[7.8/10] We are, by my estimation, roughly at the halfway point of Amphibia. It’s a good time to stop and take stock of how far our heroes have come, and more than that, the bonds they’ve formed with one another since Anne first arrived in Wartwood.
“A Day at the Aquarium” is a nice version of that. At this milestone, King Andrius provides the most substantive answers to how Anne got here and how she and her BFFs can get back home since the series began. The idea of ancient Amphibians using the box to visit other worlds sparks the imagination, and the prospect of three temples that must be revisited to “recharge” its stones sets up our heroes for an excellent quest. (I’m presuming it’ll come to fruition in season 3?) There’s the clearest path yet to finding a resolution to the major issues at the core of the show’s premise.
But that path means separating Anne from the Plantars, something that sounds unthinkable. Hop Pop and his grandkids need to make it back to Wartwood for the harvest, and Marcy makes a solid case that Anne shouldn’t go back with them. Her points are fair. She and Marcy just reunited; separating them again might just complicate things. You can see the argument for her sticking around in Newtopia, where they’ve come the closest to finding answers on how to get our trio of humans home.
Sadly,that would mean breaking up the band. Anne and the Plantars spending a day at the Aquarium, intended to be their last meal as a family of sorts, is a good setup. This is the closest Amphibia has come (and hopefully ever will) to a clip show. They go to the Aquarium with the idea that it will be a fun and pleasant experience to take their minds off their trouble, only to find that every sea creature and stray piece of coral reminds them of some adventure they’ve had together.
The little reminders are a fun way to recount all the adventures Anne, Hop Pop, Sprig, and Polly have been together. It helps sell what the Plantars have been through as a group, and conveys to the audience as well how much we’ve seen of them jelling into a family unit at this point in the show’s run.
There’s also something well-observed (if exaggerated) about how the Plantars are trying to take their minds off the impending goodbye, only to have every little thing pierce them emotionally as it makes them recall some touchstone of their time together. Sprig being unable to feed a water snake at the Seaworld because it reminds him of one of his and Anne’s first adventures is sweet. And the fact that the Plantars come together to defeat the rays who attack as a result, mimicking Spr-Anne’s success against the eels in the flood episode, is a nice way to dramatize how in sync they’ve all become.
I can't say I thought Amphibia had the stones to really go through with separating Anne from the Plantars and starting its character slate anew. But it’s still a sad moment when they say goodbye and Hop Pop declares that they’ll see one another again because families always find each other. It’s still heartening when Marcy, who envies Anne’s ability to forge those sort of deep connections, comes up with an excuse for Anne to rejoin the fwagon and be with her people. And it’s triumphant when Anne races through Newtopia, saying hello to friends along the way, before gloriously reuniting with her crestfallen-then-gleeful family members. Is it a bit sappy? Sure. But it’s a heartstring-tugging way to validate the familial bond Anne has formed with Sprig, Polly, and Hop Pop since she arrived in Amphibia.
Of course, we get some sinister hints about King Andrias’ plans, and an offer to Marcy. But there’ll be time for that later. For now, Anne’s back where she belongs, with her family.
(As an aside, my new crazy theory is that King Andrias lost someone to the human realm via the music box, and his interest in getting it working again is so he can go find his lost brother/best friend/paramour, who was represented in the torn painting that Sprig found in the last episode.. It’s a shot in the dark, but something about his “It’s hard to say goodbye” comment sparked the speculation.)
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2024-01-21T22:14:12Z
[7.8/10] We are, by my estimation, roughly at the halfway point of Amphibia. It’s a good time to stop and take stock of how far our heroes have come, and more than that, the bonds they’ve formed with one another since Anne first arrived in Wartwood.
“A Day at the Aquarium” is a nice version of that. At this milestone, King Andrius provides the most substantive answers to how Anne got here and how she and her BFFs can get back home since the series began. The idea of ancient Amphibians using the box to visit other worlds sparks the imagination, and the prospect of three temples that must be revisited to “recharge” its stones sets up our heroes for an excellent quest. (I’m presuming it’ll come to fruition in season 3?) There’s the clearest path yet to finding a resolution to the major issues at the core of the show’s premise.
But that path means separating Anne from the Plantars, something that sounds unthinkable. Hop Pop and his grandkids need to make it back to Wartwood for the harvest, and Marcy makes a solid case that Anne shouldn’t go back with them. Her points are fair. She and Marcy just reunited; separating them again might just complicate things. You can see the argument for her sticking around in Newtopia, where they’ve come the closest to finding answers on how to get our trio of humans home.
Sadly,that would mean breaking up the band. Anne and the Plantars spending a day at the Aquarium, intended to be their last meal as a family of sorts, is a good setup. This is the closest Amphibia has come (and hopefully ever will) to a clip show. They go to the Aquarium with the idea that it will be a fun and pleasant experience to take their minds off their trouble, only to find that every sea creature and stray piece of coral reminds them of some adventure they’ve had together.
The little reminders are a fun way to recount all the adventures Anne, Hop Pop, Sprig, and Polly have been together. It helps sell what the Plantars have been through as a group, and conveys to the audience as well how much we’ve seen of them jelling into a family unit at this point in the show’s run.
There’s also something well-observed (if exaggerated) about how the Plantars are trying to take their minds off the impending goodbye, only to have every little thing pierce them emotionally as it makes them recall some touchstone of their time together. Sprig being unable to feed a water snake at the Seaworld because it reminds him of one of his and Anne’s first adventures is sweet. And the fact that the Plantars come together to defeat the rays who attack as a result, mimicking Spr-Anne’s success against the eels in the flood episode, is a nice way to dramatize how in sync they’ve all become.
I can't say I thought Amphibia had the stones to really go through with separating Anne from the Plantars and starting its character slate anew. But it’s still a sad moment when they say goodbye and Hop Pop declares that they’ll see one another again because families always find each other. It’s still heartening when Marcy, who envies Anne’s ability to forge those sort of deep connections, comes up with an excuse for Anne to rejoin the fwagon and be with her people. And it’s triumphant when Anne races through Newtopia, saying hello to friends along the way, before gloriously reuniting with her crestfallen-then-gleeful family members. Is it a bit sappy? Sure. But it’s a heartstring-tugging way to validate the familial bond Anne has formed with Sprig, Polly, and Hop Pop since she arrived in Amphibia.
Of course, we get some sinister hints about King Andrias’ plans, and an offer to Marcy. But there’ll be time for that later. For now, Anne’s back where she belongs, with her family.
(As an aside, my new crazy theory is that King Andrias lost someone to the human realm via the music box, and his interest in getting it working again is so he can go find his lost brother/best friend/paramour, who was represented in the torn painting that Sprig found in the last episode.. It’s a shot in the dark, but something about his “It’s hard to say goodbye” comment sparked the speculation.)