Three months ago, the beloved Netflix animated series Hilda came to an end. To show more of my love for this show I have decided to do a three-part ranking of every episode of Hilda sharing my thoughts on each episode. I’d like to clarify that there are no bad episodes of Hilda. Every episode is wonderfully animated and well written. This list is also based on my personal opinion. Now let’s begin with not the worst but the decent at best.
34. The Ghost: Not a hard choice for last place. This episode felt too cynical and it was very hard to sympathize with Frida especially after what she says to Hilda near the end. The ghost fight goes nowhere and the fallout between Hilda and Frida felt very forced.
33. The Nisse: This episode tries to cram too much into one such with Hilda trying to earn a badge, the ongoing Hilda/Frida rift, the Frida/Kelly thing, the black hound and the Nisse. All these plots felt like they should’ve been in their own individual episode instead of crammed together.
32. The Replacement: Nothing really happens in this episode. This one is mostly breather episode that proceeds the huge season finale. What puts this higher about the last two episodes on this list is that you do feel bad for Alfur and don’t him to be replaced by some pencil pusher.
31. The Troll Rock: Hilda’s school life felt unutilized and maybe it would’ve been nice to show her struggling to adapt to this new environment. Sort of a fish out of water scenario. This episode kind of acts like a teaser for season 2’s overarching troll conflict in season 2 and the Mountain King.
30. Strange Frequencies: Why are the all the penultimate episodes of each season kind of weak? Much like season 1’s penultimate episode this one also tries to juggle two uninvolved plots in one episode when they could’ve been their own individual episode. This also serves as a breather before the huge series finale.
29. The Laughing Merman: The only episode of season 3 to have nothing to do with the overarching plot and the “freaky friends” reputation comes out of nowhere, also there’s a FART JOKE!. Still Louise was very likable even if this was her only episode and Eugene and his song number was visually amazing.
28. The Jorts Incident: This is technically a sequel episode to The Tide Mice. A very odd episode focusing on a junk food snack that feels the least like a Hilda episode. The scene where the original CEO resigns by jumping out the window (with a parachute) got a huge giggle out of me.
27. The Black Hound: It’s not a bad season finale but still the weakest one and I believe the later ones are much better. Much like the previous episode it suffers from trying to tie up all these plots together and again all of these scenarios could’ve worked better in their own separate episodes.
26. The Troll Circle: I think this episode would’ve been higher in 2020 since it was the first episode in two years but now it is the weakest season premiere of the show. It does its job of establishing the Erik Ahlberg/troll conflict as well as the slowly straining relationship between Hilda and Johanna.
25. The Lost Clan: The elves’ obsession with paperwork will never not be funny. Bragga is one of the most underrated characters of the show and he’s always a blast whenever he’s in an episode. I really like the scene where Hilda, Frida and Alfur ride the water spirit. It’s such a laid-back scene.
24. The Beast of Cauldron Island: Liar revealed aside, there is an irony in this episode I like where Hilda is victorious in saving the sea monster but ends up grounded by Johanna in the process. The end credits song “The Life of Hilda” is a really cute song that perfectly sums up the titular character.
23. The Sparrow Scouts: This is a tamer episode compared to the first three episodes where not much really happens, but it’s a cute way to introduce the Hilda/Frida/David trio. Though am I the only one who thinks the onion thing sounds like a mix between Gilbert Gottfried and Suction Cup Man from Piemations?
Stay tuned for part two of my episode ranking tomorrow. See you then.
JacobsonCinema 