Y tu Luna también: 3Below: Season 2, Episode 13 – “A Glorious End, Part 2” (2019)

*Season 2 arc spoilers.*

Here we are—series finale time! It’s not the last we see of Krel (and Aja,) since there are a couple more Tales of Arcadia projects after this, but 3Below is both the show that features them the most (duh) and my favorite series in the franchise, so it does definitely mark the end of an era.

For the sake of spoilers, I won’t say too much about the plot. It’s another Big Battle finale. The stakes have never been higher. Our heroes need all the allies they can get. Stopping Morando may require the ultimate sacrifice.

This is a nice culmination of everything that came before it. In the climactic fight—which constitutes most of the episode, much like episode 12—everyone gets a chance to contribute in a major way. Whether it’s Eli chipping in with a cool callback to a previous episode or Varvatos creating a shield to protect the royals, it takes the whole gang for our heroes to succeed.

One thing I continue to really love about Aja is how, even as a warrior, she’s still so compassionate. I think nearly every time she fights Col. Kubritz in this series, Aja tries to reach her, to get her to see reason and lay down her arms. Here, as Arcadia Oaks is besieged all around them by Omens, Aja says, “Whatever you think you were protecting Earth from, how could it possibly be worse than this?” It’s not even a moment, a la the Doctor giving the baddies a choice to back down before stopping them. Aja and Kubritz can be actively engaged in a fight, and Aja won’t stop trying to get her to see the error of her ways. What a wonderful quality.

Our character of the week is Archie, voiced by none other than Alfred Molina! He only has a cameo here, a stinger that provides a bridge to Wizards, the third series in the franchise. He’s a wizard’s familiar who generally takes the form of a cat (and sometimes a cat-faced dragon.) In Wizards, he’s the friend and advisor to Douxie, who’s the main character on that show.

Here in the finale, we get a little of everything from Krel. He gets down to music as he works on a piece of tech that hopefully will be the key to stopping Morando. He has some “I’m surrounded by idiots”-style aggravation as he tries to assist others remotely with said tech. I love him shouting at someone in the comms and then, with an irritated sigh, telling Aja, “Make that two mekrons, maybe three [before we’re ready].” He also has emotional moments as they prepare to face off against Morando, worried about keeping their parents safe until they’re fully restored. When Aja expresses optimism that their plan is going to work, he says, “It has to, or we lose them all over again.”

I know I said there’s more Krel to come in the franchise, but since, again, 3Below is his best showcase, I want to take another moment to shout out just how great Diego Luna is in this role. He’s funny, affecting, and endearing from start to finish. He handles all the technobabble well, which is impressive since he’s performing in his second language. He cultivates impeccable sibling chemistry with Tatiana Maslany. This is genuinely one of my favorite performances from him.

Wrapping up 3Below before we move onto Luna’s episodes of Wizards:

Recommend?

In General – Yes. If you’ve watched Trollhunters, you’ll have a greater appreciation for some of the supporting characters and callbacks, but I also think it could stand well enough on its own. A terrific sci-fi romp with lots of humor and heart.

Diego Luna – Absolutely! I love Krel, and like I said, Luna does such excellent work with this role.

Warnings

Violence, scary moments for kids, some gross-out humor, and thematic elements (including xenophobia.)

Y tu Luna también: 3Below: Season 2, Episode 12 – “A Glorious End, Part 1” (2019)

*Season arc spoilers.*

And here we are at the start of the two-part finale! Naturally, the stakes have never been higher, and our heroes have to pull together to protect Arcadia Oaks from all manner of nastiness.

It’s all hands on deck to stop Morando. Our heroes have a plan, but at the general’s orders, Col. Kubritz attempts to draw the Akiridions out by staging an attack on the town. Never one to ignore a trap that’s baited with people they care about, Aja, Krel, and their friends fight to protect everyone. It all goes down at the premiere of Toby’s movie.

Briefly, our character of the week is Darci, voiced by Yara Shahidi from Black-ish/Grown-ish. She’s Toby’s girlfriend, a Trollhunters character who pops up every now and then on 3Below. She never gets much to do on this show, but she does have a couple notable scenes in this episode.

Centering the action at the movie premiere was a good choice. It’s a nice backdrop to get the whole town together, filling the crowd with familiar recurring characters that the royals and co. will have to protect. It also provides some entertaining humor before everything kicks off. I love Eli posing on the makeshift red carpet, one of the teachers marveling at Krel’s “costume” in the film (a.k.a. his natural Akiridion form,) and Steve’s sour grapes over not being cast as the lead: “I almost got that part, but they went in a different direction. They wanted someone with four arms. Arm discrimination!”

Morando has never been more self-assured and megalomaniacal—he dramatically intones, “I will be the god the galaxy has lacked”—but Kubritz and the Omen robots take center stage here. Some great moments during the battle, including Varvatos fighting a bunch of Omens in his “senior citizen” human form. We also have Aja attempting to reach the colonel, pushing back at her choice to align herself with Morando in exchange for the tech she needs to maintain “order” (a.k.a. keep all the aliens out.) “You say you’re protecting humans, but look around you.” Aja says, even as they fight. “You call this protecting?”

Normally, in situations like this, Krel would be off engineering a solution to the larger threat while Aja, Varvatos, and the others hold off the baddies on the ground, but this time, the Omens aren’t specifically attacking the Akiridions. They’re attacking Arcadia Oaks, and Krel can’t hang back and let others do the fighting when his friends are in danger. So the tech duties get delegated to Stuart, and he joins the battle.

Not without some of his trademark cynicism, though. In particular, we get some really fun exchanges between Krel and Aja. Here are my favorite line readings from Diego Luna in this episode:

·        When Aja reminds Krel of all they’ve accomplished without their parents there to help them, saying, “We can do this without them,” Krel deadpans in reply, “You do know that ‘this’ is defeating a god, right?”

·        Classic exchange – As they prepare to make their next move, Aja reasons, “Since diplomacy is out of the question, I guess we’ll improvise.” An aggravated Krel shouts back, “Improvise? Improvising is not a plan!”

·        This last one isn’t an exchange with Aja, but I love it because it’s so cute – After hearing some news to their advantage, Krel exclaims, “Finally, some good luck! We have a minnow of opportunity!” Another character confusedly replies, “I think you mean ‘window,’ or I guess a really lucky fish?”

Y tu Luna también: 3Below: Season 2, Episode 11 – “Race to Trollmarket” (2019)

*Season arc spoilers.*

Honestly, the whole final chunk of episodes is a great ride. This one, which calls back to Trollhunters in key ways, combines neat action with strong character moments, and it’s a great episode for Krel/Diego Luna.

After their journey through their parents’ memories in the last episode, Aja and Krel have discovered the location of Gaylen’s Core: it’s hidden somewhere in Trollmarket, which has been deserted since the events of the Trollhunters finale. Our heroes search the underground Troll city with the help of their friends, once again locked in a dangerous race with Morando to find the Core first.

Like I said, this episode deals with stuff related to Trollhunters—it obviously helps if you’ve seen that show, but the important elements are introduced well enough that I think you can understand what you need to know without it. Basically, if you’ve seen Trollhunters, you’re coming into the episode like Toby and AAARRRGGHH!!!, who guide the Akiridions through Trollmarket. If you haven’t, you’re more like Aja and Krel, who are visiting this place for the first time.

Our character of the week is also a callback from Trollhunters: Kanjigar, voiced by James Purefoy (although in his very first appearance in the pilot for the mother show, he was voiced by Tom Hiddleston!) Kanjigar was the Trollhunter before Jim, and though Jim only took up the call after his death, he remained an occasional spirit guide on the show. That’s the purpose he serves here, as Team Akiridion comes to Trollmarket looking for answers.

As with the last episode, this one has a greater focus on the action and the dramatic content, but there’s always got to be a little humor sprinkled in there. As Varvatos looks around Trollmarket, he proclaims, “There’s an aura of death and decay. I like it.” Later on, Varvatos also prompts this exchange between Toby and Aja:

TOBY: “How many times has he thrown you off a cliff?!?”

AJA: “More often than I’d like.”

I really like what the show does with Krel here. He steps up a lot in Trollmarket. It’s sad for Toby, and especially AAARRRGGHH!!!, to look around the deserted city, but Krel reassures them, reminding them that the place might be abandoned, but their Troll friends are safe and have a new home now. We don’t often see that level of consideration from Krel toward anyone other than Aja, and I love watching him show such care and sensitivity to his friends. He can still be blunt and cranky, of course, but he’s also grown and changed during his time on Earth.

Another demonstration of his growth? When they realize that one of them will have to enter the Deep, a mysterious pit that forces you to confront your greatest fears, to search for Gaylen’s Core, Krel volunteers. He tells Aja, “I’ll go. You and Varvatos need to fight whatever’s coming.” This is a major step for him, being the one to venture into the darkness without anybody backing him up. When Krel is in scary situations, he almost always has Aja or Varvatos there to protect him, but this time, he pragmatically realizes that he has to go it alone, because their warrior skills are needed elsewhere.

I won’t spoil what Krel’s worst fear is, but his experience in the Deep is yet another show of his growth. He handles it in a very real way, gripped by utter devastation and panic at what he’s seeing, but also gathering the strength he needs to stand up and fight any way he can. Luna is fantastic in this scene, playing Krel’s alternating desperation and determination to a tee.