Star vs. the Forces of Evil Review: Princess Turdina / Starfari

"HOW'D YOU KNOW ABOUT RODRIGO?!"
So... this was quite the interesting set of episode in tackling two relatively heavier themes - one, the overarching Princess Marco sub-plot, and the other the constant conflict between Mewnians' perceptions of monsters - but neither episode quite sticks the landing. That's not to say there's nothing to like about either episode, because they expand greatly upon that which the show has been consistently vague in addressing, but neither episode feels as satisfactory as they should because neither truly finds a resolution.

Considering, further, that the common theme the two episodes share (I'd argue) is a sense of hypocrisy, the show's inability to truly redeem upon the pratfalls it examines is a bit frustrating.

"Princess Turdina," picking up after the events of "Heinous," finds Marco brought back to St. Olga's, but feeling guilty about the whole situation; regardless of the perceived benefits, he's an idol who's living a lie and the figurehead of a movement he doesn't even fully support. Marco is thus constantly in the battle over telling the truth and maintaining the ruse, though the overbearing support from his admirers (and their aggression to his minor slip-ups) only adds further complication.

And wisely, the episode keeps piling on and adding tension, though at the same time, the progression simultaneously impedes. Marco never makes a definitive decision himself throughout the episode so much as he's lured into admittance. Sure, while the arrival of Miss Heinous who ousts him as a boy comes with his willing acceptance of that fact... she deprives him of the strength of character to announce it himself and for his words to have any impact. Sure, the ruse is up and he's finally comfortable being who he is, stripped of his princess identity... but nothing's learned. He's simply used to push out a simple resolution while letting Miss Heinous shine and carry on the rest of the arc.

If there's one thing that really sticks, though, it's Miss Heinous. She's the strongest part of the episode, even if her appearance is abrupt and a bit tacked-on and her use is more of a plot device in terms of feeding into the episode's crux. What's exciting, though, is the mysteriousness of the scene that follows, with her draining the energy (?) out of Smooches. With Toffee temporarily out of the equation and Ludo's fate unknown, the scene suggests her rise as the show's chief villain, and I'm excited to see where the show could possibly take her.

With "Starfari," however, the issues are a bit more glaring and the pay-off more feeble. The central premise is that Star teams up with the palace's resident monster expert, Jelly Goodwin (our interdimensional Jane Goodall), though it becomes increasingly obvious that, if not seeing monsters as subordinate as other Mewnians do, she undervalues their capabilities and observes them naively and insultingly. The slow, agonizing reveal of her ignorance against Star's mounting disgust is what makes the episode work at its smoothest, and it's when the episode is being the most incisive - shout-outs to Jelly's phrasing of houses as "naturally-forming geographic locations that almost look like buildings that the monsters were clever enough to use for shelter," and a dam as a "wondrously mysterious fracture."

Where Jelly's character works is her misplaced overzealousness; she never comes across as aggressive and tedious because she's hilariously unaware of how else to think, and it produces some delightful incongruity. But I think that's also where "Starfari" struggles; because of Jelly's sheer one-sidedness, even after seeing Star and the monsters team up to stop the flood that she accidentally causes, the lesson is still lost on her. The joke dwells on her inability to change, and however true to her character, there's no punch to it, and the ending - excluding Buff Frog's promotion, in a nice moment of clarity - fizzles. Whatever exciting material the episode explored, it never quite elevated.

Notes and Quotes:
-"HEY, GOAT! Just because you're invisible doesn't mean I can't hurt you!"
-That's a long brunch.
-The return of "Cameraphoooone" is something I didn't realize I needed in my life until it happened, but rest in peace Smooches, y'all. What a one-note wonder.
-The one throwaway line in "Starfari" that really worked for me was, "Oh my gosh, that is the cutest price tag!" while Star looks at a rack full of cat plushes. I'm sure somebody will go and put up some eloquent complaint about how it undermines Star's intelligence or something, but it's such an unexpected joke, and the delivery is so perfect.

FINAL GRADE: B/C+. Although "Princess Turdina" struggled in terms of how to utilize Marco nor elevate its story arc, the return of Miss Heinous is perhaps one of the most promising slithers we've gotten so far in terms of what to expect across this season. Unfortunately, "Starfari," on the other hand, balked at the chance to be pointed, and the result leaves a lot to be desired with relatively little satisfied. I'm sure I'm being a bit critical of both episodes, but with both so bent on exploring the conflicts of hypocrisy, Star vs.'s inability to really close off that which it opened makes both feel... incomplete.

For the last reviews of "Lint Catcher" and "Trial by Squire," CLICK HERE.