Why The Internet Is Ripping The Powerpuff Girls Reboot To Shreds
A pilot script for the CW's upcoming "The Powerpuff Girls" reboot has been leaked, though it has not been confirmed as authentic. Whether the script is real or not, one thing is for sure: It is not good.
Fans of the original Cartoon Network show had their doubts about this "gritty" reimagining. "The Powerpuff Girls" worked so well because the heroes were little girls fighting crime. Seeing Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup as jaded twenty-somethings trying to navigate their superpowered lives was never necessary.
While the CW is still committed to seeing the girls' grownup lives, it has taken some of the criticism in stride, and has decided to rework the show's already-filmed pilot. The creative team and original cast — including leads Chloe Bennet, Yana Perrault, Dove Cameron, and Donald Faison – remain attached to the project, but Variety has reported that the network will shoot a new pilot. If the leaked script is any indication, an overhaul of the series will be a very welcome change.
Twitter user @fawfulator has shared snippets of the script, which is full of ham-fisted references and buzzwords, clearly a desperate attempt to convey that Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup are not the same pint-sized heroes we once knew. Now, they have sex, talk politics, and live life by their own rules, yet the dialogue feels woefully inauthentic, and Twitter seems to agree.
The leaked script is very cringey
Name-dropping social media networks, using words like "triggering" and "bi-curious," and referencing hearing your roommate having sex do not inherently make a script authentic to the lives of young adults. As @Fertix431 says, "I am just *in awe* at how bad that live action Powerpuff girls script leak is. I've looped from appalled to impressed. I don't think I could write that poorly *on purpose.* I cannot for the life of me understand who it's even supposed to be appealing to, it's universally awful."
@ticktacktackle is one of the many upset over the butchering of the beloved original characters, saying, "I read these in their cartoon voices and I am now physically ill." @roboticyuki says, "This script is a equivalent of a very bad fanfic straight from Wattpad."
"There's no way this is real. It looks like someone put a list of trendy s*** into a bot and the latter makes a nonsensical script," says @OmUy456. @railren is equally as appalled, calling the script "One of the most vile things I've ever read...it's honestly f***ing awful." This kind of sustained, consistent opinion is hard to find on social media, whether it's positive or negative. We doubt The CW had this sort of rejection in mind when they penned this script, and even if it turns out to be a fake, there's clearly a dedicated "Powerpuff Girls" community that wants to see their characters treated properly.
Writers can't believe how bad the script is
Many users have found the bright side of the terrible script: It's a reminder that they are actually good writers. @crazylemur responded to the original tweet sharing the script, saying, "I just want to thank you for showing these. It has greatly boosted my confidence as a writer in that I couldn't write something this cringe and bad even if I tried. Truly liberating." @troubledmn agrees with this: "You know what, I'm good at writing actually. Thank you CW Powerpuff girls for helping me realize that."
We'll likely never see the results of the very ill-conceived original pilot, and the release date of the new pilot has yet to be confirmed, though Variety has said it will be filmed off-cycle. We can only hope, though, that we'll get to see grownup Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup still acting like their badass selves, without dialogue that would force us to roll our eyes and turn off the show.