Amphibia Season 3, Episode 8A/8B Review

It seems like only yesterday that Amphibia kicked off its third and final season, and now we’re close to the halfway point and the inevitable hiatus. While the series continues to have one-off episodes, it’s likely that Matt’s team is saving the juicy stuff for the final half of the season. In addition, those one-off episodes can still give us character development and move the plot forward. Case in point, this week not only sees Hop Pop live out his dream, but it also gives Anne a lead on getting back to Amphibia. In other words, this episode’s both fun and important to the series.

Also, I would like to note that, in light of the events of Olivia & Yunan, the opening credits have changed. Instead of Marcy in a healing tank, we now have Marcy possessed by the Core, AKA Darcy, serving as the main antagonist alongside Andrias. It’s those little details that help the series grow.

Hollywood Hop Pop

When Anne takes the Plantar’s on a day trip to Hollywood, Hop Pop sees firsthand just how appreciated actor’s are on Earth. Or, as Anne accurately puts it, we treat actors “AS GODS!” Seeing yet another chance to fulfill his dream of being an actor, Hop Pop ends up getting into an audition for a commercial. In a neat callback to episode three (I discovered I lost the review), Hop Pop gets the role by uttering “the perfect sitcom catchphrase.”

The next thing anybody knows, Hop Pop becomes a celebrity about to get a part in an upcoming movie. Much like the last time, though, there are consequences, as Mr. X ends up seeing the commercial and is quick to get back on their trail, much to Anne’s concern. Thus, Hop Pop has a dilemma: risk his family’s safety for his dream, or give it up for them? He chooses his family.

I found Hop Pop’s continued aspirations of being an actor to be one of his most recognizable character traits. He’s someone who wanted to make it big but never got the chance, which a lot of older folk can relate to. Fortunately, Hop Pop finds a solution in the form of Humphrey Westwood, a human he looks exactly like who also aspires to be an actor. And someone played by Wallace Shawn, AKA the voice of Rex from Toy Story. Seeing Bill Farmer and Wallace Shawn, both acting legends, work together is a real treat for longtime Disney fans that I immensely enjoyed. Moreover, I liked seeing Hop Pop give Humphrey a chance to live their dream. It shows a lot of character development in and of itself. 

Also, I’m hoping that Mr. X doesn’t have a breakdown from being outwitted by the heroes too many times. That could be bad for everyone.

If You Give a Frog a Cookie

While the Plantar’s have adjusted to Earth-life pretty well, their desire to get home is starting to get them by this point. They even cope by making a model of Wartwood, which is both sad and impressive. Against her better judgment, Anne chooses to take them to meet an eccentric scientist that Dr. Jan thinks might have a lead on traveling back to Amphibia. Enter Dr. Frakes, voiced by Cree Summer, a mad scientist if there ever was one. She’s also the one who gives us our first big lead on getting back to Amphibia.

It’s revealed that on the night the Human trio opened the Calamity Box, it created a massive energy backlash that opened up a portal from Earth to Amphibia in Dr. Frakes lab. Thus, her Skipman got sucked over to Newtopia, the same Skipman that Anne found with the Curator. Now, she and her assistant, Terri, managed to replicate the process, albeit it’s very unstable and not locked to Amphibia. However, it’s’ the first real lead the gang’s had to get home.

Too bad that Dr. Frakes proves to have zero ethics, as when the Plantar’s end up losing their disguises, she doesn’t hesitate to try to dissect them. Interdimensional beings or not, I’m pretty sure dissecting a sentient being violates all ethics. Fortunately, Terri, played by Kate Miccuci, is everything that Frakes isn’t and sacrifices her job to help Anne save the Plantar’s. Despite Frakes’ threats of ensuring Terri will find work, it’s clear that Frakes’ word means nothing, with Terri saying she’ll get plenty of grant money to make her portal. Thus, the heroes finally have the means to get back to Amphibia.

Finally, the Means to Get Back to Amphibia

So, the first half of this week’s episode was the show’s team having fun and showing off what makes Hollywood what it is. On top of that, they also included callbacks to in-universe media the show’s covered over its run, including Suspicion Island and Tarantu-lad. I also liked the Water Tower on the studio lot, as clear a reference to Warner Bros as Disney can make. They can get away with it by saying its an Animaniacs reference, as that show airs on Hulu, and Disney owns a large portion of it.

The latter half of the episode gave us the real meat. After weeks of searching, Anne now has the means to get back to Amphibia. Granted, Terri has yet to make the portal, but that’s now a question of when rather than if. The final act of the series will likely see Anne return to Amphibia, and given the state it’s in, that couldn’t come fast enough.

Another thing to note is how heavy this season’s using celebrity guest actors, with Kate Micucci being the latest. I loved her as Webby in the reboot of DuckTales!, so hearing her voice again is a treat. Plus, helping Anne and the Plantar’s seems like something that Webby wouldn’t hesitate to do. Plus, even if something happens to the Calamity Box, this portal could be the means for Anne to return to Amphibia anytime she wants, meaning she won’t have to say goodbye to the Plantar’s!

However, we’re going to have to wait to see a return to Amphibia, as next week’s the Christmas special. Which, I should remind you, will include a song written by Rebecca Sugar. I am looking forward to that.

I Give “Hollywood Hop Pop” and “If You Give a Frog a Cookie” a 4/5 Each

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Stray Observations

• Again, we’ve got a reference to The Owl House

• One of the old men looks just like Master Roshi from the DragonBall Franchise

• It’s revealed that Anne carried over her developed taste for bugs back to Earth

DuckTales Series Finale Review

On the Ides of March 2021, I got up at 5:00 AM with one thing on my mind: DuckTales. The 90-minute finale would premiere that evening, but I couldn’t wait any longer. That’s why I got up bright and early so I could watch it all on DisneyNOW. Having seen it in its entirety, I can safely say that I made the right choice.

In a nutshell, the DuckTales series finale was, well, absolutely amazing. A perfect encapsulation of the show’s ultimate theme. At it’s core, DuckTales isn’t about adventure. Well, it is, but there’s something much more important. Family. Family has been at the heart of DuckTales from the start. Whether it’s the family that you’re born in, or the one you choose, family is what makes DuckTales great. And even amidst a finale that’s not afraid to give payoffs to things we didn’t even know know had payoffs, it never forgets that.

This goes without saying, but prepare for spoilers as we get to the “Whoa”, the “Wait, What?” and the “AHH, important life lesson!”

The Tale of Webby

Despite the season mainly focusing on Huey and his character growth, he’s not the sole focus for the series finale. Rather, he shares that role with the girl who, after seeing the finale, is probably my favorite character on the show: Webby Vanderquack. And I know some people are going to complain and say that this is going to come out of left-field or a butt-pull, but Matt, Frank, and their team have said that they planned this out from the beginning. I trusted them for four years, and I’m glad to say I trusted them.

The finale starts off in Funso’s Funzone, and it’s Webby’s birthday! All her friends and loved ones are there (and I do mean all) and everyone’s just enjoying themselves. Except, it’s not just a party. It’s a raid on FOWL! While he slept, Launchpad has been giving the family info about the secret FOWL base under Funso’s. It looks like the final battle is about to begin! Only for FOWL to have cleaned house. But they left something behind.

Whoa! That feather Black Heron got from the heroes in Instanboar was from Webby and they used it, and the other Missing Mysteries, to clone her, creating May and June. This was completely unexpected on my part. Why clone Webby and not Scrooge like I thought they would? That mystery compels both Huey and Webby, on their lonesome, to infiltrate FOWL’s new base: the great Library of Alexandria.

Wait, What’s this About Bradford?

It’s here that we get some more insight into Bradford’s backstory. It turns out, Isabella Finch, the founder of the Junior Woodchucks and the person Scrooge and Huey most admire, was his grandma. And she took him on the same crazy adventures that Scrooge would take his family on. However, unlike Duck family, Bradford got traumatized by it. So now he hates adventuring and wants to rid the world of it and make it lame, boring, and under his thumb.

In essence, this makes Bradford the antithesis to Scrooge. Whereas Scrooge looks at the trouble and mystery of the world and sees wonder and excitement, Bradford sees, well, chaos. Ergo, he wants to rid the world of said chaos out of spite for his Grandma.

Look, I get why Bradford would be upset; plenty of parental figures drag their kids into stuff that they grow to resent. But that’s excuse for him to try and rob the world of all that gives it wonder. Plus, he’s got no right to spout stuff like that after what he’s done to Scrooge and his family.

I’m not just talking about FOWL. Near the climax of the finale, Bradford makes Scrooge lose his cool by dropping this massive bombshell: he’s the one who leaked word about the Spear of Selene to Della. In other words, her being lost in space, the family falling apart, the boys going for years without knowing about their mom? It was all on him. Oh, and that also led to Lunaris nearly destroying the Earth. For all his talk about reining in the chaos, Bradford caused a lot of it. And here, he tries to end it.

Webby is……NO WAYYY!!!!

Long-story short, the Duck family launches an all-out assault on FOWL, for real this time, only to be picked off and almost beaten altogether. It leads to each of the heroes getting a chance to shine against FOWL, some epic fight scenes, and surprise cameos from almost every character that’s appeared in the show. That FOWL somehow captured. But the biggest bombshell of the episode? It’s about Webby. She’s the key to Bradford’s plans.

Remember that magic papyrus that Scrooge, Donald and Della went to look for on their first adventure? Scrooge commanded it to be hidden until the true heir of Scrooge McDuck found it. I knew that this meant it would play a role in the finale, but I thought that one of the members of the Duck Family would find it. Instead, it was Webby. Wait, what?

In what has to be the biggest double-whammy twist the show could ever give us, we learn the truth about Webby. She was genetically engineered by FOWL and then rescued by Mrs. Beakley before she could be used for evil. So that’s what the Harp was talking about in Mervana. And it also explains why Beakley was so paranoid about keeping Webby safe. But that’s not the crazy part: the crazy part is that Bradford used Scrooge’s DNA to create Webby. Which means…Webby is a clone/Scrooge’s daughter.

My brain almost shut down over the course of several minutes. Of all the plot twists I expected, I never thought that they would come up with this!! If it weren’t for the fact that Bradford was holding everyone hostage to get Scrooge to sign a magically binding contract on the Papyrus to never adventure again, I would be overjoyed.

Family is the Greatest Adventure of All

Ultimately, Bradford’s defeated when the family discovers a flaw in his contract. It says that Scrooge can stay with his family as long as he gives up adventure. But something that Bradford could never understand is that family is the greatest adventure of all. It’s the perfect encapsulation of the show’s whole theme. Whether you’re related by blood or by the bonds you share, family is an adventure; you just have to be willing to embrace it. Bradford never could, which is why he loses. And Scrooge’s real villains (who FOWL brainwashed into serving them) give him a fitting punishment. In an echo of what happened to her brother, Magica strips Bradford of his sentience and turns into a mindless vulture. A fitting punishment indeed.

And thus, the biggest adventure of DuckTales comes to an end, with the heroes flying off to new adventures. Fenton and Gandra are reunited, Donald decides to adopt May and June as he and Daisy go traveling around the world together. Which is great for him. After all the things he’s gone through in his life, giving up on his own wants and needs for the sake of his family, he truly deserves a chance at happiness.

As for Scrooge? He gets to spend time with his family, including his newfound daughter.

Until We Meet Again, DuckTales!

But does this mean that the adventure’s over? That DuckTales! is done and we’ll never see these incarnations of its characters? Not a chance. After what Disney has done, they’d have to be out of their mind to let the likes of Scrooge, the Triplets, Della and the others fall by the wayside again! In fact, they’re already planning on continuing it. Starting two weeks from now, we’ll be getting a limited podcast series, “This Duckburg Life”, starring the cast of the show.

So, am I sad that DuckTales! is now over? Yeah, a little. But I also know that this isn’t the end. Just like the original DuckTales inspired the reboot, the reboot may inspire someone else to pick up where the show left off. It’s a mystery as to what comes next, but that’s part of what makes it so much fun!

In my humble opinion, I consider “The Last Adventure” to be a near-perfect masterpiece that captures everything that DuckTales! wanted to teach people both young and old. How the world is full of wonder and adventure waiting to be found. That you need to learn to ride the waves of life rather than fight them to be happy. And that the greatest adventure of all can be the one you share with your family. Thank you, DuckTales! for four years of amazing storytelling. Woo-ooo!

I Give “The Last Adventure” a 5/5

Stray Observation

• This whole time, Manny the Headless Manhorse was a reference to the freaking Gargoyles show. Well played, Matt and Frank. Well played

Oh, and Check out these DuckTales! Articles that I wrote for The Game of Nerds!

The Greatest Characters on DuckTales

DuckTales 2017 is Disney Afternoon Love Letter

Eleven Best Guest Stars in the 2017 DuckTales Reboot

My Favorite Episodes of DuckTales 2017

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DuckTales! Season 3, Episode 18/Holiday Special Review

“Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, Old Scrooge laid barbed wire, about Santa he groused!” With those words from Della Duck, the third DuckTales! Christmas episode opens with the Duck family celebrating with the favorite tradition of Scrooge McDuck: keeping Santa out! And if it weren’t so early in the morning, I’d have laughed my butt off at that.

Next to what happened to Della, the reason why Scrooge hates Santa Claus has to be the biggest mystery of the DuckTales! reboot. The mere mention of him is enough to make him go nuts. But the show’s never given us an actual reason for his hate for St. Nick. Until now. That’s right, we finally learn why Scrooge hates Santa

Santa and Scrooge: Friends Forever?

Twas the night before Christmas, when who shows up at Scrooge’s door? None other than Santa Claus, who falls right on the floor! Somehow, Santa injured his leg and can’t do his annual toy run, so he asks Scrooge to do it. In exchange, he promises to never come to his house again. So, Scrooge and Webby fly around the world delivering presents so they can save Christmas!

As far as the “Saving Christmas” plot goes, this is a standard setup. What serves as the big draw of the episode is the flashbacks that reveal the story of Santa and Scrooge. It turns out that, in the past, they were business partners!

Years ago, Scrooge and Santa worked together running a delivery service. They’d go around the world delivering coal to people to warm their homes. Santa brought the charisma and jolly feelings, while Scrooge got him his flying reindeer and a magic diamond that slowed down time. Both Scrooge and Santa admit that they made a great team and got along great together. Which begs the question: what happened between them?

Turns out, Scrooge’s capitalist mindset happened.

How Scrooge Almost Ruined Christmas

It turns out, the pair had less of a falling out and more like Scrooge’s greed and ego led him to drive Santa away. Scrooge only cared about selling people the coal and earning money from it. So when Santa wanted to give people toys for free, he saw this as a betrayal and severed all ties with him. The worst part, though, is that even after all these years, Scrooge insists that his way is right. He goes so far as to swap all the presents out with coal; with invoices!

Seeing Santa (and even Webby) rightfully call Scrooge out on his actions helped to drive home the heart of the one-sided feud between the two. Scrooge is someone who believes in practicality above all, thinking that’s all people need in a gift. But he wants to charge people for it, which defeats the point of his argument. Santa understands the importance of generosity, hence why he faked his injury in the first place: to get Scrooge to finally see how selfish he had been. Truthfully, Santa back the friend who first believed in him when no one else would.

Thankfully, Scrooge sees reason, and he and the Duck family work together to save Christmas. And Scrooge finally drops his Santa vendetta at last.

A Great Christmas Story

I have to admit, I was expecting Scrooge’s grudge against Santa to be the result of something else. Like, he never gave him the present he wanted as a kid. Having them as business partners before their splitting up was a much more creative idea, though. It doesn’t just fit Scrooge’s character, but also highlights the downsides to his business-oriented mindset. That’s a pretty good moral to be had.

I know that the events of this year put a damper on the Holidays, but I refuse to let 2020 wreck Christmas! This Christmas episode helped to start the season off on the right foot, and that’s good enough for me.

I Give “How Santa Stole Christmas” a 4.5/5

Stray Observations

• This was the first time we’ve seen Launchpad since the Darkwing Duck special
• So, why did Santa give coal to naughty children?
• There was a deep reference to an old comic in this episode

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