[antgirl1]

Haha, hi. It's been a very long time. The last post was clear back in 2016. Very old and probably dead thread, but there's this realization that came to mind that would only fit here and not the appreciation thread. Before I begin, it's pretty weird seeing posts and replies from myself from the 2000's. I was a silly little autistic teenager then. (I'm sorry.)

Here goes.

For many years, we've been fond of this guy. Very. Some a lot moreso than others. Deem him a dreamboat, the whole package, the perfect guy. But the thing is: he's not. I think that many, unfortunately including myself, misinterpreted his character, even going so far as to romanticize the guy. So here's my take on it:

He's a jock and a himbo. Lemme explain.

So the first part is obvious and can be generally agreed on easily, it was blatant throughout the entire show's run. But there's this strange disconnect a lot of the time, where it's barely a thing, when it comes to fan content back in the day. Well obviously it's not his whole life, but it's a major part of it. It becomes a sort of "back of your mind" kind of deal. It's strange.

In my recollection, I don't think I saw any fancharacters who were also sporty. It's been years though, so maybe I missed one, but a fanship almost never had to do with chemistry, but "at first sight". And that's fair; when you're a teen crushing on a fictional character, you do your best. And sometimes it means forgetting about one of his key traits. It happens.

Next, I can forgive "himbo", as it wasn't a term widely used back then. But aside from a singular bullet point (physical strength), it fits him exactly. Good natured, masculine, and... Dumb. Very dumb. We can blame the writers all we want, and that's fine - they weren't able to at least make it consistent. Of course, the same can be said for other characters too, but we're focusing on this ten foot ballin dude over here.

Anyway, he has his articulate moments, but it's not in the majority. Not long ago I tried rewatching the show again, only to find it very mean-spirited. I don't see how I liked it all those years ago. Maybe it was the idea of it. I made it to about... I think "Frankie My Dear", and didn't come back since. And in all those early episodes?

Wilt's as inconsistently smart/dumb as in the later seasons. Not much changed.

Therefore, my aforementioned conclusion.

If anyone's still around to read this, disagree if you want. It's all good. Maybe he's smarter than I think. I don't know. Wouldn't mind discussing it!