Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney. Today, we are finally doing another Sofia episode review as we take a look at the Mother's Day episode, Mom's The Word.
Episode Title
Mom's The Word
The episode title appears to be a play on the old saying, Mum's The Word.
The Plot
It's Mother's Day and in the castle, Sofia is about to take a flower to her mother and plans to spend the day with her but James and Amber have already given her a boutique of roses in the shape of a unicorn. Sofia is disheartened at this and doesn't like that she has to share her mother now. You know, in a way I can understand where Sofia was coming from because from my POV, I felt like James and Amber were unknowingly upstaging their little sister.
Sofia's mom, then informs her little girl that James and Amber are coming with them as a part of their annual Mother's Day picnic. This disappoints Sofia as she was just hoping for it to be the two of them. Sofia decides to make the best of it and packs a picnic basket but Amber has already had the kitchen staff pack a basket twice the size of Sofia's and asks their mom to sit next to her.
Again, the episode is giving me more reason to side with Sofia and not see her jealously as being in the wrong. From where I stand, she has every reason to feel the way, she does because she feels like Amber and James are stealing time away from her and her mom. Just then, a witch comes by and hexes their coach and turns the wheel into a watermelon.
Sofia goes to find the witch, while the rest of the family investigate the damage. And as she does, the witch messes with her outfit. And just then, Lucinda The Little Witch, from the season one episode, The Little Witch shows up and undoes the hex, as she introduces her mother, who doesn't know that Lucinda is a good witch now. First off, yay. One of my favorite characters is back and they are continuing her development.
And Lucinda lets her friend know the truth about her mother doesn't know the truth of her being a good witch and just wants to spend Mother's Day with her making her happy. Sofia can understand her feelings as she wishes she could have the old times, back where it was just her and her mom and we get our song of the episode as we get a flashback montage showing Sofia and her mom's time before the moved into the palace.
Hearing this, Lucinda gets an idea to help Sofia have some alone time with her mom by casting a good spell.
Meanwhile, the coach is soon mended and now Sofia is in a rush to get to the docks to row to the island for the Mother's day picnic. When, they get there, Sofia rushes her and her mom to get into the boat and just then, Lucinda makes two seahorses appear causing the boat to go off without James, Amber, or Baileywick. Yeah, forgot to mention that Baileywick was there too.
Lucinda's mother is impressed by her daughter's hex but Lucinda admits that it was a good spell and goes on a tirade about how it's family tradition to be wicked. Lucinda reluctantly agrees. Just as she makes the two seahorses disappear. Meanwhile, back at the docks, Amber, James, and Baileywick decide to borrow a fisherman's boat to find their mom and Sofia but Amber does not want to get in the boat because it smells like fish and doesn't like any of the color choices for the life jackets. Oh, Amber never change.
Sofia and her mom continue to row back and Lucinda's mom makes a rapid sending the mother and daughter down the rapids.Lucinda tries to undo her mother's hex but it's too powerful for her as she's just a little witch. At first, Sofia and her mom are terrified by this wild ride but they come to enjoy it. Hmm, I think I could send this as an idea for a Sofia ride at Disney World.
Or maybe a touring attraction. It'd be better than the touring show or the show, they have at parks.
Sorry, I think the latter is really creepy. If I had a proper recording set-up, I'd riff it. Weirdly enough, while watching this scene, my mind went to Nobody Else But You from A Goofy Movie.
Sofia and mom make it to calmer waters while Lucinda's mom continues to hex the family such as turning the fishing boat into a lillypad and Baileywick into a frog.
Here, we also get a callback to another season 1 episode, The Amulet and The Anthem, in which Sofia was cursed with a croak and we learn that Amber is scared of frogs and this episode remembered that as she moved backwards as Baileywick jumped onto her. Nice work on the continuity, guys. James, Amber and Baileywick soon come across the rapids themselves.
Sofia and her mom make it to the island and Sofia wants to have the picnic without her siblings but her mom reminds that she has to wait because she's now James and Amber's mother too. Sofia's mom now understands that she's having a hard time accepting this. And reminds her daughter that she is now their mother too and things can't always be the way, they were. Look, I agree with her but c'mon, that unicorn rose boutique from the start of the episode rubbed me the wrong way because I still feel like James and Amber were upstaging Sofia and they really didn't learn anything in this episode. I understand that they've always had these privileges and want to shower their mother but to me, it feels like they didn't realize that Sofia 's life before was simple and is having a hard time, accepting that her mother may now get extravagant gifts for holidays such as Mother's Day. I'm sorry but I just can't let this go. And this would've been an easy fix, just have a scene with their dad, telling them that their going overboard may rub Sofia the wrong way and try to to tone it down. Look, I'm not saying Sofia had the right mindset but I can't fault Sofia for feeling the way, she did. Then again, I may be bias as she is my favorite character on the show. But I doubt my favoritism towards Sofia is coloring my view on this. Anyways, James, Amber and Baileywick catch up to Sofia and their mom at the island.
As the queen embraces her two other kids in a hug. Flying in the sky, Lucinda's mom notices that Lucinda isn't having any fun and she thinks it's because she's not causing good enough hexes. So, she decides to make the island float in the air. Again, this would be an awesome idea for a Sofia ride. Come one, a flaoting island ride or this.
Who's with me? I mean, back when Rescue Rangers was popular, there was Gadget roller coaster.
Sorry, but I can't let this idea go. It would just be so much fun.
Lucinda is finally fed up with her mother casting all of these curses and confesses to her mom, that she doesn't want to be a wicked witch anymore and wants to be a good witch. And meanwhile, Sofia confesses to her family that Lucinda the little witch is her friend and that she asked Lucinda to do the first hex but that was the only one.
Sofia , realizes as she admits her mistake that she was being jealous and not being a good stepsister. I'm sorry but I still think James and Amber should've learned something. Just the, Lucinda shows up and everyone but Sofia is cautious but Lucinda wants to undo her mother's hex but it's just too powerful for her.
Just then, Lucinda's mom shows up and undoes her hex. Because she realized that her daughter wasn't having any fun because she didn't want to do hexes and casts a good spell to make her daughter happy but she just hopes, it's a phase. And the two then embrace in a hug and are invited by Sofia to join in their Mother's Day picnic, which they partake in after Lucinda's mom turns Baileywick back into a human.
The episode then ends with a reprise of the song that Sofia sang at the beginning of the episode but this time with James and Amber's voices joining in. Other than my complaint with James and Amber, I really liked this episode.
Characters
Main Characters
Sofia voiced by Ariel Winter
I really liked Sofia in this episode and they presented her jealously in a realistic manner, that seems like something a child would actually go through in a step-family and in many ways, this mirrors Amber's feelings in the pilot movie over how she felt jealous about how Amber had to share her father with Sofia, now but whereas with Amber, it was a bit more malicious and mean-spirited, Sofia's jealously never felt that way in this episode. This is the second episode in the series that has dealt with Sofia feeling jealous over something. The last time was Four's A Crowd but I think this was more believable and better executed..
Queen Miranda voiced by Sara Ramierz
This episode showed what a good mother, Miranda can to be all three of her children and just like a good mother, cares for them, equally and will always be there fro them.
Lucinda voiced by Merit Leighton
I was happy to see Lucinda back as she's one of my favorite characters from the show and it was awesome to see that they continued her development from her first appearance as she was trying to be a good witch and apologized for all of the hexes that her mother cast, even though they weren't her fault. Aw, so sweet.
Supporting Characters
James & Amber voiced by Zach Callison & Darcy Rose Byrnes
James and Amber were fine in the episode but I still, wish that the episode would've taken time to address that their actions caused their little sis to feel jealous and that they she didn't have the same upbringing, they did and giving their mom, big gifts may be a little much. Not saying that they can't but they could've included Sofia in the unicorn boutique as they are all Miranda's kids.
Baileywick voiced by Tim Gunn
Baileywick honestly didn't have much to do after he was turned into a frog and they used the common frog jokes such as him eating flies and finding it disgusting.
Music
Me and My Mom
And I've found one of new favorite Sofia songs. Not since I Belong, have we had a song that tied so well into the episode. It's so sweet and makes Sofia's plight so understandable and my heart breaks for her because I just feel so bad for her. Yeah, it's not right for Sofia to be jealous but I can't blame her, when she saw something like this.
Again, simple solution would've been to include Sofia in that present. Yeah, I know there would've been no episode otherwise but the episode still could've address that James and Amber also messed up by going big. To paraphrase, Amber, Bigger Isn't Always Better.
Villain
Marla voiced by Tracy Ullman
Yeah, Marla redeems herself by the end of the episode but she's still the villain as she hexes the family throughout the entire episode and is enjoying seeing them suffer much to the chagrin of her daughter. She does eventually give in and accepts that her daughter doesn't want to be wicked anymore and there is a sweet moment, where Lucinda gives her mom, this cute present.
My Final Thoughts
Other then, my minor complaint with James and Amber, this was a very cute episode and one that I wouldn't mind returning to, for future viewings. Now, I've got a Sofia ride idea to submit to Disney. See ya, later.
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