Star vs. The Forces of Evil Review: Cheer Up Star / Quest Buy

Hiya, fellow Stargazers!
Feeling happy it’s Friday? Feeling good about the weekend? Feeling excited about what comes your way? Well, Star isn’t. Star is feeling terrible, thanks to a newly-developed fear in clowns. And it’s up to Marco to help her get out of her fear and feel happy (and overexcited...and feisty...and unknown about most stuff) again.

Here is Sher--I mean...

The episode takes place at the Diaz Family Home, where it would seem at first that the family and Star is celebrating Fourth of July Dia de los Muertos early, but it’s actually Starco facing off against Ludo and his minions once again.

It’s Starco vs. The Useless Minions--The Fight for the Magic Wand: Round 3!!

Star and Marco run into the shed, where the two are hiding and figure out their next move. (She could just do her Turbo Nuclear Butterfly Blast finisher, and everything will be done quickly [and violently];...nah.) Star asks Marco what’s going on, and replies that it may be his fault; he takes out painted skull (which brings back that Dia De Los Muertos theory) and begins to tell Star a story.

Marco explains, through flashback, that he’s been having the cruddiest of cruddy days (and judging from what we’ve seen on this series so far, that’s not saying much). He’s missed the bus and is chasing it, runs into the Stop sign after it stops, thanks to Star helping out (not her fault, though) then takes a black eye in the process, ends up being dragged by his hood by the door, ends up on top of a group of trash, and is laughed at by a passerby thanks to a certain shirt he’s wearing…

An embarrassed Marco then covers it up by wearing a newspaper, and heads on to school, as the passerby keeps on laughing. Then he suddenly stops and goes on with his day.
And if things couldn’t go worse, it’s picture day at Echo Creek Academy and has a surprise pic taken by a female student. When all falls flat for our Meatball Hero, his old rival Jeremy Birnbaum appears and is berating him; Marco is having none of it, but Jeremy is having a lot. When he firmly stands his ground, Marc also firmly stands on Jackie Lynn’s skateboard. (Ouch) Jackie is saddened by this action and leaves away sliding on her half broken accessory. Jeremy then leaves as well, feeling his job (like he ever had one) is done.
--You know I like this. No really, I do. I have mentioned before that I hate the Butt Monkey aspect of Marco’s character, but here I don't. What makes it great here is that it’s part of the episode; It’s a part of the plot. And people can relate to this. Everyone has had at least one bad day in their lives, and nothing can stop it from happening. Just like Marco is here. I actually liked this ()
--The part where the passerby laughed and then stops for a second before riding away was funny.
--Also, I want this shirt. No, not because Marco wore it. (okay maybe)
--Also, I think I like Jeremy Birnbaum now. I’m not sure why. I said in last week’s review that I would’ve liked him, before the reveal that he was roughly 8 years old. But here, there’s nothing here that would annoy me. And he was really funny here, making fun of Marco (although I will give it to Marc for doing his best to ignore him)

When Star tells Marco to get to the point, he finally does, saying that after the day ended, Star made sure to cheer him up, (Aww) of which she succeeds--by getting eaten by a large fish, causing Marco (and later herself) to laugh. Marc then gets to the next day, in which the students hear what has to be the worst sound ever made. Star is tuned in by the horrid audio and asks Principal Skeeves who it is making it; he replies that it is Oskar Greason, a degenerate with a RECORD. The RECORD turns Star on, and she moves on over to Oskar, who is enjoying and reveling in his music. This then turns into a song number where Oskar takes Star to a new world within the power of bad music. This is then revealed to be a part of her imagination, as Marco snaps her out of it. She then returns to it, revealing that she gives him her number and slides away.
--Suddenly, I have this strange urge to find Star even more attractive with the false mustache on. (Yeah, I said that, and I stand by--he wrote embarrassed inside)
--Remember that part in “Star Comes to Earth” where she herself mentions that everyone thinks of her as reckless? Well, remember Tom? Yeah, as it turns out, Star likes bad boys. And this episode takes that a little further with Oskar..
--My God, his keytar skills are laughably bad (yeah, the point, but still). In fact,
Oskar and his keytar skills are like me and my jokes; we both take self-indulgence in them, even though others are mixed on them.

The flashback then switches from Marc to Star, as she is expecting a call from Oskar on Marco’s phone. She runs to her bedroom and waits patiently for him to call. Someone does call, but it’s Marco’s grandmother, whom Star rudely hangs up on. Time goes on and days pass as Star continuously waits for Oskar to answer, but nothing comes of it. Back in the real world, and at the shed, Star realizes that she isn’t what Oskar (or any guy with a RECORD) wants or looks for. Realizing her sadness, Marco does what he knows best--to Cheer Up Star. (Classic Marco)

--I love the look in Star’s eyes as she waits for the call; they move slowly and lusciously, like in an anime. I haven’t mentioned this much, but the influence of Anime on this show is amazing; from the fight scenes to through the animation to the eyes, this show is amazing in this regard.
--Oh and that paper with writings on the desk? That’s Star test with results from “Match Maker”; you know, the one with the F grade she thought was for “Fantastic”. Nice Continuity Nod, there, animators.
--Plus, the music in the background during is just lovely; the soft, quiet, sad sound reminds me fully of the music used in Anime shows. And it will make you cry a bit; trust me, I teared up myself from watching the first time.
--That ringtone. I wish it was real.

Later that night, someone comes into Star’s room and wakes her--

It’s Marc dressed as a clown. This scares Star. He runs away, apologizing and thinking she wasn’t afraid of clowns (Don't blame her, though. Yikes). Marco tries again with a Evel Knievel-like stunt at the top of her expansion pack loft room--it does not go well. After seeing Star’s wand, Marco draws up a Plan C. Marc throws her wand through the evil dimension to one of Ludo’s minions, who notices it and chases through the portal to try to get it, along with some other henchmen. From there it brings us up to speed and to the present day (or night, if Star's outfit is of any indication). It seems that the thing that Marco wanted to cheer Star up was another match against Ludo. He says that nothing cheers her up more than Narwhal Blast-ing a monster.

Marco is grabbed by a henchman, with Star giving chase. Ludo begins giving a fight, but Star is confused as there are new monsters joining the fray. Man-Arm and Spike-Balls (whom I think will have fully-made solid fanbases any day now), with Ludo shocked that they’ve never fully know each other. Anyway, after the formal introduction…

It’s Starco vs. The Useless Minions--Fight for the Magic Wand: Round 3! (again)
After the awesome usual (Star using her wand to blast, and Marco using his intense Green Belt skills), Star finally realizes that fighting monsters DOES cheer her up, and even says she doesn’t care if Oskar ever calls her. That is until Oskar calls her. For a minute, the two exchange small talk during the fight. When one of the minions screams at her, Star snaps back (calling them rude) and finishes the fight with a new move (I assume), Syrup Tsunami Shockwave. After everyone (even Ludo and Marco) ends up covered, Star returns to her call and ends with “Cool”. Star thanks Marco for doing all he could to cheer her up (even though Oskar did call her anyway) and hugs him with the two end up stuck to each other from the earlier syrup blast.

The episode ends with the guy who laughed at Marco earlier coming back to laugh at him (and Star this time) again.

And then he suddenly stops and leaves...again. (as if he had other things too)

--Admit it. You all thought it was cute (and/or funny) when Oskar played the Alphabet Song on his keytar. Don’t blame ya, though.
--It’s good to see that Star changed up her attacks every once in a while. I mean, I almost expected “Turbo Blast” to be the ending attack, but fortunately she didn’t with it.
--And another thing, It’s like Star discovered the Wu Tang Clan name generator, and used some of the random names on her attacks. Because the names are so random, yet so coherent, you have no choice but to find it cool. And they are so cool.
--Seriously does this guy stalk Marco just to make fun of him?
--One more thing, I honestly thought from hearing Oskar talk more, I thought that was Jon Heder voicing him. One quick check to the Wikia page reveals that yep, I was right. But Heder is perfect for the role. He can work a bad boy with a RECORD. With a droll, whispery voice to match. And since he’s a main character, it’s great that he’ll be back later on the season. He’d be a nice love interest for Star, just like Jackie Lynn is a perfect love interest for Marco.
*lightbulb* And speaking of love interest...

More Random Thoughts:
When this series began, I began noticing something. Although I’m not a fan of “ships”, I had a feeling that Star and Marco would have one. And sure enough, they do. Fortunately, from watching these episodes so far, I realized that they are much better as just friends other than friends that become something more later on. And because of that, my thoughts about them quickly died down, and thank goodness too. From the chemistry I’ve seen so far from them, and the voice work from Eden Sher and Adam McArthur, it makes pretty clear for me that it’s a much better thing to see than a budding relationship that translates to love. I not gonna act like I wanna protest the “Starco” ship, because other people like it--I’m cool with it; I will say that I’m more for them as just friends than as boyfriend and girlfriend (blech) We’ll see what happens from here.
By the way, I didn’t make up the Starco portmanteau to ship them; I made it so that do have to refer to them as “Star and Marco” all the time. It gets annoying typing both of their names this way so much. Yeah, I did say that this would be a thing, but at the time, this was because of potential (and now waning and unwanted) interest in their ship.

This was a very sweet episode through and through. Watching one of Starco helping the other feel better was a wonderful sight to behold. It really can show what good friends really can be: people who can help each other out, and make them feel better about themselves. And that’s what these two are--two people who care about each other and have the other’s back no matter what happens aka really good friends. This goes without saying, but I’ve really enjoyed the adventures these two have been on, and with this realization, I now enjoy them more than ever before. And I can’t wait to see which adventures they’ll go on now, as just friends.

Oh wait, I don’t have to do that, when they do have another adventure to go on.
It’s a race against the clock to save Star’s wand from death...forever...in...

The episode starts of at the Diaz Family Home, where Marco is combing his hair; no strand untouched. (Basically, he has the grooming habits of Harold Crick) This gets interrupted by Star, who is brushing her hair, along with blow drying, thanks to her wand multi-tasking. Marc puts a stop to it and cleans up the sickly sink counter (at least his side) with a vacuum cleaner, which is covered in pizza slices (?), (a cupcake/or ice cream, whatever that is) dolls and other things that shouldn’t be on a bathroom sick; and is even more messy on her edge. (By the way, remember Marco vacuuming the counter? Remember that.)
Suddenly Star’s magic wand dies down, and checks the battery life--it’s on low, close to dead (and in this case, forever) and she needs a charger. But because of her messy side of the bathroom, it’s hard to find. After searching through her horrible mess, Marco suggests buying another one. Star agrees and knows a place to go to, Quest Buy, which of course is in another dimension.
--This.

I was clutching my stomach from that.
--Seriously, who leaves pizza on a bathroom sink counter?
--In this scene, it’s revealed that Marco is a pretty tidy and orderly person--as in, a neat freak. (which explains the fact that his bedroom is pretty clean in the last few episodes). Also, Star is messy and disorganized--in fact, it’s weird to see her like this. And yet, it makes sense. Because of the reckless behavior she exhibits so far, especially in “Star Comes to Earth”, it makes you wonder how she keeps her clothes clean. Well, she is a girl.
--I honestly thought the power and life on the wand was infinite. Seems weird to suddenly come out and say that it now runs on (literal) horsepower. But hey, as long as it drives a good plot, I’m cool with that.
--Another thing, Star’s cheeks as emotion symbols is a really cute and cool thing. And pretty hilarious too. Especially when light bulbs come up.
(--Also, I know this is in the next scene, and I’m a little late with it, but Marco saying “Whoa” pretty much has to be his catchphrase at this point, like Joey from Blossom.)

Starco arrive at Quest Buy, a mall where many creatures from many dimensions come to buy anything they need. ANYTHING. The two try look around for the charger, but it’s a hard thing, as Star reveals that the founders of Quest Buy have created an ancient, cryptic system to organize items, making any customer succumb to madness from the difficult directional. But Marco assures her that he a crack the map to find the charger department.

Unfortunately, in their midst is Ludo and his henchmen, taking a little visit and buying last minute items--including a beak groomer. The minions try to sneak other items in, but Ludo's not having it.
--That little moment where Ludo and the minions first appeared in the store was undeniably funny...and reminded me of the times my and my family would go to the supermarket and my siblings and I would sneak stuff into the cart and my mom would force us to put it back where it came from. Here, it’s like the minions are me and the siblings and he’s their mom. In fact, and this is hilarious, but would you believe it if I told you that I originally thought that Ludo was a woman? The voice and the facial features really threw me off. I even went far enough to write him off as a her and she in the first review. Fortunately, I had the foresight to read the Wikia page before publishing it, so that saved me from a planet of embarrassment. Heh heh heh...heh. *headdesk*


--Oh, and by the way...The thing the Giraffe minion tried to slip into the cart?

Girafro. Nice.

Meanwhile, Starco run past a riddle giving sphinx (immediately giving the correct answer), and go to what seemed to be a different department, but is actually where they started (they went in circles-something Star doesn’t understand very well). And if things couldn’t get any worse, Ludo & Co. comes up, and immediately it’s…
Starco vs. The Useless Minions--Fight for--Okay, this is getting annoying now. (...Round 4)
(And it gets interesting here because the two are facing off without the aid of Star’s wand, which is still draining power.)
Star tries to use her wand to stop them, not really realizing that a dying wand won’t help any. (And apparently, Ludo doesn’t either, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting it, though)
But they actually don’t need it, as they have the aid of...adult diapers, which they throw at the henchmen with great accuracy. They escape, but end up in another dead end. It’s at this point where Marco decides to switch up and take this his way--The Organized Way. They take an elevator, and the race against time continues. Fortunately, the would get more time ahead as Ludo and the minions end up sharing their ride with an unwanted guest--a slug who doesn’t get the point he’s coming with.
--I love how Star just called out an attack involving Adult diapers. Big Boy Diaper Blast--Just so funny. I should also mention here how darn cute Star calling her attacks is. I don’t know if it activates the attack spell in her wand or just happens while the spell is in action; it's really cute either way.

Star and Marco are close to the Wand Charger Department, but hit a snag with the elevator hitting out of order and stopping at the Booby Trap Department. The Minions give chase, but thanks to the fact that Starco have quick reflexes...and that they don’t...they’re lagging behind. Our heroes reach the Wand Charger Dept., but it takes a while before they find the right one. Another fight comes around and this time, it's just Star against the monsters.

While Star holds off Ludo, Marco finally finds it. Star has the charger, but Ludo has the wand, and is about to Start his Darkness, but the wand is on Empty. Ludo starts to question this, but Star kicks him out of focus. She plugs the charger in, and the Wand is back to up and running again. She and Marco drive on out (literally with a ) and tells the QB clerk that Ludo will pay for the charger--along with everything else. When he tries to lie to make a hasty exit, the sloth attacks him.
--This shall teach us all something. If sloths don't have it with you, they become deadly. Never mess with them.

Starco finally return home, with a new charger for the wand, now fully-powered and running for another while. But first, a floating object appears in front of them. It’s Marco’s mini vacuum, now possessed (as Star believes). She walks to it, and, by opening it, learns how it’s powered--by Star’s missing wand charger. When Star learns that she had a replacement all along, Marco apologizes for trapping it in, but she gives it to Marco, forgiving him. When Marc now has a magic vacuum cleaner in his possession, he doesn’t realize that there's still a mess in the room, and ends up on the floor in pain with the vacuum flies around.

This was a very interesting episode. During the fight against Ludo, Star’s wand is close to dying. What I like about this is that we see a fight without the wand’s power, and with that Star and Marco go low-tech for a while--using adult diapers boxes as ammo to hit back. And later, Ludo has the wand, but since it was dead, he doesn’t begin his evil domination. It’s obvious it wouldn’t happen anyway, but it was funny while it happened.
I do feel this concept was used a bit too early, but I’m glad the writers came up with it anyway. And it had me thinking: And had Star’s wand die, what consequences would come her way? Will she be stuck on Earth forever? (although that’s quickly debunked; since she does have the dimensional scissors) Would her kingdom on Mewni be destroyed forever and everyone in it will suffer an even worse fate than the one caused by her with her wand earlier? Will her parents ground her and not make her the future Queen (if that is possible)? Who knows.
I wish this would’ve happened in a later episode, because it’s a much better place to explore the concept. Also I wish the concept was a little fleshed out than just “the search for a charger”. But hey, I enjoyed what I saw here and that’s great for me.

I enjoyed this episode very much, for a lot of reason. It really showed me that Star and Marco are muy bueno as just best friends, that they can have wonderful love interests (although there are bumpy roads here so far), that they'll always stick together, and that I'm going to enjoy this friendship more than they themselves do. Also, I got the taste of that could happen when Star doesn't use her wand and what would (almost) happen had Ludo had the wand, Although it was pretty short (even for an 11-episode halfer), I enjoyed what came at me, and I'm even more curious about what happen had this concept gone either further. It could get much more interesting had this continued.

Well, another review is done, and boy, am I beat. I feel I want to get away. Stargazers, are you ready for vacation?? Well, the Diaz family and Star is going on one and we're going for the ride in "Diaz Family Vacation". Plus, the cheerleader is having a party, but our resident princess from another dimension has different customs for the celebration in "Brittney's Party". See you next week for the review.

As always, my thanks to the Star vs. The Forces of Evil Wikia page for everything. I'm eternally grateful as always.
I'm Andrew, and from here at Maroon Mondays, good night for now, and remember:
Reach for the Star, and Keep looking up!...at your TV screens.