Sunday, November 26, 2017

'Toon Review 9: Star vs the Forces of Evil Season 1 Episode 10


St. Olga’s Reform School for Wayward Princesses







St. Olga’s Reform School has been built up as a place no one would want to end up in for several instances this season.  Now we’re finally seeing it, and what the episode consists of really delivers.  Everything unfolds when Star calls her friend who was sent to the reform school, Princess Pony Head, for her birthday, and notices how close she is to losing her individuality.  Feeling sorry that her friend has to suffer like this, Star and Marco decide to give Pony Head the best birthday gift they can by busting her out.  The whole episode is an exciting jailbreak plot with many things to make it a season highlight.  Some of them include the many designs of the characters, not just of the unruly and rebellious princesses whose appearances clash with the traditional princess look the school pushes for, but also Star and Marco’s disguises, particularly Marco wearing a dress.  The biggest aspect of the school is how it works.  The headmistress, Ms. Heinous, and her robot guards are strictly against princesses who doesn’t comply with the traditional princesses standards, so they proceed to put them in never-ending classes on etiquette, singing with animals, and dressing nice to strip them of their individuality.  Really, this is one of the cruelest things anyone could be put through.  Even if some traits can cause problems for others, they should be given better control, not stripped entirely.  It prevents people from being who they really are which is never a good thing.  With this dark setup in place, Star and Marco go through their jailbreak their own way.  Star is overwhelmed with fear of the place and what it does, but pushes on with great devotion to her friend.  Marco is the strongest and most confident of the duo, knowledgable on jailbreak movies and even helps the school’s wayward princesses rebel with the memorable chant, “It’s not criminal to be an individual!”  Even then, it’s clear that some princesses like Pony Head have some individuality in them.  You see, Pony Head has slowly lost the fun and wild traits that defined her the more she stayed at the school, much to Star’s distress.  There are some times when she reflects her true self, but they’re not strong enough for her to snap out of what was forced on her.  Fortunately, she pulls through when Marco needs rescuing from solitary conformant where he’s forced to watch slides of proper behavior and helps Star rescue Marco.  This scene is then capped off with a grand finale of all the princess breaking down the gates as well as a tower preventing the use of interdimensional scissors making the school’s entrance a wild party area which is really rewarding for Pony Head and everyone stripped of their true selves.  Still, Pony Head makes the noble decision to stay at the school so what happened to her doesn’t happen to anyone else, yet is grateful for Star and Marco getting her back to normal, leaving her in a mature, yet wayward state.  We also end with some tension with Ms. Heinous finding out that one of the rebel princesses is from Earth, showing that this isn’t the last we’ll see of this school.  The buildup to the reform school really paid off here with a dark environment, huge stakes, and some of the absolute best moments from the characters involved. 10/10
The Ranking
  1. St. Olga’s Reform School for Wayward Princesses
  2. Blood Moon Ball
  3. Mewberty
  4. Diaz Family Vacation
  5. Fortune Cookies
  6. Sleep Spells
  7. School Spirit
  8. Party with a Pony
  9. Freeze Day
  10. Quest Buy
  11. Monster Arm
  12. Cheer up Star
  13. Star Comes to Earth
  14. Brittney’s Party
  15. Matchmaker
  16. Lobster Claws
  17. Pixtopia
  18. Royal Pain
  19. The Other Exchange
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Star realizes that monsters have feelings too on "Mewnipendence  Day" and her literal-mindedness is put to hilarious effect during "The Banagic Incident."
If you would like to check out other Star vs the Forces of Evil reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

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