"Ransomgram" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of Star vs. the Forces of Evil.
It premiered on March 17, 2019 alongside "Lake House Fever".
Synopsis[]
Star and Marco journey to the Neverzone to rescue his friend Nachos from mysterious demons.
Plot[]
At Eclipsa's Monster Temple, Star recreates her bedroom loft from her time spent on Earth to improve her temporary living conditions. She also recreates Marco's bedroom as an extension to hers. A telegram delivery monster suddenly appears, having been looking for Marco's room for several months. She delivers to Marco a "ransomgram", a telegram-like message where someone steals a precious possession from the recipient and holds it for ransom.
In the ransomgram, the creatures of the Neverzone (where Marco spent some time looking for Hekapoo in "Running with Scissors") demand the return of their sword (which Marco named "El Choppo") in exchange for his dragoncycle Nachos. Marco decides to go to the Neverzone to rescue Nachos from the Neverzonians, and Star accompanies him for the pleasure of seeing Marco in his muscular, bare-chested adult form. In the Afflicted Forest, Marco uses a summoning charm to summon Brunzetta, an axe-wielding thunder goddess that Marco once quested with. Star becomes instantly enamored with how cool Brunzetta is, and the three ride together to the Neverzone.
Upon reaching the Neverzone, Star, Marco, and Brunzetta discover that the Neverzonians' once grand castle of ice is now a mess of melting towers and slush. The ghostly Neverzonian Wraiths that sent the ransomgram appear before them, and they demand that the "Neverblade" be returned to the pedestal that Marco removed it from in exchange for Nachos. However, Marco refuses to give the sword back, and he, Star, and Brunzetta fight off the Wraiths, eventually freeing Nachos from her chains and escaping.
On the outskirts of the Neverzone, Star, Marco, and Brunzetta celebrate their victory over the Wraiths. Brunzetta reveals that when Marco stole the Neverblade, he released a fire demon that has been terrorizing the Neverzonians and melting their castle every night for hundreds of years. Marco feels guilty for accidentally unleashing this terror upon the Neverzone, and when he hears the fire demon going on a rampage, he resolves to fix his mistake.
Star, Marco, and Brunzetta return to the ice castle and confront the fire demon (which looks like a giant boar made of fire). As Star and Brunzetta keep the demon busy, Marco tries to put the Neverblade back in its pedestal, but it proves to be very powerful, even after Star lures it over the edge of a cliff. Eventually, Star and Brunzetta manage to keep the demon at bay long enough for Marco to place the Neverblade back in its pedestal, causing the fire demon to be imprisoned again.
In order to make up for the centuries of suffering he inadvertently caused to the Neverzonians, Marco decides to stay in the Neverzone and help them rebuild their kingdom while Star returns to Mewni with Nachos. Star tells Marco that it was just a mistake, but Marco refuses to run from his own misdeeds, and he shoves Star through a dimensional portal. Back on Mewni, Star believes Marco will be gone for a long time, but he returns just a few seconds later (though from his perspective, a few months have passed), and Star welcomes him home.
Characters[]
Major characters[]
- Star Butterfly
- Marco Diaz
- Brunzetta
- Neverzonian Wraiths
Minor characters[]
- Nachos
- Ransomgram Monster
- Fire Pig Demon
- Mackie Hand (mentioned)
- Hekapoo (mentioned)
Title in other languages[]
Language | Title | Translation |
---|---|---|
Dutch | Losgeldgram | Ransomgram |
Japanese | 脅迫電報 | Threatening telegram |
Korean | 가자, 네버존으로! | Let's Go, to the Neverzone! |
European Portuguese | Resgatograma | Ransomgram |
Spanish (Latin America) | El rescategrama | The resumegram |
Transcript
View the episode transcript here.
Gallery
Click here to view the gallery.
Production notes[]
Songs[]
Trivia[]
- Natasha Rothwell guest-stars as Brunzetta.
Revelations and continuity[]
- Star recreates her bedroom loft and Marco's bedroom at the Monster Temple.
- Star is still infatuated with Marco's muscular adult form.
- Some time during Marco's 16-year search for Hekapoo in "Running with Scissors", he insulted a necromancer's cooking and got turned into a yam for one year, earning him the nickname "Yammy".
- Marco's sword "El Choppo" is revealed to be a Neverzone relic called the Neverblade, which he inadvertently stole from the Neverzonians.
- He returns the Neverblade to the Neverzonians at the end of this episode.
- Marco spends another (indeterminate) amount of time in the Neverzone before returning to Mewni. Taking into account that it was only for a few seconds, it may be that he was only there for a few months (although he did mention getting his first grey hair during that time).
Allusions[]
- The unicorn on the red Princess Turdina doll bears a resemblance to My Little Pony Generation 1.
- The scene where Marco kills a fairy is a reference to the movie Labyrinth, as the character Hoggle explains a similar scenario when he kills a fairy.
- Brunzetta, her axe, and her association with lightning are very similar to the Marvel Comics character Thor and his weapon Stormbreaker.
- During the fight with the Neverzonians, one appears behind Star and makes a roar similar to that of the Tyrannosaurus rex in the film Jurassic Park.