TL;DR: "Face the Music" and "Starcrushed" are each divided into eleven segments. Each episode contrasts not only Moon and Star but also the other episode while thematically revolving around lies and truth. The number eleven is significant because that's the chapter of Star's journal that reveals her true thoughts on Marco.
Compared to the other episodes aired during the February event, "Face the Music" and "Starcrushed" are, as one might expect from a season finale, unusual: instead of being divided up over two days, they were aired as a pair of episodes on the same day. Furthermore, each episode is clearly divided into segments that compare and contrast Moon and Star. In this post, I will closely examine the narrative structures of both episodes in order to make sense of what the episodes are trying to say.
Due to the complexity involved in discussing this topic, this will be a long post. Just thought I'd give you a fair warning before continuing on.
Dividing the Episodes
Each episode of the season two finale can be divided into eleven continuous segments, which I have decided to label "chapters." Most of the chapter divisions are fairly straightforward, such as when the scene switches suddenly to a new location or when a few black frames are inserted, but, generally speaking, a change in chapter is indicated by a change in topic.
This is why, for example, I don't end chapter 1 of "Face the Music" until the topic changes from Star's princess song to Moon heading off into the forest alone; even though the perspective of the scene changes several times, there's continuity in the chapter until the topic shifts.
Chapter 1
"Face the Music": Moon shows Star her princess song. Moon and Star get into an argument. Star resolves to avoid the problem until it goes away.
"Starcrushed": The Diazes are hosting an end-of-the-school-year party. Star and Marco interact awkwardly. Star gathers her friends together with an Emergency Friend Meeting.
Notes: This chapter, in "Face the Music," sets up the conflict between Moon and Star right away. Recall what Marco reads from Star's journal in "My New Wand!":
Marco: "Chapter One: Mom's a poophead."
Star: "Mom's a poophead"? (gasps) Marco, no! No, no, no, no, no, no!
Chapter 2
"Face the Music": Moon leaves for the Forest of Certain Death to deal with the problem of Ludo stealing the book of spells.
"Starcrushed": Ludo's rats are hosting a party in the monster temple. Moon and the Magic High Commission have been gathered together. Ludo reveals that Glossaryck is gone.
Notes: Unlike Star, who avoids problems until they go away, Moon is shown to deal with her problems directly and with clandestine methods. By heading into the Forest of Certain Death, she risks her personal safety in an effort to find out what happened to the book.
Interestingly, in "Starcrushed," we're presented with two parties: the Diazes' party and the rats' party. That's not the only parallel: the number of friends that Star calls together is actually equal to the number of Magic High Commission members (in no particular order):
Emergency Friend Meeting: Star, Pony Head, Kelly, Janna, and StarFan13.
Magic High Commission: Moon, Omnitraxus Prime, Hekapoo, Lekmet, and Rhombulus.
It's an interesting parallel but one whose purpose is unclear to me. Feel free to speculate wildly!
Chapter 3
"Face the Music": Ruberiot arrives on Earth. Star pretends to make tea for Ruberiot, then ditches him at Marco's house.
"Starcrushed": Star pretends to her friends that she doesn't have a crush on Marco. Janna convinces everyone to ditch the Diazes' party and go to the bad kids' party instead.
Notes: Curiously, in both episodes, Star puts on a fake show for an audience -- pretending to make tea for Ruberiot and pretending to her friends that she doesn't have a crush on Marco -- before ditching the house. The theme of Star running away from her problems continues.
Chapter 4
"Face the Music": Moon rides through the forest to arrive at Lord and Lady Avarius's house. She bribes them with corn to try to find out information about Ludo's whereabouts but is unsuccessful at first.
"Starcrushed": The Magic High Commission question Ludo to find out where Glossaryck is. Ludo denies everything and says that Glossaryck comes and goes as he pleases. Out of pity, Moon stays behind with Ludo to talk to him.
Notes: Given that Dennis knows exactly where Ludo is, I find it quite likely that Lord and Lady Avarius both lie about Ludo's whereabouts. (Pay close attention: they lie about several things in their scene.) This, I think, is comparable to Ludo lying to the Magic High Commission about Glossaryck's whereabouts -- for I think Ludo does indeed lie.
It's very curious to me that most viewers seem willing to take Ludo at his word rather than questioning his extremely suspicious answers. I will discuss this in detail in a forthcoming third post.
By the way, Ludo has some great lines in "Starcrushed":
Moon: Oh... I saw your family, Ludo.
Ludo: My family? Let me tell you about my family.
These lines are almost certainly a reference to this scene from Blade Runner. When I first saw this scene, I half-expected Ludo to pull the same stunt as Leon in the film -- but, funnily enough, he instead actually tells Moon about his family.
Chapter 5
"Face the Music": After being gone for eight hours, Star returns to discover Ruberiot still at Marco's house. she threatens to leave for good, but Marco talks her into doing what Ruberiot says.
"Starcrushed": The girls show up at the bad kids' party. Star tries to have fun, but she feels nothing. Star starts to leave, but Oskar greets her. Her friends talk her into staying to talk to him.
Notes: In both episodes, Star is about to leave when someone stops her and talks her into staying. With a comparison to the previous chapter, we see two different things: the difference in the way that Moon and Star speak to people, and the difference in how Marco and Star's friends influence her. I'll talk more in a moment about Moon and Star.
Marco convinces Star to talk to Ruberiot, and Star's friends convince Star to talk to Oscar. I think the clear contrast is that, while both are supportive of her, Marco is a good influence on Star, but Star's friends are well-meaning but ultimately misguided in convincing Star to stay and chat with Oskar. (There is a parallel here with the Magic High Commission: they are well-meaning but ultimately misguided in leaving Moon alone with Ludo to go searching for Glossaryck.)
Notably, this is the very first time in the entire series that Star interacts with Oskar without being smitten with him.
Chapter 6
"Face the Music": Dennis follows Moon into the woods. He offers to take her to Ludo. They fly to the monster temple, where Ludo is cooking stew in a giant eggshell. Moon spots the missing half of the wand and tells Dennis they have to go. Ludo looks up as they fly away.
"Starcrushed": Marco is outside drinking and staring at Star's room. Jackie tries to get Marco to read her mind. She asks him for pizza nuggets. Mr. Diaz is cooking some pizza nuggets. He calls Star a criminal and has a talk with Marco, telling him to talk things out, then tells him to leave.
Notes: This chapter is the center of each episode with regard to narrative structure. Interestingly, in "Face the Music," Ludo's beard is still intact at this point, and he seems to be perfectly fine after the events of "The Hard Way." Why, then, does Ludo seem frazzled in "Starcrushed"? I have an idea, but due to the length of this analysis, I will discuss Ludo later in a third post.
In both episodes, someone is cooking something: Ludo is cooking something over a fire, and Mr. Diaz is cooking pizza nuggets. I view this similarity in motif as further evidence that the episodes do, in fact, intentionally share narrative structure. It's also curious to me that Mr. Diaz welcomes the pizza nuggets as if they were newborn babies, and Ludo is cooking something inside of a giant eggshell. What that comparison implies, however, is unclear to me. Some other observations:
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I find it amusing that Mr. Diaz talks glowingly about Star being a criminal.
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Additionally, the scene in "Starcrushed" is the first and only scene since "Bon Bon the Birthday Clown" in which Marco and Jackie are alone together.
Chapter 7
"Face the Music": Star rants at Ruberiot about how princess songs put pressure on princesses to be perfect, and she calls him a hack. Ruberiot snaps at Star and says that if Star won't help him, he'll just put her name in her mom's song.
"Starcrushed": Ludo tells Moon about being bullied. Moon tells Ludo that Dennis misses him and is worried about him. Ludo says that he's "still standing." Moon says that he doesn't look well, and she offers to help him.
Notes: The scene in "Face the Music" is ironic: Ruberiot threatens to insert Star's name into Moon's princess song, making a comparison between Star and her mother -- which is what the episodes themselves are doing.
Moon shows maturity when dealing with people: she bribes Ludo's family in an attempt to get them to open up, which, while it doesn't work with Lord and Lady Avarius, eventually proves to have been successful at convincing Dennis. Moon also displays a deep sympathy for Ludo.
Contrast Moon's sympathy and skill at social interaction with Star, who not only rudely refuses at first to even speak with Ruberiot but also eventually lashes out at him in a childish tantrum, causing him to storm off after revealing that he actually held the same views as Star the entire time. With a little maturity and finesse, Star could have easily avoided the conflict altogether.
The contrast intends, I believe, to show the difference between lies and truth: whereas Star believes that princess songs should show the real princess, Moon believes (correctly, it seems) that the people of Mewni prefer to be lied to; Moon, unlike Star, displays a sophisticated adult's understanding of when to lie and when to tell the truth.
As we shall see, however, there is an ironic twist in store regarding this theme.
Chapter 8
"Face the Music": Dennis brings Moon back and asks if she can help Ludo. Moon tells him, "I'll do what I can."
"Starcrushed": Oskar reveals that he dropped out in order to pursue his music. He plays the keytar, which goes flying off into the sky. At first, Star doubts the keytar will end up on Mars, but when Oskar reactives negatively, she lies to him.
Notes: Again, Moon displays social finesse in her response to Dennis -- though her mind, clearly, is not bent on helping Ludo but rather on how dangerous Ludo is with the missing half of the crystal. Interestingly, Star finally displays this as well: though she's honest at first with Oskar about her opinion regarding the flying keytar, she quickly lies to him in order to assuage him.
Chapter 9
"Face the Music": Ruberiot is miserable at the piano. Star shows up, bringing back his notebook, and helps him write a new princess song.
"Starcrushed": The Magic High Commission search the temple for Glossaryck. Lekmet finds the book, which is blank. They all return to Ludo's chamber, discover an absorbed Moon, and have a fight with Toffee, who has possessed Ludo. Lekmet sacrifices himself to save Moon. Moon and Toffee fight. Moon takes Hekapoo's scissors and drags everyone into a portal.
Notes: I think there is a key line in this chapter that illustrates the comparison being made:
Ruberiot: If I go out there with your mom's old song, I'll be just as bad as all the others.
I have written about this contrast elsewhere and in more detail, so I'll only briefly cover it, but the reason Moon loses against Toffee is because he is familiar with her tactics. He knows how she thinks, and he knows her limits -- and he's able to exploit both of them. Moon uses her magic for violence against Toffee. In contrast, Star uses her magic in unorthodox ways.
Moon's "old song," in other words, is what causes her to lose the fight against Toffee. This is the first part of the ironic twist I mentioned earlier.
Chapter 10
"Face the Music": Moon returns and dons her battle gear in preparation for attacking Ludo. River interrupts, reminding her about Song Day.
"Starcrushed": Star shows off a new spell to Oskar, which causes chaos at the party. Oskar and Star talk about Marco, and Oskar offers to be Star's Marco. The police interrupt the party, and everyone runs away. Star resolves to talk to Marco.
Notes: There's an interesting comparison here: in both episodes, Moon and Star are interrupted before they can make a mistake. It would have been a mistake for Moon to confront Ludo alone, for Toffee would have surely killed her.
Likewise, it would be a mistake for Star to get involved with Oskar. As others have pointed out, Oskar is so detached from reality that Star would be the one keeping him grounded -- a relationship which almost certainly would be a recipe for disaster.
Chapter 11
"Face the Music": Song Day festivities commence. Ruberiot reveals that Star lost the book of spells to Ludo and that Star is in love with Marco. Moon and the Magic High Commission argue. Star runs away from Marco.
"Starcrushed": In order for things to go back to normal, Star decides to lie to Marco; they agree to forget about Song Day. Moon tells Star that Toffee has returned and that they must leave for Mewni. Star finally confesses her real feelings to Marco, leaving Earth afterwards.
Notes: First and foremost -- chapter 11, as we discover in "My New Wand!" is indeed the same chapter from Star's journal in which she writes her thoughts on Marco. It is absolutely no coincidence that both "Face the Music" and "Starcrushed" are divided into eleven chapters, both of which contain the truth about Star's feelings for Marco. I see this as the ultimate confirmation that -- yes, as early as "My New wand!" -- Star was, in fact, aware of her crush on Marco. She may have tried to deny it for almost the entire season, but she was aware enough to write about it.
Overall Implications
There is deliberate irony in "Face the Music": Star tells Ruberiot that she wants people to know the real Star Butterfly, but she keeps lying to Marco about her true feelings -- right up until the very end of "Starcrushed," when finally, finally, she reveals the truth. (Another parallel: like in "Face the Music," the truth in "Starcrushed" is revealed in front of an audience.)
There is some thematically-relevant dialogue at the end of "Face the Music":
Star: Mom, I didn't realize this would happen! I thought they wanted to know the real Star Butterfly!
Moon: They don't, Star. They just want to believe that you're a perfect little princess, and sometimes the truth is dangerous.
As others (including /u/Teraprosa) have pointed out, however, the truth actually saves Moon's life: if the Magic High Commission hadn't discovered that Glossaryck was missing, they wouldn't have accompanied Moon to confront Ludo. Moon would have tried to handle it alone, exposing her to Toffee's full wrath. This is the second half of the twist of irony in these two episodes' thematic exploration of truth and lies.
Finally, I think the ultimate irony is this: by coming to Earth to fetch Star and bring her back to Mewni, Moon ends up being the one who runs away from her problems. Moon is scared. She's scared of Toffee, and she's scared for her daughter's safety, and her first instinct is to run. Maybe it's wise, and maybe it isn't -- but in this situation, it's exactly what Star would do. Indeed, it is what Star does: she runs away, too -- to spare Marco from Toffee.
Random Observations
These didn't fit anywhere else, but I did notice a few other things about the season finale:
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Ruberiot is similar to Naysaya: he refuses to leave until he's appeased, and he reveals Star's deepest, darkest secrets and insecurities to everyone. Nayasa is a demon curse; similarly, Moon inflicts Ruberiot on Star -- and Star inadvertantly calls Moon a demon near the end of "Starcrushed."
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Given that Becky doesn't talk to Zeke at the bad kids' party and later ends up going alone to Marco's party instead, Zeke and Becky have probably broken up, just like they say they will in "Collateral Damage."
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Oskar's keytar lands in front of the Diaz home. This is significant, as Marco's name is derived from the name for Mars, the Roman god of war -- as I noted in a previous analysis -- and Oskar asks Star if she thinks the keytar will land on Mars. In a way, it does just that.
I hope you enjoyed reading this post. It was originally much longer, believe it or not; I decided to break it up into two parts. The next analysis will cover Ludo's lies and what their implications are. Please follow my blog, as I post revised versions of my theories and analysis there, and feel free to suggest things for me to analyze. I haven't received my copy of the book yet, but it should come in soon. I highly recommend buying a copy for yourself to help support the show. There's still a great deal to unpack in the season finale, and I look forward to reading your own observations.
Submitted March 08, 2017 at 05:52PM by Vaylon http://ift.tt/2lFgEZo
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