Astra's mission to search for the missing Mermicorno kingdom and Princess Hanna is about to begin, but what about Kameko's missing dad? In Mermicorno: Starfall season 2 episodes 3 and 4, Kameko and Nautique get a lead in the search for her missing dad, while Astra, Gwen, and Squishella find themselves needing a faster means of transportation.
By the end of both episodes, valuable lessons are learned, forging even stronger friendship bonds.
Mermicorno: Starfall episode 3 recap: Special Delivery
Kameko is so anxious and impatient to find her father that she's messing things up while attempting to help at the palace. Astra agrees that they split up, taking Gwen and Squishella with her to find the Mermicorno kingdom and Princess Hanna, while Kameko and Nautique search for Kameko's dad.
But before they can leave, Nautique suggests they do some research first, frustrating Kameko, who just wants to go. Luckily for them, the Trench Keeper and Craig arrive seeking sanctuary at the palace.
Now that they know Kameko's dad is a turtle, the Trench Keeper should be able to find him. It seems her father is waiting in a lagoon, but Kameko must unlock her turtle form if she is to proceed, as all turtles have a creative force that guides them where to go.
He instructs that to harness her gift, she must clear her mind of all distractions. Kameko tries but fails ultimately due to all the constant noise at the palace.
It is here that she learns of the vent system that leads to several locations in the ocean. Kameko believes she can use that to take her to a lagoon, but Nautique advises against it as vents are unpredictable and dangerous.
He uses the opportunity to teach Kameko a lesson from a personal experience. When he and Squishella met, they had nowhere to go, so they stayed with a ramen restaurant owner, delivering the ramen to customers.
But while doing so, Nautique always felt like he was missing out. One day, he learns that his favorite author and scientist, Mae Jellyfish will be having a one-night-only book signing at the Clamshell Bandshell.
He's desperate to go and meet her (maybe I'll be lucky enough to have such a fan), but the book signing was starting in an hour, and they had one more delivery left. Bored and believing she already knows the lesson, Kameko enters the vents with Nautique chasing after her.
After Nautique destroys a garbage clump blocking their way, they both realize the currents have stopped, leaving them stuck. Calming Kameko down, Nautique suggests they swim to the next exit, giving him time to finish the story.
Trying to figure out the fastest way of delivering the food, Nautique suggests they swim, whereas Squishella suggests they take the bus. They wind up swimming through an alleyway thinking it's a shortcut, but when they come out the other side, they don't recognize the area of the city.
There's a funny cameo of the pawn store and Squishella wanting to sell Princess Hanna's diary while Nautique tries to find a landmark. Hearing a commotion, they think it's from May Jellyfish's arrival, but in actuality it's bubbleball fans creating a wave.
In the process, Nautique's bag of food gets punctured, which goes unnoticed. With only 30 minutes to spare, they find a scooter, but it goes out of control causing them to become a menace to others around them.
The two escape the unhappy mob and find the address when they realize all the ramen fell out of the bag. At the same time, the bus Squishella suggested taking earlier arrives.
In the end, Nautique had to deliver the ramen again and missed the book signing. Kameko understands the importance of being patient and tries to unlock her turtle force.
At first it seems to work until they find themselves facing two tunnel options. Kameko tries again, fails, and they wind up separated.
Taking the time to unlock her turtle force, Kameko is able to find Nautique, and rescue him from a whirlpool. The vents take them back to the palace, but although they are starting from the beginning, Kameko unlocked her gift and knows where to go to find her dad.
Mermicorno: Starfall episode 4 recap: Singer Wrong Writer
Astra, Gwen, and Squishella eat ramen in a Wild West-themed town called Gulfreef Gulch. Unfortunately for them, they are very far away from where they believe the Mermicorno kingdom is.
They could take the new train, the Sea Sprinter, but it's going to be sold out for several years. They overhear from a hammerhead shark named Shantell about a songwriter contest where the contestants must write and sing their own song.
The winner gets tickets for the Sea Sprinter. Squishella is determined to win but struggles to compose her own song when Nautique calls using the shellphone.
But when she obtains copious amounts of fans who heard her sing, Squishella takes all the credit. Her lies make the seaworm continue to grow in size.
In the midst of this, Astra and Gwen continually argue over a backdrop design. When Nautique calls again, he begs Squishella to tell the truth.
She performs and wins the competition, but the celebration becomes interrupted when the seaworm, now the size of a monster, begins wrecking the town. Squishella finally tells the truth, allowing the seaworm to shrink in size.
The prize goes to Shantell instead, who generously gives Squishella and her friends the Sea Sprinter train tickets. Shantell has decided to team up with the seaworm so they can write more songs together.
The episode ends rather solemnly when word gets out about the devastation at the seahorse kingdom.
Ika Inkblot admires Dark Pearl's powers, but she refuses to obey his commands. His first act is to destroy all creative freedom in the ocean, starting with Mount Sora and their music.
To get Dark Pearl in line, Ika takes it upon himself to teach her how to be a henchfish. However, each lesson fails and only proves how utterly devoted Sawtooth is.
But, not surprisingly, he remains unappreciated. As a last resort, Ika puts Dark Pearl in a baby carrier called an oyster hoister (I literally laughed at the concept and name) and visits Mount Sora.
The leader seahorse Bubbles refuses to back down, and as punishment, he is turned into a Squidian. The seahorses have no choice but to surrender to Ika.
Mermicorno: Starfall season 2 episodes 3 and 4 review
Oh boy, the classic, the shortcut is really the long cut, is probably one of the most important life lessons anyone can learn. And who better to learn it but Kameko, who, understandingly, is ready to find her dad, after finally learning key information about him.
Truthfully, it is hard sometimes to stay focused and patient, especially when something needs to be done in order to achieve a desire. Both kids and adults can relate to this.
The same can be said of Squishella's lesson, which I am equally glad was included in this season. Without making it too difficult for the audience to understand, creative license is such an important thing to be aware of.
Teaching kids to do the right thing is detrimental, whether it be refusing to cheat on a test, copy someone else's homework, or steal an idea for a group project. Collaboration is key, share the credit, don't take the shortcut, and earn your rewards.
One of the things I've truly enjoyed so far this season is the callbacks to characters, events, and even places from season 1. We already mentioned Baby Bones last recap, but now we have the Trench Keeper, Craig, and unfortunately, Bubbles the Squidian.
I'm looking forward to more cameos, callbacks, and life lessons that not only aid in our mermicornos character development but the audience's too.
Stream Mermicorno: Starfall season 2 on HBO MAX.