Salad Fingers is a very strange series created by English animator and musician David Firth that began airing in 2004 on Newgrounds (the episodes were also released on YouTube). The story follows the titular Salad Fingers, a green, three-fingered man who, from the looks of the environment, lives in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. There were ten episodes that aired between 2004 and 2013, until the series went on a then indefinite hiatus. We all assumed the series had been completed. That is, until episode 11 was announced by David Firth on his Twitter. The eleventh episode, titled "Glass Brother", was finally released to YouTube on January 30th of 2019. With a runtime of close to 15 minutes (making it the longest episode of the series to date), is it worth it? Let's find out.
The first thing of note is the animation quality. Firth has a Patreon account where he accepts donations from his fans. I'll assume this is the reason for how smooth the animation looks when compared to the previous episodes. It still has that traditional Salad Fingers style of creepiness, but now with smoother lines, more natural bodily movements, and much more developed backgrounds. Subtle things like Salad's hand moving slightly when holding the mirror, his fingers twitching at random times, and even something as minute as visibly seeing him breathe are all wonderful details. Firth clearly put a lot of care into the return of his most popular series, and it shows. This is the best that the series has ever looked when it comes to animation. The voice acting's also been upgraded. Firth still provides the voice of Salad Fingers, but the quality of said voice sounds marginally better here than it did in previous episodes. The voice itself sounds more mature and rounded, the inflections are great and feel natural, and, overall, it's a big improvement. I think Firth also voiced Hubert Cumberdale and Glass Mother, but I'm not quite sure. Major props to whoever did, though. The voices fit the character designs very well.
In this particular episode of Salad Fingers, the viewer receives a significant amount of Salad's backstory. In a really tragic scene, Salad looks in a mirror and sees a woman sitting in a chair. It's revealed that she is Salad's mother. Glass Mother insults him, calls him stupid, forces to eat food that she knows will make him sick, almost cooks. It's clear that she prefers Glass Brother over Salad. Watching him try to pass Glass Mother a bowl of porridge through the mirror only to have his reflection stop him everytime was surprisingly sad. And then we get the line, "I want to come home, now". Does this mean that Glass Mother excommunicated Salad? Here's my take on it: Glass Mother actually is Salad's mother. She exists in a world where everybody looks and sounds like Salad Fingers. That world and the world Salad appears to reside in are separated by things that can cast reflections, such as mirrors and puddles. Something must've happened to Salad a long time ago to cause Glass Mother to send him through one of those doorways as a punishment. "Andrew Hands", which is a name we hear Glass Brother call Salad, might be his real name before he was cast out. Maybe that's the idea Firth had in mind when we wrote this episode, but the Salad Fingers series is full of theories and rumors. I'm just putting forth one of my own.
Another thing I greatly admire about this video is the sound design. That, as well, has been given a massive upgrade from the previous episodes. The sounds can range from sick and disgusting to downright heavenly. Either way, it greatly strengthens the immersion. The sounds that happen when Salad pokes the "New and Improved" Cumberdale were really gross, as are the sound effects when Salad goes through the puddle portals. On the other hand, sounds like shattering glass, Salad's footsteps, and drawers opening sound great and realistic. Not to say that all of the sounds aren't realistic, cause they are, I'm just making special mentions to the more immersive sound effects. And another thing worth mentioning is the soundtrack. It perfectly accentuates the more emotional or scary moments. The music is extremely well-composed (I assume it's the work of David himself, given how he's a musician), and it's easily one of the highlights of the episode. There were a lot of soft, soothing synths, as well as some very well-placed piano chimes. It's a joy to listen to, absolutely beautiful. The piece that plays during the end credits is my favorite.
Above everything else, Salad Fingers is a horror series. Like before, when it comes to being creepy, this episode does its job very well. It's really freaky, probably the scariest episode so far. It's nowhere near as violent as episode 10 was, but this episode certainly has more psychological scares. Salad's situation is equal parts sad and creepy, and so is how calmly he reacts to it. "Real Boy" Hubert Cumberdale is absolutely bloody horrifying, with his uncanny movements, high-pitched voice, and the fact that he has (presumably) human flesh sewn onto his body. Where did Salad get the flesh from, anyway? I can't recall if he's come across any actual humans in previous episodes. Salad's character design can be a little off-putting to some, including me. There's a bit where he aggressively eats Marjory Stewart-Baxter's hair after telling her, "I thought I told you to get a haircut". But, by far, the scariest part of the episode happens towards the end of it. Salad travels into the puddle dimension to retrieve Hubert (who has been kidnapped by Glass Brother in an earlier scene). When he finally finds him, Glass Brother and Glass Mother ambush him. Glass Brother's jaw drops, revealing an absolutely grotesque set of bug teeth that makes my skin crawl, he starts shaking uncontrollably, Glass Mother smashes a mirror in an attempt to trap Salad in the room, and then she gives off one of the scariest evil laughs I've heard in years. This scene is intense and I simultaneously love it and hate it. It's an extremely well put together scene. Bravo, Mr. Firth. You have my full support.
But where does this episode fit in with the established lore of the rest of the series? To be frank, I have no idea. David Firth said on Twitter that episode 11 would, "purposefully debunk every single theory". I'll assume this means that I can consider "Glass Brother" a reboot of sorts. Every preexisting theory about where the series takes place, who Salad's puppet friends are, and what it all means is apparently officially considered not true in order to make way for a new set of continuity. This could potentially be the best thing that's ever happened to this series. The series haven't always had the most consistent plot, so this could be a great way for Firth to include a solid, flowing narrative into the show. He's a very creative and imaginative person, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what else he has in store for Salad Fingers. This episode brought forth some really interesting ideas and story elements, and did a good job of exploring them. I really like the concept of other worlds existing behind reflective surfaces. And, even if Alice in Wonderland did it first, the way it was presented here is still a nice and unique take on the concept.
"Glass Brother" was a great episode and was well worth the wait, in my opinion. Where the story goes from here has yet to be established, but I am really looking forward to it. Firth said on Twitter that the series is, "far from over", so maybe that means a couple new episodes this year. Whatever the case may be, I'm hyped for it. If you're a long-time Salad Fingers fan, then "Glass Brother" is perfect for you. Maybe you've never seen a single episode, but you've heard about how weird they are. I'd still recommend giving this episode a watch. Oh, one more thing, the liquid psychs are out of this world. Yes, I know I should've mentioned that earlier when I was talking about the animation. I'm just a moron and didn't think about it until now. I'm gonna give "Glass Brother" a 9. It's very good.
