Sage Advice from the Mother of Olms
Amphibia Season 3,Episode 13A/B Review
We are now in the endgame of Amphibia, people, and from what we’ve seen, it’s going to be a finale to remember. Anne and the Plantar’s have joined the rebellion against King Andrias, starting what’s essentially an “anime war arc.” However, they still lack a plan to defeat Andrias or his unholy master…until now. After skirting around the truth for so long, Anne and the others get a big piece to the puzzle. This week, they finally meet the Mother of Olms!
Mother of Olms
Picking up immediately following the last episode, Anne, Sasha, and the Plantar’s travel beneath Proteus to meet with their leader, the Mother of Olms. According to the vase Anne found on Earth, she can tell them what their destiny is in defeating Andrias. However, the Mother of Olms, voiced brilliantly by Whoopi Goldberg, isn’t quite what they expected. While she’s still very wise and sage-like, old age hampers her from being a full-on Yoda figure. So, the group has to head inside her head (literally) to help jog her old brain. It’s pretty gross, too; Sasha can’t help but complain the entire time!
The only one who doesn’t go in is Hop Pop, who feels he’s too old to be of any help.
Growing old is a scary thing for a lot of people. Our minds can deteriorate along with our bodies, and make us feel useless. But there are pay-offs, as well, such as wisdom and experience. Case in point, it’s Hop Pop’s years of agricultural experience that ends up saving the group from death by…nose goop. Furthermore, so long as you know how to manage things, old age doesn’t have to inhibit you, as the Mother of Olms remembers she wrote the prophecy down on the walls above her cave.
Eager fans already translated a line of text from King Andrias’ book a while back, but the Mother of Olms confirms that it is the prophecy surrounding the Calamity Box and the human trio. In fact, everything the Mother of Olms tells the group merely confirms what the fans already knew. That the Calamity Gems gave the girls incredible powers, and that they are meant to vanquish the Core, or, as the Olms call it, the Night. However, the heroes remain in the dark about what the Night is, or how Marcy’s being used as its unwanted host. At least now they have a lead on what to do, though.
Grime’s Pupil
Now knowing that the Calamity Box is the key to defeating Andrias thanks to the Mother of Olms, Anne and Sasha plan their next steps. They don’t have the numbers to fight Andrias’ army yet, though, so they can’t really do anything. However, Sasha remembers how Grime’s sister, Beatrix, has kept her army safe from Andrias, and brings her over to recruit her. Unfortunately, Sprig runs his mouth off about beating Grime, and Grime challenges his sister to a duel. Beatrix against Sprig; loser joins the winner’s army.
Yeah, Sasha and Anne are not happy about that, and punish them by forcing them to train together. Sprig and Grime aren’t happy about that, either. Sprig holds a big grudge against Grime for extorting Wartwood for years and then trying to kill Hop Pop. Grime can’t see Sprig as anything more than a wimpy frog. It’s not until they have to work together to fight off hyenabees that they see each other’s strengths.
A not-so-subtle recurring theme throughout the show has been the prejudice the different species of Amphibians have against one another. It’s part of why the world’s so sharply divided. But those differences need to be forgotten in order to defeat Andrias and save the multiverse. Once Sprig and Grime do that, the former combines the latter’s tactics with his own speed, allowing him to deal a knockout blow against Beatrix. Boom! The Wartwood Resistance now has a Toad Army to back them up.
The Pieces are Starting to Fall Into Place
Going into this week’s episode, I had been hoping that the Mother of Olms would the one to explain everything about the Calamity Box to us. The thing is, most of what we learned this week was information that we already knew, or had guessed. However, that’s not as much of a problem as you would think. Fans for shows like this can be pretty dedicated to guessing how things turn out. Getting to see whether you’re right or not is part of the fun of watching. This time, the fans were spot-on with their predictions. That didn’t really make the whole episode less enjoyable, though.
The fact is, there’s still a month left of episodes to watch before the big finale, plenty of time for us to learn the truth behind the Calamity Box or why it was brought to Earth. In addition, it looks like Disney’s letting Matt go all-out for the finale:
Disney is giving Amphibia the finale that it deserves, moving it to 8 pm on May 7 and May 14th, with the series finale taking up an entire hour. In other words, they’re turning it into the biggest thing since the end to Gravity Falls. I, for one, cannot wait to see what happens. It’s been a long time since I’ve been so hyped for a series finale for a show!
I Give “Mother of Olms” and “Grime’s Pupil” a 3.9/5 and 4/5
Stray Observations
- Look at Sprig’s Face!
- Sasha in a cheerleader outfit made my day!
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Is Sasha a secret Anime Fan? ‘Cause she’s referenced Anime things twice now. If so, then she might leap over Marcy and Sprig as my favorite characters on the show. Polly will probably always be #1 on my list, though.
That Giant Frog with Gems in its eyes that they’re fighting against……… I heard a theory that it’s actually a giant Robot controlled by the core. If so; I kind of wonder how the Olms predicted all of this. Magic? Yeah; probably magic.