Fear The Unknown | Wirt's Journey in Over the Garden Wall

[@Johnny2Cellos]

Truly SO SO mad at myself for going the extra mile to make those title cards and then misspelling “Unknown” on all of them. Gonna delete my channel now.

[@tayloredwards4968]

This is the Halloween classic 🧡

[@sot514]

I love this video thank you

[@lizasplaylist]

It made me laugh but you did extremely well. Honestly looks great so don’t worry about it.

[@teentraveler1790]

Oh no, please don't. It's okay. Still loved your vid! Hope you don't lose to much sleep over it. (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠)

[@unnamed9482]

I didn’t even kow you spelled it wrong!

[@QuilltheWriter]

I think one of my favourite parts of Wirt’s character is that he isn’t a loser. In the flashbacks to the normal world, you can see that he’s generally liked by all, no one is generally bad to him, and the girls that first find his tape are all just teasing and get worried about him. Wirt’s not a loser, he’s just a background character given a story

[@radiocoffee7700]

"Wirt is a background character given a story" how could you say something so wrong but so right

[@ishkajules]

Wirt is like the villain from Meet The Robinsons. He was actually well liked as a kid but he thought everyone hated him. Glad Wirt got over it!

[@franciscopetrucci]

My favorite part is how Greg's optimism directly saves him from the Beast: In an attempt to make Greg despair, the Beast keeps giving him impossible tasks (Thread of gold, spool of silver, putting the sun in the cup). But Greg, through his imagination and childlike wonder keeps completing the tasks anyway, which keeps his hopes up and buys him enough time for Wirt to come save him.

[@catbatrat1760]

That, and it also gives us this hilarious exchange when Greg gives him the "golden comb": Beast, hilariously deadpan: This is a HONEYcomb. Greg: Golden comb of honey! **giggles**

[@MatthewTeachout-xj4yy]

@@catbatrat1760Troll riddles require Troll answers

[@shawnritz]

i always thought The Beast was tricking him then. the way the last challenge involved him just waiting for the sun to lower into the teacup, making him wait for night when he would freeze to death.

[@MatthewTeachout-xj4yy]

@@shawnritz I always thought that he thought of it in the spot

[@Suujisushi]

13:33 If you look at Beatrice's reaction when Wirt said "That will get us kicked out of the boat for sure" you can see that maybe that was her plan, for them to be kicked out so they would take longer to go to Adeleide's. She even says at the end "Yeah, you're actually... good" almost disappointed.

[@godiloveminininjas4278]

My favorite scene with Beatrice is when she fools Battler and yet again kills his whole family...oh wait, wrong Beato

[@asmodeusguys4472]

@@godiloveminininjas4278 don't spoil things bozo

[@Little-rb6rb]

That was her whole plan, to prevent them from going to Adelaide's after bonding with them

[@michaelhegwood9977]

Wirt being overly cautious and questioning fantasy logic being the reason he defeats The Beast is such a fun twist for the finale

[@catbatrat1760]

Yes! I saw a comment on that clip a long time ago pointing out how awesome it is that Wirt defeated the Beast basically just through sheer logic: "That's dumb."

[@TheCommenterDragon]

I love Over The Garden Wall! it's the absolutely most perfect series to watch especially during Halloween and Thanksgiving, it's literally the only and the best miniseries that Cartoon Network had ever created! the performances of the voice cast is awesome Elijah Wood as Wirt and Christopher Lloyd as the Woodsman was just marvelous!!!

[@rjmartinez4800]

I usually rewatch this masterpiece around the spooky season and I am glad it is talked about so positively years later cuz it is underrated

[@JoaoAlves-ni8fm]

Glad to see someone with the same "tradition" as me

[@mollytovxx4181]

@@LilithsCosmicLounge What do you mean?

[@spaceace9103]

@@LilithsCosmicLounge were there more episodes planned that got scrapped?

[@KingRidley]

@@LilithsCosmicLounge but it is finished

[@rubya.p4437]

Underrated? It was basically everywhere when it was released and was super popular back then.

[@Thetom5000]

Whats interesting is that one of the original concepts for the series was that Wirt and Greg get on a train on Halloween night, and realize it’s going to “Death” and so they jump off half-way and end up somewhere between life/death/dreams/reality. And in the last episode it's revealed that the beast is actually not a bad guy… he’s just trying to get them on the train, because that’s where they belong. Wirt and Greg realize they can either accept their fate and get on the train… or they can wander the woods and become old and crazy like the woodsman. they decide to accept their fate, and they get on the train and head off into the darkness…. We think they died. But then reveal that the train was never going to “Death” at all…. the scary place the train was going to was actually “Life”! All along Wirt was subconsciously fighting the will to survive. because… confronting your problems in life, for him, was more frightening than death.

[@MatthewTeachout-xj4yy]

Oh that’s sounds bloody wicked

[@HeyItsNovalee]

Greg’s childlike innocence reminds me of a post I saw on tumblr once that said something along the lines of “kids are less afraid of the unknown and unfamiliar because to them everything is unknown and unfamiliar.” They’re still learning all these new things about the world on a daily basis so of course they’re more open to things they’ve never seen. At the same time though, On my most recent rewatch of otgw I realized that Greg’s determination to stay positive could suggest a bit of a rough childhood. With the way he immediately jumps to reassuring wirt, his older brother, when things get rough, and takes responsibility for things that really aren’t his fault at all, I feel like whatever situation the two brothers have at home has resulted in Greg having to mature faster than his age, and has given wirt anxiety and depression (although a lot of his personality is typical for a 14 yr old, he seems moderately more anxious and melancholy than his peers when we see their lives before they got to the unknown) As an older sibling that had to bear a lot of the weight of having parents that constantly fought before getting divorced, and ended up with a lot of anxiety and depression in my teen years, as well as having a younger sister that prefers to stay quiet about her own problems in order to support others, I definitely see a lot of myself and my sister in wirt and Greg. Another reason this show is so close to my heart

[@nervousbreakdown711]

Definitely some implied parentification going on in this household. I never thought about Greg that way. I always thought that he was just a naturally happy child.

[@justinehercthehuman]

I just love how the Beast is in the form of a shadow and not actual darkness. This makes sense cause darkness exists when there is no light BUT without light, SHADOWS cannot exist. Shadows aren't true darkness, thus Wirt's response scaring the Beast. He is the one who actually fears true darkness, cause in true darkness, there are no shadows.

[@orbismworldbuilding8428]

So well said

[@therockphilosopher1678]

And that’s a rock fact

[@orlando780]

Made even more fitting by the fact that his source of life is a literal lantern light

[@wildfirefox1]

Except that split second frame where he's lit up and is the most horrifying thing I've ever seen (Google it, its truly the stuff of nightmares lol)

[@Bowl-0f-Soup]

When we saw his true form that one frame was terrifying

[@Grayalloy337]

Cartoon Network has a lot of great shows, both old and new, but this show was truly a lightning in a bottle. The Atmosphere, the writing, the influences and symbolism, the fact they got Elijah Wood, Christopher Lloyd and John Clease in the same show, and having one of the best villains in any animated show. It deserves all the praise it gets.

[@professorfreddy]

Not to mention Tim Curry as Auntie Whispers, love that man

[@Grayalloy337]

@@professorfreddy yeah, him too

[@zacerax6000]

Watching Over the Garden Wall on Halloween is a tradition of mine that I've done for years. Today is my first time celebrating alone, for I and many others are deeply lost in the dark woods of the last few years. All I need today is two boys picking up the pieces, and finding their way out of the dark so that soon I may do the same.

[@firebat9664]

This show has become a tradition to watch every year around fall. It’s the perfect mini series and is one of my favorite shows of all time.

[@misstmiche]

The Beast represented to me our fears of the darkness which casts in the night. I know the light of the lantern held his soul. However, the light could also be represented as showing that what may be horrifying in the dark isn’t always so scary when presented in light.

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

The Beast is a Lich. An Undead Wizard that has trapped its Soul in an inanimate Object to live forever. Litches are also often Necromancers, as you'll notice that once Wirt blows out the Lantern, containing the Beasts Soul, the Skeleton Village also dies.

[@veronicapiccinini7956]

But it was darkness, a misunderstood force often associated with death and evil, that actually killed The Beast, the true evil force of the story

[@solsystem1342]

​@@jakespacepiratee3740 I think that's just a dnd thing. We see no indication of how the beast came to be in the show and his only power seems to be attlewood associated.

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

@@solsystem1342 A Lich was also in Adventure Time which was not a DND Show. You also ignored what I said about the skeletons.

[@BarelyFunctioningHuman]

Man Over The Garden Wall is my favourite autumn show. It’s so cosy, I remember watching the entire thing with my friends on Halloween.

[@moxxiedemongamer3019]

I'd usually re-watch Over The Garden Wall before Halloween and it's a Great mini-series to re-watch around the spooky season and truly it's an underrated gem of a mini-series

[@F0rev3r.B0red]

So glad I'm not the only one that rewatches this series because it feels like it's leaves me and I get to enjoy it again

[@limelantern5637]

Of all the reveals of characters true natures "hey sarah, ready to go?" Has to be my favorite.

[@tiddlez3948]

Man, I remember finally watching this series a few months back and the ending hit me so hard I had to stare at a wall for a half hour and contemplate everything

[@livtimetravels4251]

You don’t understand how happy I am that you’re talking about this show. My favorite commentary KZbinr with my favorite tv show!!!

[@V4Vonnie]

Over the Garden Wall has had an indelible effect on me. It lowkey is the "Halloween" themed show that has had the biggest effect on me in my adulthood. And I came upon it while trying to find something interesting for my students.

[@acehawk1000]

I just watched the show for the first time and this was an excellent breakdown of the characters' psychology and the themes of anxiety and self doubt. I tend to be very much like Wirt in my own life, not living in the present reality, like Greg, but often in my head, imagining the worst as a way to "stay safe". This comes at a time when I'm on a journey to live above my fears and worries, and not only be fully myself, but open up to the good that could be in the world around me.

[@eyesoftomorrow6647]

Whats funny is this video is 1/5th of the shows length and both are amazing this show is definitely a show of longer run time doesn't always mean better in quality.

[@hey_its_lily]

I really enjoyed this video. I never thought of their character development like that.

[@mehlover]

Rewatching this series has become an important fall tradition for me. It's also like you find something new every time you watch it

[@TheMCvamp]

My dog died last year and we used to fall asleep together sometimes for mid-day naps listening to this soundtrack. We listened to it again the day we had to put him down and I haven’t been able to listen to it or watch the show again since. It’s fall again so I think I might try soon. I’ll be back to watch this video once I can do it cuz I am so happy to see you post about this work of art.

[@elle2104]

damn a video essay has never made me tear up like this before

[@carlS523]

Over the Guardian Wall is so well written like Adventure Time! It h as a great characters, and a cool atmosphere!

[@strawberrystars5694]

This video just single handily help me with my English project on the series and Wirts character and the fear of the unknown so thank you so much man this video was so good at explaining everything I needed to know and it took 3 hours to even dissect what you were saying kudos to you💖💖💖💖

[@SB-pf5rc]

holy crap Over The Garden Wall is an absolute favorite. i'm thrilled and not surprised you know it.

[@whywhy5670]

the show is a really good phycology lesson about how people thing and stuff

[@bottombarrelbudgetfilms1854]

I didn't watch this miniseries until several years after the fact and I immediately fell in love with it. I'm so glad people are still talking about it

[@FasterthanLight11]

This was another excellent writeup. My fiancée and I always appreciate your videos. You have a certain cantor that makes listening easy, soothing and easy to comprehend. I think this is her favorite cartoon of all time and I showed it to her on a lark on one of our earliest dates. Life is funny how it intersects.

[@lavishjules]

Ugh I've already rewatched this twice this year and now I think I'll do it again! Looking at the boys along with Beatrice's character growth- to be cautious, being too trusting, being too brash, will always be interesting to me.

[@squidairleo3155]

Such a good mini series highly recommend it

[@boondoggled5418]

NO WAY!!!! I LOVE YOUR BOJACK VIDEOS AND LITERALLY IN THE LAST FEW DAYS IVE BECOME SO OBSESSED WITH OTGW THIS IS THE BEST SURPRISE

[@kaitlyn__L]

I don’t have much to add, except those opening chords really struck me how much I’d missed them. I haven’t watched this show since breaking-up with the person who introduced me to it, but I think I need to watch it again!

[@jnickbrown1997]

Literally just watched it all today! You have the best timing!

[@blinday]

It is so refreshing to see a video diving into what Over the Garden Wall actually means. Not its simbolism, not its roots in cultures and mythos. Those are great, sure, but surface level. This is about the story. What it means and what it says, and how it impacts us. Thank you for this.

[@hashtag8152]

I love Over the Garden Wall. I remember binged-watching this with Adventure time: Stakes and Gravity Falls. Best sequence of watching cartoons in my life.

[@fern8202]

haven’t even watched this yet but i am so excited… i rewatch OTGW every year and continue to notice more things every time. i love this and am excited to hear you talk about this amazing mini series 🎃

[@sockatoo_]

i never got to properly binge this show, but as soon as i get the chance to be home alone in the evening, im putting it on and watching it all again, to get the full experience of this amazing mini series. it's just- i want to forget everything about it so i can be amazed all over again.

[@rodrigocortezalvarez4477]

no fucking way johhnyy 2 chellos doin a over the garden wall review

[@re11o]

Literally a Halloween Masterpiece 🎃

[@Dellbon0151]

This show is a yearly rewatch for me. Also I’m Digging the Noah Caldwell Gervais style intro

[@mightbeagiant]

I love this show so much, it's become our tradition to watch it through while we cook Thanksgiving dinner

[@russanothewise440]

I just watched this last week! It’s so incredibly good. I was psyched because the creator Patrick McHale was supposed to adapt my favorite book series, Redwall, for Netflix. But I think it was cancelled. But this was still amazing!

[@germansantapop7598]

HE WAS SUPPOSED TO WHAT!!!! Damn. That is sad that wouldve been amazing. At least we got the pinnochio movie tho💪💪

[@Bowl-0f-Soup]

I love over the garden wall, I rewatch it every year

[@LadyBern]

I love that this is out and at the same time learning someone managed to get the original statue of Jason T. the frog on the piano statue that once graced the CN hall on ebay for $70+. Good time for Over the garden wall content.

[@Bittamin]

We just watched this last week, such an amazing show

[@Blackdragon0228]

Im so glad to see you cover *again* one of my favorite pieces of media ever. Its just so brilliant and of course perfect for spooky month

[@guywiesel2380]

Led through the mist By the milk-light of moon All that was lost is revealed Our long bygone burdens Mere echoes of the spring But where have we come? And where shall we end? If dreams can't come true Then why not pretend? How the gentle wind Beckons through the leaves As autumn colors fall Dancing in a swirl Of golden memories The loveliest lies of all

[@prageruwu69]

hell yeah dude otgw is so good

[@zunk_funk]

I started wathing this video, remembered how much I loved this series, went to go rewatch it, and now I'm back to finish the video

[@AKHV9708]

I wish there was more shows like over the garden wall. The music is just so peaceful and spooky 😍

[@Lord-Z-]

Just an FYI for y’all. theres an over the garden wall 10th anniversary tribute coming November 3rd

[@AlexMartinez-gv7hy]

Such a great miniseries. Love watching it

[@lizzyizzywizzy]

this show is so important to me. i discovered it at a time in my life where i was just like wirt. i was terrified of everything because i used to be just like greg and when that careless optimism was taken advantage of, i became fearful. greg and wirt are so, so dear to me since they helped me grow to overcome that part of my life and now i watch it whenever i feel melancholic. such a beautiful story with beautiful creation.

[@Cinemabuff-wr4qk]

You released this video just as over the garden wall is airing on Cartoon Network chapters 1-10 from 6:30 to 9:00. What a coincidence!

[@Isador7]

I watch this every fall. Every time I rewatch, I'm really impressed by how good the soundtrack is and how it's one of the most memorable aspects of the entire thing. Sticks with you.

[@GiulianaBruna]

When I saw the miniature, I wondered if something new could be said about this series. I mean, how many analysis have we read and listen already. But you did a great work, your perspective is really valuable.

[@WobblesandBean]

I absolutely love this show. Thank you for this Halloween treat!

[@ClownKuromi]

I watched it for the first time it aired and I've fell in love with it since. I absolutely adore this show and watch it this time of year ever since.

[@avshalomsagi9921]

Just finished my second rewatch of this show. Everytime I revisit it I get reminded how amazing this show is in every way

[@steve3154]

Lets gooo I literally just rewatched this and need to dive into it again

[@radiocoffee7700]

Awesome video! Otgw's themes and arcs are so good

[@MissyMoneyMinute]

I love that you watch some of my favorite shows from BoJack to Over the Garden Wall, I thoroughly enjoy your commentary. With that being said… you have to do Moral Orel. Please and thank you 🙏

[@birdlegscass]

this video made me cry, and then I immediately watched it again and cried again. exactly what I needed to hear right now

[@jennifervan75]

Great to see you make a video about this amazing show

[@Tepidsoup42]

Me and my wife just discovered this through one of her coworkers and man to see a Johnny video on this is awesome it was a great series I’m excited to watch, thanks Johnny!

[@stephendavis1837]

I rewatch this every Halloween! Absolute masterpiece

[@ghostlyerlkonig]

The learning from each other works well with the purgatory allegory through the show. "Loat souls" have to finish or learn something before they can be released. Those who do not/cannot are stuck.

[@tvirus9369]

Watch over the garden wall every year before Thanksgiving

[@ehoffart529]

So I've been watching a lot of cartoons recently cause I started watching more mature content (comedy central) since 4th grade(2007) and skipped over a lot of late 2000s shows. Over The Garden Wall has been one of my favorite. The score, the characters, and the art style is so captivating. It's my all time favorite piece of animation.

[@ma.2089]

Over the Garden wall is how I found your channel. It’s nice to see it return :) That video helped with my essay on the series and helped support my theory I proposed on what the unknown was as well (tho I guess it was also in part helped by the creator’s confirmation).

[@Eyevou]

quite an appropriate video for the Halloween season.

[@emilymay3575]

The first time I watched this I was performing an Opera that has the aria the Beast sings throughout the show. My first watch is a very precious memory of mine :)

[@thoughts2574]

Its by far the best explanation video of otgw wirt's character development. You explained everything so perfectly. You are good at ur job. Keep doing what ur doing!

[@MooImABunny]

You talked about how Wirt assumes the worst and is paralyzed by his anxieties, and then you said he refuses to see green lights, and, fuck, man, this is so goddamn familiar. This hits me so close to home. I constantly do that. I'm 28 and this sentence made me hyperventilate for a few seconds. And I love this show, it's amazingly good, it always gets me emotional (including many happy feelings, but also others), but still

[@GarfGuy2]

I’ve only watched this show recently and I instantly fell in love with it when I had finished it I instantly went looking for reviews

[@jaredt.murphy8257]

Beautiful edit in that moment about thunderburker. No words needed.

[@Fiondra]

Yesssssss, incredible! Thank you for doing this!

[@notaburneraccount]

I finally watched this show earlier this month and I loved it 😊 I adore Greg and loved the episode with all the frogs!!! 🐸

[@moosecannibal8224]

Thank you for reminding me that this is a show, I love it.

[@Taayooo]

I remember doing a project on this series in highschool over the Hero’a Journey Arc/Trope, so nostalgic to watch for me now

[@LadyBrightcynder]

Wonderful analysis, this is one of those series that you can always notice something new and wonderful about every time you come back to it.

[@joed7547]

Yo, I found your channel from your video on OTGW 4 years ago, thanks again.

[@vanessaarzate8463]

This show It's so beautiful and an amazing masterpiece. Also happy Halloween!

[@lll-bm1cp]

How I would love to see this for the first time again!

[@FLAMEandICE_]

I fell in love with Over the Garden Wall as soon as I watched it! It's one of those shows that's just so damn perfect! Absolutely 🖤❤🖤❤ Over the Garden Wall

[@JackieStarSister]

Fantastic analysis! I just recently watched the series for the first time, and of course found it fairly confusing since so much is not explained until later. This helps put Wirt's character arc into perspective.

[@noahhunter06]

I rewatched it about 2 months ago, and it was so much better than I remembered

[@chunkystains8950]

Every year we get to rewatched and talk more about this masterpiece. Thanks for opening my eyes to yet another deeper meaning to it's content. Looking forward to hearing more about it next year. 😌

[@STARFOXiswatchingYOU]

I love this series and especially Wirt. He’s so relatable to me (and Greg acts the same as my best friend). Thanks for this review. I never really seen in how many ways “fear” permeates this show. It was an interesting analysis

[@babywigeon]

some friends of mine are watching this tonight for the first time-I'm very excited for them!

[@wiktoriamakusek262]

I have now watched this serial for the first time in my life. I couldn't find it as a child and only know I had an access to it. Great stuff and really cool analysis, I think that soon I should give it a proper re-watch to pay more attention to it

[@watercolourAlto]

yknow this video is making me realise just why I relate to Wirt so damn much

[@rustyshackelford312]

"Woodsman when I first got lost you told me to fear the unknown, but you were wrong. This place isn't scary. What's really scary is going home and dealing with your problems" That's the real unknown." - A deleted scene

[@asneakylawngnome5792]

I love that the world they’re in is called the unknown because nobody knows what happens after we die.

[@ruby71406]

my fave show of all time