Why all this over a random lizard?
The show meant so much to me and the way it was handled deeply saddens me. I’ve been thinking for a while about why I got attached to this specific character out of everyone in the show and I think I’m ready to form all that thinking into a concrete post.
It stems from the love and fun of the show itself. I remember it so clearly, me seeing bits of season one and seeing the person I wanted to be and the fun I wished I could have. The sincere joy of friendship and finally one that reminded me of my (male) best friend at the time. It was so refreshing and charming to me. The music and the animation style gripped my young soul.
The show was fun, sincere and oh so charming.
And then he appeared.
The immediate contrast to everything around him, all the lore implication and the way he forced star to improve in a very unique way.
Toffee is an EXACT opposite to Star in basically every way. She's young, he's old. Her careless life that was only improved by magic in every aspect and his life implied to be constantly worsened by magic. Their demeanours, their approaching to planing and their very nature was different.
His character is a straight challenge to the show itself and I could NOT wait to see how the show would develop.
I now know what I wanted the show to be but even back then I subconsciously knew what I wanted. I wanted the show to acknowledge the difference in morality and life. I wanted the show to acknowledge that life isn't always fun, that history is dark and that bad and awful things happen, but it doesn't mean you have to stop being whimsical or happy to live. That even if your history is cruel, you can work and change because someone will help. That the way humans treat eachother and their environment isnt perfect but
YOU CAN MAKE IT AND YOU CAN SMILE ALL THE WAY
I dislike that the conflict between mewmans and monsters was boiled down to racism. It should have been a parallel to nature itself. The way humans intrude in nature and the way they treat animals and how cruel it is. There are animals that are intelligent and I reminiss about how they would react or what they would tell us if we spoke the same way. Demoting a minority to non human monsters, never acknowledging genocides and torture of that minority and all those implications left so so much to be desired.
I wanted Toffee to represent a part of nature that was hurt. He could encompass so many things... The way people change in war, how cruel people can be to eachother , slowly losing culture and being forced to change your life and yourself to fit a society that hates you... So much was lost potential. I wanted Star and Marco to represent the new generation that will make things better. The ones profiting from the system but also being endangered by it. All while having the ability to improve and shape the way thing will turn out. The wand should've been a parallel to technology (neutral force used by a range of moralities). It was used to hurt Toffee and his kind but it can also create rainbows and puppies. The magic book of spells containing so many unique and varied uses of it. So much potential for cruelty and pain, but also for beauty and life. Star will not use it for evil.
Even if Toffee was killed off at the end, Ludo Heinous and Mina will show the positive way change can affect them and the way old tradition and upbringing WILL affect someone. The way nature and people can heal and improve but also the way they have been changed by the system and how they were treated by it. It should have at least been acknowledged .
Thank you for reading all the way andI hope this is comprehesive. I know it might sound strange and I have so many different opinions on everything and everyone in the show and SOuch depth I could go into. I've been thinking about it for a while...
If there is a specific part of the show and you're curious about my opinion on it, feel free to ask!
