In the sixth chapter of Over the Garden Wall, Greg helps a frog find success while Wirt questions Beatrice’s reluctance. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Over the Garden Wall.Â
What the fuck what the fuck.
George Washington
As surreal as this is all the time, there are these cute little stories unfolding that I appreciate. I know this is going to be the wackiest sentence I’ve ever written for this site, so buckle in: Greg supports George Washington’s efforts to be a part of this musical steamboat despite that he’s a poor frog. That sentence makes 100% sense in the context of this show, and I am deeply thankful that it’s allowed me to say such things. But that’s the charm of Over the Garden Wall. The gags and humor are entertaining – the repeated motif of the three frogs catching spilt flies, for instance, or Greg screaming, “Babies!” – mostly because they’re so weird.
In just the span of a few minutes, though, there’s an incredible amount of detail given to us through the storytelling and the animation. The imagery invokes the Dixie South in many places, but it’s also obvious that in whatever fucked up world this is, there are hierarchies to the frogs. (Despite that they all hibernate in mud at the end???) Greg immediately attaches himself to George Washington, the only frog who has no clothing on. Nudity is a TABOO among these frogs, so much so that it’s scandalous that George Washington is aboard the steamboat. Well, it’s not just that! None of these characters paid their fare and they’re chased about the ship and Greg just fiercely believes in George Washington THE WHOLE TIME.
And because of this, George gets the chance to reveal his talented signing voice. (THIS IS AN ACTUAL PLOT, I ALMOST CAN’T BELIEVE IT, BUT I DEFINITELY WITNESSED IT.) He may have been a poor frog with no means to pay for a ride on that boat (!!!!!! This is real y’all), but he has something to offer. He just needed someone to believe in him!
Beatrice
Well, now I’ve got to reexamine her entire role on this show!!! Oh my god, no wonder she was so eager to get Greg and Wirt to Adelaide’s house. They were her ticket to freedom. This reveal is very much in line with the fairy tale tropes we’ve seen in Over the Garden Wall before, and yet it’s still a very personal thing here. Over the course of her time with Greg and Wirt, she’s grown to like them. (I imagine the events of the last episode helped her get closer to Wirt, too.) Thus, turning them over to Adelaide was complicated. How could she get her family turned back into humans? Give Adelaide Greg and Wirt, who would be turned into “servants” for her. But her conscience plagued her; she couldn’t go through with it!
So she offered herself. It’s fascinating to note that even then, she still asked Adelaide for the scissors first. Y’all, I’m theorizing that she never would have returned to Adelaide’s home if she could avoid it. So where does that leave her now? Adelaide is gone… temporarily? I have no idea if she died or just de-materialized at the end of this episode, but her disappearance means that Beatrice cannot be turned back into a human. Even worse, Adelaide works for that creepy beast figure we saw a couple episodes back. What is that all about???
I was a little heartbroken by the end of “Lullaby in Frogland,” both over Beatrice’s betrayal and her despair. Wirt has every right to feel disrespected by this, too, and now he no longer has a guide through the forest. Of course, I still don’t even know where they’re headed! Plus, Beatrice’s conversation with Adelaide suggested that Wirt and Greg could be kept from their world… and I don’t get that either.
WHAT IS THIS SHOW.
The video for “Lullaby in Frogland” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
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