Why We Love Sasha: An Amphibia Analysis

Josh I thought you said we could start over I thought you changed well maybe I don't want to change did you think about that or were you too busy riding your high horse [Music] amphibia is a beautiful story about change and the ways in which we let life Define us it's about what we choose to do with the things we can control and how we deal with the things we can't and it explores this idea through the actions of each of the three main characters and Boon Choi Marcy Wu and Sasha Waybright over the course of three seasons we watch as these characters confront all manner of challenges and are forced to grow as they confront the worst aspects of themselves at the start of the show each of the girls is transported to different corners of the world and left their own devices to survive and try to find each other when they do finally meet up their time spent separated has drastically changed them in that fact is far-reaching consequences it's rare to find a work of animation with such brilliantly flawed characters even rarer to find one so interesting and hopeful as Sasha Sasha is in many ways the central Catalyst of the story and one of the most important forces in the narrative were it not for her and would have never stolen the music box that trapped the trio in amphibia and throughout the story Sasha's actions had drastic effects on herself and her friends her struggle is defined by her grasp for power in response to change and her growth comes from the acceptance of the things she can't control her story is about facing the human need to have agency in a chaotic and unpredictable world and the result of letting that drive consume you but her story is also about how to grow past that fear to appreciate the Beauty and the things around you to raise up the people in your life and to be content with the knowledge that you can change Sasha's slow transformation into a villain and her eventual recovery and Redemption serve as a crucial point to amphibious central theme and fundamentally changes not just herself but Anne and Marcy as well join me friends as we explore why we love Sasha spoiler warning for the entire series [Music] the main event of this show it's important to understand the context of Sasha's decisions after she was first stranded in amphibia from the few mentions and flashbacks we get it's clear that Sasha already had manipulative tendencies and it's not to say that she was an outright sociopath but from what we do see Sasha tended to enforce her will on Ann and Marcy I'm not going to try to build a psychological profile I don't think there's nearly enough evidence for that but I'm going to assume that the divorce of her parents combined with the natural stress and awkwardness of being a teenager created a desperate need for agency combine this with the fact that Anne and Marcy were awkward pushovers as kids whereas Sasha was always headstrong and protective the two depended on her and Sasha knew it with these factors it's easy to understand the dynamic where Sasha would look after her friends but also dictate what they did the group had good memories with her but there was an ever-present undercurrent of Sasha always needing to get what she wanted often without facing the consequences remember how I convinced you guys to skip rehearsal and hang out on the roof and we have the loudest dance party classic why'd we stop doing stuff like that well when we got caught and took the blame and said it was her idea my parents grounded me for a month oh yeah even in sleepovers Sasha would pressure the other two and without the confidence to stand up to her Marcy and Anne let Sasha control the conversation this was perfect for Sasha however where she got to have all the benefits of having friends without having to concede anything this Dynamic was never going to last however and it was Sasha's pressure on Anne that would force the change into reality by pressuring Anne to steal the music box Sasha kick-started the events of the show and the relationship between her and her best friends would never be the same again foreign of the music box activated each of the three girls was placed in a wildly different area across the world of amphibia Anne found herself in the isolated town of wartwood amidst the humble and loving planter family while she initially faced suspicion and fear she eventually became a beloved hero to the town helping each of the members and learning about herself Marcy was found in the sprawling city of Utopia made face to face with the Kingdom's most powerful political figures she had endless resources at her fingertips and the highest comforts and Sasha oh well Sasha got kidnapped and imprisoned with the toads and here's where Sasha's negative Tendencies had the perfect environment to Fester see the toads and amphibia are in a unique position of power as in forces of the crown they have authority over the frogs in more remote areas they have access to weapons armor and are generally stronger and more imposing than the frogs but because they are split into several sub-factions and because the Royal envoys rarely interact with them there is a fierce hierarchical structure one that encourages being the loudest and most intimidating to control the ragtag Battalion I'm sure you've all heard frogs in the valley are getting unruly they're questioning our Authority some towns have even stopped paying their taxes and do you know why maybe they I don't know for God no you imbeciles you've all gotten the Toads scrap for what little power they do have even as the kingdom of Utopia ensures that only the most loyal and efficient leaders stay in control and Sasha was stuck right in the thick of this system with her limited options she used her ability to manipulate people to her advantage and this makes complete sense when faced with an alien world and treated like she was Sasha saw the Toads only as tools to help her Escape it was only after she had proven herself to be useful to Captain Grime with her physical strength and Charisma that he offered her a chance for freedom here Sasha was offered the choice to go into the Wilderness alone or use the toads and Grimes bargain to her advantage so with the two of them Sasha had a way to gather resources and have a better chance at finding Anne and Marcy and grime had a new lieutenant with a talent for people skills in siding with Grime Sasha was encouraged to be more manipulative and ruthless and her goals became the same as Grimes her path in line with the Toads was to establish order for the crown and in doing so continued the subjugation of the frogs Sasha didn't care about the consequences to maintaining the status quo because to her it was her only path to find her friends and get back home and not only did it work for her she thrived working for grime all she needed to do was keep up her end of the deal to Grime and that was fine until it intersected with Anne [Music] Sasha's reunion with Anne changed her forever for a brief moment things have been going so well for Sasha she had control of an army had food and weapons and now she had finally found one of her friends everything was ready to fall in its place and Sasha saw no reason why Ann wouldn't be overjoyed to join her and work with the Toads to find Marcy and Escape amphibia all that needed to happen was for Anne to help her capture hopadier planter so that the Toads could continue to reinforce Law and Order except and had changed and she had changed in a way that shocked Sasha's worldview while Sasha had been made a prisoner and wormed her way into a military position with cunning and might and had been connecting with the people of wartward she had met new friends had crazy adventures and had had time to think about what had gotten her there before all this and had always gone along with Sasha's plan Sasha would protect Anne and stick up for her but she always had final say this was how it had always had been but Anne not only refused Sasha's offer of comfort and safety but she also protected her Newfound frog family because Sasha had only seen the people of amphibia as tools to escape it was a monolithic insult to her that Anne would choose talking frog she had known for no less than a month over her man what are you doing are you really gonna risk your life for these talking frogs we don't even belong here don't you want to get back home see your family Sasha tried to get rid of the pesky sprig but Anne finally stood up to her at this moment where Sasha saw her world change before her she fell back on her instincts in a refusal to cope with Anne's new attitude and confidence Sasha had to squash out this act of resistance she could not allow this new version of and to stick she had banked everything on setting things back the way they were and nothing was going to stop her but in the ensuing battle Sasha got overconfident and lost to Anna as toad Tower began collapsing Sasha felt everything she had worked for after being trapped in amphibia crumbled beneath her Army fled and she was alone again as Anne tried to save her Sasha saw her old friend surrounded by people people who cared for her and were risking everything to help her she saw Anne as someone who clearly didn't need her who in her absence had made something more real than anything Sasha had done both in and out of amphibia realizing that she made a choice to keep them all from falling with her and so Sasha let go of Anne's hand plunging into the abyss below [Music] until Captain Grime caught her and came in with a last-minute save of the century [Applause] the fight at toad Tower was a significant turning point for Sasha as Not only was it the first time Anne had stood up to her it was the moment when Sasha first doubled down on her toxic instincts the waves of change confronted her and in the Moment of Truth she refused to adapt and this backfired horribly obviously but it's indicative of Sasha's core flaw in each of the situations where Sasha faced the changing forces of life whenever Sasha stuck to her guns and tried to assert the status quo the consequences were devastating Sasha believes she was still right even if her friend did not agree Anne's Defiance made Sasha confront a treacherous thought that things between the two of them would never be the same it threw everything Sasha had done into question If Anne one of her only two links back to the real world had left her then what had gone wrong her frustration collided with her need for control she couldn't admit that she had been a bad person because that would admit that she had personally trapped her and her friends in amphibia the idea that Sasha had done this to herself through her own actions terrified her and so she avoided the question altogether Sasha determined to forge her own path to return home with or without Anne safe in The False notion that she was still right she stuck with crime and began building a new Army of toads to challenge the crown and find a way back home still the lingering thought that she was wrong all along stayed with her until it all came crumbling down foreign Sasha's actions in season 2 were an extension of the central conflict she tried to Grapple she was dead set on achieving her goals no matter the consequences or people she had to force but the seeds of Doubt began to constantly spring up on her even as she blatantly lied to Anne's face that she had changed I don't hear that she still felt bad about doing so because throughout the episode she was continuously confronted by signs that things had not fully recovered between the two of them nevertheless and still trusted and believed in Sasha after the encounter in the Third Temple and this served to inflame both sides of Sasha's internal conflict on the one hand everything was working well Ann and Marcy believed her and would go along with her plan without even knowing it I had them eating out of the palm of my hand at the Third Temple and this is just a dinner party and once we rule amphibia I'll get this friendship back under control on the other hand Sasha saw that her old friends were willing and eager to be with her again even after the fight at toad Tower and during the battle of the band she realized how empty she would feel without them nothing cemented this dilemma in Sasha's mind more than sprig yes sprig this cute little frog boy became the bane of Sasha's existence his very presence infuriating Sasha at no end Sasha despised sprig because he represented the coming change he was Anne's new best friend that had supplanted Sasha sprig's mistrust of Sasha was a constant threat always one step away from jeopardizing her plan revealing her true manipulative intentions and pushing Anne and Marcy away forever Spriggs friendship with Anne meant that Anne and Sasha's relationship could and would drift apart and that idea terrified Sasha she was able to relax a little with Marcy and Anna at wartwood even as uncomfortable reminders of their childhoods resurfaced Marcy and Anne had grown to become more independent and that meant that Sasha couldn't push them around she wanted to accept these new aspects of her friends but ultimately she couldn't because that would mean she would have to change as well it would mean examining the ugly part of herself that had been selfish and manipulative to the people she cared most about and Sasha refused to do so the Winds of Change had once again challenged her and once again she dug her heels in and refused Sasha couldn't face herself but she could play the part as if she had all until she could get what she wanted in the season 2 finale True Colors Sasha's plan finally came to fruition and just as it had happened before everything would crumble beneath her with the music box recovered and ready Sasha and grime surprised King Andreas took control of the throne room and subdued Anne Marcy and the rest with the music box in hand all resistance out of the way and the toad Army encroaching Sasha had won she had conquered amphibia and was set to start a new Reign and in her moment of Triumph she felt nothing the music box the legendary artifact that had brought her here didn't work and in this bizarre moment of calm that treacherous thought returned when she tried to distract herself from it she and grime uncovered a dark secret the benevolent King Andreas was not as Noble as he seemed as the two discovered the real Secret Of The Music Box Andrus had been preparing the three girls not for a heartwarming Journey back home but as tools for something far darker Sasha had the horrifying realization that she had completely unwittingly been part of someone else's manipulative power ploy now that she had crossed the line and destroyed any amount of trust and Marcy had left for her no one was going to believe her Sasha realized that the only way for her to stop something terrible from happening was to get Anne to trust her but of course Sasha had completely shot that in the foot and had no reason to trust Sasha and so the two fought once again giving Andrus and his forces enough time to stop the toad Army and reassume control with a music box in his possession Andreas reactivated his Palace and Unleashed a hidden power that infinitesimally dwarfed Sasha and grime Sasha watched in horror as Andrus revealed that he had manipulated Marcy into letting him get the box fully restored and how Marcy had been concealing how much she had known in a futile fight Sasha was brutally beaten and isolated once again all of her efforts and power plays had done nothing but pushed her away from her friends and make everything around her worse Sasha was alone again and she had nobody to blame but herself True Colors is a phenomenal story beat and we'll get to how it affected the other girls in future videos but for Sasha it was the ultimate shattering of her old self not only did she witness her selfishness completely degrade any amount of trust that she so desperately needed she also saw the end game of her need for control Andreas was a horrifying monster in how he completely took advantage of all three of the humans he showed Sasha exactly what she would become how an unchecked drive for control would corrupt everything about someone it is not difficult to think that Sasha felt unparalleled guilt for her actions directly leading to andrews's rise to power Sasha had hurt her friends and now they were farther away from her than ever in her escape from andrews's Palace Sasha took shelter and workwood and among the friends that Anne had made in her journey Sasha faced the ultimate test stay how she had been retreat with Grime and live in denial or face the truth and change here after everything she had tried to force her away and surrounded by living reminders of her best friend's path to Improvement Sasha accepted what she needed to do after doing suing battle to protect the town from The Invasion she helped to create Sasha vowed to lead the resistance against Andreas and rallied the frogs of amphibia people she once considered to be only tools who didn't matter to her side this is the moment where Sasha refused to let herself stagnate the ensuing battles would be brutal but Sasha persevered because this time she was going to change not for any selfish reasons or plays but because it was the right thing to do she wanted to be a worthy friend to Ann and Marcy Sasha was not going to let her past Behavior Define her and she faced the worst part of herself this was not an easy process by any means critical self-examination meant looking back at her streak of manipulation it meant reflecting on the way she pushed around and ignored Marcy analyzing this part of herself was immensely difficult and part of that was learning that she could still take charge while supporting the people around her and returned to amphibia gave Sasha a chance to show how much she had grown and changed the two of them were able to talk through the uncomfortable moments of mending their friendship before Sasha had nothing to show that he had changed but now with the trust and respect of the frogs and the resistance and could see how Sasha had made the decision to be better Ann and Sasha were able to rekindle their friendship even in the chaos of the Rebellion they had been spurred with Newfound determination to not let their past mistakes condemn them for Sasha this renewed bond with and gave her comfort could confide in and that she was working on being better and Anne gave her that space however and also helped Sasha confront her lingering resentment about Marcy while Sasha was assessing her own guilt about her actions she still heavily blamed Marcy for not only sending the three of them to amphibia ripping him away from home and stranding her in the Grim world of the toads but also for keeping Vital Information that would have let them Escape even by accident Marcy had ripped away Sasha's agency and permanently changed the Dynamics of the friendship it's not a stretch to think that Sasha blamed Marcy for causing all the chaos in the friend group and that frustration with Marcy was very real but Sasha was able to forgive Marcy having gained a better understanding of herself and with Anne's guidance Sasha realized that if Anne could forgive her she could forgive Marcy in spite of everything she had done Sasha was still desperate to save her if she could be saved from her darker path so could Marcy in the final fight Sasha stood before her old friend corrupted by the hive mind known as The Core this was another reminder of Sasha's old self a cruel manipulator with an unchangeable conviction and no mercy or empathy a ghoulish impersonator that struck Sasha as what she looked like to those around her during her worst moments Sasha was fighting not only to save Marcy but also to prove that she was worthy of redemption the core puppeting Marcy's body as Darcy goaded Sasha as much as it tried to get under Sasha's skin she pressed on and lunged after the force that had hurt her friend as much as she tried Sasha lost her footing and as the core of Scythe came down on her Sasha realized her fate until Grime pushed her out of the way losing his arm but saving Sasha from a lethal blow Grime the once the cruel opportunist risked everything to save Sasha because of their bond Grime had known happiness had adventures and lived healthily and known true friendship and that was everything Sasha had inspired him and that's when Sasha realized that Grime had been there all along in spite of her worst traits in spite of the chaos and anger in spite of losing everything Sasha had made a genuine friend Sasha had always lashed out and changed and struggled to control her path and yet the DraStic change in her life had brought her to someone she could trust with her life the two of them even in the bizarre ways they connected as Warriors and as fugitives had formed a bond as close as any of her friends back home and then Sasha realized that if she could make friends the talking toad after being completely stranded then it didn't matter who she was before all that mattered now was what she chose to be she would make the change and she was going to save her friend huh I am not that person anymore while she had played a part in starting the devastation Sasha was the one to bring it all to a close she was the one to finally save Marcy finally properly reuniting the trio [Music] after the end of the last battle after taking the final stand with her friends Sasha and the others had to leave amphibia forever Sasha said her last goodbye to her best commander and trusted scheming Soldier grime in spite of everything that had happened to her here Sasha had met one of the best friends she would ever have and had changed into a far stronger person amphibia was a place of drastic upheaval one that forced her to grow and confront the worst parts of herself and that time prepared her for the coming forces of change that would be inevitable as she returned to Earth Marcy moved away and in her drifted apart and everyone just grew up but that doesn't mean that any of the time they spent together was wasted Sasha's time in amphibia made her so much more than the person she was when she first arrived Sasha's story is about coming to terms with change about how you can either let the fear of that change consume you or you can accept it and come out the other side better than how you started we love Sasha because she exemplifies what makes a person latch onto toxic habits how those traits hurt the people around them and most importantly the journey to be better thank you so much for watching this show is an absolute blast and I cannot wait to talk about Anne and Marcy in the future if you enjoyed this video give it a like And subscribe if you want to see more like this you can also follow my Twitter at starfruitgrady take care and have a wonderful rest of your day

Channel: Starfruit Gradient

Views: 10,792

Keywords: amphibia, amphibia sasha, amphibia sasha analysis, amphibia analysis, Amphibia character analysis, amphibia anne, ampibia marcy, sasha waybright, sasha waybright analysis

Id: tV8lehVk7k8

Length: 23min 31sec (1411 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 06 2022