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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 S3 Ep. 6A/6B Review

Can you believe that I’ve never seen RuPaul Andre Charles before today? Now that I have, I deeply regret this, as I was clearly missing out. However, that ends today, as RuPaul joins the cast of Amphibia as the lovable, yet threatening, Mr. X.

Also, Anne learns not to underestimate her parents. She had to get her smarts somewhere!

Mr. X

Having defeated Andrias’ robotic assassin for good, the Boonchuy-Plantar family feels on top of the world. So to celebrate, Anne takes them to see their first movie in theaters. However, their final fight comes back to bite them with the arrival of the FBI, led by Mr. X, voiced by RuPaul himself.

I thought that Dr. J became my favorite human character outside the girls, but Mr. X is on another level. I love RuPaul as Mr. X. He’s flamboyant, silly, does poses that would make the Ginyu Force proud. Plus, he wears Heely’s! How many government agents do you know that where Heely’s?

Despite his mannerisms, Mr. X proves to be very good at his job, seeing that the Plantar’s are talking frogs, and coming close to cornering them. Were it not for Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy, Anne and the Frogs would’ve gotten caught. Even then, he just treats this as a setback.

On the one hand, RuPaul’s new character could be a very persistent threat to the heroes on Earth. On the other hand, Mr. X seems genuinely motivated by the desire to keep people safe from perceived threats. Should Anne reach out to him and explain everything, including the looming threat of Andrias, he might be willing to help. Or not. I just want to see more RuPaul now. I’m a fan of RuPaul.

Sprig’s Birthday

It’s time for another one-off adventure, and this one is especially sweet: it’s Sprig’s birthday!!! Unfortunately, due to the deadly nature of Amphibia, it’s people do little to celebrate birthdays. Feeing bad, Anne insists on giving Sprig a human birthday, with all it entails. It goes as well as you’d think.

I thought that this whole thing was a very touching gesture. The Plantar’s are Anne’s second family, so of course she wants Sprig him to enjoy himself. At the same time, you can tell that she’s got some ulterior motives, even if she doesn’t realize it. She insists on making this Sprig’s best birthday ever, and while it seems like she’s doing it for her ego, I think there’s a deeper motive.

There’s the very real possibility that the series will end with the means to travel to and from Amphibia being destroyed. Thus, Anne and the Plantar’s will be permanently separated. Therefore, Anne wants to make sure her adoptive brother won’t forget her. Really, though, she’s got nothing to worry about. Especially not after she got him that sweet telescope.

So, that was the episode. RuPaul’s now a recurring character, and Anne and Sprig’s surrogate sibling bond grows even stronger. Good episode.

I Give “Mr. X” and “Sprig’s Birthday” a 4/5 Each

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Stray Observations

• I couldn’t help but laugh at the joke about how the 20 minutes of trailers there are in movies!

• References to Spider-Man and Sonic the Hedgehog in the movie theater. As well as that Twilight-esque movie!

• PENNYWISE!!

Amphibia S3, Episode 2A/2B Review

New season of Amphibia, same old antics that we know and love. At least, that’s how things are for Anne and the Plantar’s for now. As Anne finds herself in the role as caretaker, she and her adoptive family experience the hurdles of living on Earth. On the other hand, Sasha gets thrown into the deep end as she finally starts her redemption arc. It’s about time, too; Sasha’s one of my favorite characters on the show.

Hop ‘Til You Drop

Now that the Plantar’s are living with Anne, the initial formula of the show’s been reversed. Anne’s the savvy native, and the Plantar’s are the wide-eyed, naive outsiders. Polly picks fights with everyone, Hop Pop’s a sucker for scams, and Sprig keeps touching everything. Needless to say, Anne finds her patience severely strained. Thus, she decides to go “sink-or-swim”, and takes them to the local mall. Their goal: overcome their vices, or they’re stuck in the house forever.

It goes as bad as you’d think. Polly tries to quell her rage at a Build-A-Bear clone, but picks a fight with babies. And their moms.

Sprig can’t help himself; he has to touch everything, but he wrecks an art gallery.

Hop Pop technically doesn’t fall for a scam. However, he does dive into a chlorinated fountain for money and gets chased by a mall cop.

The whole incident’s pretty hilarious; the kind of thing you’d expect from Big City Greens. However, once the crisis ends, it brings up a key point in the show’s narrative. Not everyone can quickly adapt to a new and unfamiliar environment, and Anne shouldn’t expect the Plantar’s to. After all, in the first few episodes of the show, Anne kept getting into trouble in Wartwood!

Ultimately, both parties admit that this new life takes adjusting on everyone’s parts. The group hugs it out, and they have to get Hop Pop showered. He’s covered in chlorine!

Now, on to the redemption of Sasha!

Turning Point

Picking up from Sasha and Grime’s perspective of “True Colors”, the two have hit rock bottom. Their army’s captured or in hiding. Anne and the Plantar’s got sent to Earth. And Marcy’s barely alive. Thus, the two flee to Wartwood to plan their next move. Grime tells them that Andrias is a jerk, but omits what happened to the others; and their unintentionally justified coup.

As for Sasha, she’s hit the lowest point in her life. Until now, she’s been suppressing the guilt she feels regarding her treatment of Anne. It’s gotten to the point where she can barely function. In addition, the fact that the townsfolk trust her since she’s Anne’s friend only makes things worse. However, when she finds Anne’s journal in her room at the Plantar’s Farm, she finally breaks down in tears. It’s an honestly painful sight to see.

Sasha’s Redemption Arc

All the way back in season one, I speculated that Sasha, despite her flaws, can be a good person. Later, I compared her to Catra regarding her character arc. She genuinely care about her friends, but her negative traits have given her a toxic view on friendship. Thus, like Catra, it takes everything blowing up in her face to make her realize how bad she messed up.

But once you hit rock bottom, the only place to go is up. And up is where Sasha goes. Having realized how she’s nearly lost everything, she vows to be a better person, and admits the truth to Wartwood (minus the coup, but that hardly matters anymore.) Sasha then puts her money where her mouth is by defending Wartwood from an army of Frobot’s alongside Grime.

To say this moment was satisfying is an understatement. It was incredibly satisfying, and a culmination of Sasha’s character arc. She’s finally working on getting rid of her control issues, and not a moment too soon. With the help of the townsfolk, Sasha and Grime smash Andrias’ robots, saving everyone for the time being. Thus, the two decide to stay and lead a resistance against Andrias.

So Worth the Wait

Sasha may have started off as an antagonist, but she’s become one of the more nuanced antagonists in a Disney show in recent years. I found myself invested in her character arc, and have wanted to see her change for the better. Now, we’re getting that opportunity! I only hope that the final season splits it’s time between Earth and Amphibia, giving the fans what they want from both sides.

Meanwhile, I’m still enjoying the episodic misadventures of the Boonchuy-Plantar family. It may seem pointless, but when filler’s done right, it can yield good character development and take the edge off. Even serialized shows Avatar did that, and everyone loves it! So, yeah, I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.

I Give “Hop ‘Til You Drop” a 3.5/5 and “Turning Point” a 4.5/5

Stray Observations

• We got another reference to Matt Braly’s love of video games in this cameo of Cactuar from the Final Fantasy franchise. And a reference to Gravity Falls in this Bill Cipher artwork
• If Anne runs into anyone she knows, she can just tell them that she was at her family’s farm in Alaska.
• Matt and his team took a jab at Disney in this episode. And given how they screwed up with “True Colors”, they deserve it.

• Blonde may not be Sasha’s natural hair color.
• Never mess with Mall Cops!
• JOE SPARROW!!!

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