Every episode of “Wander Over Yonder” ranked

By JustAndrea/fanfic-inator795

On August 16, 2013, a little show called “Wander Over Yonder” - created by animation legend Craig McCracken - premiered on the Disney Channel. And, in both small and big ways, this show changed my life. I know that may be a corny thing to say, but it’s true and I can’t - nor do I WANT - to deny it. This show inspired me to draw, to write, to analyze, and to socialize with fellow fans. It helped me grow as a creative person, and it allowed me to meet my best friend and eventual partner. Beyond all that though, it was just a show that would consistently make me smile and laugh, putting me in a better mood even if I was feeling stressed out or lonely, and I’ll always appreciate it for that.

On July 18, 2024, nearly a month before the show’s 11th anniversary, I decided that I was going to do a full rewatch of the entire series, taking notes and ranking each episode as I go. Why? Well for one, I wanted an excuse to use the “Spy X Family” themed notebook that I had bought several months ago that was, at the time, just gathering dust on my desk. For another, it had been several years since I’d seen a majority of the show’s episodes and while I had rewatched most of the episodes several times over, I had never done a full chronological rewatch of the show before, so I wanted to give it a shot.

After all, I knew that my own opinions of the show had changed greatly since its series finale back in 2016 - I still loved it, there was no doubt about that, but I no longer thought of it as “perfect” or “the best cartoon ever”. At the same time, I wasn’t afraid of it not being these things despite still loving it - very important for someone who, when I was younger, used to think that focusing on the flaws of something risked making you not love or enjoy it as much, which is the Worst Case Scenario for anyone who’s ever had a show become a big part of their life. So yeah, I was a bit nostalgic for the show, but I wasn’t about to watch it with rose-colored glasses and was genuinely curious to see how the show held up.

So, I got to watching - and now I want to share my thoughts on each episode with whoever’s willing to read them. So, let’s get to it:

Season one, episode one: The Greatest

Synopsis: The evil and all-powerful Lord Hater and his Watchdog army invade the planet Bingleborp, and its up to Wander and Sylvia to figure out a way to defeat him.

Prior to watching the ep, I couldn’t help but think back to my first impressions of the show back in 2013 - back when I was a kid who was just about to head off to college. I distinctly remember watching “The Picnic” (which they aired as a sneak-peek instead of the actual first episode) on my phone early one morning when I was still half asleep, not hating the show but not exactly being impressed either. And yet, as I went through my college’s orientation week, something about the show kept gently tugging on my mind. It’d still be a couple more episodes before I really started getting into the show, but it’s just kind of amusing to think about those initial impressions and how the show slowly yet surely wormed its way into my heart.

Anyway, regarding this first episode, it’s actually a really strong pilot, and - as far as I’m concerned - one of the best episodes in the series, which is a rarity with first episodes. It’s not flawless, mind you. A couple of the designs look a bit wonky, with Hater especially looking extra off or looking more like Mojo Jojo in some shots, and there’s a couple other ‘first episode quirks’ in there too.

Beyond that, however, there’s really a lot to love. Save for maybe Peepers who’s still in his ‘Smithers’ era as I like to call it, all the characters are essentially already fully characterized. Wander is super lovable and endearing in this episode, having the chance to go full Bugs Bunny while still being his own character. Syl and Hater are both fun as well, and I enjoy getting to see Hater be both intimidating and a total fool, as I feel like a few later Season One and some Season Two episodes struggled to strike this balance.

The pacing in this episode is also phenomenal, which in turns allows the jokes to be pretty breezy and easy to laugh and smile at. The climax of the episode is still a great one, and that face Hater makes when Wander hands him the trophy gets me cackling every time. Between the top-notch comedy and the fact that it tells you everything you need to know about these characters, I really can’t think of much to complain about regarding this pilot.

Rating: 9.5/10

Season one, episode two: The Egg

Synopsis: Wander finds what he believes to be a dragon’s egg and tasks himself and Sylvia with returning the egg back to its nest - all while trying to avoid the supposed mama’s wrath.

        I think this may be one of my least favorites out of the initial drop of episodes, though that sounds a bit harsh. I just think it’s a bit weaker than other Season 1 episodes in the comedy department, with a lot of the scenes just kind of getting a ‘meh’ reaction out of me during most rewatches.

While Wander is certainly not at his worst in this episode, for me personally there are a couple of scenes where he gets juuuust a bit annoying. The “Lump of Love” song is also pretty average compared to the rest of the show’s soundtrack. But please know that when I say ‘weak episode’, I definitely don’t mean ‘bad episode’.

Probably my favorite scene in this is the “Power of Love” bit from Wander, followed by his immediate fail. Always gets a laugh out of me. Same with “WHOA LOOK OUT, THAT’S THE WRONG BABY!” line from the “Mother and Child, Ya’ll” song, both of which my best friend and I occasionally meme. We’ve also got a really cute ending with this one, which helps make up for a  lot of the episode’s weaker points.

I also appreciate that this is a fairly basic but still interesting enough character spotlight on Sylvia - who sometimes gets the short end in this season, so appreciate it while you can, Syl. Seeing her get all tsundere about the egg is both funny and cute too. Though, speaking of Syl, Wander asking her if she knows nothing about ‘proper parenting’ and Syl wanting the baby to ‘man up’ definitely feels a bit accidentally Harsher in Hindsight given what we learn about Syl and her mother in Season 2.

        Rating: 7.5/10

Season one, episode three: The Picnic

Synposis: Lord Hater is battling Emperor Awesome for the chance at making a wish during the Galactic Conjunction, but things quickly go sideways when Wander keeps taking Hater’s focus away from the fight.

        This one is just an absolute classic - and not just because it’s technically the first one that aired. For one, it’s the episode that introduced fan-favorite (and one of my personal favorite) characters, Emperor Awesome - who, weirdly enough, has both rival AND major ex-boyfriend energy in this episode just in the way he teases Hater (or maybe that’s just me and my fandom brain). Either way, he’s an insanely memorable side character, as well as just a ton of fun. Just- look at his outfit! His attitude! His giant robo-dinosaur (RIP)! The fact that he gets punched through a damn asteroid and is apparently able to just walk it off! I love this trashy shark-man.

        This episode is also just GORGEOUS looking. I didn’t mention it in “The Egg”, but after “The Greatest” there’s just a huge jump in art and animation quality - in a show that already started off with pretty great art/animation. I don’t know if it’s just getting to see all these stars in the background or what, but the moon setting in this episode is just really pretty.

There’s also just a couple of all-time great jokes in this episode, including both the bit with the latch and just the whole bit with Hater’s force field. Though, speaking of that force field, the fact that we ONLY see Hater use it in this episode and the series finale is kind of insane given how OP it is. But maybe that’s WHY the writers had him ‘forget’ about this particular power for most of the series - and let’s be real here, Hater forgetting a majority of the powers he has absolutely tracks with him.

Anyway, this episode of course ends with another great joke and it’s just overall an episode that I can’t help but laugh at, as it just has this energy that never really slows down. Not even a certain fact that we learn about Wander in Season 2 that relates to this episode can ruin it for me, it’s just TOO good and too enjoyable to watch over and over again. Just the definition of wacky space shenanigans.

Rating: 10/10

Season one, episode four: The Fugitives

Synopsis: Wander and Sylvia need to escape a planet that’s under Hater’s rule, but plans keep going awry when Wander can’t stop himself from helping.

        Another banger of an episode! Easily another one of my favorites. With the last episode, I praised it mostly for its comedy. With this one though, I have to praise the writing and storytelling. I really love how each little twist both builds and connects with each other, setting things up for the climax so perfectly. I mean, the ants joke alone? It’s just peak.

I also just love how each thing that Wander helps with is both small and basic on the surface yet also somehow huge and life-saving - and yeah I get that’s part of the joke, but it’s also just really charming and makes Wander’s character as someone who helps and saves others all the more endearing. The episode also really leans into the theme of helping being a personal choice - how, while it may be ‘good’, it can still sometimes require sacrifice, and people have to decide for themselves whether or not that sacrifice is worth the trouble. And for Wander and later Sylvia, it is.

The ending of this one really does just wrap things up so nicely, and there’s a couple of other smaller bits I like too - like the way Wander excitedly says “BABY!” or falls over after the rock lady crushes him. And we also get a bit of foreshadowing to Sylvia’s criminal past with her having hot-wiring skills. Neat!

Rating: 10/10

Season one, episode five: The Good Deed

Synopsis: Wander and Sylvia keep trying to help folks, but their helping keeps making things worse. Can Wander figure out how to ‘get to the right place’?

Look at that, ANOTHER banger episode! That’s three in a row! In case you can’t tell, this is another one of my personal favorites - and for reasons similar to “The Fugitives” as well as to another episode that we’ll get to shortly. While it may not be the funniest episode, with most of its jokes typically getting a chuckle instead of a big laugh, I’ve always really loved the escalation of this one as well as its overall message.

I think that’s the thing to praise most with this episode, that being its subtleness. Sure, all the ways that Wander’s helping go wrong are big and wacky, but after enough rewatches you notice that the stuff Wander was ‘ruining’ wasn’t exactly that great in the first place (sentient creature having to work for food, an arranged/loveless marriage, a bunch of people being stuck in a miserable job, a giant being forever frozen, etc.) Like Wander said, he was always on that right path, even if it didn’t always seem like things were going right in the moment.

This is also the first time we’ve seen Wander really falter, which is always interesting to watch unfold. It’s also worth pointing out that while they BOTH get frustrated, Syl actually gets more determined and is pushed by her frustration while Wander just becomes desperate and eventually hopeless. I feel it speaks to their characters, with Wander being the optimist who’s willing to take that initial first step and Sylvia being the fighter who deep down doesn’t want to simply quit.

Speaking of Sylvia, I think the speech she gives to Wander is easily one of my favorite moments of the show. It’s so simple yet it says so much, and that little “you can breathe now” she gives him after he kicks Hater’s missile away is just so sweet.

And ah, yes, how could I forget Hater? It’s brief, but the scene between him and the fortuneteller not only sets up the climax beautifully, but also just makes me laugh every single time - as does Peepers’ “Sir, I think any girl would be lucky to have you-”. Wander’s delivery of “I don’t know how… but I’m pretty sure that it’s our fault” is also great, and I also love the happy noises that the ice monster makes after it destroys the pig city. Not a big thing, I just think it’s cute. And of course, the ending is just perfect. All in all, I really can’t sing this episode’s praises enough - even if only about half the episode is laugh out loud funny, its story and writing as a whole is still fantastic.

Rating: 9.7/10

Season one, episode six: The Prisoner

Synopsis: Lord Hater tasks Commander Peepers with capturing Wander, which ends up being much easier said than done.

        It’s Peepers’ first spotlight episode and a Looney Tunes episode through and through. Though, instead of Bugs Bunny, Wander actually kinda reminds me more of Dee Dee from Dexter’s Lab in this episode just in the goofy way he acts. You don’t quite know how much he’s doing on purpose VS how much is just him vibing in a way that unintentionally gets Peepers hurt. The bit with the self-destruct remote DEFINITELY makes you question Wander’s actions - if he really is just playing or if this was all a plan of sorts.

Either way, it’s a really funny episode. Simple, but funny. Obviously one of the biggest highlights in this episode is getting an up close and personal look at the Skull Ship for the first time, getting to see all the trippy visuals and some of its more unique features and rooms. Also the food court. Can’t forget that food court. As for the character stuff, this is where we really get to see more of Peepers beyond just him being a support for Hater. We get to see his stubbornness and determination as well as - despite all the admiration - how he secretly sorta looks down on Hater, not believing Hater when he claims that Wander is a “sly, cunning and crafty genius” and even talking about how he should be in charge instead of Hater.

Speaking of Hater, while we may not get much of him in this episode, there’s still enough to enjoy. I like seeing this more perceptive side of Hater - something that’s consistent about him throughout the series, because for as dumb as Hater can be, he’s NEVER underestimated Wander and his ‘do-gooding ways’, and his insistence that Wander and the wacky chaos he brings should not be taken lightly is proven to be 100% right, which of course makes the ending all the more satisfying. There’s also quite a few funny bits in this ep - not the funniest jokes in the series, but still enjoyable and memorable. Again, food court. That whole bit is just gold.

Rating: 9.5/10 

Season one, episode seven: The Bad Guy

Synopsis: When Wander and Sylvia land on an asteroid seemingly filled with the meanest bad guys in the galaxy, Wander has to pretend to be a bad guy himself.

        I really love this one, it’s just so silly and charming. Honestly, it’s REALLY disappointing that we never ended up seeing Badlands Dan and the rest of the Doomstone/Congenial Rock crew again outside of silent cameos, as they could have easily been brought back for another cute adventure just like a lot of minor characters were in season 2. I also really love the aesthetic and the backgrounds of this episode, as an old western-style asteroid town is such a cool setting.

        But of course, the main appeal of this ep is Wild Wooly Wander, which is just a really funny Wander persona in its own right. So many fun bits come from Wander trying to act like a bad guy and his interactions with Syl and the other so-called ‘bad guys’ - who, by the way, have a lot of fun and unique character designs. This ep also kind of has a bit more criminal!Sylvia foreshadowing in how she knows about this apparently super tough place for bad guys. Also, “BEIN’ BAAAAAD IS RAAAAAD” lives in my head rent-free.

        Really, the only thing I could maaaaybe knock this episode for is having a somewhat predictable twist ending, but honestly I don’t personally mind it simply because it’s still a cute and funny twist, plus the episode as a whole is still entertaining in its own right, so it’s not like you’re just sitting there waiting for the other shoe to drop the whole time.

Rating: 9.5/10

Season one, episode eight: The Troll

Synopsis: While on the planet of Baaaahalla, Wander and Syl have to help protect the planet’s resources from an annoying troll who knows just how to ‘get people’s goats’.

        Weirdly enough, I remember sort of hyperfixating on this episode for a hot second after I first saw it, specifically on both the (absolutely BEAUTIFUL) snowy atmosphere and look of the Baaaahalla planet as well as on Cashmere and his army. Like, I don’t know about you guys, but I feel like these were some of the best character designs from the show - so simple yet so memorable and endearing in both look and personality. And seriously, the planet and the episode itself all just looks SO PRETTY!

        There’s a couple silly yet endearing jokes too, like the punny name of the planet or the fact that Cashmere and his men play into the goat stereotype of eating garbage. I also enjoy Keith Ferguson’s performance as the titular troll as you pretty much get to hear his entire vocal range - from as deep as Hater to as high pitched as Bloo and everything in-between.

        That all being said, while there’s a lot to enjoy in this ep, it’s not exactly perfect. For one, the episode’s main joke (the Troll insulting the Baaahalians and their reactions to his comments) do tend to get a bit repetitive after a while, even if a couple of these bits are kinda funny. And like, I get that the Baaaahalians are supposed to be these somewhat oblivious and stubborn, super-proud warriors, but after a while you just kinda want to facepalm at the fact that they’re still not realizing what they’re doing wrong.

        That, in turn, leads us to the core message of the episode, which… I’m honestly still not sure if it fully works or if it’s slightly tone-deaf. On the one hand, in most situations - such as actual online trolling - yeah, ignoring/blocking and ‘not feeding the troll’ is a perfectly effective solution. But in cases that go beyond simple trolling like getting sent serious hate mail, doxxing threats and/or KYS messages from multiple people or IRL bullying, I don’t know if the lesson works quite as well… but eh, good intentions either way.

        I also can’t really blame anyone for being somewhat annoyed with Wander in this episode, as I think many would agree that you could still lead by example while, at the same time, explaining WHAT exactly you’re doing. Would Syl and Cashmere have listened right away? Probably not, but I feel like Wander could’ve at least tried. Idk, this is another element that just makes the episode kind of repetitive, but again I guess that’s sort of the point just to really emphasize the message.

        Speaking of which, I really do love the climax of this episode, as it is really satisfying even if the lead up to it was slightly frustrating. Cashmere’s final speech is really sweet - kudos to Bill Fagerbakke for an excellent performance - and the music that plays during this scene just adds to the ‘epicness’ of it. Really fantastic ending overall even if the lead up to it was a slight slog at times.

Rating: 8/10

Season one, episode nine: The Pet

Synopsis: While on an abandoned ship, Wander comes across a dangerous spider-beast that he hopes to train into the perfect lovable pet.

        Oh hey, look at that, our first half-hour special - and boy is it a doozy. This is another episode that just absolutely NAILS its visuals, capturing that horror movie aesthetic perfectly. I also love the little details like Captain Tim’s ship looking like a fish that’s gone belly-up. All the other backgrounds and minor details, plus the space outside of the ship just remind you how damn pretty this show can be when it really puts its whole McCrackenussy into its art and animation.

        Poor Syl though just kinda gets put through the ringer on this one, huh? Gets covered in gross monster spit, nearly eaten, AND briefly thinks she lost her best friend. Thankfully, it doesn’t get to the point of feeling like too much, as the episode keeps things fairly light with its jokes. I actually forgot about the whole bit with the real Captain Tim being obsessed with how handsome he is and the ship’s computer just being extremely sassy.

        Wander’s interactions with Tim are also just really great all around, being both really funny and really sweet. I love how even Tim doesn’t really know what to think of Wander being so loving and unafraid of him. The Captain Tim song is also just fantastic in how it balances being both dark and funny, and the catchiness of it made it way too easy to get stuck in my head.

        There’s other enjoyable stuff too, like just how protective Sylvia is of Wander - very sweet to see, especially in what was their deadliest adventure at this point - and the obligatory Alien reference. And of course, you really can’t beat that ending, it’s SO good. Love, love, LOVE how much Hater and Captain Tim love each other and are just perfect for one another, just going to show that every pet deserves a forever home.

Rating: 10/10

Season one, episode ten: The Box

Synopsis: Wander is tasked with delivering a box without opening it, but the mystery of what could be in the box just about drives him crazy!

        Going into this episode, I pretty much only remembered it for the Box Song, the trippy visuals, and the great ending. And you know what? I don’t really see that as a bad thing. “The Box”, as a whole, is just a simple and sweet ep that, although maybe a bit light on substance and perhaps just a tad on the repetitive side, is never all that boring in the moment and is still a fairly fun time overall, being able to make any sense of repetitiveness still work.

        This is also the episode that introduces the space coaster station, essentially being a train system but in space. Such a cool concept with great designs, makes me really want to take a ride on one of these things - and not just because trains are cool in general.

        As for the ep’s semi-antagonists/’lesson givers’, I’m honestly right there with Sylvia. Like, what the fuck was wrong with these guys? Syl was absolutely in the right to threaten to kick their asses. Truly, this episode features Peak Sylvia, the best friend you could ever ask for. Just a great ending all around.

Rating: 8.5/10

Season one, episode eleven: The Hat

Synopsis: Sylvia needs to learn how to work with Wander’s magic hat in order to save him.

        Ah yes, the episode that helped launch at least a dozen “bad/sad ending” fics alongside “The Little Guy”. Unless you were in the fandom at the time you probably have no idea what I’m talking about, but between Wander nearly drowning/getting digested and Westley betraying Wander and Syl, there were a lot of fan artists and fanfic writers who were inspired to lean into that good ol’ fashioned fandom angst.

        Anyway, I gotta say that while this has never been one of my favorite episodes admittedly, it’s still one I don’t really mind looking at, if only because I really enjoy the design of this really weird mushroom planet. It’s just really fun and very memorable. With how the ep really focuses on it, I also love the subtle design tweaking that they do with the Hat, using its brim to make it look like it's smiling or frowning, very cute and creative.

        One big flaw I’ve always had with this episode, however, is just how the twist of Wander actually being in the worm’s stomach feels like a bit of a cop-out considering that the worm wasn’t anywhere near them as far as we could tell, so we have no idea HOW Wander got into the worm’s stomach - and if the audience can’t guess where he’s at, then how exactly can we blame Sylvia for not figuring out what the Hat is trying to tell her?

And maybe that was the point, giving Sylvia something that she had to put all her blind faith into despite how crazy it seemed, but it still didn’t quite work for me. Her realization of the Hat giving her what she needs instead of what she wants also feels kind of rushed, like the crew realized they had a few less seconds than they thought and as such had to make April Winchell speed-read her lines. It’s also another ep that gets kind of repetitive, especially after you know the twist of the episode, and really isn’t THAT funny in my opinion.

        It’s not completely without any humor though, as I’ve always enjoyed just how sassy the Hat is, and Sylvia’s “I’m gonna tear you brim from brim” usually gets a bit of a chuckle out of me. A few of Wander’s bits also make me chuckle, like his little victory dance and the whole bit with the walkie-talkies. Other than that though, I see this as a pretty average episode of WoY. Nothing too bad, which makes it a pretty breezy one to rewatch, but far from the highlights of this first season.

Rating: 7/10

Season one, episode twelve: The Little Guy

Synopsis: Westley, the smallest Watchdog in the Hater Empire, wants a chance to prove himself. But, after spending some time with the empire’s so-called ‘greatest enemies’, he starts to wonder if there’s a life for him outside of the Skull Ship.

        A lot of people consider “The Little Guy” to be one of the best episodes of the series, and while I don’t think it’s THAT perfect per say, it’s certainly one of those episodes that reminds you just how strong this first season of WoY was and why so many people gravitated towards this show despite it technically being the least popular of the shows on at the time (thanks Gravity Falls and Star VS the Forces of Evil…)

And there really is quite a bit to love here. For one, I really love how the episode introduces Westley - this is our first (and pretty much ONLY time, save for a silent cameo at the end of the season) seeing the titular little guy, yet this opening scene pretty much tells us everything we need to know about Westley while also making super endearing and sympathetic almost instantly.

We also get an interesting look at Hater Empire propaganda, which is kind of fascinating. Given how often they’re goofing off or getting distracted, the Watchdogs don’t exactly seem like the most loyal army in the galaxy, but I suppose Hater and Peepers have to do SOMETHING to actually make them somewhat interested in serving the empire - and with propaganda like this, you can sort of see why a Watchdog like Westley would feel so passionate about spreading fear and hate despite being so friendly and happy-go-lucky himself.

That being said, it’s also really funny how evident it is that Peepers really doesn’t give a shit about his fellow Watchdogs, giving them a literal tongue lashing as well as being more than happy to abandon Westley simply because it’s the more convenient option. It makes all the more sense then that Westley would eventually start to gravitate towards Wander and Syl despite his lingering mistrust of them. Speaking of his eventual redemption, I also really love the whole “changing weather” metaphor/framing device and how we actually see it go from sunny to cloudy to snowy throughout the episode. It’s so subtle and SO good.

The episode, being the second half-hour special of the season, also has pretty decent pacing in how it takes its time but still has enough funny and entertaining elements to make it enjoyable. Not the funniest jokes in the series, admittedly, but still some pretty cute ones. The consistent pacing alongside Wander and Syl’s consistent kindness also make Westley’s turnaround feel all the more natural. Even when he’s backtracking a bit or falling back on what the empire’s taught him, it all feels natural - like this was a character arc the crew had planned out for a while despite, again, this being Westley’s only real appearance. Everything about this mini redemption arc just makes sense.

The highlight of the episode is easily the scene in the cave - a scene that has very little dialogue and is all the better for it, being the culmination of all the build-up that the episode has done in regards to Westley’s relationship with Wander and Syl, so when he FINALLY puts down his ray gun and finally fully trusts them, it just feels so satisfying. Also, again, this show always does such great snowy/winter backgrounds, so pretty! I also appreciate the callback to Westley’s “What a view…” line from the start of the episode as being yet another subtle way that Wander hints to Westley that there are people outside the Empire who share his enthusiasm and wonder for the galaxy.

Even when Westley ends up briefly betraying Wander and Sylvia, all the character work they’ve done with him throughout the episode allows the betrayal to feel natural - because of course Westley’s not going to feel ready to completely abandon his empire! Of course he’s going to still cling to the familiar just as most people would, even after being shown a better option. And then we get that great visual of the medal he gets being both metaphorically and literally hollow, and it’s just - ugh, this episode is just a FANTASTIC piece of storytelling. Again, not exactly the funniest and perhaps even a bit predictable, but stil anl incredibly well-crafted episode. (I also have to point out Hater calling Wander and Syl’s fun-loving ways ‘dangerous’. I wonder what exactly he means by that - dangerous to HIM or simply to his empire’s goals. Hmm…)

Though, if you really want some humor, I will say that the episode makes up for its lack of jokes by having two really great and really funny Hater scenes in a row - him making a big show over mourning Westley will never not be funny, it’s just so over the top. It does make me sad though that we never see Westley’s statue again - something that sorta leans into the biggest problem I have with this otherwise really good ep, which I’ll get to in a bit. As for the actual ending, it’s still incredibly sweet and “If You Wander Over Yonder” is still probably one of the best songs in the show, so I’m glad we got to hear it outside of Episode One’s credits sequence.

I do remember that, after this episode aired, some people were saying that it didn’t make sense for Westley to travel on his own given how it was friendship and kindness that inspired Westley to take a chance and leave the Hater Empire, not to mention all the times that Wander and Syl had to save his life - which, considering all the times he nearly died, maybe he shouldn’t have thrown away his blaster… While this could’ve just been a case of Status Quo is God, I feel like it makes enough emotional sense that Westley would want to travel on his own and find his own adventures and excitement, even if the logical choice would’ve been to stay with Wander and Syl at least for a bit.

So, onto that one ‘problem’ I have with the ep… On the one hand, I can’t emphasize enough that this is a very well-constructed episode that works almost perfectly as a one-shot - a simple story of redemption, friendship, and the power that comes with both kindness and getting a new point of view, with this new view often being a stronger motivator than fear or hate. On all these levels, it’s a really strong episode with a lot of cute bits to enjoy, making it an easy A-tier ep. A more cynical person could say that Westley’s eventual switch to being a good guy is somewhat predictable, but again the way they set it up is still so satisfying to watch that you really don’t mind.

However, thanks to the power of hindsight, this episode is always going to feel sort of bittersweet to me in that, after you watch it, the show never bothers to remember that Westley even exists outside of that five-second cameo in “The Gift”. Like I said, we never see that memorial statue again, nor do we ever see Hater or Peepers try to use Westley’s ‘death’ as a cautionary tale for why the other Watchdogs can’t ever trust Wander and Sylvia. We don’t see the new life of wandering that Westley lives, how he helps others, or even how he handles being on his own without any sort of defensive weapons or back-up. But hey, maybe there’s something to be said about how the impact we can make on people can still be life-changing and important even if we never see that person again (insert lyrics from “Wicked” here), but I still feel like Westley should have gotten at least ONE more episode to shine. Hell, we don’t even see Westley in the show’s series finale - which feels especially egregious.

The main argument that the crew’s given in the past when asked about Westley’s lack of return has mostly been centered around the fact that he’s voiced by a guest star (Aziz Ansari) and as such it was a lot harder to bring the character back. But given how often the show was able to bring back its other guest stars - looking at you, James Marsden - this feels less like a reason and more like an excuse, given how if they REALLY wanted to they could have just recast the character. Instead, it just kind of feels like the crew felt like his story was ‘completed’ and didn’t know what else to do with him, nor did they really care enough to think of another story for him - and that really is a shame. Kinda reminds me of what would later happen with Stuck Chuck in “Kid Cosmic”.

Yes, this is still a great episode, but when looked at as part of a bigger series and not just a singular episode, it ends up losing quite a bit of its impact in my opinion.

Rating: 8.8/10

Season one, episode thirteen: The Hero

Synopsis: Sir Brad Starlight asks for Wander and Sylvia’s help in saving his kidnapped princess - but this ‘rescue’ ends up being a bit wackier than your average fairytale.

        Funnily enough, this is an episode I don’t really mind rewatching despite being so easily agitated by the new character it introduces, Prince Edward - I mean, Donut Lord - I mean, Sir Brad Starlight. I’m gonna try not to rag on Brad TOO much since I know he has his fans, but for me personally, any moment he’s not getting his comeuppance or getting his shit wrecked, he’s usually being agitating enough for me to want to punch him in the face myself (though, maybe that’s the point - and tbf, Brad still isn’t the WORST McCracken-verse character, that honor goes to Mr. Herriman and ESPECIALLY Goofball from Foster’s Home imo. Seriously, IYKYK, fuck that episode).

Anyway, no shade to James Marsden, he gives a good performance here, but out of the three Brad Starlight-focused eps that the show ends up having, I’d say this is technically the least funniest - though that’s not to say that this is a bad episode, far from it. In fact, I’d say that Brad actually has a really good dynamic with Wander and Syl, with Wander just being happy to be there and Syl getting to be sassier than usual as she deals with Brad’s species-ist ass. Love that she doesn’t take any shit and isn’t afraid to call out his stupidity, meanwhile Wander is just casually one-upping Brad without even trying. Jack McBrayer’s delivery of “It was unlocked” gets me every time.

There are just a lot of fun bits in this ep that I enjoy, and of course I just have to mention the adorableness that is Drakor and Demurra - so so SO fucking cute. I also love that when it comes to rescuing Demurra - and it being revealed that Demurra has no problems with rescuing herself - Wander is the first to cheer, showing how much of a better person Wander is by not putting his own goals (how he’s always wanted to save a princess) above the wellbeing of actual people. Again, just SUCH a cute ending with easily one of the best couples in the entire McCracken-verse. I do wonder though what it was about Brad that made the crew want to bring him of all characters back for two more spotlight episodes.

Rating: 9/10

Season one, episode fourteen: The Birthday Boy

Synopsis: It’s Hater’s birthday and all he wants is to see Wander destroyed once and for all using his new Doom Arena. Of course, this is easier said than done.

        As a former Skeleton Dance (WanderxHater) shipper, I remember one of the biggest appeals of this ep for me back in the day was all the Skeleton Dance teasing. But honestly, even without having any shipping goggles on while rewatching, this is still a really enjoyable and entertaining episode.

        For one, its opening sequence is really fun - from Hater just being so done already, to Tom Kenny’s delivery on “It’s a DOOM ARENA~!”, to Wander being oblivious about why exactly he was invited to Hater’s birthday party - it’s all just really great and really funny. And the laughs don’t stop there, as the Watchdogs are all in top form in this episode (“I really wish I had a second eye!” is another line that always gets me) and honestly, the whole Spin the Bottle sequence is still REALLY hilarious. Jack McBrayer’s delivery of “you sassy man” is just so fruity, I can’t.

        The noises that the pit monster makes are adorable, and it’s great seeing just how crazy the episode gets by its climax - it’s all just so funny, and I think (at this point in my rewatch) this was the most I’ve laughed at an episode since “The Greatest/The Picnic”. But, at the same time, I also love just how genuine Wander is about showing Hater a good time and making his birthday a happy one despite all the chaos, with the Birthday song at the very end just wrapping this entire episode up perfectly. Another really great song from this season that I remember playing for myself and others on our birthdays, because I was THAT kind of fangirl, lol.

        Really, the only critique I have for this episode is that this is where I really started noticing the use - and overuse - of that one rubber ball sound-effect that the show plays whenever a character is stunned or surprised in a bad way. I… really don’t like this sound-effect, especially when it starts getting used once (sometimes MULTIPLE TIMES) per ep. Pretty much this show’s version of the Johnny Test whip crack but even more annoying imo, though maybe this is just a me problem. Other than that, perfect episode.

Rating: 10/10

Season one, episode fifteen: The Bounty

Synopsis: Hater decides to hire some bounty hunters to capture Wander and Sylvia once and for all, but Peepers is adamant about not losing his chance at glory and takes on the bounty hunters himself.

        Hey look, it’s another Peepers spotlight! I love how this one opens with him just being an absolute bastard to the other Watchdogs. Really great characterization, showing just how much he puts himself above his fellow soldiers and even Hater himself, as we see by the end of the episode. Speaking of Hater, not only do I love his cute little Hater VS Wander fighting game and the fun “torture room megamix” gag, but I also love how - similarly to “The Prisoner” - we get to see Hater being a bit more confident as well as being able to recognize something that Peepers is too proud to admit, that being that Wander and Sylvia are legitimate threats to their goals that are a lot harder to defeat than Peepers realizes.

        Really, this is just another ep that shows how Peepers, for as much as he works for and puts up with regarding Hater, he can still be pretty selfish and is essentially living through the Empire’s success since he either isn’t strong enough or willing enough to simply overthrow Hater himself, showing that he’s not JUST a Smithers-esque archetype and is very much his own brand of sidekick/evil minion.

        All the stuff on Phunulon is pretty cute - not a ton of super funny gags, but nothing too boring or annoying either. The ep does a good job showing just how competent Peepers can be when going up against non-Wander and Syl opponents, pretty much telling the audience why he out of all the other Watchdogs is the empire’s commander. There’s also a couple fun characterization bits, like him still taking the toy he unintentionally wins or him pocketing the money he gets from his impromptu audience for his fight with Killbot 86. Though, speaking of that fight, I feel like while it’s somewhat cool it’s also a bit of a pacing killer and kind of drags, though I appreciate that the scene still ends in a fairly funny way.

Honestly though, the highlight of the episode really is that ending with Peepers’ pride fully screwing him over and Hater just rubbing that in his face, it’s all just really great and really hilarious - with the episode’s ending just how much of a cringefail king Peepers can be when he becomes too prideful, even if he refuses to admit it.

Rating: 8.5/10

Season one, episode sixteen: The Ball

Synopsis: Wander and Sylvia have to save the residents of a planet from a giant planet-destroying puppy.

        From what I can tell, this episode is mostly remembered by the fandom for introducing Beeza (who admittedly does have a pretty cute character design) and for being cute, and… yeah I think that just about sums it up for the most part.

        I do love how chill Beeza and her people are about the literal end of the world. Like, they’re so used to apocalypses that they just can’t muster up the ability to care anymore. There’s some fun dark humor with that idea that the episode is able to lean into. If there was one big pet peeve that I have though, it’s with Buster himself.

        Like- this is a giant cosmic dog, and I REALLY wish that they bothered to make him more space/cosmic-like instead of just designing him to look like a normal dog. They could have made his fur blue and full of stars (think something like the Ursa Major from MLP:FIM) or even just give him more alien-like features to really sell that this is a space creature just wandering around doing its own thing, not realizing how destructive it is. But nope, normal golden retriever puppy. Really disappointing, as well as being one of the rare instances where this show fails to be super creative with its concepts.

        I also wish that the show had followed up one Wander’s line about running away from your problems instead of just letting it hang there, never really addressing it in this or (as far as I can tell) any other episode. It definitely feels like there were meant to be some backstory implications there that ended up being untapped.

        The rest of the episode is - again - a bit of the repetitive side, with a good chunk of the jokes not really landing for me personally. It doesn’t help that this is one of the few eps of WoY that kind of leans into gross humor, having jokes about drool and garbage - which, speaking of that trash plan, I feel like Wander should’ve known better. But eh, maybe he was just blinded by desperation at that point.

        I really can’t decide if the solution to this ep is clever or convoluted, as it really could go either way depending on your perspective. It doesn’t help that we don’t really ever get another look at the eventual society that gets built on Buster’s back - how it works or how the Ballzarians are able to do their thing without ever being agitating enough to prompt Buster to try and scratch or bite them off. That being said, the final bit that the episode ends on is admittedly cute. I wanna see the giant space kitty.

Rating: 7/10

Season one, episode seventeen: The Nice Guy

Synopsis: When Sylvia asks him to get her a pop to help quench her thirst, Wander has to battle with his tendency to put others before himself to accomplish this goal.

        So, here we are, my favorite episode of Wander Over Yonder ever - and I have sooooo many reasons why, to the point where I could probably spend a good hour just talking about this one episode.

        For one, I love the setting of this (literal?) bottle episode. A gas station in space that’s just so mundane and normal, yet still has these little details that manage to help it feel ‘alien’ - like a poster for a tentacle sub-sandwich or the different flavors of pop they have in the store. I also love the detail of the Thunderblazz mascot looking very similar to Ryder - I have to wonder if that was done on purpose or was just a happy accident. The sound design on all the glass bottles of pop also makes my ears REALLY happy, as are all the fun little gags they do with these various drinks (the refracting one being my favorite) and they do a good job setting up “Chekov’s mat” very early on.

        Weirdly enough, this gas station worker is one of my favorite minor characters from the show in just how relatable he is as well as how subtly funny he is. Like- he’s such a simple character but his dry attitude and reactions to Wander’s shenanigans are some of my favorite moments in the episode. He’s also got a simple yet memorable design, much like the setting of the episode itself! We also get another great line delivery with Jack McBrayer here with the “You are. So good. At your job” bit, which is just funny and endearing in its own right, as is the whole sequence with Wander at the pop machine trying to find the perfect drink combination. Also, Wander paying with pennies just reminds me of that one episode of Dexter’s Lab with the vengeful ice cream man.

As the episode goes on, it ends up having a really fun sort of give-and-take balance to it that makes it so fun to watch. There’s an element of surprise to where you don’t quite know where things are going to lead, so you’re just kind of along for the ride. Sometimes Wander’s helping causes a positive thing to happen (like with Wander deciding to help the guy who had the emergency or with Wander deciding on his own to clean the whole floor instead of just the spot where he spilled) and sometimes it causes a negative thing to happen. Heck, sometimes it’s even neutral - see the bit where that one tree-looking guy is happy about getting his penny back, which is a positive thing, but it still leaves Wander penny-less. This results in there being a consistent pace throughout the episode despite it being such a simple little adventure/errand inside a random gas station, meaning that you never really feel bored even when Wander keeps failing to accomplish his quest.

With most of the surface level stuff that I enjoy now out of the way - whoo boy, let’s talk about this episode’s conflict and overall themes. In a way, it feels like a companion episode to both “The Fugitives” and “The Good Deed” (two other episodes I really enjoy and adore, in case you can’t already tell) in how it calls back to the ideas that those episodes introduced - namely that kindness and charity, while good virtues to have, aren’t always easy and sometimes even require sacrifice, so it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it.

I think this episode may actually be where we see Wander and his core ideals at their most nuanced, mainly because for as much as he enjoys helping others and can’t help but want to help others, he still gets frustrated when helping others doesn’t quite work out in his favor. It would’ve been easy to have Wander shrug off everything that goes wrong and stick to his undying optimism - but no, we see him get annoyed, distressed, and heavily conflicted with himself. And that’s really fascinating and even kinda fun to see from a character like him!

“The helper seeks to help because he knows how it feels to be helpless.” This is what drives Wander to help. Whether it's a huge thing like feeling alone and hopeless or a small inconvenience like not having that special drink or tripping over something. It’s why we see him specifically go and fix the gas station’s mat at the very end of the episode, not wanting anyone else to trip on it and spill their drink. He’s got such a big heart that he’s able to care about and empathize with complete strangers and their wellbeings just as much as he cares about his best friend - and as anyone with a hyper-empathetic nature could tell you, this can sometimes be just as much of a hindrance as it is a strength.

What really helps this is that the episode’s conflict is still just a mundane problem that anyone could relate to. If Sylvia was dying of thirst and absolutely NEEDED this drink, the episode wouldn’t feel nearly as lighthearted or enjoyable. But we, the audience, know that even if Wander doesn’t get the Thunderblazz, it’s not that big of a deal. Syl isn’t gonna die of dehydration, she could just get herself another not-Thunderblazz drink or even just grab something out of Wander’s hat. It’s not life-and-death, it’s just a matter of getting a drink she enjoys.

But it’s still a big deal to Wander, which is keeps the episode’s tension as well as what makes his personal conflict and anxiety that he has so interesting to watch him deal with - especially since, in the end, he doesn’t compromise on his virtues, still insisting that “it never hurts to help” and being willing to face Syl’s disappointment and his own personal sense of failure in exchange for brightening up a young girl’s day. And of course, him being willing to still put that bit of extra kindness into the universe is shown to truly be worth it in the end when the little girl is inspired by it and decides to pay it forward. It’s such a simple little ending, but it’s a genuinely great one that’s stayed in my head since the first time I saw it - and in a show that’s had some pretty great episode endings, this one is still probably my favorite, or at the very least in my top 5 (possibly tied with the ending of “The Black Cube” if we’re going for just the heartwarming endings and not the comedic ones).

I think that’s the real magic of this episode. It isn’t afraid to show how being helpful and kind isn’t always easy, but it also encourages viewers to still at least try and be willing to make that occasional sacrifice for the sake of being helpful and kind. It makes the argument that kindness, at the end of the day, is worth it. It’s an incredibly important moral wrapped up in a fun and still-entertaining package, and that’s why “The Nice Guy” is my favorite episode of WoY.

Rating: 10/10

Season one, episode eighteen: The Time Bomb

Synopsis: Wander surprises Sylvia by entering her into grand race, but quickly learns that Sylvia has her own issues when it comes to racing - and the road rage that comes with it.

        Although I don’t have AS much to say about this episode as I did with the last one, I actually do enjoy this one just as much and feel it was a great one to pair up with “The Nice Guy”. For one, I really love this episode’s opening scene, how it sets everything up really efficiently as well as how it builds up to that title card drop.

        I also feel both the action and the music is really well done in this episode, adding to the excitement of it all. Wander’s smooth jazz is a cute gag, and really Wander is just in top form in this episode, being a great friend to Sylvia - who, even when she’s at her angriest, Wander doesn’t even FLINCH at it, showing just how much he trusts and believes in her. Seeing him help her deal with stress and overstimulation is also just incredibly sweet, making this a great ep for anyone who’s a fan of the friendship between these two.

        This episode also has a really strong climax, with Sylvia fully deciding to try her best to control her temper for the sake of not just herself but Wander too, with the final leg of the race being just as fun and entertaining as the rest of it. The ending with Sylvia actually winning the race is also great, as is the gag with her being a bit of a sore winner. Just a really fun time all around.

 Rating: 10/10

Season one, episode nineteen: The Day

Synopsis: Wander and Syl are trapped on Hater’s ship and, with Wander still being asleep and unable to wake up, it’s up to Syl to get them out of there!

        Okay so, admittedly, this and “The Night” aren’t really episodes that I rewatch too often, mostly because they tend to stick in my mind as “gimmick episodes” given how - if you watch them together - they’re meant to sort of feed into each other in an eternal loop, which is a sort-of fun concept admittedly, but not a super captivating one.

        At the very least, I feel like “The Day” is the stronger of the two, simply because there’s more going on with it. For one, sleepy Wander acts like a kitty, which is just adorable, you can’t deny that. I also love how, when he’s asleep, Wander’s body just naturally defies logic - it’s another fairly funny gag that keeps the episode feeling pretty light and goofy.

        Sylvia and the Watchdogs also get some pretty great moments in this one, with that whole scene in the locker room being pretty infamous as well as fairly hilarious. I have to wonder though, does that whole bit hint at Ace!Sylvia, or are naked Watchdogs just THAT gross? As an ace-aro myself, I can’t help but want to believe in the former, though admittedly I feel like ANYONE in that situation would rather not want to look at a bunch of dicks.

        The gag with Peepers in the elevator with them is also pretty funny, especially with Peepers acting like a mom and reminding disguised!Wander of his manners - and of course it ends with an obligatory Star Wars reference. As for the episode’s climax, it’s a pretty fun one too, especially given that they bring Hater in - who almost always brings the comedy, and with how infrequently they use him in this first season, it’s also nice to just see him whenever we can. The fight scene we get with Wander and how Syl is able to influence his sleep-actions is pretty cute and amusing, and the episode itself has a cute enough ending. As I said, this is easily the stronger of the two in this particular pair of episodes.

Rating: 8/10

Season one, episode twenty: The Night

Synopsis: Sylvia is exhausted, and it’s up to Wander to keep things quiet in order for her to get a good night’s sleep.

        If there’s any praise I can give this episode, it’s all the pretty nighttime backgrounds and the fun bioluminescent creatures that were designed for this particular planet. Art-wise, it’s a very interesting episode to look at. Unfortunately, I’d argue that the plot itself is so-so.

        For the most part, it’s a pretty simple conflict resulting in a pretty simple episode, and as such I just kinda feel like I get bored with quite a bit of it. It’s not ALL bad though as there are a couple of good gags here and there - the bits of slapstick that Wander has to endure, the narrator’s “Oh no!” when Syl rolls over onto Wander, as well as that hilariously brutal joke with the centipedes are notable highlights. But overall, there isn’t a lot about this ep that really grabs me.

        I also have to point out how, compared to “The Day”, it almost feels like the ending of this one is kind of rushed and not exactly super satisfying… It really feels like they were forced to end it in a way that ties into the start of “The Day”, which just makes you wonder why they bothered to make the two eps loop into each other in the first place. Honestly, it kind of feels like the crew put WAY more effort into “The Day” and then only really had one main gag in mind for “The Night”, which just makes this pair of eps feel incredibly uneven.

Rating: 6.5/10

Season one, episode twenty-one: The Lonely Planet

Synopsis: Wander and Sylvia meet a living planet who ends up becoming obsessed with Wander, being willing to do whatever it takes to keep him for herself.

        Whenever I think about this ep, the first thing that pops into my head is Janet’s voice actress - Kari Wahlgren, who’s a really talented voice actor. And, admittedly, hers is a voice and a performance that fits this yandere planet incredibly well. I can also appreciate this episode for just how many pretty backgrounds it manages to shove in, adding in so many little features and details - such as her living vines - to really help Janet feel both alive as well as really memorable as a setting.

        Jumping back to the start of the episode, I do love Wander’s optimism, as it really is genuinely endearing. Really, can you blame Janet for falling for him so hard? The delivery on “also, it talks” is also cute - Jack McBrayer really does a great job with this character, just a perfect casting choice all around, something that I feel sometimes go under appreciated if only because there’s a TON of other great voice actors in this show.

        Unfortunately, as the ep goes on, I don’t think all the slapstick involving Sylvia is as funny as the crew might have thought it would be. It actually gets kind of old after a while, though I do appreciate Sylvia’s determination to fight back once Janet goes full mask-off about trying to separate her and Wander.

        The climax of the episode is pretty entertaining - and certainly memorable, given just how crazy Janet ends up becoming - but the actual ending… ehhhh? I mean, for one, Janet saying how she “wanted a friendship like what Wander and Sylvia had”. Girl… the way you were acting didn’t exactly scream that you were just looking for a ‘friendship’. Additionally, while Janet accidentally creating her own companion in Maurice the Moon feels like it could work really well on paper, with it feeling like it's taking a page out of those classic creation myths with gods/celestial beings creating their own lovers and stuff like that, I’m not sure about it’s actual in-episode execution, as it almost feels ‘too clean’ in a way.

Like, obviously I don’t want Janet to be lonely forever, but her getting an instant lover at the very end and that apparently being all she needed just feels kinda… idk, it’s an ending that works well enough I guess, but it still feels a bit rushed - like something’s missing, and as such it ends up feeling like an ending that’s sort of unearned. Like I said, a bit too clean given all that happened in the rest of the episode.

Rating: 7/10

Season one, episode twenty-two: The Brainstorm

Synopsis: Hater and Peepers have to come up with a Wander-proof plan before they can launch their latest invasion.

        This episode almost feels like a nice culmination of Hater’s rivalry with Wander so far, and how - at this point in the series, at least - it’s really starting to affect him and his empire’s operations. We get to fully see Hater’s perspective on Wander, how he kind of feels like this unstoppable force of friendliness and love who can do just about anything - and you know what, he’s not exactly wrong.

It also speaks to just how well he knows Wander at this point after all the interactions that they’ve had over the course of this first season. In fact, you could argue that Hater is being pretty smart here, being unwilling to simply dismiss Wander’s abilities like how Peepers is - you gotta give him some credit for that, even if Hater himself still has some pretty silly and goofy moments in this episode in just how many wild conclusions he jumps to when trying to figure out what things could go wrong in their various plans and Wander contingencies.

Peepers, of course, just adds to the hilarity in just how exhausted he gets from the whole thing - Tom Kenny’s delivery on lines like “Then you don’t. Play. The games” and “HE CAN’T DO THAT!” (Followed by Hater’s “Are you suuuure?”) are two of my favorite bits from this episode - and of course, you can’t forget about The Power of Banjo.

What’s kind of fascinating about watching this episode after seeing the rest of the series is that, in hindsight, this could have been Hater’s Major Threat/Jeff moment (the moment where he stops seeing a point in trying to be evil and, as such, potentially becomes a bit more willing to hear Wander out) if not for Peepers pumping him back up. Speaking of which, it is kind of sweet to see just how encouraging Peepers can be when he wants to be - buuut of course, all this just makes the smash-cut ending of this ep all the funnier.

Rating: 9.5/10

Season one, episode twenty-three: The Fancy Party

Synopsis: Hater hopes to be the perfect gentleman in order to earn the favor of the evil Queen Entozoa, but things get complicated when Wander joins in on the fancy festivities.

        This episode, man… It’s just so fucking wild, but I can’t help but love the absolute chaos of it all. For one, it just opens on a really great dark joke, and things don’t really slow down from there. All the characters are just in peak form here, which also just helps the comedy - there’s something especially amusing about Peepers saying how killing someone at a dinner party is “very rude”. Yes, because THAT’S the problem with murder.

This is also the first time we’re introduced to the Black Cube of Darkness, which- okay, can we talk about this? Like, why in the world did they choose to introduce the Black Cube like this?! They don’t even give us his name in this episode, they just randomly show us this Latin-speaking cube that freaks all the other characters out and, later, briefly steals Peepers’ soul in what is a lowkey horrifying scene, and yet none of the other characters even comment on it?? Absolutely wild choices here.

This episode also includes some top 5 Emperor Awesome moments, including the whole scene with his calves and, of course, him being “totally into” Entozoa/Sourdough’s new sandwich body - only Awesome would be willing to hook up with a literal sandwich. There are plenty of other great jokes here too, and while Hater’s song is pretty cringe, it’s thankfully not TOO cringe and - again - works well with all the other great comedy in this episode. It’s also great seeing Hater get to be powerful and a bit of a badass, if only for a brief moment.

Unfortunately, while the twist with Entozoa is a fun one, I feel like the ending itself is kind of rushed. We don’t get Hater reacting to Wander saving his life, and we barely get to take in the fact that Entozoa was this evil being who can just take over other people’s bodies. I just wish we had maybe 30 more seconds in the episode, as I feel like it really could’ve helped this ending feel a bit more satisfying. Still, an evil sandwich is a fun villain concept, I can’t deny that.

Rating: 9/10

Season one, episode twenty-four: The Tourist

Synopsis: Wander finds a new rival in Trudi Traveler, another wanderer who has (allegedly) been to more places than Wander.

        Out of all the first season episodes, I distinctly remember it being one of my least favorites, second only to one other s1 episode which we’ll get to later. Still, after not rewatching it in nearly a decade, I wanted to give it a fair shake. And to be fair, this episode isn’t completely unwatchable or anything, it’s just… not the most fun, in my opinion.

        One positive I can give it though is that I like the initial concept of Wander just being so excited about meeting another wanderer - someone who (at first) seems to share the same love of seeing the Universe as he does. And yeah, that probably isn’t super common, given how 90% of people would rather focus on laying down roots for a while before indulging in some wanderlust. It’s highly unlikely that you’re going to meet someone whose goal is to spend their entire life traveling.

In fact, it’s such an interesting initial idea, I almost feel like they shouldn’t have gone with the jealousy angle. I remember Frank Angones saying once in a Tumblr post that the season 2 episode, “The Hot Shot”, was originally going to be about Wander getting jealous before they realized it just didn’t fit right and changed it to Sylvia. And, yeah, jealousy is a flaw that suits a character like Sylvia MUCH more than it fits a character like Wander, who already has his own unique set of flaws. Buuuut then again, two of these Wander flaws include a tendency to sometimes struggle with patience and control as well as with dealing with the unknown (see “The Box” for a prime example of both these flaws). So in this sense, I understand how the idea of someone having seen more of the universe than Wander has could potentially get under his skin, I suppose.

Speaking of that certain someone, let’s talk about Trudi. On the one hand, out of all the minor characters we meet in s1, she really isn’t all that great. She’s got that whole… hive-mind? I’m gonna call it a hive-mind - thing going on, which is kinda interesting, and her passive-aggressiveness is kiiiinda funny. This is what happens when Midwest politeness and Southern politeness collide. She also tries to kill Wander, leaving him stranded in the vacuum of space. Like, seriously, what is this lady’s problem? Anyway, while she manages to be a fairly memorable character, she’s still not one that I personally care about seeing again like I do with characters like Badlands Dan, Cashmere, or Demurra.

I also have to hand it to the episode for having a decent lesson about not keeping up with the Joneses and, in terms of traveling, how it’s always best to take your time with your experiences. Too bad we have to deal with a good amount of Sylvia being annoyed, frustrated, tired, or disappointed to get to that point. Yeahhhhh, for as much as this may be an episode about Wander and him learning a lesson, Sylvia has to take the brunt of the consequences for his actions, and then she just immediately forgives him in the end despite it all. This is what I mean when I wonder if the jealousy angle was truly the strongest route they could have taken, since as is the episode doesn’t feel very satisfying and instead just kind of feels like a first draft. I guess I should also praise this episode for the great background art but like, I could say that about a BUNCH of episodes, so…

Rating: 6/10

Season one, episode twenty-five: The Epic Quest

Synopsis: Wander and Sylvia have to try and return a lost sock to its owner and shenanigans ensue.

        Getting back to some of this season’s best, this is another episode that I remember really loving simply because of its ending. There’s this thing that’s found in a lot of Craig McCracken cartoons that I call “brilliantly stupid” - a joke or a scene or a climax that manages to somehow be clever and enjoyable while also just being completely ridiculous, which in turn makes it all the more hilarious.

Thankfully, this episode isn’t a one-scene wonder, as the rest of it still holds up great. I really love the opening scene, how it perfectly sets up the episode’s conflict while also reminding us of Wander’s hyper empathy VS Sylvia’s more cynical nature. Also, the delivery of “It’s a sooooock” is another Jack McBrayer line that lives in my head rent-free.

Another point I can give in the episode’s favor is that while a majority of it is taken up by the montage of Wander and Syl going on the quest, it never becomes repetitive or boring since it’s focusing more on the jokes and the playful prodding at certain tropes from the fantasy genre. This whole sequence also just makes for great build-up and payoff - and the thing’s not even done yet! Again, it feels like a time effective way to get a bunch of silly jokes in without slowing the story down any.

As for the episode’s completely over-the-top and ridiculous climax, thanks to Destructor and the big reveal involving his sock. Like… What can I really say? This episode is just… so fucking stupid, and I love it so much for that. Like- even WANDER is having trouble comprehending it, that is just… so great. Beyond the comedy factor, though, I also love that we get another nice friendship moment with Wander and Sylvia, with Syl once again being the one to encourage Wander through his low points. Both Wander and Syl can be determined characters, but while Wander’s the one fighting for everyone else’s happiness, Sylvia is the one making sure Wander doesn’t lose his happiness - and I think that’s incredibly sweet. She may not always believe in what her best buddy is doing, but she believes in him - For better or for worse (we’ll get to the worse in s2). So, yeah, there’s really nothing for me to complain about here.

Rating: 10/10

Season one, episode twenty-six: The Void

Synopsis: Wander and Sylvia enter a void that caters completely to their imaginations and Wander struggles to leave it.

        Cards on the table here, I can’t really rewatch this ep anymore without thinking of how uncomfy it makes my best friend, so that’s kind of colored my personal opinion on this episode as well. Because yeah, her discomfort with certain bits in this episode isn’t exactly unwarranted…

        Looking at the episode as a whole, the concept is certainly a fun one, I’ll give it that. A bit familiar perhaps, but still fun enough. Much like “The Epic Quest”, this episode is mostly focused around gags and silly little jokes - with the artists also using the opportunity to really lean into some fun and fairly trippy visuals. All that is fine, but because there isn’t really a strong story connecting all the visuals and jokes, with the only conflict being “Sylvia wants to leave but Wander doesn’t”, I find myself getting more easily bored with rewatching this episode than I do with rewatching “The Epic Quest”, as I feel the gimmick loses just a bit of steam as it goes on. This may also just be a case of hindsight as well, since for as much as this episode may have great art and animation, I can think of at least a dozen others that have just as good (if not better) visuals. So yeah, maybe I’ve just seen this episode too many times to be impressed by it as much as I once was.

        Moving ahead, the episode also does have a pretty catchy song, buuut this is also where that “discomfort” comes into play, as we literally get a scene of Wander controlling Sylvia like a puppet - first by controlling her movements, then by controlling her words. And uh… they don’t really talk about this? Sylvia just completely brushes past this whole incident and instead only talks about her issues with being trapped in the void, and it’s just… it’s weird, right?

        I’ll get into this a bit more when I talk about season 2, but this is another example of Wander doing something that’s kiiiiiinda messed up, but because he wasn’t outright malicious about it, it just kinda gets ignored by the show? I was just talking about this a second ago with “The Tourist” - Wander messes up in a pretty big way, and the show only gives him a slap on the wrist for it. It almost feels like Sylvia is using kid gloves with him in the sense that they don’t have a real conversation about his mistakes or behavior - and when they DO talk, it’s about something tangentially related, so it makes Wander’s admittedly-interesting flaws come off as hollow because they don’t take the time to properly address them outside of a couple quick and easy conclusions.

        Looking at this episode’s ending, while the conclusion’s nice enough, it almost feels just a bit rushed - like Wander was convinced almost TOO easily considering the fight he was putting up. And this isn’t really a case of Wander being naive or unaware, Sylvia was pretty clear throughout the episode how she was done with the Void and wanted to leave. So again, it just feels kinda rushed. Cute ending gag, though.

        Honestly, the problems I have with this episode are less of a problem with “The Void” itself and more of an issue with how the show tends to treat Wander in general as it goes on. For that, I’m not going to dock too many points from it.

Rating: 7.8/10

Season one, episode twenty-seven: The Party Animal

Synopsis: Emperor Awesome’s back, and Wander and Sylvia have to stop him from throwing his Party of Doom - with Wander specifically using the power of dance to put him in his place.

        Hard to believe that it took THIS LONG for Emperor Awesome to have a proper spotlight episode - although honestly, this episode was more than worth the wait as it’s just SO much fun. I know I’m probably super biased, but I don’t care, I LOOOOOVE Emperor Awesome. He somehow manages to be genuinely cool in just how stylish and flashy he is through his design and overall attitude. But, at the same time, the show is able to successfully portray him as a loser whose ego is, at the end of the day, just as fragile as Hater’s despite it seeming like Awesome is much more put-together than Hater. It just makes for a really fun contrast. Plus, again, Sam Riegel’s performance just does a great job selling this character, he captures the obnoxious dude-bro energy PERFECTLY. My trashy shark-man, I say 100% affectionately.

        I have to point out this one line though: “No one should ever be careful, ever!” See, Awesome, it’s that kind of thinking that led to you getting PTSD and getting your shit rocked in Season 2. Anyway, the animation and music in this episode are both great, and the dance fight is just a TON of fun in how they use Wander’s more cartoony design and ability to define physics to grant him the victory. Plus, seeing how much Wander genuinely loves parties and dancing is suuuuper endearing, and seeing Awesome throw a man-baby fit after he loses is also really hilarious. Love the voice-crack that Sam throws in there.

        Really, the only complaint I have with this episode is that, in order to get to this specific dance-fight conclusion, they kiiiinda had to nerf Sylvia, which kind of sucks. I’m able to mostly forgive it since, again, I really love this episode’s ending, but that doesn’t stop Syl’s obvious nerfing from feeling just a bit convoluted.

Rating: 9.3/10

Season one, episode twenty-eight: The Toddler

Synopsis: Wander and Syl have to take care of a lost toddler as they try to find his parents.

        So uh, fun fact, apparently this is Jack McBrayer and April Winchell’s favorite episode - or at least it was at one point, according to an interview they did together back during season one’s airing. And I… honestly have no idea why this one, out of all the Season 1 episodes, was their favorite. But hey, it’s not a bad choice I guess.

        Jumping into things, I have to say a concept of a mall planet - as in, a planet that’s entirely a mall - is one that’s admittedly pretty cool to me, to the point where I may or may not end up stealing this setting idea for an original work. Anyway, Wander’s immediate love of Huckleberry Knucklehead is really cute - and yeah, for as much as he’d want to teach any kids that he had about right and wrong and having empathy for others and all that, I could totally see him spoiling them just a bit too.

        And Sylvia, well… I think it’s safe to say that she definitely learned her parenting techniques from her own mother. Anyway, while I wouldn’t say there’s anything super notable about this ep - nothing that makes it stand out from the rest in either a great or a terrible way - it’s still fairly cute and enjoyable in its own way. It’s simple, but there’s a charm in that - in just watching these two characters take on the chaos that comes with parenting. I also really appreciate that this episode doesn’t really indulge in the usual gross-out that comes with babysitting episodes. There’s a ton of drool, yeah, but there’s thankfully no diaper-changing scene, and the ending is pretty good too, capping things off with both a sweet moment as well as a final gag.

I’ve always wondered though… Does this episode count as Sylander bait? I get that this pairing idea was never really on ANYONE’S radars with a majority of both the fandom and, I assume, the WoY crew only ever seeing Wander and Syl as platonic. But like… they do get accused of being Huckleberry’s parents, with the implication there being that Wander and Syl are a couple, but that implication is never really addressed or even noticed by the characters so… eh, who cares.

Rating: 7.5/10

Season one, episode twenty-nine: The Date

Synopsis: When Hater’s date ghosts him, it’s up to Sylvia to date him in disguise, lest Hater take out his heartache on the planet.

        Ohhhh boy, this episode. If we’re looking at Season One as a whole, I think this episode is about where the transition to Hater being mostly a joke really starts, with the series primarily leaning into his more pathetic side after this point. Don’t get me wrong, Hater’s always been a bit of a joke villain, but prior to this ep he’s always had that bit of competence that still made him a threat. I can see why they kind of HAD to make this change eventually though, given that one of the main arcs of the series is showing the softer and more human side of Hater, allowing him to come off more as an actual person who’s deserving of Wander’s empathy, friendship and second-chances VS him just being a villain who needs to be defeated.

        Given how surprisingly complicated Hater is as a character due to this shift along with how much I love the idea of his eventual redemption, I’m able to still go along with this change even if a part of me will still sort of miss when he was just a bit less goofy and a bit more competent, as it could be argued that the crew leaning into his sillier and more pathetic ‘dumb teen boy’ side kind of flanderized him a bit. THAT ALL BEING SAID… this episode is still pretty funny.

        I do feel a bit bad for Syl having to deal with all this, but the jokes and silly moments thankfully keep things feeling pretty light and fun. I do get a kick out of just how much of a terrible date Hater is and how oblivious he is about this fact, and the little moments we get from Wander are also enjoyable. Although, I still kind of want to see a version of this episode where WANDER was the one on the date as that’s what was originally planned, and I know some of the writers have said that this would lead to an episode with a lack of conflict given how chill Wander would be about said date - but I dunno, I feel like they could have found a way to make it work, but again, I don’t dislike the version of this episode that we got.

        I suppose you could discuss the minor implications of this episode, in that for as terrible as he treats Sylvia, the episode still focuses more on his heartache and on fixing that more than on rewarding Sylvia for her discomfort and sacrifice, instead having her give Hater a kiss on the forehead despite how much it sickens her. But then again, this action DOES make things a whole lot worse, so I can’t exactly say that the episode completely condones it or anything like that.

        Speaking of the whole wedding climax, this is another great ending that just provides gag-after-gag. I will never get over Peepers’ “some broad he met in a restaurant” line, he’s such a salty bitch, I love it. And at the very least, I can praise this episode for Southern Belle Wander - easily his best persona next to Wild Wooly Wander and the Boy Wander. I also still love the “6 and a 4” line as well as the follow-up to it from Sylvia, and the reveal that Peepers knew who Hater’s so-called ‘dates’ were the whole time is just a perfect way to end the episode.

So yeah, while I totally can understand people who may not fully get into this episode due to how it treats Sylvia, I still enjoy a lot of bits from this episode. Really the only other thing I could theoretically knock against it is the idea that it might have potentially inspired the Dominator Crush arc in Season 2.

Rating: 8/10

Season one, episode thirty: The Buddies

Synopsis: Hater gets trapped in his prison dimension with Wander and a bunch of his old memories, and is forced to play nice in order to save himself from a beating.

        Back when I was still a Skeleton Dance shipper, similar to “The Birthday Boy” I remembered enjoying this one simply because of all the shipping fuel it gave me. Though, ALSO like that episode, even without having any shipping goggles on, this is still a really fun time.

        I really love the episode’s opening and how well it sets everything up, plus we get Hater’s “This is bad… THIS IS WORSE!” bit, which is also hilarious. Wander’s immediate friendship with the prison dimension’s residents is also really adorable, with the prisoners as a whole just kind of reminding me a ton of the people of Doomstone/Congenial Rock.

        My favorite sequence from this episode is still, without a doubt, its song. Not only is it really catchy AND really funny with its lyrics, but the reveal of it all being Hater’s nightmare is still hilarious. Honestly, Hater is just really on-point in general in this episode, as pretty much every single scene focused on him makes me laugh. It’s a real spotlight on what makes his character fun to watch - from his bad (but still incredibly entertaining) attitude and his over-the-top jerky behavior to how satisfying it is whenever he gets a truly-deserved comeuppance.

        In terms of how this episode plays into Hater’s series-long arc, it’s interesting that despite the praise and acceptance that Hater eventually gets for being a good person and a good friend, he still isn’t ready to accept Wander’s friendship just yet - and really, given that this is the most that these two have interacted since “The Birthday Boy”, it makes total sense that Hater still hasn’t softened up to Wander yet. This allows the episode to still be fun instead of frustrating, and this is especially thanks to its ending - which not only has Hater getting some well-deserved karma, but it also shows that even if Hater never wants to be Wander’s friend, Wander will still always be his. And that’s really sweet! Also, sorry Peepers.

        If I had any not-so-positive points to make about this episode, I will say that while 90% of it looks amazing from an art perspective, there were a couple of Hater expressions that just looked off to me. I think this is the point in the series where the storyboarders maybe stopped drawing his jaw lines so much, and it’s kind of jarring when you notice it - reminds me a lot of how Hater looked in “The Greatest”, actually. Not baaaad, just… off. I also wish they’d made a clearer point that Hater doesn’t have access to his powers in the prison dimension, because as is it just kind of seems like he forgot he could just electrocute all these guys. Then again, it wouldn’t be the first time that Hater forgot about one of his abilities.

Rating: 9/10

Season one, episode thirty-one: The Liar

Synopsis: Wander and Sylvia have to rescue a nest of birds from an active volcano.

        All in all, a pretty simple and fairly cute episode that I don’t really have a ton to talk about. There’s a couple of fun jokes here and there, and I love the design of these electric birds, soooo cute. The action is also pretty good, although I feel it kind of gets a bit repetitive after a while since it’s the same type of danger over-and-over. The episode’s concept also kind of has a “been there, done that” sort of feel, in my opinion.

        Sylvia, once again, gets to be the real MVP of this episode throughout despite Wander being the initial motivator, which is pretty great - although, I feel like Wander’s sudden giving up at the episode’s climax feels kinda rushed given how unyielding and optimistic he was up to this point. I feel like they could’ve done a better job of showing Wander becoming more ragged and emotionally beaten down throughout the episode VS only showing him lose his confidence at the very end. I feel like something like “The Box” is much more successful and compelling in this regard. But hey, it’s a sweet enough climax with a pretty cute ending gag.

Rating: 7.5/10

Season one, episode thirty-two: The Stray

Synopsis: Wander and Sylvia take in a stray kitten who maybe isn’t as sweet and innocent as she seems.

        Soooo, fun fact, when my parents got a kitten around the time this episode aired, I actually convinced them to name her Lil’ Bits. She’s a grumpy old lady kitty now, but she can still be sweet and cute when she wants to be. Anywho, evil kitty time yaaaay! Insert “Craig McCracken ripping off Craig McCracken” joke here - although, I can’t really call him an anti-cat guy given that he also created Tuna Sandwich from “Kid Cosmic.”

        Kicking off the positives I have with this ep, I really love the design of this planet, especially its city. The dark colors and moody lighting combined with the elegance that you see with all the different building designs is just sooooo good - easily in my top 5 favorite planet settings from this show. I also enjoy how this episode does a good job building up Lil’ Bits’s manipulation and maliciousness, while also perfectly capturing that attitude of cats AND cat owners.

        Sylvia also gets plenty of time to shine in this episode, which is always great, and I like the continuity callback to Hater using bounty hunters, and the whole “Sad Eyes” battle is just perfect. I wouldn’t necessarily call this episode SUPER funny, but there are still a few bits from it that make me laugh and it’s still entertaining overall, so I’d call that a win.

Rating: 8.5/10

Season one, episode thirty-three: The Big Job

Synopsis: Wander and Sylvia participate in a heist that quickly goes off the rails thanks to Wander’s helpful nature.

        Let’s get this out of the way first and foremost: The A-Team parody in this episode was incredibly underutilized. Like- if you were going to bother inventing all these new characters, you could’ve actually done something with them. I’m not saying that you HAD to play the whole heist plot straight, I don’t mind that it’s not a typical heist story, it just feels like a waste of character designs and guest voice actors when the heist team that the episode semi-revolves around doesn’t matter.

Speaking of VAs, personally, I feel like General Outrage should’ve been voiced by John DiMaggio instead of Steve Blum, I feel like he would’ve given a much more entertaining and memorable performance. This was also a waste of Dwight Shultz since I think he only got, like… three lines? I get that he was only brought in for reference's sake, but given his legit voice acting talent in shows like Chowder, he should’ve been given more to do. I’m also curious as to how Sylvia even heard of these guys and why she holds them in such high regards given that they’re heroes and she used to be a criminal. But we don’t have time to go into that, because this episode mostly just centers around Wander and the shenanigans he gets up to.

I will say that upon rewatch, this episode was actually a bit funnier than I remembered. Not a full on laugh riot or anything like that, but there’s some pretty good bits here and there. The story, however, really is its weakest element. Like, where the hell did Wander’s self-esteem issues come from, when was that ever set up? And I get that the ending being an underwhelming joke is supposed to be the point, but it’s still really lame in my opinion.

Rating: 6.5/10

Season one, episode thirty-four: The Helper

Synopsis: Wander struggles to enjoy the day when he comes across a town full of people who don’t need any help

        Hoo boy… Okay, I’m gonna try not to be TOO harsh on this episode since, as I’ve recently learned, there are actually a few people in the fandom - namely those who are neurodivergent or who deal with anxiety - who find this episode incredibly relatable and thus are able to enjoy it much more than I can. And honestly? Good on them! I’m glad this episode has its fans.

        Me personally though? I can’t fucking STAND this episode - and I’ve tried, I really have, but I just can’t find any enjoyment in it. For starters, this episode had a guest writer, storyboarder and director: Aaron Springer, best known for his work on Spongebob Squarepants. And, yeah, this episode definitely feels like one that was written by an outsider.

        For starters, the Wander in this episode really doesn’t feel like Wander, it feels like a totally flanderized version of him, or like the “incomplete” version that we saw in the Season 2 episode “The Wanders” - specifically when he up and accuses Hater of doing something evil despite him usually giving Hater the benefit of a doubt. And like, maybe that was the point, that this planet was making Wander so crazy that he was acting out of character, but even if it was done on purpose it still wasn’t enjoyable or fun to watch, it was just jarring.

        Because here’s the thing about Wander: Yes, he’s a helpful guy who loves lending a hand and who struggles to refuse or ignore people when they need him, that all makes sense. But pay close attention to that last bit - WHEN THEY NEED HIM. He’s a compulsive helper, yes, but only when he knows that there’s something he can be doing to brighten someone’s day. “The Helper seeks to help because he knows what it is to feel helpless”. He doesn’t just help because he HAS to or he’ll go crazy due to not getting to do his Good Deeds of the Day, he helps because he genuinely wants to or because he feels someone needs him to, because he doesn’t want anyone else to experience the same hurt or loneliness that he had to. As such, I feel like in any other episode, Wander wouldn’t have really cared if he landed on a place where no one needed his help, he’d just enjoy his time on this new planet, simply leaning more into his exploring wanderer side than his helper side. See what I mean when it feels like this episode was written by someone who doesn’t really know the characters? Again, even if the out-of-character nature of it was done on purpose, you don’t really get anything positive out of that, you just get an episode where Wander briefly goes crazy.

        The other thing I really hate about this episode is just how damn awkward it is. The new characters are all flat and emotionless, most of the episode lacks background music, and little things like this random bird having a human voice or this diner manager repeatedly calling Wander “son” every five seconds - it all just culminates in the episode feeling really weird and really off to me! I kinda get the feeling that this episode was supposed to sort of be inspired by Wes Anderson’s style of directing with all the awkwardness and long silences, and I’m sorry, but I’m not a fan of Wes Anderson. Additionally, any attempts at jokes just fall flat for me, with even a silly ending not being able to save it.

        So yeah, I still don’t care for this episode at all. I’m glad it exists for the people who DO enjoy it and who are big fans of it, I’m just not one of those fans.

Rating: 3.5/10

Season one, episode thirty-five: The Funk

Synopsis: Hater finds himself in a funk and Peepers tries to help him remember just how fun being evil can be

        Oh hey, look! It’s our first Hater and Peepers friendship spotlight! We see how, despite still being more evil than Hater as well as more determined when it comes to the empire’s goals, Peepers is also Hater’s closest friend and does have a real soft spot for him - which is really sweet to see! At the very least, it answers the question why he doesn’t just try and overthrow Hater.

        Anyway, I’m fairly sure this episode originally ran a few minutes short, given that we get that whole entrance sequence at the start of the episode as well as two montage sequences, so it makes the overall product feel like it's maybe lacking in substance or that they could have used their time better. This is also another episode that feels a bit repetitive at times while also being somewhat lacking in the laughs department. I really only chuckled at Peepers briefly snapping at Hater and that little “seatbelts… (for safety)” bit in the song.

        But, like I said, this episode still has pretty decent character stuff in it. It really is nice seeing Hater and Peepers getting along and having fun together for once, and the visuals we get towards the end of the episode are pretty cool, plus the target audience gets a good moral out of it. It’s also interesting to think that, if not for Peepers’ interference, this is another instance that could have been Hater’s “Major Threat” moment - i.e. his turning point where he decides it's not worth being a villain anymore. Food for thought - or for AU purposes.

Rating: 6.5/10

Season one, episode thirty-six: The Enemies

Synopsis: Rivals Lord Hater and Sir Brad Starlight clash as they both try to be the one to defeat Wander, getting their revenge on him once and for all

        It’s the return of the infamous Brad Starlight and despite not being a huge fan of Brad as a character, I really couldn’t be happier as while Brad himself may still be a whiny and pompous loser who deserves a good punch in the face, pairing him up with Hater is just a genius idea. I still would love to hear how these two first met and became rivals, although the idea of them just fucking hating each other on sight is just as great and also really funny.

        Their dynamic really is just so good with Brad being an egotistical idiot and Hater just being so done with his dumb ass while still also being a bit of a hot-headed dumbass. This is also just a very Looney Tunes-esque episode, so you know it’s going to be a pretty funny time, with Wander just being along for the ride. Like in “The Prisoner”, Wander feels a lot like Dee Dee here, just vibing and having a good time and occasionally stirring the pot between Hater and Brad, being the perfect enhancement to this episode’s wackiness. I really can’t get over how funny this episode is, while the whole “damsel” plan is probably one of my top 10 favorite bits from this show.

        So yeah, really love this one, SO hilarious. Would’ve liked to see these two meet again - and hey, throw Awesome in there too, why the hell not? I want “It’s Always Sunny” levels of dumb chaos. Also, I just want to say… Hater looks cute as a blonde.

Rating: 10/10

Season one, episode thirty-seven: The Rider

Synopsis: Wander and Sylvia run into Sylvia’s old partner, Ryder, and Wander wonders if he truly fits with what Sylvia wants in a partner.

Finale time! I’ve always loved this one and, thankfully, it still holds up incredibly well! From a solid opening that does a good job of subtly showing why Syl is so excited to see her old partner again to an absolutely fantastic ending that, in addition to being hilarious, just feels like it wraps up the season perfectly. Heck, I could’ve even seen it as a good SERIES finale - really, the only thing missing from this episode is an appearance from Peepers. Other than that, I don’t really know what else you could ask for in a season finale.

Diving into the episode itself, let’s start things off with talking about the main man himself, Bojack Horseman- I mean, Lego Batman- I mean, Ryder. I really love Ryder’s design, both in how it complements Sylvia’s design in that same sort of yin-yang way that Wander’s does, and in how the pompadour and the Geordi La Forge glasses are just really fun design details in general. Will Arnett, naturally, gives a really great performance (shoutout to “I'm gonna buy a big galactic cruiser, and a little one to go inside the big one!” and the weird way he says “noooo, my treasure!” after the storage station blows up). I also appreciate that the episode actually bothers setting Ryder up as a decent guy while, at the same time, doing a good job of subtly showing his more negative traits as well as how he brings out Sylvia’s more brash tendencies.

There’s also a lot of Star Wars references in this episode, to the point where I feel like Craig was saving them all for this occasion. Can’t really complain though, given that it’s kind of expected at this point that every CMcC show is gonna have at least ONE Star Wars reference in it. But yeah, we get some fun jokes, some pretty great action - and, probably one of the biggest praises I can give this episode, is just how on point Wander is. He’s incredibly lovable throughout this episode, and while he may annoy Syl and Ryder at some points, he never comes off as annoying to the viewer - which is DEFINITELY important.

I can also appreciate that the third-act low point where Wander feels abandoned enough to leave actually feels earned and feels like it fits with the story they’re telling VS simply feeling like a cliche. Same goes with Ryder finally showing his true colors, it feels natural instead of rushed or predictable.

I have to mention some fandom gripes I nearly forgot about though, which was that certain members of the fandom at the time were waaaaay more critical of Sylvia in this episode than what was probably necessary. Blah, blah, fandom misogyny, you know the drill. Look I understand feeling a bit bad for Wander in this episode, but in my opinion at least, she never did anything that crossed the line. The fact that she immediately noticed his absence in the hanger shows that she was never trying to ditch him on purpose, instead just getting carried away with an old friend who enabled her worst tendencies. Less a case of a total friendship betrayal, more like an older sibling accidentally leaving their little brother behind while trying to have a bit of fun with their older kid friends.

I should also mention that, prior to this episode, some fans also claimed that it was Sylvia’s “job” to protect Wander, making her deserving of critique when she “fails” this job - and, no, Sylvia is his FRIEND first and foremost, not his bodyguard and certainly not his mother. She’s allowed to have flaws, make mistakes, and live her own damn life - because regardless of it all, she still cares about Wander, and it’s insulting to her character to act like she doesn’t. And hey, considering some of the stuff Wander put Syl through this season (particularly in the Tourist, the Date and the Void) he’s not exactly innocent here.

Okay, back to the fun stuff. Ryder getting so hyped about the treasure is another funny bit of performance from Will Arnett, and I always laugh at just how easily Ryder got taken out - bro survived a blackhole and still got taken out by a random Watchdog grunt, smh.

Honestly though, the last third or so is probably my favorite part of the episode, as it really is just back-to-back great moments. Lines like “Lady, I’m sorry you lost your dog or whatever, but no one cares” and “You know, he was gonna eat me” and “But I was asking a space worm, about friendship and-” and “Barry was born!” just all live in my head rent-free. I also really love Sylvia showing Wander how much she appreciates his kindness and his unique way of doing things, as well as just how much they both clearly love each other, it is just incredibly sweet. You also just can’t beat the payoff of all the blown-up treasure getting sent back to its rightful owners all while Ode to Joy plays in the background. Simply perfect, absolutely no notes. Also, I love Fredrick, we stan a space-worm therapist. Really wish we could’ve seen both him and Ryder again - but eh, if this is all we get of them, then I’d say I’m still pretty satisfied.

Rating: 9.5/10

Season one, episode thirty-eight: The Gift 2 - The Giftening

Synopsis: Hater and Peepers must stop a secret gifter on their ship from infecting all the Watchdogs with happiness.

        Wrapping things up with the Halloween/Christmas double-episode, this one opens up in a pretty funny way, just fully spotlighting how damn stupid the Watchdogs are and Hater just being completely done with their shenanigans. I also love how the Watchdog who was first ‘infected’ didn’t even look inside the box to see what he got, he was just happy to have a gift in general. Relatable!

        We get some other good gags here - my favorite is the security camera bit - and honestly the idea of mixing Christmas gifts and horror is a pretty creative one, I can’t deny that. Also, I’m kinda surprised that the Watchdogs even get shore leave but, hey, even evil empires have to obey labor laws, I suppose. Anyway, while I don’t necessarily get any HUGE laughs from this episode personally, it does still give me plenty of chuckles and smiles at the very least. I can also appreciate the Watchdogs’ ‘happy noises’, just adorable.

        Unfortunately, the last chunk of the ep with Hater having all those Tex Avery style reactions does get just a bit boring to me, but then the episode makes up for it with the episode’s sweet and funny ending. Also the “bone daddy” line.

Rating: 9/10

Season one, episode thirty-nine: The Gift

Synopsis: Wander and Syl are delivering gifts throughout the Galaxy, and the Skullship is their last stop!

        Once again, this show proves that its best backgrounds are clearly whenever they’re on a winter-y or snow-covered planet. Like, look at this it is SOOOOO PRETTY! I should also probably point out that, much like its Halloween counterpart, this is a pretty unique concept for a Christmas special, which I can appreciate! It’s also just nice seeing all the season one characters again, even if it’s just for brief moments - especially since some of these guys we’ll literally never see again *cough* Westley *cough*. Also, gas station worker, my beloved.

        Unfortunately, rewatching this ep after seeing all of season 2 made me realize just how much that “-of our lives” line ended up getting super overused, to the point where it was just kind of annoying after a while. Which is a shame, since it’s a cute enough 4th wall break. But eh, it still works in this episode, I guess. What also works really well are all the WoY-style Christmas carols that you hear in the background throughout the episode, with all of them just adding a ton to the overall Christmas vibes.

        There are some other good bits, like Wander and Sylvia just casually avoiding all of the Skull Ship’s security measures/traps and Wander’s pursuit of Peepers, ending with him just throwing the present right at his head. Though, maybe this is just the perfectionist in me, but it is just a bit jarring that the scenes in this episode don’t line up perfectly with the ones in “The Gift 2”. And yeah, I know WHY they had to condense some scenes in order to save time, but it’s still a bit weird when you watch the episodes back-to-back.

        The ending of the episode is still great though, with this part essentially having a fun double-twist to it, making it all the more wholesome and funny. Honestly, you can’t really ask for more from a space-themed Christmas special.

Rating 9.2/10

Season One Overview

        I know it may have sounded like I was complaining or nitpicking a lot at some points during this overview, but I really can’t emphasize enough how much I still love this season, with it easily being my favorite season from WoY simply because of how incredibly solid and consistent it was with its stories, characters and jokes. Yes, Season 2 also has some pretty high-highs of its own, but there’s a special feeling that I get with Season 1 that keeps it so close to my heart even after all these years.

        For every ‘meh’ episode, there was at least one banger episode to follow, if not multiple. So many moments from this season still made me smile or laugh, and even when certain moments didn’t hit the same on a rewatch, I could still at least understand and appreciate what they were trying to do. I still love the main four to bits, with each of them still being just as enjoyable as I remember, save for maybe one or two moments that are now maybe just a bit harsher in hindsight.

        At worst, this season could at times be a bit boring, repetitive, or predictable, and even then it was far from unwatchable or even aggravating. And at its best? It could be hilarious, heartfelt, charming, and even a bit thought provoking at times! All in all, this season is still very fun to watch. Not perfect, but fairly close at times.

Top 10 best Season 1 episodes: The Nice Guy (fave), The Fugitives, The Pet, The Birthday Boy, The Picnic, The Epic Quest, The Enemies, The Time Bomb, The Good Deed, The Bad Guy

Bottom 5 worst: The Funk, The Night, The Big Job, The Tourist, The Helper (least fave)

Season two, episode one: The Greater Hater

Synopsis: Wander, Syl, Hater and Peepers all meet the newest villain of the Galaxy, Lord Dominator, who seems to be the biggest threat any of them had ever faced.

        Welp, coming back to this ep after several years - and several realizations regarding just how much missed potential there was in this second and final season of WoY - is more than a little bittersweet. Going back in time to the hiatus between seasons 1 and 2, having to wait several months before FINALLY getting that sweet, sweet Comic Con trailer, I remember being SO excited for this premiere that it actually gave me an upset stomach on the night of. Not only was I FINALLY getting a new episode of my favorite show, BUT we were gonna get this new awesome lady-villain that was sure to be a great addition to the cast! Right? …Riiiiiiight?

        Okay, okay, I’m gonna try to focus on the episode at hand before getting into, well… you’ll see. Anyway, because this episode is mostly just set-up for the Dominator arc and is a lot of introduction stuff, of the four ‘tentpole eps’ of this season, it ended up being the one I rewatched the least. It wasn’t that I hated it or anything, I just didn’t feel like it offered as much entertainment or rewatch value as episodes like “The Battle Royale”, “My Fair Hatey” and “The End of the Galaxy”. But hey, that made it all the more fascinating to rewatch and be reminded of just how much this episode did, how much was set-up in it… aaaand how much ended up not being paid off in ways I expected. Or at all.

        Anyway, the episode has a solid enough set-up scene, still being funny and entertaining as it reminds us all of the status-quo that’s about to get a spaceship to the face. Maybe it’s a bit exposition heavy, but not to the point where it hurts the episode or anything like that. And, once Dominator’s actually on the scene, the music and animation do a good job of setting the mood and making things feel a bit more ‘serious’. It’s also interesting that we see Wander actually admit that he’s scared of this new villain, given how unflappable he typically is. It kind of reminds me of his brief moment of fear in “The Greatest”, which I suppose is fitting. As the episode goes on, the crew also does a great job of showing WHY the typical tactics that these four usually use when dealing with a foe or a conflict won’t necessarily work this time around. Granted, the pacing is sometimes a bit fast - it doesn’t really feel like they’re given time to really stew in their brief defeats or actually reflect on how this new villain is so different from every other character - but hey, they only had 22 minutes so I’m not going to hold it against the crew TOO much.

        Now, let’s talk character parallels. If there’s one thing this episode loves doing, it’s laying on the character parallels in a VERY thick way - not just between Wander and Hater + Sylvia and Peepers, but also a bit Hater and Sylvia and even a bit of Wander and Peepers. It’s not the most subtle thing in the show, but it does a good job of showing why these four characters are the show’s main ensemble - why they work so well off each other, and why there’s a chance these guys could actually become allies and friends one day despite all their differences. Again, lots of good set up here, and I could easily see WHERE things could’ve gone had there been more episodes.

        The jokes - primarily any scenes involving Hater and Peepers, although Wander gets a couple laughs here and there too - are just as well done as always, and I really do have to give some praise towards this show’s background artists for making Dom’s ship such a memorable and intimidating location. As for some of my favorite moments, I like actually seeing Wander struggle to stay optimistic about his new ‘potential friend’ when he’s briefly imprisoned or when he’s trying to offer Dom the fruit basket. It’s something we’ve never really seen from him before - even when Hater was at his worst - and it’s just interesting seeing where Wander’s limits lie. He’s a very social character, so Dominator just straight up ignoring him doesn’t really give Wander anything to work off of or dig into like he can with Hater’s anger issues and insecurities. It’s also just really funny that Wander can deal with being threatened and raged at, but give him the cold shoulder? Now THAT’S when he gets pissed.

        But while this all works for Wander’s side of the story within this singular episode, I feel like having Dominator remain completely silent and stoic until literally the last 30 seconds of the episode is a detriment to not just Dominator but the Dom Arc as a whole. Simply put, it feels forced as all hell - like, knowing what we know now about Dominator and her character thanks to hindsight, it doesn’t make ANY sense why she wouldn’t be saying anything or interacting with the others in a more bombastic way. It feels like it was ONLY done this way to add some artificial mystery to the character and to make the ‘ending twist’ hit much harder. But like, you could’ve still given Fred Tatasciore some more lines throughout the episode without ruining the twist that Dom is actually this super bubbly and silly villainess. She talks about how “amazing” everything was and how much fun she had with the others, but it feels SO disconnected to how we actually see her throughout this first episode that it feels like something the crew decided to add last-minute. And yeah, obviously I know that wasn’t the case, but it’s still the first in a LONG list of points that all sort of hint at the fact that Craig and the crew didn’t really have a solid idea of what exactly to do with Dominator beyond just a couple of vague concepts like “Hater/Wander parallel” and “difficult for Wander to befriend” and “Hater’s brief toxic love interest”.

        Speaking of Hater, going back to things I appreciate about this episode, I really like the “I can’t run if I want to be number one” character beat that we see from Hater. We see him actually acknowledge and even somewhat accept the thing that Peepers has been trying to tell him throughout the first half of the episode - that he’s fallen from evil-grace and isn’t the same threat he was before. Not only that, but Hater IMMEDIATELY tries to take action and course-correct by taking on the Dom-bot - reckless, yes, but also VERY in-character. This whole moment just shows that while Hater still has his own goals that don’t always necessarily align with Peepers’, he still bothers to sometimes listen to his commander and acknowledge when Peepers is right, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Again, as much as I love Hater being a dumb dork who often acts before thinking, I also really love these brief moments of competency and determination that hint at WHY he was such a big threat before Wander and Sylvia came onto the scene. Hater may be an idiot, but when push comes to shove, he knows how to at least TRY to fight for himself, showing that his stubbornness, pettiness and rage are truly his greatest assets - not infallible ones, obviously, but still insanely strong in the right circumstances. It’s also nice seeing Peepers being inspired by Hater, even if it doesn’t necessarily work out for either of them in this instance.

        Anyway, jumping back to the end of the episode, we see Wander at his wits end and actually declare that he maybe doesn’t want to be Dominator’s friend, the first time we’ve ever seen him seemingly give up on someone… and we NEVER bring this up again, because the next time Wander sees Dominator, all is forgiven because he learns Dom is a woman and he’s immediately trying to hook her up with Hater. *siiiiiiiiiiiigh*

Look… I get Wander wanting to regain his optimism and try again - hell, we even see in this episode how much he really REALLY doesn’t want to ever give up on someone who may need his help and/or friendship regardless of whether or not they actually deserve it. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that it could have been really interesting to spend more time with Wander reflecting on and trying to deal with the idea that he may not be able to - or even WANT to - turn his latest enemy into a friend. I mean, isn’t that supposed to be one of the show’s main themes? Why aren’t we spending more time on THAT! I know why, because the ‘Hater falls in love’ subplot seemed funnier to the Crew and because we’re still several years away from “Kid Cosmic”, meaning that Craig is gonna be sticking to the mostly-episodic style of storytelling for the time being even as he tries to dip his toe into serialization.  

Overall, I still can’t really call this episode “bad”, as I said there are several moments that either make me chuckle or that I appreciate for just being a good character beat, but the lost potential of the overall Dom Arc just kinda lingers over this episode like a shadow in my opinion.

Rating: 8.2/10

Season two, episode two: The Big Day

Synopsis: Hater finally has his chance to destroy Wander and Wander encourages him to make the moment as perfect as possible.

        AKA The episode that’s just one giant gay joke/Bugs Bunny gambit. But hey, I’m not mad. Pretty much from the get-go this episode is just running on ALL cylinders comedy-wise - from the t-shirt cannon, to Peepers once again being more than happy to zap some subordinates, to Hater’s whole speech about how he’s TOTALLY over trying to destroy Wander immediately being tossed aside - it’s all great.

        I honestly don’t know how they got away with some of the lines in this episode though - namely Wander calling Hater’s initial attempt to destroy him “quick and cheap in some cramped hallway” and the “I can’t wait to destroy your body tonight” lyric in the episode’s song. By the way, said song is an absolute bop, no question, I sing it to myself all the time. Also, “quickie destruction”, can’t forget that one.

        Beyond all the double entendres, there are so many just little moments that both add to this episode’s fun and overall charm while also just being memorable in their own right. I love how Sylvia is just immediately on board with doing Wander’s “thing”. Wander being just a perfect little manipulator while at the same time genuinely enjoying his time spent with Hater, being happy to see Hater being happy, it’s adorable. Sparkly cloak Hater is Peak, and Wander casually breaking out of restraints will never not be funny. And this isn’t even mentioning all the bits with Peepers - they really do ramp the gay up to 11 in this episode. Needless to say, the ending to this one is also pretty amazing, being a perfect culmination of all the episode’s shenanigans.

Rating: 10/10

Season two, episode three: The Breakfast

Synopsis: Wander and Hater try to find breakfast in their own unique ways.

        Oh hey, it’s the episode that finally won this show an Annie - and it’s pretty easy to see why. Yeah, technically this is a bit of a ‘gimmick’ episode, but it’s a genuinely well-done concept that is both entertaining and does a good job of just showcasing both the parallels and the differences between Wander and Hater.

        Just by watching this one, you immediately pick up on how buttery-smooth both the animation as well as the many transitions between ‘perspectives’ are in this episode. The storyboarders did a great job of balancing Wander and Hater’s sides of the story, keeping things flowing without making it too overwhelming or hard to follow. If there are any critiques I have with this episode, I’d say it’s more ‘cute’ than outright funny, with the story being a bit on the simple side. Nothing wrong with that, it just can’t always compare to other episodes when it comes to being in the mood to rewatch them.

Rating: 9/10

Season two, episode four: The Fremergency Fronfract

Synopsis: Wander has to take care of a loopy Hater when he’s accidentally put down as Hater’s emergency contact.

        Man, having this episode and “The Big Day” pretty much back-to-back was almost too much for my Skeleton Dance shipping heart back in the day. Did this count as ‘queerbaiting’? …ehhhhhh, maybe in a way but like, come on. If you’re looking for any sort of meaningful, not purely-comedic romance in a Craig McCracken cartoon, you’re already on a bit of a fool’s errand. I can only think of two canon pairings out of ALL his shows, and both of them involve secondary-to-minor characters (King Drakor x Princess Demurra from WoY and Carlos x Ramona from Kid Cosmic).

        Anyway, loopy Hater! Easily something that could’ve gotten boring or annoying after a while, but thankfully the crew knew how to balance it well, focusing on the sillier aspects in the first half before throwing in the twist that a Hater without any inhibitions actually WANTS to be nice and help others - making it all the harder for Wander to think about his new best buddy eventually ‘going back to normal’.

Speaking of which - I actually don’t mind the bit where Wander is actually tempted to zap Hater again just to keep this new version around for just a bit longer. Is it a bit of a messed up suggestion? Yeah, of course, but characters are allowed to have messed up thoughts - especially in moments of desperation. It helps that it only lasts for a moment before Wander realizes of his own accord that it wouldn’t be right to forcefully keep Hater in a state of vulnerability just so he could be nicer. I also like that this episode doesn’t necessarily say that it’s impossible for Hater to do good or to eventually become good, it just has to be his choice.

Other things I like include the Chuck E. Cheese and crystal mountain planets, both of which are fun locations, and the Superman reference, which gets me every time. I also have to admit that, for the longest time, Wander being forced to say goodbye to good!Hater did make me cry - again, I was a former Skeleton Dance shipper. It doesn’t really make me cry nowadays, but I do still feel for the guy. I guess I should also mention that this whole bit is apparently a “Harry and the Hendersons” reference but I’ve never seen that movie so, kind of a moot point. The ending with Hater taking out his own Watchdogs while singing his good guy theme song is also just… so great. Same with Peepers being utterly pissed off afterwards. Absolutely amazing.

In another case of the fandom criticizing Sylvia waaaaay more than any other character in the show though, apparently there was a small subset of fans who really didn’t like Sylvia recording and embarrassing Hater in this episode, even going so far as to call it “cyberbullying”. Okay, guys, guys… I know Hater tends to act like a dumb teen boy a lot of the time, making it VERY easy to woobify him. But like… bro’s a planet conquering warlord. He has a torture room, and a pit full of skulls! He’s tried to blow up more than one sun. I think it’s okay for Sylvia to poke fun at him a little when he’s being super silly - and even if it wasn’t okay, I feel like she more than makes up for it in the season 2 finale.

Rating: 9.2/10

Season two, episode five: The Boy Wander

Synopsis: Wander has to don his superhero persona as he battles a dangerous prankster.

        So uh, yeah, this episode was already good on its own, but it became even better after I actually watched the Batman ‘66 show. Like, you can absolutely tell that Craig McCracken is a huge fan of that show given how accurate everything in this episode is when it comes to trying to capture that wacky Adam West vibe. I specifically want to shout out the scene in the museum with Wander figuring out Screwball’s next target - that is EXACTLY how Batman solves riddles in the ‘66 show, it’s such bullshit that makes no damn sense and I fucking love it. So yeah, this episode is already a 10/10 in terms of being a tribute.

        As for the episode itself, Wander’s superhero persona is just as fun as his others, and Sylvia being dragged along for the ride and being the straight man of the episode works perfectly. And of course any episode that brings in Weird Al is gonna be a fun time. Despite only seeing him in the last four minutes or so of the episode, Screwball still manages to make such a big impact - yet at the same time, it feels like the perfect amount from him, and with the rest of the episode also being just as great as its climax, it keeps the episode from feeling like a “one-scene wonder”. Also, speaking of Screwball’s introduction, Sylvia reiterating how Wander views Screwball as the biggest threat in the Galaxy and Hater immediately being offended by this with his offscreen “He WHAT” is probably in my list of top 5 favorite jokes from this show, it makes me laugh every single time.

 So yeah, obviously this episode is a really fun time, and the only thing I could maaaaybe knock against it is simply the fact that we get introduced to seemingly Wander’s ONLY exception when it comes to befriending bad guys, and it kind of sucks that we never get to learn more about their history with each other. Like, what specific line did Screwball cross to make Wander declare him his enemy? To be fair, Wander does mention that Screwball is a lot more forceful when it comes to making people happy - hence the whole tickle device thing and forcing people to laugh. Although, I have to point out Wander’s argument that “he only presents others with the positive path but doesn’t force them to follow it” is somewhat debatable given what we learn of Wander in this season specifically but, hey, at least he’s never tortured anyone. I guess he’s got that on Screwball.

Rating: 10/10

Season two, episode six: The Wanders

Synopsis: Wander gets split into hundreds of different personality fragments and it’s up to Sylvia to put them all back together.

        Given that there’s one scene in this episode that literally EVERYONE always brings up, it’d be easy to just say that this one was a one-scene wonder - but thankfully, I personally don’t think that’s the case. Yes, THAT scene is easily the best one in the episode, but the rest of it isn’t half bad either.

        It’s another one that I’d say is more cute than funny, as I don’t really get any huge laughs from this episode, but I do get plenty of smiles. The wanders, naturally, are all pretty fun. Zen Wander is probably my favorite but I liked seeing Wild Wooly Wander and the Boy Wander again. Sylvia also gets to shine in how clever she is, as well as how loyal she is to Wander, genuinely loving him despite how frustrating he can be and preferring to deal with those frustrations than to not have him in her life at all. I can also appreciate that, even with a pretty simple main premise of “collect all the Wanders”, the episode never feels too repetitive and manages to keep things flowing pretty well. Though, I feel like Sylvia’s way of capturing the second-to-last Wander maybe works a bit TOO easily, but I get that they only have 11 minutes.

        I actually really like how they present the moral here, not necessarily saying that Wander can’t ever improve on his flaws or be better, but just that we can’t completely separate people or ourselves from the parts we don’t like, no matter how convenient doing that might be. You have to first accept and acknowledge those flaws before you can properly grow from them or improve on them, all while accepting that they still play a part in who you are and are always gonna be there in some way. Also, let’s face it, Wander without his impulse control issues just isn’t Wander, lol.

        And, as it turns out, the same can be said about his trauma - granted, Wander can still be a full person without that trauma, but he isn’t him, because it’s that trauma and those previous experiences connected to it that allows Wander to be more empathetic and kind than he otherwise might have been in a different life. Really, I think the episode does a really tasteful job of showing how a person’s past influences and experiences help shape who they are. Needless to say, this is still a strong ending that holds up well.

Rating: 9.3/10

Season two, episode seven: The Axe

Synopsis: Hater fires Peepers after blaming him for his recent failures.

        Man, I’m so happy they brought Evil Sandwich back, he’s such a fun and silly character and is easily one of my favorite elements from this episode. He’s just so sassy, I love it. This episode also does a decent job of playing into what was set up in the s2 premiere with Hater having to deal with more competition - though I have to wonder what exactly makes villainy such a prominent career path in this Galaxy.

        As for the main plot of the ep, I think we all knew that we were bound to get a story like this eventually, just given all the friction that has been building between these two. I do appreciate Peepers not being shy about calling Hater out, and Hater’s stubbornness and pettiness being once again dialed up - although, they also seem to dumb him down a lot in this ep for the sake of the plot, which is maybe a bit annoying even if I get why they had to do it.

Moving past potential character critiques, I do like a lot of the gags in this episode, with my favorites probably being Peepers’ password and Hater initially being VERY outgunned against Sourdough’s armada. The song’s also a pretty good one, though I wish we could have heard the version performed by Tom Kenny, which apparently exists according to Andy Bean, the show’s composer, he just unfortunately never got around to uploading it to his soundcloud. The conclusion to this episode is also pretty fun and wacky, with just a hint of sweetness.

Rating: 9/10

Season two, episode eight: The Loose Screw

Synopsis: Wander and Sylvia run into an elderly superheroine who may just be more than she seems.

        This episode took me a couple watches to really get into, but I can safely say now that I like it! It’s certainly better than other Craig McCracken romps focused around the elderly. Looking at you Foster’s and PPG. But yeah, while I don’t think this episode does anything AMAZING, there are enough good jokes and a good overall story to make me want to put this one on every once in a while.

        It helps that, even at her ditziest, Stella Starbella never comes off as all that annoying or frustrating to the viewer, being charming at the start of the episode and then getting to be a badass in its climax. I can also appreciate a plus-sized heroine getting to be cool without any jokes being made at the expense of her body or weight. I also really love Mittens, I feel like he and Tuna Sandwich would be bros. As for the other characters, I could honestly take or leave Mandrake the Malfeasant - easily the least enjoyable WoY character voiced by Keith Ferguson, imo - and the king is kind of a nobody voiced by Pleakly, but I do find his obvious crush on Starbella really cute.

        Overall, in terms of story and jokes, like I said this episode is a pretty solid watch. The only thing I can really critique about it is some wonky looking art and animation in some shots, which are pretty noticeable given how clean this show normally looks. Also there’s a bit at the start of the episode where Wander spends an uncomfortable amount of time talking to Sylvia’s crotch. Also weird.

Rating: 8.3/10

Season two, episode nine: The It

Synopsis: Hater gets tagged by Wander, hilarity ensues.

        We’re back to the really strong comedic episodes because boy oh boy is this episode a silly one. It’s such a silly concept too, just Hater - and, apparently, the other villains of the Galaxy - getting super wrapped up in this game of tag that Wander started. Really, the comedy kind of writes itself.

        As always, the scenes with Hater and Peepers are just great. I love Peepers jumping across the table the moment Hater brings up Wander - like, he is absolutely going to strangle this skeleton man one of these days. I can also appreciate Hater at least TRYING to be a competent villain and ignore Wander’s game, even if it is ultimately impossible for him. Also, Peepers just straight up stating that Pat the Watchdog will probably die on their mission and Pat just casually accepting it is really funny. Pretty sure all these Watchdogs have guessed that they’re going to die or at the very least get really hurt for a really stupid reason at this point.

Speaking of stupid, the key to this episode really is just how ridiculous and over the top it is, which just adds to the hilarity. There are just soooo many great jokes here. Peepers specifically being a huge hypocrite shows that he’s not exactly so above it all as he likes to think he is, and that always makes me laugh. Then of course we have the episode’s climax and it’s absolute god-tier ending all thanks to Ted from Accounting. So stupid, but SO good.

Rating: 10/10

Season two, episode ten: The Cool Guy

Synopsis: Hater and Awesome go out partying, leaving Peepers behind.

        So, you’d think that I, being an unapologetic Emperor Awesome stan and lowkey Conquering Boyfriends shipper, would absolutely love this episode. But honestly, it’s THOSE reasons that make it kind of hard for me to enjoy it nowadays. Like, for me, it’s one of those episodes that kind of gets worse each time I watch it.

        That being said, it’s not COMPLETELY terrible. I still enjoy some of the interactions between Awesome and Hater, such as Awesome immediately getting a nat 20 on his influence roll, him cringing at Hater trying to talk hip, and Hater’s excitement over their little fistbump. Hater and Peepers’ interactions are also pretty cute here, ngl. I want those toys, why did we never get any WoY toys?

        That all being said, I feel like both Hater and Peepers are somewhat out of character. I get that after their friendship taking a slightly more positive turn in “The Axe”, they’d want to show these characters being actual buddies, but it still feels like they’re laying it on just a bit thick with Hater being just SO much friendlier towards Peepers and is even a bit on the clingy side. Hater’s interactions with Awesome are just as OOC in my opinion, as while I understand him briefly being won over by being called cool and wanting to “boost his streetcred” by hanging out with Awesome, they make Hater such a passive character in this episode. He doesn’t even really react to Awesome calling him ugly, nor does he get annoyed with Awesome bossing him around. He’s just constantly awed and amazed and, in the case of wanting to stay in contact with Peepers, stepped on like a doormat. I feel like it could’ve been more interesting to see more friction between these two throughout the episode with Hater then trying to hold himself back from escalating any conflict for the sake of any possible benefits he may get from sharing Awesome’s spotlight. That, in turn, could’ve made Peepers getting bullied being Hater’s breaking point that much more impactful.

Awesome, funnily enough, feels weirdly toned down from his previous appearances. Sure, he’s still being ‘extremely cool’ I suppose, but he also just feels incredibly generic. Like, bro went from riding robot-dinosaurs and destroying planets with his parties to… going to nightclubs and performing motorcycle stunts? As an Awesome fan, it’s mildly disappointing seeing him be shoe-horned into this lame stock-’cool bully’ character archetype when he was so fun and bombastic and unique before. That being said, I was amused by his “this isn’t the car wash” line after his drunk-driving crash into the Skull Ship, as well as the face he’s making the morning after all his partying.

As for Peepers, if we again compare this episode to how he reacted in “The Axe”, it is interesting that Peeps is only really interested in attempting a coup when it’s out of jealousy but not when it’s out of just being rejected and fired. It makes sense in a way when you acknowledge that he and Hater are pretty much each other’s only friend, even if they don’t always like to admit it. As generic as the whole ‘cool bully VS nerd’ story is, I still like Peepers’ speech, as well as his insurance line - and again, the Hater and Peepers friendship here is genuinely sweet, even if it still feels just a bit forced.

Overall, between the episode not really having a ton of jokes, being a fairly generic story, and both Hater and Awesome’s personalities feeling VERY toned down in order to fit the plot, it’s not really one of my favorites.

Rating: 7/10

Season two, episode eleven: The Catastrophe

Synopsis: Lil’ Bits is back, and it’s up to Sylvia to stop her before she takes over an entire planet with her cute cat videos.

        First thing’s first, I really love the design of this planet. Sure, it’s essentially just Tokyo/Akihabara in Space, but that idea is still cool and it makes for some memorable locations. The Jellyfish Migration scene is also beautifully executed as well as just really sweet in general. I like how the episode’s moral isn’t too heavy handed either, being just a simple reminder to live in the moment instead of being your standard “technology bad” preaching.

        The plot itself is pretty fun, as it absolutely tracks that Wander would be the type to get obsessed with cat videos, and even if it results in her getting hurt a ton, I do love how Sylvia gets to save the day in this one, showing her resilience as well as her cleverness - I always love when shows take the time to let you know that just because a character is a brawler or a natural fighter doesn’t mean they don’t also have some brains.

        This is another episode that, ironically enough, doesn’t get a ton of laughs from me personally though, as I feel the middle of the ep kind of drags a bit. Still, not a bad time.

Rating: 7.7/10

Season two, episode twelve: The Rager

Synopsis: Hater’s prisoners throw a prison party, and Hater wants to join in!

        This is another ep that I remember liking quite a bit, despite the simple plot and - in some scenes - pretty jank art and animation. It really is a shame that the new animation team they got for season 2 seemed to really struggle with these early episodes, especially given how good the show looked before as well as how well it’s going to look later on in season 2.

        It should be clear by now that any episode centered around Hater is bound to be a pretty decent time - whether the guy is being angry, pouty, or a huge dork, he’s just so lovable! It’s also fun seeing a bunch of previous one-off characters again, given how enjoyable most of these guys were the first time around. The song in this episode is decent, and there’s a few things here and there that I find either cute or funny, like Sylvia loving karaoke or that one SUPER dark joke with Hater bringing the comatose watchdog who literally dies of boredom back to life. It’s also just really sweet seeing Hater genuinely want to have a fun time and be friends with everyone, but unlike “The Cool Guy”, he still feels like himself and still has plenty of Hater-isms to him, even if he’s more willing to play nice here. And the ending, naturally, is pretty funny too.

Rating: 8.5/10

Season two, episode thirteen: The Good Bad Guy

Synopsis: Hater meets his idol, Major Threat, who tries to convince Hater that being good isn’t such a bad idea.

        …Welp, thanks to hindsight and new implications, there’s a LOT of conflicting feelings to unpack with this one. But before we get into that, let’s just talk about the episode itself.

        For one, I do really like Major Threat AKA Jeff, he’s got a fun cthulhu-inspired design, and although I’ve never seen “The Big Lebowski”, his laid-back personality is still fun and endearing. Hater, for the most part, is also pretty fun in this episode. That first “oh no” from him just gets me every time, it’s so simple yet says so much about how devastated Hater feels regarding the idea of eventually being ‘wanderized’.

Speaking of which, it’s also just interesting seeing Hater continue to be in denial that something beyond being evil could make him happy despite, at this point, him knowing deep down how lonely he is - or, in the case of “The Funk”, how frustrated being a villain makes him at times. Beyond complementing well with its sister-episode, where we saw just how much happier Hater is when he’s having fun with others instead of destroying them, it also feels like it's following up on episodes like “The Buddies” and “The Fremergency Fronfract” - episodes where Hater is presented with an example of how much better things can be for him when he shows his softer side and takes a chance on friendship, yet he still continues to deny, deny, deny. It’s a compelling idea for a character arc, and it’s really no wonder why the climax to Hater’s redemption continues to be the one thing that most people want answers to following this series’ cancellation.

As for the rest of the episode, there are some pretty good gags here and there, though the animation and art is once again REALLY wonky and off model in some spots - in fact, I think this episode may be the most poorly animated episode in this entire season. But hey, that just means it's all uphill from here, right?

Moving into the episode’s climax, I’ve heard a lot of people complain about the moment where Hater slaps Peepers and, yeah, it’s pretty uncomfortable to watch. I know this is far from the worst thing Hater’s ever did to Peepers, but because slapping someone upside the head is a far more grounded and realistic action than simply zapping someone with magic lightning powers or getting into a comedic fist-fight with them, I completely understand why it rubbed some people the wrong way. Though, maybe that was the point, given that it’s meant to seemingly push Jeff back into evil.

I also feel like, following Threat’s so-called return to villainy, Hater just gives up and jumps to drastic measures SO quickly. We never really saw a ton of Threat’s power before this point in the episode, and while you could argue that Hater’s idolism of Threat and knowledge of his abilities might have been enough to convince him that trying to fight Threat would only end in disaster, I still feel like Hater should have at least tried to fight back - because as is, it just feels super rushed. Also, it feels like yet another moment where Hater just forgets that he has powers, which is always a disappointment.

On the plus side, Hater acting like Wander is still an absolutely hilarious scene, with Keith Ferguson clearly putting his all into the performance. Peepers and the other Watchdogs reacting to it also just adds to the hilarity. If I’m being honest, this is primarily what I come back to this episode for, the scene’s just THAT funny. The ending twists are also funny enough, but the ultimate reveal is what leads into those implications I mentioned before.

So… on the one hand, this episode is still pretty hilarious and enjoyable on its own, showing that although Hater may have a LONG way to go before he decides he wants to be a good person, eventually he’s going to ultimately be better off - happier, healthier, and overall just more fulfilled. That stuff is all great, don’t get me wrong. It’s when they bring in the Wander/Tumbleweed stuff that things start to feel a bit… questionable.

In my opinion, making Wander’s helpfulness and positive influence towards villains specifically seem less like an impromptu thing he does out of the goodness of his heart and more like a galaxy-saving strategy that has worked AT LEAST once if not several times before - it just makes Wander’s quest for Hater’s friendship feel a lot less genuine. And yes, I’ll acknowledge that this is a very cynical way of looking at it, but like- am I wrong to go down this path?

We never see Wander and Jeff interact with each other as friends - even when Jeff shows up in the series finale, he’s just there to make a quick joke and, again, NO interaction between him and ‘Tumbleweed’. Because of this, the show kind of accidentally implies that once Wander convinces Hater to change and finally wins him over as a friend, Wander is just going to move onto the next villain and Hater - like Jeff - is likely never going to see Wander again. No visits, no phone calls, no letters or postcards - he’s likely not going to even know Wander’s next new name, given that Jeff still only knows him as Tumbleweed. So yeah, so much for the two of them being ‘best friends’...

It really feels like after season one, Craig and the crew saw the fans theorizing about Wander’s origins and thought it would be a good idea to make Wander this Doctor Who-esque character - an immortal and extraordinary being that travels throughout space helping others, occasionally taking on companions but never being able to keep them. And while that seems like a really good and really cool idea on paper, it doesn’t really mesh well with the type of character we saw from Wander in Season One - a simple guy who was less about saving entire galaxies and was more just searching for fun experiences and wanting to help others and form genuine connections along the way.

I also feel like, if this was indeed the path that Craig and the Crew always meant to take with Wander, then there was a missed opportunity to question these methods when it comes to the Big Bads that Wander meets and eventually defeats/defends. After all, for someone like Hater - someone we KNOW is really insecure, sensitive and lonely - if he were to ever feel abandoned by Wander or like he was just the latest villain that Wander was checking off his redemption list, I feel like Wander’s methods would then backfire and just make Hater even WORSE. Obviously Wander shouldn’t be forced to stay near every friend he makes, he’s allowed to live his own life and all that - which would ultimately be the conclusion that Hater would have to come to as well, if the two were to ever have a talk addressing this - but it still would’ve been interesting to look at the potential flaws that could be found in his whole ‘drive my enemies nuts and then turn them into friends and help them turn their lives around before moving onto the next galaxy’ strategy.

So yeah, while I again have to state that the episode itself isn’t bad, it’s also another instance where I’m reminded of what could’ve been with Season 2 in how it presents this bigger idea involving both Hater AND Wander but doesn’t bother doing anything with it. Simply put, while I can still enjoy parts of “The Good Bad Guy”, I also have complicated feelings about it.

Rating: 7/10

Season two, episode fourteen: The Battle Royale

Synopsis: In the midst of an epic villain VS villain battle, Wander tries to help Hater and Dominator fall in love.

        Here we go, the official start of the Dominator Romance Arc. …Yaaaaaay…

        To be fair, the episode has a strong start. Like with “The Rager”, it’s fun to see a bunch of these oneshot characters return. Some highlights include Lil’ Bits blasting people with a minigun and the Black Cube of Darkness casually stopping a missile. Also, gas station worker, my beloved.

        Unfortunately, things start to go off the rails a bit when Wander reveals his grand plan, which is just… bruh. I don’t think the show fully acknowledges just how BAD this plan is. Sure, Sylvia brings up the idea that romantically pairing up two villains could just double their evil instead of canceling it out with the power of love, but NO character ever brings up the fact that Wander’s plan is ultimately only based around Hater’s needs and desires, with no one ever acknowledging if romance is even what Dominator wants or how messed up it would be to force someone who’s essentially a stranger to all of them into a relationship. Also, given that Sylvia is literally RIGHT THERE, I feel like she should have mentioned that she actually has first-hand experience regarding how much of a shitty boyfriend Hater can be and thus wouldn’t want to force that on someone else, no matter how horrible they are.

So… Moving past ALL THAT for right now, the episode itself is fun enough. While I have to sort of give Wander a bit of side-eye for how manipulative he is in the episode (and also the fact that he gets another guy killed/fried), there are plenty of good gags, fun moments, and really great action here. Like, there was a reason why I still ultimately enjoyed this one for the longest time, even if the whole Dom Romance arc eventually overshadowed that love. I love the Sourdough gag, the scene with Screwball Jones, the “Cube VS Cute” fight, and of course Sylvia and Peepers’ fight followed by their brief moment of understanding and temporary team-up. It’s such a natural culmination to their little background rivalry and it’s SO satisfying. Something the So and So is such a nothing character, but he’s also just SO funny and Sam’s performance as him is great. And like… this episode has the Black Cube of Darkness fail scene. I could never hate an episode with a scene THAT hilarious (plus, it setting up another one of my favorite episodes doesn’t hurt either). We also FINALLY get to see Hater using his powers in cool ways again, with Hater getting to show off just how determined and resilient he can be when he wants to be, which I always appreciate.

It’s really frustrating because there is a LOT that I like here, but the main crux of the episode is what keeps dragging it down for me. The episode is halfway through by the time Dominator gets another scene and, ugh, the idea of Dom being a personality mix between Wander’s excitement and Hater’s cruelty could’ve been interesting, but they don’t really do ANYTHING with her beyond surface-level stuff with her. You’ll see more examples of this as we continue through the season but simply the fact that it took THIRTEEN episodes for the supposed ‘main villain’ of this season to make her grand return should’ve been the Crew’s first red flag. I’ve heard that they were just trying to build up the suspense and mystery surrounding her, but given that they also wanted to make her the show’s fifth main character, I really do feel like she should’ve gotten more of a main focus earlier on - as, for the time being, we still aren’t really going to get any focus on HER, but more on the characters’ reaction to her. We don’t get to really get a grasp on Dominator’s character because we’re constantly shifting the spotlight to the OTHER characters and what they think of her - and again, it makes Dominator feel very flat with a surface-level personality. She’s an obstacle, a goal, an object - not a character, at least not at this point in the season.

I also wish we could’ve gotten more insight on WHY exactly Wander is so desperate for this plan to work. Like- why THIS plan specifically? Yes, he brings up the fact that Hater’s always wanted a girlfriend and how happy having one would make him, but like - the last time Wander saw Dominator, he was questioning why he’d even want to be her friend. How do you get from THAT to wanting to pair this person with someone you supposedly care about - someone who Dominator has already nearly killed. As such, I really do wish we could’ve gotten more insight on why Wander’s so desperate to not just pair the two of them up but to even get involved with Dominator again in the first place, since we didn’t really get that transition of him going from being totally done with her to wanting to give her another chance. Hell, maybe he DOESN’T care about her given how hyper focused he is on Hater’s feelings and desires only. Either way, it really does just feel incredibly forced, like the Crew just wanted a funny rom-com subplot and REALLY wanted to find a way to shoehorn it into the season regardless of if it made sense or not.

Honestly, the only praise I can give this episode’s ending is that it’s cute that, in his happily ever after fantasy, Hater wants to be a dad. Otherwise, I’m with Peepers in how he’s already very annoyed with this ‘whole thing’.

Rating: 6.5/10

Season two, episode fifteen: The Matchmaker

Synopsis: Sylvia tries to stop Wander from delivering a love letter to Hater.

        It’s another gimmick episode, and while there’s some fun gags here and there, this is the rare case where an episode of WoY struggles to actually rise above its gimmick. It doesn’t help that, save for a few of the more unique title drops during the rapid-fire montage, the episode gets VERY repetitive after a while. The bit with Something the So and So is also not nearly as funny the second time around, and a lot of the other callbacks just feel kind of shallow.

        I also just have to say that, for as much as Wander hyper focusing on someone’s theoretical happiness does make a lot of sense, I feel like Wander is a smarter character than this - that he’d at least acknowledge the possible consequences or ways a plan like this could go wrong. He’s an optimist, not an idiot. The episode also tries to be funny with its ending, but it just comes off as your standard “Whomp-whomp” ending.

Rating: 5.5/10

Season two, episode sixteen: The New Toy

Synopsis: Hater hopes to impress Dominator with his new car.

        Ultimately, this episode is just 90% Hater Shenanigans and him being an idiot. But like… I’m not mad about it. You get that iconic commercial at the start of the episode, Hater failing over and over, all the stupid gimmicks that come with his car/toy - which I WISH was a real thing, I would love a toy like this - and also, “Peepers there is no sub mode!” Another one of those lines that always makes me laugh. Speaking of which, Peepers and the Watchdogs are also in top form this episode, further adding to the comedy.

        I have to say though, it is a REALLY weird creative choice to, once again, not have Dominator talk until the climax of the episode. What, did they not want to pay Fred OR Noel, or were both of them just not available? I’ve never seen a character with TWO voice actors get so few lines. Also, much like in her debut, it doesn’t really make sense for her to ignore everything happening around her for so long when she’s supposed to be someone who has fun messing with people. You’d think she’d be gloating and retaliating throughout the episode, not just when she gets her hands on Hater’s toy.

        That flaw aside, this episode is still a fun time. Like I said, watching Hater just be his dumb self and Peepers having to deal with it is always pretty entertaining.

Rating: 8/10

Season two, episode seventeen: The Black Cube

Synopsis: The Black Cube quits villainy, and Wander tries to support him in his path to redemption.

        And here we have another one of my all-time faves from this show - and thankfully, it still holds up incredibly well! And a lot of that really is due to the musical motif found throughout the episode. The song “Little Black Cube of Darkness” is both an earworm and just a really great song in general, essentially being sung from the Black Cube’s point of view and just adding a lot of emotional weight to the episode.

Speaking of said cube, it’s kind of amazing just how much personality they’re able to give this faceless character - a character that, prior to this, was only ever briefly seen, so it’s not like we were able to get all that attached to him in previous episodes. Really, that just makes the fact that you ARE able to get so invested in Cube’s story so quickly through this episode all the more amazing.

The episode also does a good job in keeping the tone balanced, still having enough lighthearted jokes and making sure the episode isn’t TOO depressing - though, I’m not sure how they got away with the subtle suicidal implications and that bit with the mob literally wanting to HANG Cube - which, how do you even do that? I honestly get a bit of a kick out of these VERY stupid teens - like, they’re just straight up messing with an eldritch demon and former villain, they are VERY lucky the worst Cube ever did was get a bit mad at them.

I think my favorite thing about this episode is simply its message: That, for as important as being optimistic and trying to look on the bright side is, that optimism can only take you so far in a world that’s unfair and rough. At the same time, for as much as you may be dealing with your own stuff, you never truly know what someone else is going through, so it’s important offer empathy and sympathy to others when you can instead of taking out your frustrations on people who are trying to get by just as much as you are. Like Sylvia says, sometimes just telling someone that you’re sorry they had a bad day can mean the world to them, and I think that’s a beautiful message to end this episode with. It’s an episode that spotlights NOT the power of optimism, but the power of empathy.

Rating: 9.5/10

Season two, episode eighteen: The Eye on the Skullship

Synopsis: Andy the Watchdog hopes to bring Lord Hater onto his show’s latest episode.

        This episode is not only really funny, but also just sooooooo charming! While they mostly just fill the role of grunt or faceless army, there’s a reason why the fandom got so attached to these little Watchdogs. They’re cute, quirky, and bursting with personality - like, most of them don’t even need to say anything, and they’ll still get a smile out of you with their little poses and reactions. Gah, adorable!

        Another super-charming thing about this episode is how well it captures that homemade public access-style of show through all the various photo-shopped edits and shaky camera and all that other great stuff. Andy himself is such a fun and endearing character that you easily want to root for, and seeing Peepers get angry is always pretty fun. It’s also nice seeing Captain Tim again, if only for one quick scene. And of course, you just can’t watch this ending without smiling, as it’s just so great seeing the support and camaraderie the Watchdogs have with each other.

Rating: 9.5/10

Season two, episode nineteen: The Secret Planet

Synopsis: Wander and Sylvia find a planet that’s hidden from Dominator, and Wander struggles to keep it a secret.

        Okay so, back when I first saw this episode, I was weirdly focused on the Shmancy couple - you know, those aliens whose head is just a giant nose? I think it was just a mix of liking their unique design and liking their obnoxious personalities and the accent that they spoke with. What can I say, this show knows how to make fun one-off characters.

        Anyway, onto the episode itself, it’s pretty good! It’s kind of reminiscent of “The Fugitives” with Wander trying to hold back his helpful nature for the sake of his and Sylvia’s safety. I guess I should also give the crew props for at least TRYING to show how much Dominator’s efforts are starting to impact the Galaxy, even if a lot of it is still offscreen…

        But yeah, this episode is essentially just various Wander shenanigans - complete with a few fun costume changes. I love this little bit of character acting from Wander where he’s briefly stuck in his ‘fancy’ accent and has to remind himself to switch out of it. It’s cute! The other alien designs they come up with for this episode are also fun and fairly memorable - though, I’m side-eyeing those phone aliens for treating Sylvia like a wild animal. I guess since zbornaks aren’t part of THIS Galaxy, the residents there treat them as animals, or maybe they just don’t know whether or not they’re sapient? Food for thought, I guess.

        Overall, this is a fun little escalation plot, and even if there aren’t any HUGE laughs to be found here, I still smiled and chuckled plenty, plus the ending is really sweet.

Rating: 9/10

Season two, episode twenty: The Bad Hatter

Synopsis: When Hater comes across Wander’s lost hat, he tries to get it to give him stuff that’ll win over Dominator

        Admittedly, this was one I never really rewatched much after it first aired. The concept itself could be pretty fun, and to be fair I do like a couple of jokes here - the Hat just straight up telling Hater to kill himself is certainly a memorable bit, and Sylvia trying to cheer Wander up with all her hat impressions is pretty cute - but outside of those moments I end up kind of getting bored with this one after a while.

I get that it’s in-character given that he’s meant to be a dumb teen boy at heart and all, but Hater only thinking in stereotypes when it comes to gifts he wants to give Dominator does get really annoying after a while, and the fight he has with Peepers is nothing special. At the very least, I appreciate learning the origins of Wander’s hat, as it’s nice to know that Wander is willing to do crime in order to help someone (or something, in the case of the Hat). Still, the ending feels a teeny bit rushed, and there just isn’t a lot here for me personally. Will probably go back to not really rewatching this one.

Rating: 7/10

Season two, episode twenty-one: The Hole… Lotta Nothin’

Synopsis: Wander is forced to stay near a black hole in order to keep it from sucking up the entire Galaxy.

        Another one of my absolute faves, yay! Admittedly, a big part of that love comes from the ending of this one - an ending that, to be fair, is pretty damn memorable and hilarious. Thankfully though, there’s plenty of other stuff here to keep me entertained as I wait for that great ending.

Much like in “The Nice Guy”, sometimes it’s nice to see Wander struggle for a bit to keep that positive attitude of his, as it really does humanize him a ton. I also appreciate that the episode doesn’t linger too much on Wander being by himself - they do a couple of quick gags to show how much it sucks having to stay in one place, and then they move on. I really do love that gag with the apple and Wander briefly forgetting about gravity - even if I’m pretty sure the Crew had to ignore Newton’s laws a bit to make that joke work.

But of course, the true meat of this episode comes in when Hater appears and tries to get a bit of petty revenge. And honestly, I kind of missed this side of Hater’s character. Don’t get me wrong, I want him to go good just as much as the next person, and it’s been pretty enjoyable seeing more of his softer side throughout the first half of season two. But dammit, sometimes it’s just really fun to watch Hater be a dick. He is just soooooo petty in this episode and it’s pretty hilarious.

I also love just how much this teasing affects Wander - again, we’ve seen him take so much from Hater, all the threats and attacks and raging, so to see Wander actually be impacted by Hater’s villainy and cruelty after being willing to overlook it for so long is a really interesting twist to the usual formula. Additionally, the fact that Hater knows EXACTLY how to torture Wander - both in lighthearted and in heartbreaking ways - speaks to just how well they know each other at this point in the series. Again, I love this slightly more competent and jerky Hater, especially since he still gets to be really funny too.

But oh, that ending. That beautiful, hopeful, ironic ending. Wander being able to come around and find a bright side to his situation thanks to Hater accidentally inspiring him is exactly the type of funny and heartwarming twist that I come to this show for. And of course, seeing karma kick Hater’s ass and him being the one stuck in the black hole is just an absolutely perfect ending. From Hater’s horrified reaction at the idea of being stuck with Wander forever, to Peepers scolding him for not just ignoring Wander and the flat “shut up, Peepers” that Hater gives in response, to Sylvia’s return and her seeing Wander simply smiling next to Hater’s severed arm and just accepting the out-of-nowhere solution - it’s all just SO good, I laugh every single time.

Rating: 9.7/10

Season two, episode twenty-two: The Showstopper

Synopsis: Hater uses his band to try and impress Dominator, and Peepers teams up with Sylvia to try and shut the concert down once and for all.

        Much like “The Bad Hatter”, this is another episode that I tend to skip over a lot, essentially just writing it off as another “Hater tries and fails to impress Dominator” episode. I get that they had to actually show Hater trying and failing in his romantic pursuits given that it's the focus of the arc and all, but it really does start to feel same-y after a while.

        That being said, this one isn’t TOO bad. Despite hearing the same song over and over throughout the episode, it never gets too annoying or frustrating - though I have to wonder how badly this episode killed Keith’s vocal chords. I also get a kick out of Peepers’ horrified reaction to Hater’s attempt at rapping, and seeing him and Sylvia team up again is fun. Same with Wander and Hater being more friendly with one-another. I also have to shout out the pile of dead Watchdogs running gag - always love when this show gets a bit dark with its humor, it always catches me off-guard - and, I just have to say, Peepers looks great in his girl disguise. Absolutely slays it. I would not be opposed to Peepers doing drag more often.

        Unfortunately, the climax of this episode ends up falling flat for me. I don’t think the Wander-puppeting-Hater stuff is as funny as the Crew thought it would be, and again Dom barely does anything, which amounts in a fairly lame ending despite the rest of the episode being pretty fun.

Rating: 7/10

Season two, episode twenty-three: The Cartoon

Synopsis: Hater makes a propaganda cartoon that doesn’t play out exactly as he hoped.

Oh man, this one’s truly a classic - and for good reason. The opening for this one is amazing, and pretty much from the start you know that the crew is going to capture the style of these old He-Man-esque cartoons PERFECTLY. The gags and subtle jabs at this style of animation are all just so on-point - I especially love the done-on-purpose animation errors - and Hater’s commentary just further adds to the fun. I also love them bringing back the Mojo Jojo style of speaking with Jon Hamm!Hater. Speaking of the guest VAs, I love having Mandark play Peepers’ animated counterpart, and it was fun hearing Sam Riegel use his Rex Raptor voice for animated!Awesome.

        Naturally though, my favorite part of this episode is the climax with the cartoon’s ‘twist’ and Hater being absolutely horrified by it. Like, Hater just gaping at watching the cartoon version of himself and Wander having this super happy friendship montage will never not be funny. I also love how amused Peepers is by it, just absolutely cackling as the cartoon crashes and burns - and like, given how he was portrayed in it, I can’t exactly blame him - nor can I really blame the Watchdog animators for wanting to get back at their commander. The PSA at the end is also really funny to me, mostly because of the timing of those Sylvia still-frames that just add SO much. Again, gotta love the subtle jabs at this style of cartoon.

        Overall, this is another episode that’s really silly and dumb but in the BEST possible way. The only thing I don’t care about is the Gravity Falls reference at the end because I don’t care about Gravity Falls in general, but other than that this thing is pretty much just back-to-back laughs.

Rating: 9.5/10

Season two, episode twenty-four: The Bot

Synopsis: Wander befriends one of Dominator’s lava bots.

        Okay, so… How many people are gonna hate me if I say that I kiiiiinda think this episode is overrated? Much like “The Little Guy”, I just sort of feel like this one loses a bit of its emotional impact after enough rewatches, or at least it does for me personally. I feel like that’s the issue with episodes that rely SO much on its tearjerker endings - depending what the ending is, some people are gonna eventually get to a point where it doesn’t really affect them anymore, and then the episode sort of loses the most noteworthy thing about it.

Granted, this isn’t true for EVERY tearjerker ending - for example, “Luck of the Fryish” from Futurama still makes me cry every time I watch it, and other WoY episodes like “The Black Cube” and another s2 ep we’ll get to in a minute can still make me teary-eyed at times - but because this episode doesn’t really offer much else beyond its ending, I find myself not really watching and enjoying it but instead just essentially waiting for the other shoe to drop.

We do get a bit more from Dominator here - and I do mean “a bit”, as in just two quick scenes - but it’s essentially just re-enforcing how cruel she is. As for Beep Boop and his friendship with Wander, it’s… cute. It’s fine, but maybe a bit rushed and a bit shallow, given that a lot of the bonding happens during a montage. I think what really sort of ‘ruins’ this episode for me is that, now that I’ve seen the rest of the season and its implied that Dominator finds this beach planet anyway since it’s stated in canon that the Secret Planet is the only one she never destroyed, Beep Boop’s sacrifice ends up feeling pretty hollow after the fact. That being said, the ending is still bittersweet yet poignant in a way, so I understand why it still sticks with people.

I dunno, maybe I was just in a bit of a mood when I was rewatching this one, but as of right now, I consider it a ‘one-scene wonder’ that, beyond its ending that may or may not lose its emotional impact after a while, is just a fairly alright episode.

Rating: 7/10

Season two, episode twenty-five: The Family Reunion

Synopsis: In an effort to try and get away from the stress of Dominator, Sylvia decides to visit her home planet.

        AKA The Mommy Issues episode. This one’s actually pretty contentious among some fans, and while I can certainly see some of their points, I also feel like there are much worse episodes of WoY. That being said, this episode isn’t exactly one of my favorites either.

        I feel like if the point of the episode was to teach Sylvia a lesson on resilience and continuing to face problems head-on instead of running away from them, it kiiiiinda fell flat in that regard. For one, I never really got the feeling that Sylvia was trying to fully quit being a galactic hero - as she says herself, she just wanted a break from Dominator. As such, I end up sympathizing with her more than anything else - and, maybe that was the point, given the twist of the episode and all, with Sylvia not realizing how much her mom admires her until she actually tells her. But like… it sort of feels like another one of those instances where the crew had a specific ending in mind and tried to make the episode fit around it.

        To be fair to Sylvia’s mother, at least she sees an example of Sylvia actively trying to ignore her problems when she switches the TV off the news before really leaning into her. But again, I can see why that passive-aggressiveness would rub a lot of people who had to deal with that from their own mothers the wrong way. It also makes me wonder why Sylvia’s home life was like before she ran away. Like, if it was THIS bad before and she was the one stuck doing all the chores while her brothers laid about, then it kind of muddles the point of her mother only being passive aggressive because she wanted Sylvia to still fight and do what was right. As far as we know, her mother was ALWAYS like this but gets a pass this time around because she eventually admitted how proud she was of Sylvia. And like, that part is kind of sweet, even if her mother definitely didn’t go about it the right way.

        Outside of the plot, I really like Wander in this episode, lots of cute moments with him - though the ending gag with him trying and failing to resist group-hugging Sylvia’s family maybe goes on a bit too long. Sylvia’s anti-hippie grandma is also fairly amusing. One thing I noticed though is the type of background played whenever the scene is focused on Sylvia’s family - music that, I guess, implies that her family is Irish? Or maybe I’m just missing something, I dunno. Overall, not the worst, but far from the best.

Rating: 7/10

Season two, episode twenty-six: The Rival

Synopsis: Hater and Peepers spot Awesome being invited onto Dominator’s ship and try to figure out whether he’s her new ally or her new lover.

        So, Emperor Awesome’s back, and while he feels a bit more in-character than he did in “The Cool Guy”, it’s still not exactly ‘peak Awesome’ (though we will get that in a few episodes). He did make me chuckle a bit though with his various over-the-top poses and him saying stupid stuff like “criz-nazy”. He’s such a loser, I love him. I do feel a bit sorry over the fact that this incident literally gives him PTSD but like, he did bring it on himself, Mr. “no one should ever be careful ever”, sooo… There's only so much sympathy I can give this guy despite being such a big fan of his, especially with a plan as dumb as the one he tries to pull here.

        As for the stuff with Hater and Peepers, it’s funny enough. I do love the reveal that the Skullship apparently has several smooching rooms, complete with a hard cut to one of them. The stuff with poor Jerry the Watchdog is also pretty funny. But again, no real focus on Dominator herself other than beating the same old “Dominator is cruel and heartless" drum, with the show instead choosing to focus on the already-established characters that surround her. Sigh.

Rating: 7/10

Season two, episode twenty-seven: My Fair Hatey

Synopsis: Wander and Hater try to win over Dominator’s heart in song form while Sylvia and Peepers attempt to sabotage her lava supply - also in song form!

        Musical time babeyyyyyy! Let’s be clear here, a lot of this episode and whether or not you enjoy it is gonna depend on what you think of its songs - and for me personally, this is a soundtrack that I just can’t get enough of, absolutely no misses here. I know that “I’m The Bad Guy” was the breakout hit of the episode, but my personal favorite is without a doubt “You’re The Greatest”. Keith Ferguson absolutely smokes it, and - fun fact - according to Craig McCracken, Keith was essentially able to nail this song in only ONE TAKE. That is absolutely amazing, and if you’ve never seen the clip of Keith seeing this song on Craig’s tumblr, you should absolutely check it out asap. All the other VAs do a great job singing too, and Andy Bean did a fantastic job on the composing and the lyrics.

Outside of the actual songs though, there’s still plenty to like here - again, lots of great friendship moments between the main four. With Sylvia and Peepers especially, it just feels like the culmination of all their team-up moments leading up to this, while with Hater and Wander, it’s just nice to see Hater actually accept Wander’s help, even if he’s still reluctant about it. I also love the Watchdogs just immediately being on-board for a musical, complete with choreography and joining in on a kickline. Never change, Watchdogs.

Additionally, while this was still a pretty frustrating section of the season-long arc, I’ll admit that Hater caring about someone so much that he’s actually willing to put his own ego aside for someone else is pretty damn significant. Like, the fact that he can proudly call someone else “the greatest in the galaxy” should definitely be acknowledged as significant character growth for him. That all being said, much like in “The Date”, there’s some unfortunate implications here regarding Hater’s rejection.

On the one hand, I get wanting to sympathize with Hater after he put himself out there and actually put in the work to humble himself and try to be better for his crush, only to be rejected in such a harsh way. But at the same time, it sort of comes off as the show villainizing Dominator for saying no - something that SHOULD be treated as a reasonable action since, again, they barely know each other - and breaking Hater’s heart. You’re supposed to disapprove of her being a cruel character in general, yes, but so much of her cruelty in this instance is so heavily tied in with the romance subplot that the lines get sort of blurred.

This actually reminds of a VERY valid critique that a subset of WoY fans have, with this critique being heavily connected to the fact that Dominator is very much coded as “not-straight”. Some fans see her as being meant to be a lesbian while others think the show was portraying her as aromantic, given that at one point Peepers says that she doesn’t think Dominator loves anybody and the repeated instances where she’s called “cold and heartless”. Obviously the stereotype of aromantic people being cold and unloving individuals is a pretty terrible and harmful one, and the man-hating and/or violent lesbian trope is its own can of worms. Either way you slice it, you can sort of get where these critiques are coming from, and again the show doesn’t exactly help matters at times. We get Dominator calling Wander and Hater out for trying to romance her, sure, but this happens at the exact same time that she’s reveling in her evilness, taunting them and ultimately trying to kill them in the most painful way possible. Like I said, blurred lines.

That all being said, I’m NOT AT ALL trying to say that the crew was trying to lean into hurtful stereotypes on purpose - Craig and other crew members have stated over and over how much they wanted this show to have a positive impact on its audience, to teach good lessons and to above all else spread a message of kindness. Additionally, given that one of the s2 writers, ND Stevenson, was at the time and still is part of the LGBTQ community, it’s very possible that he and the other writers and crewmembers just weren’t fully thinking about the implications regarding Dominator and the whole romantic subplot. I should also point out that Sylvia - who could also be seen as either a lesbian or aromantic given her lack of interest in a straight romance - has also rejected the advances of male characters on the show without getting villainized for it. So again, I’m more willing to believe accidental ignorance over outright maliciousness, even if I also feel it’s important to still point out how this ignorance did cause some fans - aro fans especially - to feel hurt and frustrated by it. Granted, there are also some fans who love Dominator for who she is and who cheer her on for being a “single, strong and badass villainess who don’t need no man”, so apparently her portrayal was still able to resonate with some people - and hey, if you like Dom, good for you.

Anyway, getting back to the episode, I wanna quickly say that for as much as I enjoy Noel’s performance as Dominator, this little bit we get from Fred makes me wish that he had gotten to voice a few more of her lines. I also have to ask: How did Peepers not realize her grand plan already? It was pretty easy to guess, but I guess they want to portray it as a ‘twist’ of sorts. There’s some other good moments in the episode, like Wander trying to comfort Hater before using his rage to help break them out of prison, plus plenty of other cute friendship moments between the main four. Also, hearing Hater say how much he wants to save the Galaxy just puts a smile on my face.

        I will say though that Wander maaaaybe should’ve gotten more of a talking-to from Sylvia regarding his whole romance plan blowing up in their faces. Like, she kind of just gives him a slap on the wrist - hell, barely even that - in spite of the fact that Wander essentially wasted all this time on a plan that was never going to work and ultimately just put more of the Galaxy at risk. Like, I get not wanting to rub salt in the wound when Wander’s already aware of how much he messed up, but the fact that he barely even has time to feel guilty about it before Sylvia tells him “hey, it’s okay buddy, don’t worry about it” - it’s just kinda disappointing, and it makes a part of me feel that they never should have raised the stakes of the show so much if they were just going to sweep a lot of the consequences that come from a story like this under the rug. It also just goes back to the stuff I referred in episodes like "The Tourist" and "The Void" when it comes to Wander never really facing any consequences when it comes to his more notable choices and mistakes. Additionally, if Wander is indeed supposed to be this centuries old, super wise semi-immortal being like how the show implies, then both Sylvia and the show itself continuing to use kid gloves with him feels especially egregious. You can’t have him be both naive and wiser-than-he-seems.

        But for as flawed as this episode is, I love the songs too much to ever fully hate it. Like I said, given that it's a musical and all, the songs do a lot of the heavy-lifting for this one - and for me, they lift it into being an above-average episode.

Rating: 8.3/10

Season two, episode twenty-eight: The Legend

Synopsis: Wander and Sylvia hear stories from some kids about a familiar-sounding ‘hero of legend’.

        This is a pretty fun one that’s filled with memorable moments - not to mention some fun art style shifts. It’s also a plot idea that, regardless of whether or not you see Wander as this near-immortal hero of the cosmos or just a humble guy who happens to get around a lot when it comes to his helping escapades, simply just works really well.

        The kids we get introduced to in this episode are all pretty cute, and their interactions with Wander and Sylvia - as well as Wander and Syl’s reactions to some of their stories - are both heartwarming and REALLY funny. Wander’s lowkey terror at the first kid’s story and being outright horrified at the second one are my personal highlights - and honestly, I can’t even blame him for the latter, 90’s Wander is absolutely cursed. I also can’t deny how accurate the fandom call-out is in this episode, and hey, any chance to see more of ND Stevenson’s super cute artstyle is a treat.

        The ending, naturally, wraps everything up pretty perfectly, and I love how you see little bits from some of the kids’ stories in his actions - just further emphasizing how, even with exaggerated legends like these, there’s always a nugget of truth to them. All in all, a very cute and enjoyable episode.

Rating: 9.5/10

Season two, episode twenty-nine: The Bad Neighbors

Synposis: While hiding out on a suburban planet, Hater gets into a ‘neighborly’ competition with Emperor Awesome

        So, funnily enough, this episode - namely the scenes where Awesome is CLEARLY showing signs of PTSD - inspired me to write a whole series of Awesome-focused fanfiction back in the day. Aptly titled “The Awesome Redemption Arc”, the fics were focused on Awesome trying to find his footing after failing at a post-Dominator comeback - which he does by joining the Hater Army. I promise it makes more sense in context. Anyway, depending on the fic, we see him dealing with his PTSD, managing to form bonds with Hater and Peepers, and essentially having to reinvent and choose a new path for himself. The series has long since been deleted due to personal reasons but… eh, I still look back on those fics fairly fondly, even if they weren’t the best written things in the world. I know on the surface it kind of sounds like me woobifying Awesome - and like, yeah, probably a little. Not gonna try to deny it - but it was still a fun creative exercise trying to get someone as terrible as Awesome to the point of potential redemption in the first place.

        All tangents aside, this is another pretty enjoyable episode! Easily one of the highlights of this quarter of the season for me. Between Peeps going through it and Hater and Awesome back to being rivals as well as just being their hilarious selves, it’s one I just find myself returning to a lot of the time. Like I said, it’s just really fun!

        Much like “The Cartoon” nails its inspirations, this episode perfectly nails the characteristics of your average sitcom, complete with laugh track and a forced-in lesson/wholesome ending that even Hater is questioning. All the little gags they throw in are pretty funny, and it’s fun to watch Hater and Awesome compete. Awesome especially is back in top form here, doing all these over the top facial expressions and exaggerated poses as he lowkey steals the animation budget, saying stupid shit like “cul-de-sizzy”, and just being such a petty jerk - it’s both an entertaining performance as well as an element that makes it all the more satisfying when Peepers is able to get one-up on him.

Speaking of C. Peeps, I really love him in this episode too. I’m pretty sure this is the most pissed he’s ever been, which is always entertaining, and his whole scene where he uses barbeque-applicable science and mathematics is actually kind of badass in a nerdy way. Additionally, the song in this one is yet another one that pops in my head from time to time, being something that I can easily sing under my breath as I unload the dishwasher or fold laundry. It may not be THE best of the season, but it does manage to still make it into my Top 10 for season 2.

Rating: 9.3/10

Season two, episode thirty: The Party Poopers

Synopsis: Wander and Sylvia have to try not to offend some dignitaries with VERY funny-looking heads.

AKA the “how much can we get past the censors” episode. Funnily enough, I think I remember reading on one of the crew’s tumblrs that they only had to change one or two jokes with the rest easily getting approved. Guess the WoY crew just had an easier time dealing with the censors than Alex Hirsch did.

I almost feel like this episode was directly meant for those who want every somewhat-serialized show to become something super ‘serious’, given how heavy-handed some of these lines feel. And yeah, I certainly get the frustration from that - although, again, a part of me does feel like once you raise the stakes to a certain point, you kind of HAVE to treat them seriously for the sake of storytelling and tone, otherwise it just makes the stakes feel hollow. On the other hand, I do appreciate the lesson of trying to still laugh and indulge in silliness even when things around you feel concerning or scary.

Is the theme of the episode a bit forced? Maybe, but I still think it’s a good thing for audience members of all ages to remember during the rough times, so I get why it’s a lesson they’d want to center an episode on regardless of whether or not it really moves the story of this part of the Dominator arc along.

I also have to give some kudos to the humor of the episode, as while not all the jokes may be able to make me laugh, I can commend how far they manage to go with both the word-play and the visual gags. The names of the High-Knee council are also fun, and I love how they didn’t even bother trying with the last one. So yeah, not a bad time at all.

Rating: 8/10

Season two, episode thirty-one: The Waste of Time

Synopsis: Wander and Sylvia go on a time-traveling adventure.

        Prior to rewatching this one, I originally thought it’d be another one that I’d end up having mixed feelings on due to hindsight. After all, it’s another episode that leans into the ‘Wander is potentially immortal’ theory and it even shows him using the same Cosmic Conjunction strategy that he used on Hater on Major Threat - though it somehow (thankfully) doesn’t completely ruin “The Picnic” for me. It’s also another episode that’s mostly remembered for its ending - well, that and the Season 3 hints, but we’re not gonna talk about those right now.

        So yeah, I was already a bit cautious going into this one - so imagine my surprise when I actually ended up enjoying it. In what is kind of a rarity for this season actually, we really get to focus on Wander and Sylvia’s friendship in this one. We get some really good moments between them - some being funny, and others being incredibly heartwarming. The designs for Orbble and Wilmur are fun, and there’s also some good gags like the face Wander makes at the previous Cosmic Conjunction, the subtle Samurai Jack reference, and Wander wanting to re-watch Hater’s grand song performance at Dom’s ship - which, ngl, I’d want to see it again too.

        As for its ending, I was actually surprised at how it still sort of made me choke-up a bit. Like, I didn’t outright cry, but I did feel that mild punch to the feels that only really good bittersweet endings can bring - and if you ask me, this one still works really well. Really, the only knock against this episode I could give it is that some parts of it maybe feel a teeny bit rushed. Other than that, this episode is far from a waste.

Rating: 8.5/10

Season two, episode thirty-two: The Hot Shot

Synopsis: Sylvia gets jealous of a new ‘hot shot’ hero who’s managing to defeat Dominator’s lava bots.

        Before we start, I just wanna say… I wish I could live on Princess Planet. It just seems nice. Also I wanna wear a pretty dress and tiara.

        Anywho, this is the last appearance from Brad Starlight, and for as much as the character himself irritates me, the show continues to do a great job of still making his episodes fun to watch and easy to enjoy even if Brad continues to be a huge asshole and overall coward. Though, I do love his infinity scarf - it’s essentially the same joke as Doug Dimmadome’s hat, but it still works.

        Both Wander and Sylvia are really enjoyable in this one too - as I said before, Sylvia being the one with jealousy issues works for her, and it’s fun getting to see her be all competitive. She kind of lets out her more Hater/Peepers-esque side of herself, once again adding to those character parallels the crew loves so much. Wander, meanwhile, gets to be really cute in this one through stuff like his song and him trying and failing to be more of a ‘strong, silent type’.

Seeing Brad get beat up is always pretty satisfying, not gonna lie, and I swear, that single smirk and “Yep” from Sylvia when Wander points out how Brad’s about to get himself killed - beautiful, makes me cackle every time. The ending’s great, even if Brad technically gets a happy ending (doubly so if the end-credits animatics are canon) though, given the pattern of each rescue, Syl definitely deserved a couple kisses from the princesses. Those are just minor nitpicks though, as this episode is still a really fun time as well as a nice capper to Brad’s whole story.

Rating: 9.3/10

Season two, episode thirty-three: The Night Out

Synopsis: A disguised Dominator leaves her ship for a night on the town and bonds with an unsuspecting Sylvia.

        So… 18 half-hour episodes later and Dominator FINALLY gets a goddamn spotlight episode. Yeah, I think Craig and the crew might have been raising our hopes a bit too high when they said that Dom was not only meant to be this season’s main antagonist but also the show’s fifth main character. Kinda hard to see her as a main character when I’m pretty sure Awesome gets about the same amount of screentime as her.

        Issues with the structure of this season aside, I will say that the episode’s opening and climax both do a decent job of showing Dom’s more personal issues. I like her disguised look, and given that she’s mostly meant to just be a bully to anyone and everyone around her, I did like seeing her casually lean into that even while undercover.

        I also liked seeing Sylvia’s love of karaoke being brought back, and - hey, points to the episode’s writers - her dynamic with “Dee” and Dominator’s overall characterization here are both really enjoyable to watch. There’s lots of nice little moments here and, ugh, just- why couldn’t we have this earlier in the season? It would have done SO much for Dominator and it would have made her feel way less like a shallow, flat villain who feels more like an object or an obstacle than anything else and more like, you know, an ACTUAL MAIN CHARACTER.

Beyond the character stuff, the story and jokes here are also pretty on-point - I love how Wander’s little side-plot ends up affecting the main plot, I like the moral of the episode, I love this dark joke with Dominator just casually causing a three-car pile-up. It’s just a damn good episode! Not the best that the show’s ever done, obviously, but it’s easily the best Dominator focused episode that we ever get, and it’s just really such a shame that the crew felt the need to save so much of what we could’ve gotten with Dominator for a theoretical season 3, only ever getting us a taste of the fun villainess she could’ve been.

As of now, it does feel kind of ‘too little, too late’, but I still can’t fully deny that this is a fun episode.

Rating: 8.3/10

Season two, episode thirty-four: The Search for Captain Tim

Synopsis: Hater hires a bounty hunter to help him find his beloved pet.

        D’awww, I really do love Hater and Captain Tim. It’s so cute seeing Hater with his emotional support beast, him being unapologetically loving and soft-hearted towards his spider-baby. As someone who’s had plenty of pets who I love just as much as Hater loves Captain Tim, it’s just incredibly endearing to see Hater not just love Captain Tim for what he is - acid-spit and all - but also protect him and stand-up for his pet against people like Ripov who only see him as a little monster.

        Speaking of which, I really love Ripov too! Granted, she’s a pretty simple character that mostly relies on her archetype, but it’s her interactions with and the overall contrast between her and Hater that really sell her as a character for me. Also, I said that I mostly lowkey ship Hater and Awesome these days, but… I think I’ve also sort of been won over by the Skullhunter (Hater x Ripov) ship. Hey, it wouldn’t be the first time I shipped Ripov with another character - only real ones remember when the fandom randomly decided to ship her with Beeza.

        In addition to a fun new character and Hater being absolutely on-point here, this episode also has an absolutely awesome planet design, plenty of fun gags throughout it, and a really funny Hater and Wander moment towards the end of the episode. So yeah, I was really surprised at just how much I enjoyed this one this time around - maybe it’s because I didn’t really rewatch it a ton before, so a lot of it still felt pretty fresh? Either way, I’m glad it’s now one of my faves.

Rating: 9.5/10

Season two, episode thirty-five: The Heebie Jeebies

Synopsis: Wander and Syl have to spend the night in a possibly haunted forest.

        Kind of a repetitive episode, ngl. I know a few fans who really love this one for its spooky atmosphere, and I can kinda understand that, even if I’m not a big fan of spooky stuff myself. Though, given that this is the second in the series of episodes that I’d like to call the “let’s try to find and/or get this thing that could possibly get rid of Dominator once and for all” episodes. I gotta wonder, where exactly are they finding these leads? Is there just a library full of legends and mysterious sources of so-called power out there?

        Anyway, this episode is mostly driven by its atmosphere and the over-the-top scared expressions that Wander makes. The scene with Wander’s dreams is pretty fun, and I loved the “I’M REALLY TIRED OF SCREAMING” line - like, yeah Jack I bet you are. The climax is cute enough, though the “great power” that they figure out never really gets followed up on - neither Wander nor Syl mention it in the series finale - so it makes the episode feel kind of pointless.

See, that’s the thing about the “let’s try to find and/or get this thing that could possibly get rid of Dominator once and for all” - sure, they’re fun little adventures of the week, and three out of the four of them teach a pretty good lesson for the audience that I can at least appreciate and respect. But after the Dominator Romance Arc, I feel like my patience sort of wears thin with this last third of the season, as while I don’t necessarily want the show to shift into this serious space-drama or anything like that, I also don’t really care for how the show continues to waste time that could have been spent either on fleshing out Dominator or on just more interesting stories in general.

Idk, it’s just the feeling I get when I watch these ‘lesson of the week’ episodes back-to-back with something like “The Flower” - again, compared to what he would do years later with Kid Cosmic, it really feels like Craig didn’t fully know how to handle a serialized story at this point in his career, and you can really feel that struggle to keep that balance between tone, story, characters, and properly setting up stakes. Again, the lessons aren’t bad - I even like a lot of them, and feel they’re good lessons for people to either keep in mind or learn for the first time, depending on who they are, but it sort of feels like the show is giving more importance and attention to the morals that each episode is attached to more than their actual stories.

Rating: 7/10

Season two, episode thirty-six: The Sick Day

Synopsis: Sylvia has to handle all of Wander’s chores when he gets sick.

        And speaking of episodes that don’t really add much to the season: This episode is just… such a nothing burger of an episode. When it’s not being repetitive and boring, it’s being gross. Really, really gross.

        Like, it’s not unwatchable or anything, there’s some good bits like Wander seeing Sylvia as an angel and Sylvia trying to do things like teach the Black Cube of Darkness how to play the banjo. The gag with Peepers’ shoes is also pretty funny, but like - that’s pretty much all I remember from this episode, and even those really only get a mild chuckle or smile out of me. The only other thing that sticks with me is just how gross Wander looks by the end of the episode.

        Look, I’m not opposed to an episode that teaches kids to take it easy when they’re sick - but like… Was doing it literally only two episodes away from the finale REALLY the best time for a silly little episode like this?

Rating: 6/10

Season two, episode thirty-seven: The Sky Guy

Synopsis: Wander comes across a miniature planet that he can’t help but interact with.

        I mean… I like the concept for this one, at least. Like, on paper, this absolutely seems like the type of plot a show like Wander Over Yonder would do. Same with the lesson it tries to teach about how people aren’t necessarily better off when ‘left in the dark’ - how, even if ignorance can be bliss, they still have the right to be aware of both the good and the bad in the universe and should be given the chance to explore and experience all that life has to offer. That stuff’s all brilliant!

        Unfortunately, it’s the execution and presentation of this one that just doesn’t really do much for me. Though, to be fair, I do like the designs of these cute little Pikmin-esque creatures, and Wander’s interactions with them are also really adorable. It’s also funny when he accidentally starts a whole cult - funnily enough the second time that Wander’s been worshipped by a group of little guys (see “The Secret Planet”). Although, given that he immediately tries to ship two of them based on his own ideas of who they should be with, it’s clear that Wander really DIDN’T learn anything from that whole Hater and Dom romance fiasco. That’s… that’s great, that’s really great. /s

        Unfortunately, I don’t really care for Neckbeard, he’s just a rip-off of Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons and he doesn’t really do anything cool or funny - in the scale of Wander Over Yonder antagonists, I’d put him right next to Mandrake the Malfeasant in terms of characters who I just don’t really give a shit about. As such, all his scenes really drag the episode down for me.

This is also another episode where Wander and Syl try and fail to get something that could potentially stop Dominator, but I honestly really wish that this aspect wasn’t part of the episode at all and it was just completely focused on Wander interacting with the Pikmin and trying to make the point to Sylvia that no one deserves to get left in the dark about the universe in spite of how harsh the universe can be. As is though, this episode is just okay.

Rating: 6.5/10

Season two, episode thirty-eight: The Robomechabotatron

Synopsis: Wander, Syl, Hater and Peepers all try to work together to pilot a legendary mecha.

        Okay so, The Helper is still my least favorite episode of WoY, but this? This is easily my least favorite episode of season 2, it is the DEFINITION of pointless and it is just SO frustrating to watch. Soooo many of the gags in this one are just repetitive and dragged out, in my opinion, so not only does the episode not really matter in terms of being a meaningful and interesting story, but it’s not even funny! Not even Hater’s repeatedly saying the name of the mech wrong made me chuckle after the fourth or fifth time he did it.

        If there’s anything I could give this episode any kudos for, is that they at least TRY to get Dominator to be a meaningful part of the episode all while leaning into how she tends to care more about having fun and indulging in her own personal desires than anything else - which is something I guess. Unfortunately, even if the episode itself only amounted to “meh”, it’s the ending that just REALLY kills it for me.

        We go through all these shenanigans, and in the end, Wander actively sabotages the others’ attempts at trying to fight Dominator. And yes, I know - I KNOW that Wander is a pacifist but given that Wander not only sabotages them here but is also a key factor in how Dominator became so dangerous and near-unstoppable in the first place given that he wasted so much time with his forced romance idea, it’s just REALLY frustrating. We’re literally going to see in the VERY NEXT EPISODE just how much of the Galaxy has been impacted and destroyed by Dominator, but Wander would rather stick to his principles than try to use the mech to stop her destruction. Like- bro, you didn’t even have to use the mech to beat her up, you could’ve just used it to restrain and capture her, thus making sure the rest of the Galaxy is safe from her wrath while still giving yourself a chance to try and have a heart-to-heart with her. But no, Wander doesn’t even do that! He just straight up refuses to do ANYTHING!

        Look, I love Wander, he’s a great character and a wonderful protagonist - but in this episode specifically? Fuck Wander, he had no right putting his principles above the rest of the Galaxy - especially when he could’ve still been helpful to the rest of the team while also choosing to be non-violent. Honestly, I think Craig and the crew just thought this anti-climatic ending where no one’s happy was way funnier than it actually is and had to sort of force the story into this sort of ending. Again, this episode was just such a waste of time.

Rating: 5/10

Season two, episode thirty-nine: The Flower

Synopsis: Wander and Sylvia try to keep their hope alive as they work to save a single flower.

        It’s the literal tearjerker episode and… it’s just okay. Not terrible, not great, just… fine. Though again, watching this and The Robomechabotatron back-to-back is SUCH a whiplash - we literally go from “whomp-whomp silly sitcom ending” to “the Galaxy is hanging on by a thread and millions of creatures have either been displaced and destroyed”. Seriously, whose idea was it to make these two sister episodes?

        Anyway, this episode is pretty simple, and I get why they’d want to do a more emotional story for the season’s - and the series as a whole’s - penultimate episode. I’m not blown away by any of the gags here, but a couple of them like the running gag with the bees or Wander’s over-the-top teary-eyed expressions are fun. Same with Dominator’s over-the-top evilness and bullying, though I have to call her out on her not knowing Sylvia’s name like, bitch, you know her name - although it is a level of pettiness that I’d expect from the villains of this show.

        The lesson of the episode is also a pretty solid one - much like other episodes from this section of the season like “The Party Poopers” and “The Heebie Jeebies”, it sort of subtly encourages people to have that balance when it comes to their emotions, especially during the hard times. You can be silly and laugh while still being able to acknowledge the seriousness of a situation. You can be brave for the sake of others even if you yourself are scared. You can allow yourself to cry and be sad without completely giving up and losing all hope. Certainly a fitting sentiment that I can respect, and yeah, I’ll admit that the ending is a pretty sweet one.

Rating: 7/10

Season two, episode forty: The End of the Galaxy

Synopsis: The main four make their final stand against Dominator.

        Welp, here we are - the very last episode of the entire series. We may or may not get a special or a comic book at some point (never say never in this nostalgia-fueled age) but as of right now, this is the last we see of these characters and this world. How do things wrap up? Weeeell… Let’s start with the positives.

        For one, this episode does at least feel like a proper finale given that essentially 95% of the secondary and minor characters return for one last cameo, with only the villains of the series being excluded since they had their roundup in “The Bad Neighbors”. Bit of a cliche for a final episode but I can’t even be mad about it, I’m just happy to see characters like Badlands Dan, the Black Cube, and Gas Station Cashier again. (Btw, Black Cube horrifying Sylvia with his suggestion of what to do with Dominator always gets a big laugh out of me, probably my favorite joke of the episode - even if Foster’s kinda did it first with “Coco...I think if we did that, we'd go to jail”.)

        Additionally, while it maybe wasn’t foreshadowed properly and is mostly just here as a season 3 hint, I love seeing Hater using the skills he has to not only find the Secret Planet but to also come up with his own Last Stand plan after Peepers gives up. It’s also nice seeing the subtle call back to what Hater learned in “The It”, and seeing Peepers be proud of him is also adorable. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Hater may be an idiot who’s only really competent in the best of times, but when the chips are down, he WILL do all he can to focus himself, step up and at least try to fight back - and that’s really commendable! See, this is why Hater will always be my favorite character from this show despite all his flaws and short-comings. He’s such a fascinating and endearing yet still INCREDIBLY funny character, and it would’ve been great to see his arc get a proper conclusion. I can also appreciate that, while this is probably the most competent Hater’s ever been, he still feels in-character and still gets his own jokes.

        However, it’s at this point in the episode that I have to bring up my first issue with it. While I may admire Wander a TON for his kindness and empathy, the scene where he’s arguing with everyone about what to do with Dominator is incredibly frustrating. Much like “The Robomechabotatron”, the show only presents these two extremes of either destroying Dominator or befriending her and doesn’t really try to offer a compromise between these two goals. Wander doesn’t even try to figure out a reasonable alternative to killing Dominator, he just jumps straight to forgiveness and friendship, acting like he thinks she doesn’t deserve any consequences and essentially being what SU Crits think Steven Universe acts like, only this is actually canon and not just fans misinterpreting things. I again have to ask, what happened to the Wander we saw in “The Greater Hater”? Hell, considering that we’ve seen Wander punish Hater for doing a hell of a lot less than Dominator ever did in episodes like “The Good Deed” and “The Buddies”, what happened to the Wander from Season One?

        Okay, okay, back to positives. Dominator actually gets to do things in this episode which is nice to see, even if her whole thing about being “lonely” kind of comes out of nowhere - gee, wish we could’ve gotten more than one spotlight episode to foreshadow this and give us time to actually sympathize with her like we did with Hater and all his insecurities, because as is it very much has those “cool motive, still murder” vibes. But to be fair, the third act of the episode is a pretty good one. The gag with the Skullcrusher easily being defeated is funny enough, and I always love seeing Hater get to be a badass along with Peepers and Sylvia once again proving to be a powerhouse duo.

        Onto my favorite scene in the entire episode, it is just SO satisfying and incredibly sweet to not only see Hater try his hardest to protect everyone, but to also see Sylvia and the others give him that support and encouragement and praise that he’s always wanted, giving him that reward and that encouragement for actually trying to be selfless. This finale may not be perfect, but I could watch this scene over-and-over. Same with him getting cheered for after the battle has ended. Like I said, Hater is my fave, so grant me this bit of obvious favoritism.

I don’t even really mind that he goes back to being his quote-unquote evil self, partially because it’s funny and partially because the show makes it pretty clear that Hater is eventually going to turn over a new leaf, he just still has a bit more to go to actually get to that point of acceptance. He’ll get redeemed eventually, even if we never get to see it officially play out on-screen. Though, I do know there are some people who get annoyed by the whole “nothing ever changes” ending, and that’s valid too, I just personally don’t mind it too much.

What I DO mind is the implication that Dominator could get redeemed eventually - and it’s not even the redemption part itself that I’m stuck on. It’s that they could have better sold this idea of humanizing Dominator and her having her own insecurities deep down if they had, AGAIN, just put more focus and work into developing her character here in season 2 instead of saving most of it for a season 3 that they never ended up getting.

Besides all that, the ending itself is cute enough. We get one last Peepers is gay joke for the road and end things off with a somewhat-satisfactory final screenshot of the main four. All in all, I can certainly think of worse Disney Channel show finales.

Rating: 7.2/10

Season Two Overview

        While Season One of WoY can be described as consistent and incredibly solid, Season Two is pretty much defined by its ups and downs. I can’t call it a terrible season since we get some of the series’ greatest episodes from it, but I can’t necessarily say that it’s an improvement on season one either since we get a lot of meh episodes from this season too. It’s a season with both higher-highs AND lower-lows than what came before it.

        In terms of being a serialized story, I think it mostly fails on that front. Please understand that this is not me saying that season 2 shouldn’t have had ANY episodic elements whatsoever - after all, its lack of more slice-of-life-y episodes is probably the only critique I have with Kid Cosmic, and you only need to look at my top ten from the season to see just how many of my favorite episodes from season two had nothing to do with the main Dominator arc. However, when you look at other episodic humor-focused cartoons that manage to have ongoing stories like “Big City Greens” with its Chip Whistler plotline and better handling of consistent status quo changes or “Craig of the Creek” with its Other Side/King of the Creek plotline to see just how much better season two could’ve been in terms of handling its serialized elements while still having plenty of standalone stories in-between.

        On the character side of things, while I do like some of the character-focused pieces we got, it also felt like some characters - Wander and Hater especially - maybe got a bit flanderized in some instances. Not all the time, mind you, but enough to be noticeable whenever it did happen. On the other hand, we did get a lot of fun new characters in this season, and even got to revisit some old ones! The art and animation also took a bit of a downgrade in some episodes, but for the most part this is still a gorgeous show - especially in terms of its backgrounds and planet designs.

        See, that’s the thing with season two. For every element that I like or appreciate about it, there are elements that I get frustrated by or wish I could change. All in all, it’s still a season that I like to revisit, but in terms of the series as a whole, I’m in the part of the fandom that considers season one to be the better half of the series - even if season two still has plenty of bangers in its own right.

Top 10 best Season 2 episodes: The Big Day, The Boy Wander, The Hole… Lotta Nuthin’, The Black Cube, The It, The Cartoon, The Eye on the Skullship, The Legend, The Search for Captain Tim, The Bad Neighbors

Bottom 5 worst: The Battle Royale, The Sky Guy, The Sick Day, The Matchmaker, The Robomechabotatron

Concluding thoughts and overall episode ranking

        Through all its flaws and missteps, this is still a cartoon that I love with all my heart. It may not be my favorite cartoon anymore - pretty sure Big City Greens, Bob’s Burgers, and Kid Cosmic, just to name a few, have taken the mantle for that title - but it’s one that I can easily revisit and get about as much enjoyment as I did a decade ago. There are still plenty of moments that still make me laugh or smile or that even make me teary-eyed, still plenty of songs or lessons that stick with me all these years later.

        There is just so much love and passion and creativity that was poured into this show, and I think it’s for that reason that I’ll never be able to ever forget about it or the impact that it’s had on me as both a person and a fan of animation. Compared to all the attention that stuff like Gravity Falls, Phineas and Ferb, Star VS and the Owl House gets, I still see it as an incredibly underrated Disney Channel show, and I really hope that people keep discovering and remembering this show as the years go on.

TOP TEN EPISODE OF THE ENTIRE SERIES: The Nice Guy, The Fugitives, The Big Day, The Hole… Lotta Nuthin’, The Black Cube, The Pet, The Birthday Boy, The Picnic, The Epic Quest, The Boy Wander

S-Tier: The Enemies, The It, The Cartoon, The Eye on the Skullship, The Time Bomb, The Good Deed, The Bad Guy, The Greatest, The Brainstorm, The Rider, The Prisoner, The Party Animal, The Legend, The Bad Neighbors, The Fremergency Fronfract, The Hot Shot, The Search for Captain Tim, The Wanders

A-Tier: The Axe, The Gift, The Buddies, The Hero, The Fancy Party, The Secret Planet, The Gift 2: The Giftening, The Little Guy, The Box, The Stray, The Bounty, The Troll, The Breakfast, The Waste of Time, The Rager, My Fair Hatey, The Night Out, The Loose Screw, The Greater Hater

B-Tier: The Void, The Date, The New Toy, The Day, The Egg, The Party Poopers, The Toddler, The Catastrophe, The End of the Galaxy, The Showstopper, The Liar, The Hat, The Lonely Planet, The Family Reunion, The Bot, The Good Bad Guy

C-Tier: The Ball, The Funk, The Night, The Heebie Jeebies, The Rival, The Flower, The Big Job, The Bad Hatter, The Cool Guy, The Battle Royale, The Sky Guy, The Tourist

D-Tier: The Matchmaker, The Sick Day, The Robomechabotatron, The Helper