RJ Writing Ink

Amphibia Season 3, Episode 12A/B

As Amphibia approaches its endgame, the show is not holding anything back. What started out as a Western Isekai/slice of life has evolved into a deadly war for survival. Or, as deadly as Disney will allow things to get. Regardless, Matt and his team have made sure not to leave any thread untouched and giving everything it’s share of importance. This extends not just to the return of one-time characters, but also giving the recurring ones their time to shine. That’s the hallmark of a good show, in my own opinion. This week, several Wartwood residents get a chance to show what they’re made of, and then Anne and Sasha follow up on a clue regarding how to stop Andrias…and what their purpose might be in Amphibia.

Sasha’s Angels

It’s still hard to believe how much the residents of Wartwood changed while Anne and the Plantar’s were on Earth. They’ve always been pretty tough and resourceful, but fighting a rebellion against King Andrias has turned them into full-blown badasses. Everyone, that is, except Toadie, who remains as soft as ever.

Toadie is one of my favorite residents of Wartwood, due to his helpful nature. The fact that he’s also voiced by Jack McBrayer, who played Wander in Wander Over Yonder, also helps. But the poor little guy’s too scared to think for himself and step outside his comfort zone, even when necessary. Case in point, when a group of bandits led by Barry (the guy who cursed Anne and Sprig) steals supplies for the rebellion, Sasha and Anne lead a team to get them back.

That team promptly gets captured, and Sasha and Anne…don’t do anything. Sasha tells them to wait.

Anne obviously takes issue with this, as she thinks that Sasha’s just using them like she used to. It’s nice to see that the writers don’t skimp on the fact they’ve still got issues to work through, but this time, it’s different. Sasha’s developed strong bonds with the people of Wartwood while Anne was away, so she has faith in them to get through this.

That faith pays off, as after being pushed too far, Toadie snaps and goes all Mad Max on the Marauders. Everyone gets away, and Barry gets what he deserves.

Olm Town Road

In the second half of the episode, the show returns to focus on the overarching plot to the series. In the first half of the season, Anne and the Plantar’s found a vase with Amphibian writing on it. When decoded, it said, “Seek the Mother of Olms. She will guide you to your destiny.” As many fans speculated, this connected back to the Olms that Sprig and Polly met in “Quarreler’s Pass“, leading Sasha, Anne, and the Plantar’s to head back to that site. Turns out, there was an entire city of Olms underneath the mountain range.

One great thing about animation is that it requires a lot of artwork, and the results are fairly breathtaking. But the background art that goes into Amphibia ascends to a new level with the reveal of the underground city of Proteus, home of the Olms. It’s like discovering a hidden city of elves in a fantasy world, and that’s essentially what the Olms are, cool traits and all. The problem is that they refuse to even listen to what Sasha and Anne’s group has to say, and shun Lysil and Angwin for a mistake they made that almost destroyed the city.

It’s clear that Sasha sees a lot of herself in Lysil and Angwin. She made a lot of mistakes that almost destroyed her friendship with Anne, and she is desperate to atone for them. As such, she’s the most vocal about giving the twin Olms a second chance. And when the leader of Proteus refuses to do so, even after Lysil and Angwin risk their lives to save the city from King Andrias’ army, she snaps, and it is glorious.

Fortunately, the Olm leader’s actually impressed with Sasha’s guts, enough to make her reconsider things. As a result, they get to meet the Mother of Olms.

The Truth About The Prophecy

From the show’s inception, indeed, from the images in the opening credits, it’s been hinted at that there’s more to why Anne, Sasha, and Marcy got sent to Amphibia. I previously speculated that the girls were sent to Amphibia for a reason. Then, we heard Andrias mention a prophecy that fans were quick to decipher. Essentially, the prophecy is about three beings from afar who will come with the power to vanquish this great evil. The fans figured out that much, but the heroes don’t know about of this stuff…yet. However, that’s all about to change in the next episode, which is all but confirmed to shed a lot of light on the overarching story to Amphibia.

In addition, I found this image on social media, showing the door that Anne and Sasha step through at the end of the episode. Some fans cleaned it up, and this is what we got.

That looks just like Anne, Sasha, and Marcy. In other words, the three girls are meant to be the ones to save Amphibia, and by extension, the multiverse. Way to call it, diehard fans

Next week’s episode is likely to be among the most important of the entire series, and I cannot wait to see how it turns out.

I Give “Sasha’s Angels” a 4/5 and “Olm Town Road” a 4.5/5

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The Owl House Season 2, Episode 13 Review

I’m sorry that I didn’t get to this yesterday, but I had a busy day. But do you know who probably had an even worse day? Hunter, AKA the Golden Guard, AKA Emperor Belos’ supposed nephew and/or magical clone of his brother. Ever since he debuted in the second season premiere, fans have just fallen in love with Hunter. He’s funny, adorkable, and probably in more dire need of a hug than anyone on the Boiling Isles. The more time passes, the more we see how bad Hunter has had it in life, growing up under an emotionally manipulative man such as Emperor Belos. After seeing this Hunter-centric episode, though, I feel more sorry for him than ever before.

Hunter Just Wants Some Respect

Poor Hunter really has it rough in life, and that’s not just because he’s the Emperor’s supposed nephew. All he wants is to earn the respect of the people who work for Belos, and they treat him like dirt. When Belos puts him in charge while he’s doing other things, the Coven Heads outright reschedule a meeting just so they don’t have to deal with him. Being the insecure teen that he is, he ends up taking the head of the Abomination’s Coven remark about “finding new recruits” as an actual mission. Thus, he goes undercover at Hexside to do just that.

Meanwhile, it’s club day at Hexside, and Willow’s looking to start the school’s first Flyer Derby team, which is like Quidditch meets capture the flag, only more extreme. Through a series of events beyond his control, Hunter gets drafted into joining Willow’s team for their first match against her old Abominations teacher. From then on, the episode shows just how messed up Hunter’s life has really been. It turns out, joining the Emperor’s Coven means going through boot camp that would make the Navy SEALS look tame in comparison. What’s worse, Hunter’s grown up thinking that it’s normal to lie and stab your friends in the back, as this is what the Coven heads do under Belos.

This just shows how messed up things are under Belos. He emotionally manipulates people to do what he wants, while also having them at each other’s throats to curry his favor and keep them from becoming a threat. It’s like the Skeksis from The Dark Crystal, but for kids.

Baby Steps, Hunter

Ultimately, Hunter’s “mission” at Hexside does do some good for him. Willow, Gus, and the other students serve as a positive influence on him, ultimately leading Hunter to stand up to Darius when he’s ready to attack them after trying to escape. And fortunately, Darius actually respects Hunter for this, saying that it’s about time he get a life outside the palace. Maybe he’s not such a bad guy, after all. Then again, he does work for the Emperor, so…

The end result is that Hunter gains yet another positive emotional connection in his life. He’s changing for the better, people, but his full heel-face turn won’t come until he realizes that his Uncle Belos isn’t worth it.

Take That, Us!

Meanwhile, in the episode’s B-Plot, Luz and Amity discover that the author of the Good Witch Azura books is in town for a signing, and they eagerly attend. While doing so, they come up with more and more outlandish theories to explain who the author is. Like, is she a Witch who can travel between worlds? Is she Luz’s mom as a teenager sent forward in time? Kikimora?

Turns out, it’s none of these things. The books are just normal books that find their way to the Boiling Isles and sold by Tibbles. However, it turns out Amity is the only one to buy them.

So, the entire B-Plot of the episode was a funny jab by the show’s team at the fans for coming up with crazy explanations for mundane ideas. It’s all done in good humor, though, and I couldn’t help but laugh about it. You got us, Dana!

This was a fun episode, all around, and I just love seeing Zeno Robinson voice Hunter. He’s a rising star in the VA world, people!

I Give “Any Sport in a Storm” a 4/5

Stray Observations

• More Steve!
• Look and you’ll see a Remy Remington bobblehead in Hunter’s room. A nice reference to his role in Big City Greens

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