Hiya, Stargazers.
Blah blah blah--another hiatus, Blah blah blah--I'm pissed, Blah blah blah--another crap joke, Blah blah blah--it's review time!
So, this has to be one of the episodes I've been looking forward to since I've started watching this series and doing this review. For a few reasons:
-Star is going to prom. That means she'll be wearing a dress that we'll all be fan-art-ing till kingdom come. (or at least until next week),
and the biggest one of them all: Tom is back!
Yes, Star's ex-boyfriend who's caused a lot of bad in her life has returned, and we get to see him much long than that the last we've seen earlier in this series, including in the theme song for about half-a-second, and in "Match Maker", where Star attempts to call her mom, Queen Butterfly, to indirectly solve a problem, and ends up calling him instead. Seemingly, he seemed like a cool, pretty laid-back guy who just happens to be a demon (at least that's what I thought at first), but for that last second...
he was the complete opposite...who just happens to be a demon.
But still, I was still excited to see him in an episode,
what with because I was extremely curious to see what kind of guy he was (and what personality he exhibits) from that few seconds we've seen of him in "Match Maker", and the fact that at the Wikia page that it was confirmed that he would appear in a then-future episode. And the fact that he's voiced by Rider Strong aka Shawn freakin' Hunter, but hey, it's the thought that counts, right? So, let's tear into the reason I may be thanking the creator above for watching this beautiful gem of an animated series...
The episode begins with a shot of a beautiful red-colored moon in the distance, with something ascending from the ground. It's a carriage with someone coming out. It's our favorite horrible, disgusting, reprehensible jockstrap of an ex-boyfriend...Tom.
The reason? He's at Echo Creek Academy, asking his ex-love Star to the Blood Moon Ball--an event that takes place every 667 years. (Cutting it close, huh?) Star understandably says no, but Tom convinces her that he only wants the best intentions for her, as he's changed his life around and is now a new man. With the help of a life coach Brian and a pink bunny, he seems to have convinced her to join him for the big night. That is before Marco drops in with a karate chop to Tom's wrist and breaks off his hand. Tom is close to giving Marc a karate chop of his own, but Brian calms him down with a walk, while Starco converse about him.
After Good and Evil meet for the first time, Tom gives Star a tiny bell as a calling for him to pick her up. She is flabbergasted.
--Let me be honest here: I like Tom. I like him a lot. Even though he's reprehensible as I don't know what, I like his charm, his demeanor and his even voice. So I'd hope you'd understand that If I were Star, I wouldn't just accept his invitation to the Ball, I'd also ask him to marry me.
But I understand where Star's going here: she doesn't want to go, because of the damage he's caused her during their relationship and wants nothing to do with him since then. So I really don't blame her for that; I really believe her from what the Wikia page read about him.
--I wish I had
That night in Star's expansion pack bedroom, she gets ready for the Ball. Marco tries to persuade her from going, but she assures him she's going, seeing as Tom being a changed man convinced her enough to join him, and that it'll be fun. She then goes behind her Magic Mirror to slip into a beautiful pink flowing gown, complete with a hairdo perfect for the occasion. Star is ready and rings the bell, calling up a
--You know what? This is shocking...but I definitely sided with Star more than Marco. I do believe that Tom can give Star a good, safe night and is trying hard to be a different guy than the one she knew so horribly previously.
Star makes it to Tom's place where he has a corsage ready for her, which she refuses. Tom begins to get angry, but Brian stops him again. And from there, the couple of the evening are ready for the event of their lives (or life and afterlife).
But Marco is instead having the night he never wanted, sitting in Star's room listening to music, eating chips and moping. (Poor guy.)
--I don't have to say that Star looks beautiful in her dress, because it's really obvious. But also, Marco and Tom have a really nice suit game going on. Tom with his clean white layered tux, and Marc with his great black suit showing his Mexican heritage. These guys really know how to dress for an occasion.
Meanwhile, at the event, guests are in line to have their photos taken...before being drenched in blood. Star refuses to this, while Tom assures her it's unicorn blood (as in the blood her friend Princess Pony Head shares). She doesn't budge. She later goes to the Ball-room and begins to enjoy her night. Another attendee appears and complains to Star that the Ball is ruined--Tom changed it around to make it more suitable and PC for Star and (--Awww...I guess.) Tom takes Star to the floor and asks for a dance, which she accepts.
Marco comes in to stop the proceedings, but winds up dancing with Star...at the worst possible moment. The Blood Moon awakens and shines on Starco as they dance the few seconds away. But then Tom comes in. And he's furious. He knocks Marc from his date, and is close to brutally destroying him, but Star stops him by freezing him in a block of ice.
With a nice button as a consolation.
Star storms off, with Marco following.
--Let me be honest here. I felt sorry for Tom. Despite being an asshole, he really did try his best to not only make this the best night of his (eternal) life, but make sure Star had the best night of hers, too, and make sure she's--well, at least, okay. And I honestly believed this. And Marco comes in--I won't say he ruined it (maybe), and I don't blame him. He truly cares about Star, and he doesn't want her to get hurt in the worst way possible
and looking at him, I can honestly believe that, too. But Star wanted him to trust her in that if she does get hurt, she'll handle it. And I can believe that, too. So, I think I'd back Tom more than Marco.
Later on, back at Star's EXPBR, Star is peeved...but not at Tom...but at Marco. She calls him out for going to the Ball and ruining her and Tom's night, and for not trusting her at that moment. Marc agrees and apologizes. Star then asks him to make nachos. And Marco complies.
--You know what? I can't believe I'm saying this...but I think I'm back on the Starco ship bandwagon. ...for now. It's moments like this that actually convince me that they can be a really good couple. And no matter how hard I try to stay on the stance that they're much better as friends, this stuff comes up and makes me change my mind.
--I LOVE THIS EPISODE. Not only did I get to see Tom more (and I was not disappointed), seeing as a guy who can change his personality, and has actually made the commitment to stick to said change (seriously, he has a life coach named Brian)
but I really enjoyed the sweet Starco moments throughout, like
-her wearing her really cute dress, and him looking overwhelmed
-him chasing after her, because he really cares about her
-their dance under the bright Blood Moon
-and even their little fight at the end
I amazingly enjoyed every one of these moments, and these moments make me glad I have a "ship" to like. Oh man...I guess I really am enjoying them as a couple.
This is going to be a roller-coaster ride for me, guys. I'm going to be in a position where I feel one over the other. One episode, I really enjoy them as friends. And the next, I actually want them to be together. But there is barely a middle ground for this, and I feel so frustrated about this. (It's the writing and voice acting, I tell ya!!)
But I'm surely enjoying the ride so far, and I can assure you, this isn't the end of this. I can drop out and jump back in at any time (with or without warning).
Hold on, folks. This ride is just beginning.
and now, the other half of this one episode I think I'll enjoy very much...
This one begins in the Middle of...
Starco vs. The Useless Minions!: Round 7!
(You know the outcome, but Starco's short-but-very-effective moves to knock off Ludo's henchmen was hilarious and cool). After another win under their belt, Marco suggests celebrating with Chinese Food (which Star does not know about). But after another loss under his belt, Ludo (who is pissed off at his workers, as usual) suggests a new game plan. At his castle, Ludo yells at his minions for screwing up his plans once
--This is the first episode where some scene takes place in another place at Ludo's Castle, with this scene not being in Ludo's lair, but in an office breakroom setting. And it was amusing to me, seeing that the minions got a place to talk shop and stuff. And Ludo comes in like a smarter and more volatile Michael Scott. Again, it's amusing to me.
--And just so you know, one of his henchmen has a tattoo on his right forearm of a arrow-stricken heart. It it, says "BOSS".
I think it means his respect for Ludo, but make what you will of that.
--"Go get change!" -Ludo
That's very amusing to me.
At a Chinese food restaurant, Starco are enjoying their meal. (And in Star's case, I mean she's swallowing her meal.) After almost ingesting her fortune cookie (fortune and all), Marco tells her that the fortune is magical, and proves it with one. (Oh Gosh, not again.) After reading one of her own, she fully believes Marc's "story" and starts to look in the way of the Fortune Cookies.
--Star seeing her chopsticks as tiny wands and devouring her fortune cookie was so very cute. Funny, too, but very cute nonetheless.
--When I mean by (Oh Gosh, not again.), I mean this is the second time Marco has told Star something that is obviously fake, but she really takes this to heart and follows it until he spells it out for her, which is when all is gone to ruin. The first time was, of course, in "School Spirit". But this time, Marc is a little worried about Star.
Back at Ludo's Castle, he's holding a tryout for an assistant to get his minions into better shape to stop Star. After interviewing some duds, he finally finds a perfect candidate in...Toffee. *shrug*
He's pretty much a very mysterious man, who knows his way around. Like getting himself hired.
--His pencil case (possibly) is a little statuette of Star. With the pencils going through her. This grown man has some deep issues about this teenage girl.
--It seems Toffee has a nice little suit game going on, too. Real nice.
--My face was just like Buff Frog's when Toffee was hired.
Meanwhile, at the Diaz Family Home, while Marco is whipping up his world-famous
Maaarco's Super-Awesome Naaachos (clap-clap clap-clap!),
Star is busy worshiping her new consultants, the Fortune Cookies. Marc tells her that the Fortunes are not magical, but just papers written by people in a factory. Star rebuffs him by reading one.
Although Marco proves that the fortune isn't true at first, Ferguson shows up (thanks to the call of nachos) and proves Star right. Star begins to act more into delusional about the fortunes and won't Marco's words about it.
On their way back to the Chinese food restaurant, Starco meet two breakdancers. At that moment when they're distracted by their moves, a large fly buzzes to her purse and switches her cookie for another with a fake fortune, setting her and Marco up for a disaster. As it turns out, the breakdancers are two of Ludo's minions and Starco has been ambushed into...Round 8! But instead of fighting them, Star (under belief of another fortune) has to love them. As in giving them hugs. When it seems like Ludo would grab her Wand for himself (...again.), Ludo is screwed out (...once again), this time by one of his own henchman, who needed a good one. After getting caught, the two-headed minion decides to begin a relationship of honesty with Star by revealing the fake fortune plan to all Ludo's bidding. Thanks to this shocking reveal by a surprising source, Star ends her trust (and possible faith) in fortune cookies, and finishes what she kinda started by blasting the minions once again, ending another round in success.
Back at Ludo's Castle, he and Toffee drink to what is the beginning of a perfect partnership.
Looking up to the Butterfly Kingdom, Toffee looks on with a sneer on his face...and something else seemingly up his sleeve.
--Toffee is a very interesting figure. Unlike Ludo, He's secretive, quietly dashing, and he's cunning, and he seems to have everything he can to undermine Star in helping Ludo in his quest to take her wand. But what makes his more interesting is those shots near the end when he turns back with a smile on his face. Could this mean something coming in ways for him? Could he turn against Ludo with his own intentions, possibly for Star's wand or something else? Who knows, but I'm really intrigued, and I can't wait to see what he'll pull later in the season, and probably the rest of the series. I like him a lot.
I ALSO LOVE THIS EPISODE. While it wasn't as strong to me as "Blood Moon Ball", "Fortune Cookies" was great on its own, mostly thanks a new character. We met a new villain, Toffee; he's cunning and interesting, and thanks to him, Ludo has come very close to getting Star's wand a second time, and (hopefully) he's another Force of Evil Starco will deal with sometime later on. I really hope so; he's that cool (in an evil way).
Without saying much, this was another great episode. I enjoyed both very much in their ways, and they both had it all: the laughs, the suspense, the fun, and the moments that make your heart warm. It's just that perfect. Great job to everyone that put this together. All your combined contributions make this one amazing...like Star in that dress.
And that, Stargazers, is another review in the archives, ready for you to enjoy again...or find in disgust, I don't mind. Anyway...
Time...it's a form of measurement we use in life: to go through, to check on our watches, and to kill when we want to wait for something we want to happen, happen. And apparently, Starco has it in their reach.
Next week, I tackle "Freeze Day", where Star has paused time, and it's up to her and Marco to convince Father Time to set everything straight. Also, this:
This is extremely cute.
Also, in my sights to spend days working on while others spend just one for some reason, "Royal Pain", where King Butterfly visits a delighted Star on Earth, but her delight soon turns into annoyance when he wears out his welcome.
Seems like another 30 minutes of fun, action, excitement and laughter to enjoy, huh?
Well, join me next week for that, and I hope to be at least a quarter of that.
I'm Andrew, saying "Reach for the Star, and Keep Looking Up!...at your TV screen."
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