Amphibia Spoiler Review: Escape to Amphibia

We have survived the final hiatus of Amphibia, and now enter the last batch of episodes. While I’m excited about new content, I am not ready for this series to end! I discovered Amphibia right as the pandemic kicked off. It became my comfort series. I love this little frog show! Tears aside, “Escape to Amphibia” really was a great way to kick off the midseason.

I’m actually really glad that “Escape to Amphibia” was moved to the season 3B premier. Originally, it was supposed to be the 3A finale. Probably because “Froggy Little Christmas” fit the holiday theme back in December as a better way to end the year. This episode would have made a fine cliffhanger, but it didn’t show off anything too crazy. We, the audience, are aware that Amphibia is being destroyed as we saw it in “Olivia & Yunan.” The reveal was our heroes finding out. Instead, “Escape to Amphibia” works really well to set up the endgame of the show. It tied up the Earth arc for the time being, it got Anne and the Plantars back to Amphibia, and the Boonchuys are going to get Mr. X up to speed. It’s a fantastic mid-season opener.

“Escape to Amphibia” was a good refresher of Anne’s character journey this season. She is not that self-centered kid anymore. Growth opens the door for new emotional problems though. There is guilt leaving Sasha and Marcy behind in another world. After the betrayal of both of her friends, Anne struggled with trust. She needed to help the Plantar navigate the human world. Andrias is a looming threat she has to defeat, and Anne has no idea about the Core/Darcy yet.

This season has really focused on Anne facing the pressures of being a hero. It’s always important to remember that she’s a kid who is putting so much on herself. A big theme is knowing when to ask for help. There are certain things that only Anne can do like her Calamity Powers. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t need a support system. Her parents are there to pick her up. She’s come a long way from hiding things from them. With the help of the Plantars, they’ve formed many friendships that will be key allies going forward. She’s finally found a middle path which gives her balance as a person. “Escape to Amphibia” was a nice refresher of her character journey.

That balance is probably what led Anne to be able to control her Calamity Powers. Which was really freaking cool! I’m pretty sure this is the first time they’ve been activated with her experiencing a positive emotion, being her confidence. The other times they triggered out of fear and anger. This is a big breakthrough for Anne. While she will probably backslide at some point, because the best written characters always do, she has built a foundation of strength not only on her own but with her support system as well.

We also got some answers about how the Calamity Box can connect worlds through music, or more specifically, frequencies. When they passed through the portal, Anne and the Plantars heard music playing. These notes are actually the coordinates needed to successfully find Amphibia again. The portal is also connected to Anne’s powers as she was able to open it the rest of the way. It makes me wonder if she will keep her powers at the end of the show. It might be her way to go back and forth between worlds. But if the 3B trailer is any indication, I don’t have much hope that Anne will be that lucky to stay connected with her frog family.

I definitely suggest checking out this week’s recap of The Roundtable. They do a great job breaking down the frequencies of the Calamity Box!

It’s also great that Terri got some extra time to shine too. Out of all the Earth characters introduced, she had to share her space with boss in her introduction episode. She hasn’t been hanging out for multiple episodes like Jess, Ally, and Dr. Jan. We see why Terri is valuable as a member of the team. Her knowledge was vital this week. With the season quickly wrapping up, I hope we get a little extra time with her.

The Earth Avengers have assembled this week to help Anne and the Plantars get back to Amphibia. I know there have been some grumbles in the fandom that this season has been the dreaded F-word: FILLER. This week proved that there hasn’t been a single filler episode in this season. Matt Braly has also been clear that episodes without plot doesn’t make them filler. Important world building or character work is happening in them too. “Escape to Amphibia” showed all the hard work from the first half of season three. All the important players have come back in some way. When Andrias comes knocking on Earth, the human team will be ready to fight.

Since we’re leaving Earth for a little while, I do want to talk about the Boonchuys a moment. They’re growth this half season has been just as important as Anne’s. I’ll admit! I’m biased! One of my favorite tropes in all-ages media is when the parents get in on the adventure and become mini-action heroes themselves. I blame the first season of Digimon when they’re on Earth for an arc!

Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy have gone from protective parents to jumping into the action themselves. The Plantars are their family now too. When Mr. X snags the frogs, Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy don’t hesitate to go after them with Anne. They’re sneaking through a government base, something that would have been insane for them at the start of the season. It’s been such a joy watching Anne’s parents shine.

Especially by confronting Mr. X. It looks like Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy are going to inform the agent of everything. Which is great! While they’re clearly antagonists, I’ve speculated before that Mr. X and Jenny would be valuable allies to Anne if Andrias’ invasion made it to Earth. While Anne is saving Amphibia, her parents look to be the leaders of the Earth Avengers. I’m going to miss seeing the Boonchuys each week, but I bet they’re going to kick so much butt in the coming episodes!

Finally, these writers sure do love their foreshadowing and there was probably one big moment when Anne was playing around with toy lightsabers with her parents. With her dad wore a mask, sort of like how Marcy is wearing a mask being controlled by the Core, that feels so on the nose for this show’s kind of foreshadowing. His begging for Anne to stop is absolutely coming back at some point.

And ouch! How dare they reenact Marcy getting stabbed in the season two finale! That was just mean!

 Some random thoughts to round out Escape to Amphibia:

-The Rogue One scene! Not only is Rogue One my favorite Star Wars movie, it has a lot of personal significance to me. I lost my mind watching Anne play Darth Vader!

-The red mantis coming back was neat. That was Anne’s first hurtle when she arrived to Amphibia in episode one. It’s a nice little call back as they return to the world once again.

-Mr. Boonchuy loves his wife so dang much! Relationship goals!

-I too have the exact same reaction when I walk into a Costco. I will lose an entire paycheck in there. And it’s totally worth it.

-RC Frobo is super adorable! And he finally looks like his promotional art for the season!

-THE STEVEN UNIVERSE VAN! Everyone say thank you to Joe Johnston!

-I hope Terri and Dr. Jan have all the team-ups together. They are the best duo! I cackled watching them steal the generator!

Despite it being the beginning of the end, I’m so excited that Amphibia is back. This cast and crew have proven over and over they are a stellar group of creators. “Escape to Amphibia” was just a taste, and I know whatever will come will be amazing.