[9.1/10] Beautiful. That’s the first word that comes to mind here. It applies to the art, which trades the series’ autumnal colors for a winery pallet. It applies to the confrontation with The Beast, which plays on the light and shadows that have defined the antagonist here for ages. It applies to the maturation of Wirt, who accepts responsibility and comes into his own here, but only to save his little brother and with the help of his unexpected friend.
That’s the most heartening part of all this. When we start the show, Wirt is timid, does whatever anybody else says, and is reluctant to do or face down much of anything. He’s also ready to be rid of his brother, ready to blame his energetic younger siblings for his own reluctance.
But in the culmination of his journey here, Wirt shows a backbone. When The Beast beckons him to transfer Greg’s spirit into the lantern, to become the new lantern-keeper, to devote his life to wandering the woods and gathering elderwood trees to fuel it, he initially relents. Until, suddenly, he stops. He declares “That’s dumb” and rejects the devil’s bargain. Instead, he means to look after the brother he cares about, however he has to, but he’ll set his own path, not the one anyone else sets out for him.
It’s rousing to see Wirt not just shrug off his instructions and do what he thinks is right and wise rather than just what’s asked of him, but to also do it in order to protect Greg. Greg is especially sympathetic in his near-death state, pleading with his brother to return the famed “rock fact” rock to its rightful owner and lamenting his one ethical lapse. Greg is such a sweet innocent, even when cavorting with the devil, that you just feel for the poor kid.
So does Wirt. Watching him and Beatrice try with all their might to free their young compatriots is sweet and harrowing. Seeing Wirt apologize to his brother for all of this is heartwarming. Seeing him gather Greg’s frog and Beatrice in his arms as he trudges to rescue his sibling is the culmination of Greg’s reluctance to be a joiner this whole time.
It’s also a nice outing for The Woodsman. There’s a shock to the realization that he is what Wirt could become if he persisted like this, little realizing that he holds the actual power. His willingness to blow out the lantern, thereby defeating The Beast (who’s extra creepy here), even if it costs him his daughter is tense and a little sad, yet also just as inspiring, given that it’s his own self-actualization after cutting through the devil’s lies.
What follows is just as beautiful. We get hints that it may have all been just a dream, but maybe not. Wirt and Greg are rescued back in their suburban homes. Wirt develops the chutzpah to ask Sara to hang out and appreciates his brother’s recovery. All of the folks that we met along the way are shown enjoying their lives after Wirt and Greg touched them. The Woodsman reunites with his daughter. The rock fact rock is returned to his rightful place. And, most importantly, Beatrice and her family are restored to their human forms (though not without an amusing and persistent connection to the phrase “eat your dirt”).
All of these things carry with them a sense of peace, a wholesome feeling that all has been set right in the world. Beatrice made good on her effort to make up for her mistakes. Greg is still the lovable and curious scamp he was before. And Wirt is changed by this experience, someone more willing to embrace at least a smidgeon of his brother’s self-possessed qualities and utter confidence when something is truly important to him. It’s been quite a journey, and the change, commitment, and new selves that emerged from it, real or not, are inspiring nonetheless.
Over the Wall was the perfect fall watch for yours truly. It blended lovely rustic imagery with loony, classic cartoon gags and absurdity, while wedding both to some real character arcs and introspection for Wirt in particular. It’s an imaginative world that tracks with the creative teams history with Adventure Time, conjuring a new world and beaucoup delightful characters to populate it. Glad for this sweet and moving miniseries with such inventiveness and heart.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-10-20T03:08:25Z
[9.1/10] Beautiful. That’s the first word that comes to mind here. It applies to the art, which trades the series’ autumnal colors for a winery pallet. It applies to the confrontation with The Beast, which plays on the light and shadows that have defined the antagonist here for ages. It applies to the maturation of Wirt, who accepts responsibility and comes into his own here, but only to save his little brother and with the help of his unexpected friend.
That’s the most heartening part of all this. When we start the show, Wirt is timid, does whatever anybody else says, and is reluctant to do or face down much of anything. He’s also ready to be rid of his brother, ready to blame his energetic younger siblings for his own reluctance.
But in the culmination of his journey here, Wirt shows a backbone. When The Beast beckons him to transfer Greg’s spirit into the lantern, to become the new lantern-keeper, to devote his life to wandering the woods and gathering elderwood trees to fuel it, he initially relents. Until, suddenly, he stops. He declares “That’s dumb” and rejects the devil’s bargain. Instead, he means to look after the brother he cares about, however he has to, but he’ll set his own path, not the one anyone else sets out for him.
It’s rousing to see Wirt not just shrug off his instructions and do what he thinks is right and wise rather than just what’s asked of him, but to also do it in order to protect Greg. Greg is especially sympathetic in his near-death state, pleading with his brother to return the famed “rock fact” rock to its rightful owner and lamenting his one ethical lapse. Greg is such a sweet innocent, even when cavorting with the devil, that you just feel for the poor kid.
So does Wirt. Watching him and Beatrice try with all their might to free their young compatriots is sweet and harrowing. Seeing Wirt apologize to his brother for all of this is heartwarming. Seeing him gather Greg’s frog and Beatrice in his arms as he trudges to rescue his sibling is the culmination of Greg’s reluctance to be a joiner this whole time.
It’s also a nice outing for The Woodsman. There’s a shock to the realization that he is what Wirt could become if he persisted like this, little realizing that he holds the actual power. His willingness to blow out the lantern, thereby defeating The Beast (who’s extra creepy here), even if it costs him his daughter is tense and a little sad, yet also just as inspiring, given that it’s his own self-actualization after cutting through the devil’s lies.
What follows is just as beautiful. We get hints that it may have all been just a dream, but maybe not. Wirt and Greg are rescued back in their suburban homes. Wirt develops the chutzpah to ask Sara to hang out and appreciates his brother’s recovery. All of the folks that we met along the way are shown enjoying their lives after Wirt and Greg touched them. The Woodsman reunites with his daughter. The rock fact rock is returned to his rightful place. And, most importantly, Beatrice and her family are restored to their human forms (though not without an amusing and persistent connection to the phrase “eat your dirt”).
All of these things carry with them a sense of peace, a wholesome feeling that all has been set right in the world. Beatrice made good on her effort to make up for her mistakes. Greg is still the lovable and curious scamp he was before. And Wirt is changed by this experience, someone more willing to embrace at least a smidgeon of his brother’s self-possessed qualities and utter confidence when something is truly important to him. It’s been quite a journey, and the change, commitment, and new selves that emerged from it, real or not, are inspiring nonetheless.
Over the Wall was the perfect fall watch for yours truly. It blended lovely rustic imagery with loony, classic cartoon gags and absurdity, while wedding both to some real character arcs and introspection for Wirt in particular. It’s an imaginative world that tracks with the creative teams history with Adventure Time, conjuring a new world and beaucoup delightful characters to populate it. Glad for this sweet and moving miniseries with such inventiveness and heart.