'Toon Reviews 9: Star vs the Forces of Evil Season 1 Episode 5

Diaz Family Vacation

Marco’s parents have so far proven to be a likable couple given their generous and hospitable nature, and for that, it’s nice that they have major roles in this episode where Star, wanting to give them a gift for their anniversary, decides to take them on a trip to her home dimension of Mewni.  The catch to this is that in taking the Diaz family to another dimension, Star has to use the dimensional scissors she got from “Party with a Pony” which is forbidden because her parents require her to stay on Earth, so that gives this little vacation some tension.  Because this vacation is forbidden, Star keeps everyone in the village district of Mewni where the poor live to keep from being noticed by her parents.  Despite the less than ideal spots for the vacation, Mr. and Mrs. Diaz are very appreciative of what they see which only adds to their appeal.  At the same time, Marco feels noticeably inferior to Star since all he offered his parents for their anniversary are fanny packs which don’t please them nearly as much.  It’s a shame that this point isn’t really resolved because as they travel, the safety gear packed in the fanny packs prove to be useful in helping Marco survive.  This steers us towards why the vacation leads the group into the Forest of Certain Death.  It’s all because despite Star’s best efforts to duck out of the way of her parents, her father, King River, just happens to be travelling in the particular area of Mewni and even hunting in the Forest of Certain Death, even though he had earlier claimed to be holding a lecture.  They just can’t escape him.  If that’s not enough, Mr. and Mrs. Diaz are just completely blown over by everything in the forest which still shows the appreciative and enjoyable sides of their characters, but this also means they’re unaware of the extreme dangers.  It reaches its breaking point when Star and Marco come to the conclusion that they were eaten by a multi-headed dragon.  There’s an awesome fight against the dragon with cool spells from Star, and Marco using more fanny pack supplies, but it’s ultimately broken up by River who cuts the dragon open revealing that Marco’s parents were never eaten.  We also get a great moment of bonding between Star and her dad when he reveals that he just wants to have a little fun and adventure to get away from the stress of royal life, just like his daughter.  It’s a nice reveal that shows there’s more to Star’s dad than just a strict authority figure as is how it strengthens Star’s bond with him by showing that he’s not as boring as she thinks.  Ultimately, this episode really packs in a lot of greatness with likable characters, genuine suspense, and surprising developments. 9.5/10

Brittney’s Party

As this episode opens with Star being loved by the entire school, it’s pretty easy to see why this is the case.  Not only can she perform great spells with her wand and win in several awesome monster fights, but she’s also friendly to everyone she meets.  Then we have another popular girl at the school, Brittney Wong who by contrast gets her popularity for all the wrong reasons.  She’s rich and is among the best looking of the girls at school, but she’s also highly judgmental, looking down at others for petty reasons which really makes all popular and rich people look bad, and that’s a trope that I really can’t stand.  Anyway, because of her popular status, her birthday party is looked at as the biggest social event of the year, and anyone she doesn’t give an invitation to is crushed.  Now Star, literal-minded as she’s established to be, gets her invite with the help of her wand when Brittney says that she’ll invite her when pigs fly; you can probably guess where this is going.  The party itself is what makes up the entire episode where the ever-friendly and innocent Star steps in to liven up the party with her wand complete with bounce house bus seats, a hot tub, and a light show which make it easy to identify with the guests who love it.  The party feels like one you wish you could attend.  In addition, we’re treated to a large dose of Brittney complaining about things not going her way and acting like she’s the only person who matters.  Those moments are significantly less pleasing.  There’s also a subplot of Marco dealing with motion sickness since the party takes place on a bus.  It presents a major challenge for him to not embarrass himself and the longer he stays on the bus, the easier it is to feel for him, even if the strains he’s feeling can be hard to watch at times.  The climax of the party when Ludo and his army show up to attack and drive the bus into another dimension ties into what these characters go through, even if it doesn’t always make them likable.  Star’s fight with the monsters comes with creative takedowns for each of them and makes everyone love the party even more.  Brittney has her ultimate unlikable moment by saying she wants Ludo to destroy Star.  Marco, whose motion sickness is at its peak, successfully fights through it all and takes control of the bus to make it avoid the interdimensional portal and give the party a literal smashing finish.  Basically, this fight is the ultimate finale to the party even with Brittney’s constant ingratitude and bratty attitude.  Because of this, this episode is truly one party you’ll never forget. 9/10

The Ranking

1. Diaz Family Vacation
2. School Spirit
3. Party with a Pony
4. Quest Buy
5. Monster Arm
6. Cheer up Star
7. Star Comes to Earth
8. Brittney’s Party
9. Matchmaker
10. The Other Exchange Student

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Star gets "Mewberty" for the first time, and takes Marco and his friends to "Pixtopia."

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.