Bittersweet Rivals
Starting with this cartoon, one of the biggest surprises of the P.O.I.N.T. Prep arc begins to unfold. The previous part featured Enid get permitted into the discipline of charisma which is run by one of her biggest rivals, Elodie. Looking back on their relationship is a huge reminder of their complexities and how they shaped the bulk of Enid’s character. They started out as best friends, but when the time came to try out for P.O.I.N.T. Prep, Elodie betrayed their friendship and said she was using Enid to get into the school. This is no doubt heavy stuff for Enid to deal with, making it no wonder why she feels lost in life and went on to have major difficulty trusting others. Now she has to face her past again by sharing a discipline with Elodie.
The strange thing is that Elodie can’t seem to make up her mind about seeing Enid. She’s quick to go from tense and confrontational to acting like she still wants to be her friend. Then again, the end of her first appearance and a few moments here do show some subtle signs of regret which help lead into what happens later. After getting acquainted with her dorm, the next day brings Enid’s first day of P.O.I.N.T. Prep classes. In spite of needing to be woken up by that photo of her friends and becoming a mess when reaching her first class, it’s amazing that Enid pulls everything off so well. In fact, it can be argued that she and Elodie are still very much in sync given how similar the quality of their performances end up being.
They all unfold in the classes taught by P.O.I.N.T. heroes with unique designs and characters. In the charisma class, taught by a mood-swinging humanoid cloud called Sunshine, they astound everyone by making elaborate entrances. That said, while Elodie’s is self-promoting, Enid’s is rooted in past experience and asks everyone if they really are supportive of her. Moving onto wisdom class, taught by the well-known wheelchair bound alien, Dr. Greyman, the students are put into a challenge to answer a complex equation. Unlike most equations, this one is about stopping a giant robot without harming civilians. Enid and Elodie once again answer well at the same time, but Enid’s reasons for her answers are blunter and more to the point thanks to thinking of her personal life.
Finally comes the strength class taught by the ever authoritative
Foxtail. There’s a physical activity
where Enid and Elodie must compete against each other in climbing up
ropes. During this, Enid finally
confronts Elodie about her behavior as she once again goes from competitive to
friendly. Soon Elodie becomes more
competitive than normal as she gets a weird glow in her eyes and unleashes
unprecedented power while scaling the rope.
Impressively, even in this trance, she fights through it and realizes
she’s put Enid in danger when her rope breaks and she falls. While going after Enid, she officially comes
clean and reveals how much she regrets turning her back on her, giving closure
to those little hints. The results are
gorgeous shots of Elodie using her bow and arrow to get herself and Enid to
safety. Even though they fail the
course, both Enid and Elodie are clearly satisfied enough to rekindling their
friendship. It’s hard to believe this
would happen and that it would feel so genuine, but with great staging and
believable characterizations, this cartoon pulls this outcome off splendidly.
A+
Season 2
Rankings
1. Your World is an Illusion
2. T.K.O.’s House
3. Dendy’s Power
4. Lord Cowboy Darrell
5. Bittersweet Rivals
6. Red Action to the Future
7. My Fair Carol
8. Wisdom Strength and Charisma
9. Point to the Plaza
10. Special Delivery
11. Seasons Change
12. The So-Bad-Ical
13. Plaza Film Festival
14. Let’s Watch the Boxmore Show
15. Be a Team
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