Conclusion: Recognizing our differences, and I don’t really think Aladdin learned anything from this.

“Wait, why’s everybody sad?”

Again, it wasn’t his episode to learn anything; he perfectly represents the level of ignorant destructiveness people level against nature on a day to day basis. 

He’s sad because Jasmine is sad. There’s really no time left in the episode for it to really sink in for him that he just murdered someone in cold blood. On one hand I get it because KIDS SHOW and this is already pretty dark, but on the other, what a wasted opportunity for character development! 

So to honor Arbitus, Jasmine and the Sultan resolve to plant the heart cutting in the palace gardens. 

Jasmine makes a statement about how recognizing how we’re different helps us to see how we’re alike. It’s a good message, because it goes against the “melting pot” and “colorblindness” shit that gets thrown around in racial discussions. Differences should be recognized and respected because there are other ways in which we as people can connect rather than as homogenized mush. 

It’s a fabulous message. It could have been better executed, though, if expanded into a two-parter or even just spending less time watching Aladdin and his friends screw around in the treasury. 

I remember feeling devastated that Arbitus was dead as a kid, btw, until the final frames of the episode,when the flower grows a little and draws in a breath of air – obviously in Ron Perlman’s voice, suggesting that Arbitus can eventually regenerate. 

It was a nice touch. 

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