#and to my mother for binging the show with me for my yearly rewatch hehe

[butchniqabi]

(editor's note: when i refer to fairy tales and folktales just assume i mean those of western literary canon, mostly from europe and (white) america, unless i specify otherwise)

(second editor's note: tbh im kinda just talking and start rambling after a while. enjoy)

ive been watching this every year since it aired 8 years ago and i still find little details in the story even now...wow! the power of storytelling! in all fairness though the first 5 years i didnt have captions so that has contributed a bit to it. didnt realize til today that before the title card fades out there is a sound of a train whistle, which is absolutely loud enough to hear even if youre underwater (<- lives close to train tracks).

i just love how it embraces the fairy taleness of it, the begginning just throws you into this world and because of the stories we read and the tropes at play as an audience we make certain assumptions about what happened just minutes before the show begins. two children lost in the woods trying to get home...you already have a certain idea of what happened (went to fetch something specific, tried to take a shortcut, trying to reach somewhere important, etc) and it isnt until the second episode that the narrative starts to break down a little bit with wirt saying "do you have a phone?" and "maybe we can find someone to give us a ride home." all "classic" fairy tales, while usually nonspecific about time period, are assumed to have taken place at decent amount of time prior to being written down. many stories that can be classified as contemporary fairy tales, we rarely consider fairy tales! and since over the garden wall centers around americana, it is already much more "modern" than the Well Know fairy tales of western canon.

so, we have that subversion of expectations wrt our assumptions about the narrative, and as we get to the penultimate episode we realize just how close the story actually takes place (my guess has always been 90s but im unsure if the creators have ever said exactly) and so it takes on the label of "contemporary fairy tale" in a (imo) really unique way! by having modern kids enter the strange, terrifying, and curiously morbid world that embodies aspects of american culture, its folktales (and fairy tales), and how deeply, incredibly unsettling and alienating that world is. greg's "dream" which is manufactured by the beast to manipulate him, is not surprisingly reminiscent of the Great American Fairy Tale wizard of oz and also of cartoons from the 20s-40s. both of these, in traditional american fashion, are ubiquitous for their "creepy" elements, horrifying (sometimes only speculative) implications, and of "ruined childhood"-esque urban legends, rumors of death, devil worship, and much much more (for more info, i suggest finding the "weird side" of youtube). most if not all fairy tales, of which Woz and many cartoons qualify as, involve death in some fashion and otgw definitely embraces that. even if its not as explicit as the pottsfield episode, there is always a sort of undercurrent of momemto mori...ghosts, bones to sort, edelwood, freezing water, keeping a lantern alight. death is pervasive in american storytelling (though honestly, where in the world isnt it?) especially when manifest destiny went into full swing and people "moved" west to further colonize the continent. there was the death in displacement, in the expansion of slavery, and in the deaths of people who took the california, oregon, or (heaven forbid) mormon trails. if memory serves, and dont come for me if the statistic is off i havent done in depth research on westward expansion in a while, the average death rate was something along the lines of 15 deaths per mile. people traveled at most about 20 miles a day, so feel free to do some math. it should be noted however that records were, as the french say, complete shit and the exact number of deaths of black and indigenous people along with white settlers is unknown.

as the Great Pioneers created towns all across the west that begun with little to no resources, death toll was unsurprisingly high. many people moved out west after the discovery of gold at sutter's mill in california in 1848, sparking the largest migration in american history (how's that for some historical accuracy?) and with it followed lots of death, crime, and the addition of folklore to american canon. but this information is only a little detour.

otgw is based primarily on new england, which has a long history of their own legends and mysteries and is probably primarily known for the salem witch trials, hosting many a british loyalist, and being the setting of stephen king novels. witches, vampires, pet semetaries, and puritans have haunted the area for centuries (though pet semetary only for a few decades). regarding puritans specifically, the story of lorna and auntie whispers definitely depicts (and then subverts) thee good ole Protestant Work Ethic, in which laboring brings you closer to god and salvation, with the catch being that only those predestined to be saved will be saved, but you must work hard regardless to make up for your wickedness. auntie whispers very plainly states that lorna is wicked and Must keep busy and clean and labor and work in order to suppress her evil nature. of course lorna is actually inhabited by a demon, but through a more compassionate and loving method she is freed. she is Saved not through punishment but love and friendship and the small community she creates with wirt and greg, which notably opposes what most puritan communities did to those who were deemed wicked and sinful. win for subversion of narratives.

okay now that all of that is out of the way, time to get into some major complaints and gripes i have with the show. what is ultimately incredibly disappointing to me is that greg and wirt are white! many fairy tales, folklore, urban legends, and "cryptids" come from directly from black and indigenous people (with a few notably coming from racialized immigrant communities) and are either stripped of their origins or bastardized into racist, whitewashed depictions. common figures and creatures seen in American Canon: the lone ranger, br'er rabbit, "bigfoot"*, and sacagawea are either stripped from their origins or warped to fit a whitewashed narrative. while many black and indigenous stories (both folktale and history) will retain their backgrounds and be told accurately, in the hands of white america they become racist, demeaning, and can act as insults or pejoratives (john henry being used in context of sexualized racism, the "there are two wolves inside you" becoming a meme, pocahontas being used in the context of sexualized racism and misogyny, and much much more...). white americana is the manifestation of all of america's bigotry and most importantly white supremacy! having the same narrative being navigated by black and/or indigenous children would be far more impactful in terms of the outright criticism and alienating feel of american fairy tales, folktales, and history.

so many common tales of white america are entrenched in colonialism and racism, even when not explicitly stated (ESPECIALLY when not explicitly stated). johnny appleseed planted hundreds of apple trees in orchards (on stolen land), honest abe never lies (except when he "abolished" slavery for everyone except his allies), george washington never exploited his power (except for all the people he owned). the fear, alienation in a place that is familiar, and threat of being disappeared into the landscape itself can be better understood by black and indigenous people and our relationship to america and its landscape, both physical and cultural. interestingly, with regards to this, there is a story i read a while ago where when a man is threatened to be sold to another plantation his wife (or mother? an important woman in his life nonetheless) transforms him into a tree, which allows him to stay close to his family, until unfortunately he is cut down. i sincerely doubt the edelwood trees were intentionally inspired by that story (unless the creators read "the conjure woman" at some point in their lives), but the comparison that could have been made is a tragic missed opportunity.

many historical figures who became folk legends and heroes, especially in the southwest, were infamous and often brutal racists. calamity jane, jesse james, "wild bill" hickok, and buffalo bill** just to name a few. canonized as living legends of america, venerated as the patron saints of the tamèd wild west, the heroes and legends in america can never be truly separated from race. with otgw having an almost exclusively white cast on screen (and off screen...) it feels like a disappointingly huge missed opportunity and shows what the creators constitute as "americana" 😳.

i have talked so damn much and a lot of it isnt even really centered on otgw...i would apologize but i love talking about stories and narratives. lemme know your thoughts or if you have any takeaways from this bc i would love to hear some other perspectives 👁

*here is a post listing many appropriated native spirits commonly labeled "cryptids" with good and insightful commentary by justin

**do not send me an essay about how he was Actually anti-racist and pro-suffrage and all that. "buffalo bill" was created and canonized for killing indigenous people and buffalo, perhaps william fredrick cody is the man you say, but the legend of him is not. and yes this distinction is important.

watching otgw with my mommy. will post analysis later hehe :3