even exceed them. Then…came the moment where Disney screwed up. Thanks to their monumental incompetence, they delayed the season finale hours before its release, and then let it leak onto ITunes. If that doesn’t get someone fired, then I don’t know what will.
The one pro to this injustice is that fans and people working in the animation industry spoke out in solidarity with Matt Braly and his team. It was truly touching to see people come together to support the team behind Amphibia when they were wronged like this, and when the finale finally aired on TV, it was everything fans wanted, and more. Just look at this!
And then, we got the first half of season 3…
Amphibia, you are one of the best cartoons out there, and you deserve all the awards.
South Park: Post COVID Specials Continued the Story
Earlier this year, Matt Stone and Trey Parker made a deal with Paramount+ to make a boatload of specials for the streaming service. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, we got the first special…and it gave us a dystopian look into the future.
Seriously, you have no idea how confused and bummed out I was when I saw how awful South Park was 40 years in the future. Everyone except for Cartman got a bad future!
Thankfully, this dystopian future got erased in the follow up special, much to my joy.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
I don’t need to say anything about this. It was the absolute best way for Marvel to end the year of their triumphant return, and it gave us one of their best films ever.
All right, everyone! Happy New Year, and I hope that this is the year where we kick COVID-19 to the curb. Or at least render it no more harmful than the Flu.
Just hours after posting this, Betty White dies. What the heck?!?!?