The DVD Fairy

Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, Eden warms to Genie pretty quick.

Buuut she has to turn him down. 

Her reasoning is that she’s focusing on her career – she has to take care of Dandi, so Dandi’s needs have to go before her own desires. 

Dandi clears this up by letting him know Eden can see him that night. “8-ish.” He agrees and disappears, and then Eden lets down her hair. 

She’s arguably just as ecstatic as he was, zipping around, whooping and cheering. 

And only now does she acknowledge that she thinks Genie is a “hunk.” 

Worth three seal-cheers apparently. And I thought this was interesting, just in developing on Eden’s character because this entire exchange reveals so much about her, and maybe, possibly, how much being free has changed Genie. 

Dating, making new friends outside of who summons you, is not a even a blip on Eden’s radar, because by her own admission: it’s her job that matters. Dandi, in this case – a master she likes and has already bent the rules once for in order to make sure she is fully taken care of. That’s what makes her happy, and I’m sure being told that her emotional needs are just as important to Dandi only made her even more happy and care about this kid that much more. It’s very likely no one has ever done that before. 

You have to wonder if Genie wasn’t the same when he was still bound to the lamp. You never see any examples of him in the movie being too focused on his own fun to see to Aladdin’s needs (getting carried away and maybe not reading the room correctly? Absolutely, but never being distracted for selfish reasons). How would he have reacted if shortly after being released, another Genie showed up and started trying to impress Aladdin? Probably the same way. 

So what I’m saying is: Of COURSE he went over the moon as soon as he saw her. He’s allowed to want things for himself now. 

I kind of love that Eden’s response to him introducing himself (because she still doesn’t get it) as Genie is “Oh, that’s original.” 

Dandi has to be the one to take Eden aside and point out that he’s trying to ask her out. Cue standard romantic comedy “But I thought you–” “No, it really was–” etc etc because misunderstandings are adorable!

I’ll give the episode some credit because I know I sound like a giant humbug. (I just feel like, in retrospect, that this episode might have been a studio mandate because so many people argued that Genie was gay coded in the movie and you know how that whole million moms feels about that.) 

And to throw this whole concept a bone, it’s probably the best setup you’re going to get if you wanted to put two genies together and create a romance. It makes me wonder what the culture must be like to just assume that if another genie appears, it’s because they’re trying to steal your job. Is this common? (Or possible?) Did this happen to Eden before? In the original setup for the movie, there was going to be two genies like in the story it’s adapted from, and I have to wonder if that dynamic would have ever been played up. Quit hoggin up all the other wishes, other-genie; I haven’t seen daylight in millennia. 

(…Though come to think of it, an Aladdin movie with two genies whose entire dynamic didn’t hinge on “well that one is more powerful than I am” would have been interesting! You could have even had a prototypical Eden as the second genie and made it a whole Ladyhawke plotline, lovers who were bound and separated and will only reunite if Aladdin uses a wish to free them…)

After three years of waiting (good lord has it really been that long I am so sorry – if you would like an itemized list of reasons for the delay, feel free to drop me a PM), let’s get this episode finished! 

Haroud wisely indicates that if they follow the trail of fallen pizzas, they will find their genie. Because we have the power of sweeping camera shots, we will reach there first, where after three years of waiting, Dandi settles the Gumdrop/Pepperoni debate. 

I wasn’t kidding when I said I thought this was a touch on-the-nose, but it’s Disney. It’s a kid’s show. I’ll go with it.