Review: YOLO: Crystal Fantasy “Enter Bushworld”

Overview(Spoilers Below):

Rachel and Sarah are tested in ways greater than either of them could imagine when a simple mix up results in the two friends separated. Permanently. This epic finale gets to the bottom of Sarah and Rachel’s friendship and if it’s something that deserves to survive or perish. Rachel’s path is full of fantastical nonsense and Sarah’s is a stark examination of reality, but they’re both forced to ask the same questions in the end.

Our Take:

If there’s been any show from this television season that deserves the right to indulge in an extravagant and over the top two-part season finale then it’s YOLO: Crystal Fantasy. Not that this has ever been a show to exhibit restraint—it may not even know the definition of the word—but considering how ridiculous previous regular episodes from this season have been, it’s especially exciting to see YOLO tackle what’s not only their biggest story yet, but what they also thought could have been the series’ very last episode. Reception to YOLO: Crystal Fantasy has been so positive and Adult Swim seems to have a good relationship with Michael Cusack that it seems likely that the show will receive a second season, but the fact that this episode was likely produced in a window of uncertainty gives it a special energy where anything is possible—even more so than usual.

Considering that Michael Cusack’s Ricky and Morty April’s Fools parody, Bushworld Adventures, is the project that made YOLO: Crystal Fantasy possible in the first place, it seemed at least somewhat likely that a finale that’s titled “Enter Bushworld” could somehow feature some crossover with that universe. As much fun as this crossover would be, it’s a little reassuring to see YOLO not feel like it needs to lean on some a crutch and that it’d rather do its own thing. I’d still welcome the idea in the future, but the path that “Enter Bushworld” takes turns out to be even wilder and more ambitious than a potential meeting between Sarah, Rachel, Rick, and Morty.

“Enter Bushworld” is presented as a two-part story that’s told across these final two episodes, but it’s really the culmination of what’s been brewing in all eight episodes of the season. Fantastical places are visited and absurd new friends are made, but at the core of every episode YOLO: Crystal Fantasy tells a grounded, emotional story about Sarah and Rachel’s friendship. The insanity that surrounds them is merely the conduit for their personal issues. It should come as no surprise that “Enter Bushworld” begins like practically every other episode of the series when Rachel and Sarah get excited over a new social event that ultimately puts them at a crossroads. What’s different about this season finale is that when Sarah and Rachel get separated, they stay separated, but in a way that’s far more drastic than one would imagine.

What’s particularly satisfying about the resolution in “Enter Bushworld” is that this whole season has just been a lesson in teaching Rachel about empathy. It’s been a slow journey for her, but she’s made incremental progress that finally blossoms here. It reflects a level of foresight in this gonzo show that makes the chaos even more impressive. It’s honestly a fantastic reveal in the end and it helps justify Rachel’s negligent behavior for the entire season. I don’t expect Rachel to be an entirely different character in a second season of the show, but this progress is still important, if only for how the audience feels about the dynamics of their friendship.

“Enter Bushworld” is an exciting exception to the series where emotional character drama is more important than anything else, but it still finds some opportunities for absurdity to shine in other ways. The short and random musical segments that frequently invade YOLO: Crystal Fantasy are always a delight but the song that introduces the Ute Party is actually pretty rad. In terms of rhythm, the song goes all over the place, but each of its disconnected sections is catchy in its own way. It also conveys the increasingly claustrophobic nature of said Ute Party, which isn’t exactly an easy thing to get across through music. The meta songs that narrate Sarah’s new life and outright namedrop Adult Swim are also a lot of fun. These elegiac melodies are played in contrast to the aggressive chords and scream-o stylings of Rachel’s “Bushland Blues.”

“Enter Bushworld” is a truly perfect season finale to what’s been one of the most enjoyable animated series to air on Adult Swim in a long time. This finale is a beautiful distillation of everything that YOLO: Crystal Fantasy does so well and why it’s such a uniquely important series. It’s an episode that really goes for broke and tells a story that’s so much bigger than what I ever would have expected from this series. The quality of this double-length finale is proof that YOLO could likely “upgrade” to 22-minute episodes in a second season and suffer little consequences, but the show’s frenetic nature is really better suited to 11 minutes. Finding specific occasions to deliver these longer, special episodes is the best compromise. With how much surreal innovation YOLO: Crystal Fantasy brings to the table, whether it’s 11 minutes or 22 minutes, hopefully there’s more Golden Coast nonsense on the way.