Amphibia Review: Truck Stop Polly / A Caravan Named Desire

"Zap-tag, anyone?"

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As I mentioned in my last review, one of the most enjoyable parts of this chapter of Amphibia is the fact that we're no longer stuck in Wartwood, and that freedom means that whatever idea is fueling an episode, it'll feel truly unique and have its own sense of atmosphere. Whether or not an episode succeeds or struggles, though, is a matter of how well the show is able to use its new environments to make interesting revelations about its characters or push a certain theme. Anne, Sprig, Hop Pop, and Polly will always be at the forefront amid a rotating cast, and even if that means we won't get to see whoever each episode introduces be fleshed out over a longer period of time, it's an opportunity for rapid-fire character portraiture and seeing how our core four make the most of it.

All of that promise can also lead to mixed results from time to time, admittedly. In the case of "Truck Stop Polly," while its setting of a grungey truck stop opens the doors for a different crowd of characters and some fun visuals, its prospects get nixed a bit much by the fact that it's dedicated entirely to Polly, who remains the only character that I've remained unsold on.

I haven't actually written about her too much, and a lot of that is just because my general feelings towards her haven't changed since she was introduced. She's Amphibia's easy source of comic relief, affronting the comparative mellowness of the other main characters with her instability and impulsive nature. I can somewhat get how that was used as a subversive asset earlier on in the show, but as Amphibia developed and matured over its first season, I feel like Polly has felt more and more out of place. She no longer provides a unique contrast to the good-natured spirit of the show; the frequent, dark musings from Hop Pop, Sprig, and Anne do that perfectly.

As such, what I think Polly really needs is meaningful character development, or at least some newer angles to her personality, though I don't know how easy that is given her construction. "Truck Stop Polly" demonstrates the sort of complicated feelings that it makes sense for her to be feeling during Anne and the Plantars' journey, which is fantastic—Speedy Joe and a group of other truck stop barflies hilariously and succinctly dissect her homesickness and insecurities in lieu of what her family is able to provide at this particular moment in time—but it still ends up being an unflattering portrait of Polly that dedicates itself to the consequences of her being in the wrong and trying to make it right. It's the classic Amphibia episode formula at play, but removing the rest of the cast and having all of that facilitated through someone as one-note as Polly hinders its ability to take more distinct angles.

What we get, then, is a weirdly harebrained scheme. After feeling unappreciated by her family and hearing Hop Pop comment that he should've left her with Mrs. Croaker (which he immediately takes back the second Polly hops out of earshot), Polly disguises what she thinks is a rock as herself and puts it in the fwagon to teach them... a lesson? Even if Polly's a child, she's proven herself to have a passable intelligence to her cunning in the past. This feels like a bit of a thoughtless and contrived set-up, though, especially once it's revealed that the "rock" is, in fact, the egg of a murderous bird that'll attempt to kill the first creature it sees when it hatches.

I recognize the point of all of this: for however hard-edged Polly acts, she's still a young child, and that's distinct to her character. It's important that this episode is the first to meaningfully confront that, and it feels timely to address, but the circumstances ultimately feels like too convenient of a means to explore its themes, all while not prodding into newer territory for Polly.

That's not to say that nothing about "Truck Stop Polly" works. For however limited screentime Anne, Sprig, and Hop Pop get, they get a nice chance to show that they do truly care about Polly whether or not she's present for those moments. It's also nice to see Soggy Joe return, now branding himself as Speedy Joe; Amphibia's got quite a large supporting cast, and it's great to see one-off characters of the past re-inserted with a new sense of depth, with Speedy Joe demonstrating a high emotional intelligence in prodding at Polly's brain. Lastly, aside from the fight sequence being an enjoyable (if brisk) spectacle as always, I thought the show's practice of having some detail from earlier loop around and save the day actually worked really well here, with Polly defeating the bird with a charged zap-tag; it was given just enough foreshadowing to not feel sudden, but prioritized at the same level as everything else going on in the moment enough that its return felt legitimately inspired and natural. Unfortunately, as a whole, "Truck Stop Polly," like its setting, isn't much more than a break from the journey.

"A Caravan Named Desire" is a nice step up, finding some fun character work for everyone involved under a novel premise. As I've said before, Hop Pop is one of the most enjoyable characters for Amphibia to work, and having him get sucked into the world of caravan theatre and enabling him to live out his formerly undisclosed dreams of becoming a thespian are delightful. It's the perfect chance to have him break out of his typically disciplinarian mold and become a direct participant of the episode's excess in his dreamy pursuit of acclaim.

Admittedly, the novelties of the episode aren't quite as inspired as some of what we've seen from the season so far, but more than anything else, it's a backdrop for character interaction. The cast is balanced perfectly here, and especially compared to "Truck Stop Polly," it feels like everyone's utilized as they should be and fulfilling whatever niche they're best in, albeit transplanted into the world of theater. Sprig vies desperately for the attention of a pretentious child method actor, Francois, but his trademark geniality and likability operates against him until he snaps and calls Francois out on his pretensions; Polly adds insult to injury by immediately being embraced by the theater kids in a small but cute bit role, the sort of material she excels at; and Anne, most hilariously, shelters herself in the fwagon to work on a jigsaw puzzle, disillusioned after a horrific elementary school play experience. While it risks wasting her character, Anne gets to mediate hilariously with the Plantars as they lament their issues, take the wrong advice from her, and make her task of completing the jigsaw puzzle truly impossible.

As an episode about Hop Pop, though, he shines the most here. If "The Ballad of Hopediah Plantar" wanted to point and laugh at his attempts to be nobel, "A Caravan Named Desire" is dedicated to his integrity, casting him opposite of theater director-turned-bandit Renee. While in the earlier parts of the episode she merely offers some pleasant comic relief opposite of Hop Pop, the reveal that she robs the towns that she stops in—there's no money in theater and we need to support the arts, guys—puts Hop Pop in the position of deciding between living his dreams or doing the right thing. What he decides to do at the end of the episode is obvious, of course, but it's always great to see Hop Pop demonstrating his morals.

If there's any mark against the episode, it's just that it doesn't affirm anything new, though I don't think that's necessarily a problem. While that's an issue I had with a lot of Season 1, that was also indebted to the cyclical nature of how its episodes had characters develop in theory but never learning anything new from episode to episode in practice. "A Caravan Named Desire" is less devoted to making some new statement, but instead demonstrating the individual strengths and interplay of our cast, and that's why it seemingly works in spite of those reservations—it's a testament to the show's confidence. As Season 2 progresses, though, I'm hoping it continues to challenge itself through trial and error. Even if "Truck Stop Polly" underwhelmed me, it's the show on the right path trying to make some interesting comments about the circumstances, whereas "A Caravan Named Desire," excellent as it was, is an exercise in indulgence.

FINAL GRADES:
"Truck Stop Polly": C+.
"A Caravan Named Desire": B+.

For my review of the last two episodes, "The Ballad of Hopediah Plantar" and "Anne Hunter," CLICK HERE.

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