Tear Jerker / Amphibia Season 2

"That's the thing with friends, isn't it? The more you love them, the more it hurts when they go. Allow me to demonstrate..."

Handy Anne

• Anne is clearly still suffering from her fight with Sasha.
• The reason for Anne's mess-up in this episode; she doesn't trust the caretaker that Hop-Pop has hired to watch the farm. She sets up booby traps in favor of "Home Alone" Antics instead. While in most cases Anne's mistakes come from her ego or stubbornness, here it was pure trauma. Hop-Pop reassures her without words that the farm will be fine.
• When asked about the music box, Hop Pop quickly lies to Anne that it's safer with his friends, but he has a look of guilt on his face when he glances at the spot in the backyard where it's buried.

Toadcatcher

• Sasha is very upset about her falling out with Anne. She knows what she did was bad, but doesn't want to confront that fact. Thus, she's repressing her emotions/feelings about it. Word of God confirmed that this is indeed the case.
• Grime, having lost almost his whole army through desertion and been dishonorably labelled a traitor, has become a lazy slacker who's depressed and binge-watches TV. Being a soldier was all he had in life, and without that status he feels worthless.

Marcy at the Gates

• Marcy demands to know why Anne has been overprotective of her. Anne admits that she's afraid of losing her after just having reunited with her. She was even in tears when she said it! Brenda Song’s delivery of the line is what clinches it.
  Marcy: (frustrated) Why won't you just let me go?
  Anne: (tears up) Because I just got you back, okay?! (Marcy becomes shocked) And I don't… (sniffs) I don't wanna lose you again.
  (Marcy remains in shock for a few seconds before warming into a sweet smile, then holding Anne’s hands)
  Marcy: You won’t. I promise.
• Anne and Marcy are given time to catch up, and then Marcy brings up Sasha. Anne is having trouble explaining to Marcy that Sasha betrayed her, and she sugarcoats it. The problem is, Marcy refuses to return home without Sasha.

The Plantars Check In

• Poor Bella the bellhop newt has it rough. She has a job with little pay, is saddled with massive student debts, and she doesn't really have a positive outlook on her future.

Sprig Gets Schooled

• Hop Pop's sadness at seeing Sprig in college is familiar to any parent who has gone through Empty Nest Syndrome.
• Sprig struggling to fit in with the other students. Anyone who had similar struggles when they first started college can relate.

Hopping Mall

• The ending. Anne reminiscences about her mother, and she tears up as she starts to miss her. Then, Sprig confesses he barely remembers his mom, as he and Polly were very young when she passed away. He starts crying too when Anne, who is in tears, gives him a comforting hug, and Sprig hugs her back. Just to drive it home, the credits are played over a soft piano rendition of "Anne's Theme".

The Shut-In!

• The fact that Wally's birthday falls on the night of the Blue Moon, meaning he has to celebrate it alone and in fear. While the events of the episode and all have been stated to be non-canon, it's unclear if the Blue Moon itself and his birthday being on that day really is canon or not.

Return to Wartwood

• The Chicka-lisk is genuinely polite and appreciative when it thinks that the presents are a gift for it, so it's hard not to feel some sympathy for it when it cannot communicate with the townsfolk and only gets attacked for its troubles.

After the Rain

• Anne finally finds out that Hop Pop lied about the music box and hid it away, and she's not happy. Her look of betrayal is just upsetting to see. The rest of the episode is spent on Polly and Sprig trying to find the music box to bring her back.
  • Even after they get the music box back, Anne still wants to leave, and only changes her mind after Hop Pop reveals why he did what he did.
• We finally find out what happened to Polly and Sprig's parents: they were eaten by herons when Hop Pop was out on a trip. Hop Pop blamed himself for it, and has been heavily guarding his remaining family and willing to do anything to protect them since then.
  • This also explains why exactly he is so protective of the kids, as he blames himself for what happened to their parents.
  • The last time Sprig and Polly's parents were mentioned was "Hopping Mall". Sprig told Anne that his and Polly's parents passed away when they were very young, but Sprig knows that's not really the truth. He knows that they were killed, and it's implied he’s too traumatized to really talk about it, and only time will tell if Polly feels the same way.
  • Speaking of traumatized, Survivor Guilt has long been considered a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder, rather being than its own thing. In other words, the tragedy gave Hop Pop PTSD. It hardly excuses his actions, but it's no wonder he made the mistake he did.
  • You definitely gotta give credit to Bill Farmer for his acting in this entire scene. Most of his performances in this show are kinda entertaining, but this time, it’s definitely not. His acting is really powerful to listen to, especially when delivering the closing words. My god…

The First Temple

• Anne and Hop Pop clearly have not gotten over the whole "burying the Calamity Box and lying about it" schtick from the previous episode. It gets to the point where Anne believes that Hop Pop only cares about her to a certain extent, since she's not really a part of the Plantar family anyway.

New Wartwood

• Marcy has to realize that the frogs of Wartwood will not immediately accept her despite her good intentions due to their hesitation about outsiders.

Toad to Redemption

• Upon learning that he will be replaced as Toadstool's assistant once Toad Tower is rebuilt, poor Toadie starts bawling like a baby.
  • To add to the theme, his behavior during the episode, especially when he passes out due to the sole situation of him being separated from Toadstool and crying after waking up while yelling at him to not leave him can imply that he has some sort of separation anxiety, though this hasn't been confirmed by the creator.
    • And if that little detail confirms it, it is heartwrenching to even think about what happened to him in his past too, as even after the abuse he has gotten from the Mayor (usually played for comedic relief), he's still completely attached to him, to the point of crying as he is separated from him.

Maddie & Marcy

• Maddie and her sisters used to be very close, but as Maddie grew older and became more interested in magic, she spent less and less time with them.

Barrel's Warhammer

• Sasha loses it when she finds out Anne and Marcy are doing fine without her.
• Braddock and Percy leave Sasha and Grime after it's pretty clear the former really is selfish. Sasha has essentially lost another pair of friends. The reason why they turn their backs on Sasha and quit Grime's army is because Sasha basically chose the Warhammer over them and refused to stop going after the hammer, even if it meant putting everyone involved in mortal danger. Grime, of all people, even begged her to stop when the situation looked hopeless and to just abandon the hammer to save themselves, but not even that was enough to get Sasha to stop.
  • Before the fight, Sasha realizes how scared they are, and offers them a chance to leave if things got rough via signal (a Kawaii pose). The moment Braddock and Percy give it, Sasha hesitates and goes back on her promise, unable to resist going after the hammer when it was right in front of her.
• The reason Sasha is willing to choose an ancient weapon over her own life: she'd rather die than live with the fact that Anne and Marcy are managing to do fine without her. Now, imagine if she'd failed to pull out the hammer in time? The obvious ending would be that everyone on the monster would be either severely injured or dead, and there would be casualties from the monster's collision with the tower. Innocent people could have died, as well as Sasha, Grime, Percy, and Braddock, but not even that stops her.

The Third Temple

• Not really a Tear Jerker, but in the flashback, when a couple of bullies take the swings away from Anne and Marcy, the looks on the two’s faces will make you want to give them a hug.

True Colors

• Oh boy, where do we even begin? Well…
• Despite what happened with Sasha in season one, Anne gained hope that they could forgive each other for what happened, and things would go back to normal once they were on Earth. This episode has her give up on Sasha and say that nothing in their friendship is worth saving. It makes Sasha actually pause, especially when Anne refuses to listen to her about Andrias being the real Big Bad.
  • If Anne's interaction with Hop Pop during "The First Temple" is anything to go by, despite Sasha helping to fight off Andrias, she may still have some lingering feelings over Sasha's betrayal that she's set aside for the greater good. When they do see each other again, Sasha's going to have to do a lot to get Anne's trust back. Whether or not Anne will be willing to listen is a different story.
  • As for during Anne and Sasha's fight, the storyboard artist who worked on the scene mentioned that Anne's body language is meant to show how utterly done she is with her former friend, trying to use outright lethal force against her, with only Sasha's improved combat skills keeping the fight PG. It's heartbreaking, and a little terrifying, that things have devolved so badly between the two that they're actually having a life or death match again, and this time, Anne truly is trying to outright kill somebody she once thought of as her closest friend. Keep in mind that in some past fights Anne got herself into, she would normally refrain from using lethal force unless it was necessary to her survival, and not even Valeriana pushed her over that line.
  • As Matt Braly noted, Sasha could have easily ended the fight when she grabbed Anne's arms in a hold, and she spent the entire fight on the defensive because she didn't want to hurt Anne. For once, Sasha really just wanted to do the right thing, but Anne was too (if rightfully so) fed up with her to even notice.
  • Blink and you'll miss it, but Sasha has a look of heartbreak when Anne claims to be done being friends with her.
• It's brief, but both the Plantars and Anne have heartbreaking expressions when they believe Anne is about to be blasted back to Earth by Sasha using the music box, with Anne only being able to run towards her adoptive family for a desperate hug to hold onto them before she's sucked away. It's negated thanks to Sasha not knowing how to work the music box, but it still showcases how much this Found Family means to each other, and how cruel it is to try and tear them apart out of spite like Andrias tries to do himself later on.
• Remember back when Anne stole the Calamity Box? It turns out, Marcy orchestrated the whole thing from the start, and she's the whole reason why she, Anne, and Sasha are even in Amphibia in the first place. To elaborate:
  • Marcy did it out of desperation, because she was going to be forced to leave her friends behind, as her father had gotten a new job out of state. Unwilling to cope with being separated from her friends, Marcy had to get either Anne or Sasha to steal the box, because she didn't have the courage to do so herself. Marcy didn't believe the box would even work, but it did. She only did it all because she wanted to be with her two best friends for all time, and with the Calamity Box, they had a chance to do so.
  • Of course, neither Anne nor Sasha are too pleased about the revelation that their friend is the reason why they were torn away from their lives and thrown into a dangerous world filled with dangerous predators and other fatal obstacles, with the box being the only way back home.
    • That's not all; the trio has no way to contact their parents, who don't even know what happened to their children — for all the adults know, their kids are probably long gone, or worse.
  • With all that in mind, The Reveal is a heartbreaking confrontation between Marcy and her friends. One has to give props to Haley Tju for her emotional performance in this scene, as you can really feel the pure desperation in her voice, especially when she delivers the last two lines.
    Marcy: I did it for us... (Anne's eyes widen) The day we left, your birthday, they told me my dad got a new job out of state. They were making me move away. They were gonna tear us apart!
    Anne: Marcy...
    Marcy: I-I found the box! I had no idea that it would actually work, (tearing up) but it did! (holds Anne and Sasha's hands) And-And it sent us to a place where we'd never have to grow apart, where the three of us could be friends forever together! (Sasha backs away from her in anger and disgust)
    Anne: How could you?! I've been missing my parents. My life!
    Marcy: (on the verge of tears) But, look at how much fun we've had! Look at how much you've both grown! Look at Sprig! I gave you this! I gave you EVERYTHING! (Anne shakes her head as she and Sprig back away from her in shock. Marcy collapses in tears.) I just... didn't want to be alone...
    Andrias: Well, that's what you get for pouring your heart out to me over flipwart.
  • Sprig and Anne's reaction as Marcy tries to justify her actions. They both back away from her, disturbed and disappointed respectively. The final shot shows Marcy covered by her own shadow, metaphorically alone, and crying in desperation and guilt, finally admitting she did it because she Hates Being Alone.
  • It's worth noting that Sasha is manipulative, controlling, and petty, and now the shoe's on the other foot. Even she, however, is confirmed to never be willing to abandon her family or her home for any reason or for power. Sasha is disgusted and hurt that Marcy basically forced them off Earth, and mad at herself for not realizing the ruse the whole time.
  • King Andrias cruelly revealing the truth to Anne and Sasha is also pretty heartbreaking. Marcy has clearly formed a bond with the King, and possibly thought of him as a mentor figure. Then she learns that he was manipulating her the whole time.
• Andrias tries going for Polly — "NOT THE BABY!" — as she can barely dodge him. Then Frobo grabs Andrias, and stops him from crushing his best friend. He visibly strains from the effort of holding back the king. Andrias identifies him as a robot prototype, dismissively says that "it" must be defective, and stomps on Frobo. Polly can only give a Big "NO!".
• When Sprig is tossed out the window by King Andrias just to spite Anne and the others despite having gotten what he wanted, Anne just completely loses it, believing Sprig to be as good as dead. We're treated to some flashbacks of Sprig and Anne, including the credits scene of them, as an added punch.
  • Even just before Andrias drops Sprig, the fact that Anne says that Sprig is her best friend in this or any other world just pierces your heart. She's clearly hurting after learning how both Sasha and Marcy betrayed her, and how hard it is now for her to consider them her friends.
  • Everyone's reactions to Sprig's Disney Death are heartbreaking. Hop Pop and Polly can only reach out to their beloved grandson/brother with horrified expressions, and even Grime is visibly taken aback. Also, if you look closely, Marcy has tears in her eyes; despite her motives being ultimately Secretly Selfish, it's clear that Marcy's fondness for Sprig was genuine, and she never intended for anyone to get hurt, especially not like this.
  • When she triggers her Super Mode, all Anne can say is "Give him back!" In her grief and rage, she's lashing out at the cause of her despair and hoping that will somehow make it better.
  • Imagine Hop Pop's reaction to Sprig being tossed callously out the window. He's spent years wracked with guilt over Sprig and Polly's deceased parents. He spent several months wracked with guilt having hidden the Calamity Box in order to protect his kids so this exact thing wouldn't happen, only to turn around and realize the error in his ways. Hop Pop spent the entire season going overboard on how badly he's been trying to protect the kids from danger, from his insanely long book of road rules to the overly goofy cushion armor. Had Sprig actually died here, it's likely the guilt from breaking the promise he made to Sprig and Polly's parents would have completely shut him down or worse. Marcy was able to stop that from happening, and not a moment too soon.
• Sasha's sacrifice to hold off King Andrias so that Marcy and Anne can escape his clutches. Because she stays behind to hold off King Andrias, she ultimately sacrifices her chance to get to safety away from the king and through the portal back home. Granted, she's capable of holding him off, but the fact remains, she's giving up her chance to get home so that her friends can. Sadly, even with her and Grime's hardest and valiant efforts to stall, only one of her friends manages to get away; she and Grime are left at Andrias's mercy with a critically wounded Marcy.
• Marcy's (apparent) death at the hands of King Andrias. Anne manages to get into the portal with the Plantars, but Marcy is impaled before she even has the chance to join Anne. Marcy uses the last of her strength to say, "I'm sorry... for everything." The goal she tried so hard to accomplish? It was all for nothing, as now Marcy is presumed dead, Sasha is left behind at Andrias' castle at his mercy, and Anne is now back in her universe without her friends with only the Plantars and Frobo's head. Ultimately, Marcy's desperation to stay with her friends resulted in her dying alone, thinking that her friends hate her for what she did.
  • Marcy’s face when she delivers the aforementioned quote (mostly the "I-" part). To make matters worse, the scene’s P.O.V. makes it looks like she’s saying it to the audience as well! If you think you can handle it, see it for yourself.
  • Then there's Anne and the Plantars’ reactions. Anne is on the verge of tears and can only shout her name, Hop Pop is saddened, and Sprig is just shocked at what happened. While what Marcy did was wrong, they never wanted her getting hurt, or worse, killed.
• Let us assume that Marcy managed to evade being stabbed or if Sasha held off King Andrias long enough for both Anne and Marcy to escape. Marcy would still be in the same Catch-22 she tried to get away from in the first place: having to move away from home, the very thing she was trying to avoid by having Anne steal the Calamity Box. It's also likely that everything that happened would mostly be handwaved by her parents as a bad dream or fantastical fairy tale, and Marcy would more than likely run away again, and this time, go into hiding until she managed to save Sasha somehow.
• The worst part of it all is that maybe they could've worked out some way to keep in touch, or maybe made some sort of argument as to why Marcy shouldn't leave despite the job offer... all of this would have never happened.
• The fact that this episode, and the whole season ends on a Downer Ending. After everything that's happened, Anne has made it back home, but she was forced to leave Sasha and Marcy behind to an Uncertain Doom. Andrias still has the Calamity Box, the means to invade Earth and force Amphibia to submit to his plans of conquest. Plus, the Plantars and Anne are now on Earth, which not only means the Plantars are trapped in a strange new world, but seeing as how Anne's Super Mode was the only thing that could so much as harm Andrias, she'll have to find a way to make it back to Amphibia somehow, and it's only a matter of time until Andrias comes for her. This is Amphibia's Darkest Hour.
• Everything Andrias does in this episode hits much differently, once you realize that his cold attitude towards Marcy, Anne, and the Planters, is him taking after his father, Aldrich. While this in no way, excuses his horrible actions in this episode, it is still quite tragic to see that Andrias was so desperate to redeem himself in the eyes of his father, that he turned into a tyrannical monster just like him.

---