Alastor Theory

Alastor Theory

Okay, I'm gonna throw my hat into the ring when it come to who has Alastor on a leash and I'm not gonna say Lilith.

I think Eve might also be an option for being the one that owns Alastor's soul.

I think the Lilith connection is a bit too obvious and Lilith hates being forced into subservience canonically within the show, so it would be weird if she chained another soul to do her bidding. And Eve is easily the character that would have the most issues with the Morningstar family, heaven, and hell. She was made out of Adam's rib and given the apple by Lilith and Lucifer. She's been a pawn in other people's plans since the beginning. She's the one blamed for original sin and it's clear she's not in heaven. She was the scapegoat while Adam got off relatively Scott free.

She has so many reasons to want to get back at everyone and what better way to gradually gain a foothold without drawing attention to herself than enlisting the services of a sinner in hell?

It’s said that Alastor immediately started taking out overlords that had been dominant for centuries the moment he stepped foot in hell. There has to be a reason for that. It feels too calculated to be a coincidence.

Plus Lilith’s disappearance coinciding with the Alastor's isn’t necessarily a factor against this theory because it can be explained as Eve essentially throwing Alastor into a battle with Lilith where Alastor was injured and had to take time to recover.

His reaction when Zestial said people thought he had been struck down by holy arms was a bit telling to me. The way he took that moment to look away and collect himself to brush it off read as Zestial hitting too close to the mark.

He's super touchy about why he was gone for 7 years and we've seen that Alastor's berserk button is his pride and he dislikes his strength being questioned. He absolutely would not want to admit he was gone because he was recovering.

That comment seemed too pointed by the writers to be completely written off.

Maybe in this battle Eve got Lilith's soul. If she doesn’t why would Lilith be gone from Charlie’s life for seven years? Why wouldn't she return around the same time as Alastor? She seemed to really care about Charlie. Charlie still tries to call her and she doesn’t seem to hold any resentment toward Lilith, so I think there would have to be a reason beyond nebulous plans that's keeping her away.

Alastor also clearly does not have a good relationship to whoever has his soul, so I kind of imagine if it was Lilith he would be a bit more hostile towards Charlie or it would show a bit more in the moments where he was alone or when Charlie isn't looking. (Alastor is the only character this show is truly subtle with)

I just wanted to put my opinion out there because I've seen so many Lilith owns Alastor's soul theories out there and I wanted to offer a different angle.

Amphibia Season 2 Thoughts/Review

The second season of Amphibia had a hefty task to undergo. It had to massively expand the world, introduce Marcy, sneakily weave in hints to her truth that would be revealed in True Colors, set up the toad rebellion with Sasha away from Anne, hint at the full story of Andrias and the core, introduce much deeper lore, and completely shatter the status quo by the end. And yet it managed to pull it all off. It felt like everything came together this season.

The biggest change from season 1 to season 2 is just how serialized the series became. Season one was very episodic for the most part with story, plot, and lore progression sprinkled throughout but never the main focal point with Reunion serving as a turning point in the series in this regard. 

The season doesn’t completely pivot away from the structure of the first season. It still contains episodes that have the adventure of the week nature of the first but even in those episodes it keeps sight of its end goal and keeps the plot moving forward for the most part or at the very least doesn’t distract from the plot. 

This is best shown in episodes that may seem like what some people would consider “filler” episodes on paper when just hearing the synopsis but in reality are some of the most important or emotional episodes of the series such as Hopping Mall or Battle of the Bands. 

Battle of the Bands in particular is incredibly integral to the plot and character development in the series. This may be one of the most important episodes for Sasha’s character arc.

Battle of the Bands sets up Sasha’s capacity for genuine change, not just doubt in her own actions. We see how much she cares about this friendship and that she is capable of giving up control and making the right choice for them.

Without this episode Sasha’s change of heart and redemption later in the series wouldn’t work. And it all occurs in an episode where a toad warrior wins a music competition by playing a 3 hour harp solo.

This integration of development into most of the episodes makes it so that the season constantly feels like it is headed somewhere with all the hints towards this destination weaved in organically throughout. This serialization allows for so many character arcs to be built up within the season and leads me to my next point. 

This season is the one that juggles the screen time of all three of the calamity trio best.

Every girl gets the screen time necessary to hit all the points they need to complete their individual arcs this season. Marcy becomes part of the main cast for a large chunk of season 2 and, while Sasha doesn’t appear much, she is given solo episodes from her perspective that show her struggles and journey after the fallout of Reunion. 

Their arcs as individuals and as friends play into the themes of the show perfectly. This show is centered around change and growth and so much of this season is challenging the way people fight against change. 

Sasha and Marcy’s attempts to fight change are precisely why everything came crashing down in the finale. Sasha was desperate to regain control and force things back to the way they were and Marcy wanted to escape reality so that things wouldn’t have to change between the trio. Both of these come back to bite them.

In Sasha’s bid for control she shatters whatever trust she had built with Anne and due to this can’t get Anne to listen to her when she tries to reveal the truth about Andrias. This directly leads to their second fight, her capture, and Anne handing Andrias the box. 

Marcy’s desire to keep the trio from growing apart leads to her deceiving Anne and Sasha and bringing the box right to Andrias. This gives him the ability to regain his former “glory” and causes her fantasy to come crashing down in the worst way possible.

This season emphasizes that the trio is fascinating and complicated and tragic all at once. They do care about each other. So many of their actions this season and in True Colors alone prove that they do but their individual flaws and Sasha and Marcy’s reluctance to accept change clouds it, leading to terrible mistakes and betrayals that can’t be taken back.

This complexity wouldn’t be displayed nearly as well if we didn’t get to spend time with the trio before everything falls apart. The three episodes leading up to True Colors that explore their dynamic are vital to getting their care for each other, the tragedy of their friendship, and the hope for Sasha and Marcy to get redemption across. 

A lot hinges on the trio’s friendship because their actions and dysfunctional relationship is what drives things and forces change in the story and world so if you aren’t invested in the trio (both as individuals and as a friend group) many of the big moments in the series wouldn’t work.

I also want to once again give props to how the show uses the opening to allude to future plot points about the trio.

Marcy’s reveal is hinted at in the moment that replaces the photo in the rain. Sasha and Anne are fighting while Marcy looms over them facing away and holding the music box. The ominous lightning strikes once again which hints at Marcy’s truth that Sasha and Anne are unaware of and that all three of them have conflicting end goals for their journey in Amphibia this season.

Marcy looms over Anne and Sasha. Her presence is felt throughout Anne and Sasha’s personal journeys in Amphibia, the good and the bad, because she is the reason they are there. Marcy is the one in control/possession of the box. There’s the implication that she knows more about it than she is letting on. She is facing away which makes it seem less like she is the looming presence and more like it’s her actions or knowledge of the box that is.

Things like this make going back to watch the season really fun because you can catch how all the pieces were there for Marcy’s reveal to make sense but none of them were obvious enough to spell it out for you before the fact. 

Amphibia’s world is also opened up to us in season 2. It manages to find the perfect way to introduce this brand new world without overwhelming the viewer.

Anne and the Plantars haven’t been outside of the valley and Newtopia is established to be far away. The audience gets to experience all these new places and all the new lore with the characters and it doesn’t feel unnatural and stilted. Instead it feels like it has a natural wonder to it that matches each character.

One of my favorite shots in this season is the first time the fwagon came over the hill and the world beyond the valley came into view. That shot was mesmerizing and really encapsulated just how ambitious I think this season was. 

There aren’t many series that have created that same awe over just how big their world is that Amphibia captured in this single moment. That awe is what season 2 excelled at. It expanded the world so much and yet made sure you really got a grasp on the nuances that each faction of the frogs, toads, and newts had. No one part of Amphibia felt the same. 

Newtopia, Wartwood, and the toad towers are all wildly different even in their color palettes and the music used when in each location.

When we are with the Toads the color palette leans more towards reds and the music sounds more intense such as the rock music that plays when Sasha is riding the narwhal worm or the theme that starts off Prison Break and Barrel’s Warhammer. They are very distinct and help give these places their own personality.

When in Newtopia everything feels grandiose with the color palette of blues, whites, and golds. The music is full of brass instruments that exude an air of royalty and greatness in contrast to the rough and tumble intensity of the rock themed music of the toads and the more humble feeling of the softer string instrument focused music used in relation to Wartwood and the frogs. (I’m not great at talking about music but I’m trying to get across how different each location feels musically)

Since we’re on the topic of music I want to gush about just how great the soundtrack for Amphibia is.

While I think season 3 is the musical peak of the series, this season is phenomenal as well. 

One of my favorite things TJ Hill does is the way he makes Sasha and Marcy’s themes go through multiple different renditions to show what point they are at in their respective arcs. The instrument choice and volume reflects what kind of turning point they are at within their respective arcs. 

My favorite scores in the season have to be the orchestral rendition of No Big Deal when Anne activates her powers and the score that plays when Marcy’s truth is revealed. I could listen to these on repeat if given the chance. TJ Hill is very talented and I wanted to take the time to give him a proper shout out.

I’ve spent so much time gushing about the season that I think it’s about time I got to the finale.

True Colors is what I still believe to be Amphibia’s best episode. 

Everything in the season felt like it was building up to this.

The toad rebellion, Sasha’s change of heart, and Andrias’ betrayal have all been building in the background of this season. Even the more shocking events such as Anne’s powers, the truth behind Marcy’s actions, and the cliffhanger of Anne and the Plantars back in the human realm have been built into the season with all the pieces there for the audience to put things together.

Anne’s stone not charging all the way and the hints at the girls’ calamity powers through their feats that occurred while their eyes flashed their respective colors gave enough for the audience to know something big would come of these moments but not enough to give away exactly how they would manifest or when.

The same can be said for Marcy but her reveal is even hinted at as early as the first time the opening plays this season in the moment that replaces the photo in the rain like I explained above.

These hints are carried into her character throughout the season in episodes like Scavenger Hunt, where Marcy admits that she struggles to make friends, and The First Temple, where Marcy’s tunnel vision blinds her to the consequences of her actions. 

The biggest hint is in A Day at the Aquarium when she stands there alone long after Anne leaves with the Plantars in a very striking visual portrayal of her loneliness and isolation (both major factors in her decisions with the box) and directly following this moment she is given a proposition by Andrias that we don’t get to hear. This looms over the end of the season leading into True Colors and added another layer to what was going on with Marcy away from Anne.

There was so much there that hinted towards Marcy’s reveal but just like with Anne’s powers it’s something that was still shocking because the specifics weren’t clear. Many people theorized that Marcy would betray Anne, but none that I know of got how she would betray her friends right. It was a masterful reveal.

Even Anne ending this season back in the human realm had all the pieces there. So much time was spent charging the box and making their way through the temples that it was obvious that someone was going to end up back home and having it be Anne, our protagonist, makes the most sense.

Even with all this build up all of these reveals still manage to give me chills to this day despite the fact that I know how they will work out and I think that’s the mark of a good twist. If it’s ruined by knowing what will happen it wasn’t a great twist in the first place.

True Colors is one of the best season finales I’ve seen for a cartoon and it caps off what I consider to be the best season of Amphibia. It manages to improve on almost everything from the first while not getting bogged down in the pacing and tonal issues of the third (I still love both those seasons as well). It’s an all around great season.

Extra thoughts

These are my rambles that I omitted from the review above but found worth sharing. You can easily skip these if you want.

One of my favorite things about the finale is that it makes it clear that Marcy’s actions aren’t clear cut. They can’t be placed into a neat box of good or bad. Marcy didn’t make her decisions out of malice, but desperation and fear. She’s afraid of losing the only friends she has and based on how Anne and Sasha ignored Marcy’s interests prior to Amphibia it felt like a matter of when their friendship would fall apart after Marcy moved not if from her point of view. Marcy didn’t think through the consequences of her actions with the box. As a result, she took Anne and Sasha away from their lives for over half a year and they were dropped into very dangerous situations. She also hid that she planned on going on more adventures with them rather than returning home and ensured that Andrias got a hold of a fully charged box. Marcy’s choice is a complicated situation that can be understood from all sides. 

The trio’s friendship is also a very complicated situation where all of them had flaws and made decisions that ultimately lead to this point. Some were more toxic and damaging than others (Sasha’s manipulation and control freak tendencies) but no one person is painted in black and white. Marcy isn’t evil. Just like Sasha isn’t irredeemable. just like Anne isn’t blameless. They are people.

True colors has some spectacular animation with the standout scene clearly being when Anne activates her powers. The change in fluidity and style (as well as the clear DBZ inspiration) makes it so that the raw power of Anne’s new form can be felt. 

I kind of wanted to elaborate on what I mean by Sasha and Marcy’s themes changing to show where they are or shifts in their arcs. I’ll use Sasha’s theme as an example. In the first season Sasha’s theme sounded like it was played on a music box. Each note was sharp and precise just like her and her manipulation, but when she is reintroduced in Toadcatcher her theme that plays at the end starts out soft, almost reflective as Sasha touches the scar and thinks about Anne, before it crescendos near the end as Sasha states things aren’t over between her and Anne. The notes blend together and the instrument changes, it’s not as precise and more driven by emotion, more ominous. The way the music plays out shows a shift in Sasha and her plans and not for the better.

For Marcy’s theme I feel like it’s a lot more self explanatory. Just listen to her theme that plays during her introduction and her theme that plays during the reveal in True Colors. There’s a stark contrast that anyone can notice. Her theme is very upbeat and energetic in the first one while in the second one it is slowed down significantly and uses brass instruments/an organ. Both of these choices make the tone much more ominous at the beginning as the music crescendos before the music softens once more, but keeps the much slower and deeper rendition of the melody, and brings that air of tragedy that this moment entails. It’s brilliant. (again, I wish I was better at talking about music)

Part of the tragedy of Marcy’s character is in her contrast. When she’s around Anne and the Plantars or Andrias (usually) she’s upbeat, happy, and energetic but the deep seeded loneliness she has slips through when she’s alone which is made the most clear at the end of A Day at the Aquarium. 

Alastor Episodes 7 and 8 Thoughts

These two episodes really gave us a lot in regards to Alastor and I cannot wait to see where they go with him in season 2. What I find most fascinating about what they established with him in these episodes is how I think this perfectly sets up Alastor to directly challenge the show’s main themes of redemption.

Alastor is the only character in the main cast that I think could effectively challenge Charlie’s idea of redemption by making her face the question of “where the line for who can be redeemed and who is too far gone is?” 

Even Vaggie and her past as an exorcist couldn’t challenge Charlie’s ideals in the same way because Vaggie so clearly wants to be better and is trying to be better. She could only challenge Charlie’s idea of who could be redeemed. She couldn’t truly challenge the line of when someone is too far gone unlike Alastor. 

And to explain this I'll just jump right in.

It’s clear these two episodes were meant to show a shift in Alastor and Charlie’s relationship in some capacity. It’s a bit more of a subtle shift than with the other characters, but I think it’s setting up this future conflict well for the limited time the show has. 

At the start Charlie doesn’t think Alastor cares and calls him out on this. She directly states that she believes he enjoys the suffering. He refutes her idea of him by stating she doesn’t know what he feels. He purposefully hides his feelings behind a smile as a sign of control. (The first shift. It tells her there’s more beneath the surface)

Then Alastor helps Charlie enlist cannibal town and says he wants to mentor her in the song. This is more than the initial indifference and humor he got out of Charlie at the beginning. There’s an interest in seeing Charlie grow and being a part of it that wasn't there before. And, with Alastor helping Charlie here, trust is being built (at least on Charlie's end).

Then Alastor talks to Niffty (who he is clearly fond of) and admits he finds the group enjoyable to be around. He says he could grow accustomed to them after Niffty says she really likes them almost in agreement with her. He's very candid with Niffty and doesn't seem to feel the need to hide his emotions around her. They appear to be on the same wavelength.

And finally, Charlie is upset when she thinks that Alastor died against Adam and hugs him happily when he returns. In Charlie’s eyes Alastor has been helpful and risked himself and his power to protect the hotel. This is a true shift in their relationship on Charlie's end.

This bond is necessary because if (at the very least) Charlie doesn't care about Alastor then he won't be able to truly challenge her idea of redemption and the show implies it doesn't just go one way. It's just obscured.

To explain what I mean I want to look at Alastor's role in the final battle and that moment when he is alone after he escapes.

At the beginning of the battle he felt like the trump card he should have been. He makes the exorcists, before Adam destroys his shield, look like a joke. And he gives Adam a run for his money before he becomes overconfident and lets his guard down. He didn’t expect Adam to bounce back and have that much power left to show. He was caught completely off guard and paid the price. 

And instead of staying to face the end with the rest of the people in the hotel Alastor opts to save himself. He places himself first. When he leaves he seems almost smug, spouting off a one liner and smiling as he sinks into the shadows. It seems calculated and calm, but alone is a completely different story. This moment shakes Alastor and that moment alone puts his fight against Adam and decision to flee in a different light.

In this moment when he's alone he starts to lose it, saying there has to be a way out. This isn’t where things end. He will come out on top. 

He can feel his control over the situation slipping. His power and notoriety has been challenged left and right this season. First Vox, then Lucifer, then the loan sharks, now Adam. It’s one right after the other. And Adam almost killed him.

He’s struggling to grasp onto what little control he has left by forcing himself to keep on his smile and it calls back to the beginning of episode 7 when he says to Charlie that just because she sees a smile doesn't mean she knows how he really feels. His smile is a sign of control. And even in this moment you can see that last bit of control slipping. And it’s left him even more desperate for his freedom than before.

The Radio Demon was introduced almost as if he was an all powerful entity and now he is being brought back down to earth and he’s raging against it, barely keeping it just below the surface. 

But there’s even more to his breakdown than just his pride. The lines “Great Alastor, altruist, died for his friends. Sorry to disappoint that is not where this ends. I’m hungry for freedom like never before. The constraints of my deal surely have a backdoor.” strongly imply that he really does care for the residents of the hotel more than he wants to admit even to himself.

He is freaking out because he got too close to dying trying to protect and help people that he never thought he would care at all about and he’s doubling down on his plans from before. 

His immediate desperation to be free implies he is at the hotel because he is forced to be there, but he’s desperate to get out of the contract because he doesn’t like how it’s changing him. Alastor has always put himself first and here he is almost dying trying to protect this hotel and it's rattled him even more deeply than the blow to his pride.

I feel like they know exactly what Alastor can mean thematically and they want you to know he’s a villain while seeding hints there could be change under the surface (ones that Alastor himself is afraid of and wants to double down against). There’s a balancing act going on with him and it seems they really do want to challenge the idea of redemption with him. Not just Charlie’s, but his own as well.

Alastor is still in my opinion the best written character in the series. There’s just so much to unravel with him and he’s the most fun to try and dissect to me. I can’t wait to see what they have planned for him in season 2.

Amphibia Season 3 Thoughts/Review

Season 3 of Amphibia is easily the most divisive season among the fanbase. There are a lot of different reasons for this but I think it primarily comes down to tone and pacing.

The reason why the issues with tone and pacing are so prominent is because of how it followed up True Colors. True Colors came in and seemed to promise that things would never be the same. It created a scenario for Anne and the Plantars that was very desperate. Sasha was left in Amphibia, Marcy had been stabbed (and for all they knew was dead), Amphibia was in imminent danger, and earth was going to be invaded next.

All of this should have created a massive sense of urgency and worry, but this doesn’t carry over very well into many of the episodes. The tonal whiplash that occurs when you watch True Colors and The New Normal back to back is massive. It goes from that gut punch of an ending to Anne being excited that she has wifi for the first time in months so quickly that it’s almost as if the characters forgot what happened.

When the show does address the sense of urgency the characters should have it is always on Anne’s end. Anne is the one staying up researching how to get back, Anne is the one trying to drop everything for new leads, Anne is the one losing sleep over the situation. The most the Plantars show on their end is homesickness. 

They are frequently the ones telling Anne to be careful or calm down which seems odd because they should have very pressing and important reasons for wanting to get back beyond missing their home.

In season 2 the heroes’ lack of urgency made sense. They didn’t know about Andrias’ plans, the core, or Sasha’s toad rebellion. The episodes where they explored Newtopia or visited towns on their travels fit much better because of their gap in knowledge and like I said previously those episodes usually found a way to keep the story moving forward or have important character moments so that they rarely distracted from the plot.

In season 3 there’s too much hanging over the characters’ heads that they know about for it to feel organic watching the episodes back to back. 

This isn’t to say that what happens on the earth half of the season is bad. The content is actually very enjoyable. Watching the role reversal between Anne and the Plantars is fun and we get to see even more of Anne’s culture and home life which is always a welcome addition.

The exploration of Anne’s family and culture is one of the best things about the first half of the season. The Thai Temple episode (Temple Frogs) in particular is one of my favorites. 

It has Anne displaying the urgency that some episodes were missing while also addressing how Anne’s parents struggled during her time away and how their community kept them afloat. This strikes a balance that makes almost everything that happens feel important on an emotional level without losing sight of what this half of the season is building towards.

This is also the case with the Christmas episode.

This half of the season doesn’t all take place on earth either. The perspective shifts back to Amphibia for a few episodes as well and they are two of the best episodes to come out of this half of the season. 

Turning Point and Olivia & Yunan serve as much needed glimpses into what is happening in Amphibia and handle the fallout of True Colors more directly.

In Turning Point Sasha takes responsibility for her actions throughout the series and decides to work towards being a better person with every action moving forward. She uses her strengths for good to fight against Andrias and protect the people and starts her redemption.

In Olivia & Yunan we see the crushing guilt Marcy is dealing with in the wake of True Colors and how she’s not doing so hot after being STABBED THROUGH THE CHEST. She is then possessed by the core in an honestly horrifying scene and loses all autonomy. 

In both of these episodes the course of the show is irrevocably changed and so are Sasha and Marcy. These episodes set up their arcs and roles heading into the endgame of Amphibia. 

This makes these episodes stand in stark contrast to many of the episodes surrounding them. They are darker in tone and have a sharp focus on what they are trying to do. These episodes are more in line with what I believe people thought this season would be heading into it. This helps make these what I believe to be the best episodes of this half of the season.

These episodes also break up the earth portions of the season and help the pacing immensely on re-watch. 

The first half of the season ends on the Christmas episode Froggy Little Christmas which, while a fun episodes that refocuses on the conflict with Andrias, shouldn’t have been the midseason finale. Escape to Amphibia should have been. It is the actual end of the earth portion of the series and feels like the beginning of the end in a way that the Christmas episode couldn’t capture (understandably).

So much about the episode is a bookend to this chapter of Amphibia and it has a lot of parallels that harken back to formative aspects of Anne’s character and the show as a whole. My favorite ones are this one 

and this one 

The first parallel 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 Anne into herself. This shows that 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”.

And the second parallel is very effective because it is put into stark contrast with the first time Anne and the Plantars come over the hill and see the rest of the valley for the first time. It takes the wonder and awe that was present the first time and twists it into shock and horror. It really hits home just how long Anne has been away and just how much True Colors effected Amphibia.

I want to take a second to mention how great Anne’s parents are. They really were the MVPs of the earth portion of the season and this episode.

It’s refreshing to see Anne and the Plantars back in Amphibia and this marks the start of the second half of the season which is the hardest to talk about in regards to the series as a whole in my opinion.

The second half of the season is complicated because it’s probably the most inconsistent part of the series. It contains some of the best content of the entire show and of any animated series airing at the time but it also has lows that mess up the pacing and ultimately end up feeling directionless at times.

The second half of the season starts out strong with Escape to Amphibia and Commander Anne but doesn’t maintain that momentum. The episodes primarily focus on the rebellion gaining forces to take on King Andrias but this doesn’t culminate in a satisfying way. 

The only episode we get to see the army fight is The Beginning of the End, but then they quickly become irrelevant after Sasha and Anne’s plan fails and the invasion of earth begins. This makes the majority of episodes in season 3B ultimately feel like they weren’t building towards anything. 

At least in 3A a lot of the people Anne and the Plantars impacted on their earth adventures come together to help them take on the government and get back to Amphibia. It makes it feel like there is some semblance of an end goal.

But with 3B the important players aren’t any of the amphibians they get to join their cause and it is entirely focused on the calamity trio, Andrias, the Plantars, and Grime. The army doesn’t play a part in stopping Andrias’ invasion when they get to earth or taking down the core.

It’s odd because these episodes bring back so many characters and plot points from the first season and makes it seem like it’s all coming full circle. That everything that happened in the beginning is going to come around in a big way and be the reason they will win in the end.

It built a certain expectation that it didn’t fulfill which hurts the episodes a lot on re-watch. 

These episodes do manage to flow better than the episodes in the first half of the season (at least to me) though because the setting and characters are ones I’m familiar with and invested in which always makes them at the very least enjoyable to watch. 

Episodes like Grime’s Pupil and Sasha’s Angels have all the issues I mentioned above but because they feature new relationships between characters I know and love and are centered around the conflict I am more emotionally invested in they always manage to hold my attention more than certain episodes in the first half and remain fun. 

There are episodes that didn’t do this nearly as well like Mother of Olms, which promised so much more than it actually ended up delivering on that it left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth when I first watched it. It’s better on re-watch, but it’s episodes like this coupled with the overarching narrative problems that leads to an uneven stretch of episodes.

There are some very good episodes sprinkled into this run with the clear standout being The Core and The King. 

The Core and The King is a fascinating look into Andrias’ past and why he is the way he is. It adds so much nuance to his character and actions in True Colors. It is held back a bit by the fact it isn’t a half hour special episode and thus can’t spend the time necessary to attach the audience to the characters of Leif and Barrel, but it still believably portrays the actions and relationships that it focuses on. The best relationship exploration of the episode is easily that of Andrias and his father, which recontextualizes his allegiance to the core and dedication to his mission.

This episode adds a level of tragedy to Andrias and his relationship to Marcy that retroactively elevates their relationship in season 2 and the betrayal in True Colors. There’s a level of regret and genuine care that feels like it’s simmering just below the surface that plants the seeds for the flashbacks in All In and makes their entire journey together really bittersweet.

This leads us to the finale three episodes (essentially one big finale), but before I talk about those I want to address how this season handles the calamity trio.

I’d say this is a mixed bag and it’s understandable why people have such conflicting opinions on this particular part of the season. This is where the trio are at their most important. The emotional climaxes of almost all 3 parts of the finale depend on them.

They are the ones the final battles come down to. There is so much riding on their growth and the audience’s emotional connection to them that they needed focus this season.

Sasha and Marcy have had limited screen time coming into this season but it was handled well in regards to the story and themes the show was trying to cover. In the third season they both still have limited screen time but the way that screen time is handled is vastly different between the two.

Sasha is the one that comes out far better in regards to this. She completes her arc and gets her redemption. Her perspective and change is put on full display.

There’s even a subplot that has Anne and Sasha go through an awkward transitionary period in their friendship that has Anne’s doubts and frustrations with the past surface. These moments are used to show Sasha’s change and work in regards to their overarching relationship. It feels earned that their friendship comes back together stronger because of who they are now as people and all the trials they’ve gone through. 

Sasha’s arc is one of the best handled in the series. A few things could have been tightened up, such as her gaining the trust of the Wartwood citizens, but overall it had a strong core that it never lost sight of.

It also culminates in a powerful way within All In.

But that isn’t the case with Marcy. Marcy is benched for a lot of this final season due to her possession. The idea behind Darcy is very intriguing and they could have been one of the best Disney villains to come out of a cartoon in recent years, but they were underutilized so the emotional impact of them was limited to mainly The Beginning of the End (which was fantastic).

This choice made it so Marcy was put into stasis and couldn’t realize her own development that started in True Colors. It makes for an emotional reunion in The Beginning of the End and All In but it makes it so Marcy’s arc feels shortchanged in comparison to her friends.

There’s also the fact that due to the crews strained relationship with Disney and S&P after the True Colors fiasco they weren’t allowed to address Marcy getting stabbed. This was a major moment that should have had massive repercussions moving forward but due to this handicap it fizzled out into an afterthought that hurt Marcy’s character arc and diminished how well her importance to Sasha and Anne could be displayed.

Even with the show struggling to juggle the calamity trio and their baggage (particularly Marcy) with the lighter tone they were encouraged to have and some of the directions they chose to go in the final three episodes hit almost all of the beats they needed to for the conclusion to their arcs and the journey of the show to be satisfying.

The final three episodes of the show are great and have some of the most emotional moments of the series. They were allowed to be darker and address the more difficult topics and themes the show had set up. It’s a shame that many of these very fascinating issues and conflicts were pushed back to the final few episodes, but the way they are dealt with here are for the most part fantastic.

I’ve talked in depth about each part of the finale on here already but to sum it up they manage to make the themes and character arcs set up in the story and pay them all off. There are a few issues I have with each of them here and there but for the most part they are a fitting send off and provide one of the best conclusions to a series I’ve seen in quite some time. 

The Beginning of the End expands on the pre-amphibia trio dynamic in regards to Marcy in a poignant portrayal of her isolation that elevates the tragic reunion between the friends at the end and is easily the episode that best utilizes Darcy.

All In puts the changes each of the trio have gone through during their journey in Amphibia on full display, allowing them to have a quiet reconciliation that touches on the care and impact each have had on one another.

The Hardest Thing manages to be a heartfelt goodbye to the series and world of Amphibia as a whole and keeps a sharp focus on the main themes of the story. This is the episode I have the most issues with of the three but it still manages to close out the series on a bittersweet note that makes sure the impact of these adventures can be felt on the characters even ten years later.

These episodes aren’t perfect (I go into greater depth on the episodes in the linked posts) but they are still some of my favorite of the series and remind me why I love this show so much in the first place. 

I feel like this came off rather harsh. I wanted to take a more objective look at the series season by season and address some of the legitimate issues while explaining its strengths and expressing what I personally loved about it. I don’t know if I got the balance right but I want to express that I really do love this show.

Amphibia is such a great and fun series. It wasn’t perfect but nothing is. It’s been almost a year since the show ended but I still miss it. I really came to love the characters and world this series created. I hope others got the enjoyment that I did out of it.

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Extra Thoughts

I really love where the trio end the series. In a way it hits harder considering where I am in my life. It’s pretty obvious that none of the trio really loved themselves prior to their journey in Amphibia but you see how each have grown into their own and are happy with where they are. They’ve found callings that help them express themselves and what they learned and it hits you that they’re okay. That things changed and they lost things and people but they kept those memories and eventually reconnected. I really like that. 

The jobs each of the girls end up with after the time skip are so perfect for each of them. 

I realized I never said this in any of my previous re-watch thoughts/reviews but Anne is a great protagonist that goes through so much development and growth. Her arc of learning self love and worth is amazing. I just felt that needed to be said.

I’m mixed on the decision to keep the reveal of the new Sasha a secret until Commander Anne. One the one hand it does succeed in what it was attempting to do. It does shock the audience with how much Sasha has changed just like it does Anne. But on the other hand I wish we had gotten to see that change in greater depth. It felt like a bit of a missed opportunity. It wouldn’t have needed a ton of screen time, in fact I think having at least a single episode showing Sasha growing into the role of commander of Wartwood while working on being a better person could have helped the awkward pacing of the first part of the season and establish the dynamics of the resistance.

One issue I didn’t touch upon above is how the show struggles to keep the Plantars relevant in the second half of the season. Many episodes just have the Plantars be present but don’t give them much to do, if they give them anything at all. In fact, Polly gets no focus or development in the second half of the season. 

There is one part in Escape to Amphibia that doesn’t really sit right with me and that’s the scene where Sprig tells Anne it couldn’t hurt for them to wait a bit longer before returning to Amphibia if she isn’t ready. I understand what the writer was going for with Anne not being ready to say goodbye to her parents again and face a war that may have already claimed her friends, but it once again undercuts the desperation of the situation. Almost as if the characters and show believe the conflict in Amphibia is put into stasis because Anne and the Plantars aren’t there which hurts the storytelling and tension of the season. Once again not taking the consequences of True Colors as seriously as they should.

Marcy and Sasha’s parents should have been seen at least once in the series. I could go into a hundred reasons why this would have been the better move but plenty of people have talked about it before and in greater depth than I could. It was definitely wasted potential and felt weird to tease them twice (Froggy Little Christmas and All In) only to never see them in the show.

This season is what I believe to be the musical peak of the series with fantastic and emotionally charged tracks that I listen to. I love the entirety of the score for All In but my personal favorite one of this season has to be the sad rendition of Marcy’s theme that plays over the credits of The Beginning of the End. That track is a gut punch. (TJ Hill has released most of the tracks on his youtube channel)

I do really enjoy the development that Polly gets in the first half of the season. She was the only Plantar that felt like they had tangible development which is once again disappointing because I do genuinely like the Plantars.

Across the Spider Verse Thoughts

Across the spider verse was my most anticipated movie of 2023. I came in with sky high expectations and yet somehow the movie managed to surpass them.

By the end of the opening sequence across the spider verse had me sold that this was going to be one of my favorite spider-man movies and when the movie finished that belief held true. Spider-Man across the spider verse is easily one of my favorite superhero movie sequels of all time (I actually think it might be my favorite). The movie just came out and I’ve already seen it, what my brother has dubbed, “too many times” (Though I vehemently disagree with him on that point).

It’s a movie sold on its scope and love for all of spider-man and his lore and yet it never loses its heart in the spectacle. It manages to be a fantastic middle chapter to what is quickly becoming one of my favorite film series of all time.

There’s a lot I want to talk about so I’m just going to get right into it.

Miles is a great protagonist

Miles Morales is a character that I felt Into the Spider Verse really elevated. I had read all of the ultimate comics spider-man run that was his debut series and, while I liked Miles, he was never in the top tier of my favorite superheroes, but that quickly changed with Into the Spider Verse. They managed to explore his struggle and hesitance to accept the Spider-man mantle in a way that was far more compelling than his comic book counter part.

Across the Spider Verse takes the already really strong basis that Into the Spider Verse created for Miles and builds on it through a brilliant meta narrative on what it means to be spider-man and asking the question of whether or not Miles really is spider-man.

Trauma is so ingrained into the creation and growth of spider-man as a character. Ask anyone to list what the most iconic moments in spider-man comics are and you are bound to get answers that include uncle ben’s death, the death of gwen stacy, the death of Jean DeWolfe, Captain Stacy’s death, etc.

There are a lot of moments of loss within the spider-man mythos that define the character and these moments are carried over into a lot of spider-man media outside of the comics. Miles’ rejection of this narrative and the necessity of loss to make a hero in this movie is what truly makes him become spider-man.

The first movie had him accepting the mantle but this is where he truly grows into the role.

Keep reading

The Ghost and Molly McGee Season 2 Thought So Far

I can’t believe I haven’t talked about The Ghost and Molly McGee yet. I have multiple drafts in my docs and on tumblr but I could never really get my thoughts across as well as I would like but I’ve decided to just put my thoughts out here because I really do enjoy this show.

The ghost and molly mcgee is one of those shows that shocked me with just how much I enjoyed it. I think that’s purely because it doesn’t fall into the tone of show I usually lean towards. I usually gravitate towards shows like Arcane, Invincible, Amphibia, and The Owl House to use recent examples. Shows that are very bittersweet (or in Arcane’s case straight-up tragic) and know how to gut punch you with emotional moments. I feel seen in certain aspects of these shows and the hard truths they portray that many people have experienced but that isn’t what I need all the time and the Ghost and Molly McGee perfectly fits what I need outside of those types of shows.

It’s a show that champions joy and connections and it sees the best in people. In a time that seems to be filled with hate and is hard to experience day to day, this is the type of show I need to unwind and feel a bit more hopeful.

The Ghost and Molly McGee had a phenomenal first season. It was an amazing introduction to the characters, world, and themes of the show that ended on a bang with Molly vs the ghost world. I had a lot of excitement heading into the next season, but was unsure of where the show would go from that explosive finale and I can safely say that the second season is off to a great start. 

I love the introduction of the Chens and how their profession of being ghost hunters comes into conflict with their friendship with the McGees. It's an interesting dynamic that adds a level of tension to Molly and Scratch’s adventures that wasn’t present in season 1. There wasn’t much of a threat of anyone discovering Molly’s friendship with Scratch or exposing their escapades, especially after Libby was brought into the fold, so I really like the decision to add threats on the human side of things.

The Chens themselves have a lot of potential as characters and are already interesting foils to the McGees. Most of them don’t have much development yet and they are very similar to the McGees in terms of personality, but the show has already set up very interesting plotlines for them. 

Ollie in particular has a lot of potential due to his discovery at the end of “I Really Wanna Dance with Some Ollie”. He made the conscious decision to not tell his mother that he discovered that Molly is friends with Scratch which sets up an interesting conflict in his character and it adds depth to his actions and bond with Molly. 

Right now he is a copy of Molly in many ways (as are all of the Chens with the McGees) but it’s only a few episodes into season 2 so there are a lot of opportunities for growth.

I also really like June and love that she’s canonically autistic. The Ghost and Molly McGee is great when it comes to representation. It is very racially diverse and I appreciate that it has background/normalized lbgtq+ characters and is now including main characters that are intentionally and explicitly neurodivergent. Representation matters. I’ve written about why I believe representation is important before so I’ll spare the essay but I believe that people being able to see aspects of themselves not depicted as frequently in media in characters on this show, especially this show’s age demographic, is a good thing.

Another development I really liked is what the show has decided to do with the ghost world, specifically the chairman. The idea that Scratch is forced into a role of authority after the events of the finale is really interesting. There are so many directions they can take this idea and it’s a really good way to force Scratch out of his comfort zone and get him to grow. This also expands on the lore in regards to the ghost world which we still know little about. I look forward to the ways in which this can explore Scratch’s character and give us more insight into the show’s lore.

Scratch gets some very poignant character moments even outside of the chairman development  in these episodes with the best example being “A Soda to Remember”.

“A Soda to Remember” is my favorite episode of the batch that dropped because of how it juxtaposes Scratch’s character and the glimpse of his past with the wacky antics of the episode. There’s a palpable melancholy to the flashback at the end of the episode that works so well considering the overall tone of the show. It builds a lot of emotion and intrigue around it that makes the episode and Scratch’s arc in it hit a lot harder.

Episodes in The Ghost and Molly McGee almost always end on an optimistic note so that final scene strikes a unique emotional cord within the show. This technique was used sparingly in the first season with it only occurring in the episode “Out of House and Home” when the McGees lose their house and when Scratch is taken back to the ghost world in “The Jig is Up”. The show knows when to slow down and allow these emotional moments to sit which is part of why I enjoy it so much.

This actually might be the plotline I am most interested in seeing explored in the future.

Overall I think the second season of The Ghost and Molly McGee is off to a great start!