Amphibia: the Lost Episode (Sort of)

Amphibia Episode 3A/3B Review

This has been something that’s been bugging me for a while now, so I’m going to get it out of the way. A while back, it came to my attention that my review/recap for the third episode of Amphibia mysteriously disappeared. I had every episode of the entire series covered save for that episode. Not one to leave something like that undone, I’ve decided to go back and redo my review. However, I’ll be doing it with the benefit of three years of plot and character growth, so it will also serve as a retrospective as we head towards the show’s finale.

Hop Luck

The premise behind this episode is pretty basic. Anne learns about Wartwood’s annual pot luck and how the Plantar’s lose every year, condemning them to the cage of shame. Not one to let her found family be humiliated, Anne jumps in to help them by teaching them the art of making pizza. Early series shenanigans ensue as they embark on a dangerous pizza quest.

Looking back on it, I think that this episode holds up pretty well. The early part of the series revolved around Anne trying to recreate life on Earth to give her some semblance of control in her crazy situation. Which also leads her into conflict with Hop Pop and his more traditional ways. In the end, they both end up learning something from the other and grow as a result. That, and this was also our introduction to Maddie, and she’s one of my favorite supporting characters. Just look at her!

Stakeout

This had to be one of my favorite episodes of the early series, and for good reason. When Sprig gets fed up with how much Anne and Hop Pop argue, he takes matters into his own hands. Pretending to steal their family’s corn, he tricks the two into doing a stakeout to catch the thief. Then the two end up getting high on each other’s beverages and it spirals out of control from there.

This whole episode was just so much fun when I first saw it, and it still is. Seeing Hop Pop and Anne use moves straight out of an anime (or Star vs., in Anne’s case) is so surreal, it reminded me of Regular Show. In hindsight, though, this can be seen as the start of Hop Pop beginning to consider Anne family. After all, by the time they reach Newtopia, he starts calling her his adoptive granddaughter. Seeing how they used to never get along like this reminds me of how far they’ve both come in the show.

Also, is Boulder-Tron a hint at Frobo’s eventual inclusion?

I Give “Hop Luck” and “Stakeout” a 4/5 Each

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Click here to see the first episode on YouTube