In the series premiere episode of Astrid & Lilly Save the World, “Tontoom”, the horrors of high school are terrifying enough. Now, add a portal that has released otherworldly terrors in the form of gruesome monsters determined to set the world ablaze in a devastating inferno. Lucky for us, the two badass best friends, Astrid and Lilly, are coming to our rescue with persistence that can’t stop, won’t stop.
#BFFgoals | Astrid (Jana Morrison) and Lilly (Samantha Aucoin) set out on their nightly neighborhood watch jamming to Cannon’s “Fire for You”, an appropriate anthem for two angsty teenage girls. They recall the previous night’s patrol findings: “Dance clubs are over, but video arcades are happening.” Astrid and Lilly’s subject of interest? Answer: what the cool kids do at night. Equipped with night-vision binoculars fit for undercover spies, the gal pals peep into the homes of fellow Pine Academy High Schoolers.
While investigating the “cultural task at hand”, Astrid and Lilly witness a hooded man leaving the yard of “Bitch Face Candace” (Julia Doyle). The unidentified lurker leaves behind a polaroid of Candace – creepy. Perturbed and slightly concerned for their high school enemy, the girls jot down a description of who and what they saw. Could Candace be cheating on “Sexy Boy Tate” (Kolton Stewart)?
Mystery man sighting aside, Astrid and Lilly’s real goal of patrol is to learn how to blend in with the other kids at school – a daunting task that I’m sure many of us can relate to. One thing is for certain, this dynamic duo might be labeled as social outcasts, but their friendship and love for each other is #BFFgoals.
The Burning Bowl Ceremony | Lilly’s twelve-year-old sister, Piper, is all in the know and informs the girls that there’s a party happening at Tate’s. Before you know it, Astrid and Lilly are at the front door of a Sunday-night rager where all of those cool kids have congregated. After Astrid hits Lilly with a little pep talk, the gals slide on in and are met with a welcoming Valerie (Christina Orjalo) and two red cup beverages. The warm welcome quickly runs cold when “Not So Sexy After All” Tate bullies Astrid and Lilly into leaving his party.
Tate’s cruelty stings, but Astrid and Lilly refuse to let some “idiot chode bag” tear them down. The BFFs decide to get their power back by performing a burning bowl ceremony with mementos they’ve collected from various peers (e.g. a nipple ring, photographs, a hacky-sack, etc.). Next thing you know, their fury-fueled chants, howls, and dancing around the burning bowl of cool-kid memorabilia seems to summon a radiant purple thunderstorm on the night of a pink moon.
Tear-tini | The next morning, a strange static is buzzing in the air. For one thing, the odd lightning streaking a cloudless sky is causing Lilly painful leg spasms, and secondly, Astrid has woken up with a heightened sense of smell. As if things couldn’t get any weirder, the Pine Academy principal announces that Tate has gone missing. Is it possible that Astrid and Lily’s burn ritual made the jock evaporate?
Worried that they may have had something to do with Tate’s disappearance, Astrid and Lilly join in on a search for him in a nearby forest that police are combing. While poking around in a possible crime scene, the gals are approached by some rando prowling in the bushes. He introduces himself as Brutus (Oliver Renaud). Brutus explains to Astrid and Lilly that their ritual opened an alternate dimension that threatens all life on Earth and only they can close it. Sent to be their “Giles”, Brutus proceeds to tell Astrid and Lilly that they must vanquish ten evil monsters who have crossed through the portal before the hell-beasts annihilate everyone in their sadistic path. Not only do they need to kill the invaders, but the girls are also required to harvest various body parts from each monster and store them in a vessel Brutus has provided them. Their extracurricular activities just go a whole hell of a lot more “extra”.
Super Powers | First monster on the list to exterminate is called Tearjerker, who, if you haven’t already guessed, has brat-napped Tate along with two other victims. Tearjerker gets his kicks from extracting human tears and mixing his self a “tear-tini.” Astrid and Lilly only have twenty-six hours to save Tate and the others before Tearjerker drains them dry!
Reluctant to call their new senses any kind of superpower, Astrid follows her nose and Lilly, her spazzing leg, into an underpass in a park. Astrid steps outside for a quick squat, leaving Tearjerker the perfect opportunity to take advantage of Lilly’s struggle with self-esteem and the trauma she’s endured from bullying. Just as Lilly begins to lose herself in a Tearjerker-induced spiral of self-loathing, Astrid busts in with a drink to Tearjerker’s face. The surprise splash sidetracks the monster just long enough for the two girls to escape.
1 Down, 9 to Go | What better place to contemplate their next move than the library?! Astrid and Lilly conduct further research into their monster hunting shabockle when Brutus pays them another visit. This time, their guide gives them a vial filled with some kind of liquid sorcery to lace Tearjerker’s collected tears with. Brutus instructs them to also add a dash of elephant tranquilizer, then throw the tear solution into Tearjerker’s face. This will be the only way to incapacitate the hellraiser long enough to remove the desired organ.
Off the two monster hunters go, armed with a super soaker and using their super senses to find Tearjerker’s lair. Upon arrival, Lilly offers herself up as bate to distract the monster while Astrid fills up her squirt gun. One solid stream of the concoction to the face and Tearjerker hits the floor just as Brutus said he would. They remove Tearjerker’s tontoom, aka tongue, and stash it away in the magic vessel. Together, the badass besties beat a perilous creature and subsequently saved Tate and Val and the world.
One monster down, nine more to go!
Calling all Monster Hunters! Astrid and Lilly are proving to be a pair of heroes that are going to dish monsters a fury like they’ve never seen, and I’m here for it! Tell me your thoughts on Astrid & Lilly‘s series premiere episode, “Tontoom”.
Astrid & Lilly Save the World airs Wednesdays at 10pm on SYFY.
