Courage the Cowardly Dog

”Courage the Cowardly Dog” has been an enjoyable and amusing experience all things considered. I liked the animation and overall vibes of the show, considering the fact that it was quite rare for a cartoon meant for children to have so many horror environments and especially villains, which I loved the designs of the most. 2/3 of the main cast was absolutely delightful and loveable. Courage, with his generalized anxiety but immense...well, courage; and Muriel, with her endless kindness for better or for worse and her heartwarming presence; together they managed to make the show incredibly heartfelt, even making me cry at times. Their bond and love for each other was so pure and relatable for any pet owners and it was by far my favorite aspect of this show. I also appreciated how refreshing the main cast truly was. How many cartoons are there with a dog and elderly couple as protagonists? I always enjoy when shows stray away from the norm of having an angsty male teenager as their protagonist, and this one is a great example of exactly that. My favorite episodes where: 1. ”The Hunchback of Nowhere”, which was so monumental for children everywhere to watch, teaching empathy and being one of my favorite examples of how to combat judgement based on appearance; and 2. ”The Mask”, which not only condemns domestic violence (another extremely important lesson for children to learn), but also shows the bond between two women that may or may not be romantic (definitely is), which serves to normalize such relationships for a younger audience in a authentic, heartfelt way. Now what I disliked, which may be just my personal intense annoyance, but Eustace as a character was the worst part of the show undoubtedly. Albeit realistic for an old man to mistreat his wife and abuse his poor dog, it was painful to witness in most episodes and I physically wanted to teleport to Nowhere and get Muriel away from that good-for-nothing ”farmer” (that couldn't even farm while we're at it). It got old really fast and it served no purpose but to upset me personally and I think the show would have been way more enjoyable if they gave him even an ounce of redemption or redeeming qualities, but there were none whatsoever. So I had to just watch constant abuse, unfunny theatrics from a lazy, unappreciative husband and Muriel being stuck in that marriage forever. I wish the show focused more on the heartfelt aspects that were the core reason so many people to this day still love Courage so deeply. Many episodes felt a bit directionless and took up way too much time that could've been better allocated to a more linear, heartfelt plot. My final rating would be 7.5/10 and most of the lost points are because of Eustace entirely. If you're not bothered by his antics that much, it probably will be a much more enjoyable experience for you.