Amphibia Season 3B Thoughts (Part 1)

Amphibia Season 3B Thoughts (Part 1)

Because of Tumblr’s image limit I split my thoughts into 2 parts. This part will cover “Escape to Amphibia” to “The Root of Evil”. (part 2 link)

With Amphibia entering its endgame next week I’ve decided to look back at all the episodes of season 3B so far and give my collected thoughts on each episode (I plan to do the same with The Owl House. Hollow Mind was insane). I’ve had a lot of fun with Amphibia as a show and want to finally give it the attention it deserves because I’ve had the luck of following this show since before season 2 began airing. I binged the first season on Disney+ in 2020 around the time that lockdown officially went into effect and I’ve been hooked since. This wasn’t a show I followed since the beginning like Korra or She-ra but I got into it early in its run and it holds a special place for me in the lexicon of cartoons I have watched because of this.

Matt Braly said on twitter that this week’s episodes were the last “fun episodes'' of the show before it officially entered its endgame. That coupled with his statement that the finale is pretty much a three parter that begins with “The beginning of the end” has made it so I would like to cover the final 3 weeks worth of episodes in one post (we’ll see I may become too excited to wait) and split my 3B review/thoughts into 2 parts.

Escape to Amphibia

Okay, I want to get this out of the way because it’s a bit nitpicky and just my personal preference. I said in my Amphibia series thoughts post that I thought this should have been the season 3A finale and I still stand by that statement. Would that have hurt me because of the cliffhanger it would have ended on? Yes, but I think that this would have been the best point to end 3A on because it would truly feel like the beginning of the end of Amphibia, the closing of the earth chapter of the story and the beginning of the endgame. 

I really love the Christmas episode but it felt like an odd point to end 3A on considering how close to the endgame Amphibia was. Though it is on brand for Amphibia considering 2A ended on “The Shut in” which was a halloween themed episode. With that nitpick out of the way I’d like to talk about the actual episode which I really like.

I really liked how the episode made the music box theme and design make sense on a lore level and really expand what I initially thought was just a cool design choice. The music working as coordinates for other worlds was such a unique detail that I wasn’t really expecting for them to incorporate. In hindsight this was really obvious but at the time I was shocked.

I like that the episode chose to focus on Anne’s struggles to say goodbye to her parents. The first time she went to Amphibia she didn’t get to do that. She disappeared without any knowledge about where she went or if she would ever be able to get back. There was no closure on either end. Her avoidance boils over because she can’t ignore the seemingly insurmountable tasks she must complete and the reality that her making it back home isn’t guaranteed this time either. She’s going to be saying goodbye to her parents for maybe the last time and that hurts. 

Anne’s parents are once again the MVPs of the season with their heartfelt assurance and support helping Anne forward. They are just so supportive. This is probably redundant because everyone knows this by now but Anne has the best parents. They made her a care package and helped her go against the FBI and knew how important getting back to Amphibia is to her even through her conflict. (They are also telling Mr. X about everything which I think brings credence to the theory that earth and Amphibia will have to fight together. If that’s the case Anne’s parents really are the MVPs on the earth side of the story)

This episode was full of visual callbacks which helped sell that this was the endgame. Everything has changed, all the characters have impacted each other in some way, and nothing can ever be the same. The contrast really emphasizes the passage of time. The two most striking visual callback are when Anne uses her powers and stomps on the ground to knock the FBI agents over and the final shot of Anne and the Planters overlooking what has become of Amphibia.

I really like the scene where Anne activates her powers and strengthens the portal. The visual parallels are really fun. The scene above is very reminiscent of Sasha during the third temple and I think that is intentional. Sasha’s redesign has her incorporate blue into her armor along with the red which symbolizes how Anne has changed Sasha and how she is incorporating the lessons she has learned throughout Amphibia and through Anne into herself. The effect on each other is mutual. Sasha was not a good friend to Anne before this point but her good traits (when not taken to the extreme) have rubbed off on Anne and in some ways inspired her like she said in “The Third Temple”.

The second parallel, the final shot with Anne and the Plantars overlooking Amphibia was so jarring and it was even more shocking because this is the exact same view that they saw when they first exited the valley and the world was opened to them. The contrast between those two moments is amazing. 

This really sells the feeling that this episode marks the beginning of the end of Amphibia. It also makes sure that the lasting impact of True Colors is felt. We saw it in “Olivia and Yunan” briefly but it hits differently when it’s through the eyes of Anne and the Plantars. We’ve spent more time with them and these are the characters we first explored this world with so even though this wasn’t the first time we saw this in some ways it felt like it was (hopefully that made sense).

Side note: I loved all the Star Wars references. I’m a massive star wars fan so seeing Anne in the dark hallway with the red light saber and knowing it was a homage to Darth Vader’s scene (you know the one) in Rogue One just elevated it for me. This was just pure fun.

I don’t have much that I wasn’t a fan of. It’s more there are things I wish we could have seen more of. I really liked the dynamic of Terri and Dr. Jan in this episode and wish that they had interacted earlier.

Commander Anne/Sprivy

I had fun with these episodes. I have the same problems with them that I’ve seen a lot of people voice about how it makes Anne less capable than she usually is so that they can rush Sasha being given back command but I do believe that Sasha was the better person to be in command because of her experiences as a lieutenant in the toad army and her natural cunning and leadership ability. 

Anne knows that she isn’t aware of all the things that Sasha is and she’s not quite ready to jump into a leadership role immediately. She’s having to go from earth and leaving her family behind again to leader of a rebellion in less than 24 hours. That’s a lot of pressure to put on anyone so Anne struggling to fill the role is natural.

Having Anne and Sasha form a partnership rather than a commander and subordinate role was smart. Sasha has a knack for warfare and leadership that Anne doesn’t have but Anne is more in tune with the feelings of those around her and can understand their needs. They both have different, complementary strengths that make them equals. The execution was a little off but the points the episode makes and the conclusion it comes to are all things I agree with based on the characters. (I wrote in my Amphibia series thoughts about how well Sasha’s experiences and traits make her transition to rebellion leader work)

I love Sasha’s new character design. The blue incorporated into her previously completely red outfit shows how Anne has changed her and how she has accepted it as part of herself now. Her hair is down in contrast to her usual updo and shows how she has loosened her stranglehold on having control and is more open emotionally (a very literal representation of “letting her hair down”).

She is also noticeably more muscular now which matches her strength gem and shows her dedication to training that has been talked about in every season (she literally wore weighted clothing all the time as shown in the third temple and was nonstop training in toadcatcher). This redesign is also just really cool.

I liked the idea that Sasha immediately gave up control because she doesn’t trust herself with all the power. She believes that she ruined everything last time (to be fair she sort of did) but she neglects to give herself credit for how much she has changed. The old Sasha wouldn’t have relinquished power in the first place and would have fought every step of the way to keep control. The fact that she is so afraid of falling back into old habits shows that she’s different.

Sasha has been faced with multiple crossroads throughout the series and until “Turning Point” she always made the wrong choice. Her decision in “Turning Point” and her continued attempts to be different than she was before is what I believe redemption is all about, continually choosing to be a different, better person every step of the way.

I appreciate that Anne thought that Sasha’s insistence that Anne needs to be in charge was a new manipulation tactic because even though Sasha has changed Anne hasn’t been there to see it happen. Sasha has betrayed Anne twice and no amount of verbal assurance that she’s a new person can change the damage that has been done in such a short amount of time. 

Now for “Sprivy”. I liked Sasha in this episode (not that surprising) because even though she’s turned over a new leaf she isn’t suddenly a completely different person. She calls Sprig and Ivy “Twerp and twerpette”, is completely done with their clingy fledgling relationship very quickly, and is still prone to anger (though she does hold it back much better). 

I don’t have much to say about this episode outside of this, the fact that I like that Wally’s father comes back as the rich benefactor that is supporting wartwood and Sprivy learning that they shouldn’t let their new relationship dictate all their decisions was nice because first relationships can be hard to find that balance in.

Sasha’s Angels/Olm Town Road

First up “Sasha’s angels”. This episode was fun but didn’t contribute to the plot nearly as much as I would have hoped. I had a lot of fun with Toadie but I was a lot more interested in the Anne and Sasha part of the episode even if it didn’t get much focus comparatively. Sasha’s redemption and reconciliation with Anne have been a long time coming so I appreciate all the points in the story where they are allowed to adress the cracks in their relationship. 

Anne doubts Sasha’s intentions when it comes to waiting for Mrs. Croaker’s team instead of charging in to save them. She understandably doubts that Sasha sees the frogs as individuals she cares for instead of disposable pawns like she did with the toad army. This is understandable considering how Sasha frequently saw others as stepping stones for her to use to gain control. But it’s made clear once again that Sasha truly has changed. She does care about those “beneath” her but she knows that she can’t charge recklessly in because that could make things worse for everybody. 

Anne really did show Sasha how to trust others to do things rather than take control and do everything yourself but she hasn’t been here for months and hasn’t had the chance to see the way the others have grown so she is also understandably worried. It’s not that she doesn’t trust them its just that her last time seeing them they would not have been able to escape the way that they did. It’s another case of seeing how Anne has changed the people around her, the frogs have learned to stand up for themselves and Sasha has changed her leadership mindset for the better, and how the others can help Anne.

Now onto “Olm Town Road”. Sasha steals this episode. She very clearly projects onto Lysil and Angwin and it adds another layer to Sasha’s guilt over her mistakes. Sasha’s anger on Lysil and Angwin’s behalf reflects her own guilt and desire for redemption and fear that she doesn’t deserve this third chance that Anne has given her. If they can’t find redemption then how can she? (though if we’re being honest Sasha is at least on her third chance, so her spiel about second chances is a little comedic in this context)

I like that they aren’t totally ignoring Sasha’s mistakes or downplaying her desire to make things right. There hasn’t been a big blow up or a confrontation like I think some people expected, I expected more pushback myself before the episodes started airing, but I think the Amphibia crew has done a good job showing how this has effected them in every interaction they’ve had so far. 

Sasha continuously overcompensates while trying to prove she’s changed and become the person “Anne deserves'' and Anne has doubted Sasha’s intentions and motivation on more than one occasion. Anne isn’t the type of person to blow up at someone. Her actions in “True Colors'' weren't the norm but they were necessary. She was standing up for herself and Sasha deserved to be told off for betraying Anne yet again. And if Sasha was to show that side of her again in 3B I have no doubt that Anne would blow up at her once more but Sasha has been genuinely trying and Anne can see that.

Anne wants her friend back as seen in her journal and if Sasha is willing to try then Anne will meet her halfway (this and Anne saw the start of change when Sasha fought with her in True Colors). This has always been Anne’s character. I can understand wishing there was more conflict because of how devastating the second betrayal was and how final her severing their friendship seemed at the time, but I don’t think this is out of character.

I also believe there is some guilt on Anne’s part for their last fight on top of the Newtopian walls. Anne was understandably angry but she was being vicious in their last fight, going for headshots and kill blows (crew members even pointed it out on twitter afterwards). Sasha was obviously holding back, constantly on the defensive and not even trying to go on the offensive, and could have ended the fight at multiple points if she wanted to (like in the photo below) but she chose to try and reason with Anne. I think Anne recognizes this and feels bad about it. She thinks they both screwed up in their last encounter. 

And Anne got to see the start of Sasha’s change. “Turning Point” was obviously the true start to Sasha’s redemption where she was at a crossroads and finally made the right choice, but “True Colors” was where she first decided to have Anne’s back and hold Andrias off so that Anne and Marcy could make it through the portal. We got to see them work together (in a “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” sort of way). Sasha finally gives up control to someone else by deciding to have their back and tries to take responsibility for her actions and set things right. Anne got to see Sasha’s good qualities shine through even if it was only for a moment.

Sasha’s moment of standing up to the Olm leader also shows a moment of growth. Sasha has stood in that very position and yelled at leaders before in “Barrel’s Warhammer” as shown below.

In “Barrel’s Warhammer” she is standing on top of a toad soldier, not caring who she has to walk on for power, and yelling at the leaders because they don’t want her and Grime to lead after hearing that Anne and Marcy were working together in Newtopia. In “Olm Town Road” she is standing atop a drill, a symbol of corruption and greed, that the leader is arguing is planted and defending Lysil and Angwin, two olms she just met, claiming that she doesn’t care what the Olm’s think of her if they can’t see what’s right in front of them, pointing out their hypocrisy.

Overall I had fun with these episodes and really liked how Sasha was used in them (she easily stole the show) but they weren’t exactly what I was expecting if I’m completely honest. The Plantars were kind of just there and they have a tendency to lose relevance within this half of the season. They haven’t had much focus in season 3B (Sprig gets a few episodes later but this doesn’t entirely fix the problem) and they don’t get much growth with anyone outside of Anne save for “Grime’s pupil”.

This was also a really odd cut off point for the episode. I remember watching this when I came out and being confused by that decision. It works better when you can go straight into “Mother of Olms” like I did on this rewatch. I think this odd ending point also played into why people were frustrated with the episode “Mother of Olms” because they had a week of anticipation and build up for what ended up being only 2 minutes worth of plot progression.

Mother of Olms/Grime’s Pupil

“Mother of Olms” was an interesting episode because on the one hand it did finally reveal the prophecy to the characters in the show and we got the implication that Anne could activate Sasha and Marcy’s powers on the other this is a prophecy that any fan that watches youtube or is active in the cartoon community would already know about. 

I watch VGMarkis’ videos (which are phenomenal by the way. I recommend watching his episode breakdowns. His channel is linked) and so I already knew about the prophecy before this episode which sadly made this less enjoyable for me. That and I’ve never been the biggest fan of gross out humor which this episode was chalk full of (though I did enjoy the magic school bus homage that the journey to mother olm’s brain evoked).

But on a much more positive note the music, colors, and animation in this episode were all phenomenal. I’ve always loved the softer color palette that amphibia uses for its world and characters and the coloring for mother Olm and the cave surrounding her were all really pleasing to the eye. The music that played when mother olm recanted the prophecy and answered Anne and Sasha’s questions was great and makes me wish that Amphibia could get  its score released (there are other great tracks like Sasha’s theme, Marcy’s truth, Anne’s powers, etc). 

On a rewatch I actually like this episode a lot more than I did the first time. It hasn’t jumped up to be among my favorites of the series but I wasn’t disappointed like I was when I first watched the episode. I think sometimes expectations can be built sky high when waiting a week, especially for an episode that promises plot progression in a show like Amphibia. I had a lot more fun with this episode and liked the reveal of the prophecy much more. I could sit back and take in the visuals and music without anything clouding my expectations which really helped me.

The extra ramblings of mother olm are also a lot clearer on re-watch. Mother olm talks about how Anne, Sasha, and Marcy are meant to save Amphibia from their worst selves while the screen shows them fighting off what has been confirmed to be “a symbolic representation of Amphibia’s greed and corruption”. This once again hammers home the themes of the show. Amphibia is about change and growth and becoming your best self. Anne and Sasha have both changed for the better from their first appearances and they have changed the characters around them for the better as well. 

This is also the case for Marcy (not to the same degree as Sasha and Anne but still). She helped Newtopia and effected Yunan, Olivia, and is implied to have at the very least seeded doubt into Andrias. This whole show is about change for the better and bringing out the best in others so it could be setting up Andrias to do “one good thing” with his life. I don’t think he’s had enough moments of doubt and genuine connection to set him up for a full redemption but having him do one good thing would be fitting.

Marcy is the only one of the three friends that still has an arc to undergo. Anne and Sasha have gotten to the point where they have been able to work through their toxic traits and have made genuine connections. Matt Braly said that Marcy didn’t make any genuine connections in her time in Amphibia and this hurdle is part of her character arc. I really want to see how this will be handled. I have faith in the Amphibia crew so I’m not nervous.

Also Sasha was pathetic this episode and it was really funny. The fearless leader of the rebellion who has never had to put her name in the book of cowards tried to sit out this mission because it was too gross. 

In the first 2 and a half seasons because of Sasha’s limited screen time every episode she was in was very plot and character focused. She didn’t really get the chance to be ridiculous in the same way everyone else was because her episodes were heavy in drama and angst. Now thanks to her upgrade in status to the main cast she gets to have these types of moments and I couldn’t be happier.

I unironically loved “Grime’s Pupil”. It wasn’t the episode I thought I would come away enjoying more between the two but it was. I really like the decision to pair up Grime and Sprig. They haven’t had much of a chance to interact in the series and none of their interactions have been one on one until now. I am biased because I love Grime and I have wanted more of him since the show returned to Amphibia. His dynamic with Sasha is my favorite in the entire series but I have wanted to see how he interacts with other characters when he’s outside of Sasha’s orbit for a while now.

Sprig and Grime was such a fun dynamic to explore. I didn’t really think that much about the level of animosity Sprig must have felt towards Grime for years until this episode and I liked how it handled Grime and Sprig learning to respect the people that each of them had become. Grime is no longer the tyrant who only wanted power and didn’t care for the people beneath him and Sprig isn’t a helpless, weak frog that toads are conditioned to believe all frogs are.

I love how exaggerated Grime and Sprig’s expressions would become in this episode. They got to have some of the most fun and dynamic animation in 3B. I liked how the exaggeration was used in the fights as well to emphasize Grime and Sprig’s strengths in their fight against the Hybeenas (I don’t know if I spelled that right).

I also enjoyed being able to see Sasha and Anne being friends and in a partnership leading the rebellion. Anne filling in Sasha’s blind spots when it comes to the feelings of Sprig and Grime and backing her up in her decree that made Sprig and Grime work together was just fun background development. That and the fact that we’ve gotten to see them be a lot more casual with their touches and interactions (like holding hands in “Mother of Olms”, Sasha slinging her arm around Anne’s shoulders, the “drumroll please”, etc). There isn’t the weight or awkwardness that was present in season 2 and we are seeing two people who are childhood friends interacting.

We get to see some cracks in Sasha’s usually put together facade (let's face it Sasha is a mess underneath. We all know it) during the cheer at Sprig and Beatrix’s matchup. “I’m very busy Hop Pop!” and not changing the cheer makes me question how exactly she is coping with the stress she is under. This is just a little thing that I would like to see more insight into if possible.

The Root of Evil

“The Root of Evil” was unexpected because I would have never in a million years thought that a cartoon airing on Disney channel would have an entire episode paying homage to Midsommar. I remember watching Midsommar in theaters when it came out (I am a fan of many A24 films and appreciate their horror) and so I understood all the references.

This scene in particular gave me chills. Anyone who’s watched the movie knows  what this is referencing and lets just say it’s not nearly as fun as this makes it out to be which should say something.

I really like how season 3 is bringing back aspects from seasons 1 and 2 so that the story really feels like it is coming full circle. This is a plot point I knew was going to come back when I first watched “Children of the Spore” and I’m only shocked that it didn’t come back earlier.

I appreciate that this is a Hop Pop centric episode. There isn’t any real new development on his end though which I wish was rectified. The Plantars feel superfluous at times and when they do get the spotlight it doesn’t really further their development as characters or their relationship to others (Polly is sort of just there in 3B). I understand that season 3B has a lot of ground to cover and I think the decision to focus on other characters and plot points works because of this. I just feel that most of the episodes focusing on the Plantars this season haven’t packed the same punch that episodes in seasons 1 and 2 did.

Side note: I love the Major Armstrong reference. This actually isn’t the only Fullmetal Alchemist brotherhood reference this show has made. My favorite is probably Anne pointing at Sasha when being dragged out of the throne room in “True Colors” being a reference to the scene where Edward swears to come back for Alphonse when he sees him at the doors of truth.

Also there continues to be Hop Pop death flags. 

Amphibia Season 3B Thoughts (Part 2)

Since Amphibia is entering its endgame with this week’s episodes “The Three Armies/The Beginning of the End” I have decided to write out my thoughts on Amphibia season 3B so far. Because of Tumblr’s image limit I decided to split it into 2 parts. This part covers the episodes “The Core and The King” up to “Fight or Flight” (Here’s part 1 and my series thoughts so far) Without further ado lets jump right in.

The Core and The King

I enjoyed “the Root of Evil” and knew when they introduced the mind control collars in “Commander Anne” that they were going to reintroduce the spores from season 1 and Jeremy. But it should come as no surprise to anyone that the episode I came away loving more was “The Core and the King”. I think this was my favorite episode of season 3B so far. It finally let us see Darcy again and gave us insight into Andrias’ past, something that had been mentioned and hinted at with the torn painting but never seen, and it didn’t disappoint. I think it would have benefitted from being a 22 minute special episode, especially with selling us on Barrel and Leif’s characters, but not a second of the 11 minute runtime was wasted.

First thing’s first. We finally got to spend time with Darcy and get to know them. Getting confirmation that Marcy is still in there, just not the dominant personality, and seeing just how her quirks and passions have seeped through was fascinating but also deeply creepy. (It’s like a constant reminder that this isn’t really Marcy but a bunch of old, undying minds who have started the world's most morbid sock puppet routine.)

The core loving red velvet cupcakes with ube frosting and naming themselves Darcy because of Marcy’s favorite video game were nice touches that lay the groundwork for Sasha and Anne being able to get through to Marcy when they finally come face to face. Marcy may be locked in a room inside the core but she clearly isn’t entirely restrained.

“So is Marcy in there or…” this line said a lot. Andrias sounded hopeful, but trying to play it off as casual, that marcy would still be there. He really does care about her and reinforces the parallels that can be found in his relationship with Marcy with Grime and Sasha as well as Anne and Hop Pop. It also further sets up his possible betrayal of the core for Marcy’s sake. I think it is a possibility that he does one good thing with his life that turns the tides of the final battle. (or he could allow himself to be possessed once Marcy breaks free in one last desperate bid to gain his father’s approval. I’m leaning towards the former but this is a possibility)

Andrias’ backstory was finally revealed in this episode and we get to see how distorted his version in True Colors was. Barrel didn’t betray him. He sent Barrel away and started the caste system seen in Amphibia in the present day. It’s like I had already theorized. He was betrayed by Leif which caused him to double down and commit to toxic mindsets that his father enforced. He is in a way a dark parallel to Anne. 

I originally thought he would be made a parallel to Sasha because I believed his friends would betray him because he would double down on his lust for power and colonization but that wasn’t the case which was an interesting twist on my expectations. 

This episode heavily implies that Leif is a Plantar when she does the Plantar family dance for Barrel and Andrias in the garden. This has basically been confirmed as of Newts in Tights with Sasha and Hop Pop finding Leif’s room in the Plantar family basement that contains a red paper note that her and Andrias would use to communicate. (This will definitely play an important role in Andrias’ final decision in the last few episodes.)

I like the decision to have Leif change her mind about using the box because she sees that Amphibia is in danger if they keep using it. Often in media there is a character that just knows what they have been raised to believe is wrong and that is why they do the right thing rather than having to learn through experience and grow out of their mindset. I like that they decided against that route and instead went in the direction of her seeing that this will lead to the destruction of Amphibia rather than the prosperity they hoped. It makes for a more natural clash between childhood friends in my opinion. 

I wouldn’t go so far as to say Andrias is a good person deep down but that he seems to want to do what is best for Amphibia. His father’s manipulations coupled with Leif stealing the box out of desperation make it so he has a warped perception of what the right thing to do is. 

He clearly has doubts about whether this really is for the best with everything in the last scene portraying this conflict. His memory of Leif’s words “We have your back. Together, we can use that power for good.”, the burning of the painting, and his line of “Ready? After a thousand years, I've thought of..nothing else.” all sound more like he is trying to convince himself of this fact than reassure Darcy. 

The show is clearly setting Andrias up for a big decision sometime in the finale where he will be forced to choose between Leif’s words (especially now that they have a letter from her that he is definitely going to see at some point) and making his father “proud”.

The voice cast was stellar this episode from William Houston as King Aldrich to Jason Ritter as Barrel to Cassandra Lee Morris as Leif but I want to shout out Zeno Robinson in particular. He’s really become a powerhouse in Disney Animation voice acting with his performances of Remy on Big City Greens, Hunter on The Owl House, and now Young King Andrias on Amphibia. 

I loved the way he would make his voice deeper whenever he would turn towards his father’s ideals and away from his friends. The start of this transition could be heard when he has the outburst at Leif when she says they can do good with the box and he does his best Keith David impression at the end when he banishes Barrel and commits to “redeeming” himself.

This Episode also surprisingly explained why there was a single free moss man way back in the season 1 episode “Wally and Anne”.

Newts in Tights/Fight or Flight

I like how these episodes once again brought back a season one plot point. Nothing is really redundant in this show. So much “filler” within amphibia contains important character moments, plot points, or little details that are important down the line to the story. Tritonio and Domino II are characters I initially thought would be one offs when I first watched season 1 and I’m glad I was wrong.

“Newts in Tights” was a funny episode that managed to keep sight of its heart. I thought the humor and allusions to Robin Hood were all fun and Anne’s reactions to it all were the best part. With these episodes being in Matt Braly’s own words the last fun episodes of Amphibia it was fitting.

The decision to return to Anne and Sprig adventures for these last two fun episodes was a smart one. It’s a good reminder of how important Anne and Sprig’s friendship is to the series. Their friendship was the catalyst for Anne’s change and represents the core messages of Amphibia: change, growth, and becoming your best self.

This episode really emphasizes that there is strength in connections and that you have control of how you respond to things. Tritonio’s continued insistence on the rules of the streets is a learned behavior that he must make the active decision to work against. This has been a recurring theme in the show but especially this season. Sasha and Grime are prime examples.

Grime and Sasha chose to change. Tritonio chose to change. Their connections were catalysts that pushed them in that direction but the choice was ultimately their own. Just like their past bad actions were their own.

The closing scene was probably the most important part of the episode by far. They find Leif’s room in the Plantar basement and Sprig opens her “blank” note. This message is definitely going to play a very important role in Andrias’ actions in the finale. That note is one of the ones that Andrias and Leif created that only he can read with his special glasses. I’m going to guess that these are Leif’s final words to Andrias before she left for earth.

This really gives an air of fate and inevitability to what the girls have gone through in the series even more than the prophecy. It’s a fascinating case of the cyclical nature of life but also of how you can break the pattern. Sasha, Anne, and Marcy aren’t going to fall into the same trappings of Andrias and his friends and I think that can make this ending even more powerful.

Domino II being the alpha was foreshadowed! I was not expecting this rant from Anne to have any significance at all, but it came around in a really big way. This is just further proof of how well planned out this series is. Everything is coming back around and I am onboard with it.

I mostly have scattered thoughts about this episode (This has become a lot longer than I initially intended). Domino II’s babies are all adorable. I 100% understand how everyone fell in love with them so quickly. I love Sprig having Anne’s back through everything. I called Sasha being a dog person and I think it’s so funny that her and Grime adopt the hairless cat. Wally Jr. and his tiny hat have my heart.

Anne has always been a character that follows her heart and seeing how that pays off in such a big way this episode is nice especially considering things are definitely going to go south next week. Anne’s big heart has always been her biggest strength and a large part of why I love her as a main character so much. She always tries to do the right thing even when things don’t work out and I’ve loved watching her journey the past 2 years.

Thoughts and predictions for the finale

I’m not the best with predictions so I don’t usually make them but I thought “why not?” this show is ending and I have some ideas for where it can go. None of these are concrete and I won’t be upset if they don’t end up happening.

Marcy will end up going home and moving. Marcy’s flaws lead to her running from this situation and to have it come full circle I think she would have to return and accept this.

If anyone stays in Amphibia it will be Sasha. I think all 3 will end up going home but if one of them has to stay Sasha is who I think it will be.

Someone will end up sacrificing themself. In particular I think it will be one (or all) of the Amphibians that have been most deeply affected by the girls and become mentor/parental figures to them (Grime, Hop Pop, and Andrias).

Earth will be part of the final fight. I hope that we finally get to see the Wus and Waybrights. I think we’ll get confirmation that Sasha is estranged from at least one of her parents (probably her father since Grime has filled a father role of sorts for her).

“The Hardest Thing” will deal with the aftermath of the fight against the core and Andrias with the hardest thing being saying goodbye to their found families and friendships.

Anne will have a big sacrifice play in the finale. She won’t die but there is a pattern. Reunion had Sasha almost sacrifice herself, True Colors had Marcy almost sacrifice herself, and it stands that this season will have Anne almost sacrifice herself.

She-ra Season 2 Re-watch Thoughts

Season 2 is much more tonally consistent than season 1. The tone doesn’t shift as much episode to episode as it did in the first season with more of a mix of humor and seriousness within the episodes themselves without comedy dampening the drama. For example the episode “Roll with It” did have a lot of comedy in it, but it didn’t dampen the revelation as to why Adora was being so meticulous. In fact I thought that moment hit harder because of it. They did a very good job of showing Adora’s frustration being in stark contrast to everyone else’s carefree attitudes towards the planning. The most jarring episode in terms of tonal shifts is probably Ties that Bind and that episode is actually pretty great on the whole despite the swift wind humor falling flat for me.

You can’t talk about season 2 without mentioning its magnum opus episode light spinner. This episode manages to be a linchpin in the series moving forward tying together the fates of all the main heroines (Adora, Catra, and Glimmer) with shadow weaver in the past, present, and future. This show puts an emphasis on cycles and learning how to break them and this episode masterfully shows those cycles that shadow weaver creates.

I do think this season suffered from dreamworks or netflix deciding to split up seasons 2 and 3. This season, while having some great episodes, was mostly build up to season 3. Everything that was set up and established in this season was paid off in season 3: Hordak and Entrapta’s portal experiment and Catra’s desperation for motherly love that was denied her and jealousy over shadow weaver’s preferential treatment of Adora all come to a head in the third season. This made it so that I enjoyed this season a lot more the second time around than the first. The first time around it felt very cut off and I couldn’t help but be disappointed to not get the climax the episodes were clearly building to. I will say the payoff was well worth the wait, but that just makes the decision to cut the season in 2 to be more ill thought out in my opinion because the pacing works much better when you can go right into season 3 without the wait.

She-ra Season 3 Re-watch Thoughts

I don’t think there’s a single bad or even just okay episode this season. I loved every single episode. I think this is when she-ra became great. There were kernels of the potential the show had here and there throughout the first two seasons (especially the episodes promise and light spinner), but this season really capitalized on all the tension built from the first two. It had a strong focus on the effects of abuse on Adora and Catra. This led to Catra and Adora’s moments of truth. Both aren’t yet able to break free from the effects of the abuse, but while Adora makes steps toward trying to work through it Catra starts to give in and become what her abuse made her. It’s a tragic arc for both actually.

Adora’s guilt complex and crushing expectations make it so that she can’t see her own worth past what she does for others. She starts to stop taking the blame for what others have done with her telling Catra “You made your decision. Now live with it.”. She’s realized she can’t save Catra from herself. If Catra is to be redeemed Catra has to make the decision. Catra falls into denial of her own faults and lets the pain of abandonment fuel her. And in the end every moment breaking Catra down lead to this conclusion. The breaking point for her was when everything she actually wanted was right there, Adora was by her side and shadow weaver was proud of her, and then it was all yanked away.

Adora right after her breakthrough with not taking fault for Catra’s mistake sadly has a major setback when Angella sacrifices herself in Adora’s place. The lesson Angella imparted on Adora was what Adora needed to hear. It was that Adora, not she-ra, was the one who inspired the rebellion and Angella. It is Adora’s courage and character that makes she-ra a hero not she-ra’s abilities. And it’s really sad that this doesn’t have the intended effect because Adora feels like she should have died in Angella’s place and now Glimmer has lost a mother because of it. It gets even worse in season 4 when Glimmer and her fight and there is a rift between them. Adora’s guilt becomes overwhelming.

Season 3 was a turning point for the series. This is where things became serious, where the lines between characters and their opposition to each other was cemented, where mysteries that effect the main characters and change their world start to get revealed, the stakes and consequences are real and everything isn’t fixed by the end. This season finale was game changing. It once again has the Catra and Adora dynamic at its heart and it’s once again complicated and crushed by shadow weaver. The shadow weaver, Catra, and Adora dynamic is the most complex and complicated of the entire show.

Catra’s pain and anger over shadow weaver’s abandonment of her in the fright zone and her preferential treatment of Adora making it so that Catra misplaces her anger about shadow weaver onto Adora is so heartbreaking and emotional. The emotional climax to the season in my eyes is the confrontations between Adora and Catra in the portal reality. All the pain, anger, and sadness is just on full display.

The scene where Adora tells Catra “Everything will be okay as long as we stay together” played right next to the “Promise” scene with the music box playing showing the corruption or distortion of an innocent childhood promise that has brought about so much pain into both of their lives was so impactful to me. And Catra’s breakdown where she tells Adora “I won’t let you win. I’d rather see the whole world end than let that happen.” hurt so much. I kept replaying that scene once I finished the season. I think that scene and the episode “Remember” are my most re-watched until season 5 came around (though it may be promise and the cliff scene that are my most re-watched. I’m not entirely sure.). This show excels at its emotional moments and confrontations. It’s fights aren’t really flashy and it makes up for it by making them highly emotional. The two fights they have in the final two episodes of this season are no exception.

I couldn’t believe what had happened. Everything about this season blew me away when I first watched it. The way shadow weaver revealed Adora’s origins, Adora’s struggle with how everything about her life was forced upon her, Catra’s breakdown over shadow weaver’s abandonment of her, corrupted Catra, both of Adora and Catra’s fights, the entirety of remember, Angella’s sacrifice, and much more. I liked almost everything about this season. The tone was pretty consistent and there weren’t any moments or episodes that I found to be in jarring contrast with the rest of the season. This is actually the season that is the most tonally consistent. I can’t say enough good things about the character drama. Thinking about Catra and Adora’s arcs this season always makes me emotional. I just feel so much for both of them. It’s so tragic how they both got to this point.

Best of Animation 2021 - Where I Really Come From (Invincible)

“Finish high school I guess”

When I read that line in the comics for the first time I thought it was meant to sound defeated or unsure. Mark had just been beaten within an inch of his life by his father, who he loved, and wasn’t sure what to do with his life. I thought Mark was feeling defeated. But when Steven Yeun spoke the line in the show there is a much more hopeful tone to his voice that I think brings so much to the character and this moment that my initial interpretation lacked.

Mark is unsure of his future and he is hurting from his fight with his father but his spirit isn’t broken. He still has hope for the future and he still wants to do good. Mark’s spirit and drive are unbreakable, or invincible if you will, just like the title of the show. It brings new meaning to the moment and his actions that will follow.

The voice acting, animation, music, etc all come together to create an unforgettable experience that improves upon the source material. That final line reading by Steven Yeun blew me away in hindsight because it’s something so little but it has such a massive impact on the story and Mark’s characterization that I personally didn’t get when I read the comics (The comics are phenomenal and I highly recommend reading them so saying the show improves certain aspects of the story is high praise).

One rather impressive feat is how well the show translates how the invincible comics portrayed violence.

The invincible comics were well known for their bloody and visceral fights and translating that to the screen could have been a tricky task. Violence is something that could easily become gratuitous and be purely used for shock value if used incorrectly. The show sidesteps this by having every use in this episode serve a purpose. At no point does it distract from the personal conflict that drives the episode- the clash of ideologies and upbringing between a father and his son. 

For example, seeing the destruction in the city after Mark is punched through a building. We see Mark pulling a severed arm from the building rubble after he fails to save the building and a daughter soaked in the blood of her crushed father. All this shocks and horrifies you in the same way it does Mark. That is the arm of a mother he failed to save and it happens right after he tells the mother’s child not to be afraid. We are being faced with the same hard truth that Nolan is trying to beat into Mark. That Mark can’t protect himself let alone anyone else. 

And the same can be said about the train scene. This scene is easily the goriest and most brutal sequence of the entire show (which is saying something) but it very effectively gets across how fragile humans are to Viltrumites. Mark comes out of the ordeal physically unscathed while hundreds of people die. They splatter against Mark almost like a bug does on the windshield of a car (though much more mentally scarring). Nolan even compares humans to pets and talks about humans being lesser than viltrumites further accentuating this point.

There are a lot more examples but anyone who’s seen the episode I think understands. These scenes are gory and intense but they are used very effectively within the context they are being used. If you were to remove any one of them (at least in this episode) something would be lost.

JK Simmons is excellent at getting across that Nolan is trying just as hard to convince himself of these lessons he’s trying to beat into Mark. Each step he takes is him trying to prove to himself that he sees these people as inconsequential collateral in the viltrumite’s conquest like his upbringing taught him to believe.

The photo above may have become a meme but it is an excellent scene that puts Nolan’s desperation on full display. It conveys the conflict between who he’s become from his time on earth and the loyal viltrumite he was so well. And it leads into the best moment in the entire episode.

“What will you have after five hundred years?”

“You dad. I’d still have you.”

This whole episode was amazing. It is easily one of my favorite episodes of television ever but it was this moment that hit the hardest.

Even after everything Nolan has done- all the people he’s killed and how brutally he’s beaten Mark- Mark still loves his father. 

This episode manages to expand on what was ultimately a single issue fight and really dig into the core tragedy of it. 

The one moment I think the comic does better is the moment when Nolan flies away, leaving Mark alive, and crying once he reaches space. I don’t think it was clear enough that he was crying. A lot of people I know didn’t catch on to that fact and a few reviewers didn’t either. In the comics it was very clear and purposefully put into stark contrast so that no one could miss it. This is a little moment but it is one thing I wanted to point out due to how significant that tiny moment is for Nolan’s character.

I’ve seen a lot of people trash Invincible’s animation online and while I do agree there are instances of noticeable CGI that can take you out of it there are also incredibly beautiful and breathtaking sequences of animation as well. A lot of this episode has amazing animation. They spared no expenses on the fight. Here are a few of my favorite moments.

This episode isn’t short on spectacle but it also hits all its smaller moments as well. I’ve mentioned a few above but I want to shine a light on a smaller one near the end of the episode.

The moment I’m talking about is in the hospital when Debbie tells Mark she’s proud of him. She goes to touch his face and he turns away. There’s so much pain in that small moment. Mark is hurting because of the betrayal, the trauma of the events, and because he failed and lost his father even though he tried his best. It’s these smaller moments in the aftermath of the fight that works really well.

When it is trying to set up future events it distracts a bit from what the episode is trying to do but I’m grateful it takes the time to have the quieter moments that get across the heartbreak of the characters, especially Debbie and Mark.

Despite everything going on Invincible never loses sight of the vulnerability and humanity of these characters.  

I can’t wait to see the rest of the Invincible comics animated and brought to life for a new audience. Trust me this is just the beginning. It gets even better from here.

Extra Thoughts

I love the way JK Simmons emphasizes “believe” when he’s telling Mark the truth about Viltrum. “But I believe in our cause” He’s talking about the past but he makes sure to emphasize that this is a present belief which I think plays into how a lot of JK Simmons’ performance hints that Nolan is also trying to convince himself of the rhetoric that he’s spouting at Mark.

I really like how the Viltrumite’s uniforms are white. White is usually associated with good and purity. It’s typically seen as heroic which can be seen in the rhetoric that Nolan is regurgitating to Mark. He’s speaking of the Viltrumite’s actions and conquest as a good thing. It’s all painted in a positive light. There’s a dissonance between how the history is relayed to Mark and how it is seen on screen. Everything Nolan says is sanitized and belays the bloody reality of everything that happened. I just really like this detail.

The score for this episode was fantastic and I really hope it gets released at some point.

I didn’t want to put this above due to the fact I want to stay positive but I wasn’t a fan of Mark and Amber getting back together. With how the show did their relationship I would have preferred them staying broken up. I don’t hate Amber’s character and would actually like to see her friendship with Eve explored and I would have been interested in seeing her be friends possibly with Mark instead of a relationship. I just don’t think they wrote the relationship well enough to get me invested and it’s pretty clear even without reading the comics that they aren’t meant to be endgame. (If you like their relationship then great. It just wasn’t for me)

I know I already said this but I can’t wait for season 2 and 3!

The Beginning of the End Thoughts

Wow. Just wow. I knew the Amphibia series finale was going to emotionally destroy me but what I wasn’t prepared for was the fact that it had me tearing up within the first minute of The Beginning of the End. Marcy was already an incredibly relatable character but that opening scene hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting (it hit too close to home. I am way too much like Marcy) and really made you understand why Marcy did what she did. 

Marcy is a character who is incredibly lonely. Anne said it herself in this episode that she and Sasha never gave any of Marcy’s interests a chance or paid attention when she would ramble on about them. That opening scene of Marcy being so excited about this movie that she loves, quoting it and info dumping about it to the two, wearing a blanket as a cape, and trying to hide her disappointment when they don’t share any of her enthusiasm touched upon her isolation in such a poignant way in such a short amount of time. 

Many people can probably relate to Marcy. I know that I have experienced that same thing multiple times in my life. Marcy has always been heavily neurodivergent coded but this just encapsulated that experience in less than one minute. She went through life not being able to connect with others very easily and found connection and understanding in media. All of her attempts to share that experience were met with halfhearted or nonexistent reactions. She wants to share this connection and experience with people she cares about. But she is left alone watching the movie every time while Sasha and Anne sleep. That disconnect is something that makes everything so clear and painful.

For Marcy it wasn’t a matter of if the friendship fell apart after she left but a matter of when. I can’t blame Marcy for this. Was her decision rash? Yes. Was it selfish? Yes. Was it the wrong choice? Yes. But do I understand it? Yes. 

She was a scared and lonely thirteen year old child who didn’t want to lose the few people who did hang out with her.

I will admit that I was a little scared about how the show would handle Marcy in these last few episodes because she is the only one of the three that hasn’t completed her personal arc but this episode wiped those worries away completely. If they could craft such an emotional and relatable minute of animation that could make everything about Marcy’s decision, character, and friendships snap into place then I knew they could do her character justice in the final two episodes.

This is why I could never get behind people saying that the trio was best splitting ways after Amphibia because of all the betrayals. Sasha, Anne, and Marcy were going to fall apart as a friend group before they went to Amphibia and they spent the majority of their time in Amphibia apart. They are the definition of sometimes you have to grow apart before you can come back together. They had to fall apart as friends and grow as people separate from each other before they could come back together as true friends. Just like Anne said.

Anne points out that Sasha herself is proof of this. Sasha did genuinely care for Marcy and Anne but she wasn’t a good friend (that line where she tells Marcy she didn’t care about the spoiler hurt so much) and the core also calls her out on it too. But Sasha grew during her time in Amphibia to where she is kinder, more understanding, and legitimately supportive with the entirety of “The Three Armies” serving to hit this point home. And if Sasha can change, the girl most set in her ways, then so can Marcy. And if Anne and Sasha’s friendship could be salvaged then so could their relationship to Marcy.

This goes into one of my favorite parts of the episodes (outside of it making me somehow love Marcy even more) getting to see Sasha and Anne as true friends. I really like their dynamic now that they have patched things up and both grown significantly as people. Sasha supports Anne at every turn and tries to help even when she very obviously has doubts about Anne’s plan of action. But you also get to see little pieces of the good parts of their old friendship and how it is enhanced by their new dynamic such as when they used their old dance to become so in sync that they could beat Olivia and Yunan. 

Now onto Anne and Sasha finally coming face to face with Darcy. This scene was everything I wanted. The core taunting Anne and Sasha with the personal information they know about them and knowing what will hurt them the most. Sasha’s genuine hurt and anger over Darcy implying that Sasha and Marcy were never really friends to begin with. Anne managing to outwit the core and buy herself some time. The tragedy of the three friends’ situation. 

The core being revealed to the girls has been a long time coming and I wasn’t disappointed. They knew exactly what buttons to press and how ruthless to be. It’s still so creepy because of the mannerisms and memories that it has from Marcy. It really hammers home how morbid this sock puppet routine of theirs is. I can’t wait to see even more of them in the next episode.

I just hope that Sasha doesn’t actually get mind controlled because she needs to be there with Anne to free Marcy. They both need to play an active role in that moment for their friendship to come together. I’m sure that will be the case but that made me a bit nervous. I’m sure I’m worrying about nothing because Amphibia nails its finales.

While the decision fills me with way too much anticipation I believe ending on Andrias and the Core invading earth was the perfect place to stop. This is really the final chapter and I can’t wait to see how it ends. All In is 48 minutes and all these episodes did was prove that I’m not ready. I thought I was prepared but then this episode made me tear up within the first minute and I realized I was doomed.

Amphibia also knows exactly when and how to change its end credits and these ones hurt so much. The soft piano rendition of Marcy’s theme over the scene of her watching her favorite movie alone while Anne and Sasha sleep was a gut punch. This really emphasized the tragedy of Marcy’s story, her isolation, her escapism tendencies, and how her naivete and loneliness led her to this point.

There’s also the fact that I don’t think their dynamic was 100% one sided. It’s true that they didn’t show the care and appreciation they should have towards Marcy’s interests and this was shown many times throughout the series before this point but Sasha and Anne bring up things Marcy has said or interests of hers up when she isn’t there at multiple points. They took their friendship with Marcy for granted and should have shown more active interest in what she would tell them about. I just want to point out that they did care just not in the way Marcy needed but now they are at a point where they can both recognize this and rectify it because of how much they have grown.

That episode may be one of my top five of the series. It does such an amazing job with Marcy and has such great music that I can’t help but be blown away. I didn’t think I could relate any more to Marcy but here we are. It also sets up so much going into the final two episodes that I can’t wait to explore. 

Scattered thoughts

I love Grime in these episodes.

Sasha and Grime have a few wholesome moments. I have missed their dynamic recently.

I liked that The Three Armies came to the conclusion that Anne can’t solve hundreds of years of systemic and class issues between the toads, newts, and frogs. The three factions can’t solve them right away either but they can start.

I loved Anne being named mediator of the year at her school.