Now we’ve
come to the last part of the story, and I’m pleased to say that it’s a strong
conclusion that wraps everything up nicely.
It features both the brothers at their absolute best with Wirt taking
initiative to do whatever it takes to save his brother from the Beast and Greg
proving himself to have become a lot more mature and responsible by doing what
he needs to do for Wirt’s safety, even if it means sacrificing himself to the
Beast. These moments of the brothers
that start out this episode help make the moment where Wirt and Beatrice find
Greg about to be turned into a tree for the Beast’s lantern the emotional
highlight of the series. We also get
some great closure to who is perhaps the most endearing inhabitant of The
Unknown, the Woodsman. We all know that
he’s been through a lot lately; he’s been carrying his daughter’s soul in a
lantern that must be kept lit, the boys he’s trying to help don’t trust him,
and he must continue to serve the Beast which includes wandering in the forest
for eternity. He’s so endearing because
of how much of a devoted and loving person he is, yet life is just so hard for
him. You can imagine how horrified The
Woodsman must be when he eventually learns the truth about the Beast which
includes how all the trees used to light the lantern were all people the
Beast had gotten to and how the light in the lantern was the Beast’s spirit and
not the Woodsman’s daughter, as Wirt discovers.
Needless to say, these big reveals make this episode just as big an
emotional experience for The Woodsman, who goes on to vanquish the Beast by blowing the lantern out, as it is for Wirt and Greg. To wrap everything up, we get a nice scene
that gives the brothers a well-deserved happy ending where they’re rescued and
recovered and Wirt seems destined to be going in the right direction with his
relationship with Sara. Some might think
that this means the whole series of Wirt and Greg’s adventures was just a
dream, but a certain bell inside Greg’s frog who finally gets a name, gives a
strong impression that there is some truth and substance to what we
experienced. This is aided by a final
montage of how all The Unknown’s inhabitants’ lives have been improved thanks
to Wirt and Greg’s adventure including the Woodsman and his daughter reunited, and Beatrice and her family turning back
into humans. As a result, I can call
this episode a solid end to the series and all the character development and
concluding points for just about the entire cast meaningful and satisfying;
it’s an amazing end to an amazing show. 10/10
Final Ranking
1) The Unknown
2) Babes in
the Wood
3) Songs of
the Dark Lantern
4) Hard Times
at the Huskin’ Bee
5) The Old
Grist Mill
6) Lullaby in
Frogland
7) Into the
Unknown
8) The Ringing
of the Bell
9) Mad Love
10) Schooltown
Follies
Final Thoughts
When
watching this show all the way through, I can see why so many people call it
one of the best cartoons of recent years.
Just about everything about it brings about a cinematic feel that’s hard
to find in a TV show. In fact, put all
the episodes together, and you pretty much get a movie with a definite
beginning, middle, and end. The overall
story may be basic, but the execution is what makes it such a grand experience. What makes the story turn out this way is how
well it manages to balance out being cute, funny, and especially scary with
each potential danger becoming more threatening as the story progresses. Usually, one of these three qualities would
dominate over the others in a story, but the fact that there’s a welcome dose
of all of them can easily get you invested in what goes on. That’s something to say about any great
animated work.
Also, the world is very
creative with an appropriate moody atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re
in that same dark forest with the main characters, and the side characters they
come across have a lot of interesting quirks and personal problems you
hope they can overcome. Sure, some characters and events might be
significantly less interesting than others and others might be better if they
had a little more depth to them, but those that are strong are unbelievably
strong. However, the best part about the
story is how it handles the characters who should be given the most attention;
the three main characters Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice. The whole journey through The Unknown really
does wonders for their characters. Wirt
starts off worrisome of taking initiative, but by the end develops enough
bravery to get through life’s problems whether it’s getting out of The Unknown
or advancing his love life. Greg starts
off very naïve and innocent that often leads to trouble, but by the end matures
a lot by taking things more seriously and making big brave choices for the
greater good. Beatrice starts off as a
downer who doesn’t care much about what she gets up to, but through her
relationship with the brothers, she develops more of a heart and concern for
the world around her, especially since her reckless action of throwing a rock
at a bird cursed her family in the first place.
Watching these three heroes grow and change throughout the series makes
for some pleasing moments that elevate even the weakest parts of the story, and
with the small reveal that the journey wasn’t just a dream makes their
development stand out a lot more. The
storytelling is overall great and it’s made even better with well-drawn and
detailed animation, eerie music, and so many questions that managed to get
answered in the span of 10 episodes. There’s
so much good to this series, I can easily call it one of the best, even if it
is just a mini-series.
Highly Recommended
This concludes this series of reviews of Over the Garden Wall. This blog will be going on a 12-day hiatus, but when we return, we'll begin a new set of reviews on the Peanuts specials of the 1960s. Until then:
Stay Animated Folks!
