Heartwarming / Wander over Yonder

"Home."

Wander over Yonder has many heartwarming moments brought to you by The Power of Love.

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Season 1

• "The Egg":
  • Wander teaching Sylvia to be a Mama Bear and nurture a lost egg, eventually coming to a head when she saves the hatchling inside that was going to be eaten by its wrongful "mama".
  • Sylvia looks really cute when she's hugging the egg. It's just a little bigger than her, so she has to wrap her entire body around it.
• In "The Fugitives," Sylvia ends up going back for Wander when the Watchdogs use Wander's Chronic Hero Syndrome to capture him. She even admits that escaping wasn't as important as helping her best friend.
• Sylvia giving Wander a pep talk when he starts losing hope in "The Good Deed." He wonders whether their stopping the missile headed for the sun will wipe out the universe, and she replies with the following.
  Sylvia: Wander, with the day we've been having, that is entirely possible. But I'm also saying that if doing a good deed leads to the universe getting destroyed... partner, that's not a universe I wanna live in anyway.
• Wander and Sylvia giving Captain Tim as a pet to Lord Hater, and him being happy about it. And Wander has tears of joy.
• For all the grief Lord Hater gives him, you got to admire Commander Peepers for sticking by him. Hell, just watching Peepers trying to comfort Hater after his tantrum in 'The Greatest' is adorable, and then there's how he's providing backup in 'The Picnic', even cheering Hater on as he makes his crazy-awesome charge.
• The ending of "The Bad Guy." Wander and Sylvia finally fess up that they're not bad guys, which results in every single person that was after them revealing that they're all a bunch of softies.
• In The Hat, some time after Wander and Sylva get separated, Wander calls Sylvia on the can phone. "Hey, Sylvia! I'll always love y—" Wander is certain he's going to die, and he wants to be sure that the last thing he does is tell his best friend he loves her.
  • A similar thing happens in "The Lonely Planet" where Wander and Sylvia are about to be incinerated by Janet.
• The whole ending of "The Little Guy".
  • There was one moment where Westley was at a small cave with Wander and Sylvia, and he was scared by them at various points, when really they were trying to enjoy the night, and Sylvia, who never wanted Westley to come with them, actually offered him something to eat, and gave him a refill.
  • When the Skullship nearly spots them and they quickly hide inside a snowman, Westley's reaction is heartwarming for two reasons : the first thing he does is aiming his blaster at the Skullship, even though it obviously wouldn't even scratch it, but it does show that Westley is willing to fight against all odds to protect his new friends. And then, he just throws his gun away, meaning he took Wander's philosophy to heart and decided to no longer use weapons to solve problems.
  • When they believe that Westley was Killed In Action, Lord Hater and all of the Watchdogs give him a hero's funeral.
    • Of course, that's ruined by the fact that Hater completely forgets who Westley even is in the Stinger, instead crying over losing his nemesis again.
    • Which is what Hater tells Peepers anyway; maybe he just didn't want to "look weak" in front of his Dragon, since it's been shown that Hater does have a softer side, so genuinely mourning Westley wouldn't be Out of Character for him. It just doesn't mean that he'd be okay with his underlings noticing.
• From "The Big Job," Wander goes back to save the scientist Watchdog from the explosion after everyone else forgot about him.
• In "The Nice Guy" Wander goes through hell just to buy one bottle of Thunder Blazz for Sylvia. But just as he's about to buy the last bottle, he spots a little girl crying about not being able to buy a bottle. He buys the drink... only to give it to the little girl. The kicker? The little girl then gives it to Sylvia, whom she had planned to give it to all along because she saw how thirsty Sylvia was outside.
  Girl: Never hurts to help.
• Wander's apology to Sylvia at the end of "The Tourist". His little speech about her being the reason he loves wandering moves her to tears.
  • There’s also the fact that at the beginning of the episode, Sylvia ordered a Flavarian Float with two straws for her and Wander. It’s a small indicator that she and Wander are so close that they share their drinks with each other.
• The ending of "The Lonely Planet."
• In the ending of "The Toddler", the reveal that Huckleberry Knucklehead's parents are really two small bugs (and Huckleberry is possibly their adopted son) just goes to show love comes in all shapes and sizes.
  • A more behind-the-scenes example: Huckleberry Knucklehead, the titular "Toddler," is voiced by Owen Faust... Lauren Faust's nephew!
  Huckleberry: I like lollipop!
• Wander's little speech when he makes up with Sylvia near the end of "The Void":
  Wander: Y'know, I can imagine a whole bunch of things... a nine-necked banjo, a peppermint puppy, a radical radish, a sweeping lemur, a sun that complements you on your hat... but I can't imagine a better friend than you.
• "The Stray" shows Wander going to great lengths to help out Little Bits. He gives her his hat (during the rain), his shoes, and some of his fur to make a cozy hat and coat. And when a creature takes her stuffed bear into a cave, Wander runs in and battles with it just to get the stuffed bear back. (And he continues to do it when Little Bits throws it back.)
  • When you're not thinking about the fact that Little Bits is a bounty hunter for Lord Hater, Little Bits herself should count as an example by how sweetly she acts and how overjoyed she seems to be by Wander's help.
• 'The Gift' showed Wander delivering presents to everyone they met during Season 1. The reactions from them are pretty nice.
  • Keep in mind Emperor Awesome also got one (an autograph of himself signed by Wander). THIS was the guy who was visibly rude and angry at the two after their last interaction.
  • Oh, and remember Princess Demura and her husband (The Dragon, keep in mind)? Turns out, they had children! And they're as adorable as they sound.
  • Even the alternate stinger where Captain Tim, the monster from 'The Pet', gets a gift from Wander set to a music box rendition of "Silent Night" is adorable.
• Second time you watch 'The Gift 2: the Giftening', it's heartwarming in one part where Hater and Peepers are trying to sneak past the gift-infected watchdogs. Lord Hater accidentally steps on one of their presents, but the watchdog doesn't attack like he did with Peepers earlier, just looks up innocently at Hater. Why? Probably because he was expecting Hater to give him another gift.
• "The Troll" has Prince Cashmere's speech to the goat people after the titular enemy insults them multiple times.
  Noooooo!!! Give! Him! None! Don't you see, my friends? We are – proud, and brave, and strong. We are – good people, with good hearts, and we are all – beautiful on the inside. We know this to be. So, why should we care, what this sad, pathetic pitiful creature, thinks of us?!
• "The Box" has the ending where for the sake of Wander's sanity, Silvia has these celestial beings actually put something in the box so his curiosity will be satisfied.
  • One of the items the celestials put in the box? A key chain reading "World's #1 Grandfather". Aww, one of them has a grandchild!
• "The Timebomb" has Sylvia apologize to Wander for earlier when she threw him aside to give in to her anger. She doesn't expect him to forgive her, but she makes it clear that she can't finish this race without him. Wander turns around to reveal he's more than happy to continue the race by her side. The next time Harvax and Stok try to get her to lose her cool, Wander successfully reminds her to find her inner-peace.
• "The Hero" has one where the seemingly scary and rough-voiced Draykor the Dragon King turns out to be sweet and considerate. The only reason he was harsh towards our heroes was because he was stressed over his wedding to Demurra. Yes, you heard right: his wedding to Princess Demurra, not against her will. She really does love him. He apologizes to Demurra for being on-edge and admits he wants their wedding to be perfect for her. She forgives him and tells him it will be perfect, as long as they're together.
  • When Brad Starlight kidnaps Demurra, what is King Draykor's first action? Point a claw at Wander, going "you!" ...before humbly asking Wander what to do. All through out the episode, Wander and Sylvia have been bossed around by Starlight, told what the "sidekick" and "steed" respectively are supposed to do or not do. This is the first time somebody's treated them like people who can help, instead of mere props for some Miles Gloriosus.
  • Sylvia is clearly fed up with Brad from the very beginning of the episode, but she goes along with his quest anyway because she wants to "help a sister (Princess Demurra) in need."
• Wander and Sylvia getting back together at the end of "The Rider"
  Wander: Would you say us being friends is the greatest adventure of all?
  Sylvia: No, because that would be way too sappy. But I'm kinda thinkin' it...
  • Also from "The Rider," Wander revealing that he knows the Watchdogs well enough to know one of them, Barry, is having a birthday soon and secretly hopes the others will remember. In the middle of escaping from the Watchdogs later, Wander takes the time to throw Barry a cake and wish him a happy birthday, prompting the other Watchdogs to do the same.
• Wander unashamedly rescuing Hater in "The Buddies" even after Hater cruelly scorns his friendship, stating that "I might not be his buddy, but he's still mine." Then, of course, he rescues all the people Hater had unjustly locked up (although that doesn't end well for Hater.)

Season 2

• Sylvia calling Wander "Wandie" in "The Greater Hater".
• "The Fremergency Frontract":
  • Despite the fact that he had to give him up later many of Wander and Loopy!Hater's interactions were adorable, especially with how happy he is that Hater actually wants to be his friend.
  • The reason why Wander had to give up Hater is heartwarming too. Wander was initially thinking about taking Hater back to the dentist to keep him loopy on anesthetics all the time, but by the end of the episode, Wander realizes that Hater's good deeds are not fully genuine because Hater is not in control of himself at the moment. Wander says that true goodness "comes from the heart" and he holds out hope that Hater will remember something about this experience and become a better person once the anesthetics wear off.
• The whole scene with Sylvia and Helpless Wander in "The Wanders".
  Thanks, Syl. That was the most important part.
  • Helpless Wander's response to being picked up by Sylvia.
    "Home."
  • Before that, while Sylvia is deciding whether or not to re-merge Contrary Wander, we get the following dialogue between Sylvia and the Wanders.
  Sylvia: Are we sure about this? Because my life is pretty crazy with this one in it. (beat) *sigh* But it would be so much worse without you.
• At the end of "The Axe", Lord Hater of all people admits that he really does rely on Peepers, and even gives Peepers his own statue next to his.
• In "The Cool Guy", after neglecting Peepers for pretty much the entire episode, Hater flips his shit and leaps to Peepers' defense when Emperor Awesome is about to beat up Peepers. And it's AWESOME.
  Hater: NOBODY PICKS ON PEEPERS BUT ME!!
  • At the beginning of the episode, there's Peepers and Hater having fun together with little figurines of themselves.
  • The episode shows the development in the friendship since Season 1: Hater, who insisted back in "The Prisoner" that "We're not pals!", now declares, "That's what you get for pickin' on my pal, Commander Peepers!" He also calls Peepers "buddy" earlier in the episode.
  • There are some parts where Hater tries to call Peepers to join him, but Awesome doesn't allow him to much, to his dismay, showing that he also likes to hang out with Peepers.
  • Hater also looked uncomfortable when Emperor Awesome (along with the aliens), started to pick on Peepers. This shows that he doesn't like it when Peepers get picked on.
• In "The Battle Royale", after Hater knocks off Lord Dominator's helmet and becomes infatuated with her, he has an imagine spot, one of them features Hater and Dominator having an wedding, with Peepers as best man, Sylvia as bridesmaid and Wander being the one who marries them. Considering his views on Wander this actually says a lot.
  • ... Later followed by a shot of him and Dominator with kids and Wander's head mounted above his fireplace and Sylvia's "pelt" on the floor.
  • The ending animatic depicts a concerned Commander Peepers caring for the lovestruck and unresponsive Hater, getting him breakfast and making sure he showers.
  • From this episode onward, the relationship between Sylvia and Peepers takes a decisive turn for Friendly Enemies based on the fact that their frustrating relationships with their respective best friends are not so different. When they realize this they stop short of their initial impulse to hug it out, but effortlessly team up when Dominator threatens Wander and Hater at the same time:
    Sylvia and Peepers: Oh no, Dominator's gonna kill him! Five-minute break? Five-minute break!!!
• At the climax of "The Black Cube", Sylvia stands up for the BLACK CUBE OF DARKNESS, defending it from an angry mob after its attempt to save one of the kids that had spent the whole episode picking on it backfired. And this is after THE BLACK CUBE had hit the Rage Breaking Point and nearly sucked out Wander's soul during a Freak Out.
  • Wander being in the episode at all. He provides a much-needed ray of optimism and hope in what is otherwise a very bleak story. He first shows up after almost three minutes helping THE BLACK CUBE to pick up its car keys, and it's a huge sigh of relief.
  • It's revealed that Wander was specifically on the planet to check on the Black Cube, having found out in the papers that it had given up villainy and was turning over a new leaf. When the Black Cube is about to destroy a tow truck driver for taking its car, Wander stops it, reminding the Black Cube that one bad day shouldn't ruin its attempts at redemption. He then keeps tabs on the Black Cube, leaving it a huge tip and following it after he gets fired. Wander then tries to shield the crowd from the Black Cube's understandable freakout, not just for their sake, but because he knows the Black Cube is trying so hard to be good.
• The ending of "The Eye on the Skullship": Andy has given up on his show and gone back to his menial security job... when Peepers calls him up and tells him the other Watchdogs are clamoring for more. Andy is filled with glee when he sees how much he's inspired his fellow Watchdogs by making them feel important.
• The end of the "The Secret Planet" Wander apologizes for his screwup, only to be met with this response.
  Medieval Alien: Wait... you're Wander? Oh we've heard tell of you.
  Schmancies: So have we!
  Cameras: We all have! You've helped so many people. How can we help you?
• The Reveal of "The Bad Hatter": Wander stole his magical hat from two would-be conquerers who were abusing it for its item-conjuring ability, deciding it would be safest on his head. And, much like with an abused animal, he gave it love and kindness until it befriended him, allowing it to decide when and how it would use its magical item-granting abilities.
• The ending of "The Hole… Lotta Nothin'" has Wander impressed that Hater's finger now covers the black hole. Although Hater crossed a few lines by mocking Wander while he was stuck, Wander decides to be by Hater's side to keep him company.
  • Hater's taunting manages to quench even Wander's bright spirit, but when he finally attempts to push him over the Despair Event Horizon by pointing out that he can't wander anymore, he winds up lifting Wander's spirits with the realization that his Heroic Sacrifice is protecting the universe he loves and all of its denizens, including Hater himself.
• Seeing Wander and Hater having fun together for once in "The Show Stopper" is definitely this.
• Beep-Boop betraying Dominator to save his friends in "The Bot". Quickly turns into a Tear Jerker.
• The end of "The Family Reunion". After spending the episode torturing Sylvia with back-breaking chores, Dorothy reveals that she has a room filled with newspaper clippings of Wander and Sylvia and the heroic deeds they've done throughout the galaxy. Dorothy mentions how proud she is of Sylvia, and that her dad would have been proud of her too.
  Sylvia: "You kept all this?"
  Dorothy: "Course' I did. You harassed that Hater jerk something fierce. And now that there's a bigger jerk trying to conquer the galaxy, you're giving up? That's not my fearless, gutsy girl. So, you either go out there and deal with Dominator, or you stay here and deal with Dorothy. Either way, it's not gonna be easy."
• Peepers consoling a heartbroken Hater when it seems that Lord Dominator and Emperor Awesome are dating in "The Rival".
  Hater: Now they're gonna smooch, get married, and have babies, and I'm gonna be alone forever!
  Peepers: Oh, you're not alone, sir. You have me, and the Watchdogs! Who needs Dominator anyway? Why, if she can’t see that you’re really the greatest in the galaxy, then she doesn’t deserve you!
• "You're the Greatest", a surprisingly sweet song Hater sings to Dominator in "My Fair Hatey". It's really during this song where Hater's immature crush on Dominator becomes something more. It says a lot that Hater of all people is calling someone else "The Greatest In The Galaxy". Of course, this just makes everything that follows so much worse.
  • The fact that Hater was (more or less) actually getting along with Wander throughout the episode, up until Lord Dominator reveals she was not interested. He even reluctantly "invites" him over to his ship for romantic advice.
  • The Triumphant Reprise of "You're the Greatest"; Hater goes into a slump over both Dominator's rejection and her new powers. Peepers tries to console his boss by singing "You're The Greatest", which quickly gets Hater back on his feet and reasserts his belief that he's Lord Hater, Number One Superstar. Meanwhile, Wander is equally depressed that getting Hater and Dominator together has proven hopeless, but Sylvia assures him that they're now one step to making things better. Both teams decide to take down Dominator and save the galaxy.
• In "The Legend", despite hearing how Shrouded in Myth Wander and Sylvia have become, they don't bother correcting the kids. Why? Because what's important is that the stories of The Hero, no matter how far from the truth, are giving them hope.
  • Additionally, at the end of the episode, Angela realizes that Wander was The Hero all along and hugs her doll before happily returning to the escape ship with a smile on her face. Aww...
• "The Waste of Time" reveals how Wander and Sylvia met. It also reveals that Sylvia was the one who inspired Wander to take up his new name after calling him a "wandering weirdo".
  • The fact that Wander's influence effectively turned Sylvia from a hardened bounty hunter to the do-gooder she is today.
  • This exchange:
  Wander: "What's wrong Syl? I knew you were a bad guy! I was there!"
  Sylvia: "Yeah, but I'd rather forget it. I've come a long way since then. I don't want to live in the past, I just want to keep moving forward."
  • Wander and Sylvia spending 50 years on the same planet in order to keep their past (or uh... future) selves from buying Time Orbbles. Then, as the two of them embrace each other and fade away, we get this heartwarming conversation.
  Wander: "Sorry we had to waste our time waiting here."
  Sylvia: "Not a waste of time if I got to spend it with you pal..."
• The end credits of "The Hot Shot" reveal that Brad and Princess Remora (the lamprey princess) are Happily Married with two kids.
• "D"'s surprise when Sylvia calls her a "friend". At least until it's revealed that she only sees friends as minions and she decides that friendship is overrated.
  • D appreciating the beautiful view from a rooftop. Which, unlike her view of friendship, seems to be unquestionably genuine.
    • It gets even more heartwarming when you notice the similarity between this moment and another moment from "The Little Guy". Maybe there's hope for Dominator after all.
• "The Search for Captain Tim"
  • The episode in general is pretty heartwarming as it shows Hater's love and devotion to his pet, and reveals his softer side.
  • Tim makes a habit of cheering up Hater after every failure. Hater treasures all the love bites and injuries.
  • Peepers celebrating with the Watchdogs when they hear Captain Tim is missing. Not So Above It All, eh.
  • Hater putting up LOST signs for Captain Tim and asking people if they've seen him.
  • Wander, Sylvia, and Peepers showing up to save Hater from the Arachnomorph team. They fail, but it's the thought that counts.
  • Captain Tim defeating the other male Arachnomorphs and pretending to seduce the Arachnomorph queen to save his master.
  • Ripov admitting she was wrong in thinking Tim was a mindless killer. He even cuddles with her for a few minutes before trying to devour her heart.
• "The Heebie-Jeebies"
  • Sylvia keeps assuring Wander that she'll protect him from anything in the forest. And encourages him to play the banjo when he suffers Sanity Slippage.
  • Wander and Sylvia overcoming their fear to protect each other. Which causes the Phantomimes to disappear as they only appear when you're afraid.
  • The Phantommimes being a Non-Malicious Monster species that help Wander and Sylvia overcome their fear.
  • Sylvia admits that she faced her greatest fear: losing Wander.
• Sylvia taking care of Wander in "The Sick Day".
  • All the good deeds Sylvia does for Wander. Snoozing Lord Hater's alarm, raising Commander Peepers' shoes so that he feels taller, etc. Keep note that Wander does this EVERY MORNING.
    • Even if he might have dreamed it up, the fact that watering Dominator's supposed cactus was on his list counts. Dominator is the cruelest and most dangerous being in the galaxy, and Wander still believes he should do some good deeds for her, even something as small and risky as sneaking onto her ship and dodging her bots just to water a cactus she didn't even have.
  • Even at the expense of his own health, Wander still tries to help people.
  • Miss Myrtle turns out to be a massive space tortoise with incredible cosmic power... who turns out to be a fairly pleasant old lady who cares for Wander a lot and even heals his sickness and tucks him into bed.
    • It's implied that, while Miss Myrtle hates Wander's snickerdoodles, she pretends to enjoy them for Wander's sake.
  • It's minor, but Sylvia tells Miss Myrtle the same joke "D" told her in "The Night Out". It's a very cute callback and it's heartwarming to see that Sylvia does remember her time with Dominator.
  • In a Fridge moment of heartwarming, one notices Wander's hat providing a hammock and remembers that it only gives you what you need. It's just comforting that however Wander may deny his own needs, his hat knows better.
  • Its minor, but The Black Cube's cameo shows that he is living in a far nicer place, even if he can't play the banjo.
• The Bitties finally being able to experience the universe after a lifetime of being locked up.
  Bitty: "That's amazing!"
  • The Bitties in general are so cute it's hard not to love them.
• The lengths Sylvia goes to just to save Wander's flower in "The Flower" and give him something to hope for.
  • The entire ending of that episode.
  Wander: "Sylvia, you tried your hardest to save this flower, and it decided to return the favour by saving us. It's not bad to be sad.
  Sylvia: "But I can't have you sad or everything's hopeless..."
  Wander: "Just because I'm sad doesn't mean I've given up hope."
  Sylvia: "You haven't?"
  Wander: "Nope."
  • The flower then disintegrates into pollen grains and scatter through the Galaxy. As Wander and Sylvia ride off, those pollen grains start growing into new plants, and the ruined planets suddenly spring to life once again as the flowers sprout across the almost dead Galaxy. Looks like there is hope for this Galaxy after all.
• "The End of the Galaxy"
  • Even after Dominator has destroyed every planet in the galaxy, even after she attempted to murder his best friend, even after she's attempted to kill him several times, Wander still sees the good in her, and still saves her life when her ship blows up. The scene where he offers her his friendship is purely heartwarming in and of itself (even if she did turn him down).
  Dominator: "Why did you save me? I tried to kill you! Like, A LOT!"
  Wander: "Because an enemy is just a friend you haven't made yet! And there's a whole BUNCH of potential friends down there! Sure you sorta tried to destroy us, so there'll be a few awkward dinner parties, but if they can cheer for him (Hater), they can accept anybody!"
  • It's then revealed that the flower's seeds from the previous episode have sprouted into beautiful jungles and forests all over the ruined planets, bringing life back into the galaxy. Which means a brand new galaxy to explore! (Or conquer!)
  • And look, when Wander offers Dominator a chance to start over, all the other rebels are looking up at her hopefully. They want her to take up Wander's offer as much as Wander does! And Dominator even hesitates before turning him down! Maybe there's hope for her after all.
    • The fact that Dominator, who has been previously established to be a vile, black-hearted villain, actually considered Wander's offer of friendship even for a moment is itself, incredibly heartwarming. It really gives the audience hope that even the worst of the worst can change their ways. As Wander himself put it, "It's never too late for a fresh start!"
  • Who ends up saving Wander and Sylvia when Dominator traps the former in ice and prepares to kill the latter? Only Lord Hater, THE GREATEST IN THE GALAXY!
  • When Dominator tells Hater that no one will ever like him,causing him to weaken, how do the rebels respond? "HATE'S GREAT! BEST VILLAIN! HATE'S GREAT BEST VILLAIN!" Hater, who has only ever wanted to be loved and accepted by others now has an entire crowd of people cheering his name. The people who once loathed and despised him are now hailing him as a HERO. It's enough to bring tears to Hater's eyes, as well as give him the confidence boost he needed to TAKE OUT DOMINATOR'S SHIP.
    • The galaxy's inhabitants now hail Hater like a hero, cheering his name and showering him with gifts, and he is clearly overjoyed. Notably, Major Threat, the ex-villain whom Hater used to worship, is now celebrating HIM.
  • Peepers and Sylvia work together once again, this time without any hesitation.
  • In a heartwarming parallel to the start of the season, Hater chasing Wander for the flag at the end of the episode. They've just survived The End of the World as We Know It and they're wasting no time in returning to their old ways. As Sylvia (happily) and Peepers (exasperatedly) put it, "Nothing ever changes."
  • Look closely at the freeze frame at the end of the episode. The Skullship is smiling. Perhaps a Heel–Face Turn for Hater wouldn't be out of the question...

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