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Marcy at the Gates
Whenever the show looks into Anne’s friends from back home, its intrigue always seems to pick up significantly. In this case, not only does doing this bring interesting new dynamics; it also brings a fresh new shift in tone to this show as well as the entire series going forward.
At this point, the audience should be well acquainted with the ways of Sasha, but now it’s time to meet Anne’s other human friend, Marcy. Up to now, all that’s been shown of her was her role in the flashback of the day the three girls were first transported to Amphibia. From her smug expression while watching Anne steal that music box from the thrift store, it’s easy to suggest she’s not much different from Sasha. This is where the biggest strength of this story makes itself known as some of the first moments highlight previously unknown yet very endearing sides to Marcy.
In a series of flashbacks, rather than cold and edgy, she’s very positive, energetic, and overall fun to be around. That said, she’s also shown to have had a tendency of getting so absorbed in special interests like video games and complex fantasy RPGs, she tunes out the world around her. Anne would often have to constantly look out for her so she’d avoid all potential hazardous obstacles and keep track of her belongings. If anything, this just goes to show how devoted a friend Anne really is, but for all her faults, Marcy definitely is an appealing personality based on this recount. However, it’s what Anne and the Plantars see of what has become of Marcy in the present that sets her up to be such a strong character to follow.
It all unfolds when Anne and the Plantars finally reach Newtopia, but the city won’t let them in due to an uprising of giant ants. Then a mysterious hooded figure swoops down to save them, and it isn’t long before Anne is able to find out who it is. After a dashing display of swashbuckling action moves against the ants, the figure clumsily falls from a rope and attentively and intellectually records her experience. This is all Anne needs to see that this is none other than her long lost friend Marcy. If her desire to protect her back home wasn’t enough to prove how important she is to her, her emotional display upon seeing her again definitely is. If that’s not enough, the very first present appearance of Marcy is very pleasing and leaves impressions of a truly well rounded character. Unlike the sneaky and smug demeanor in her first flashback appearance, everything Marcy does simply presents her as a ray of pure sunshine. She’s very action-oriented and calculating in going about the ant attack, but does so with such a positive, upbeat, friendly attitude. When greeting her old friend and meeting the Plantars, there are good vibes all around as she interacts with them. From using her research and logistical methods to tell their background and referring them to her special interests, you can tell she has her own cheerful way of going about life. Being relatable to anyone with a special way of doing things and personal interests certainly helps.
One major takeaway from Marcy’s official introduction is how she’s managed to adapt to this strange new world out of our central trio of human girls. Unlike Anne who was transported into the woods before being taken in by a small frog town and Sasha who arrived as a prisoner to toads, Marcy started off in Amphibia’s own capital. Through living amongst the amphibians of the highest status, she could easily apply her escapist interests to reality and forge a perfect life for herself. It’s no wonder she has evolved into more than just the klutz she was back home. In fact, she’s even risen up the ranks by learning impressive action moves, and getting connections with the royal knight guard as well as the king of all Amphibia. That’s not to say she’s no longer clumsy as several instances prove that trait to persist, such as a constant running gag of her cloak catching fire. Basically, Marcy is instantly a winning addition to this show’s already great cast, and this continues to prove true throughout the adventure that follows.
Though Anne and the Plantars are anxious to enter Newtopia, the city won’t open until the ant uprising is taken care of. Because of her status as well as her extensive knowledge of Amphibia’s creatures from her many past assigned tasks for the king, it’s up to Marcy to stop the ants. All the while, there are interesting perceptions on Marcy from the main group of the series. Hop Pop and Polly are simply impressed with what she has to offer, mainly through how some of her interests apply to them. The former is impressed with how Marcy can tell his status from dirt sediments, and the latter is blown away by Marcy’s action skills. It’s very akin to how any friendship can form from even the simplest connections.
Then you have Anne and Sprig’s perspectives. Sprig is among the most interesting because he, surprisingly, is the only one to have any suspicions on Marcy, and for honestly legit reasons. After his encounter with Sasha, it only makes sense that he’d believe any old friend of Anne’s is trouble. Plus, the audience does still have the memory of her involvement in the theft of the music box that led to the three girls getting stuck in this world. So even if Marcy doesn’t seem toxic, they’d still be inclined to guess that there’s some darkness beneath her extremely inviting demeanor. For that, Sprig doesn’t come off the least bit unlikable despite his growing suspicions. Heck, at times they can even be funny for how he tries to play off hiding his true intent, but you know exactly how he feels.
As for Anne, her views on Marcy mainly connect to how she viewed her back home. For all her friend’s accomplishments, Anne still feels that Marcy could land herself in danger she’ll have to get her out of. She opts to take the lead of the ant situation, but Marcy constantly tells Anne that she’s capable of that because of how much she’s studied them. All the way, there are instances that prove the points of both characters. Anne does notice hazards that Marcy doesn’t notice like falling debris, hidden caverns, and even times where she neglects the safety of others. It’s just a good thing for Marcy that little Polly sees her forgetting about her in a cavern as an honest mistake. At the same time, Marcy’s interests allow for impressive ways of going about the mission from potion making to knowledge of animal behavior.
There are two prominent extremes of Marcy’s strong intellect and ways she still manages to get into trouble, so no side is either completely right or wrong. However, both Anne and Marcy’s bond is endearingly strong enough for them to reach a compromise. Marcy understands that Anne just doesn’t want to lose her, and Anne is moved to step back and trust Marcy enough to perform what she studied. Such a move of trust and compatibility ultimately solves everything through defeating the ants, making sure everyone’s safe and finally getting into Newtopia.
Once all this is settled, the ending brings a healthy shift in dynamics with Marcy officially joining Anne and the Plantars in their ultimate goal. With everyone now settling into Newtopia after the long trip, there are many promising developments that lie ahead of them. For the Plantars, they mostly look forward to a vacation in what’s easily the most lavish place in their world.
For Anne and Marcy though, they have bigger thoughts in mind. They both seem to set their sights on getting home (though it will later be revealed that Marcy’s stance is way more complex just so you know), but agree on one thing. The only way it makes sense for them to go home is if they find Sasha first, considering that the trio should stick together. Since Anne’s last encounter with Sasha was so tense and aggressive compared to her friendly one with her other friend, that’s certainly going to be a challenge. Out of this challenging path forward though is a healthy and hopeful prospect to propel Season 2 going forward. As both Anne and Marcy have grown even more trusting out of the recent adventure, they’re ready to make their own choices on the matter instead of waiting to follow Sasha. In other words, they honor their original dynamic however you may feel about it, but allow themselves to grow too. Speaking of challenges though, they’re only added upon via the last scene with a brief appearance of the king of Amphibia himself, Andrias. All that’s shown of him is how with Anne’s arrival in Newtopia, pieces are put into place for his little game which he comments on menacingly. This in turn brings a dark impression for this character, but all I’ll say is that the more we see of him, the more it will be hard to know what to say about him until the end.
The biggest selling point here is the official introductions to characters and the dynamics they form with the main characters. For how much they deliver on charm, natural developments, relatability, and mystery, this is one of the best stories of the series.
A+
Series Ranking
1.
Reunion
2.
Marcy at the Gates
3.
Toad Tax
4.
Anne vs Wild
5.
The Domino Effect
6.
Toadcatcher
7.
Prison Break
8.
Anne of the Year
9.
Contagi-Anne
10.
Best Fronds
11.
Family Shrub
12.
Hop-Popular
13.
Anne Hunter
14.
Wally and Anne
15.
Children of the Spore
16.
A Night at the Inn
17.
Handy Anne
18.
Lily Pad Thai
19.
Dating Season
20.
Anne or Beast?
21.
Combat Camp
22.
Cursed!
23.
Snow Day
24.
Civil Wart
25.
Stakeout
26.
Croak and Punishment
27.
Taking Charge
28.
Flood, Sweat, and Tears
29.
Bizarre Bazaar
30.
Wax Museum
31.
Swamp and Sensibility
32.
Trip to the Archives
33.
Anne Theft Auto
34.
Hop Luck
35.
Quarreler’s
Pass
36.
Hop Pop and Lock
37.
Plantar’s Last Stand
38.
Fort in the Road
39.
A Caravan Named Desire
40.
The Big Bugball Game
41.
Fiddle Me This
42.
Truck Stop Polly
43.
Family Fishing Trip
44.
The Ballad of Hoppediah Plantar
45.
Girl Time
46.
Breakout Star
47.
Grubhog Day
48.
Cane Crazy
49.
Sprig vs Hop Pop
50.
Cracking Mrs. Croaker
The next Amphibia review builds on Anne and Marcy's dynamic even more during a scavenger hunt through Newtopia, and everyone officially meets King Andrias before Sprig goes off to take advantage of a credit card.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews is a performance of "Eda's Requiem" in The Owl House.
If you would like to check out other Amphibia reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.
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