Amphibia Review: Marcy at the Gates

"Let me see that power pose!"

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With our arrival to Newtopia, we've officially reached the season's first big shift. I'm, admittedly, a little saddened to see the road trip aspect gone so soon, but there's something undeniably promising about how eager Amphibia is to keep pushing its narrative forward, unafraid of dedicating itself to the ideas that it's orchestrated. While those may be as opaque as ever, though, as of right now, Anne and the Plantars have reached their destination, and equally important if not moreso, we've found Marcy!

Marcy's always been something of a mystery over the course of the series. We know that she was transported to Amphibia alongside Anne and Sasha, but beyond that, she's not someone that the show has been too intent to comment upon; her whereabouts persisted simply as one of the show's many loopholes, left at the sidelines until it could be meaningfully addressed. It's a joy, then, to finally be able to see what Marcy's personality is like beyond what little has been established: that she's a best friend of Anne and Sasha's, and that judging by the opening intro, she was very shocked to be sucked into the Calamity Box.

Thankfully, she's far more amiable than Anne's former BFF, defined by her proud nerdery and overwhelming clumsiness. At any moment, she'll switch between doing intense research to gushing about her favorite JRPG, but there's such a joyful sweetness to her character no matter what the topic is. It also makes for the fantastic revelation that Marcy's love of tabletop role-playing games have paid off in dividends under this new context, allowing her to ascend to the position of chief ranger in the Newtopia Knight Guard, working directly for the king of Amphibia. Marcy feels, mercifully, like she popped out of the mold with a defined personality and an exciting place in the show, but we'll see how she fares as the narrative continues.

As for "Marcy at the Gates" itself, as an episode, it's as strong of a character debut as Amphibia could ever muster... though it's still only a debut and a taste of what's to come. The episode is far from uneventful, but in light of its obligations, it's one that finds the show sticking to its guns and playing to its strengths, pulling itself along a fun if conventional plot from which it make interesting, crucial comments about its characters and how the status quo has shifted.

Perhaps most interestingly, it makes a point to comment on how Anne and Marcy's dynamic has changed during the interim period. As spelled out by a flashback sequence, Marcy has generally been someone Anne feels obligated to keep an eye on, always with her head either up in the clouds or buried into a book. Transplanted into the world of Amphibia, though, the stakes are far higher than volleyball games and wet floors; it's a world where inattentiveness could spell out the difference between life and death, and having missed out on Marcy's journey of self-discovery, of course Anne feels the need to continue protecting her friend from the horde of Barbari-ants that Marcy's been tasked with exterminating.

At the same time, it's also important for Anne to realize that even though she feels like she needs to protect Marcy as she does at home, they're not at home anymore. Things are different, and if Marcy's ascension up the Newtopian chain of command is any indication, she's doing perfectly fine on her own. (The sonder!) It's a fine chance for Amphibia to demonstrate its emotional intelligence, too, with Anne emphasizing herself, "I just got you back [...] and I don't wanna lose you again." That's something I always feel like I underrate about the show somewhat; it knows how to counteract narrative cliches with moments of honesty and legitimacy rather than cheap dramatics.

There's a similarly honest vibe with how Sasha is acknowledged across the episode. She's very much the elephant in the room, and while the premise of the episode ensures that she would be brought up no matter what, "Marcy at the Gates" manages to take the most proactive approach: reflecting how it affects the way our cast feels in light of these recent developments. Sprig, most glaringly, gets to man a minor but fulfilling B-plot built out of his distrust for Marcy. It's nothing too grand, but it speaks to his caring nature and the extent that he feels the need to guard Anne in light of her falling-out with Sasha, all while giving Marcy an even greater chance to demonstrate her trustworthiness by saving him in the climax (complete with eye color flash). There's also something to be said about how well the episode handles its penultimate scene, where Anne discloses to Marcy that she and Sasha had a fight. Even if Anne is a little cagey on the details, it's a great way to set the record straight for everyone involved rather than having Anne bluff and deflect her problems as other shows in a similar position might do for the sake of unwarranted tension. There's no funny business here, in other words—Amphibia is appreciably forward-thinking.

As for Marcy on her own, I don't think that she makes as much of a perfect case for her independence here as the episode seems intent to make a point out of; her cape is constantly set on fire, even when there's no logical reason it would be, among countless other oopsie-doos that feel foolish not to account for. But at the same time, maybe Amphibia isn't really trying to express that. "Marcy at the Gates" simply seems to stress that Marcy isn't a liability to underestimate, but rather a reliable member of the latest iteration of our team of heroes. She has strengths and weaknesses just like everyone else, and those ensure that she has a place in the patchwork of the show, and that's honestly all you could ask for in a new character.

In light of all of this, I want to go back to something I said at the start of the season, about how I felt like Amphibia struggled to have its own sense of identity... and I feel like, as we've progressed through this chapter of the show, it's definitely getting there. It's the nuance inherent to how all of our characters conduct themselves and interact with each other that I feel makes the show valuable. Even if Amphibia likes to play with its audience, it's guided by a sense of earnestness, and it's dedicated to fulfilling its visions rather than keying into the the sort of artificial, interpersonal tension that damaged some of the contemporaries that preceded it. I can only hope that, as Amphibia's narrative gets more and more spicy, it continues to adhere to its truths... but as of right now, I'm very optimistic.

FINAL GRADE: A.

For my review of the last two episodes, "Swamp and Sensibility" and "Wax Museum," CLICK HERE.

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