Little Snow Fairy Sugar (Episodes 7-9)

(Catch up on previous episodes here.)

When we left off, Saga had sent Sugar away in anger. Though their argument was over a misunderstanding, the hurt was very real to both characters. As they go their separate ways both characters face their regrets with stubborn pride. Saga goes through her day feeling distracted and guilty, but whenever she begins feeling sorry, she concentrates on the incident that angered her in the first place. I really liked how this showed the way we try to hold onto anger. So often in children's programming there's the emphasis on quick forgiveness, but in reality, most of us convince ourselves to remain angry long after we've stopped feeling the emotion.

For her part, kicked out of her home, Sugar takes up with two new weather fairy apprentices named Basil and Cinnamon. They are storm fairies who are leaning to make thunder and lightning. Cleverly, these two fairies are the opposite of the kind of cuteness given to Sugar and her friends. They are drawn, and behave like little punk rockers, causing trouble wherever they go. Sugar quickly learns to love their carefree ways and joins them in mischief. Salt and Pepper don't really like this new Sugar and decide that they must bring Sugar and Saga back together. And when they reveal that the message Sugar wrote on Saga's precious sheet music was really an apology, Saga's guilt overcomes her anger.

Saga's memories of her mother, and the interplay between a little Saga and her mother are important scenes to developing Saga and Sugar's relationship. I've said before that it a big sister/ little sister dynamic, and within that is a mothering aspect. Little Saga is a little like Sugar.  Saga finally realizes this and the accepts her role. After they've made up, the antagonism that had existed between them ceases.

It's clear that a fairy's growth is tied to a nurturing bond with a human. Hints were made earlier during the fairies' search for "twinkle" and the sprouting of their fairy seeds whenever the bond is strengthened. This is made even more obvious later when Phil, the neighborhood boy scientist, attempts his news experiment. Phil is trying to make an aurora, something that Salt claims is the domain of sun fairies, and requires powerful magic. At first Salt is worried that Phil will be able to do something that he hasn't yet been able to achieve. But when the entire class comes to watch Phil fail, Salt feels compassion for the boy who he has secretly been helping. In that moment of feeling, Salt is able to produce a beautiful aurora using his magic. 

The connection with a humans makes the little fairies powerful. I expect as Sugar and Saga's relationship blossoms, we'll soon discover the wonderful things Sugar is able to do. Stay tuned for more next week.