Sprig - Tumblr Posts

The little girl and boy-frog go to the exciting adventures 

I love them. 

Sprig will forever be a ✨B U T T O N   B O Y✨

AMPHIBIA SPOILERS

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I totally call my friends parents Mrs.(My friends name) Mom and Mr. (My friends name) Dad just like Sprig did to Anne’s parents😂 

I am going to bed now (time zones 😔😔) good luck to all of the amphibia fans watching the finale in an hour. It has been an honour being in this fandom (not that I’m leaving immediately) but since I know many will, thanks for sharing this little corner on the internet :) <3

Amphibia Series Thoughts (So Far)

The fact that it has taken me this long to write about Amphibia is a crime. This is a criminally underrated show that deserves more than being in the Owl House’s shadow (no shade to the Owl House. It’s an amazing show. I just think Amphibia deserves just as much praise). 

Amphibia has just about everything I could ask for in a fantasy epic cartoon. It has amazing and memorable characters, a fun world with fascinating lore, huge twists, and a lot more. With season 3B underway I thought it was about time I talked about the episodes currently released for Amphibia. Buckle up, I have a lot of thoughts. 

I genuinely love Amphibia so I would like to get my more mixed thoughts out of the way first and then get onto what I love about it so it can end on a high note. Amphibia can be very episodic at points which can be great for a first season that is setting the tone, establishing the themes, and introducing characters before everything becomes serious in a serialized show like this. But the problems arise when it gets later on in the show and the more pressing matters get put onto the backburner for problem of the week type episodes. 

This is especially prevalent in season 3A which, while very entertaining and I love Anne’s parents, suffers from massive mood whiplash with the show going from everything that happens in True Colors to frogs in LA shenanigans and the fact that a lot of plot and character development in Amphibia has to happen off-screen. (If you want to skip the mixed thoughts go down to season 1)

I think the show does a better job of explaining why Anne doesn’t mention Marcy and Sasha or Andrias than a lot of others online seem to because it actually spends quite a bit showing Anne’s avoidance and trust issues. 

Episodes like The New Normal, Fight at the Museum, and Anne-sterminator spend a large chunk of their runtime showing these effects on Anne and how she isn’t coping as well as she would like to portray. That being said I wish there could have been one or two more episodes that take place in Amphibia rather than the human realm.

Episodes like Spider-Sprig and Hollywood Hop Pop are episodes that easily could have been removed and replaced with Amphibia content to keep the plot moving forward. These two episodes specifically retread character growth that has already happened making their place in the story less important and are the only two episodes of 3A that don’t contain plot progression/lore expansion. 

We have so many interesting things happening in Amphibia with the frog/toad rebellion and Marcy’s new role as the Core’s host that practically beg for expansion that I wish there was a bit more time spent with it. (As a huge spider-man nerd I loved all the homages in the spider-sprig episode but I still think this could have been replaced)

Another option could have been to have Anne and the Plantars return to Amphibia in the 3A finale so that 3B could focus entirely on Anne and Sasha discovering the mother of Olms, hearing about the prophecy, saving Marcy, and stopping Andrias and the core. This would have given the show 2 more episodes (11-minute runtime) to cover all this plot in the latter half of the final season. 

As it is everything has to move at a breakneck speed. This is especially prevalent with the girls’ friendship. They have to mend their friendship in the wake of massive betrayals in the span of half a season which can get tricky. (I like what they are doing with Anne and Sasha so far so this may be unfounded but my main concern is Marcy because it’s looking more and more like she won’t be saved from the core’s control until the finale.)

Another issue I have with the series as a whole is the fact that it doesn’t want to deviate from Anne as often as I think it could and probably should. This show is the story of Anne, Sasha, and Marcy and while Anne is the main character her friends have massive arcs to undergo that I think could have benefitted from more solo episodes for them. 

Sasha is arguably the character who is forced to change the most. All the episodes she’s in are great and they don’t waste a moment they are given but it’s a bit disappointing how much of her development is forced to take place off screen. She is a very complex character with so much going on that some huge points in her arc such as her decision in Reunion could have benefitted from more screen time or expansion on her home life/past. (I’ll come back to Sasha later because there is a lot to be said about her.)

Marcy is also worthy of more screen time. But doesn’t suffer as much as Sasha does because she was part of the main cast from episode 6 of season 2 until the finale (mostly. She did miss a few episodes). While it would have been interesting to see Marcy in Newtopia before Anne and the Plantars get there, we get enough insight into her place there and the character dynamics that it wouldn’t be as necessary. I would have appreciated it though. The main concern is 3B because there are a lot of things left hanging with Marcy’s arc that she can’t actively work towards now that she is under the control of the core. Only time will tell when it comes to this and I will hold out hope that her arc gets wrapped up in a satisfying way. 

As it stands the core reason that Marcy’s arc and characterization suffers is how little she is mentioned by characters when she isn’t around and the fact that outside of Olivia & Yunan she doesn’t have a perspective episode. 

Marcy is a character that looms over the story in season 1. Just like Sasha even when she isn’t there you can feel the effect her friendship has had on Anne. This isn’t the case with season 3A. The effect she has had on Anne from her betrayal and near death aren’t felt nearly as much which you would think would be the opposite. 

This can be compared to Sasha after the season 1 finale. Sasha was mentioned on multiple occasions by Anne, Marcy, and Sprig and her presence could be felt even when she wasn’t on screen which hasn’t been the case with Marcy. I also wish she would have had more one on one interaction with Sasha because we really don’t know what their dynamic is. I think it could be really interesting.

So with that out of the way let’s get into the things I love and my more expanded thoughts on the seasons, characters, and twists.

First season

Amphibia’s first season was what I think would qualify as a slow burn with most of the episodes being slice of life getting the audience acquainted with Anne, the Plantars, and Wartwood. But even with the majority of the season focusing on more problem of the week type stories it manages to sprinkle in enough hints to the overarching mystery that the show never felt aimless. 

Anne also goes through amazing development in this season and watching her grow into the responsible and caring character she is in season 2 and 3 is amazing. She is allowed to be flawed, selfish, and entitled at the start of the series and the first season’s decision to focus on her growth is part of why I like the more episodic formula they used for it. 

It has some great episodes with my favorites obviously being Toad Tax, Prison Break, and Reunion (no shockers there). The obvious connection these episodes have is that all of them were built up to and have lasting consequences as the show moves forward. 

In Toad Tax Anne finally gains the town’s respect when she decides she would rather do the right thing regardless of how the town has treated her than revel in the power granted to her by the toads. This moment felt earned because every episode leading up to it had dealt with how Anne has been treated by the town and how she struggles with her self perception in regard to this. It feels like a huge payoff for all the growth and self reflection Anne had been forced to go through in the series so far. It also ripples throughout the season because due to the events of this episode word of Anne gets back to toad tower.

In Prison Break we finally get to see what Sasha is really like and how things have been different for her. Anne’s friends Sasha and Marcy had only been teased up until this moment with the ominous lightning flash over the photo stuck in a branch in the rain during the opening being the biggest hint that things with Anne’s friends back home were not as sunshine and rainbows as it could initially seem. 

There are also hints that Anne’s twisted views of friendship, which are gradually unlearned because of her friendship with Sprig, came from her friends back home and this episode makes it clear that Sasha was a big part of that warped perception. 

It also sets up an interesting inversion between Sasha and Anne. Where Anne is forced to confront her flaws and mistakes during her time spent with the Plantars, Sasha’s worst traits are encouraged by the toads. Anne becomes better while Sasha becomes worse. This plays into the show’s main theme of change. Anne is willing to adapt to the change and grow while Sasha (and later Marcy) pushes back against change which leads to disaster.

I love this episode because it introduces the character I find the most interesting of the cast of characters, Sasha. There’s just so much to go into with her character such as her need for control clashing with her genuine care for her friends that makes her fascinating. But that’s a topic for later when I get to her character as a whole.

Reunion is easily the best episode of this season though and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who disagreed. There’s the long awaited reunion between Sasha and Anne which ends just as poorly as you’d expect based on everything leading up to it. The moment I want to talk about though is when Sasha looks at Anne and says “Maybe you’re better off without me” and lets go, falling to what would have been her death if Grime hadn’t saved her. 

This is one of the darkest moments of the show and is heavily analyzed, for good reason. It’s so well done too. Sasha sees Anne and the Plantars, people she had just tried to kill, working to save her while her weight literally pulls them down. She has a moment of reflection where she is forced to realize what a bad friend she’s been to Anne and chooses to fall to her death instead of continue to drag Anne and the Plantars down. 

This is such a dark moment that I wasn’t expecting on my first watchthrough. This is where I realized that Amphibia was something special.

Now I think is the best time to talk about Anne. I absolutely love Anne. She is such a great protagonist. I mentioned above about how much she’s grown from her first introduction and that is part of why I love her so much. She’s allowed to be flawed and learn from her mistakes. 

One of my favorite things is how well the pilot sets up Anne’s character and arc. In the pilot episode Sprig gets stuck in Anne’s trap when a Mantis attacks and Anne initially runs away to save herself before she runs back and saves Sprig. This shows that while Anne can be selfish she will always try to make the right choice. 

Anne is such a great protagonist and I love how the show works in her Thai culture and heritage. It makes sure you understand how important it is to her and who she is. From her parent’s restaurant Thai Go to Anne teaching Polly (or trying to teach Polly) Muay Thai and all the smaller things in between. 

The show makes sure that you know this is a part of Anne’s life that is irreplaceable. I hope more cartoons will be willing to do this because I really appreciate it within Amphibia. You could just see how much this meant to Matt Braly.

The Plantars are almost all fantastic as well. The standout of the three, to my initial surprise, was Hop Pop. I’m a sucker for the older mentor with secrets and a soft spot for their kids archetype that Disney has made a mainstay of their cartoons since Gravity Falls. 

Hop Pop is funny, heartfelt, and has very real fears of loneliness and loss that can only be explored in the way they are through his older, more jaded perspective. The generational divide that is experienced by him and everyone else in the family is a source of conflict but it is done in a way that doesn’t totally discount one way over the other and works perfectly with the show’s themes.

All that praise being said the first season does run into the problem of losing its sense of urgency when it comes to Anne finding her way home on a few occasions but this is easily rectified in season 2. 

Season 2

I’d say season 2 took every question and the few issues I had with season 1, which there weren’t a ton mind you, and managed to address each one. Lacking a sense of urgency around Anne, Sasha, and Marcy getting home? Lets heavily expand on the lore of the calamity box and directly address Anne’s homesickness in a way that will emotionally devastate everyone watching. Not enough focus on the girls outside of Anne and no word on Marcy? Marcy joins the main cast for a good chunk of season 2 and Sasha gets more than one solo episode so we better understand what’s going on with her. What happened to Sprig and Polly’s parents? Let's emotionally gut punch you with Hop Pop revealing how he feels responsible and have Sprig address missing his mom despite not knowing her.

Season 2 also isn’t afraid to deal with the lasting consequences of character’s actions and trauma. Anne has a hard time discussing Sasha at the beginning of the season and tries to make up for all the danger she feels she has put the Plantars in since she got to Wartwood. This is where we first see her avoidant approach to her trauma which causes things to boil over on more than one occasion throughout the season. 

This season so far is the one that best deals with the lasting effects of what has happened to the characters throughout the show the most and shows Anne’s developing trust issues in an organic way. 

Anne isn’t the only one where we get this from either. Sasha is another good example. This seems like as good of a segue as any to talk about Sasha’s character as a whole. Even with the limited screen time Sasha has huge development throughout the series. 

Sasha is fascinating in part because of her complex relationship to control and power and how it directly conflicts with her care for others. It’s made very clear at multiple points in the series that Sasha does genuinely care for other people. 

She cares for Grime and won’t abandon him in Toadcatcher even when facing down Yunan, she cares for Anne and her decision to let go to prevent dragging Anne and the Plantars down with her in Reunion shows that, she cares about Percy and Braddock and shows conflict over losing them in Barrel’s Warhammer, she cares for Anne and Marcy in True Colors when she tries to hold off Andrias so that they could make it home.  

The episodes focusing on Sasha are usually really good because of this complexity. She is always torn between doing to right thing/her genuine care for others and what will give her more control. Sasha was the character that was obviously being set up for a redemption arc (every animated show needs at least one) but she had to get worse before she could start to get better. And this is what her arc in season 2 is.

When we first see Sasha again in Toadcatcher she is grappling with the fallout of Reunion and Grime points out that she is training to avoid the reality that her friendship with Anne has irrevocably changed, things can never go back to the way they were. She’s not upset that she lost the fight but that she lost a friend.

Sasha is struggling with this and can’t accept the change or Anne’s independence from her. She wants to regain control over her friendships and force things back to the way they were. She hasn’t learned that those lines of thinking are faulty, instead she doubles down on them.

She next appears in Barrel’s Warhammer where she and Grime go to get the rest of the toads onboard with their coup on Newtopia but to be the leaders of this coup they need to go on a suicide quest for Barrel’s Warhammer (it is literally stated in the show to be a suicide mission). Sasha is more determined than ever to get the warhammer and gain power once she hears that Anne and Marcy are working together to get home without her. 

She puts her life and the lives of her comrades at risk to prove that she doesn’t need Anne and Marcy and continue her quest for power. In her own words “I am not gonna fail. Not while Anne and Marcy are getting by without me.” She is upset because she believes that Anne and Marcy are doing fine without her, that they don’t need her like she wanted to believe. 

I think that this outlook on need is important. She wants them to need her. If they need her they can’t leave her. And if they don’t need her then she can’t need them. Sasha can’t show this need. It’s vulnerable. It’s weakness in her mind. She has to be fine on her own.

She pushes her team too far in her mission to reassert control and loses Percy and Braddock because of this. She seems genuinely effected by it. She’s starting to realize her actions have consequences. That she can’t force her wants and desires onto other people and expect them not to push back or leave when it hurts them. Grime’s speech about some people not being willing to pay the necessary price for success rationalizes her actions and prevents her from fully coming to this realization.

The true cracks in her resolve to follow through with her plans don’t start showing until the Third Temple. She has a moment of doubt about betraying Anne and Marcy after all the faith they showed in her. She starts to question if power is what she really wants if it comes at the cost of her friendship with the two like it did with Percy and Braddock. 

There’s the implication that Sasha isn’t faking as much as she would like to believe she is during this reunion and it continues on for the next handful of episodes leading up to True Colors. 

Sasha can be a tricky character to pin down because it can be hard to tell when she is being genuine or not and even trickier to tell when she is lying to herself or truly believes what she is saying. Sasha is just as good, maybe even better, at lying to herself as she is at lying to others. 

Interestingly enough Battle of the Bands is the episode that sums up her arc as a whole in season 2. She wants Marcy and Anne to succeed and with her in control she thinks she could ensure that would happen. She thinks she knows what’s best for them and tries to force it onto them but Anne has learned to stand her ground and push back when needed.

When Anne won’t let her be in control she decides to take her own path where she has all the power over what happens. She gets into a situation where she has all the control only to learn how empty that is without those she cares about and that having someone who will do everything you say without question isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

She later comes to learn through Toadie that sometimes supporting her friends in their own endeavors can be just as meaningful even if they don’t come out on top. We see her give up that control she so desperately clings to and support her friends and comes to realize that it is more fulfilling than going it alone to try and win on her terms.

This is the lesson that Sasha needs to learn. In a way this was showing her what she could have if she could let go of having total control, compromise, and accept change. It makes what happens in True Colors and the consequences of her actions hit her all the harder.

In her mission to force things back to the way they were and resist change she loses everything she could have gained when True Colors comes around. She gets what she thinks she wants at the cost of everything that actually matters and she is hit with the realization of how empty it is. 

She is finally forced to confront her own terrible choices and their consequences when Anne finally severs their friendship. To make matters worse she comes to the realization that her coup was unintentionally a good thing when it’s revealed what Andrias plans to do with the music box. 

When she tries to warn Anne she is understandably ignored. Everything bad that happens in True Colors is in part her own fault. She is forced to confront the lies she keeps telling herself and finally realize the lasting consequences of her actions and the folly of her insistence on resisting change.

I really liked how the culmination of her arc this season is her promising to have Anne’s back in the fight against Andrias and hold him off so Anne and Marcy can get back home. She finally gives up control to someone else by deciding to have their back and tries to take responsibility for her actions and set things right. (it only took until it was almost too late)

This arc is complex and layered. I stand by my opinion that Sasha should have had more episodes dedicated to her but the writers don’t waste a second of her screen time and manage to get all the conflict of her character across in the limited episodes they have been given. There’s still a lot of development that happens off screen (mostly in season 1 and 3a) but once again season 2 finds a pretty good medium that hits all the points it needs to in her journey.

I love how this leads into season 3 with her Turning Point and becoming the leader of the rebellion against Andrias. She is finally using her strengths in a positive way for the benefit of others. One of my favorite things about Amphibia (and good writing in general) is that every character’s biggest weakness/flaw is born of their greatest strength. 

Everything that makes her a great leader, when taken to the extreme, makes her toxic to those around her and the antagonist. Sasha doesn’t give up which is what inspires Anne and Marcy and what made them friends in the first place but it also causes her to continue on with a path even when it puts herself and others in danger. 

Her control freak tendencies when in moderation make her a “tactical wizard” because she is able to take into consideration all the strength and weaknesses with her allies and enemies as well as all the minute details and break them down to formulate a great strategy for victory. But it also caused her to force things onto those around her to fit what she thought was best rather than what was actually best for everyone. 

Her charisma makes it so that she can get people to follow her and lift them up but it also makes way for her effective manipulation. 

Side note: I love Sasha’s new character design.

This is also the case with Marcy. Marcy’s greatest strengths feed into her greatest flaws. Anne says it herself, that Marcy would always get so enraptured in her own little world that she would neglect to see the bigger picture around her. 

That hyperfocus and lust for knowledge make her excel in Newtopia but they also blind her to the consequences to her actions on others, in this case Sasha and Anne. Unlike Sasha though, a lot of Marcy’s betrayal and self destruction comes from a place of naïveté rather than conscious choice which makes them interesting foils (and is another reason why I wish they interacted one on one more).

Marcy has great chemistry with just about every character she interacts with. She is one of the most fun characters to watch while on screen and it is easy to see why she became so popular. My favorite pairing with her is surprisingly Hop Pop. I never would have guessed that I needed them to be friends so much. I love how she is just as excited by things that most people would consider mundane as Hop Pop is like seeds, farming, and taxes (or in her case probably just the math of it).

Her twist in the True Colors finale was built into her character from the beginning. In her introduction she refers to everything happening as tropes and describes how she played what is essentially a dnd character to work her way to the top of Newtopia. It explains her entire view of life and how she managed to take escapism to the extreme by trapping herself, Anne, and Sasha in Amphibia and lied about trying to get back home to get Andrias the music box and continue their adventures. 

Her struggles making friends, which is touched upon in the episode Scavenger Hunt and is implied with her lack of close connections in Newtopia, unlike Anne with the Plantars and Sasha with Grime, comes around in a big way because it is the driving factor in her running away at the news of her moving for her father’s job and taking a chance on the music box in the first place.

Every piece is there for the audience to put together and understand this twist.

It’s interesting because looking back at the season 2 opening the twist was right there in the moment replacing 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 very clearly 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. 

So much of this show's future plot points are hidden right in front of you, be it the opening or episodes that are seemingly filler (like Wally and Anne and how the moss men came back in Newtopia).

To put my thoughts on Marcy into perspective I caught up with Amphibia the spring before season 2 started airing and I remember the immense amount of discourse and theories surrounding Marcy. 

Matt Braly stated that Sprig was the first non-toxic friend that Anne had ever had in a Q and A on Reddit and it led to so many people trying to guess what it was about Marcy that made this the case. 

It’s actually really funny looking back on it because so many people were completely shocked by Marcy’s introduction and she so easily lulled them (and me) into a sense of security that, although we were warned by Matt Braly, caused massive shockwaves in the fan community after the reveal that Marcy wanted to get the three stuck in Amphibia and never wanted to leave. 

I think that being in the fandom around this time and seeing the speculation and adoration for Marcy in real time really heightened my experience with her character and arc throughout season 2.

Another thing I adore with Marcy is her heavy neurodivergent coding. As someone who is neurodivergent myself I see a lot of myself in Marcy’s mannerisms and characteristics. She has the same hyper focus that I can find myself experiencing, deep knowledge of tropes, media, and games, certain mannerisms in her movements and habits that I have, and trouble with eye contact and making connections. It’s always nice to see this in a character and I appreciate that Matt Braly is so supportive of this reading although it wasn’t the initial intention of the writers. 

I relate to all of the girls in different ways but Marcy is the girl I am probably most like (as I mentioned above). And I really love that there is something to connect to with each of the girls and that each of them is a complex individual. It's one of my favorite things about Amphibia.

Now to talk about True Colors. Wow. Where to start. This is easily the most ambitious episode the Amphibia crew have put out to date. One thing I love about the two season finales that Amphibia currently has is that they aren’t afraid to irrevocably change the characters, relationships, and status quo. This episode came and promised that nothing will ever be the same again, shaking the very foundations of the show. 

Marcy had been stabbed, Anne’s powers manifested, Sasha was trapped in Amphibia, Anne and the Plantars were sent back to LA in Marcy’s final act, Andrias’ plan and his sheer amount of power and resources were revealed, and the endgame was finally upon us. It was insane. Watching this episode and knowing that we would have to wait months for season 3 made me feel like I was going to explode from anticipation. This was the perfect finale to this season.

True colors does a fantastic job of giving you a grasp of the scope of this show and the ramifications of what happened. Every character has a moment to shine and no one seems inconsequential. That being said it obviously heavily focused on the relationship between the 3 girls and for very good reason. Season 1 returned to the day that Anne, Sasha, and Marcy were sent to Amphibia and gave us a new perspective on everything through Sasha and so True Colors did the same thing with Marcy. 

Everything about Marcy and what Matt Braly said snaps into place in the most heartbreaking way. 

She didn't know where the box would send them or if it would even work but she didn't give any of her friends a heads up or anything. She went behind their backs to do this and intentionally didn't reveal this to them at any point during their travels. Andrias was the one who let it slip. She was even planning on bringing them on more adventures rather than returning them home. What Marcy did was wrong. I don't want to downplay that but I also think the why behind her actions is just as important to reading her character. 

This episode really puts the mirror up to Sasha and Marcy and shows the flaws in their desire to reject change. Everything comes crashing down for the both of them and they are forced to realize the selfishness in their actions.

Marcy is forced to realize that her decision was self-centered rather than selfless as she tried to make it out initially. Her line "But look at how much fun we've had. Look at how much you've both grown. Look at Sprig. I gave you this, I gave you everything! I just didn't want to be alone." Marcy is still lying to herself that she did this for all of them until she can't anymore and she breaks down and admits that she did it so that she wouldn't have to be alone. She did it for herself.

Just like Sasha she also starts to work to be better in this episode. She saves Sprig, goes against Andrias, sends Anne home, and tries to do something else with the music box before she is stabbed.

Yep now to talk about that moment.

To make matters worse, in one of the darkest moments in the show, she gets stabbed and spends her last moments of consciousness apologizing for her mistakes. She almost dies thinking that she has irreparably destroyed her friendships and the person she trusted most in Newtopia literally stabs her in the back, causing her (almost) death. 

Amphibia likes it’s parallels and Andrias is likely meant to be a father/mentor figure to her (it’s paralleled with Sasha and Grime and Anne and Hop Pop). This makes the betrayal all the more painful. Her naivete and belief in this grand new world that helped her escape from her problems is what ultimately lead to this moment. She wasn’t malicious or evil just scared and lonely. 

I’m interested in the parallels this episode draws between Andrias and Sasha though because it is heavily implied that his friends left him because of his pursuit of power and control but instead of realizing his mistakes he doubles down on them and continues on his path for power and domination which is what Sasha herself has been doing this season. 

It could be gearing up to have Andrias and his past friends be a dark parallel of what Sasha, Marcy, and Anne could become if they don’t reflect and work to better themselves (now I’m even more interested in seeing the episode “The King and the Core”). 

You can’t really talk about True Colors without talking about how Disney pulled it from its originally scheduled release date less than 24 hours before it was supposed to air, forgot to tell iTunes so the whole episode ended up getting leaked, and ended up airing it 3 weeks later. 

Matt and the whole Amphibia team were done a disservice and it’s really unfortunate that this happened. The whole crew took to twitter urging people to wait and watch it when it aired and to keep from leaking what happens in it. It’s clear that this came completely out of nowhere for them. 

It’s disappointing to see how poorly Disney has treated two of its best shows (cutting the Owl House short without telling Dana Terrace and what it did to True Colors). They’ve done such a great job on these phenomenal shows and deserve better treatment from Disney.

Season 3

Now onto season 3A. I’ve already mentioned my few issues with 3A so far which can mostly be rectified with the latter half of season so I don’t want to dwell on them and would much rather talk about what I loved. Starting with Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy. They are the best. Anne’s parents are so wholesome and I love being reminded of just how far Anne has come as a character by seeing the change through their eyes. 

They mention in her first appearance back home that she was the poster child for hating responsibility, punctuated through Anne’s drawing that literally says “I hate responsibility”. They have to acclimate to Anne’s newfound maturity and the reality that she can’t stay with them no matter how much they would love her to and supporting her decision in every way they can. They are just so supportive and loving that it’s a breath of fresh air. Way too often main characters are given terrible home lives or basically non-existent parents so having the Boonchuys be the opposite of that was satisfying.

I also really love all the developments on the Amphibia side of things. Sasha becoming the leader of the rebellion and Marcy being possessed by the core really heighten the stakes and play into their development over the seasons. It also draws yet another inversion between the two as well as their respective relationships with Grime and Andrias. 

Sasha came to Amphibia and lied and manipulated her way to the top of the toads heirarchy but developed a genuine bond with Grime that eventually leads to the two of them bettering themselves whereas Marcy is lied and manipulated by Andrias which brings her to the top of his regime. 

They both had to face the aftermath of their own betrayals which led to them rising to the ranks they find themselves in going into the endgame. I like the parallels that can be drawn between the two especially since they couldn’t be more different personality wise. They are two polar opposite sides when it comes to how much control they have in their respective stories. 

Season 3B hasn’t aired a ton of episodes as of yet with only the episodes up to “Mother of Olms/Grime’s Pupil” having aired at the time of me writing this but I am really enjoying them so far. I hope it kicks the plot into high gear soon considering this is the last batch of episodes we will ever get and it looks like that will be the case seeing as  “The Root of Evil/The Core and the King” are the next slated episodes which I’m really excited for. 

The character moments are good and I’m enjoying Anne and Sasha getting the chance to reconcile and be shown as actual friends now that Sasha has changed for the better. I also really liked the unconventional pairing of Sprig and Grime in the most recent episode. I’m having a lot of fun.

Extra thoughts

I have so many thoughts on Amphibia and a lot are scattered right now so I’m just going to list them off in bullet point format.

I love Sasha and Grime’s relationship. They’ve changed each other so much and I love all of their solo episodes.

The music in this show is amazing. The amphibia soundtrack is very underrated. My favorite musical moments are when Anne’s powers activate in True Colors and Marcy’s truth from the same episode and the Calamity trio's themes.

The animation in True Colors when Anne’s powers activate and she fights off Andrias is amazing. It’s so fluid and the change in fluidity and style really sells just how powerful this new form is.

"Wait, so Marcy and I get cool anime powers too?" - I just love this line and how self aware it is.

The color palate used in this show is really visually appealing. The colors are softer and tend to avoid jarring contrast which I really love.

I really like how the girls earth passions and extracurriculars play into how they excel at combat. Sasha and Anne’s athleticism that comes from tennis and cheerleading and Marcy’s smarts and D&D knowledge. It’s fun.

Amphibia Season 3B Thoughts (Part 1)

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

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

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

Escape to Amphibia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Commander Anne/Sprivy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sasha’s Angels/Olm Town Road

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mother of Olms/Grime’s Pupil

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Root of Evil

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

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

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

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

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

Also there continues to be Hop Pop death flags. 

Amphibia Season 3B Thoughts (Part 2)

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

The Core and The King

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Newts in Tights/Fight or Flight

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thoughts and predictions for the finale

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. 

Amphibia - The Hardest Thing Thoughts

(art credit to @kayseix)

Ever since last Saturday I’ve been trying to write out my thoughts on The Hardest Thing and after four drafts and almost 10,000 words written and deleted I think I’ve finally figured out how to organize everything I have to say about this finale.

Series finales are the hardest thing to stick the landing on and in many ways they can make or break a series for many people. This episode managed to hit all its emotional beats home just like Amphibia has always done. I have a few issues but nothing that will keep me from revisiting this series in years to come. 

I know I’m not the first nor will I be the last to say this but The Hardest Thing is saying goodbye. The girls have to say goodbye to the friends and family they made in Amphibia and in a way all these goodbyes encapsulate and close out their individual arcs and the show’s themes.

Marcy’s goodbyes were bittersweet in a way that was different from Anne and Sasha’s goodbyes. Unlike theirs hers was sad because of what could have been. She didn’t get to know Olivia and Yunan as well as she could have and now she won’t be able to. She befriended them but because of her outlook when she came to Amphibia she didn’t get to find a new family in them like Anne with the Plantars or Sasha with Grime. And her goodbye with Andrias was short and full of pain because if it weren’t for the core they could have been family but they can’t turn back the clock. 

Andrias has broken free of the core but he can’t undo his betrayal of her. He can’t stop himself from stabbing her or letting the core possess her. He cared about her but when the moment of truth came he chose the core and his mission over her. 

Marcy has insight into how the core treated and manipulated Andrias which gives her new understanding of him but it doesn’t negate his actions. It also doesn’t negate the impact he had on her life. It is a weird mess of emotions and complicated feelings because she did care for him and vice versa but so much has happened that they can never have that bond that the others have. But they will both forever carry the impact they had on each other. 

Their story is tragic.

Marcy’s goodbyes are a new beginning. Her big moment in All In was the equivalent of Anne’s big moment in Reunion where she stands up to Sasha or Sasha’s big moment in Turning Point where she decides to do the right thing. These were beginnings where the girls made the decision to be better, become who they were meant to be, and work to reach their full potential. And their subsequent actions in those episodes solidified this change. These goodbyes were the solidification of Marcy’s decision to change.

In a way this isn’t the end of her story and arc that Amphibia brought about but the beginning and I think that works perfectly for Marcy.

Sasha and Grime’s goodbye was about more than one thing but it was most importantly a close to their emotional arcs. Both Grime and Sasha build walls around their hearts and put up a tough exterior to hide their genuine care for each other and others. Throughout the series we’ve seen time and time again that they have chosen each other above themselves. Sasha stuck with Grime after Reunion and protected him in Toadcatcher, Grime returned for Sasha in Turning Point, Grime sacrificed his arm to save Sasha’s life in All In, etc. They have had each other’s backs at every turn no matter how dire the situation. They may not say it aloud but they have become family.

Sasha and Grime have developed a father/daughter sort of bond through their adventures and seeing them finally let their walls fall and break down crying at their goodbye was emotional. Neither would have dared to show this type of emotion around others before this point in the series. Sasha was determined to hide her sadness and hurt behind confidence and anger and Grime would never show anything other than ruthlessness before Sasha. They bettered each other and broke down each other’s walls.

But Sasha’s goodbyes also play into the idea that you won’t always get closure for everything. Sasha gets to have this heartfelt goodbye with Grime but she never did get to see Percy and Braddock again. She never got to make things right. And that’s an important part of her arc.

Sasha for so long struggled to see the consequences of her actions and it caused her to lose Percy and Braddock and it almost cost her her friendship with Anne. She luckily got a chance to reconcile with Anne and build a stronger bond than ever because of it. But this isn’t the case with Percy and Braddock.

This adds extra weight to Barrel’s Warhammer. Sasha’s actions in that episode made it so that she didn’t get to ever see them again. Her actions had lasting consequences that she will never get to undo. 

Even though that’s the case Sasha doesn’t stop trying to better herself and that’s important. She was very self destructive at the start and actively put her life in danger multiple times but now she wants to get better, to be better, for those around her but also herself.

Anne’s goodbyes come full circle as well. This goodbye really shows Anne and the Plantars’ personal growth. In season 2 during the episode A Day at the Aquarium they couldn’t bring themselves to say goodbye or even think of the fact that they would have to say goodbye but now they are faced with the reality that they will have to let go. They didn’t want to be reminded of their adventures because they thought it was too painful but after all this they surround themselves with mementos of each other and the time they spent together.

Anne and the Plantars are family they have been and always will be no matter what. This doesn’t change that. It can’t. They have irrevocably changed each other. Her goodbye with Sprig was understandably the one that was the biggest tearjerker out of all the Plantars. 

The friendship between Sprig and Anne is what started this series. It’s what got Anne to grow and what motivated Anne to stand up for herself. It’s what gave Anne perspective on what a healthy friendship looks like. It is, in a way, the catalyst for much of the growth and change in the show for the characters and the world. If Sprig hadn’t become Anne’s “first non-toxic friend” (in the words of Matt Braly) then none of the girls would have grown into who they were meant to be.

Spranne against the world was a catchphrase they used that grew into something much more than what it was that first time they shouted it in early season one. Since then they’ve faced down tyrants, toad rebellions, the FBI, an immortal collection of Amphibia’s greatest minds, and the literal moon and have always had each other's backs.

Spranne kicked this adventure off and it’s their goodbye that closes it out.

It’s simple and beautiful and heartbreaking all at once.

Now to come back to the space battle and the moon. Sasha and Marcy’s calamity forms have been teased since Anne first accessed hers back in True Colors and we finally got to see them in action.

Amphibia didn’t hold back and gave us the most fun and colorful fight sequence in the whole show. I love how all of their calamity powers have to do with their activities from home that helped them most in Amphibia. Anne’s tennis skills and natural athleticism helped her fight even before her lessons from Tritonio which is most notable in Toad Tax. Sasha’s cheerleading helped her stay alive from the heron attack in prison break and feeds into her fighting ability. Marcy’s passion for fantasy and DnD plays into how she is able to do so well in Newtopia as mentioned in Marcy at the Gates. I love that this keeps coming back around in the story.

I love this frame of the girls grabbing onto each other and laughing while they spin in space. It just makes me really happy about how far they have come individually and as friends. The fact that they all grew so much and were able to come back together always hits me. It brings me back to that photo Matt Braly shared on twitter of the sketch of the three girls on the coach leaning into each other so with the caption “it’s complicated”. Through everything they all cared deeply about one another and managed to grow so they could get to this point.

Most importantly this part closes out the arc of the calamity trio as a whole. Anne started out this series as a follower. She did what Marcy and Sasha wanted and took the easy path but that’s not who she is anymore. She asks for their permission to take the lead and they allow her to.

She accepts her fate and makes the hard choice. In a way this is the hardest thing as well. Sasha and Marcy have to take a step back and give Anne their stones and their trust. Anne has to make this decision knowing that she will be giving up everything.

Anne has grown to be a light for so many people. She’s grown to love herself and through that has learned when to take the lead. She’s what Sprig dubbed her in the very first episode, a hero.

Anne makes the ultimate sacrifice and dies. The Anne we know does in fact die. A copy was made of her right before she expired; she is “for all intents and purposes the same Anne Boonchuy”. It’s been a week and I still don’t know how to tackle this subject but I do believe that this is Anne. I am happy that at least a part of Anne does in fact get to live her life. (To be honest I still don’t know if I’ve fully processes this part of the finale)

And we come to one of those things I’m conflicted about which is the creator of the stones. I’ve sat on this for a while now and I think I agree with this take right here. It would work better if there were any indication of there being a god outside of the line of foreshadowing within the episode Adventures in Catsitting and the photo on Anne’s bedroom wall. 

No one before this point has been concerned about where the stones came from and there’s also the fact that someone/something we’ve never seen before in the series is what saves Anne from death. I don’t think either of these things fit the series as well as they should (The link explains this a lot better than I can).

That being said it works very well within the context of Anne’s arc and the themes of the show. Anne is given the chance to become a god and she turns it down. She isn’t perfect and she’s constantly growing, learning, and changing. Things aren’t set in stone. 

Amphibia is centered around the theme of change. That nothing is permanent. And how that isn’t a bad thing. Bonds grow and change and sometimes you have to let them go but that doesn’t make their impact less meaningful. People change. They can seem set in their ways like Anne thought Sasha and Marcy were but they can surprise you and grow. 

Nothing is perfect but with that comes beauty. The creator of the stones can’t grasp this. There is an inherent disconnect between an immortal being and a mortal one when it comes to this. They see Anne make this grand sacrifice and jump at the chance to make her their replacement. They claim she is perfect but she knows this isn’t the case. Anne understands this part of life now in a way she couldn’t before her journey.

Her understanding gives the god a new perspective and they allow her to go back and continue her life. Anne gets to continue her journey of growth and change. While she has an understanding and perspective beyond her thirteen years she still has so much life left to live and she deserves the chance to live it.

The epilogue shows a better world for Amphibia and shows just how much the world and its inhabitants have changed due to the trio. Sprig, Polly, and Ivy are going to go on more adventures and carry on in Anne’s memory by exploring a new continent. Grime, Olivia, and Yunan work together to facilitate peace and exploration. Hop Pop gets to grow his avocados. And Anne has a statue built in her honor.

Andrias roams helping fix the world he tore apart by planting seeds while carrying around the legacy and memory of Leif, Barrel, and Marcy through his keepsakes from each of them. He will never get the closure of his friends having seen him change and work to make up for past mistakes but he carries them with him and the lessons he’s learned from each. This ending fits perfectly with Amphibia’s themes. 

I talked in depth about the earth epilogue here but to sum my thoughts up I think the dialogue doesn’t fully get across the intention behind it very well. It doesn’t get across that the girls did in fact keep in contact and that Marcy did visit after Amphibia but drifted apart due to time and differing life paths. I was genuinely disappointed in how the dialogue made the trio’s relationship after Amphibia sound but I love the idea and themes that it tries to get across.

I love the message that people do grow apart and that they can come back together again. I love how the trio meets up on Anne’s birthday, brings her presents, catches up, and takes a new photo. I love the idea that things aren’t permanent and that sometimes you will grow apart but that doesn’t make your experiences together and the love you share pointless, it just takes on a new meaning. I love that all these years later they could come back together and reconnect.

The final frame of the entire show is of the trio having taken a new photo. It’s a beautiful bookend to their story. The polaroid was such an important thing for every girl throughout the story but it grew and changed in significance with each of the girls. This new one symbolizes their new change in dynamic and friendship perfectly.

The fact that our first sighting of the group was this polaroid stuck in a tree in the rain during the opening and that this is the last sighting of the group right before “Complete” appears in Thai bringing the series to a close is so poetic. This series was about the friendship of these three girls falling apart and forcing them to grow separately as individuals before coming back together as true friends.

Amphibia is first and foremost a story about friendship and how each one can change you. How some while you may be separated the impact of that friendship will always remain. That sometimes you can reconnect with these old friendships even after all the time, space, and new experiences have changed you all. 

Part of the journey is the end. This wasn’t a perfect goodbye to the series but it was a beautiful one that will be remembered. I know I will never forget it.

Extra thoughts

I want to give TJ Hill kudos once again. I love the upbeat rendition of no big deal that plays in the background of the trio’s space battle and the end credits music.

I have to say my favorite calamity form is Sasha’s. It’s just so extra with the flaming hair and abundance of spikes and it says more about who she is and what she represents than Anne or Marcy’s. (I still love their calamity forms too. Sasha’s just says the most about her in my opinion while Anne and Marcy’s have a lot of similarities to each other comparatively)

I absolutely love the moment where Andrias stands up to the core. They even hammer home the parallels between Anne and Andrias as well as Sasha and the core by having the scene where Andrias stands up to the core share the exact same dialogue as the scene where Anne does the same in Reunion. It even shares the red lighting and background.

I love how Grime kept Sasha’s sword. I love their bond so much.

My full expanded thoughts on the girls’ future careers is right here. I love all the career paths they took and feel like they were all extremely fitting and showed the effect Amphibia had on each of them.

Sasha is bi and I love it.

Olivia and Yunan are canon which I also love.

While it doesn’t hurt the finale for me I wish that we saw Sasha and Marcy’s parents. It just feels strange to have them teased in Froggy Little Christmas with the letters and All In during the phone call at the end only to never see them.

I also don’t think Anne will accept the god’s deal even after the next 78 years. Anne doesn’t want that kind of power and her response within the episode sums up how I think she will still feel after all that time. There is also an inherent tragedy to a mortal becoming an immortal, all-powerful being that I wouldn’t wish on Anne.

I also feel like the pacing of the first half of the episode was too fast. The calamity forms of the three girls is something that has been built up to for quite a while now and they come and go way too quickly. The pacing issue is very noticeable. I enjoyed what we got but it is jarring every time I’ve seen it.

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.

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Amphibia Season 1 Re-watch Thoughts/Review

Amphibia season one was really fun and had an amazing finale. The choice to be an episodic comedy series works wonders for this season and I believe makes Reunion and season two hit all the harder. 

This season falls into a few of the usual trappings that almost all first seasons do but its biggest strength is that it knows what the series is about at its core and it focuses on that.

This show knows what themes are at its heart. Amphibia is about friendship, change, growth, and becoming your best self and that’s what the first season is just on a smaller scale than the second and third.

It allows for a gradual build up to the huge scale of the third season. The first season keeps the focus on Anne’s growth and how she learns self-love through her relationship with the Plantars. And it slowly opens the world to us by introducing one of the toad towers in Prison break, halfway through the season, then Reunion opens up how much the events of the season have effected the rest of the valley. 

All these actions that felt like they were occurring in a vacuum have wide reaching consequences. This is bigger than we initially thought. And that final shot in season one before the “End Part I” showed up on the screen where we see Anne and the Plantars overlooking the valley while hugging perfectly encapsulates how the world has now opened up to them. That the scope we saw in the first season will be widened exponentially.

The show needed this gradual build up. Suddenly making the show about all of Amphibia during this season wouldn’t have worked and expanding the view beyond Anne’s growth would have made it so that moments later in the series wouldn’t have felt as earned. 

I believe this was a good choice for the show but also a big reason why Amphibia was so underrated for so long. A lot of people looked at the more episodic problem of the week formula that the first season followed and didn’t think twice about it until the finale came along and shattered the status quo. It wasn’t noticeably serialized right out of the gate.

This is an unfortunate issue because it is based on first impressions. Something like the Owl House is an obviously serialized show from episode 1. Everything flows into one another and that draws in an older crowd easier than the seemingly episodic formula that Amphibia had out of the gate. 

There were hints of serialization in “Anne of Beast?” and “Best Fronds” but as early as “Cane Crazy” the show started with the problem of the week formula, which I want to emphasize once again was a good choice for the show because it really emphasized its themes of change and growth, but that also caused some people to not give the show a fair shot.

The choice to have the season air over the course of a single month also stunted Amphibia’s ability to garner a following. There wasn’t time for people to talk or speculate about the show episode to episode because a new one was coming out every day. 

Episodes that likely would have gotten fans talking and speculating about the finale like Prison Break, Bizarre Bazaar, and Anne of the Year weren’t given any time to breathe so this could happen.

It was just an unfortunate choice that caused Amphibia to be underrated going into its second season (which is phenomenal).

There are some genuine drawbacks from the episodic formula that Amphibia used in its first season though. Some episodes become formulaic because they use a similar structure with a basic life lesson being learned in almost every one. The interesting and unique world and how it was used could save some of these episodes from falling into tedium but not all of them.

It also takes a while for anything about the lore, Sasha and Marcy, or plot to really come into play which can become frustrating, especially for people that have never seen it before but were drawn in by what they’ve heard about it online. 

It can be a bit slow with divulging information with Sasha not being formally introduced until the episode Prison Break which was 10 episodes in and nothing about the Calamity Box explored until Bizarre Bazaar which was episode 15. 

There are long stretches that don’t expand on these very important and interesting plot points. This can exacerbate the flaws in certain episodes and make the pacing feel off or slow at times which is something the show greatly improves upon when season 2 comes around. This structure and slow build up isn’t for everyone.

This was what initially kept me from watching it when this season first aired (I regret this choice). Interestingly the thing that sold me on watching the show the first time around was the opening. Specifically this shot: 

This moment in the opening never failed to intrigue me. It was a hint of the themes this show would grapple with and how all the events seen are because of this broken friendship. There is genuine care between the people in the photo which can be seen by their closeness and the writing around the edges but it is literally out on a limb in the middle of a storm. It’s struggling to hold on and brings an air of tragedy to their current situation.

The lightning strike provides an even more ominous tone to the moment. The rain alone could have just made it seem tragic, friends torn apart by circumstance, but the lightning strike is what tells you there was something off/toxic about the friendship even before Amphibia. 

It never failed to make me wonder what exactly that was and it kept me watching to see what the reality behind it would be. This comes around in a big way with Sasha.

In Sasha’s introduction she is shown to be cunning and manipulative. There is genuine care for her friends but it is overshadowed at this point by her flaws.

It starts to paint a picture about what Anne’s friendships were like at home. This portrayal of toxic friendship and outgrowing connections is one of the things I think the first season does best in retrospect.

The first season makes it so that Sasha's (and Marcy’s) influence can be felt on Anne long before she even speaks through things Anne says and does. 

This makes it so that even though Sasha’s screen time is limited and she and Anne don’t interact until the very end of Anne of the Year the audience can understand why their clash in Reunion is so important for Anne’s character.

This is a great but subtle build-up to the finale.

Reunion is a fantastic and very interesting episode. It is in many ways the most formative episode of the series. It creates the mold that Amphibia’s finales follow moving forward.

For example, it makes the decision to bring the audience back to the day Anne, Sasha, and Marcy get whisked away to Amphibia and provide context for what led Anne and Sasha to that point. This is an important part of True Colors, All In, and The Beginning of the End as well.

It also starts the trend of what I’m going to call Amphibia’s “wham” moments with Sasha letting go of Anne’s hand. This is continued in the other season finales with Marcy getting stabbed and Anne’s death.

Lastly is how the episode addresses change and the ways people fight against it. The series as a whole tackles change but the finales are where the trio and their issues with accepting change come to a head.

Leading up to Reunion Sasha has had her negative traits encouraged by amphibia- they allowed her to flourish at toad tower- and as a result she hasn’t grown and changed in the same way Anne has. Anne landed in Wartwood with the Plantars and has had her old mindset challenged constantly which led to her growth. This growth allows her to stand up to and best Sasha.

This is repeated in True Colors, where Sasha and Marcy’s bids to fight against change cause things to come crumbling down for them, and in The Hardest Thing where the core (a being that can’t let go of the past) is taken down by Anne because of the calamity trio’s growth and acceptance of change.

These similarities make it so that all the finales feel like they build on one another. This creates a cohesive through line in the series.

Overall I think this season built a solid foundation. There are instances of the show struggling to find its footing and it does become repetitive in some areas, but it’s really fun and has a strong heart.

Extra Thoughts

This is more of a deleted scenes/excerpts of analysis that didn’t fit in my review.

Reunion also plays into Amphibia’s overarching themes of change. The way it interweaves present day with flashbacks to what led Anne and Sasha to opening the music box really showcases this. Sasha is practically unchanged. She landed in toad tower where her negative traits are encouraged and cause her to flourish. Whereas Anne has grown so much because she landed with the Plantars in Wartwood and has had her mindset challenged constantly by those around her. The clash between Sasha and Anne can be seen as a clash between accepting change and staying stagnant with accepting change (Anne) coming out on top.

There’s an interesting parallel between Toad Tax/Prison Break and Reunion. Toad Tax has Anne stand up for what’s right instead of taking the easy path and submitting to “bullies” to gain the Wartwood citizens’ respect. Prison Break introduces Sasha’s toxic traits and shows how they help her get free and flourish at toad tower. This is exactly what their conflict is about in Reunion.

I love how Anne’s heritage is explored this season in Lily Pad Thai. The exploration of Anne’s culture is one of my favorite things about the series.

The use of someone to lean on in the finale is really interesting because on the one hand it stands out in a jarring way because the show doesn’t use non-diegetic licensed music at any other point in the series but on the other hand it fits really well thematically and provides insight into Sasha and Anne’s mindsets during this moment. 

The music in this season is the weakest of the 3 but that doesn’t mean it’s bad by any stretch. It is more washed out because of the sound mixing and not given the chance to shine until the finale. Reunion has a very good score with my favorite part being after toad tower falls and Anne makes eye contact with Grime. It’s tragic and foreboding and it’s the first time this season that the score is allowed to be the loudest part of a scene. This decision makes it so that this scene is given a different feel to all the ones that came before. It’s a transition in the music just as much as it is in the series. The music paired with the look clearly indicate that the conflict is far from over. This is just the beginning.

The only other episode where the music is allowed to shine is Prison Break. TJ Hill goes all out giving toad tower a completely different feel from Wartwood and I believe the music/title card (”far, far away from Wartwood”) is in part a Star Wars reference/homage (I could be wrong).

The dark humor of this show is amazing. Hop Pop is the one primarily used for this type of humor this season and gets the best jokes because of it.

Sasha doesn’t embrace or even really have to accept the changes that living in Amphibia naturally brings unlike Anne. After she is released from prison she gets herself plumbing and makes the toads make human cuisine. She forces things to be like they are back on earth (the parts she likes anyways). 

I know Reunion isn’t the first episode to use flashbacks in the series, Best Fronds is actually the episode that has that honor, but the way Reunion uses the flashbacks is what is brought back in True Colors, The Beginning of the End, and All In. 

I really like going back to the beginning of a series like this to see how all the characters changed as the show went on. Watching Anne in this season right after watching season 3 kind of smacks you in the face with just how much she changed (in the best way. It reminds you of just how far she’s come). It’s a lot easier to remember in a fair amount of detail just how much someone like Sasha or Grime has changed because of their limited screen time and massive character growth in that limited time. But Anne is the main character so her change is more gradual and can blend together because of this. I just like this aspect of re-watching a series.

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