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Amphibia Season 3, Episode 16A/B Review

Remember when Amphibia was a slice-of-life isekai? After seeing the first part to the series finale, I wish we could go back to that. Not that I don’t mind seeing how epic the finale is. It’s just that, after seeing the new episode, I’m left reeling, and so is much of the fanbase. I checked the wiki’s Discord server this morning, & everyone was freaking out. Matt Braly wasn’t joking when he said last week was the final “fun” episode of the show. This week, the show entered its finale and darkest hour.

The Three Armies

Having gathered most of those opposing Andrias’ mad plans together, Anne and Sasha reveal that the King’s just days away from invading Earth. If they want to stop his plans to conquer the multiverse, the Resistance has to do it now! There’s only one problem: Frogs, Toads, and Newts still won’t get along, even with how desperate things are. Newts still see Toads as brutes, Toads see Newts as snobs, and both see Frogs as weaklings with nothing to offer.

Being the good-hearted person that she is, Anne does everything in her power to convince everyone to get along. She tries trust-falling and team building exercises, the whole nine yards, but nothing works. Even in their darkest hour, everyone refuses to let go of past grudges.

I like how Matt Braly’s not sugar-coating this. King Andrias may have started this racial and class divide, but the Frogs, Newts, and Toads fed it and kept it going for a thousand years. That sort of thing wont’ go away overnight, even if Anne snaps and goes full Calamity Mode in front of everyone. However, acknowledging one’s faults is the first step to moving on and becoming better people, which is part of what Amphibia’s about.

Also, considering how Mother Olm comes and says that the invasion of Earth will begin that night, they don’t have much of a choice. They have to work together, or both Earth and Amphibia are doomed.

The Beginning of the End

This is it, the final battle begins! The Resistance has one shot at defeating King Andrias before he invades Earth, so they take their massive army and march to the ruins of Newtopia. And what a battle it is! In a direct shout-out to Lord of the Rings, the two armies clash outside the gates of Newtopia, with almost everyone supporting character taking part. Characters we’ve come to know and love get a chance to show off their skills, and it is amazing! My only regret is that they aren’t able to give it as much time as a full-fledged movie would, but the show makes up for it by making every second count.

Meanwhile, Anne, Sasha, the Plantar’s and Grime sneak inside Andrias’ castle to steal the Calamity Box from under Andrias’ nose. While doing so, Sasha and Anne both acknowledge that they had their own part to play in Marcy’s decision by not paying attention to her interests and making her feel isolated. Sasha even doubts whether they can salvage their friendship and forgive each other, to which Anne admits that forgiveness takes time as she looks at Hop Pop. We also get this cool moment where the two girls take down a mind-controlled Yunan and Olivia through synchronized dancing.

It’s all for nothing, though. Unaware of the Core or Marcy’s fate, the group falls right into Darcy’s trap, having predicted all of this from memories of Marcy’s favorite movie. As a result, the Resistance despairs at having lost, leaving everyone powerless to stop Andrias from using the Box to open a portal to Earth. The invasion of Earth has begun, and the darkest hour is upon us.

A Massive Rollercoaster

For a show that has given us several tear-jerking endings to episodes, this has to be among the worst cases. Anne and the heroes are captured. All of them, save for Anne, are slated to get mind-control collars. Their army’s in full retreat and can’t help. It truly feels like the darkest hour of Amphibia. I was barely able to sleep after watching what had happened, and the fandom went absolutely bonkers!

Good thing that there’s still a glimmer of hope left, even in the darkest hour. Just as Darcy prepares to kill Anne and remove her threat, Anne throws them for a loop, guessing that killing her may rob the Calamity Box of its powers altogether. The Core, the collective of the smartest minds in all of Amphibia, is left thrown for a loop, leading her to spare Anne for the time being. Which is exactly what Anne wants.

I already know what’s going to happen next. Anne will find a way to escape, rescue everyone, and come up with a new plan. It’s what I would do if I were her. However, there’s still the matter of saving Marcy and stopping the invasion. If the promo for the one-hour episode for next week, though, is any indication, it’s not going to be easy.

This could end up being one of the best series finales for a show that I’ve ever seen; right up there with the finales to Gravity Falls and Avatar: the Last Airbender if done right. It’s also a good thing that Disney’s moving it to primetime so that no one can be spoiled. They clearly want this to draw as many people in as possible. I know I will be watching it! Now, how am I going to survive the next week or so?

I Give “The Three Armies” and “The Beginning of the End” a 4/5 and 4.5/5 Each

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Amphibia Season 3, Episode 15A/B Review

There are only three weeks left of Amphibia, and the show is coming down to the wire. Matt Braly and his team are using the remaining episodes to tie up any plot threads. Most important of all, though, they’re drawing on the show’s substantial wellspring of one-off characters who can come together for the final battle. In what Matt dubs the final “fun” episode, the Wartwood Resistance gains an ally that I knew would be back…as well as one I didn’t know.

Newts in Tights

While out on a recon mission, Anne and Sprig are dismayed to discover there’s still Amphibians willingly serving King Andrias. However, that dismay turns to shock when the King’s men get ambushed by a group of merry men…in tights. In what’s meant to be a clear send up to the legendary Robin Hood, the two stumbled upon a group of outlaws, led by none other that Tritonio Espada. AKA, the duo’s former sword-instructor from Season One.

For the record, I saw Tritonio’s return coming a mile away. The title for the episode made it pretty obvious, and I just had a feeling he’d be too good a character to be forgotten about. In a reversal of their previous roles, Anne spends the episode encouraging Tritonio to live up to the potential to be better that she sees in him. However, old habits die hard, especially when one’s had to grow up in an environment where it’s everyone for themselves. Thankfully, Anne ends up getting through to the salamander, and after bailing on his crew when they get captured, Tritonio agrees to join the Wartwood Resistance .

This was a very fun segment, and I think Matt’s team had fun doing this parody of Robin Hood. They even had one of the kids from Jojo Rabbit guest-star as Jojo Potato, an orphaned Newt that idolizes Tritonio. He’s like the Deku to Tritonio’s All Might!

Fight or Flight

So it turns out that sometimes, you can befriend a wild animal and have it all work out. When Anne, Sprig, and Soggy Joe stake out for an animal raiding their food supplies, Anne’s gets the surprise of her life. It turns out, that animal is none other than Domino 2, now a mother with a litter of kittens. When the giant moth gets captured by Andrias’ army, though, Anne’s determined to rescue her.

One would think that after seeing how she tried to eat the Plantar’s, Anne would know better. Everyone in the Wartwood Rebellion thinks what Anne’s doing is dumb, no matter how cute the Kill-a-Pillar’s are. However, Anne decides to trust her heart, which has always been her greatest strength, and think she can get through to Domino 2. Turns out, the Kill-a-Moth remembers Anne and is very happy to see her again. More importantly, her care for Anne overrides her instinctual need to eat Amphibians. As a result, she saves Sprig from the other captured Kill-a-Moth’s and gets them to follow her lead.

As for the Wartwood Resistance, they get won over by the cuteness of the kill-a-pillar’s. It’s a very touching scene that reminds us of how our ancestor’s could’ve domesticated wild felines and canines, and I couldn’t help but gush over it.

The Wartwood Resistance Grows

Let’s recap all the people who’ve joined the Wartwood Resistance. Firstly, Wally’s Dad is backing them. Then we have Beatrix and her Toad Army. Apothecary Gary and his followers agreed to join. Now we have Tritonio and the Kill-a-Moth’s to help out. Not counting any other side characters (*cough* Braddock and Percy *cough) that may join, that’s a lot of the people we’ve met throughout Amphibia. The Wartwood Resistance may stand a real chance of stopping Andrias and the Core from their plans to conquer the universe.

So, why does it still not feel like enough?

The short answer is, because it’s not. While the Resistance and all these groups are each powerful, we’ve seen what Andrias has serving him. An army of robots likely numbering in the tens of thousands, far more than what the Wartwood Resistance can muster. If they go into battle, they’re still going to be outnumbered. In addition, this episode also proves that there are still Amphibian’s willing to serve Andrias despite the harm he’s causing. It’s not going to be enough. If Anne and the others want any chance, they need to unite everyone together to save Amphibia and all of reality. There’s still hope, though.

Leif is a Plantar, Confirmed

Let there be no doubt that Leif, Andrias and Barrel’s old friend, is the ancestor of the Plantar family. In the first segments final moments, Sasha and Hop Pop reveal that they discovered a hidden room in the Plantar family caverns, one that can only be opened by the book that Hop Pop showed the kids. It’s revealed to be none other than Leif’s personal room, with all her possessions, as well as a blank letter. Despite being overlooked by all, the last episode showed us that it’s likely written in invisible ink.

What could Leif have left in the letter, though? She clearly meant for her descendants to find it. Could it be instructions on her to stop the Calamity Box should it ever return? Whatever’s in the letter will likely come back into play in the final battle.

May It Be Epic

As of now, almost all the pieces are in place. From here on out, Amphibia will be going at full speed towards it’s series finale. Given everything that Matt Braly and his team have done, then it’s likely that they mean for it to be as big as possible. Spanning three weeks, including one hour-long special episode, and an almost 30 minute final episode? They don’t seem to be holding anything back. If it’s as epic as they make it out to be, Amphibia could have the biggest finale Disney’s seen since Gravity Falls. I’m hoping that it ends up being Sozin’s Comet levels of awesome, myself. I know that’s a high standard, given how Avatar: the Last Airbender was one of the best shows of all time, but I think that Amphibia can measure up.

From here on out, I’m going to be totally dedicated to seeing Amphibia through. Speaking of which, tonight marks the start of the Amphibia artwork exhibition at the Gallery Nucleus in California. For those who couldn’t get tickets, they’re doing a livestream starting at 6 PM EST on Twitch, moderated by AweStruck Vox. He’s one of the biggest fans of the show and covers it on his channel every week. Go subscribe to him if you haven’t. Link to the stream below.

I Give “Newts in Tights” and “Fight or Flight” a 4/5, Each

Gallery Nucleus Twitch Link

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Amphibia Season 3, Episode 11A/11B Review

Well, Earth was fun, but it’s time for Amphibia to return to the place that it belongs; specifically, Amphibia itself. The first half of the third season put the titular location on the backburner in favor of showing Anne’s return to Earth, and how the Plantar’s adjust to life in her world. The few glimpses we got of Amphibia itself have left fans deeply concerned about its current state. Then, last week saw our worst fears proven to be true. Anne and the Plantar’s return to Amphibia, only to find it far worse than what they know, and a rebellion taking place to decide everything. Commander Anne, welcome to the resistance.

Commander Anne

Picking up immediately where we left off, we see just how bad things have gotten for Amphibia. The once beautiful lands are virtually unrecognizable, and Andrias’ army is everywhere. Worst of all, Wartwood is left in ruins. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long for them to reunite with its inhabitants, now led by Sasha and operating out of the caves under the Plantar’s house.

From here, the entire segment is essentially about contrasting the Amphibia we knew with the way it is now. The setting is bleaker, the characters look different (buff Loggles is hilarious!), and nothing is as we know it. The biggest contrast, though, is regarding Sasha herself. Not only has her outfit gotten cooler, but she’s started letting her hair down. It’s a subtle way to show that she’s letting go of her control freak tendencies and really trying to change for the better. Of course, there are still issues she’s got to work through with Anne. Case in point, her decision to appoint Anne as the new leader of the Resistance.

Anne has really come into her own during her time in Amphibia, but she’s lacking real leadership experience. As a result, Commander Anne starts drowning out in the field and almost gets everyone killed before Sasha steps in. Thankfully, Sasha admits that she wanted Anne in charge because she didn’t trust herself in charge. The two work things out, and their friendship seems to be on the mend for the moment. At the very least, it’s now much less manipulative in nature.

Not every hero’s cut out to be a leader, it seems. Commander Anne will have to wait.

Sprivy

The next segment continues the theme of adjusting to a new normal through the lens of Sprig and Ivy. We’ve seen their relationship go from simply friends to the show’s resident ship. Now, they’re in the “sickeningly sweethearts” stage where they can’t bear to be apart from each other. However, the timing’s less than ideal.

The people of Wartwood are in a war for survival, and that takes priority over shipping. As such, they have little tolerance for the romantic episodes of Sprivy, which is something that the two kids have a hard time understanding. This causes problems when a mission to take out a crucial laser cannon has them split up into separate teams by Sasha. Their attempts to stay together almost cost them the mission and get them rightfully chewed out by Sasha in the process. Thankfully, the pair realize their error and that now might not be the best time to focus on romance.

This is surprisingly realistic for the show. The cast is fighting a brutal rebellion for survival, and that means things like comfort and romance have to be put on the backburner. If they survive, then they can focus on their relationship. For now, though, taking down Andrias and the Core takes top priority.

Welcome to Your New Life, Anne

It’s safe to assume that from here on out, Amphibia will be leaving most of the light-hearted humor aside in favor of focusing on the serious task at hand. King Andrias and the Core need to be stopped before they conquer the Multiverse, and that will require all hands on deck. These two segments alone saw the return of many previously one-time characters to help the heroes, which is the kind of thing I like to see in a final act. It heightens the tension necessary to create a grand finale. And judging by what we know, the finale is going to be big. Possibly the biggest Disney has seen since Gravity Falls.

For now, though, I’m just glad to get to see more of Sasha. I’ve really grown fond of her and her character development, as well as her Voice Actress. We’re in the endgame now, Matt. Give us something worth watching.

I Give “Commander Anne” and “Sprivy” a 4.5/5 and a 3/5

Stray Observations

• Seriously, I can’t go over how jacked Loggles is! What did he do to get like that?!?
• I really love the new look Sasha is rocking
• Check out this gif I made of Sprivy dancing! Its a Peanuts reference

• King Andrias Pinata is hilarious

• The mind-controlling mushrooms return as a plot device in this episode. What a good callback.
• Wally’s Dad is backing the Resistance!

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