Review: Tangled: The Series “Max’s Enemy”

Corona – a city where crime-fighting horses patrol the streets while winking at admiring passerby.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

When a mysteriously helpful new horse named Axel shows up to catch a thief (I’m beginning to think thievery in Corona is out of hand), Maximus isn’t sure what to think. Axel is basically Max 2.0: bigger, stronger, faster, and younger. On one hoof, it’s nice to have a super cool new friend to show around town. On the other hoof, Axel isn’t as heroic as he seems, committing a series of offenses that get blamed on Max.

The last straw comes after seeing all his records broken during Axel’s royal guard test. Max challenges Axel to an old-fashioned horse challenge. (Flynn’s confused reaction is great.) Unfortunately, Axel plays dirty to win the race and Max end up in a muddy riverbed. Max goes to bed angry and has a bad dream (one of my favorite segments of the episode).  His horsey nightmare involves horrific moments like a wedding kiss between Max’s crush and his enemy, and the worst fate of all for a horse: giving hay rides.

Eventually, Axel’s true intentions are revealed. He’s working in cahoots with Dwayne, the criminal from the beginning of the episode, who in turn is working for Lady Caine! (She showed up as the main villain in the TV movie premiere of the series!) In a thrilling reprise of their race scene, Max makes the most of his second chance and, along with help from Rapunzel and crew, stops the escaped jailbirds before they can escape.

Our Take:

While Max’s jealousy provided a little misdirection, Axel’s betrayal was fairly obvious. Because the plot was so straightforward, the episode’s jokes had to carry more weight. The horse humor delivered for the most part, whether it was Maximus’s ability to read, or Axel’s stereotypically villainous snort/laugh. In an episode starring characters incapable of firing off snappy one-liners, the side characters picked up the slack. The two royal guards were especially delightful, with their hilarious conversations ranging from arguing about if they should both grow a beard to discussing the merits of horses having pocket watches.

A horse is defined by more than just looks and skills, Rapunzel tells Max. The same goes for people! It doesn’t matter how strong or beautiful someone is on the outside if they’re messed up on the inside. Maximus cares about Corona and it’s citizens, and that’s what makes him the best horse in the world to Rapunzel.

Max and his Flynn-chasing hijinks were such a fan-favorite part of Tangled the film that it seems strange they haven’t focused more on the stupendous steed until now. While we’ve gotten a few scenes with him in previous episodes, this is the first one where he plays a major role in the plot. I just wish Max’s Enemy had a few more twists and turns to keep us engaged for the ride.