Welcome back to Multiversity Comics’ Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts reviews. This week there’s a musical apology, high kicks, whatever that thing is that Zane’s doing, and a float—and no one can say no to a float.
“Hidden Treasures”
Written by Taylor Chapulin Orci
Directed by Matt Ahrens
1. It’s “P.R.A.H.M.,” not “Prom”
I have to be honest, this is probably Kipo’s worst idea ever. And I’m not referring to the acronym (a Party Reconciling All Humans and Mutes) because that’s totally cool, but rather the idea of humans jumping out and surprising a group of people they just assaulted. That’s uh. . . well, that’s a lot of yikes right there. It’s a rather tone-deaf way of approaching this problem, and I found it the single weakest element of the entire season. For a show that’s normally so thoughtful, this was a moment that seemed surprisingly thoughtless.
Literally the only thing holding this idea together is Kipo herself. Most people on both sides know her, and they’re willing to put aside execution because they know her heart is in the right place. Still, I wish the writers had workshopped this idea longer and come up with something more tactful. At least Benson seems to acknowledge this problem, but given they don’t really do much more than acknowledge the problem exists, it just comes across as lampshading.
2. But what about the rest of P.R.A.H.M.?
The rest of the idea I’m OK with. There’s an acknowledgement that there’s no good solution here and it is an astronomically big ask from the Mutes, and there’s no way that’s never not going to be the case. The damage has been done and it can’t be undone, and it’s wrong to tell them they should forgive the people that hurt them. Forgiveness, if it comes at all, has to be on the Mutes’ terms.
I may not be OK with the surprise aspect of this idea, but the apology from the humans is a good start. And this is the part of the episode that makes this work—the part that acknowledges this is just the first step, and after P.R.A.H.M. there’s going to be a lot of work to do.
3. Scarlemagne and Wolf
This is a relationship I didn’t see coming, but it makes so much sense and I love it. Both Scarlemagne and Wolf care for Kipo and both have seen the ugly sides of humans and Mutes. When Kipo is overflowing with optimism, they temper that with caution. This is something that’ll carry through into the next episode and it’s one of my favourite elements of the season, so I’ll go into this in more detail next week.
4. Troy is the potato noodles of boyfriends
The Troy and Benson relationship is ridiculously cute, and I love the way the show treats it just like any other relationship. There’s no speaking in code with the viewer—it’s just there. They can do an episode about Benson wanting to ask Troy to P.R.A.H.M. without walking on eggshells. Instead of it being a storyline about two boys dating, it’s just a story about two characters dating.
5. Dr. Emilia versus a Mega Mute
There’s a lot of focus on Dr. Emila as someone using science for evil, or being a manipulator, that we often forget she’s also an extremely well-trained warrior. This isn’t just an interesting skill set to make her a more intimidating villain, it shows that she always knew this was going to be a war and she’s trained for it. It speaks to her commitment to her misguided cause. All through the first half of the season she’s relied on her ability to manipulate to control the burrow people, but since that’s no longer enough, we’ll be seeing her lean into her more violent tendencies. We should be worried about that.
So, what did you think of this episode? Let me know in the comments.
