Fort in the Road

"Fort in the Road" is the second segment of the first episode of the second season of Amphibia, and the forty-first episode overall.

It premiered on July 11, 2020, alongside "Handy Anne".

Synopsis
On the road to Newtopia, Sprig longs for adventure, but Hop Pop's road rules threaten to spoil his fun.

Plot
The Plantars are excited to finally be leaving the valley to see what is beyond their horizons. However, just as they pass the sign exiting, Hop Pop reveals that he has written a road guide for safety, which practically limits their enjoyment on the road. Despite numerous eye-catching stops as well as an excuse for Bessie to go fast, Hop Pop refuses for any of the rules to be broken, one of which includes complaining about breaking the rules. The kids have finally had enough when Hop Pop refuses to stop at The Best Diner. As they sulk, Hop Pop announces that they have arrived at the Ruins of Despair, which feature dome like stone structures which previously were factories. This makes Sprig and Anne long to leave the Fwagon even more.

Anne and Sprig trick Hop Pop into making a quick stop as they flee the Fwagon with Hop Pop in pursuit. Anne quickly pulls out her phone, and together they pose in front of one of the doors to take a picture, however as soon as Sprig places his hand on the doors they fly open sending them both tumbling down a sloped passageway. Anne and Sprig enter one of the ruins and come across a technological structure which a surprised Anne identifies as a computer. Against Hop Pop's wishes whoare followed them in, Sprig pulls the lever revealing the structure to be a factory as blue lights begin to flash as the arms and mechanics of the production line begin creating an unknown object. Hop Pop ends up on the assembly line as Anne tries to rescue him while Sprig tries shutting off the machine. Using Hop Pop's book, Sprig shoves it into the disc slot of the computer, which causes the computer to go haywire and attack Sprig; forcing the three to flee as the entire place around them blows up.

Hop Pop is furious over them disobeying, and is further incensed when Polly took Bessie and the fwagon out for a joyride while they were away. Sprig apologizes and claims he understands now what those rules were for before sadly entering the Fwagon. Hop Pop realizes that he has been suppressing all the enjoyment of the road trip for the kids, which he then relents and admits that he was wrong. He decides to let up on the rules and promises to make a few stops for the kids to enjoy. Later they head back to get all ice cream from the diner they had passed up earlier. As Sprig and Anne question what the factory was about, a robot emerges from the ruins, unseen by the group.

Main Cast

 * Brenda Song as Anne Boonchuy
 * Justin Felbinger as Sprig Plantar
 * Bill Farmer as Hop Pop Plantar
 * Amanda Leighton as Polly Plantar
 * Kari Wahlgren as the factory computer
 * Dee Bradley Baker as Bessie (credited as additional voices)

Trivia

 * The episode title is a pun on the phrase, "fork in the road."
 * At the end, it was revealed that one of these Abandoned Factories makes robots, with one being finished just before the factory explodes.
 * Moral: Don't let your peers force you into doing something wrong and understand your parent’s restrictions.

Memorable quotes
"This place is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. If I don’t get out and at least touch something, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life."

"Maybe this only happened because I was being too strict with you. We're never taken a trip like this."

"You know, there was a time I'd pick out the bug bits. That time has passed."