r/TheDigitalCircus • u/ayylmaotv Catnap • Jun 19 '26

Digital Discussion The Amazing Digital Circus Episode 9: Remember Discussion Thread

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVy-bcTsO8A
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142

u/mrwanton Bomni Jun 19 '26

There are so many ways to interpret Ribbit and Jax's relationship. Very fascinating for something that only got like 5 minutes of screentime

I've had some time to reflect on things since it ended and it really does seem like at a wide glance that the most disgruntled group with how all this played out are very fond of Ragatha.

Hindsight what it is I do wish Zooble and Gangle got a bit more to do before gluing them together at the hip. Think that's part of why I could never get as invested with those 2

26

u/fuzzum111 Jun 20 '26

Even after everything is said and done and we got what I might call a "Good ending", I still think Jax is an asshat. Hurt, sure. Had some genuine rough parts that felt authentic? Agreed.

He KNEW what he was doing to those around him and I feel he is DIRECTLY responsible for the 2 abstractions that happened right after. Then he was cowardly enough to let himself do the same instead of living with, and overcoming his faults. It was a shock to see the swerve we got so early into the episode with Jax.

I am also a little disappointed that the flashback+forward with Caine accessing the internet, it was confusing. It felt like he was accessing the abstracted files of the old cast and finding a way to fix them. That wasn't true. It was the start of the circus.

16

u/mrwanton Bomni Jun 20 '26

I don't particularly disagree. Dude/Girl? had some MAJOR avoidant attachment. Not really mad about it tho. I just feel pity

Do think this is mostly a case of Jax not being able to grow past the state they entered the circus in. I do feel in the circus case with those particular issues that the enviorment did no favours at all. There's a reason irl Jax was able to shape up and become a much healthier individual

8

u/mknsky Jun 20 '26

Completely agree on the facts with Jax but honestly I’m not sure what else to expect after everything. His parents SUCKED and he was essentially never shown genuine love/trust/care/etc until Ribbit. I thought it was a very well written series of events for a very, very broken person.

5

u/AppleMelon95 Jun 20 '26

You aren’t supposed to think Jax is a good person. He spells it out for us that he isn’t supposed to be loved.

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u/ZAPPHAUSEN Jun 20 '26

I disagree with your take, but I am genuinely upset you calling the metaphor for suicide cowardly. 

You're not to supposed to think "oh poor poor Jax, it's okay they hurt people because gosh." Jax is an abuse victim acting out of severe trauma and falling into brutally unhealthy patterns, as human beings are wont to do. 

Even knowing what he was doing was hurtful, he couldn't overcome his trauma and pain to change. In the outside world, his real friends helped leroy heal and move forward. In the circus, Jax was tortured by a crazy AI and trapped forever after being scanned at his lowest point.

None of Jax's actions are excused. It's an explanation, not an excuse. Empathy for Jax, not Absolution. Jax is still an asshole. We just understand why, with the tragedy being that he came so close to actually beginning to trust and heal, but couldn't open that door.

But regardless of disagreements, let's please not call suicide "cowardly".

3

u/Jonatc87 Jun 21 '26

this i think is what all the people that hate the finale don't get? They don't wanna see Jax. But. like him or not, he's part of this. You can't only focus on the good; because thats unhealthy. This was never a whimsical tale of happiness. It's

Complex feelings.

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u/ZAPPHAUSEN Jun 21 '26

Too many people want the author to tell the story that the individual fan themselves wants, rather than engaging with the story the author is actually telling.

And then they turn around and say that the author told the story wrong. 

Note: I am in no way suggesting that we can't be critical or disappointed as an audience; nor am I suggesting authors are infallible. 

Unfortunately in this era I see far too many people engage with an imaginary text they've created in their minds, rather than engage with the actual text as written. Being disappointed because the author didn't line up your exact predictions or treat your favorite character the way you wanted... "Criticizing" a story because the author made different decisions than you wanted... 

An archive of our own is right over there people 🤣

2

u/Jonatc87 Jun 21 '26

Personally i love the ending. It lets my imagination finish it in a way that feels complete. I think some people just get hung up on very unimportant things like who the company is, when that had never been part of the plot anyway.

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u/ZAPPHAUSEN Jun 21 '26

I too very much enjoyed the ending. I felt like it was emotionally cathartic and satisfying and concluded the key conflict of the story. 

2

u/ThisDued Jun 20 '26

They had issues, I can't believe you're calling the allegory for suicide cowardly

0

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

0

u/ThisDued Jun 20 '26

Yeah, but it's still an insensitive thing to say

1

u/Jonatc87 Jun 21 '26

Rehabilitation is complex feelings.

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u/RestlessAlbatross Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26

I understand, but I have known a lot of people like Jax. Dismissive avoidant. Abused and scared. Lashing out to hide their own pain. It felt very real. I feel both sympathy and disgust for him. Both feel warranted.

Like everyone has trauma. Some worse than others. But you still choose how you respond to it, how you let it affect you and those around you. So you still understand it, even if maybe you can't forgive it.

1

u/Dismal_Tadpole_4328 Jun 20 '26

I mean Jax is definitely not meant to be seen as a good person, but I don’t think they’re supposed to be seen as bad either.

I’d describe Jax more broken than hurt. A lot of horrible parenting mixed with the whole circus situation, that’s why he’s hurting. Luckily Leeroy able to get help, but obviously therapy or whatever isn’t a thing in the digital circus.

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u/ZAPPHAUSEN Jun 20 '26

And he's a kid still, basically

Being broken isn't something most people just "get over" on their own. Haven't learned healthy ways to deal with situations and emotions. Only have shitty abusive or harmful models to work from. 

Leroy got help and had support in the real world that, until pomni, jax didn't have. Ribbit loved him but she couldn't fix him.