The Wholesome Madness of The Ghost and Molly McGee
By Tofu
With the amazing The Owl House’s second season currently on hiatus, the only thing we had to look forward to during the Fall was its sister show Amphibia’s third and final season... Until now. The spooky October season saw Disney add The Ghost and Molly McGee to its repertoire of excellent modern TV animation. On October 1, the day of its premiere, it burst onto the scene to provide us with wholesome and chaotic goodness.
By showrunners/creators Bill Motz and Bob Roth, The Ghost and Molly McGee tells the story of the titular Molly McGee, a bright-eyed, 13 year-old girl, whose family moves to the town of Brighton. There she meets a ghost named Scratch who, after a failed curse attempt, ends up being bound to her forever. Never missing a beat, Molly seizes the opportunity to declare him her new ghostly best friend! Together (forever), through thick and thin, Molly attempts to make Brighton a little bit brighter, much to Scratch’s initial dismay.
Using an 11-minute format, The Ghost and Molly McGee manages to be funny, creative, honest, and funny. With jokes coming in at a mile a minute, there is little time to be bored. It often left me smiling or wheezing trying to catch my breath, just to completely whack the wind out of me with the next hilarious bit. Did I mention the show is funny? Molly and Scratch’s dynamic is the true star of the show and their constant back-and-forth will leave even the grumpiest of people grinning. With the incredible talents of Ashly Burch as Molly and Dana Snyder as Scratch, the characters truly come to life. Every single line is delivered with such passion and heart that it makes you feel like you’re part of their inseparable and supernatural friendship.
Humour is not all the show provides. It isn’t afraid to explore the less than ideal sides of our characters and of their relationships. It isn’t afraid to show our characters struggling, slowly growing and learning about themselves and about each other. They learn to overcome adversity through love and the power of friendship; a trite and overused concept to some, but one that, when done right, delivers an emotional, relatable, and endearing experience. Their seemingly mundane yet earnest struggles are presented with both humour and heart, striking a fine balance that is sure to get even the coldest of hearts invested.
That’s not all! Musical numbers are sprinkled throughout every episode and they are all bangers. Every single song is a bop injected with the same kind of snappy wit and blink-and-you’ll-miss-them jokes the rest of the show oozes. The soundtrack will leave you humming to the melodies days after you’ve watched the episodes (or if you’re anything like me, will have you singing along as you play every song on repeat).
I’d be remiss not to mention Molly’s Thai heritage and how amazing it is to see respectful Asian representation in a modern animated series (shoutout to Amphibia for its excellent representation). Though not at the forefront of the show, the details that are scattered throughout the McGee’s forever home have made this grown Asian man squeal out of sheer excitement. It’s a sight for sore eyes to see one’s culture being presented and represented with such care and attention, giving the chance for young Asians everywhere to have something they can relate to. I may dislike durian, but I do love seeing fictional animated characters experience its insufferable smell.
Waiting for the rest of The Owl House is painful and the imminent end of both it and Amphibiais not something I am looking forward to, but knowing that The Ghost and Molly McGee is already so superb and that it still has a lot to offer leaves me excited. All of its different elements come together to round out the show and make it more than the sum of its excellent parts. I, for one, cannot wait to see what else this show has to offer and I urge everyone to give it a shot. You will, at the very least, leave with a smile. What more can you ask for? The Ghost and Molly McGee has cursed me for all eternity and I wouldn’t have it any other way.