Review: The Barbarian and the Troll “Ice Ice Baby”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Brendar and the gang get caught in a snowstorm during their quest. When Evan accidentally harms a snow ogre meant to protect local villagers, he is made to stand trial for his crime.

Our Take:
The ultimate quest has officially begun thanks to Kristoff, the magic map-making unicorn from last week’s episode. With the chilly weather we got recently, it seemed fitting that the latest episode puts our favorite barbarian and her friends in the deep freeze. While the episode was named after a popular song from Vanilla Ice, the rapper sadly didn’t appear, which was quite a shame. I would’ve loved to see a puppet version of Vanilla Ice pop up randomly and sing “Ice Ice Baby” to the gang.
The gang’s first obstacle in their quest is getting lost due to a snowstorm and Horus’s incompetent map-reading skills. Evan wanted to have some fun in the snow, but the fun quickly came to an end when he was arrested by the Florffs, a group of snow gnomes. The reason? For harming a giant snow ogre named Fluffy, who looks monstrous on the outside but sweet on the inside. What follows is a Florff trial in which you get pelted by snowballs, and the Florffs will do anything to punish the culprit.
This might’ve been the first obstacle that brought this quest to a halt since the other episodes tend to advance the arc despite some filler plots. If that’s the case, then it’s an amusing minor obstacle that didn’t put a chill in my bones. Not only that, but it also continued to represent Evan as a worthy and lovable addition to Brendar’s team, even though his clumsy actions can be problematic at times. Along with some additional plot elements that could affect the rest of the season, the episode offered plenty of comedy that did wonders in warming up my funny bones. Brendar getting hit by snowballs was another suitable running gag that never stopped being funny after the first two times.
The episode also saw the return of General Skelly, who was last seen in episode five. At the beginning of the episode, Queen Shimereen sent Skelly to defeat Brendar and retrieve her boots. It looks like she’s still irritated over Brendar’s actions. Skelly has been pretty consistent with his brand of humor since his first appearance in the series premiere. After being absent for three episodes, I’m glad to say that he didn’t lose his comedic touch. Whether it’s getting brain freeze by eating his icy lunch or becoming Fluffy’s lunch near the end, Skelly still managed to tickle my funny bones every time he’s onscreen.
Overall, the “Ice Ice Baby” episode may have frozen their adventure for a bit, but it once again shows that pit stops can be just as enjoyable as the quest itself. Still, it would’ve been nice to see Vanilla Ice make a brief appearance, but what can you do? It now appears that Brendar and the others should seriously watch their backs because Queen Shimereen might be starting to become another threat for our heroes.