Film Lincoln is the villain, no question.
For the most part, this special would’ve been dumb fun. It’s not much to write home about, but it has a charm to it. The big positive is that everyone is very well cast, which is not an easy feat given this show’s large cast. It could be a silly special where you just turn your brain off for an hour and have a good time. The problem is Lincoln and Clyde. They are horrible people here, actively screwing up everyone’s plans just so Lincoln can have his way Granted, when Lincoln tricked her into thinking Mick Swagger was coming, she could’ve still gone on that trip with Sam and was kind of insensitive about choosing Mick Swagger over her. But she’s still a good person otherwise, while Lincoln is a chore to follow. And when he’s busted, he really just gets a slap on the wrist. This special is a much better experience if you view Lincoln as the main antagonist. Otherwise, skip it. And I hate to say that because I like the cast here and think they could’ve saved it. If only Lincoln wasn’t such a prick.
Film Lincoln Is On the Naughty List This Year...
The Loud House used to be a show I enjoyed, but I feel it went downhill around the fifth season. Nonetheless, I decided to give this special a chance, and it lived up to my expectations. That doesn't mean my expectations of it were good. I have no problem with the Louds being live-action as opposed to animated (admittedly, it was cool seeing so many of the show's characters in live-action form), but the execution here was incredibly flawed. Lincoln, a normally sympathetic character, was written as being so unlikable that he was practically the special's villain. When Lori reveals that she won't be able to spend Christmas at Royal Woods this year, the rest of the family is fine with it, including Luna, who plans to go skiing with Sam, Luan, who plans a comedy show at the retirement home, and the remaining family, who plans a trip to Miami. While it is understandable that Lincoln wants his family to be together on Christmas Day since he saved up all year to buy a new sled, instead of just accepting that his family's plans are going to change, he goes to great lengths to sabotage them. Such things he does include trick Luna into thinking her idol Mick Swagger is coming to visit, get Luan fired from her comedy show by pranking the seniors, and get Leni fired from Reininger's because the mannequin he uses for a video he films about a creature called the Sharkodile was its property. Understandably, all of his sisters are upset with him, and even when he tries to make things right by bringing the Sharkodile Prop to the Royal Woods Mall to explain the hoax, he still causes thousands of dollars' worth of property damage in the process (and in the end is hinted to have to work 300 hours of community service to pay it off). Despite all this, he still gets his way and is otherwise easily forgiven. The special's moral is supposed to be "your family can still be together even when they're apart", but given that Lincoln got to spend Christmas day with his family anyway despite all his bad deeds, that renders the moral pointless. In my opinion, this lump of coal belongs on the Island of Misfit Christmas Specials. Take my advice; if you are a fan of The Loud House, do not watch this special. Watch the far superior "11 Louds a Leapin'" episode instead.