How the gentle wind,
Beckons through the leaves,
As autumn colors fall.
Dancing in a swirl,
Of golden memories,
The loveliest lies of all,
The loveliest, lies of all.
I use this piece of the song "Into the Unknown", a song from the Over the Garden Wall soundtrack because I believe it sums up what somber and pleasant emotions that are so soberly presented. There is a deep, unaltered sense of fall, coziness, harshness of the cold, and lovely memories swirling to the ground. For the first 6 episodes of the show, it is primarily pleasant, and like the character Greg, we see things with joy and contentedness as we feel the sunlight of fall. I don't think it's a mistake that episode 6 ends with a beautiful sunset before its epilogue begins the dark episodes of the series. From the end of episode 6 until episode 10, Darkness follows the leaves to the ground.
Chapter 7 and 8 is when the haunting begins. Not a literal haunting, but a haunting of the preliminary winds of the winter snow. And as many people are prone to do, the characters try to hold on to the end of fall. Failing in this attempt, the cold sets in as the leaves are covered by the harsh blanket of white. The golden memories are gone, the dead winter sets in. I use the phrase dead of winter, in an almost eerily ironic placement, heartbreakingly so. Before winter is over, however, one comes to accept the cold and adjusts to bring forth a new understanding. Although this condition is not directly related to the cold itself. But to what becomes laterally unto those who reside in the winter. Comfort is essential to bearing the cold of winter, and without it, one is constantly in pursuit of such amenity and contentment.
I'd like to give my opinion on each episode in short.
Chapter 1 gives us a bit of a dark preamble to the rest of the episodes to come. And introduces most of the major parts of the story, without giving us much information about the mystery of the series.
Chapter 2 combats between the dark themes that linger throughout the series and the lightheartedness of the first half of the show.
Chapter 3 gives us an almost entirely lighthearted adventure that is a pleasant treat.
Chapter 4 is the darkest episode of the first half, it has some of the same lighter tones in between the darkness but you could feel the shadows of the unknown.
Chapter 5 is generally a positive episode, however through the character Quincy Endicott there is a lingering sense of dissolution and breaking to come.
Chapter 6 is a cute episode, and it has a very contained feeling. But it is not without its darkness in the end.
Chapter 7 is arguably the darkest episode. It leans heavily towards direct horror in its plot. And helps set the opposite for the following episodes to find a middle ground.
Chapter 8 is very easy to think of as a simple lighthearted distraction. But through the eyes of Greg, it is the last attempt at levity. To which, it mostly fails. But is still a very interesting view.
Chapter 9 answers most of the major questions, saving the most shocking ones for the next chapter. because of the lengthy and welcome explanation, it doesn't get too dark.
Chapter 10 The final episode, and the darkest and most heartwarming episode, and my favorite. After trials of darkness, the characters grow to what they were destined to become. Through teary eyes, the finale is somberly happy and optimistic.
I have only a little more to say. I need to discuss the characters briefly. Wirt and Greg are the main protagonists, along with Beatrice and Jason Funderberker(frog). Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice are all so profoundly human. And they are all so different, but they learn from each other throughout the short runtime in some profound ways. Beyond these characters, each side character has their own story. Not one that is always told. But one that can be felt. You know there is a human world, where these people have their own unknown and their own fears and triumphs. The Woodsman is the biggest side character, and he has a tragic past (explained in the mini-comic run that followed the release of the mini-series) with a heartwarming ending.
The Beast is the main antagonist, though not exclusively. The beast can be described as the apotheosis of darkness. And there is not a single part of him that strays from that description. As you can see he lacks all detail outside of a silhouette. Apart from one shot, one horrifying shot in the show the details of his skin are seen and though not physically dark in that moment it is when he may be at his darkest.
This show is my favorite thing to have ever come from Cartoon Network, followed closely by The Clone Wars. But I know nothing will ever top it. It is an intimately beautiful piece of animation. And one that will forever sum up the season of fall in its wholeness. If you haven't seen this mini-series. watch it. You won't regret it.
My original review for this Mini-Series was posted to Letterboxd, and it's been edited since. But I have more to say since last September. For Christmas, I was given "Art of Over The Garden Wall." The official art book of the series. And I have a whole additional appreciation for the art and the show. An excerpt from this book says the following. "The Unknown is the place between life and death, between dreams and reality. American folklore, classic fairy tales, Victorian ghost stories, and dream logic all combine to create a never-ending and ever-changing landscape full of strange inhabitants." It also compares it to both Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. There are many inspirations that can be found linked to this series' creation. And I've found a high level of interest in studying children's literature and children's stories. And it's really interesting to me that this show actually got made. It's hard to find the variety in children's media that this presents. The range of light and dark and everything in between. It's way more in-depth than that. But it is high praise for a modern classic of children's stories.
