Notes
Anne: "I love my cat more than anything in the world. She was irreplaceable. But now I found a replacement."
Sprig: [In a trance.] "I want it. Give it to me..."
Anne: "Wouldn't it be nice to have a sweet, fuzzy, loving critter around?"
Hop Pop: "A pet?!"
Anne: "Great idea, Hop Pop."Sprig: "This a cult thing?"
Anne: "Oh, Domino 2. I thought I could change you."
Hop Pop: "I miss Charlie Big Bottom with all my heart and soul!" [Bawling.]
Sprig: "Here you go..."
[Awkward silence.]
Sprig: "You hate it, don't ya? It's too ugly, isn't it? You know what, give it back to me—"
Anne: [Cuddles.] "I love it!"
Review
That was actually a solid episode about not judging a book by its cover, making good judgements, and learning to let go—hot damn.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2023-12-15T21:45:49Z
[7.6/10] Look, as a cat lover who legitimately once had a feline named Domino, I am an easy mark for this episode, but I still thought it was a blast! The design and animation team outdid themselves with this on. Domino II, the cat-erpillar is the perfect adorable design for this world. She has great fluffcat energy, while being just enough of an insect to fit into the universe of the show. You totally get why Anne wants to shower Domino 2 with love based on cuteness alone, and the mix between big eyes and spitting webs sets the little critter at the right intersection between our world and Hop Pop’s.
If that weren’t enough, Domino 2’s butterfly form is appropriately terrifying, with a mouth full of daggers and a green mace of a tongue, while still retaining Domino 2’s feline features. This is the show going full monster mash, and they sell the fearsomeness of this Mothra-like beast, but still managing to preserve the little flourishes that mark it as the same critter Anne took in.
The motifs at play are well done too. The way that Anne tries to make this whole thing work is a sign that, despite taking to Amphibia like a frog to water, Anne still harbors some homesickness. Missing her cat and trying to recreate their dynamic here is a nice metonym for that. And it makes it extra heartbreaking when she has to tell Domino 2 to go away for the good and safety of the rest of the planet family.
Likewise, the idea that you shouldn’t take in wild animals and hide them from your parents is, perhaps, a little obvious (at least to this crusty old grown-up), but still one worth telling. The closing moment, where Sprig offers the rejoinder that letting a wild animal live in his basement worked out pretty well for him is a sweet way to go out. And the way that Hop Pop protests about the pains of having a pet, only to reveal that he dearly misses the family pet spider he’s been griping about the whole episode is a fun turn.
Overall, I’m about as much of a sucker for this kind of episode as you’re likely to find, but fair or not, the episode’s charms 100% landed with me.