Amphibia Season 3B Thoughts (Part 2)

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 5 Re-watch Thoughts

This season the animation and art design is easily at its most beautiful. The actions are more fluid, the use of color is phenomenal, and the character’s faces and bodies are at their most expressive yet. I really loved the She-ra redesign and prefer it over the original design they had by quite a lot. I loved the scenes where softer colors were used. This is especially prevalent in the final episode after Adora defeats Horde Prime. The colors were breathtaking and it’s clear the time and effort that went into making the final shots be ingrained in your memory. I know it will be ingrained in mine. I thought the animation bumps between seasons 2 and 3 and seasons 3 and 4 were impressive but this is on a different level. It’s like everything was taken up to 11.

She-ra never lost sight of its characters and always managed to keep the focus on them and their struggles despite the larger than life stakes that were happening around them. This season paid off the character arcs of Adora, Catra, and Entrapta really well. My favorite episodes were the ones that were intensely character focused (corridors, save the cat, failsafe, heart). The show knows what its strength is and holds to it.

I came into this series not sure what to expect. I wasn’t familiar with she-ra (I had seen he-man) or the characters and hadn’t read Noelle’s work. So when I watched the first season and saw how nuanced and complicated the characters and their relationships were I was enthralled. I woke up every night that a new season dropped at 2 or 3 in the morning (based on which time zone I was in) to binge the season. I was so impressed with the character work of the show. There aren’t many shows that manage to blow me away with its characters. A large part of that is the fact that I could connect with a lot of the characters and understand them. This show managed to help me in ways I didn’t know I needed at the time and helped me distance myself from a toxic family situation. My thoughts on the show are biased because of this but that’s the case with everyone when it comes to media. There are going to be certain things that connect more with some people than others.

There’s a good and bad way of a show knowing what it is. This show takes knowing what it is in a good direction. It knows it’s a character drama that has the relationships and individual character arcs front and center and it uses the war setting as a vehicle for these things. Not everyone will like this because this makes it so the show focuses on consequences for personal actions more frequently than for war related actions. It isn't a war story. This worked for me, but won't for everyone.

In this season it uses Horde Prime and his “cult” as a metaphor for organized religion which is used to complete Catra, Adora, and Hordak’s arcs of self actualization and coming to terms with what you want and that you have a choice. This I think is done well because of how it matches with it's themes of working through programming and unlearning toxic behavior ingrained by your upbringing. I can easily say that She-ra has produced some of my favorite characters and I loved the conclusions to their arcs.

My one real issue with this season is that I think the tonal issues were jarring. To break it down it went from the premiere “Horde Prime” which was pretty dark showing the hopeless position of the rebellion and Adora’s struggle with her identity now that she-ra is gone and her suicidal drive to push herself to be useful to “Launch” which has a lot of things that are played for laughs and just felt like an odd shift especially considering that it is followed by “Corridors” which is an intense character study of Catra and her pain and loneliness and deals with her coming to terms with the fact that a lot of her anger and pain was misdirected at Adora all these years and that Adora has truly cared about her.

Then “Corridors” is followed by “Stranded” which is much more lighthearted and while it does deal with Adora coming to the decision to go back for Catra and her conflict over doing what she wants over what would be best for Etheria while Glimmer and Bow reconcile (or start to) a lot of the episode is used for levity. Catra is in a life threatening situation so while the reasoning for the main characters making this stop make sense the shift and lack of urgency at times doesn't work well in the context of the season.

Then that episode is followed by “Save the Cat” which is one of the most emotionally charged episodes of the show which has Adora refusing to make the same mistake she made in the pilot and refuses to leave horde prime’s ship without Catra even if it is the death of her. Adora places Catra above everything else. This episode is heartbreaking and calls back to all their misunderstandings, pain, history, and disconnects. This episode is followed by “Taking Control” which I think does a much better job of keeping the tone of “Save the Cat” and moving the plot and character arcs along. But then it’s followed by “Perils of Peekablue” which, while it’s a fun episode, it is very jarring to be pulled out of the very dramatic and dark episodes that came previously. Scorpia's sacrifice at the end worked really well as a precursor to what is waiting for our heroes when they get back to Etheria though so this episode had a better transition to the next than the ones that came before.

I am usually pretty good at being able to switch tones with a show and I think the balance between dark and light has been done very well in this show before in “Princess Prom”, “Roll with It”, “Mer-Mysteries”, “Pulse”, and “Princess Scorpia” to name a few. These episodes however didn’t mesh as well for me. I still enjoy watching them, but I think watching season 5 as a whole makes it clear that these episodes break up the tension too much. I will admit I am a bigger fan of drama than I am of comedy so I gravitated towards the much more serious episodes within the show like "Hero", "Promise", "Remember", "Failsafe", "Light Spinner", etc. I understand why there’s comedy, but I think that instead of having entire episodes dedicated to comedy they should have mixed it in like they do with the ones I named above. I’ve gone on a bit of a tangent because, while She-ra does almost everything else I want from a show, I think this is easily its biggest problem.

I think this season is my favorite season. (It’s a very close race between this season, season 4, and season 3) This season managed to pay off just about everything that was set up in the previous seasons and that is a near insurmountable task for any show. I haven’t felt this satisfied by a series finale in a very long time. The final episode tandem heart parts 1 and 2 left me speechless and I immediately started re-watching the series. I don’t know exactly what it was and how to put it into words, but that finale really hit me. It really felt like what the show was always building towards.

The fact that this big grand war ended not with a big battle, but with Adora and Catra finally coming to an understanding of both themselves and each other felt true to the show. Catra and Adora’s love-hate relationship has been the heart of the show since the beginning and it was their falling out due to their disconnect that kicked the show off in “The Sword” so it’s fitting that it’s them fully reconnecting and understanding each other that ends the series. The emphasis and climax of the show isn’t the big epic battle above, but the love confession happening below. The fact that the show manages to stay so personal and focused despite the stakes being the fate of the universe is a testament to how well written this season is in my opinion. The show comes full circle and I couldn’t have been happier with the result.

The Owl House - Top 5 Episodes of Season 2A

With the owl house returning in a month I decided to re-watch all the episodes currently released and I want to rank what I think are the 5 best episodes of season 2A for fun. This is just my opinion and I’d like to hear everyone else’s. Also almost all the episodes in this season are incredibly strong so this was really hard to do and none of these episodes are anywhere close to bad.

1. Eda’s requiem

This episode is amazing and my favorite episode of the series. It has one of the most beautiful sequences in the whole show with Eda’s requiem which is just as emotionally resonant as it is stunning. Eda’s fear of abandonment and decision to almost commit suicide to stop the emperor was arguably the most emotionally heavy the show has ever gotten. And I know it hit me like a train the first time I watched it. Not to mention it managed to create a poignant, tragic romance between Raine and Eda in the span of 22 minutes.

I really love that the show has doubled down on the found family trope that Eda, King, and Luz have become. Eda’s fear that she’ll be left behind once King and Luz have their real families paired with when Raine asks Eda “You have kids?” and Eda responds “They’re not mine. Mine.” and tries to push on with her sacrifice makes it so you are hit full force with just how replaceable Eda believes she is. Which makes the ending reveal that King made himself legally Eda’s child all the more heartwarming.  It can be hard to acknowledge just how important you are in other people’s lives and seeing this struggle displayed so honestly was powerful.

2. Knock, knock, knockin on Hooty’s door

This episode was an amazing follow up to Eda’s requiem. It has the structure of an anthology except everything comes together in the end. While I love the Lumity of this episode and that they got together without a long “will they, won’t they” period I have to say my favorite part of the episode was Eda’s portion. I appreciate that they have decided to do a deep dive on the consequences of Eda’s curse and her isolation that stems from it. In the first season it was ever present but because they wanted to keep the focus on the mystery of who cursed Eda we didn’t get to deep dive into how the curse effects her outside of the physical transformation. Seeing all the people she’s lost due to it makes the effect Luz has had on Eda all the more powerful. Also Harpy Eda is awesome.

I enjoyed all the other parts of the episode as well. The fact that Lilith and Hooty are actually pen pals was oddly heartwarming. Their friendship was something I didn’t know I needed. Hooty wanting to help everyone and doing it in a unique and kind of creepy way is really in character. I’d have to say King’s part of the episode was probably weakest which is mainly because it’s the payoff that had the least amount of build up towards it. Lumity becoming canon and Eda reconciling with the owl beast are both things that we began the journey towards in season 1.

3. Hunting palismen 

This episode was a fantastic introduction to who Hunter really is. We got glimpses of the golden guard before this point but we finally got to know the boy behind the mask. This episode makes a compelling character out of Hunter, establishing his goals and motivations as well as his grievances and shortcomings. He has an easy chemistry with Luz that makes you wish they were on the same side which worked really well if all the older brother Hunter fanart is to go by. He’s the character I’m most excited to see the trajectory for the rest of the season. He has so much potential to effect the story moving forward.

4. Eclipse lake

The character moments in this episode really made this one for me. I had been wanting to see how Amity and Hunter would interact since Hunting Palismen and this episode delivered. The similarities between the two were right in front of us and I’m happy the show decided to head right for the heart of it instead of beat around the bush and have the characters recognize it as well. 

Hunter himself seems to be an amalgamation of what I thought Lilith and Amity would be. Just like Lilith he’s dedicated his life to the emperor and the coven and fears being replaced and failing. He’s willing to do whatever necessary to make sure he isn’t useless until he finds worth outside of this. And just like Amity he has the conflict of what is planned for his future and the pressures to be perfect clash with the fact that he has found some camaraderie with people who oppose this planned future. I will admit that in season 1 I was disappointed they didn’t take Amity or Lilith in these directions but with how the show has handled them and Hunter in season 2 I am completely on board.

5. Through the looking glass ruins

I just had a lot of fun with the A and B stories of this episode. There wasn’t a ton of plot progression but that doesn’t matter because I loved the character and relationship development. On one end we finally got some more Gus development which was sorely needed and on the other we got some pretty massive Lumity development and some plot progression with finding Philip Wittebane’s journal (an echo mouse ate it but still). I almost put Yesterday’s Lie in this spot but this one beat it out just based on pure enjoyment on my end. The plot progression and drama of yesterday’s lie are phenomenal but I sometimes need an episode I can sit back and watch without having my heart torn out.

Feel free to disagree. This list is just my list and I’m sure everyone has vastly different opinions. If anyone would like to share I’d love to hear in the comments, tags, or an addition to my post. All of that is welcome.

I’ve talked on and on about how Arcane episode 9 was set up within episode 3 multiple times but this time I want to talk about another brilliant similarity within the episodes. That of Vander and Silco’s deaths. 

Both Vander and Silco are restrained and struggle to get free so that they can protect their daughter in some way which leads to their final actions (Vander fighting off Silco’s men and Silco trying to shoot Vi). Both have their daughter kneeling and holding their father’s face while he dies in their arms. And both end on a wide shot of the daughter mourning the death of their father before their next actions cause things to fall even further apart (Vi lashing out at Powder and Jinx firing the rocket at Piltover. Both have or will have devastating consequences).

Vander and Silco are both faced with a choice in their final moments which is interesting because it says so much about the two as individuals and their impact on their daughters. Vander can kill Silco or save Vi and Silco can kill Vi or let things play out. Their final actions were both meant to protect their daughters. But where Vander chooses to save what he loves rather than destroy what he hates, sacrificing himself, Silco chooses to kill what he hates to protect what he loves, attempting to kill Vi. This plays into what the fathers were while raising their daughters. Vander was a protector who tried to keep the peace and shield those he cared about from harm whereas Silco was an avenger who struck out at those who harmed him and the undercity. This choice is a perfect encapsulation of that and leads to their daughters following in their footsteps. Vi is a protector and Jinx becomes an avenger.

For a short summary the main things that make these scenes so different are what the father’s say to their daughters in their final moments, the lighting, and how the father is framed with respect to their daughter. 

Their different framing in the wide shot is particularly fascinating. Vi is draped over Vander as he lies lifeless on the ground. The flames bathe the scene in light and bring the placement of his body into focus. Vander’s body is between Vi and the flames even as she’s draped over him. It seems symbolic of his final actions and how he tried to shield Vi from falling victim to her hatred and anger. 

Jinx is on her knees in front of Silco with him above her and the shadow of his chair cast over her. His body is shielding her from the much more gentle light of the candles and blocking out all behind it with almost everything cut out of frame other than the two of them. It’s framed more like an isolation of the two with Silco and his chair cutting them off from the rest of the world instead of the moment alone that the world doesn’t encroach on that Vander and Vi’s wide shot is.

This is such a complex show and I want to go further into the similarities and differences in these scenes but that is taking a lot longer than I planned so I decided to put out a much shorter version in the meantime.

Amphibia - All In Thoughts

I love Amphibia. The amount of hype I had coming into this episode was unreal and I have to say it didn’t disappoint. You could see the love and care that the crew put into every second of this episode and I was left breathless. I started watching Amphibia at the start of the pandemic and it’s been a very important show for me over the past few years. I’m really glad that I’ve had the chance to watch this show since before season 2 started airing and that I’m going to be able to watch it come to completion. I’d like to dive right into my thoughts because there are a lot.

I want to start with Sasha because I really thought her part of the episode was masterfully handled and the perfect completion to her arc.

Sasha has been consistently well written since the very beginning and they have yet to disappoint. And in my opinion Sasha is the best written character. Her arc really came full circle in this episode in so many ways.

The decision to have Sasha be the one to fight Marcy was brilliant and it draws interesting parallels between the two. The core is a collection of minds that couldn’t let go. They couldn’t abandon their control over Amphibia or those closest to them (namely Andrias) and they are confronted by Sasha who has learned to grow past that need for control and power.

The battle between Sasha and Darcy was incredible. The animation, music, lighting, and dialogue all hit home how important this fight is for Sasha’s character. Sasha teeters between crippling guilt and unbridled rage throughout the fight which clashes with Darcy’s overconfidence. Their respective weapons of choice and fighting styles, Darcy’s fluidity vs Sasha’s brutality, convey this contrast well. All the people who worked on this fight scene were clearly having the time of their lives.

Sasha’s unyielding determination has always been her strongest asset and that moment where she got back up despite her very serious injuries so that she could save Marcy, defeat the core, and protect those she cares about was such a powerful moment. It harkened back to the Third Temple and the little girl who stood up for two kids she didn’t know that ultimately set her on this path and brought her to this moment. Her determination that had lost its innocence and would hurt those around her earlier in the series has regained its selflessness and is bolstered by the experience, maturity, and love that she has now. It is ultimately what saves the people she cares about most as well as the world.

I really loved the culmination of Sasha’s arc in this episode where she rejects Darcy’s comparison between them and frees Marcy while saying the incredibly powerful line “I’m not that person anymore.” Sasha has been struggling with accepting that she’s really changed and that she’s deserving of this third chance she’s been given throughout the entire season up to this point. She’s been struggling under her own guilt and self loathing but at this moment she’s accepting that she’s changed and is a better person. That she won’t backslide and will fight to be better every day. It’s just like Anne said “It’s not who we were that matters Sash. It’s who we are now that counts.”

I don’t know if I managed to put into words how powerful this scene is and how well it encapsulates Sasha’s growth as a person so I’m going to put the clip here so you can see for yourself. This scene is a distillation of what makes Sasha such a great character.

I also love how she’s the one who takes Marcy’s hand and lets her know they forgave her. A lot of people who were getting mad at Sasha for being upset with Marcy last episode were sort of missing the point. Sasha in the first two seasons isn’t known for her forgiveness and her being upset with Marcy was setting up the completion of her arc over the series. It was the last step Sasha needed to make to become who she was always meant to be. 

Sasha is the one who reaches out her hand, even before Marcy is awake to ask for forgiveness, and gives it to her. This is a completely different Sasha from the one we first saw in Prison Break. The one who was obsessed with control, power, and manipulation and it really is a testament to how much she’s grown that this was the end of her arc. Not the big flashy fight with Andrias but a personal fight between her and the core away from prying eyes that ended with her saving and holding Marcy and ultimately forgiving her.

It also makes it clear that Sasha wasn’t sure that she had changed herself and part of her hesitance to forgive was projection onto Marcy. It's important that her verbally confirming to herself and Darcy that she’s not that person anymore is closely followed by her forgiving Marcy. These acts were intertwined for Sasha. One couldn’t happen without the other.

I’m a sucker for Grime and Sasha’s relationship and Grime sacrificing his arm to save her life was emotional. Their dynamic has been a rollercoaster where they both initially brought out the worst in each other but through their genuine care for one another they ultimately brought out the best in each other as well. Seeing how they filled in the holes in each other’s life has been moving. 

Sasha clearly hasn’t had a stable home life and Grime provided that consistent parental presence and support that she lacked. Meanwhile Sasha managed to worm her way under Grime’s tough exterior and open him up to connection and life outside of power and battle. 

This sacrifice and her pointed remark that she’s “not that person anymore” is even more meaningful in the context of Sasha’s entire arc. She spent so long not really knowing who she wants to be but desperately trying to cling onto how things were. In season 2 so much of her arc is punctuated with loss because of this. When Percy and Braddock leave her because she pushed them too far in Barrel’s Warhammer it starts a chain event where all she does is lose things one after another. She loses Percy and Braddock, she loses Anne, and she loses Marcy all because of the path she had chosen.

But Grime stays by her side through everything. He almost leaves in Turning Point but he comes back when she needs him most and voices that she’s the most important person in his life right now. That while his sister may have power and an army she doesn’t have his Lieutenant. She doesn’t have Sasha. He’s a constant pillar of support for her and was integral to her finding her way.

And because of her newfound conviction and the confirmation of Grime’s unconditional support she was able to gain so much on her journey of self betterment. She’s rebuilt a genuine and deep relationship with Anne, she’s gained real trust and companionship, she’s learning to forgive herself and others, she’s learning self-love, and she’s finally able to use her strengths for the good of everyone around her, not just herself.

This section of the episode had no shortage of powerful moments but the rest of the episode hit just as hard. Anne’s arc and battle this episode was also incredibly executed. It was just as emotional as it was visually stunning. I think I want to start with the flashback and the “who am I?” essay she was given.

Amphibia always excels at using its flashbacks to amplify the storytelling to the fullest and this one was no exception. This flashback really explored something that had been hinted at since the beginning, that Anne had always been the one in Marcy and Sasha’s shadow. The one others thought didn’t have greatness in her future. Sasha and Marcy were at the top of Amphibia within months of getting there but Anne slowly built her way up in this world. She put in the work and grew as a person and because of that she made allies all over. Her strengths weren’t as flashy or eye turning as Sasha and Marcy’s but that didn’t mean they were any less important.

Anne didn’t immediately burn brightly like Sasha and Marcy but she grew to be a light for so many people. And it’s because she didn’t burn brightly and intensely right away that she didn’t sputter out as violently. Sasha and Marcy’s respective power and influence came crashing down so quickly. They didn’t have the solid, steady group of allies that Anne had built for herself. They didn’t know who they wanted to be and kept doubling down on their flaws that held them back from growing into who they were meant to become. 

In their world Anne didn’t have the self respect to capitalize on her own strengths and her self doubt clouded and hid aspects of herself that ended up inspiring others. It’s through meeting the Plantars and living in Wartwood that she has been able to grow into the true warrior and leader that she is today. She confronted her flaws and learned from them. Her growth was gradual and because of this it was easy for others on the outside looking in to overlook entirely which was their mistake.

Anne was underestimated by Andrias, the core, and many other foes that she came across but she always stepped up to the plate and grew as a result. Andrias says as much when he finally comes face to face with Anne once again. “Y’know I think I finally figured out why the stones picked you as their champion Boonchuy. From the moment you walked into my throne room I underestimated you. A scruffy little girl with one shoe and leaves in her hair, yet underneath it all a true warrior. Such a brilliant deception.” And it was this moment of respect that made me sit back and think back on how far Anne has come. 

Her rematch with Andrias was also breathtaking. The scale, power, and stakes were all captured masterfully. Just like the fight between Darcy and Sasha this one portrays how Anne and Andrias are narrative foils. Andrias is a dark mirror of Anne. He shut himself off from connection and love after betrayals from his closest friends whereas Anne never stopped caring for others in spite of those same betrayals. Andrias is the embodiment of all the regrets Anne could have had whereas Anne is the embodiment of what Andrias could have been.

I will never get over the fact that Anne gets her second wind in the fight by her parents and the Plantars blaring her favorite song while chanting her name. I love that scene and it’s funny how accurate that actually is. Anne is relatable even in the middle of a fight for the fate of earth.

The animation, music, and transitions between the two fights were all amazing. The transition has got to be the best in the entire show. (You know the transition I’m talking about)

The visual parallels between their first fight in True Colors and their fight in this episode are great and the two images above are of my favorite one.

Marcy’s arc also comes to a powerful conclusion within her mindscape. She is given the perfect world where nothing will go wrong and Sasha and Anne want exactly what she wants. But this isn’t reality and those aren’t her Anne and Sasha. The fact that it's them saying “whatever you want Mar Mar. We only want what you want” is what makes Marcy realize all of this is fake is a testament to her growth. 

In season two Marcy was dead set on convincing herself that she made the right choice. That what she did was for all of them, not just herself, before she is forced to confront the reality that her choice was selfish. She did it to run away from her problems. She forced this choice onto Sasha and Anne and while they did grow and make irreplaceable connections that doesn’t make what she did right. (once again her choice was understandable but it wasn’t right)

“The real Anne and Sasha don’t want what I want and it hurts but forcing them to follow my dreams is wrong. I’ve learned that the hard way.”

The tragedy of Marcy is her loneliness and how it drew her to this fantasy in the first place but also how that fantasy came crashing down in the most horrible way possible. Andrias stabs her in the back (literally), she and Sasha and Anne all end up separated, and she ends up being possessed by the core. It was one horrible trauma after the next and she is forced to realize the perfect fantasy doesn’t exist and it never did. That running from her problems doesn’t solve anything and actually makes the inevitable moment where she must confront her actions all the more painful for both herself and those around her. 

I adore the moment that Marcy slaps Aldrich’s hand away (this moment was very dramatic but also kind of funny. He’s being all intense and trying to make her become one with their hive mind and she just straight up slaps away his giant hand) and rejects being assimilated into the core with another powerful line “No. Only a coward would hide away in this place. Well, I reject this sick fantasy and I reject you!”

He tries once more to keep her there by reminding her of what awaits her once she leaves. All that is there for her is rejection. She’ll still have to move and she’ll still have to face her friends, but she’s done running. She believes in her friends and the memories they have together. They become her tether as her world is enveloped into darkness as Aldrich tries to break her and assimilate her into the core. It’s her memories that help her hold on even away from Sasha and Anne in this moment just like they would be there for her if she moved away.

The reconciliation between the three may be my favorite scene in the show. I know I’ve said that about more than one scene already but that’s just a testament to how amazing this episode is. Sasha forgives Marcy, Marcy apologizes for what she did, and Anne reaffirms that things have irrevocably changed between the three of them but no matter what they will always mean so much to each other. They have changed because of each other and even if they grow apart nothing can take that from them. That message is so touching. Nothing is permanent but that doesn’t mean that it was pointless.

I love how the photo of the three girls is important even now and how it means something completely different to each of them. It’s outgrown the meaning it once had. The first time the audience sees that photo is in the opening where it’s stuck in a branch in the rain while lightning strikes. It’s the first hint that we get that Anne’s friendships back home weren’t as sunshine and rainbows as it initially seemed. The dynamic of the people in that photo wasn’t the healthiest despite the genuine care they clearly had for each other. That first sighting and these last ones show their respective growth.

When Sasha sees the photo in this episode she deflates. Looking at it reminds her of the old her and she’s not proud of who she was. It also reminds her of the doubt she has that she’s actually changed. It’s no longer the tether for her that it was at the beginning. She doesn’t carry it around like she used to because she is no longer dead set on returning to the way things were. She knows that can’t happen and doesn’t want it to. She wants to be better, different.

For Anne this photo is a reminder of how far they have all come. That who they were isn’t what matters but who they are now and that is punctuated by her leaving the photo inside her locker. It is always where she can find it just like the memories that they have made but they have all outgrown that old dynamic and left it behind. 

For Marcy that photo is a tether. A light in the dark. She now knows that she can’t keep holding onto the past and Sasha and Anne but that doesn’t mean that what they had can’t help her through the dark times. She may leave them behind to move when she goes back to reality but those memories will always be with her. That love and care will never leave.

I also want to talk about Andrias, Leif’s letter, and his final choice. Leif’s letter was all about trying to ensure that Andrias knows that she loved him and that she wants him to keep his heart open to other people so he doesn’t miss out on the connections and love he could have. And it’s so tragic because like Andrias said “It’s too late”. He’s done too many horrible, irreversible things and shut himself off for too long for any of that to be a reality. All he can do at this point is accept his defeat and take himself off the board. 

The flashbacks we got of him and Marcy also show that he really did care for her but once again that betrayal made it so that he tried to fight against it. Marcy wormed her way into his heart (like she did his pocket) but he wouldn’t let himself fully accept that he cared about her. He finds work arounds to keep her alive while also doing his duty. He was torn between the two sides of himself but when push comes to shove he sacrifices her to keep the core happy and stay on his mission. He recognizes this. He knows that he’s betrayed the only person who found a way into his heart after all these years and that he can’t undo any of it. He’s a cautionary tale to every one of the calamity trio, not just Anne. 

His breakdown and final moments in the fight were so amazingly voice acted and directed. He goes from sobbing uncontrollably at finally getting the closure he needed after so long to calm resignation when he opens his suit to allow Anne to perform the final blow. He’s revealed to be a cyborg when he’s torn apart by Anne’s final attack. He’s literally lost parts of himself to make sure he lived long enough to see this day until very little of the original Andrias remained. What little was left of the real him comes out when he asks Anne to save Marcy as he lies in pieces.

He seems to still be alive since he was in the castle at the end of the episode so he could play a part in the trio saving Amphibia and it would be fitting that he lives to see Leif’s terrible vision for the future come true.

I can’t believe that the episode once again ended on a massive cliffhanger. The Amphibia crew really wants to kill me with anticipation with how they’re going. They also want to see how emotional they can make their fans because they came out of the gate swinging with The Beginning of the End and have not let up for a second since. I don’t know if I’m going to make it through The Hardest Thing. The title alone is making me emotional. I can’t wait to see the end of this amazing series and I have full faith in the Amphibia crew to tug at my heartstrings and leave me with a goodbye I will never forget.

The only thing I am on the fence about is how quickly everyone bounces back after the battle, especially Marcy bouncing back so quickly after she reconciles with Sasha and Anne (I loved everything about her part of the episode up until this point) because she brushed everything that happened off very quickly.

Marcy’s arc is so deeply intertwined with trauma and breaking the fantasy that it felt a bit odd to have her go back to acting just fine, even changing into her old season 2 outfit, so quickly. I’m on the fence because while this turn was jarring within this episode there is still one more episode that could cover this issue. I have faith this will be touched upon in the next episode because of how amazing this finale has been so far so I will just wait and see.

That and Sasha and Grime definitely needed a hospital but instead just got a group hug. Not complaining because they deserved that group hug. I mostly just found it funny by that point and there has been no shortage of amazing fanart that has pointed this out as well. (These artists draw so quickly it’s insane) Sasha and Grime were practically dying before this group hug so seeing them up and about so soon and acting fine was a bit strange to say the least.

Extra thoughts

I loved that the thing that spurs the Plantars into taking on the Herons is their desire to protect the Boonchuys. They really became family during their time on earth. The Plantars gaining that closure by defeating the birds that took Polly and Sprig’s parents from them to save their surrogate family was such a nice moment.

Keith David’s voice acting was amazing. Actually all the voice acting in this episode was amazing.

The music was so good! TJ Hill keeps outdoing himself every episode and I really hope they release the score at some point.

The fights were incredible. The animation was so smooth and you could see how much fun the team was having with certain parts. The scythe animation and Darcy’s fighting style were particularly phenomenal.

I would talk about Sprig’s arc, which I really enjoyed in this episode especially with how it mirrored the calamity trios, but it felt more like set up for The Hardest Thing than a culmination of a character arc like we had with Sasha, Anne, Marcy, and Andrias so I’m going to wait for next week to go more in depth.

Whoever was animating Darcy’s hands was having the time of their life this episode.

Mrs. Boonchuy giving Sasha a hug was my favorite small detail of the episode. 

Sasha looked so tired and done this episode and she needs to go to the hospital and have a long overdue nap.

I feel really bad for Matt Braly and the Amphibia crew for the All In leak from Xfinity. They really didn’t deserve this to happen twice and to their biggest episodes too. 

This is the first time in years that I watched cable and other than the ads recycling during every ad break it wasn’t that bad (that Owl House ad was not good) and I’m glad I did it to support the show. 

I think series finales can be hard to talk about right after the fact. So many emotions, expectations, and hopes are built up going into it that it can cloud your perception of the finished product the first time you view it.

For some aspects of Amphibia this was partially the case for me. I can say that my thoughts on the finale have morphed since I first watched it. I want to say up front that overall I loved the finale and I love Amphibia and now that time has passed I think I can explain my revised thoughts on the earth epilogue.

I actually do agree with my write up here. But I want to set the record straight on a few things in my initial earth epilogue thoughts. There are some things I stand by. I don’t think the dialogue got across that the three girls stayed in contact after amphibia. Considering that the Beginning of the End and All In had a huge emphasis on the girls wanting to stay friends after all this and how much they wanted to make their friendship work despite the distance I felt this fumbled the ball in showing this. But I understand and will defend the choice to have them drift apart. 

This fits the themes of the show and it is a bittersweet and realistic moment. Amphibia is about change and it is also about the friendship of three girls that fell apart and they were forced to grow as individuals so that they could come together as true friends.

In a way that’s also what they did here (except their friendship naturally drifted apart instead of broke). They drifted apart and grew as individuals and went down different career paths and they were able to find each other again. And they still deeply care about each other. That ending reunion and the photo at the end show this.

The trio drifting apart doesn’t negate the feelings they share for one another. Their friendship still means so much to each of them and they still care deeply about each other. Nothing is permanent and that’s okay. It doesn’t make the memories or connections any less meaningful.

Do I wish the trio stayed close and never drifted apart? Yes. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like the themes and ideas that this portrayed.

The argument that Amphibia isn’t realistic and thus the realistic ending doesn’t fit the show doesn’t hold much water in my opinion. Amphibia is a larger than life epic that has magical anime powers, an amalgamation of multiple minds that have conquered death, 1000 year old newt tyrants, and much more but it manages to be full of real, heartfelt moments that capture the experience of life.

And it's those smaller moments that speak to real experiences that make this show work as well as it does.

For example, The Beginning of the End was a spectacle that held the long awaited first confrontation between Anne, Sasha, and Darcy and the beginning of the battle against Andrias and the Core but the moment that everyone was talking about and empathizing with was the flashback.

The flashback was a snapshot of what the calamity trio's friendship was like back home that showed Anne and Sasha's indifference to Marcy's interests and passions. This flashback portrayed an experience a lot of people who watch the show can relate to and it is what made their reunion in this episode even more of a gut punch than it would have been before (more of my thoughts on this moment are here).

This show wouldn't be as special as it is without these moments.

The show has always been grounded in the characters and in its life lessons about change, friendship, and growth/growing apart. And I think it managed to get that across perfectly with this ending now that I’ve had time to sit with it.