Over The Garden Wall Review: The Old Grist Mill & Hard Times at the Huskin' Bee

Hi, everyone.
Welcome to the first review of Over The Garden Wall, the series that everyone has been waiting for, talking about and excited about for months. Days on end And now, it's finally come. And it was how I expected it to be: beautifully animated, wonderfully crafted, very well cast and just near perfect.
Now my reviews are different from those of the TV show websites, but you already knew that because of the name.

We start off the series in Chapter 1: The Old Grist Mill

with the announcer teaching us about the Unknown, a mysterious part of the forest that involve very scary faces that lurk in the shadows. This is where brothers Wirt and Gregory come in. They're lost, and want to find their way back home. Wirt is afraid of what may come from behind and Greg is busy saying random words that may be the name of his pet frog. We also meet Beatrice, a talking bird and the Woodsman, a man who works and lives in an old mill.

The Woodsman offers the brothers a place to stay for a while before they find the way back. Greg goes outside and lays out a candy trail. Then a wolf...thing--runs out of the forest and eats the trail, putting the brothers in danger, forcing the two to face off against it, with Beatrice barely to be seen. That really begins a development in Wirt in facing his fears head-on and taking them head on, which was awesome. After its defeat, the wolf ends up in the gears of the mill, with the mill destroyed, and somehow turns into a dog. Angry at the brothers' (unintenitonal) destruction, Woodsman gives them...directions. And after apologizing, Wirt and Greg set off on their way home...or are they?

So it leaves a few questions: What will Wirt and Greg head into next? Will Beatrice act like a traitor again? Will the Woodsman's words make any sense?


Well, we'll answer that as we reach Chapter 2: Hard Times at the Huskin' Bee.

Here, the Brothers (well, whatever last name Wirt & Greg have) continue their journey in the morning sun. As it turns out, Woodsman gave them the wrong directions (intentionally). They and Beatrice (who was saved by Greg from a thorned bush she was caught in) travel to a town called Pottsfield, a town inhabited by people who happen to wear costumes shaped like pumpkins. Wirt tries to ask for a way home, until misunderstandings lead to him & Greg being ganged up by townspeople, with a mysterious shadowy man, Enoch, coming from behind to scare them even more. He threatens to arrest them for crimes he thought they committed. This guy is threatening and fearful, but the sentence he lays on the brothers lessen the fear (well, at least mine, but I wouldn't put down my shield just yet). Later, the Three are working in a field harvesting pumpkins, saving corn, digging their graves, warding off crows--wait, DIGGING THEIR GRAVES?!?! Holy crap!! Then a skeleton becomes sentient and distracts the residents and gives the three time to escape (well, except Wirt, who stands by and watches the bag of bones dance in astonishment). Then oddly, Pumpkin Pennywise just decides to let Wirt go, because that skeleton, was another resident. Yes, the people of Pottsfield are skeletons. And the pumpkin costumes? Their skin. Okay, I'm really creeped out (which is odd because I get creeped out a lot). So, Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice continue their path to home...and where ever Beatrice has to go back.

The first chapters establish the four characters well. Wirt is a normal young man with a love of poetry, unknowing of his surroundings and looks out for his little brother. Greg is a happy-go-lucky kid with a big imagination, goofy (but cute) disposition and is just so sweet, you'll get a diabetes shock just by looking at him. Beatrice is an indifferent bird who kinda likes Greg, but could care less about Wirt, but is there to help, although she might have something hiding, and the Woodsman seemed to be a big scary man, until it's revealed that he's actually a helpful, resilient and resourceful guy willing to help the brothers out in the desperate time of need...at first.

And now some Random Thoughts about the first two episodes:
Chapter 1:
--Wirt is really doing well convincing himself how damning it is that a bird was just talking to him.
--Who else was close to pooping their pants when they saw the wolf? Just like Wirt was close to doing so when convincing Woodsman he and Greg are lost.
--The Woodsman is very different from other other roles Christopher Lloyd has voiced/played. Woodsman is no Doc Brown or The Hacker. Reallu.
--I definitely see some resemblances of Wirt and Greg in two other characters.

--Now, during the scene where Greg falls into the barrel, we see the mean, nasty, foaming wolf...and dear God, did it ever leave an impression on me in scaring me...and appearing in my nightmares.

Chapter 2
--That face Wirt made.

--Greg's shock at Bea's hatred of waffles (and not at that she eats maggots) is just cute as hell.
--The Pumpkin People are creepy. Wirt may have been right in that they are a cult.
--Wirt's poetry is beautiful.
--I may have mentioned this before, but I just love "Patient is the Night". That song is 90 seconds of music heaven. It's Chris Isaak's fault I have it illegally downloaded on every electronic device I own.
--Never enjoy a moment when a whole group of townspeople appears out of nowhere, especially when they prepare for your death.
--Even if someone doesn't like you, take their words for granted. It'll help.

In General
--Some female fans are already drawing up some freaky fanfic of Wirt right now. I wouldn't blame them if he wasn't a child, but we already have an example of otherwise.

--I didn't have very high hope for the series, but it was just enough to love it before I even saw a glimpse of it at New York Comic-Com. The animation is a mash of Adventure Time and Gravity Falls; the characters are very well-likable (especially Greg with his sweet, kind, goofy self and yes, I like even Beatrice, for all her...faults.

I so cannot wait for Chapters 3 & 4 tomorrow! Even though it's only less than a day away, I feel like it's forever. Oh well. thank you for joining me in the first OTGW review, and I hope to see you tomorrow for the second review with Chapters 3 Schooltown Follies) and 4 (Songs of the Dark Lantern. Good night!