REVIEW: Amphibia Season 3, Episode 13, “Mother of Olms;” “Grime’s Pupil”

Television Reviews

*SPOILERS*

“Mother of Olms” finds our intrepid heroes struggling down the path to Mother Olm’s chamber. Once they arrive, they’re faced with a giant olm with exotic markings. Mother Olm (Whoopi Goldberg) struggles to remember the details of an ancient prophecy involving the music box that sent the girls to Amphibia. She tells them the only way for her to remember is if they apply some brain cream directly to her brain. After struggling with joint pain, speed, and other issues of aging, Hop Pop volunteers to stay behind. As the kids head into Mother Olm’s ear, she offers Hop Pop a cup of tea. They swap knowledge as the kids find the doctor who used to apply Mother Olm’s cream for her – dead inside her head. They also find the source of her memory loss and other problems: batsquitoes inside her head. Hop Pop uses his agricultural knowledge to create a concoction that makes Mother Olm sneeze, ejecting the kids and the batsquitoes. Mother Olm still can’t remember the prophecy, but she has it written on the wall and reads it to the crew.

In “Grime’s Pupil,” Sasha sends Grime and Sprig to meet Grime’s sister and recruit her. However, Anne informs Sasha that Grime and Sprig don’t get along, and the girls run ahead to try to catch them. Grime’s sister Beatrix arrives just as Sasha and Anne get there, and she laughs at the notion of joining Sasha’s frog army. Grime invokes a toad combat challenge, but Beatrix shocks everyone by choosing Sprig as her opponent. Sasha orders Grime to train Sprig for the fight. The two spend the time bickering until Grime offers Sprig some genuine battle advice. Sprig doesn’t take the toad tactics well, storming off and getting attacked by wild beasts when he eats their honey. Grime saves him and, noticing Sprig’s speed and agility, proposes a new strategy. The two work together to create a new kind of combat, pulling inspiration from both frog and toad styles. Sprig beats Beatrix, and she joins the resistance.

This season continues to have the best guest stars ever, as Whoopi Goldberg kills it in the role of Mother Olm. Although she only appears in the first 11-minute segment this week, she builds a solid rapport with Hop Pop rather quickly. She’s funny, and when a more serious moment is needed, she succeeds at bringing the drama. I like her delivery of the cryptic prophecy a lot, too, and the wisdom she offers Hop Pop about growing older. What she said about the “unnatural thing that never sleeps and won’t die” was chilling, and I can’t wait to see what that means for poor Marcy. The bits inside of Mother Olm’s head were pretty predictable, but I don’t think that’s automatically a problem. Mother Olm saying she heard sounds inside her head and that Dr. Yohan went missing tipped me off that something was going on in her head, but surprises aren’t everything. There’s some decent comedy here with Sasha’s mild germophobia, which is ironic after she said going to Earth had made the Plantars soft. Mother Olm’s design is awesome, particularly when she lights up to tell the prophecy. I like the detail of her being the only olm to have eyes, presumably being so old that she was born before they adapted to the dark, dank underbelly of Amphibia.

My favorite part of “Mother of Olms” is Hop Pop’s arc. For a B-plot, this is pretty darn good. From the very beginning, Hop Pop is mocked by the Olm guards for his age and infirmity. He then commiserates with Mother Olm when she mentions how her body and mind have changed over the many years. This all comes to a head when the kids are in danger, and Hop Pop is the only one capable of helping them, and it’s due to his advanced wisdom and understanding of plant life. Hop Pop is one of my favorite characters in Amphibia, and he hasn’t gotten too much focus since the show returned from hiatus. I’m glad he got to shine this week, and this was a satisfying story with a strong payoff.

As per usual for Amphibia, that more serious episode is paired with the relatively light “Grime’s Pupil.” I’ve liked Grime a lot since he came to the light, and his friendship with Sasha is one of the more compelling aspects of her character. Pairing such a dour military leader with the goofy, grinning Sprig is a stroke of comedic genius. Again, the arc of the story was immediately evident, but it’s delivered in a fun way. I especially liked Grime’s initial failed attempt to train Sprig and when he comes back to rescue him. Anne’s intuition and people skills are also on display, as she has to inform Sasha that Sprig and Grime might not make the best pair. The message of this episode reminds me of Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back saying, “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?” Grime has to learn to train Sprig to his strengths rather than relying on what a toad would do. I like the give and take here, as Sprig also learns that the toad ways have a lot to offer. This is very un-Star Wars, as the toads channel their anger to seize the upper hand. Or, I guess you could say the toads lean towards the Dark Side, which seems to be absolutely true most of the time anyway.

Overall, I really liked “Mother of Olms” and “Grime’s Pupil.” They aren’t my favorite episodes of the season, but they pair well, they make good use of the show’s split-episode format, and both stories are a lot of fun. This is a rare case where I don’t have a favorite segment; Hop Pop finding the advantages of age is equally as enjoyable as Sprig’s antics flying into Grime’s self-importance. As the season and show near the finale, I can’t wait to see what lies ahead.