Amphibia Welcomes Us Back and to the Rebellion
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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My brother doesn’t really agree with the “Putting Off Romance” in stories. He doesn’t like it when characters “put aside their feelings in favor of the goal;” he finds it lazy and thinks they shouldn’t have had put in a romance plot in the first place. I disagree with that mindset; I think it shows a sign of maturity in a character when they can put their own feelings aside for the greater goal, and gives us “End Goal” to look forward to.
We took not of Loggle, too! I kind of have this head canon that’s a reference to the cancelled Jump series “Hunters Guild: Red Hood” that he- being an Axolotl- cut up his muscles and regenerated rapidly, making him super strong and buff. You…… have read that one, right? If not, then sorry for the spoiler!
They’re, uh…….. gonna find out Wally’s secret, aren’t they? Also; Sasha’s grown a LOT. I feel like her forearm is a little bit thicker, which- for her character design- means she’s gotten more muscular. And she’s not a “Toxic” leader anymore; she stepped up when no one else would, and she’s leading them without “Controlling” them.
Nice use of Bone Spatula!!