I’ve always felt that the best fall movies or TV shows have at least a little bit of nostalgia. Vintage and retro aesthetics just work so well with the autumn season. It probably has something to do with the cozy feeling that you get from both the bittersweetness of nostalgia and the changing weather.
Over the Garden Wall is a show that’s underrated outside of its community, but those who’ve seen it know how good it really is. Many choose to rewatch it every October. The combination of its beautiful backgrounds and unique character design makes viewers nostalgic for a time period that doesn’t even exist.
There isn’t a specific time period specified throughout the show, and the ending reveal of the reason why its main characters, brothers Wirt and Greg, are lost in the first place introduces an entirely different setting.
This causes the events of the story to feel as though they take place outside of our reality and creates a perfect aesthetic for how strange this show is. It forces viewers to have a sort of suspension of disbelief.
Over the Garden Wall’s Rewatch-ability
Every October, since I was first introduced to this show, I try and rewatch it, and I’m not the only one. Many fans host rewatch parties to initiate first-time viewers or just share their love of the show with other long-time fans. It can be watched easily within one night, since it consists of one season with 10 episodes, each approximately 12 minutes long.
I’ve also seen many accounts post about their yearly rewatch of Over the Garden Wall, using its iconic opening song. Speaking of the soundtrack, it has over 500,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and millions of streams for each song.
The plot
This is where you should stop reading this article if you’re avoiding spoilers. I encourage first-time viewers to go into this show completely blind. I’d give anything to see it for the first time again, so take this as your official spoiler warning.
Over the Garden Wall follows brothers Wirt and Greg as they journey through a forest, and viewers aren’t told how they came to be lost in the first place until the last few episodes. During their journey, they encounter many peculiar obstacles and characters, such as a talking bird named Beatrice and a woodsman who seems to be obsessed with keeping a lantern lit.
Wirt, voiced by Elijah Wood, takes on the role of the show’s main protagonist, with his little brother Greg as the comedic relief. Their outfits also seem questionable and out of place until the reveal in Episode 9 that they got lost on Halloween, making it clear that they’re actually in costumes the entire time.
When the brothers finally escape the forest, they’re seen waking up in a hospital. This makes viewers consider whether any of these events actually happened or if they were in some sort of limbo state after falling over a wall and presumably knocking themselves out, making the name of the show ironic.
A deeper meaning
One of the most accepted theories within the fandom is that the show is an allegory for Dante’s nine circles of hell. Okay, I know how that sounds, but hear me out.
Each episode lines up with one of the nine circles, and the fact that the last episode reveals the boys to have been in some sort of state of unconsciousness also contributes to the idea that they’re in an afterlife-related scenario. Oftentimes throughout the show, it’s hinted that the only way to never leave the forest is to lose hope that you’ll ever escape, which could be seen as the brothers’ minds fighting to wake up from their unconsciousness.
If this theory interests you, you can find countless analysis videos on websites like YouTube that go deeper into this idea. However, it’s not the only theory people have; this show includes so many Easter eggs.
Many fans have also made videos about things you may have missed while watching the show. I highly recommend looking into them because they’re further proof that this show isn’t just some kid’s cartoon. It’s clear that it was made with so much care and insight.
Over the Garden Wall is the perfect watch for fans of Gravity Falls, Halloweentown, and the cozy vintage aesthetic! The visuals and soundtrack are unmatched. Seriously, if you haven’t seen this series yet, what are you even doing with your time?
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