Review: Magical Girl Friendship Squad “The Cool S”

Overview (Spoilers below)

In the second episode of Alex and Daisy’s wild adventure, we see the two struggling with the relatable, eternal grind to make rent and find jobs. Alex leans into her smooth jazz to create mood and vision boards to guide her job hunt, while Daisy goes the “make money on the internet” route. The two soon discover a more practical use for their new roommate, and manage to get helping hand from both their new magical powers, and Nut herself. Unfortunately, while Daisy struggles to make rent online with fake celebrity paraphernalia while trying to not spend it all on possibly real celebrity paraphernalia, Nut’s past is catching up to her. Having created a MySpace-like universe in her younger years filled with pages featuring the “cool S” (you know, the one we all used to draw in middle school?) her adoring fans have come to seek her out and force her to return to their world with them, so they can bask in her online celeb glory. Thankfully, Alex’s more grounded, or, uh, “mom” approach to life helps them break free of the chaotic horny inhabitants of a past universe, while Daisy gifts them the power of fanfiction. Nut promises to return if they use this new power responsibly (and for the sake of the show, they don’t get into how or why that’s actually impossible.)

Our take

This episode is already starting to let the show come into its own, with both touches of modern reality and a heaping helping of online nostalgia. It’s also our first chance to see the new magical outfits on our protagonist duo, which is an absolutely squeal-worthy moment.

However, where “The Cool S” really shines is with its jokes: Matteo Lane leaning into the campy, dramatic evil of Corvin’s insistence on getting “horse milk” in his latte, a coffee shop patron remarking that Pokemon Go has gotten “really fucking good!” upon seeing Nut leave the establishment, Alex’s scolding about “perverted purchases over $100”, Daisy’s response to Nut feeling objectified with “welcome to womanhood on Earth!” and, while it’s not quite a joke, a Lil’ Nas poster in the background make this episode shine.

There’s also the visual humor: the denizens of Nut World’s general appearance (very Avril Lavigne, with colorful Razor scooters for transport), their extremely Invader Zim inspired screaming mouths, and Daisy’s fiery pupils while promoting fanfiction to the uninitiated help combine the nostalgia for past social media platforms and early 2000s goth culture with the modern concerns and tastes of our millennial protagonists (and viewers. Ugh, I’m so old.)

Jamie Loftus guest stars by lending her voice to both the goth bully seeking to kidnap Nut (“sup”) and the jazz vocalist that soothes Alex’s soul. Additional voices are sourced from Cartuna CEO James Belfer, Taylor Ortega (Kim Possible’s Shego), comedian Xavier Rodney, and even creator Kelsey Stephanides, a list that hints at the possibility of future star-studded voice spots in future episodes.

While I was definitely a fan from the very first episode, the second addition to the canon seems extremely promising for building out the universe of the show, and setting the stage for epic magical battles (both with supernatural beings and the struggles of capitalism) to come as the series progresses.