Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The Curse of the Blood Moon - (Star vs the Forces of Evil Season 4 Episode 8) - 'Toon Reviews 38

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The Curse of the Blood Moon



As most people would watch the series, it probably can’t be denied that Star and Marco have unquestionable care, chemistry, and compatibility with each other.  They’d easily work great as a couple, especially in this last season, but in the past, it constantly felt like the romance angle was going in a bolder direction.  With both characters often getting romantically involved with other people, it seemed like the show was saying that a very close boy and girl can often just remain friends.  Then with events like Star getting a crush on Marco at the end of Season 2 or Marco kissing Star in “Booth Buddies” it seemed like that mature tone was compromised.  The kicker is that even with their feelings of love out in the open, Star and Marco still try to make relationships with other people work.  This is why cute moments, like them happily having a candlelit feast of cereal at midnight at the start of this episode, don’t feel right. 
Out of this cutely random instance though, Marco does realize the problem.  He becomes infatuated just by Star leaving behind two marshmallows together in her cereal bowl, which is a way of realizing how much he’s fallen for Star.  The focus of the episode then becomes clear as they both try to find a way to stop these romantic feelings and branch out to other relationships.  They learn from Star’s current boyfriend, Tom, that their feelings are apparently not a result of natural chemistry.  Back in the Season 1 episode, “Blood Moon Ball” when they were caught dancing under the light of such a moon, they were cursed to have feelings for each other.  As devaluing to what has seemed like natural bonding as this sounds, it is a likely story since Tom was desperate for him and Star to be illuminated by the moon back then.
So Star and Marco, with Tom and Janna in tow, set out to break the curse.  As a catch, the process becomes more complicated than it needs to.  It hardly feels that way at first as Tom’s grandfather Relicore, through screeching, does inform of the dangers of the Blood Moon Curse.  Later, he just feels like he’s just used for gags stemming from his creepiness.  Along with this are gags that go on too long.  There’s everyone board in an elevator, an awkward conversation of bridge guards moving a couch, and Janna messing around on the bridge.  These are very inconsequential and do nothing but pad out the story. 
At least there’s substance when they do find a severing stone, said to remove the memory of Star and Marco dancing at the Blood Moon Ball.  With great staging and music, it plays out near identical to the Season 1 moment.  It’s even pleasing to see Star and Marco dance as they did, though it’s mainly in a longer sequence given that Star didn’t actually know she was dancing with Marco at the time.  Then there’s a twist when Star and Marco actually enjoy themselves as they relive the memory. They ultimately drop a suggestion that maybe the Blood Moon Ball wasn’t where they first got feelings for each other.  As a result, by the time they do lose that memory and Marco thinks nothing of the two cereal marshmallows, it’s not convincing.  The goal was for them both to move on with love lives, and it still feels like they love each other. 
Also given future episodes, this whole episode ends up feeling like a big waste of time.  It has its moments, but especially with the longer runtime, this episode is a testament to how much of an issue romance has come to be with this show.
C

The Ranking

1.      Escape from the Pie Folk

2.      Swim Suit

3.      Yada Yada Berries

4.      Moon Remembers

5.      Ransomgram

6.      Butterfly Follies

7.      Kelly’s World

8.      Surviving the Spiderbites

9.      Down By the River

10.  Out of Business

11.  Lake House Fever

12.  The Ponyhead Show

13.  The Curse of the Blood Moon

 
 
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode of Ludo's only starring role for Season 4, and Moon reminded of her old status as queen from an old warrior making a surprise appearance at Butterfly Castle.

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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