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"Down by the River" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of Star vs. the Forces of Evil.

It premiered on March 24, 2019 alongside "Yada Yada Berries".

Synopsis[]

Moon and River attempt to get used to their new lives after they gave up their crowns.

Plot[]

The episode begins with a family of Mewmans—Merrick Maizley, his wife Maude, and their children Manny and Mendel—climbing the gigantic steps to their home after going grocery shopping. When they reach their house, they find it occupied by a family of monsters. One of the monsters explains to the Maizleys that the house (which is clearly too large for Mewmans) was originally theirs before the land was seized by the Mewmans thousands of years ago. Now, by order of Queen Eclipsa, all the land that was taken from the monsters belongs to them again, leaving the Maizleys with nowhere to live.

Meanwhile, Moon and River Butterfly, having left Eclipsa's kingdom in "Moon Remembers", attempt to make a new life for themselves in the Mewni wilderness. The Maizleys, in their search for a new home, come across Moon and River's campsite and inform them of their situation, but Moon says she isn't queen anymore and can't do anything to help them, and she suggests they simply live somewhere else like she and River are.

Some time later, Moon tries to collect fresh water from the stream, but Maude Maizley is cleaning her dirty clothes in it, causing it to get contaminated. When Moon suggests they move further downstream, the Maizleys end up moving in right across the stream from her and River. The Maizleys' constant nearby presence becomes an increasing nuisance for the Butterflys. Manny and Mendel annoy River with their childish games, Merrick inflicts accidental harm upon River with his ignorance of poisonous creatures, and the entire Maizley family keeps Moon up at night banging pots and pans to ward off nocturnal monsters. Moon eventually gets so fed up with the Maizleys that she angrily tells them to leave.

The next morning, Moon, expecting yet another frustrating visit by the Maizleys, sets up various defenses around her and River's campsite to keep them away, including an explosive pie catapult and a moat of alligators. However, when the Maizleys are nowhere to be seen, Moon and River start to worry and go looking for them. They eventually catch up with the Maizleys, who explain that their belongings were stolen and they have suffered even more hardships since the night before. They explain further that, because Moon always took such good care of them when she was queen, they never learned to take care of themselves.

Feeling sorry for the Maizleys, Moon and River take them into their new home and teach them how to live off the land. Before long, another family of inexperienced Mewmans arrives to set up camp nearby, and Moon and River are delighted that their little community is growing.

Characters[]

Major characters[]

Minor characters[]

Title in other languages[]

Language Title Translation
Dutch Bij de Waterkant By the Waterfront
Japanese ご近所さん Neighborhood
Korean 새로운 정착지 New Settlement
European Portuguese Junto ao Rio By the River
Spanish (Latin America) Junto al río

Transcript

View the episode transcript here.

Gallery

Click here to view the image gallery for Down by the River.
Click here to view the gallery.

Production notes[]

Songs[]

Trivia[]

Revelations and continuity[]

  • According to the Mewni calendar, this episode takes place in the 1,753rd "Year of Great Bounty".
  • River has set up the yurt he mentioned in "Moon Remembers".
  • Moon demonstrates her ability to communicate with alligators from "Return to Mewni".
  • Moon and River have started a new community of Mewman refugees.

Allusions[]

  • Moon's exploding pies may be a reference to the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Dying for Pie".
  • The episode's title is a reference to Matt Foley, a character played by Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live, who often described himself as "living in a van down by the river."

References[]

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