Star ditches the Diaz family's summer vacation party in attempt to avoid having to confess her feelings to Marco; The Magical High Commission hunt down Ludo/Toffee in an abandoned magical temple.
Both the first and the third season finales ("Storm the Castle" and "Conquer") include action, emotion and drama; however, the second season's finale episode, while maintaining these themes, manages to use already familiar storylines (Star and Marco's relationship, Ludo and Toffee as the main antagonists of the series, etc.), and braid them wonderfully together into a satisfying episode.
The episode brings the storyline into a more serious setting, introducing darker magic, painful confessions and sudden revelations. The first season included more energetic and light-hearted tones, whereas the following seasons brought the series into a darker spotlight.
Said episode moreover includes one of the most thrilling magical battles that the writers have offered us, in spite of including neither Star nor Marco, who usually are the sources for adventures and magic.
Throughout the entire series we see the progression of Star and Marco's relationship. "Starcrushed" manages to develop their relationship by exposing them to awkwardness and emotional confessions. The pair is usually together in harmony, however, by using the previous episode's ("Face the Music") conclusion - in which Ruberiot, Star's princess song composer, reveals Star's feelings for Marco - the writers use a thrilling formula based on the "will-they-won't-they"-question.
One complaint, however, is the lack of action regarding Star and Marco. The episode is beyond entertaining, nonetheless, due to the emotional moments that are introduced through Star. The conclusion to the episode is furthermore thrilling, exciting and satisfying, as it brings Star and Marco into darker adventures and magic.