Shortstember: Forget Me Lots

Season 2, Episode 12- Forget me Lots

Wha Happen’?

After stealing the Blue Rose of Forgetfulness, Abis Mal and Haroud sneak into the palace hoping to erase the Sultan’s memory and then replace him on the throne. It’s fine, he’s an idiot, his plans don’t have to make sense.

Meanwhile, Jasmine is pissed at Aladdin because it’s the one year anniversary of the time he took her wonder by wonder, over, sideways and under…

Holy shit, was that song about sex?!

No, no. I gotta get my mind out of the gutter. Anyway, Jasmine is upset and refuses to tell him why because that’s both mature and helpful.

Unfortunately, she runs into Abis Mal and smells the rose which wipes her memory. Aladdin catches up with her and says “I know you don’t like me right now” and, because she has no memory of who this guy is who insists on dressing like a beggar while living in a palace, tells him to stay the hell away from her. This attracts the attention of Razoul, who thinks Jasmine has finally gotten sick of Aladdin and broken up with him and that Aladdin isn’t taking “no” for an answer.

Razoul, standing guard against toxic relationships.

So he throws Aladdin out of the palace. Meanwhile Abis Mal and Haroud find Jasmine and Haroud comes up with the idea of convincing Jasmine that she is Abis Mal’s daughter, a notorious bandit known as The Scourge of the Desert. And my girl is into it.

Jasmine then adopts a new personality which involves wearing dark revealing clothes and cracking a whip at all and sundry.

Hmmm. I wonder what the impetus for writing this episode was. What could it possibly have been?

Jasmine (or Scourge) quickly takes control of the palace but just as Abis Mal is about to take the throne as the new Sultan she betrays him and has him thrown in the dungeon with Haroud switching sides to follow her. Haroud is a really interesting character to me. He’s someone who absolutely could be the boss of his own gang but, for whatever reason, just doesn’t want a management role. I respect that.

Anyway, Aladdin and the Genie realise that the palace has been taken over and race back to help. Battling Scourge, Aladdin realises that she’s lost her memory and that if he can remember what it was that made her angry at him true love will break the spell. Carpet shows him the flower he gave Jasmine on that magic carpet ride where he was was like a shooting star and came so far (OH MY GOD IT’S FILTH) and Jasmine recovers her memory. Unfortunately, the palace is still under the control of Haroud and Abis Mal but genie uses the flower to wipe their memories and Iago and Abu use these men as their servants because this was made in a time when Disney characters could brainwash and enslave their enemies like Walt intended.

How was it?

Ehhhh…fine, if a little disappointing. I think “Evil Jasmine” is a fantastic concept but it just felt a bit under utilised. Also, I’m sorry, Linda Larkin just needed to be having more fun with this, her Scourge voice is just Jasmine but angrier. I mean, if you’re going to be this shameless and have dominatrix Jasmine… commit to it, y’know? As for positives, the opening scene of Abis Mal stealing the Blue Rose is beautifully animated.