Family Shrub

"Family Shrub" is the second segment of the eighth episode of the first season of Amphibia, and the sixteenth episode overall.

It premiered on June 27, 2019 alongside "Contagi-Anne".

Synopsis
Sprig and Polly think their family history is boring until they begin to uncover family secrets buried deep under their very own home.

Plot
While working on the Plantar Family Shrub, Sprig and Polly talk about how their ancestors were boring while Anne plays a video game on her phone. When Hop Pop goes to the Grub & Go to get more glue, the kids find a secret entrance to three rooms belonging to their ancestors, each with a deadly trap. In the first room, belonging to a scientist ancestor (Great-Uncle Skip Plantar), Sprig pulls a lever that releases a mutated pumpkin creature from a cage in the wall. Sprig tames it, only to betray it and kick it back into its cage. In the second room, they find out that one of their turnip-farming ancestors, Polliana Plantar, was also a great warrior. Sprig pulls another lever, activating a training simulator which Polly smashes her way through with a morning star. Polly reaches the other side and switches the lever that disables the simulator. She wants to repeat the simulator, but Sprig and Anne decide to move on to the next room. The final room is full of games and puzzles collected by, much to Anne's joyous surprise, a newt who was an honorary Plantar. The spiked ceiling begins to cave, but Anne solves the puzzle, opening up their escape. After finding the exit and returning to their living room, the kids are proud of their ancestors and Anne is proud to be an honorary Plantar. Having just got home and learning about the secret rooms, Hop Pop decides to check them out, along with Loggle who accidentally got stuck to his back when Hop Pop was searching for glue in his shop. Hearing the screams and shouts coming from the underground passage, the kids decide to follow them in as well to make sure they're safe.

Cast

 * Brenda Song as Anne Boonchuy
 * Justin Felbinger as Sprig Plantar
 * Amanda Leighton as Polly Plantar
 * Bill Farmer as Hop Pop Plantar
 * Brian Maillard as Leopold Loggle

Character revelations

 * The Plantar family has lived in the same house for many generations.
 * Hop-Pop didn't known about the secret history of his ancestors, nor about the secret rooms underneath the house.
 * Sprig has an obsession with pulling levers and is interested in science.
 * This episode reveals the secrets of three Plantar ancestors that relate to one of the main characters:
 * Great Uncle Skip Plantar who was a brilliant scientist (which relates to Sprig).
 * Polliana Plantar who was a warrior (which relates to Polly).
 * Emma the Newt who traveled all over Amphibia collecting rare treasures and became an honorary Plantar (which relates to Anne).

Series continuity

 * Hop-Pop stil isn't impressed with the human world, calling everyone on Earth "Crazy".
 * The Plantar family has a tradition of keeping things about themselves secret for others.
 * Loggle's talking problem is heard again.

Trivia

 * Because this is the sister episode to "Contagi-Anne", this episode was also pulled from airing schedules on Disney Channels back in 2020 due to not fitting a 30-minute timeslot. However, like the previous episode, the episode was still available to watch on the Disney+ streaming service. It started airing again on Disney XD on October 5, 2020.
 * This is the first episode where Sprig's interest in pulling levers is shown.

Edits

 * The word "curse", "dang it", "or dead bodies", "heck", and "suckers" was cut during Southeast Asia broadcast.

Allusions

 * Family Tree: The title "Family Shrub" is a play on the phrase "Family Tree".
 * : The wall puzzle in Emma's lair bears a resemblance to the popular Tetris puzzle video game.
 * : The scene where Sprig grabbed his hat after escaping the spiked ceiling trap mirrors the scene seen in the movie .
 * American Gothic: The painting that opens the door to the hidden chamber is a frog version of the famous painting American Gothic, made by Grant Wood.