11. "Scypith" Episode Review (ABYSMAL)
"Nice use of violence." - Carroway, hopefully using verbal irony at the beginning of the episode
"You're back already? Wait, what happened to your face?! Is Snap ok?!" - Amaryllis, asking what happened to Cal
"I hope not! That little shit broke my nose!" - Cal, responding to Amaryllis above
"You know an episode is bad when I don't use a screenshot." - Z-Saint-Box
[sigh, or groan]
This episode is so terrible, I almost didn't want to review it. I have to because there is plenty of material to cover; but I also have to deal with a highly volatile subject matter that some people will find inflammatory, and it's the B plot of the episode.
Because of its nature, I have some fear over how people will react. Although, other people have already criticized it without controversy, so I don't see why I can't talk about it myself. I don't want to engage in nasty discourse, so I'll try to be as careful as possible, because where do I even begin?
The A plot is just meaningless action where the girls become mermaids in order to help High Guardian Academy's sister school by pursuing a scypith. The transformation sequence is cute, and Thyme develops a crush on Coral, which I don't mind. I also don't need to ask why, because romantic attraction can't be explained and not even Thyme is immune to romantic feelings.
For whatever reason, Professor Carroway keeps Rosemary's sword, Flowering Thorn, away from her; but Parsley can keep her hammer and Thyme can keep her bow and arrow. This is bizarre because Parsley would be completely unable to swing her hammer and Thyme would be unable to fire arrows. Even though magic does exist on the show, it does not fix the reality of physics. Although these are minor issues compared to rest of the episode.
So the girls hunt down the scypith and it's just not interesting. Rosemary does have a cute moment where she is electrocuted, but nothing else really happens. None of the girls really use their character traits to drive the episode. They just hunt it down in the blandest, most boring way possible. There's no charm or uniqueness behind it. Later, the scypith threatens Coral's life by holding her in its mouth; so naturally, Thyme becomes distressed.
The A plot concludes when Sage loses control of new magic and severely lacerates it. Then, Rosemary voluntarily performs a mercy kill on it. This is the best part of the episode; because, in spite of her eagerness to become a guardian, she has to make difficult decisions. Additionally, in spite of Sage's character, she is also responsible for killing it. However, I don't see why they need to cry over its death. I should also mention that Professor Rosebud laments that new magic can be unstable, even though she was talking about how it is better in a previous episode. If it has potential for being both, then she should not be so enthusiastic about it.
But despite the melodramatic ending, the regular credits play. Once again, it is a sudden shift in mood that is inconsistent with what happens. This is the same problem in both parts of "Festival of Fall."
But the A plot is nothing compared to the B plot, the main reason why this episode is terrible. And the more I think about it, the worse it becomes.
I am no stranger to gender issues, but I don't want to face accusations of "transphobia." Although what exactly is "transphobic" when all I am doing is asking questions about a recent phenomenon that is causing real-world problems?
You also may have noticed that none of the quotes I selected for this review have anything to do with the main plot. The B story not only drags it, it is not as relevant as it would like to be. In fact, it is completely irrelevant to what the girls deal with.
This is the first time that Snapdragon reveals his gender dysphoria. Because of this, his wish to be feminine is too sudden. It was somewhat foreshadowed during the Autumn Processional, but instead, seems more like crossdressing gone wrong.
"Trans magic " is so trans parent, that everyone watching the show will know exactly what is being talked about. But it's not even transparent, it is bluntly telling everyone what the issue is. Bringing a real-world problem into fantasy would be more acceptable if the writing was more clever, but it isn't. Because, just imagine if there was an episode focusing on "vaccine potions" to fight against a plague, and why Rosemary and others refuse to drink it.
But Snapdragon's conflict with his gender should have been more metaphorical, instead of being so grossly direct. For example, he would like to become a healer like Sage, but he is mocked because it's feminine. I can imagine that because being a healer is tantamount to being a nurse. Fantasy can be used as a route to talk about transgender issues if done correctly.
The B plot for "Lost Cause" also could have been a good way to introduce his gender dysphoria. After all, he loses an arm wrestling match to Rosemary. It also would have been interesting if afterwards, Rosemary made him cry over how weak and feminine he is. Afterwards, he ends up in the same place as Sage and they bond together.
While there is a flashback to Snapdragon's past, it is not necessarily related to gender. Instead of him playing with dolls or wearing feminine clothing, it's about his brother taking a rabbit away from him and then his father tempting him into fighting in order to take it back.
Even though Carroway is compassionate and understanding for consoling Snapdragon, he is horribly misguided. Undergoing transition magic cannot be taken lightly nor introduced casually. The ramifications behind it are life-changing and permanent. The implications are even uglier considering that Snapdragon is not an adult. He may potentially out-grow his interest in transitioning.
I should also mention that Carroway would have been fired for giving Snapdragon a pass after he physically attacked Cal. Not only that, he put Cal in danger by allowing him to run off. I don't think it's enough that Carroway bars Snapdragon from participating in the assignment with the girls. And while I'm assuming he uses verbal irony at the beginning of the episode, he contradicts himself by reprimanding him.
While it's true that Cal was taunting Snapdragon, he doesn't even use the worst language he could have possibly used. It's not anti-trans or even misogynist. And if Snapdragon would like to transition, then his remarks should not be so infuriating. If anything, they are actually supportive. They also contradict what Raye Rodriguez said about Lyngarth being more open-minded or tolerant of other sexualities. I also have no clue why Cal didn't fight back against Snapdragon, unless he's actually a coward.
Ironically, the episode; and by extension, the show, inadvertently argues against transitioning. Transition magic is still magic, so the effects are only temporary. In fact, Carroway himself says so. In the episode "Transformations," he directly states that he uses new magic to "keep the spell active." Although, because new magic is a recent phenomenon, Carroway should more leery about suggesting it to Snapdragon. Its potential ramifications are yet to be discovered; and as explained above, it can be unstable.
Snapdragon's frustration with his gender is unfounded for another major reason. Shapeshifting is possible, as seen in the next episode; so he and Carroway do do not necessarily have to change his gender via new magic. Thus, the studio behind High Guardian Spice inserted a real-world issue where the problems associated with it do not exist.
If Carroway would like to reverse back into his original gender, all he needs to do is stop using new magic. If Raye Rodriguez would like to do the same thing, he is asking for a luxury. While transition magic is possible to reverse in real life, it is difficult and costly. Carroway is lucky that he can de-activate the spell by not taking it.
I could have used the screenshot of Snapdragon breaking down in tears, but I don't want to give the episode any sympathy. Believe me, it's heart-breaking having to listen to him cry, but the episode is a gross oversimplification of a heavy subject matter.
In all honesty, this topic should never have been put in an animated series that is not even focused on gender. Not only that, but two of the girls have unnatural hair colors and the other two are a dwarf and an elf; so can it even be taken seriously at all?
While I have yet to meet and interact with fans of the show, I don't see how even they can possibly like the episode. Because after watching it twice, I decided to skip it on my third time going through the show. For that matter, I will skip it again if I want to watch the series again. I agree with High Guardian Spice critics that this is not only a bad episode, but also the worst of the series.
Why the episode smells like fish
previous episode review: Rainy Day Memories
next episode review: Attack on High Guardian Academy (tuesday, July 9th)