Welcome back to Multiversity Comics’ Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts reviews. This week there’s the stealthiest of stealthy key heists, blatant propaganda, shrimp on the menu, and angry birds.
“The Ballad of Brunchington Beach”
Written by Christopher Amick & Ben Mekler
Directed by Matt Ahrens
1. Brunch—believe the hype
Last episode it was cheese, this time it’s brunch (A.K.A., the best meal). . . I feel like these episodes with lots of food in them really need snack recommendations. For this one, I recommend having your favourite brunch foods, like matcha and strawberry waffles or Grand Marnier Crêpes Suzette.
Also, if you’re doing waffles, remember to eat some waffle every time Wolf cops a waffle to the face.
2. Changing hearts and minds
“Congratulations! You’re going to cater Scarlemagne’s coronation and all his meals before and after that, forever.”
A big part of this show has always been about how Kipo’s good at getting through to people and changing their minds, but I gotta say, I think Scarlemagne did the heavy lifting here when he basically announced to Cappuccino she’d be his slave. And then one of his flamingos randomly ate one of her shrimp staff.
So the stage is nicely set for Kipo and company to show who they really are.
3. Puck and and the TheaOtters
Puck knows what sells, so he’s more than happy to go around spreading lies that incite hate. . . I know this show is set 200 years in the future, but this element in particular really feels like 2020, especially how casually it’s done, no hint of remorse. Profit absolves Puck of feeling any guilt about what he’s doing.
That said, the TheaOtters were a pretty fun aspect of this episode. Maybe it’s because of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and its infamous ‘The Ember Island Players’ episode, but I’ve got a soft spot for episodes when the main characters are reinvented for audiences in their own world. There’s a dynamic at play that’s always fun, seeing what elements of the characters are played up or played down or straight up invented just to make them more palatable to an audience that hates them. Kipo’s empty headed, Wolf is reduced to her anger, and Benson’s a coward with a cat barfing sweater.
That said, the TheaOtters pretty much bow out at the threshold going into the third act, which is a shame because of their thematic relevance. Given that in the middle of the episode Cappuccino proclaims that their show was the best she’d ever seen, it would’ve been nice to see her put some pressure on the TheaOtters to tell a better story, one that more accurately represents the humans that saved her restaurant.
4. Jamack and Dave
The best part of the episode was seeing Jamack and Dave bounce off each other. These two work so well together. Jamack was introduced in the series as a self-serving character, and Dave as a character that distanced himself from the needs of others. Both have changed drastically since their introduction, and I genuinely enjoyed seeing these two push each other to bring out their more positive qualities. Jamack pushes Dave to invest more and Dave pushes Jamack to care more, and at the same time their every interaction is comedy gold.
5. Keeping Kipo Kipo
Just before Wolf met Kipo, if she had ever found herself in a situation where she was in danger, she would not have hesitated to resort to violence to solve her problems. It wasn’t a last resort—it was her go-to move. Since meeting Kipo, there’s been a shift. But Wolf wasn’t always this way. Wolf, more than any other character in the show, understands how violence can change a person and even destroy the person they were.
That’s the reason the show has Wolf—not Benson or Dave or Jamack—pull Kipo back from an act of viciousness that would’ve chipped away a core part of Kipo’s identity. And this is the reason this whole “Kipo must resist the jaguar” plotline works for me. The entire first season set up who Kipo was in contrast to the instincts that are now trying to take her over. This isn’t just a plot obstacle, but an element deeply connected to the themes of the show.
Continued below
To highlight the point further, just moments before Kipo nearly slashes at Gerard, there’s a beat where Kipo reflects on her own violence—the moment when Kipo punches a flamingo and then says “Aw, poor flamingo.”
That beat isn’t an accident. It demonstrates who Kipo is at her core so that we have contrast in the moment with Gerard.
5½. I love those jaguar feet
Nothing further to add. I just love the look of those feet.
What did you think of this episode? Let me know in the comments.
