RJ Writing Ink

Star vs. The Forces of Evil, “Cleaved” Series Finale Review

After four years of fun and weirdness, it’s over. Star vs. The Forces of Evil, one of the best cartoons of the decade, has ended its run on TV. Unless Daron Nefcy decides to make a movie, but more on that later.

I mentioned this in my review of the penultimate episode of Game of Thrones that I was now looking forward to the finale to Star more than Game of Thrones. After watching the finale on DisneyNow an hour before it ever came on TV, I think I was right to do so. I cannot remember the last time the finale to a cartoon has made me cry so much!

A Fateful Decision

After being backed into a corner by Mina’s army of Solarian warriors, Star realizes that there’s only one choice she can make to save Mewni from being destroyed: she has to destroy magic itself.

While I fear that her decision could have far-reaching consequences, it shows how much she’s grown. Whereas the hyperactive cuckoolander we first met would have balked at this plan, Star’s grown wise enough to realize that the level of power magic gives is too dangerous. Even Hekapoo supports her decision, even knowing that she, Glossaryck and the rest of the Commission will die.

And she won’t do it alone. Marco joins her for the most important mission of their lives as they head towards their destiny.

In a rather clever turn of events, the finale also shows us the real reason why Glossaryck eats pudding so much: it helps people keep their minds in the Realm of Magic. That is genius! But Star’s plan isn’t as simple as she hoped. Try though she might to use the Whispering Spell to destroy the magic, there’s just too much of it.

Meanwhile, Marco tries to fight off the corrupted Unicorns and a corrupted Tom using his karate and the wand. Yes, he’s using the Royal Wand again, which is a cool concept. Sadly, it doesn’t really do anything, as Marco’s not as good at magic as Star is. Luckily, he snaps Tom back to normal despite getting hurt pretty bad.

Our Powers Combined

At that moment, Eclipsa, Moon, and Meteora all show up after deciding that Star was right. And then the past wielders of the Wand show up and help. It may be a little fanservice-y, but it was a nice touch to see the past Butterflys show their support. Even Solaria, the one who created Mina, helps her daugther, and looks at her granddaughter with pride. When Mina tries to interfere, Solaria looks at her in disgust and shame.

“With or Without Magic…We Belong Together”

Together, they manage to destroy the magic, and the realm begins to crumble. Tragically, when Marco asks how he and Star plan to see each other, he realizes that they can’t. Star tries going back to Mewni, but the idea of a life without Marco is something she can’t deal with. She chooses to leave her home behind to be with her best friend and true love.

Turns out, Marco had the same idea, and both of them remain stranded as the Realm of Magic crumbles around them. They don’t care, though. Magic may have brought them together, but with or without it, they know their place in the universe is with each other.

A World Without Magic

And in one final flash of light, it’s over. Magic is gone from the universe, with the Magic High Commission and Glossaryck along with it. Marco, Jelly, and that eagle guy are sent back to their worlds. But without magic, the Solarian warriors return to normal, and Mina’s victims will live.

Even Mina survives, and despite Moon trying one last time to help her, she refuses her help and runs into the woods. I don’t feel bad for her: even after seeing Solaria disapprove of her actions, she won’t let her racist views go.

One Last Spell

The age of magic is over, but just as it looks like Star and Marco will be separated forever, one last act of magic plays out. I don’t know if it was because the Realm of Magic was responding to their statement that, magic or no, they belong together. Or maybe it was that old trope of “magic being born from love” being in play; or both. Whatever the reason, a portal appears on Earth and Mewni, and Star and Marco rush to it as fast they can, only for it to explode.

Two Friends, One World

When the dust settles, something truly amazing has happened. The last bit of magic cleaved Earth, Mewni, and possibly every other dimension into one. Where there was once many worlds, there’s now one incredible one.

None of that matters to Star and Marco, though. The only thing that does matter is the sight of each other right in front of them. Against all odds, they found a way to always be together. The two lovers walk up to each other, too overjoyed to say more than a “hey” and “hi”.

And as the credits roll and pan out to the otherworldly sky that makes up their one world, they probably leapt in each other’s arms, laughed and cried, and then kissed like it was no tomorrow.

Can’t Stop Crying

Everytime I try and watch those last few seconds, my eyes won’t stop tearing up. It’s just so beautfiul. The incredible background, and the joyful music make me start tearing up from happiness . If you read my post on Star and Marco’s relationship, then you’ll know that I think that Star and Marco’s friendship has been a central part of it. They have one of the strongest relationships that I have seen in fiction; their love was strong enough to cleave their two world’s together into one.

When I saw that “Cleaved” was only going to be half an hour, I was worried that it would end being a rushed ending like the final season of Samurai Jack. But I was wrong. While it was the final episode, it was part of nine-episode arc that, in a way, could be considered a movie finale. Some fans consider it to be rushed, and while I wish the fight in the Realm of Magic went on longer, I disagree as a whole. “Cleaved” left me feeling emotionally satisfied with the ending, and it managed to come back to the core aspect of the show: Star and Marco.

This Isn’t the End

But for those not satisified with the finale, something tells me this isn’t the last we’ll see of Star vs. The Forces of Evil. Magic may be gone, but now Star and Marco have a whole new world to live in, and new problems to face as Earth and Mewni learn to live together. There’s plenty of potential for a sequel in the form of comics, a movie, or another TV show! Daron Nefcy has even said that she’d be happy to come back to Star and Marco in the future, so there’s still hope.

In short, I loved the finale. It managed to wrap up the final arc of the show, ensured that our heroes got their happy ending, and was open-ended enough to allow for more adventures to be told. This may be goodbye for now, but I doubt we’ve seen the last of Star and Marco.

I give “Cleaved” A 5/5. Incredible ending to one of the best cartoons of the decade.

Click here to read my review of the final episode of Game of Thrones

Why I think Starco is one of the best couples in fiction

Four years ago, Disney XD premiered a quirky new show about a magical, trouble-prone princess called Star vs. The Forces of Evil. Drawing influence from the Japanese anime series creator Daron Nefcy loved as a kid, the show was a massive hit with viewers. People had already been making fan art months before it even premiered, and it became Disney XD’s flagship show. By the second season, I was a solid fan of the show, and I consider it one of the best cartoons of the decade.

Tomorrow morning, this hit show about a magic-wielding princess will air its final episode on Disney Channel. Before that happens, I wanted to reflect on one of the show’s best aspects: the relationship between its main characters, Star and Marco, and how they went from being best friends into one of the best romantic pairings I have ever seen in fiction.

Their Friendship

The first episode established Star and Marco’s characters pretty well. Star’s upbeat and has a childish enthuisaism who tries (and often does) making friends with everyone. She’s also impulsive and prone to breaking things, which is why her parents send her to Earth to learn how to use her magic. In contrast, Marco’s an insecure boy who, paradoxically, wants more excitement in his life yet is too afraid to step outside his comfort zone. So when he’s given the task of being Star’s guide on Earth, he doesn’t take well to it at first.

Despite Star turning his life upside down, it doesn’t take long for Marco to become Star’s best friend. Together, they go on amazing adventures through different dimensions, battling monsters and getting in and out of trouble, and having each other’s backs no matter what.

On Star’s part, while she seems energetic and happy-go-lucky, deep down, she struggles with the pressure that comes with being a princess. It is part of the reason why she hates following the rules and acts recklessly. In Marco, she finds someone who is willing to let her be herself without any judgement. Just as important, he keeps Star grounded, and helps her learn that just because she can do something does not mean she always should.

Conversely, Star’s free-spirited and adventurous ways help Marco to do things he never would have otherwise. As the series progresses, Star’s influence sparks a noticeable boost in his confidence. On a subtler level, he also learns that sometimes following the rules in life isn’t always best, and that you need to take risks in life to be happy.

Star and Marco bring out the best possible versions of themselves, helping each other grow as people. It gets to the point where Star shows she knows Marco better than his own parents, and Marco can say the same about Star.

Just as important is the fact that when one of them gets hurt or in danger, the other will go to the ends of the universe to help them out. And unlike some other partners, Marco has the martial arts skills to back that up.

When Marco got kidnapped by monsters in the Season One finale, Star was so furious that she dropped her normal, battle-loving demeanor and went into a calm, no-nonense rage.

When everyone thought that Star was dead, Marco punched the one responsible that it left a hole the guy’s chest. He was ready to kill someone; that’s not something you do lightly!

Star and Marco’s friendship is as strong as any I’ve ever seen in fiction, and it’s half the reason why I like them as a couple.

Their Romance

Before the show even started, fans were already shipping Star and Marco as an item, and it only got stronger as the series went on. Disney and Daron even encouraged this by teasing the fans as early as the first season. They not only acknowledged the term “Starco” to describe their relationship, but even worked it into the show.

Then they put this into the teaser for Season Two, and the fans went nuts:

I’ve seen ships in fandom’s before, but Starco has stood out to me as different from most others. Most romantic pairings in fiction have two people realize their feelings, and then realize that the other person feels the same, and then they become a couple. In comparison, what makes Starco special is how realistic it portrays itself.

Starco is not as simple as “Point A to Point B”. It is complicated by many events, some of which are beyond their control. For starters, they start out the show with crushes on different people entirely. Marco had a crush on classmate and skater girl Jackie Lynn Thomas, while Star falls for this wannabe musician.

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Star encourages Marco to tell Jackie how he feels, but just as they start dating, she realizes she developed a crush on Marco. She tries keeping it a secret for Marco’s sake, only for a songstrel to reveal not only in front of Marco, but all of Mewni! It was the most embarrassing moment of her entire life.

She doesn’t have time to sort it out though, as a new threat forces her to return to Mewni without Marco. They meet up again, but said threat prevents them from addressing everything before Marco returns to Earth.

Meanwhile, try as he might, Marco just can’t adjust to a normal on Earth. Realizing he liked Star (before even he did), Jackie breaks up with him, and he returns to Mewni unannounced, which leads him to realize he’s fallen for Star. By then, though, it’s too late, as she’s gotten back together with her ex-boyfriend, Tom.

Then it gets even further complicated when the two get locked in a photo booth by a goblin who forces them to kiss each other before letting them out. And since Star was still dating Tom, that led to a lot of guilt on both parts.

Point is, it wasn’t that simple and straightforward. It was like a long, twisting road that could lead to anywhere. But despite all the awkwardness, their friendship remains strong, and it becomes clear to everyone that they’ve fallen for each other, on Earth and on Mewni. Everyone on Mewni thought they were dating, despite saying otherwise. When Marco babysat his new baby sister, everyone on Earth thought she was his and Star’s kid! How they got Disney to agree to that is beyond me, but it says something about their relationship.

Future of Starco?

In the end, after many adventures, breaking with their respective other, and awkward moments, Star and Marco finally realize they love each other. Disney even released a video making a big deal of it! That can be what happens in real life: love is a complex road, but it can be worth it in the end. It’s why seeing them finally become an item is so rewarding, and why I think they’re one of the best couples I’ve ever seen in a work of fiction.

Whether they may stay a couple, though, is another thing entirely. Thanks to the actions of Star’s mom, Mewni’s on the verge of being destroyed, and the only way that Star can think of saving it is by eliminating magic from the multiverse. Doing so, though, may permanently separate her and Marco forever. Which is why fans are more worried about this than the finale for Game of Thrones.

Whatever happens, I know one thing: Starco is one of the most realistic couples that I have ever seen in fiction, and I will never forget it no matter what happens. But if they don’t end up happily ever after, I’m gonna be so mad tomorrow morning!