#like “this kid won't obey adults and authority figures”

[beau-rebloga-coisas]

Good morning i still think ODD is a shitty name and a poor excuse to cover up for ADHD/ASD/PTSD/poor parenting skills

[milkywaydrinker]

One of the saddest things about how Marcy was handled in Amphibia is that her parents are never expected to explain themselves. The story never asks Mr. Wu why he needs to move away in the first place, if the family genuinely needs this job because they won't have one otherwise. But based on Matt's wording in interviews and the lack of mention in Marcy's Journal, it really seems like he just... wanted a job promotion. He only did it for himself and wasn't content with the pretty lofty house the family already had, and Mr. Wu does it at the expense of Marcy and gets away with it.

There's no calling out of him; Nor does the show even bother to clarify for the viewer that Marcy's parents "aren't bad", since Matt admitted they omitted the other girls' parents out of fear the viewers would excuse Sasha and Marcy after seeing their home lives. But unintentionally, it creates this twisted double-standard; It doesn't matter if Mr. Wu is a good parent, it doesn't matter if he's a bad one either.

The only thing that matters according to the show is that Marcy, the child, messed up; And so her arc consists solely of blaming herself for what happened, without giving Marcy the chance to at least speak for herself. She isn't allowed to be angry on her own behalf, Anne and Sasha figure out what went wrong with Marcy, without Marcy ever getting to tell them that. Marcy isn't allowed to work on her broken self-esteem.

All that matters is that Marcy is a good girl who obeys, regardless of whoever she's taking orders from. Which makes it hypocritical of the show to frame Marcy as bad for blindly trusting in Andrias' plans, but not ever questioning her father's. Both are paternal figures to Marcy. Likewise, Marcy is punished for being a disobedient child, but the adults in her life are utterly excused; The Wus are under no obligation to explain themselves, Olivia and Yunnan aren't called out for only using Marcy for their own ends. And Andrias?

The show doesn't want to show the girls' parental trauma out of fear it will 'excuse' them. Yet it has no qualms about Andrias' redemption hinging almost entirely on the audience pitying him because his father pressured and controlled him, even giving Andrias a triumphant moment where he stands up to his dad! The show expects you to feel bad for Andrias because some people in his life were a bit mean to him, it expects you to think he just needed to be told by Leif that she still loved him, when he went out of his way to create racism towards her species.

And Barrel! Just like Marcy, Wit is neglected. Andrias mourns Leif, claims she is the only one who called him by his nickname, but his cruelty towards Barrel is left unaddressed. Barrel is an afterthought and left unmourned, because like Marcy he doesn't matter, he's only as good as what he does for others.

Maybe it's a stretch, but with the way the show ended, the message of 'accepting change' just comes across as unintentionally authoritarian. Accept that a god will separate you from your friends, or your dad, it doesn't matter either way.

I have many complaints about the way Amphibia portrays the dynamics between the characters. It applies to both family and friendships and how each girl sees and interacts with the world.

You hit the nail on the head with the unintentionally authoritarian approach. I had trouble naming the aspect that bothered me, but this sounds right. There's an expectation of difference, to parents, to authority, and to culture.

Anne is a very sweet kid from the start but one of her main flaws is her lack of appreciation for her heritage and giving in to peer pressure more than giving in to what her parents expect from her. Sasha isn't a good influence on her, but teenage rebellion is natural, and going along with what your more charismatic peers want isn't a deadly sin that warrants the level of scrutiny and punishment she's received. She feels like she's the most mediocre out of the trio, it's a hard place to be when you're 14. In the end, she still does what she's always done, becomes the fall guy for her friends, and is expected to take on the burden of becoming the sole savior of the world. What meaningful difference does it make if she gets hurt by following what Sasha wants vs following some prophecy?

Sasha gets sidelined and we never see her home life which would have added so much depth to why she is the way she is. I have friends who went through a messy divorce of their parents and it did reflect in the way they behaved. Showing that on screen would make Sasha a way less polarizing character in the fandom, cutting that was a mistake. Her overly controlling behavior comes from abandonment issues and neglect but we are expected to see her as a villain that needs redemption.

Marcy is just a mess. I have no clue what they were thinking. Her on-screen growth is inconsistent and seems pointless by the end of the show. She's easily the biggest punching bag of the narrative. Pictured as selfish and with her head in the clouds, unable to distinguish what's real and what's just a game. What clearly reads as an escapist coping mechanism to almost everyone watching, is turned into her greatest flaw. She's punished for being a child and coping with pressure from her parents in maladaptive ways.

The show is afraid of showing parenting mistakes. We are told Anne's parents are hard on her, strict, and constantly nagging, but then when we meet them it's not even true? Her mom is a little overbearing but that's about it. As someone with strict parents myself, I felt slightly disappointed. Parents are just people too, it's okay to show them in an unflattering light sometimes, even if they're good overall. Bad parents aren't an excuse, they are an explanation. Showing that on screen would only improve the story.

I don't like Andrias. I don't like his story. It's discordant with everything else the show has been hammering in. He's a worse version of what She-ra did with Hordak and it's not like I liked that ending either.

You should defer to your parents because they know best unless they're evil. You should be able to tell right from wrong always. You shouldn't give to peer pressure unless your friends are right. You should give up your agency when necessary, for the greater good, but you shouldn't be a pushover.

You should know what you want to be at 14.