Editors Note: The introductory episode to the entire series, "None Down Eighteen To Go, Part 1" is a very important episode review wise.  Not only does it give a strong overview on how the quality of the series will most likely be, but introduces us to the characters, environments, plot lines, and tone. Due to this, aspects such as character introductions and animation quality will be put into play, which are a rarity if not non-existent in other reviews. Even with it being the first part of a two part episode, it will still receive an individual grade as if it were a single episode. This is so the quality of both parts can be better explained in depth.

  Written By:  Alex Ganetakos

Episode Synopsis:  The Ridonculous Race, a twenty-six part race around the world begins in its country of origin, Canada.  In the race are thirty-six contestants, split up into eighteen teams, each with its own individual quirks.  The teams include The Sisters, The Reality TV Pros, The Step-Brothers, The Daters, The Best Friends, The Ice Dancers, The Tennis Rivals, The LARPers, The Geniuses, The Vegans, The Goths, Father and Son, Mother and Daughter, The Adversity Twins, The Police Cadets, The Surfer Dudes, The Rockers, and The Fashion Bloggers.  The grand prize for the winning team is one million dollars, which presumably is split fifty-fifty.  Hosting the show is new host Don.

  In this episode, the eighteen teams race up The Toronto Sky Tower and must head to the nearby airport to secure the fastest flight possible.  While some teams prevailed with the rough terrain, others struggled to even get a flight.  In the end, the Ice Dancers won the challenge, and the eighteen teams were put into three different flights based on their rankings in the challenge.  In the first flight going off right away were The Ice Dancers, Father and Son, The Best Friends, The Reality TV Pros, The Police Cadets, and The Daters.  In the second flight going off thirty minutes later were The Sisters, The Vegans, The Fashion Bloggers, Mother and Daughter, The Rockers, and The Geniuses.  Finally on the third flight going off two hours later were The Surfer Dudes, The Step-Brothers, The LARPers, The Tennis Rivals, The Goths, and The Adversity Twins.  No one was sent home and the flights were all set for the next destination, Morocco. 

Positive Aspects:
.  High Animation Quality:  Despite the fact that the series is animated under Flash, a computer-based animation program that can be hard to pull of great products on, the episode shows a beautiful HD format.  All of the characters are constantly moving very smoothly, allowing for the comedy aspects of the series to work better than on paper.  The backgrounds are highly detailed, with evidence the creators either visited the location and took extensive pictures or did a mass amount of research before doing each episode.  Every single character design is unique in one way or another, being both pleasant to look at and expressing the reality TV parody theme of the series.  There is even two layer animation in this series, which adds an extra feeling of depth into the show.  Overall, despite using Flash, the animation team did an outstanding job expressing their ideas from the first drafts of the script to the digital world. 

.  Strong Characterization:  Each of the characters portrayed in the series despite being created for the purpose of making fun of the reality TV genre still manage to be extremely likable.  Every single character is given a relatable quirk that is expressed further than it needs to be, creating a surprisingly strong cast.  Each character interaction despite being over the top feels natural, showing the writing took time and effort to achieve.

.  Beautiful Voice Acting:  One of the series's strong points is its voice acting, which ranges from above average to extremely excellent.  Even with a limited amount of voice actors, they still manage to bring life and individuality into each character.  Most impressively, the show creators took the risk of hiring a child voice actor, Jacob Ewaniuk, and managed to still get a strong performance out of him.

.  Well Paced Story:  Even though the plot is a simple point A to point B adventure, it still manages to be extremely entertaining.  The comedy and characterization combined help to make each moment interesting, even to viewers who know nothing about the series the show is a spin-off of.  All of the character introductions are well done, making confusion less likely for the new viewer.  Evidence of character arcs have even shown evidence of beginning already, which shows complexity to a seemingly basic premise.  Not to mention the comedy, which is blended in greatly with the basic story.

.  The Small Amounts of Potty Humor Are Actually Funny:  Although the controversial comedy device of potty humor is used in this series, it still manages to be funny and relatable.  Even though the worst bit of it is a farting on the elevator gag, none of it is cringe worthy and will get a laugh out of the basic viewer.

Negative Aspects:
.  Limited Screen-Time For Some Characters:  Even though the cast is well-introduced, there is a small issue with balancing out the screen-time for certain characters.  The worst offenders of this are the entirety of The Goths and surprisingly the host Don.  However, the issue is minor and really only shows its colors to the most observant of viewers.

.  Some of The Voice Actors Sound A Bit Too Similar To Previous Roles:  Although there is no doubt the voice acting is outstanding, to observant viewers, a few of the parts may take some time to adjust to.  This is due to particular voice actors sounding a little too similar to past roles.  However, this problem really is due to the vocal ranges of the voice actors, something that can't be controlled.  Just go to any chorus class or acting class and you will see why range can be so hard to shift. 

Favorite Quotes:
.  "Every reality TV I've been on, I've lost.  This time no excuses, no distractions.  I got my eye on the cheddar."
-  Noah during a confessional segment of the episode.

.  "Also racing are Tom and Jen, Fashion Bloggers with impeccable taste.  I told you not to let the teams write their own cards."
-  Don, when introducing The Fashion Blogger Team.

.  "So you are one of those skinny-fat people who can't climb ten flights of stairs without spewing chunks.  Huh, what do you do?  Yoga?"
-  MacArthur, after her partner Sanders gets extremely exhausted from climbing the challenge's long flights of stairs.

.  "I had to do the race with Carrie.  She's smart, fast, determined, and my girlfriend Shelly was busy."
-  Devin during a confessional segment of the episode.

Episode Overview:  "None Down, Eighteen To Go, Part 1" is an extremely well paced episode with a great introduction to a new series.  The potential for the series already looks very promising, with strong characters and fun premises that are impressive to see.  The animation is crisp, and the whole concept of the series, a parody of the reality TV genre, is a rare beautiful gem.  Although a slight unbalance in the amount of screen time and small voice acting ranges can be an issue for some, really it is nothing to really be concerned about.  It is highly recommended for both new and old viewers of Total Drama, or someone wanting a unique cartoon experience.

Rating:  A-  (It has a few errors, but other than those minor things, it is an almost perfect entry into the series.)