Over the Garden Wall (TV SHOW)

The story of two boys. I am a Wirt.

OVER THE GARDEN WALL
Season One
Format: Hulu, Cartoon Network
Genre: Cartoon, comedy, American comedy

Rating: 9 out of 10. 

SPOILERS.
I'm straight up going to be honest with you and say I'm biased as hell about this show. One of my extremely good, dare I say best, friend named Kelsey told me about this show. She said she was straight up one of the characters and I was the other. That's the other reason I'm biased, because one of the characters reminds me so much of myself, that it was hard to displace myself from relating. All, in all, I figured I might as well be straight up with you about this. I know I started slacking again on this blog and that's because every show I've started is apparently still in progress. I've got Doctor Stone lined up, Black Clover and Demon Slayer for animes. I have Mad Men for live action drama and the Battle of Midway for a movie (which I haven't done a war movie in a ...maybe ever?)

To continue on what I was trying to say about Over the Garden Wall. Wirt (the older brother) and Greg (the ever-optimist with a tea kettle on his head) are lost in the woods of the Unknown. They have no idea where they are or where they exactly are going. They run into a woodsman who gives them ominous warnings of staying away from a beast. Fortunately, each episode is only 11 minutes, so this synopsis will be rather painless for 10 episodes at 11 mins each.

I was wrong to think this was a harmless Halloween episode.

Wirt gets Greg to at least look for the next town, so the two shove off trying to find their way back home. Wirt, thinking he's a genius, tells the blue bird they meet, Beatrice, that he doesn't need her help. They see a sign for Pottsfield and think they are in the clear. Upon entering the town, the boys notice nothing out of the ordinary because the townsfolk tells them to get into costume as pumpkins. It's Harvestfest. Turns out, the citizens of Pottsfield are skeletons under their exteriors and damn near run the boys out of town. The wander back into the forest only to run into a school for animals with a teacher who longs for her no-good ex-man and her grouchy benefactor who is unwilling to spend money. Turns out the benefactor is broke AFFFFF and can't afford to keep the school open, so instead of selling instruments the students are playing, they put on a benefit concert.

Wirt, left, and Beatrice.

Next, they come across a tavern where everyone's name is their job description. Beatrice gets left in the rain and the boys ask directions. This episode is literally straight song and dance. After that, the boys pretend to be the nephews of an eccentric billionaire because they need money to get on the ferry to go to Adelaide's who is a witch who can get them home. Quincy Endicott, the "uncle" thinks his house is haunted and brings Greg on an adventure to see the ghost. Turns out, his home is so damn large, that his mansion butts up to his neighbor and they share a garden. The garden grows their tea that they built their businesses on, which is ironic because they are competitors. I actually really enjoyed this episode because of the legitimately absurdity of it. The next episode is actually pretty damn great too because Greg has been carrying a frog with him the entire time that he changes the name of every episode or two. They are on the Frogland Ferry, journeying to Adelaide but because Greg lost all their money, they had to sneak on and are hiding from the frog police in the jazz band. They find out that their frog they brought along with them, is an amazing lounge singer who cuts a record deal with the frog band. 

Freaky shit. For real.

Now if I had to choose a freaky as shit episode, and there is one with a legitimate demon in it, this would be the one. The gang gets split up in the darkness and Wirt ends up at a house in the woods. A caring girl named Lorna hides him from her witch-like master and the master comes home and knows that the children are there. She lets it go and goes to sleep. The witch controls Lorna with a bell and tells her to clean the floor. Greg, like an idiot, wakes up the witch and she tries to chase the kids out of the house. Too late might I add. See, the witch wasn't the one to fear. Lorna has a demon inside of her. She actually loves the fake auntie for trying to care for her despite the demon inside of her. Wirt uses the bell that the witch used to subdue the demon and banishes it from Lorna, making her so happy to be with her auntie without the awful demon inside of her.

The forest demon that the woodsman in the first episode plagues them finally and we find out that the woodsman is being tricked to carry the flame of the demon instead of his daughter like he thinks. Wirt tells the demon to go jump off a bridge a rescues Greg. After this, we finally see the origin of the story. Wirt and Greg aren't in a fantasy universe back in time. They are from present day. They were just out for Halloween. Wirt made his own costume from an old Civil War costume and cut the fur off a Santa hat and Greg was trying to be an elephant, hence the teapot on his head. Wirt made a mix tape for the girl he liked, Sara, and Greg was being Greg. That doesn't seem descriptive, but trust me, watch the show and you'll see how accurate the statement is. The two boys eventually make it back over the wall to the present day and Wirt gets the chance to actually talk with Sara.

For a quick cartoon that I watched all of it in less than two hours, I was impressed. This short narrative took me in loop holes and cliff hangers I didn't expect. It was more plot twists that were actually decent than an M. Night movie. (We don't talk of the Last Airbender travesty.) I really related to the characters in the span of an episode, which is impressive that it took so little time, yet everyone can relate to the characters and the craziness. Like Greg, is straight up my friend Kelsey and I was dying laughing with his antics while Wirt and I actually said stuff at the exact same time. Just watch this show. It's quick to knock out and really relates to the characters in it.