[7.3/10] This is a hard one to judge, because the first third of it is pretty much junk. Maybe it’s just the incessant bumbling from Threepio on Droids and the insufferable buffoonery of Weechee here, but I had very little patience for Teebo mucking things up around Master Logray’s hut. The first act is almost nothing but that sort of time-wasting filler.
But once Teebo starts making real mischief, things pick up a bit. There’s a good arc for him here, with the little Ewok admiring magic and wanting to follow in Master Logray’s footsteps, b ut being more interested in shortcuts and using magic in lieu of putting in his own hard work and utilizing “the natural ways.” This is a miniature coming of age story, and having Teebo learn his lesson, even helping Master Logray by relying on his own wits over magic, is a good journey for the little tyke.
It’s a fantastic episode for Master Logray. Chief Chirpa’s little history lesson in the beginning of the episode is a cool way of not only establishing some history and lore for the conflict between Morag and the Ewoks, but gives the wise yet aged Logray the personal backstory of an adventurous and clever young man who outsmarted a witch and his sorcering equal.
The plotting works well once the plot actually arrives. The kids get kidnapped when Teebo starts showing off his magic to impress his friends and attracts Morag’s attention. Her luring is pretty straightforward, but her furry, vaguely insectoid goons are the right blend of silly and scary for the occasion.
It provides Logray the opportunity to be the hero for once! Him showing up to have a Lord of the Rings-style wizard battle with Morag is very cool visually and carries the epic tone that elevates Ewoks over its typically low stakes nonsense. Morag combining the two stones and turning into a lava monster is legitimately scary and features some of the show’s best visuals. Logray pulling a “you shall not pass’ and beating her even without the stones via using his wits and the natural world is a nice touch. I’ll confess to buying the fake out with his death in the process, and the poetry of him turning Morag’s life force into a beautiful tree is just poignant enough to work on me.
Overall, this is, quite possibly, the show’s biggest high point since the first episode. It has an epic adventure tone that's hard to match elsewhere and deepens the world of the show. If only we could reduce the bumbling at the beginning and dive right into the actual meat, this would be an even clearer winner.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2022-05-13T03:51:59Z
[7.3/10] This is a hard one to judge, because the first third of it is pretty much junk. Maybe it’s just the incessant bumbling from Threepio on Droids and the insufferable buffoonery of Weechee here, but I had very little patience for Teebo mucking things up around Master Logray’s hut. The first act is almost nothing but that sort of time-wasting filler.
But once Teebo starts making real mischief, things pick up a bit. There’s a good arc for him here, with the little Ewok admiring magic and wanting to follow in Master Logray’s footsteps, b ut being more interested in shortcuts and using magic in lieu of putting in his own hard work and utilizing “the natural ways.” This is a miniature coming of age story, and having Teebo learn his lesson, even helping Master Logray by relying on his own wits over magic, is a good journey for the little tyke.
It’s a fantastic episode for Master Logray. Chief Chirpa’s little history lesson in the beginning of the episode is a cool way of not only establishing some history and lore for the conflict between Morag and the Ewoks, but gives the wise yet aged Logray the personal backstory of an adventurous and clever young man who outsmarted a witch and his sorcering equal.
The plotting works well once the plot actually arrives. The kids get kidnapped when Teebo starts showing off his magic to impress his friends and attracts Morag’s attention. Her luring is pretty straightforward, but her furry, vaguely insectoid goons are the right blend of silly and scary for the occasion.
It provides Logray the opportunity to be the hero for once! Him showing up to have a Lord of the Rings-style wizard battle with Morag is very cool visually and carries the epic tone that elevates Ewoks over its typically low stakes nonsense. Morag combining the two stones and turning into a lava monster is legitimately scary and features some of the show’s best visuals. Logray pulling a “you shall not pass’ and beating her even without the stones via using his wits and the natural world is a nice touch. I’ll confess to buying the fake out with his death in the process, and the poetry of him turning Morag’s life force into a beautiful tree is just poignant enough to work on me.
Overall, this is, quite possibly, the show’s biggest high point since the first episode. It has an epic adventure tone that's hard to match elsewhere and deepens the world of the show. If only we could reduce the bumbling at the beginning and dive right into the actual meat, this would be an even clearer winner.