Turn on the Water Works. That usually means crying, but in this case it means building with LEGO®️ and water. Although, there were eventually some tears by the end. And if I recall correctly there were some tears at the start too. Lots of water. Lots of moisture. It was just flowing this episode. We finally got to the semi-finals of LEGO®️ Masters USA, Season 3. The four remaining teams will be narrowed down to three for the big finale. And with all the delays this season, that episode was immediately after this one. Sooooooo we all know who won, but we gotta do this by the book. Let’s review this penultimate episode and see who made the cut.
Previous Episodes:
Hydrological Engineering
Water Works was an interesting episode. It certainly posed a whole new set of challenges for our remaining teams. LEGO®️ and water are not a given. In fact, it’s usually a ‘DON’T DO IT’. Toys in the tub? Sure thing. Use water in conjunction with bricks and a build? Not so much. So kudos to everyone for really stepping it up and figuring out, well, anything that could work. Each team was given a little tub with hoses and running water. They needed to use the flowing water to create some kind of movement. It’s safe to say that no one was really all that versed in doing so. You don’t see that skill at too many conventions. With 10 hours on the clock, everyone got to it.
The Water Tension is High
With a complicated brief and the pressure of the semi-finals, it’s not surprising that everyone was on edge. This episode more than any other showed the teams dealing with disagreements and stress. Right from the start Brandon & Greg were on the struggle bus. They had major trouble settling on a direction or concept. I’m pretty sure this is the first time we’ve seen the brothers this visibly stressed. The editing showed them having a few arguments and disagreements. Same went for Dave & Emily. It got a bit heated at times LOL. But honestly they’re all siblings and it’s been par-for-the-course in that regard. We also saw Stacey give Nick a good reality check and refocus him on the task. It was pretty necessary as he was starting to get distracted. And after being in the bottom four times, there was no room for error.
Dave…That was Savage
After seasons of trying to get the teams to smack talk each other, it finally paid off. And not in the way Will Arnett wanted. Which made it all the better and funnier. “Hey Dave, do some smack talk”. Easy ask right? Dave: “Hey Greg – Go To Hell!!” Duuuude. Hahaha. That was easily the funniest moment of this whole season and possibly in LEGO®️ Masters history. What was that? Everyone was genuinely taken aback. Amy losing it with laughter made me laugh all the harder. Stunning work Dave, that was memorable. *golf claps*. Prior to this we had some OK attempts by Nick & Stacey and the Stephens with Canadian apologies right after. But all hail Dave and his total lack of finesse. 😂
Water Tight
Water Works saw two teams easily make it into the finale. The Stephens brought the adorable to the table with ‘Duckies After The Rain’. At first it was Frogs after the rain, but Amy said to not call back too much despite it being a motif of theirs that’s had success. It was a smart call. Their final build was super cute with a rotating group of ducks (really well built) and an older woman feeding them under a rainbow. The whole thing was had water flowing underneath, which made it look like it was floating. Overall it was a really fun build with charming details, you couldn’t help but smile at it. They were also the only team to feel relatively comfortable with the water requirements. I guess being fire fighters helped. Congrats on making it through to the finals.
Nick & Stacey, our comeback kids, not only made it to the finals, but they sealed the win with their ‘Crabbin’ Around’ build. Way to rebound after quite a slide into the danger zone for the last 4 weeks. I gotta say their build was excellent. The castle was so so good. The attention to detail was perfect. Those notched corners were a brilliant decision, creating negative space and shadow that really animated the edges. Creature builds were adorable and the water elements played into their story. They had wanted to add a big wave element but scrapped the idea given the complexity. Would have been cool to see, but I don’t think there was enough pressure in those hoses to achieve the desired effect. Kudos to another Canadian team.
Capsized
Water Works got the better of two teams and unlike last week, we did say goodbye to one of them. It was our sibling teams that landed in the bottom. Dave & Emily and Brandon & Greg both had struggles in the challenge which landed their builds in the bottom 2. Dave & Emily’s ‘Flamingo With The Flow’ was a really bright, colourful animal build. It had a big scale, fun presence and a cute story that involved bees. It was also wonderfully sculpted. Sadly their water element was a bit uncontrolled and it had trouble staying together during the build. A leg fell off right at judging too, which didn’t help. But despite some hiccups, our 3rd Canadian team has made it into the finals.
In the end we said goodbye to the only American team left, Brandon & Greg. It was a tough go for the brothers this time as they really struggled to get an idea. As we’ve seen on the show a few times, taking too long at the start costs you valuable building time. Their ‘Tulips In The Spring’ build had some great ideas that proved a bit too complicated given the allotted time. The windmill was a big build but it lacked detail and finesse. The water functions only half-worked and the story just wasn’t fully thought out. It was tough to see them both quite emotional and tearful as they said their goodbyes. They’re an amazing duo and they did amazing work on the show.
Final Thoughts
No need for actual Water Works for us Canucks as it’s an ALL CANADIAN FINAL. That is WILD. I was hoping for at least one team to go to the end, but all of ’em? Awesome sauce. As an episode however, it was just fine. The use of water was definitely original and unique, but I don’t think it really blew me away in anyone’s build. And that’s no shade on them because who’s used to working with LEGO®️ and water? No one. Literally no one. There was some disagreement and fighting which we don’t see too much on this show. Certainly made for some tenser moments. It was funnier than I expected so that certainly helped.
- Amy with the lavendar pant suit. Werk
- Seriously though, who expected an all Canadian finale? Amazing
- I’m still laughing at Dave saying “Go to Hell!” Epic
- Those brick built pigeons are amazing and I want one
- Dave showing up the Stephens with his belly exposed was….well I’m not sure. I think he had bricks in his shirt that he was carrying? I’ll go with that
- Emily wishing for Botox was as random as it gets
- Will stealing coins back out of the fountain to tell Nick: “Do you hear that? It’s the sound of Emily aging naturally.”
- Stephen’s LEGO®️ pirate ship collection is legit
OVERALL SCORE: 7 / 10
And with that we’re heading to the finale. And as you are most likely aware, it’s already aired. Expect the final recap very soon though. We need to keep consistency of course so I still split these into separate reviews. Water Works was a decent semi-final but I’m eager to discuss the big finish. In the meantime, what did you think of this episode? Are you excited for an all Canuck finish? What did you think of the water element theme? Should things have blown up instead? Comment below and let me know all your thoughts. Thanks for following along with me and until next time, keep on brickin’. 🧱
-Frank
Want to support True North Bricks?
If you like the content at True North Bricks, please follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or YouTube for regular updates. Additionally, you can support True North Bricks by making your LEGO® (and other) purchases using the links in the menu to the right. As an affiliate of those retailers, I earn from qualifying purchases. These earnings come at no extra cost to you but help to the keep the content at True North Bricks free. Thanks for your support!