The Villains of Valley View Season 2 Episode 2 Review: Villain Number One Part 2
The Villians of Valley View Season 2 Episode 2, “Villain Number One Part 2,” drops us into an enclosed cell along with Amy. Her antics from The Villains of Valley View Season 2 Episode 1 have gotten her whole family into quite a pickle. Luckily, she has made the right kind of friend to help her through these tough times.
Shadow is the apple that didn’t fall far from the tree. Her father, Onyx, taught her all of his dastardly ways, and she wants to make sure to honor his memory by taking down the Maddens once and for all. She is a fun character with just the right amount of annoying, making her the villain you love to hate.
Throughout the episode, Shadow proves herself to not be all that different than Amy. She’s sarcastic and sassy, but most importantly, she loves her family. Unfortunately for her, the one thing she hasn’t got is backup.
When Amy moved to Valley View with her family, she wanted nothing to do with anyone. She kept up the wall she built as a bad guy and refused to tear it down. We all know it is difficult to be accepting of new places and faces — this proved to be equally true for Amy.
The kind-hearted Hartley saw past Amy’s rough exterior and chiseled away at it until there was a visible gap between who Amy was and how she wanted to appear.
The same cannot be said for Shadow. Shadow only had her father. Now that he has been taken out by the Maddens, there is no one there to guide her. She is utterly alone. I believe this is why Shadow truly hates Amy and her family — she sees their bond and envies it. Since she can’t replicate it, she must destroy it.
Henceforth, this is why Amy is locked in a cage waiting for her demise.
Of course, Shadow pulls the faux pas of every villain, keeping her nemesis alive while she executes other parts of her plan.
We’ve been seeing this kind of thing since Adam West played Batman, but for some reason it never gets old. In the battle of good versus evil, I guess it’s reassuring to see the bad guys make stupid mistakes.
When Shadow disguises herself as Amy to take out the rest of the Maddens, it seems like a clever move. There is no better place to hide than in plain sight. But emotional connection proves to be Shadow’s undoing.
Oftentimes, family believes they know you better than anyone else. They know your ins and outs, your traits and quirks. Yet sometimes, they don’t know who you are underneath it all. Even with family, we throw up a facade. We tell our father we want to be a doctor, even though we want to be a rockstar.
Why? Because we don’t want to hear the lecture about how chasing your dreams doesn’t keep the lights on. The person we tell we want to be a rockstar to is always our best friend. Our best friend always knows our deepest passion, our secret fears, and our inside jokes.
Celia: It’s a good thing you are scared of me.
Hartley knows immediately that she is not in the presence of Amy. Although this doppelganger looks exactly like her best friend, she is far from the person she’s come to know and love. Sadly, even with Hartley’s repeated warnings, the Maddens refuse to see the truth. She must take matters into her own hands.
That is what makes Hartley the real hero of this episode. She knows deep down that something isn’t right, and she acts on it.
How often do we feel in our gut that something is wrong? I’d say a couple of times a week, at least. How often do we pursue corrective actions to make it right? Probably not even half of the time. That doesn’t make us bad people, though.
It just means we are cautious. After all, we aren’t starring in a family show on The Disney Channel. Not everything that happens to us is a plot twist thought up by the Writers’ Room.
But in Hartley’s case, her gut feeling pays off leading her to her caged friend. This is where all the puzzle pieces come together, and Shadow’s plan falls apart. With the help of the one and only Starling, Amy and Hartley escape just in time to save the Maddens.
It’s predictable but remains fun and exciting. We get our laughs, mixed in with the tiniest bit of tension, and it all gets wrapped into a central theme.
Each family member fills their niche.
Jake is the one who truly wants to be the good guy. Colby is just out to have fun. Eva constantly searches for a new purpose, and Vic tries to lead his family in the right direction while keeping them out of harm’s way
That leaves us with Amy who is the combination of all four characters, taking all their best attributes and adding a bit of flair. She doesn’t always know the best thing to do, but you darn well know she is going to do it with her whole heart.
Even if you’re the type to root for the villain, what’s not to love here?
What did you think of this episode of The Villains of Valley View? Will Onyx’s spirit search for a new body? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Villains of Valley View airs Thursday at 8/7 on Disney Channel.
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Charles E Henning
Charles E. Henning lives in a quaint town of Illinois with his ever-loving wife since 1998. He is new to writing reviews, but has over thirty years of fictitious writing for his own personal fulfillment. His interests range from science fiction to character-based dramas, but he is a sucker for anyone in a cape.