Episode Review: Star vs the Forces of Evil (Season 3, Episode 2) – Book be Gone/Marco and the King

With the first episode of Season 3 introducing us to a dangerous (and uncertain) new Mewni, along with Queen Moon’s past, I was eager to know what stories lay ahead in the second episode of the Battle for Mewni storyline.

This time, Star and her Mom take a backseat, as we focus on Ludo, Glossaryck of Terms, King River, and…Marco Diaz!?

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Book be Gone

Following events at the end of Season 2, we have Ludo waking up, wondering what destroyed his lair, and why his wand is suddenly a part of his right hand! We also find that Glossaryck of Terms and the wand’s Magic Instruction Book, are still with him.

After being informed by Glossaryck that he took down the Magic High Commission, Ludo eagerly wants to write about this in the book (nevermind that he doesn’t know just how he defeated the commission!), but finds that the tome is somewhat uncooperative, and…it might not ‘belong’ to him anymore…

In this story, Glossaryck is his usual, enigmatic self, though like some other appearances of his, there may be a ‘method’ to his ‘madness.’ Also notable, is that one theory I had regarding how he operates, may have been partially confirmed (regarding his place in space and time).

Much of the story’s focus is on Ludo, and like Wile E Coyote trying to catch the Roadrunner, the humor from the segment comes from Ludo trying to get the book to cooperate with his demands. There is the typical humor of using Ludo’s incompetence and childish nature for comedy, but also within the story, is a chance to show us once again that he can be vulnerable, and naive.

The structure of Book reminded me of a few other episodes, where the story tends to be off-the-wall for the majority of the run-time, but in the last few minutes, they suddenly shift from comedy-to-drama. They tried to use this with the segment titled Starstruck last season, but it failed to redeem that story. A better version of this method, was used in a segment titled Collateral Damage, though it’s ending wasn’t quite as ‘heavy’ as what we have here.

With By the Book, that dramatic turn near the end actually worked, as we’ve seen that Ludo has wrestled with his emotions, and sometimes, his snap-decisions and desperation to be taken seriously, can lead to bitter regret.

Rewatching some of the Season 2 episodes recently, I was surprised to see the story had even included some continuity with Bird and Spider, from the end of last season! Those little ‘easter eggs’ are always fun to find.

Final Grade: B

Best line from segment (said by Ludo): Star was always your favorite, wasn’t she? The cute little sparkles on the cheeks. I’m just a sad little dingus in a chip bag!”

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Marco and the King

With Queen Moon gone from the Kingdom of Mewni, King River tries to keep morale up with constant partying. However, when Marco arrives from Earth hoping to find Star at the castle, River may have to face some harsh realities.

I found this segment surprising, especially in seeing how Marco was sad about Star going away in the first episode of season 3, but finding out here, that he still retained his pair of dimensional scissors from last season (I thought maybe Star had them with her)! Given how he can easily travel to Mewni, that show of emotional depression seems rather out-of-place now (to me, at least).

King River Johansen is our main focus here, much the way Moon the Undaunted focused on the Queen. However, while Moon’s story was intriguing, King River’s modern-day tale just doesn’t feel as wholly entertaining.

Personally, I was hoping we’d get a little more introspection into River’s background, much like what we had with Queen Moon. We have seen in the past that River can seem competent, but it feels like the further we’ve gone on into the series, the more he’s been used largely for comic relief. It’s starting to make me wonder just why Moon married him in the first place (maybe she didn’t marry him for love, but because he was a loyal and caring friend?).

For this story, Marco serves as a ‘cheerleader’ for the troubled King, oftentimes trying to put things into perspective. We’ve seen Star can take after her Father when it comes to uncontrolled recklessness, and much like Marco oftentimes talking sense to her, he does the same to River here. Of course, it isn’t so hard to see Marco doing this, given that his own parents seem a bit ‘childish’ at times as well.

We do get some more information about the lower-levels of the kingdom, and some of it’s denizens. At times, the low morale and ‘everyone in a state chaotic quandary,’ reminded me of when Echo Creek Academy went haywire in the Collateral Damage storyline last season.

Overall, it feels like the show’s crew tried to give us a little humor before the story ends on a cliffhanger, but I still feel like they missed a golden opportunity to explore more regarding River.

Final Grade: B-

Best line from segment (said by Foolduke): “WHERE’S MY MONKEY!?”

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Best honorable mention line from episode (said by Ludo, in Book be Gone): “Book, I demand that you let me write in you this instant, or I’ll turn this car around so fast, it’ll make your head spin!”

Compared to the first episode’s segments , the second episode’s feel a bit less exciting. There is information to be gleaned here, but it’s buried within stories that feel like a small gag, stretched thin.

Book be Gone brings us back into the story of Ludo and Glossaryck, and seems to act as a form of ‘comic relief’ from the rather heavy storytelling of the last episode. While there is humor derived from Ludo trying to make the book obey him, it’s final moments get rather dramatic, in ways that I don’t think anyone expected.

Marco and the King brings Marco back to Mewni, as we see him observe the King in action. The story has it’s moments, but it feels like King River has sadly begun devolving moreso into ‘royal comic relief’ for the show, making me wish the storyline could have given us more information about his past.

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Whew! Well, we’re halfway through The Battle for Mewni.

Next time, we’ll review Puddle Defender, where Star and her Mom seek help for their predicament, from an unlikely source. Plus, in King Ludo, we’ll see Mewni Castle under new management, and Marco trying to find a way to help King River, with some very unlikely Mewmans. See you back here in a few days!