I feel it's a bit difficult to talk about this show, especially in this final season, as it has become increasingly convoluted. However, I think this ending is a mess.
Regarding the entire show, I found it consistently dull. Some novel fantastical concepts were introduced, but the majority were uninterestingly implemented. We also need to talk about the teen romance stuff. Media that explores romantic relationships can be incredibly compelling, but here I thought it was undeservedly overbearing, banal, and convoluted. Often characters would shift their feelings for one another on a whim, predominantly with a vague or nonexistent logical basis for doing so. And when there was a solid logical basis, it was one note.
Also, I thought Moon betraying Eclipsa was incredibly forced. She initially was the only one who had faith in Eclipsa, and once Eclipsa took over, Moon went off doing her own thing, ultimately serving a smaller Kingdom. Eclipsa makes a mistake while trying to protect her daughter, which leaves Moon separated from her family. Later, Eclipsa states she didn't know it would happen and apologizes. While separated, Moon was blissfully unaware, but her actions here are supposedly her getting revenge for this. She's amassed an army, using magic on her subjects, and tries to use them to make Eclipsa surrender. We also find out she was actively trying to trip up Eclipsa. Maybe someone can explain why I'm wrong, but I thought it came out of nowhere.
Also, the idea behind destroying magic and having it be a way to end a toxic family line cycle had potential but needed more focus and significant readjustments. The narrative around this exploration is incredibly bloated. And while the dynamics between some of the characters were potentially very compelling, it doesn't get more interesting than Solaria disapproving of Eclipsa because she fell in love with a monster, which is a rather one-note dynamic. Watching Eclipsa struggle with this rejection has been somewhat compelling, but the dynamic isn't. It could've been more interesting if, for example, I understood why Solaria seems more approving of Eclipsa in death, but it's left vague.
Lastly, and most importantly, the implications of destroying magic feel brushed off to the side. I feel the show glosses over the pros and cons of destroying magic and primarily focuses on the relationship between Star and Marco, which I found dull. On the negative, it shows us that some people will die because they're magic, but it's vague about the extent of this. Hekapoo and Glossaryck seem nonchalant towards the fact they'll die; morally complex characters like Rhombulus die unceremoniously, and the spells, shown to be sentient, are dead. On top of that, with a multiverse full of magic, this would likely be systematically catastrophic. The good is supposed to be that destroying magic ends the toxicity in the rule of Mewni and, in the heat of the moment, heals a few monsters. However, I have to point out that removing magic won't necessarily end toxicity in Mewni. I believe the show is somewhat aware of this; it shows Mina still upholding these beliefs. Destroying magic reduces the power of everyone, not just those who are toxic. I view the destruction of magic as a temporary fix to problems on Mewni, but one that has permanent negative implications for an entire multiverse.
I guess I'm supposed to like it regardless because Star and Marco are finally together and are honest about their feelings, but I don't. Marco is what Star seems to care about, and she's the one who decides to destroy magic. This is incredibly selfish and seems inconsistent with her character. She's consistently empathetic and, throughout the series, has worked to solve the injustices on Mewni, but she's the one who destroys the magic. It is a decision with many implications, made on a whim and with weak justification.
Also, while it wasn't a conscience choice of a character, as Star and Marco don't seem in complete control of their powers, I thought combining Mewni and Earth was just plain dumb. It has more significant implications on top of the existing narrative, and I feel I'm just supposed to ignore these implications completely.
Regarding the entire show, I found it consistently dull. Some novel fantastical concepts were introduced, but the majority were uninterestingly implemented. We also need to talk about the teen romance stuff. Media that explores romantic relationships can be incredibly compelling, but here I thought it was undeservedly overbearing, banal, and convoluted. Often characters would shift their feelings for one another on a whim, predominantly with a vague or nonexistent logical basis for doing so. And when there was a solid logical basis, it was one note.
Also, I thought Moon betraying Eclipsa was incredibly forced. She initially was the only one who had faith in Eclipsa, and once Eclipsa took over, Moon went off doing her own thing, ultimately serving a smaller Kingdom. Eclipsa makes a mistake while trying to protect her daughter, which leaves Moon separated from her family. Later, Eclipsa states she didn't know it would happen and apologizes. While separated, Moon was blissfully unaware, but her actions here are supposedly her getting revenge for this. She's amassed an army, using magic on her subjects, and tries to use them to make Eclipsa surrender. We also find out she was actively trying to trip up Eclipsa. Maybe someone can explain why I'm wrong, but I thought it came out of nowhere.
Also, the idea behind destroying magic and having it be a way to end a toxic family line cycle had potential but needed more focus and significant readjustments. The narrative around this exploration is incredibly bloated. And while the dynamics between some of the characters were potentially very compelling, it doesn't get more interesting than Solaria disapproving of Eclipsa because she fell in love with a monster, which is a rather one-note dynamic. Watching Eclipsa struggle with this rejection has been somewhat compelling, but the dynamic isn't. It could've been more interesting if, for example, I understood why Solaria seems more approving of Eclipsa in death, but it's left vague.
Lastly, and most importantly, the implications of destroying magic feel brushed off to the side. I feel the show glosses over the pros and cons of destroying magic and primarily focuses on the relationship between Star and Marco, which I found dull. On the negative, it shows us that some people will die because they're magic, but it's vague about the extent of this. Hekapoo and Glossaryck seem nonchalant towards the fact they'll die; morally complex characters like Rhombulus die unceremoniously, and the spells, shown to be sentient, are dead. On top of that, with a multiverse full of magic, this would likely be systematically catastrophic. The good is supposed to be that destroying magic ends the toxicity in the rule of Mewni and, in the heat of the moment, heals a few monsters. However, I have to point out that removing magic won't necessarily end toxicity in Mewni. I believe the show is somewhat aware of this; it shows Mina still upholding these beliefs. Destroying magic reduces the power of everyone, not just those who are toxic. I view the destruction of magic as a temporary fix to problems on Mewni, but one that has permanent negative implications for an entire multiverse.
I guess I'm supposed to like it regardless because Star and Marco are finally together and are honest about their feelings, but I don't. Marco is what Star seems to care about, and she's the one who decides to destroy magic. This is incredibly selfish and seems inconsistent with her character. She's consistently empathetic and, throughout the series, has worked to solve the injustices on Mewni, but she's the one who destroys the magic. It is a decision with many implications, made on a whim and with weak justification.
Also, while it wasn't a conscience choice of a character, as Star and Marco don't seem in complete control of their powers, I thought combining Mewni and Earth was just plain dumb. It has more significant implications on top of the existing narrative, and I feel I'm just supposed to ignore these implications completely.