How to Start a Finale! Its Amphibia’s Darkest Hour!
Amphibia Season 3, Episode 16A/B Review
Remember when Amphibia was a slice-of-life isekai? After seeing the first part to the series finale, I wish we could go back to that. Not that I don’t mind seeing how epic the finale is. It’s just that, after seeing the new episode, I’m left reeling, and so is much of the fanbase. I checked the wiki’s Discord server this morning, & everyone was freaking out. Matt Braly wasn’t joking when he said last week was the final “fun” episode of the show. This week, the show entered its finale and darkest hour.
The Three Armies
Having gathered most of those opposing Andrias’ mad plans together, Anne and Sasha reveal that the King’s just days away from invading Earth. If they want to stop his plans to conquer the multiverse, the Resistance has to do it now! There’s only one problem: Frogs, Toads, and Newts still won’t get along, even with how desperate things are. Newts still see Toads as brutes, Toads see Newts as snobs, and both see Frogs as weaklings with nothing to offer.
Being the good-hearted person that she is, Anne does everything in her power to convince everyone to get along. She tries trust-falling and team building exercises, the whole nine yards, but nothing works. Even in their darkest hour, everyone refuses to let go of past grudges.
I like how Matt Braly’s not sugar-coating this. King Andrias may have started this racial and class divide, but the Frogs, Newts, and Toads fed it and kept it going for a thousand years. That sort of thing wont’ go away overnight, even if Anne snaps and goes full Calamity Mode in front of everyone. However, acknowledging one’s faults is the first step to moving on and becoming better people, which is part of what Amphibia’s about.
Also, considering how Mother Olm comes and says that the invasion of Earth will begin that night, they don’t have much of a choice. They have to work together, or both Earth and Amphibia are doomed.
The Beginning of the End
This is it, the final battle begins! The Resistance has one shot at defeating King Andrias before he invades Earth, so they take their massive army and march to the ruins of Newtopia. And what a battle it is! In a direct shout-out to Lord of the Rings, the two armies clash outside the gates of Newtopia, with almost everyone supporting character taking part. Characters we’ve come to know and love get a chance to show off their skills, and it is amazing! My only regret is that they aren’t able to give it as much time as a full-fledged movie would, but the show makes up for it by making every second count.
Meanwhile, Anne, Sasha, the Plantar’s and Grime sneak inside Andrias’ castle to steal the Calamity Box from under Andrias’ nose. While doing so, Sasha and Anne both acknowledge that they had their own part to play in Marcy’s decision by not paying attention to her interests and making her feel isolated. Sasha even doubts whether they can salvage their friendship and forgive each other, to which Anne admits that forgiveness takes time as she looks at Hop Pop. We also get this cool moment where the two girls take down a mind-controlled Yunan and Olivia through synchronized dancing.
It’s all for nothing, though. Unaware of the Core or Marcy’s fate, the group falls right into Darcy’s trap, having predicted all of this from memories of Marcy’s favorite movie. As a result, the Resistance despairs at having lost, leaving everyone powerless to stop Andrias from using the Box to open a portal to Earth. The invasion of Earth has begun, and the darkest hour is upon us.
A Massive Rollercoaster
For a show that has given us several tear-jerking endings to episodes, this has to be among the worst cases. Anne and the heroes are captured. All of them, save for Anne, are slated to get mind-control collars. Their army’s in full retreat and can’t help. It truly feels like the darkest hour of Amphibia. I was barely able to sleep after watching what had happened, and the fandom went absolutely bonkers!
Good thing that there’s still a glimmer of hope left, even in the darkest hour. Just as Darcy prepares to kill Anne and remove her threat, Anne throws them for a loop, guessing that killing her may rob the Calamity Box of its powers altogether. The Core, the collective of the smartest minds in all of Amphibia, is left thrown for a loop, leading her to spare Anne for the time being. Which is exactly what Anne wants.
I already know what’s going to happen next. Anne will find a way to escape, rescue everyone, and come up with a new plan. It’s what I would do if I were her. However, there’s still the matter of saving Marcy and stopping the invasion. If the promo for the one-hour episode for next week, though, is any indication, it’s not going to be easy.
This could end up being one of the best series finales for a show that I’ve ever seen; right up there with the finales to Gravity Falls and Avatar: the Last Airbender if done right. It’s also a good thing that Disney’s moving it to primetime so that no one can be spoiled. They clearly want this to draw as many people in as possible. I know I will be watching it! Now, how am I going to survive the next week or so?
I Give “The Three Armies” and “The Beginning of the End” a 4/5 and 4.5/5 Each
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Things are about to get NUTS. Darcy’s acting just as everyone expected; the Earth Invasion has begun; and we’re seeing a whole bunch of familiar faces coming back into play.
Dratonio and Beatrix……. Ajay says that they were acting “out of character” for the sake of the plot. While I feel like that wasn’t the case. Beatrix has always been kind of a bully, and Dratonio’s always been full of himself. It just has a more Racist tone to it now(or maybe it always did and I just never saw it as clearly as before).
You mean Tritonio?
Yes; I was never sure how to pronounce or spell his name- my hearing’s kind of “not good.”