REVIEW: Amphibia – Season 3, Episode 12, “Sasha’s Angels; Olm Town Road”

"Me? I'm the lookout…as in look out for my fist!"

Television Reviews

*SPOILERS*

“Sasha’s Angels” sees Anne and Sasha briefing the recruits putting Mrs. Croaker in charge of strategy. The Mayor’s assistant, Toadie, pushes back on the plan, wanting to be the lookout instead of aiding the attack on a band of non-partisan thieves. They’re ambushed and separated when they breach the enemy town’s walls. Sasha and Anne train instead of rescuing the frogs because the resistance can’t afford to have its leaders captured. The frogs stage an escape but are re-taken, and Mrs. Croaker is left indisposed. When the denizens of the enemy town take Toadie’s papers and other supplies, he leaps into action and helps the others escape. “Olm Town Road” again finds Sasha brainstorming, this time how to stop Andrias from invading other worlds. Anne shows Sasha and the others the Amphibian text she found on Earth, which Mrs. Croaker translates as saying they must find the Mother of olms. Anne, Sasha, and the Plantars head to Quarreler’s Pass, where they previously met olms Lysil and Angwin. The olms tell them about the Mother and where to find her and decide to show them the way. Once they arrive at Proteus, the olm homeland, the leader Parisia chastises Lysil and Angwin for bringing outsiders. She dismisses the humans and frogs, preaching an isolationist policy towards Andrias’ actions in Amphibia. She rejects any information about what he’s doing and how it might hurt Proteus. After being kicked out of the city, Anne and her friends head for the surface, where they find one of Andrias’ drills tearing up the ground above Proteus. Angwin and Lysil charge at the drill head-on, collapsing part of the barrier and falling into the city. After stern words from Sasha, Parisia reconsiders the twins’ banishment and takes everyone to Mother olm. 

I like the use of pop culture references in both titles this week; it seems like the team behind Amphibia is having an absolute blast this season with Easter eggs like this. I also appreciate all the returning characters. Having only seen the previous seasons one time, I had almost forgotten about characters like Barry the Candyman and olm twins Lysil and Angwin. It annoys me when series feel disconnected, so I appreciate this level of detail in bringing it all together for the final season. “Sasha’s Angels” is an excellent episode for Mrs. Croaker and, especially, Toadie, a character I never expected to get the spotlight. Seriously, he was a minor villain at best in season one! It’s a little optimistic to show even politicians banding together in times of crisis like this, but that’s one of the things I love about Amphibia. Jack McBrayer (Talladega Nights, Wander Over Yonder, Wreck-It Ralph) voices Toadie, and he’s nothing short of perfect as this sniveling, pathetic character who gets the chance to prove himself in “Sasha’s Angels.” It’s also a big moment for Mrs. Croaker, who turns out to be supportive and nurturing in addition to surprisingly tough. Between her own abilities and the way she encourages Toadie here, she has to be one of Sasha and Anne’s biggest assets. “Sasha’s Angels” also has a good lesson for Anne concerning leadership and decision making. She initially bumps heads with Sasha over the latter’s choice to wait it out, and Sasha ends up being right. As a leader, Anne will have to make tough choices and set her feelings aside sometimes. This also increases the trust she and Sasha have been trying to rebuild since returning to Amphibia. The animation is also good in this episode, particularly the gags. Toadie’s badass form is a hoot, and Sasha looked really cool swinging her swords. 

I think I like “Olm Town Road” even more. This episode is also very funny, and the more dramatic elements land too. I was pleasantly surprised to hear Rachel House as Parisia, Queen of the olms, which is apparently different from Mother of the olms. Thank goodness for that; I was waiting for the reveal that she is both. Anyway, I loved Rachel House as Grandma Tala in Moana. Unfortunately, she also appeared in Thor: Ragnarok as the Grandmaster’s underling, Topaz. Still, I’m willing to forgive that since she plays one of my all-time favorite Disney characters. She’s good as Parisia, both funny and infuriating. This serves as a simplified vision of how leaders manipulate their people, but not a bad one. I can’t wait to see the Mother and find out what guidance she has to offer. I know this is a Disney kid’s show, but am I the only one who thought Lysil and Angwin’s actions would have carried more weight if they died to save the city? It would have felt more important and finite if something permanent happened, even just to one of them. This episode’s animation is impressive, particularly when Anne and her friends first arrive in Proteus. Series creator Matt Braly has tweeted that this is one of his favorite locales ever seen in the show, and I can’t argue with that. It’s a unique-looking city, the framing of it is stunning, and the colors and lighting are just perfect. Now that Anne and Sasha are recruiting enemies of Andrias outside of Wartwood, I wonder how big their numbers could get. I wouldn’t mind seeing some of Amphiia’s giant spiders and centipedes attacking the King; that sounds terrifying, awesome, and like it would look incredible in animation. 

Overall, “Sasha’s Angels” and “Olm Town Road” are good both individually and as a pair. “Olm Town Road” has more chances to show off the work of its animators, but I think “Sasha’s Angels” is funnier and has a better journey for Anne. “Olm Town Road” is more about development for Sasha and, surprisingly, Lysil and Angwin. I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all. These episodes also use the 11-minute runtime pretty well; nothing feels rushed or undercooked. I wouldn’t say either episode is perfect because the stakes could feel higher; after all, they have before. But I had a good time with both stories and eagerly anticipate more.