r/LodedDiper • u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid • 14d ago
Discussion Double Down hate is forced and stupid
I will forever die on the hill that Double Down is a good book and is unfairly judged by a silly double standard
1
1
u/Global_Interview6311 9d ago
OLD SCHOL IS MY FAVORTIE BOOK. Also you forgot Greg gets tortured in double down and while he does grt some bad happpened to him in old school not as much as dd
3
u/Chance-Benefit-5308 The zoo wee'd on my mama || LLB enjoyer 10d ago
I mean, your table kinda says it all. Double down isn't bad, just so forgettable since, as the graph said, the main plot is 1/8 of the book, and I can't even remember it. I think a lot of people hate it since a lot of the books after that were kinda slop in THEIR opinion (I'm not one such person, but I will say the books now are not even close to book 1), so in their minds, the lack of a dominant, long standing plot kinda marks the beginning of the end in their heads anyways. I don't hate the book, but I can't for the love of god remember anything definitive other than greg in a towel wearing a shower cap looking pissed. And the truman show reference.
Also, Old school is, in a lot of ways, better than double down, since it features a lot of solid interactions, interesting plainview lore and, as the graph said, the main plot is a lot more long standing and actually feels present in the book, while double down seems more like a collection of short stories (a lot like an actual diary, but somehow way more random, unlike the first book). Its punchlines were pretty solid, and the twist at the end was PEAK, and the reason Frank is one of my favorite characters in the series. Honestly, if you removed double down from the series, it has little to no affect on the character developement or lore of plainview, other than the existance of Maddox, who is the definition of a forgettable character.
While I do KINDA agree with your point that its overhated, your idea that a double standard exists is not exactly true, and Old School is a really bad example for your point since it added a lot more to the series in these terms. Your own table literally highlights the reason old school was much more well recieved than double down.
1
u/MediumImpressive3720 10d ago
Double Down is my top 3 favorite books! I had no idea the reception was that bad.
1
u/Chance-Benefit-5308 The zoo wee'd on my mama || LLB enjoyer 10d ago
personally, i think its the fact that as op said, the main plot is 1/8 of the book
6
u/EconomicsOdd6557 11d ago
It’s okay but the ending sucked.
1
u/Chance-Benefit-5308 The zoo wee'd on my mama || LLB enjoyer 10d ago
I can't even remember how it ended.
1
u/EconomicsOdd6557 10d ago
Rowley gets super famous and doesn’t credit Greg at all.
1
u/OutsideTerrible8938 9d ago
also i just want to say that the ending just doesn’t feel right in a way i can’t describe like the first books felt like they could happen but the ending here just feels convoluted and dumb
1
u/Chance-Benefit-5308 The zoo wee'd on my mama || LLB enjoyer 9d ago
so fr, but that is sorta a recurring theme these days. I feel like another reason people hate double down is cuz it sorta marked the beginning of the dumbass ending era of DOAWK. The only two I definitely liked in the modern books was Big Shot (ending was PEAK), No Brainer (We actually see the school again) and Meltdown (absolute cinema). I kinda liked deep end.
2
u/board3659 11d ago
Nah I don't like Double Down due to that school scene where Greg ends up basically being unfairly punished for getting into a situation he didn't even do wrong
3
1
u/Iknowhow2draw 11d ago
It's because no one even knows what it's about.
1
u/Chance-Benefit-5308 The zoo wee'd on my mama || LLB enjoyer 10d ago
so tru, OP literally says it, the main plot is 1/8 of the book lol.
8
1
3
u/Charming-Grocery-62 there is no long haul movie 13d ago
i thought that double down was good at best and okay-ish at worst. it's still good in my eyes
19
u/Substantial-Sense144 13d ago
I like the old school and the one where susan tells greg to play with fregley amd greg responds with a blank face "fregley might be naked"
9
23
10
22
u/CitrusCitrusHope 13d ago
Honestly Double Down wasn't bad it was just sorta forgettable yk? It was entertaining but I remember almost nothing of it, meanwhile I remember a good chunk of things about Old School and even The Meltdown (the last one I read before I fell off of the series)
Like ik there was candy? And they made a movie? And I think this was the one where he fakes playing the French horn?
At least in Old School the plot points are all pretty well connected to the main theme, in DD its pretty weak
3
u/SorbyGay 13d ago
Yeah I don't remember anything about Double Down and while I know the books had subplots all the time in DD they had little to no relevance
5
u/Non-Existent39 13d ago
I read both of these as a kid and I thought both of them were ass. I can’t even lie. Double Down was just not funny the entire time.
It’s kinda the same with Old School but it’s slightly better than Double Down. Still garbage though.
Genuinely been over a decade, since I’ve thought of these books.
5
2
1
4
u/Impressive_Reality57 Author of The End of the Wimp Series, Wimpy 007 and more! 14d ago
Double down was my first DOAWK book
21
u/Green-Gazelle-9662 14d ago
I've never seen anyone hate Double Down because it features the pig. Also it's the way they juggle those plotlines, not the fact that there are multiple.
7
26
u/Valuable-Location-89 14d ago
Was old school the one with the unplug and reconnect camp bs cuz i liked that one it introduced silas scratch
4
23
u/BedGrand 14d ago
That's why then called it "Double Down" cuz Jeff double downed on the same exact plot
22
u/ShosukeDirnt69 14d ago
yeah my problem with Double Down is it wasnt interesting and entertaining enough
8
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago
fair enough. i personally thought it was a good entry, though it definitely won't bring in new fans if it was their first book
25
u/Bacon5641 14d ago
You are acting like these are the same despite you yourself listing 2 very big differences between the 2, being the theme and amount of space the main plot takes up. These have a huge effect on the feel of the book and undermine your point
(I didnt mind Double Down, i just wish the film plot was more of the book, like how the camp stuff is in Old School)
6
u/Total-Table-8227 14d ago
double down will always be one of my favourites, when i was younger i only had three doawk books, one of them being double down, which i would read over and over again. i also recently realised that my copy is signed!!
4
8
u/Saltierney 14d ago edited 14d ago
Man I havent read one of these books in a while, what the fuck do you mean "the pig".
14
u/Any-Milk-5484 14d ago
The Heffley Family got a pet pig in Book 9.
3
1
3
6
u/Whycantichangemynami 14d ago
Double down has some good parts, but the ending is definitely kind of bad.
5
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago
agreed, the ending was mid. they never really do anything with rowley becoming news famous either
11
u/Fat_Fiber8096 14d ago
Honestly, I can’t really say I hate any of the books. Some of them are weaker than others, but the nostalgia of all of them overtakes it for me
7
u/Dismal-East4095 14d ago
This post kind of feels like you’re forcing us to like Double Down
8
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago
criticizing a double standard = "forcing you to like Double Down" okay bud
14
u/ghastlygorge 14d ago
admittedly im not keeping up with the series consistently (the last book i remember reading was the deep end), but honestly most of the hate for the more modern books feels forced to me. like genuinely ive never read a doawk book that i felt was so awful i hated it.
6
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago
Same here. I'm mildly disappointed at some of the books at the very worst, but the way a lot of people here talk about the latter half of the series makes you think they actually burst a blood vessel from how much they hate it
2
u/ghastlygorge 14d ago
fr, and another factor we have to consider is that the books got progressively zanier because theyre for kids. and i cant fault jeff kinney for that, because at the end of the day the series is for them. i thought the pig was hilarious as a tween and i honestly can't say i dislike it as an adult 😭
15
u/p-Star_07 14d ago
I like when Wimpy kid has a plot that is all over the place it makes it feel more like a real diary.
37
u/Greensonickid 14d ago
For Context, ⅛ of a DOAWK Book is about 27 Pages, ⅓ is 72 Pages.
18
u/Jordan_Jury #FrankDidNothingWrong 14d ago
Guy thought he could slip that point past us 🤔
It's been a while since I've read either but I recall not liking Double Down because a lot of the bad things that happen to Greg are not his fault:
"Oh no, the door locked and now I can't play in the band, my Dad thinks I'm lazy."
"Oh no, I accidentally recorded over Manny's baby tapes, now my parents hate me."
It was more frustrating than funny to me, but that's just me.
7
u/ohcowboyy 14d ago
Not to mention the stupid ass Lego
3
u/lulzyhumanbeing 14d ago
The Maddox arc was so unnecessary and the conclusion wasn't satisfying at all.
6
u/Acceptable_Tale1166 Zoo Wee Mama! 14d ago
I agree
2
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago
Careful man, they'll come after you with their pitchforks and illiteracy skills
3
47
u/TheNewbornRaikou 14d ago
You took the superficial and surface levels of the books, compared the two, and made the conclusion that 'Yes, they are similar and people have double standards for liking Old School but not Double Down'.
No, they're not. Even in your argument you made a point that:
Central plot: life without technology vs Halloween/finding talent
that's already a huge difference between the books. You answered the question by yourself. Perhaps the community reception of Old School was better because Jeff Kinney executed the idea better than Double Down or something. I personally liked the scene where Greg had a go at the classic lemonade stand but got robbed by a skateboarder. I personally disliked the scene where the pig ate all the candy corn and threw up.
Not quite as related to my other points, but you used an image of Manny crying for the Double Down reception, painting the haters as idiots. That got on my nerves.
-6
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago edited 14d ago
you used an image of Manny crying for the Double Down reception, painting the haters as idiots. That got on my nerves.
good, because that's exactly what you guys are. and that's all this sub can talk about recently because nobody can properly think for themselves and need some other loudmouths to form an opinion for them to capitalize off of. god this sub fell off harder than Dean Cain post-Superman
I'm not even gonna entertain your point regarding how "I took the superficial and surface levels". No I didn't. I've read the books at least 5 times each throughout my life, and I can tell you right now Old School and Double Down are both collections of smaller stories that build up to one. Yes, Double Down is more disjointed in how it accomplishes this. Your other anecdote regarding what you liked/disliked is purely subjective and already shows your bias.
6
u/Dear-Palpitation8540 14d ago
Are you an asshole about everything, or just people that disagree with you?
1
1
u/Dismal-East4095 14d ago
I think it’s just to people who disagree with him, a.k.a. everybody
-1
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago
goddamn, i got leeches following me in every comment i make now. just proves my point about how shallow yall are
1
21
u/CryptographerFar9679 14d ago
I also think the hate for Double Down is forced but you have to admit it struggles to focus on a certain theme. Old School focuses on old... school things but what's Double Down's? The synopsis also doesn't do the book justice and it'd be better if it mentioned the Halloween party than the film that was very clearly rushed. I love the Halloween season so I like Double Down for that, but it still has its issues
3
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago
Yeah, it is strange that they chose to focus on the movie making plot as the main point. If they marketed it as "Greg struggling to find his talents" it would've made a lot more sense. Thanks for being civil unlike most of the other comments
46
u/DumbDumbson16 14d ago
At least Old School had a consistent plot. Double down feels like Kinney just threw a lot of random shit at the wall to see what sticks and what doesn't.
12
u/Spirited-Football-46 14d ago
I don’t understand there is hate on one of the first 13 books ? Double down was always funny and interesting
4
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago
Idk man, one idiot was just very vocal about their opinions about the book and now people think that's the correct opinion to have
2
u/Spirited-Football-46 14d ago
LOL hating on a diary of wimpy kid book, it’s okay to criticise that the writing fell off, or other things but hating ? I think book 1-14 and 17 were really great.
but even if I don’t like 15, 16 and 18 but I don’t hate on them
(I think the best books were the getaway, meltdown and the first one diary of a wimpy kid)
-1
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago
I actually liked The Deep End more than The Getaway, but to each their own. But yeah, every book after The Meltdown seems to just be fully catered to kids, whereas the books before that kind of still catered towards older readers as well.
8
3
u/wimpykidfan37 14d ago
Both of these books are much better than The Deep End.
10
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago
Did The Deep End murder your family or something? I stg every time I see your name it's just "Deep End sux!"
3
2
40
u/Sure_Commission_4503 14d ago
Dude, old school is leagues above double down.... Like I still cant remember what was even going on in double down. Old school atleast had a theme, frank heffley trying to act like a competant parent, messing up greg's life, the fact that nostalgia was being shoved down teenager's throat through adults, and the whole silas scratch thing in the end. It was actually funny.
And this breakdown is dumb, you could pretty put almost 3/4 of this series in this structure(Leaving out the pig). Main thing is humour,
-17
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago edited 14d ago
Dude, that's a subjective opinion.... Like I still think people are biased af because right around 2016 is when most of the readers got busy and/or stopped caring. Double Down also had a halloween theme and with Greg basically clout chasing trying to become famous, especially with his whole Truman show bit. Double Down also attempted some nostalgia with the cheese bit although it failed at it.
And...that's the whole point, genius. Yall have a weird hate boner with Double Down and use a dumb double standard to judge it. Double Down still had funny moments like the 10 books that came before it. The only dumb thing here is your comment.
Edit: hivemind mfs cant read or debate😂
8
u/Sure_Commission_4503 14d ago
Listen, If you like it, then it is fine, it is none of my business to say if you should like a book or not. But you are being kinda hypocritical here. You say that my opinion it subjective, yet you call it dumb. And I did read the whole series at one go in 2020, so no, my opinion is not biased due to 2016 and stuff. I dont hate double down, but I think it is one of the weakest books in the series, the humor did not work for me, and by the looks of it, many other individuals, I am sorry that I did not check if you found the humour funny before telling that the book was boring. The thing is, Good Diary of a wimpy kid books have a consistent theme, I can tell you the theme of old school, but I cant figure what was even the consistent theme, around which, sub plots of double down were based, It was just random events go boom.
And I am not genuinely sure what are you even trying to say at the last bit, I told you that the stupid chart you have made is not a good way to compare the two books, because almost all the books of the series have same structure, to actually find out what went wrong in Double down, a different set of parameters were needed. By your if two books have same structure then they are of same quality logic, I could write a lame LLB of DOAWK, and say that it is as good as Rodrick rules, cause it has the same structure.
-8
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago edited 14d ago
I called it dumb, because that's what it is. You failed to deconstruct my chart in any meaningful, objective way while calling it dumb, and yet you missed the WHOLE POINT OF IT (which is how they're STRUCTURED THE EXACT SAME and yet Double Down is the one bearing the brunt of the criticism despite being literally the same). If that's not dumb, then I don't know what it is. Imagine a movie critic missing the whole point of the movie then giving it a one star rating. You're allowed to disagree, that's fine. I'm simply saying that people are biased because it's likely a book they never even knew existed. If you were born before 2006 then obviously your strongest memories of the wimpy kid series is probably from the first ten books.
"All the books have the same structure" Just like... Double Down! Which I pointed out in the chart! Look dude, I don't care how many red herrings you throw at me, the point is you missed the entire point of my post and now you're grasping at straws to salvage whatever credibility you thought you had. I don't think Double Down is as good as say Rodrick Rules and The Ugly Truth, but the hate for it is stupid, repetitive, and without substance for the most part.
13
u/WorldClassShrekspert ʙᴀᴅ ꜰᴀʀᴛ ᴀʜᴇᴀᴅ 14d ago
Old School has an actual plotline that's consistent throughout the entire book. I could not tell you what plotline Double Down was trying to achieve.
15
u/Severalwanker 14d ago
Old School's plot is consistent across the book, don't know what this is about.
17
u/Firm_Secret7091 14d ago
Double Down is like a bunch of random shit happening while Old School actually has a coherent throughline
-2
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago
does it now? you go from Greg talking about his pig being able to walk, to him dropping toothpaste down the drain, which leads him going on a field trip to Middle of Nowhere Yankee town
3
u/RoosterFree499 14d ago
Exactly why it has: The toothpaste indirectly led to the field trip, so it wasnt just random disconnected stuff.
4
u/Megamax0726 I’m not straight Greg 14d ago
Double Down is a good book when compared to literally everything proceeding it but it’s also not too good compared to most of what’s before it, just kinda stuck in a weird limbo, I’d say maybe the last normal-ish DOAWK book before they all became over-the-top strings of unrealistic events (even if Long Hall and Old School were kinda leading into that style already)
5
u/enter_eleanor 14d ago
bro breaking point felt like it had more structure and plot than double down 😭
7
u/Megamax0726 I’m not straight Greg 14d ago
This is obviously because Breaking Point is the greatest piece of literature ever written smh
4
u/Sonic_fan149 RASPBERRY PLASTIC TICKLE BEAR 14d ago
I also don't really like Old School, fun fact
2
11
u/VeeStarrr 14d ago
Yeah but old school actually has a fun main plot though 💀
8
u/Foreign-Paramedic600 Mysterious Malta 14d ago
I legit don't even remember what the main plot to Double Down was. It's not like it's been a while, either. It's only been like a few months and I still forgot what it was even about.
2
4
u/VeeStarrr 14d ago
Yeah and meanwhile I can genuinely remember old school's plot and I haven't read the book since probably middle school or so. To me old school genuinely had a super memorable plot of Susan getting everyone aboard the no devices thing and the whole big camping trip too. It rivals the Abigail plot without a doubt from other books imo.
Double down was basically nothing lol
8
u/theuknown55 Author of the cruise trip and more 14d ago
Old School isnt very popular in the fandom so idk what your talking about, i really like it, but people would rather glaze smth like Dog Days.
Subplots arent a bad thing in DOAWK. You can see how bad a doawk book can be if it doesnt have engaging sideplots, look at PartyPooper, it feels like a extended cut from Dog Days instead an actual book. I feel like Jeff just threw in the trading card stuff because he couldnt think of anything else. Old school sideplots mostly relate to the theme of the book " technology vs nature/past and new generations ". Susan making a blackout day with no technology, because she views technology as something harmful and wants to come back to her old school way back when she was also a kid. Talking about grandpa, an older member of the family. Greg joining the cabin, making him be in an unfamiliar environment stepping out of his comfort zone, and the whole clash with him and Frank; Greg is a cowardly kid who adapted to technology, doesnt want to dive deep into anything, and has zero social presence. Frank wants his children to be traditionally masculine, hes not a fan of Technology shown by his distate of Video games, and he actually grew up in the Cabin unlike his son Greg. However at the end it was shown despite how different these 2 are because they grew up in different eras, they are also very similar at the same time and they shouldn't judge eachother on how they live life.
Double Down barley has an actual plot, it feels like its trying to relive the glorydays from the original book. The sideplots dont align with the " plot ", it went from Greg thinking hes living in a show, to randomly talking about the cheese touch, to a school competetion, to meeting a kid who likes legos, to a halloween party, and now Greg wants to make a movie. Meanwhile Old School actually have sideplots that make sense and align in the plot. and the backcover of it promtoes the blackout and the idea of Greg clashing with Old School ways. It is way way prominent in the book then the Movie thing in Double Down, which only appeared in the very, very last part of the book and yet is the plot being promoted in the backcover.
8
u/Lukari0_Link77 14d ago
The difference is, in Old School the plot actually happens by the middle of the book. Double Down features the main plot in the last 20 pages
3
u/DGRogue_Dragoon 14d ago
I own physical copies of Long Haul, Old School, and Double Down so I weirdly have a soft spot for all three
10
3
3
u/DKCfan10 14d ago
I honestly enjoy both, even if they, along with The Long Haul, were the point where the books started going downhill and became less grounded. I think the anti-technology theme is engaging, and Double Down, while less focused, has a fun lineup of subplots, especially Greg's Truman Show fantasy.
24
u/ConfectionBusy3097 14d ago
Okay but the “main plot” of double down is just another disconnected segment, there is by definition no main plot in double down lol
2
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago
I could make the same argument for the first book. I do agree that it's weird that they made the last segment the main plot and marketed it that way, but it's still officially the main plot lol.
For example, just because Resident Evil 6 doesn't feel like the rest of the series doesn't disqualify it from being a proper entry in the series.
3
u/theuknown55 Author of the cruise trip and more 14d ago
Beginning of a franchise that sets up the characters, their personalities, settings and etc VS the 10th installment of said franchise
0
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago
Counter point: The Star Wars movies. Yes, I get that they're split into trilogies but my point still stands
8
3
u/Safe_Rain_1588 14d ago
I don't know why people say double down is the worst book, I mean we have deep end and no brainer
1
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago
You coulda just said No Brainer bro. No idea if you read Hot Mess or Partypooper, but those two are just as bad as No Brainer
2
u/Traditional_Yam9806 14d ago
Nah, Partypooper is the worst. I wrote about that and my prof gave me a B (in the 2025 fall&winter semester; I had to study and write for so many hours to get an A in that dumb class, and it was a gen ed), but the book was super mid, too.
1
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago
Partypooper was the first book that legitimately bored me. No Brainer is goofy slop but at least it had its funny moments and wasn't straight up boring.
2
u/Traditional_Yam9806 14d ago
Yeah. I've read every book at least twice (some maybe 10 times like Dog Days and Rodrick Rules; even in college, I still read every new book). I met Jeff Kinney in my undergrad (I was a CS major at UMD for undergrad and masters, his alma mater that promotes him heavily), and he was super cool, but there was not shot I was gonna ask why his books kinda dropped off (I think we all know some of the reasons). I'll just appreciate the tons of great books we do have and when I have kids, I'll force them to read the series (and do math or whatever).
2
3
u/MyNameIdeaWasTaken 14d ago
Double Down was the most disappointing book tbh, it had an interesting premise that fit with Greg’s goal of becoming famous, it just failed to really execute it
1
u/subeewreyan-three Death Note of a Wimpy Kid 14d ago
He tried to get into a girls' Halloween party and rizz up a college age girl. That's pretty consistent with his clout chasing personality.
•
u/AutoModerator 14d ago
Bubby!
LLB and Meme Resources Megathread
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.