Amphibia Spoiler Review: Hop 'Til You Drop/Turning Point
Amphibia is back this week with two new episodes: “Hop ‘Til You Drop” and “Turning Point.”
I really enjoyed these two episodes paired together as they were great compliments to each other. Both episodes are mirror events that show how far the characters have developed on their journey. “Hop ‘Til You Drop” touches on a lot of early season one episodes for Anne. Only now, she’s in the position of the Plantars to keep them from dying. “Turning Point” had a lot of callbacks to “True Colors” but it actually reminded me more of “Toadcatcher.” Sasha and Grime have swapped roles this time around. It made for a good running theme of seeing these characters in reversed roles.
To start with “Hop ‘Til You Drop,” I’m always a sucker for episodes set at a mall. I worked at a mall for fifteen years. Any episode that slanders that place is great in my book. I adore the little jokes making fun of store signs. I knew security guards just like the one in the episode who think they have a ton of power with their Segway. I’ve seen those self-righteous moms who will yell in a heartbeat over their babies. I adore this setting because I have SURVIVED THIS.
Work in a mall for fifteen years, and you too will say that you survived it.
I also love watching the Plantars adjusting to Anne’s world. At first, I thought they were a tad bit out of character being extra mischievous. But the more I thought about it, it makes a lot of sense. This is probably both an overwhelming situation as well as the Plantars underestimating the dangers of Anne’s worlds. They think it’s going to be so easy to survive. But the peril here is different and one they don’t understand. We saw an example of this last week when the Sprig thought any kind of technology was a robot. Like Anne in a lot of season one, Sprig’s limited knowledge of this new setting made him fall back on what he did know.
I have no worries that the Plantars will adjust. They’ve shown how resilient they are over the course of the show. Hop Pop didn’t start out as an adventurer. Both Sprig and Polly had to learn to fight alongside Anne. It gives Anne the ability to show off how much she’s changed along the way too.
I also really want to talk about how Anne interacts with her friend Gabby. That entire sequence stuck out in my mind more than anything else. Gabby is where Anne began at the start of the series. And while Anne still has a lot of those teenage tendencies like indulging in gossip and being obsessed with her phone, her journey is so apparent next to Gabby, who is very normal. Anne has clearly matured and grown as a person. She has the awareness to know her focus needs to be on the Plantars as she’s responsible for them. The use of Gabby in “Hop ‘Til You Drop” was a great way for this crew to show us Anne’s growth.
BUT OOOO LET’S TALK ABOUT “TURNING POINT” THOUGH!
It’s been such a joy to watch Sasha’s character development over the last two seasons. Confirmed in a Q&A with cast and creator Matt Braly that season three is the final season, I would argue that Sasha is currently the best-written character in the show up to this point.
Like the use of Gabby in “Hop ‘Til You Drop” to show Anne’s development, the crew really used a ton of callbacks to showcase how far Sasha’s come. For example, there were visual cues like the single beam of light over her eyes. Also, some great dialogue choices too. Sasha ended season one asking Anne, “Are you really going to risk your life for these talking frogs?” Now, she’s pleading with Grime to understand they can’t abandon the frogs of Wartwood to face Andrias' bots on their own. This moment is so huge.
Because Sasha is really starting to change. She hasn’t done the full 180 yet, as the title is “Turning Point.” She still has the rest of the season to go. Before, she found validation and love through manipulation and control. This episode showed how she's starting to realize the error of her ways and wants to be worthy of love.
It had already begun. From Percy and Braddock leaving to Sasha betraying Marcy and Anne, Sasha finally comes to terms with the consequences of her actions. “True Colors” was a crossroads, and she picked the wrong path. She lost all control of her machinations. When everything fell apart around her, losing Anne, watching Marcy get stabbed, barely escaping with her life, she knows now how wrong she was.
This is where I love a lot of the allusions to “Toadcatcher” because we see why Grime has become such an important character in Sasha’s life. He’s in an interesting place too. Grime had a ton of dad energy for a lot of season two, acting as a mentor to his human ward. This is why it took me off guard a bit to hear his more callous side come back out in "Turning Point." He pushed Sasha more into her bad tendencies versus focusing on her feelings in these matters.
But the more I thought about it, this made sense for Grime. The king is a murderous tyrant. The world is coming to war. Grime is falling back on pure instinct and training. It’s what built him up as a person. There are still the cracks in between to show Sasha’s importance to him. His quiet begging for Sasha to join him. Making her food to make sure she’s eaten.
Most importantly, though, Grime came back for Sasha. It’s a great moment as he declares she is the most important person to him. I got so emotional. And yeah, I’m biased because Grime is my favorite character. I love his dad energy. I love how far he’s come. And I very much look forward to where he goes with his human kid by his side.
Sasha’s story is so important. It’s hard to find really well-developed female relationships. And at no point do they very vilify Sasha. Her manipulative nature is a fault but she’s not a bad guy. They really fleshed out her character. It’s important that she’s always been an antagonist, not a villain. It allows her space to grow to get her to this point.
Sasha gets to move forward now and make her own path. Controlling situations isn’t a bad skill for someone to have. But it can be if that power is abused. Sasha knows that now. I want to see her use her abilities for good and grow with this strength.
Sasha entered season one wanting to end a frog rebellion. Now, she’s leading one with Grime to stop the king. That's a heck of a lot of growth.
I do want to take a moment to touch on Olivia and Yunan. "Turning Point" showed they are in a very dangerous position at the moment. From what we know from the season three trailer, they’re going to play a big role at some point. I can’t wait to learn more about them. They both have the potential to be incredibly fascinating characters. And as the season three trailer hinted, they might end up being key when it comes to saving Marcy.
They are just as blindsided by King Andrias’ tyrant betrayal as everyone else. In "True Colors," they both were just as shocked as the rest of the cast. We see them trying to sneak out together before Andrias catches them. It’s clear they’re only going along with him at the moment so not to die. But with Sasha and Grime strumming up a rebellion on one end of Amphibia, I have a feeling that Olivia and Yunan will lead the charge behind the scenes.
Also, I ship these two ladies so freaking hard. They’re adorable! Let them be girlfriends!
Some random thoughts to round out Hop ‘Til You Drop and Turning Point:
-I love Polly and Sprig’s human disguises, especially Sprig’s. They’re so cute!
-The baby fight sequence is pure gold. Just the height of comedy.
-Can we stop stabbing Marcy! Please and thank you! Ugh, my heart for that poor girl!
-Joe Sparrow is the MVP of this series! He’s made two important saves so far.
-I’m always happy to return to Wartwood whenever we can. I love the entire cast! As we’re making our way through the final season, it’s always in the back of my mind that it could always be the final time we see Wartwood.
-BESSIE AND MICROANGELO ARE SO CUTE! I’m so glad Sasha is there to look after our dear little snails!
Amphibia season three continues to be stellar. “Hop ‘Til You Drop” and “Turning Point” were both solid entries with the series. I can’t wait to see what we get next week!
