This week’s Amphibia takes us right into the den of a character only mentioned earlier this season, and then proves that frogs and toads can work together after all.
Mother of Olms
Picking up immediately after the conclusion of last week’s episode, Sasha, Anne, and the Plantars are taken into Mother Olm’s chamber. There, they finally encounter the thousands-year old mystic to ask her about the prophecy of the music box. Too bad Mother Olm, voiced by guest star Whoopi Goldberg, doesn’t remember it. Something that happens when you get old, I guess. Hop Pop seems to be facing the same dilemma, realizing his joints aren’t what they once were, and feels like he is a growing hindrance as opposed to being helpful.
When Mother Olm suggests that the group go into her brain to spread some “brain cream” along it to help stir her memory, Hop Pop stays behind. Mother Olm’s usual doctor, Dr. Yohan, who spread the cream has gone missing, and she desperately needs it to stop the crazy migraines she is having and might be able to retrieve the prophecy she can’t seem to remember.
The gang ventures into Mother Olm’s gigantic body, which Sasha claims is the worst mission ever, and Hop Pop stays behind with Mother Olm for a cup of tea. The cup being so large that Hop Pop is actually able to soak in the tea like a hot tub. Together, he and Mother Olm discuss that yeah, they’re old, but over the course of their lives they still have plenty of worth thanks to their years of gathering wisdom.
Inside Mother Olm, after a few disgusting encounters with ear wax, the group finally makes it to brain. Unfortunately for Sprig, they discover the body of missing Dr. Yohan, but he is long gone. Together, they begin spreading the cream when Polly hears a weird flapping noise. Anne shines her light and discovers a swarm of batsquitos who have now awaken (thanks to the light) and begin to feed, also explaining Mother Olm’s migraines. The gang falls into Mother Olm’s nose and Hop Pop can hear them screaming for help. Using the wisdom that he has gained throughout his life vegetable farming, he calculates what’s growing in Mother Olm’s chamber and quickly concocts a smell filled with allergens that can get mother Olm to sneeze out the gang.
Now, free of the Batsquito nest, Mother Olm can remember the prophecy? Oh, no she can’t. Turns out the brain cream was several decades expired. Again, Hop Pop says that with his advanced age if he needs to remember something he’ll usually write it down. Mother Olm realizes she must have thought the same and looks up at the most likely place she would have written such a thing. The ceiling. Sure enough, there it is.
“Three stars burning bright come from beyond to expel the night. Should they fight or embrace the fall? Their choice will determine the fate of all.”
Sasha lays out a bit of obvious exposition for the kiddos, asking if her, Anne, and Marcy are the three stars. Mother Olm asks if they burn bright with the power of the stones, which we know that Anne does, though she can’t control it.
This implies that the other two, Sasha and Marcy, will eventually get their “cool anime powers” too, but since King Andrias has stolen the music box, he has stolen their powers, but since Anne still has some of her powers, she can restore the power to her friends.
The olms believe the stones should be left alone, but others believe the stones should be used for conquest, and their arrogance and greed has created something unnatural that “does not sleep and will not die.” She also says that the olms believe that three of them were summoned to help save the residents of Amphibia from what they've become, the worst version of themselves.
Grime’s Pupil
Sasha has contacted Grimes’ sister Beatrix to convince her secret toad army to join forces with their resistance. Thinking that Sprig and Grimes would be the perfect way to prove that the frogs and toads can work together, she sends the pair to greet them. Too bad Anne points out that Sprig and Grime can’t work together, especially since Sprig and Grime previously fought in Newtopia.
Too bad they’re already in position ready to meet Beatrix and already bickering. Anne and Sasha quickly appear right on time so that Beatrix can meet up with everyone. She is reluctant to join forces since the idea of Toads assisting a frog army is laughable. Sprig points out that he previously beat Grime in a one-on-one duel, much to the delight of Beatrix who now can use that to ridicule her brother.
Frustrated, Grime challenges his sister to a standard one-on-one arena battle, and the loser must join the other’s army. However, he forgot about Toad law, which states she can choose any of his allies to fight.
Of course, she chooses Sprig.
So now, Grime must now train Sprig to fight like a toad. They already don’t get along so this should be interesting. The bickering continues while Grime tries to train Sprig like a toad, but in time, Grime starts to realize that he has no chance of getting Sprig up to toad stature since his body is completely different.
However, after an encounter with some Hybeenas where the two must work together to rid themselves of the beasts, Grime realizes that Sprig has strengths of his own. While fighting together (foreshadowing perhaps?) they finish off the Hybeenas and point out each other’s strengths as fighters. Grime is impressed by Sprig’s speed, and Sprig is impressed by how Grime turned his rage into power.
Grime realizes that he should be training him based on his frog strengths, and a training montage begins, this time far more successful than the previous.
It’s now time for the big fight, and while Grime still doesn’t think Sprig has a chance, he’s excited to see his pupil go into the ring. Sprig is using all his speed to outwit Beatrix, but when she finally gets her hands on him, she begins to insult him and frogs in general, and channels his rage into a powerful headbutt that takes Beatrix down.
Beatrix openly admits that a frog-toad fighting style is actually impressive, and is excited to see what will come of a frog-toad army now that her army is joining the rebellion. We’ll see more of them once the war begins.
This episode of Amphibia is now available on Disney Channel and the DisneyNOW app. You can catch up with previous seasons on Disney+.