Hello, there! The hiatus for Star vs. the Forces of Evil is once again over, and I thought I’d try something a little different this time around. I’m used to writing more in-depth analyses, but I think people in general would prefer to have content at a faster pace than I can usually produce it (anyone who follows this blog knows that it takes me forever to write an in-depth analysis post).

Therefore, I thought it might be more interesting during this part of the third season for me to just post my random thoughts on episodes as they air. I can come back later to develop a more thought-out analysis to connect other episodes. As these posts will discuss recently-aired episodes, please note that there are spoilers here!

“Scent of a Hoodie”



This episode’s title is a reference to the Italian film (and its American remake) Scent of a Woman. While I’m not sure offhand if there’s a deeper connection between this episode and the film, I do know that the episode ends with Marco smelling Star’s scent on the hoodie: that is, Star is the woman of the film reference.



Lavabo’s name translates to “sink” or “washbasin” (and, through euphemistic synecdoche, “lavatory”). This is a curious reference for several reasons:

As anyone who has followed this blog knows, I’ve been remarking on references to the Holy Grail for a long time in this series. Washbasins are, of course, evocative of the Holy Grail (due to being a vessel of spiritually-cleansing water).



Lavabo’s nature as a holy knight sworn to washing clothes brings to mind this proverb: “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”

The euphemistic double meaning of Lavabo’s name faintly echoes this scene of confusion in “Puddle Defender”:



In addition, Lavabo seems to be a composite of two (or more!) famous Grail Knights from film:



These references to elements surrounding the Holy Grail are unsurprising considering that the very next episode…

“Rest in Pudding”

Starts off with, yes, Lekmet’s funeral:

As my Holy Grail theory states, Lekmet’s remaining horn will become the Holy Grail, so it’s not terribly surprising to me that the series is heavily emphasizing the fact that, yes, Lekmet is dead for good.



Interestingly, both this episode and “Scent of a Hoodie” have strong references to water containers – punch bowls, sinks, basins, tubs, puddles, fonts – and Glossaryck has, in fact, always had a strong connection to water himself.

The role, metaphorically, that water plays in these episodes – as a medium for being cleansed and a medium through which one can “cross over” from the spirit world – illustrates, I think, both the physical and the spiritual significance of water. And that, of course, brings to mind the Holy Grail, the vessel which contains water that is both physically and spiritually rejuvenating/cleansing.

Acknowledgements

I’d like to give shout-outs to observations others have made about these episodes:

@oddsomeoddy noticed that the wash station in “Scent of a Hoodie” visually resembles the Well of Magic in “Rest in Pudding.” This is an astute observation, and I would suggest the connection is intentional.

Druid’s Forehead, a friend of mine from the Star vs. the Forces of Evil Discord server, thinks that there may be a baptism motif in these episodes, which, I agree, is absolutely present. (Again, this is connected to the idea of water’s agency in ritual cleansing.)

Thanks, guys!



Structure



If you recall my sonnet theory from February, it’s now my belief that the writers are fond of using hidden structures in the series – particularly poetic ones – in order to give episodes additional meaning. This is, I think, the hallmark of thoughtful artists: they are trying to pack as much meaning as possible into only a tiny space. This economy of meaning is particularly useful in animation, which is time-consuming and laborious to produce: you want every moment to count.

I have tentatively hypothesized that this season’s episodes are based on the Spenserian stanza, which has nine lines – just as November has nine episodes. This type of structure is from Spenser’s The Faerie Queene – and, interestingly, I think such a moniker of “faerie queen” might very well apply to Queen Eclipsa herself.

I’m not wedded to this idea, however, so it may change as the series develops. This is just a preliminary guess. I’ll be watching the episodes along with the rest of you and looking forward to the rest of this season!

