Review: Tangled: The Series “In Like Flynn”

After a fairly long hiatus, it’s time to see if Tangled: The Series can keep the momentum going.

Spoilers Below

Rapunzel wants to redecorate the archway into the castle, but her dad, the King, won’t let her. He says the archway is a line of defense that needs to stay strong. After he turns down Eugene’s idea to install ferocious lion statues, Eugene realizes the King thinks he’s a little bit of an idiot. Eugene sets out to change that.

Coincidentally, a few criminals also had new ideas for the archway. They’ve redone the statue of the King, in a most frilly, feminine way. They’ve hung a sign that says “Equis Rules” – it’s a prank from the kingdom next door. (Though those criminals seemed overly-menacing if this is just a prank.) Kind Trevor of Equis has a history of these “shenanigans”, as the king calls them. The King has to get him back.

He hatches a plan to deface the Royal Seal of Equis and employs Eugene to aid in the stealing. Eugene takes it as the perfect opportunity to impress the King. Unfortunately, the King forgets who’s the expert here and ignores the advice of his consultant. As the King fumbles around the castle, Eugene covers his tracks.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel struggles to grasp the concept and purpose of a prank. She decides to try one out of her own with Pascal as her victim. She’s not very good at it – because, surprise, she’s too sweet.

Now, get ready for this twist: the Royal Seal of Equis is a SEAL, a LIVE SEAL. It’s wearing a crown. Eugene realizes it will be impossible to carry a seal in a crown out of the castle and begs the King to leave the seal alone. He doesn’t listen; they get caught.

Down in the dungeon, Eugene is immediately open and straightforward with his feelings. He’s gotten very good at communication within relationships. Anyway, Eugene confesses that he only came along so the King would start taking him seriously. The King reminds him that he successfully brought the princess home after 18 years, which is, in fact, a huge deal that is overlooked in this series. Because of this, The King admits he should have listened to Eugene’s plan. Glad we solved all that conflict in a handy two-minute conversation. Putting the lesson learned into use, the King lets Eugene get them out of there.

Compared to the events of the feature film, or even the series premiere TV movie, Tangled: The Series can seem pretty trivial. I’m glad all the characters seem to be learning how to effectively communicate their feelings, but sometimes, like in “In Like Flynn”, that’s all the show has going for it. There’s a clear problem that causes a little conflict before being swiftly solved by a simple conversation. Put the moral of the story into action and it’s a neat little episode. Since the King directly referenced the turmoil and straight tragedy of the film in this episode, the imbalance was even more noticeable.

As for our main character, the series has hit a wall. I’m sure there’s more to this character than being sweet, caring, and naive, but the show can’t seem to find it. Are there any more stories worth telling in the Tangled world? If the pattern so far keeps up, there are. We just might have to sit through a few duds along the way.