Jeez, the snowflaky reactions of straight white men because not every single episode and narrative centres them - anything deviating from that priority is apparently "woke". Get over yourselves, you egomaniacal bigots.
Anyway, another great episode that nicely expanded Ellie's backstory - bonus points for the Mortal Kombat II appreciation, too :nerd:
I didn't like this episode very much. They definitely took things too far and I think this was a very bad first episode because it doesn't at all represent the rest of the show. Thankfully I had heard very good things about it so I kept watching and the rest is a million times better.
"Faces fading in the flames. It was all her fault." Swain's quote in game for Jinx, all makes sense now
That sure fizzled out at the end. Dramatic and exciting in parts, but I'm not sure that any of it made a bit of sense. Remember when these guys used to solve crimes?
As Cosmonaut Marcus writes, "It was whatever."
There are some important messages but no revelations, lessons or challenges. Falcon just hears Bradley say, "don't do it", and does it and does fine, because...? So he had self-doubt, hears more doubt from someone else, but does it anyway?
SCORE 5/10
9.5/10. I have never seen Glee, so a lot of the direct parody was over my head, but this is such an enjoyable episode. Having the show's X-mas episode turn into a cross between Glee and Invasion of the Body Snatchers was an inspired choice that both makes the holiday-themed story both distinct and gives it a direction as the episode progresses.
The songs themselves were unique and each had their own shade of humor. The two stand outs in my opinion were Annie's (in a perfect parody of the weirdness of songs like "Santa Baby"), and Shirley's (which perfectly seized on her character's achilles' heel). But the episode had lots of great Community wordplay ("well-documented historical vanity" is just a hilarious phrase in and of itself), and ridiculous moments like Britta "singing her heart's song." Everyone in the cast was on point. If I have one small nit, it's that Taran Killam occasionally went a little too broad in his performance for my tastes, but he did capture the "bright-eyed psychopath" role well.
Of course, Community being the quality show that it is, still manages to ground the outsized premise in something character-based. Abed wanting to spend the holidays with his friends, and worrying about making things darker when trying to make things brighter, culminates in a heartwarming moment of the gang showing up at his apartment. Sure, it's a bit easy, but it absolutely works as a great capper to tremendously creative and amusing holiday episode.
IS IT MY FAVOURITE EPISODE SO FAR? IT'S MY FAVOURITE EPISODE SO FAR.
After being grounded by her mum, Hilda discovers her neighbour mysteriously disappears and reappears in the blink of an eye.
This episode was a thrilling time travel tale about regret, reminiscing on what could've been and the consequences of your actions. Because GOD DAMN, HILDA DIED TWICE. Speechless noises. It was just so sudden, distressing yet heartfelt. You can see Hilda means well, but since she doesn't think it through, it all goes to hell. I mean, and I can't stress this enough, she got herself killed, twice, as well as several versions of Mr Ostenfeld, as well as Tildy! This episode has so much death!
I like how they imbued the episode's themes with the other two characters, and it was exciting to see Trolberg back in the 20s? No, the themes & premise aren't anything new, but the way the episode presented them struck a chord with me. Bella Ramsey gives another charming performance, and Rasmus Hardiker's Alfur is just as endearing. Seeing the contrast of second-trip Hilda and the third one, hardened and bitter by time, was heartbreaking; I won't forget her sacrifice.
Hilda: "And all things considered, it didn't work out too badly."
Alfur: "We saw our selves die... twice!"
It's heartwarming, tragic and powerful. I've no issues with this episode, and I think it encapsulates what I love about Hilda so much. This episode is beautiful in every sense of the word.
TECHNICAL SCORE: 8.5/10
ENJOYMENT SCORE: 9/10
[8.1/10] I owe The Owl House an apology. When Luz discovered that Emperor Belos was Philip Wittebane in “Hollow Mind”, I found it anticlimactic. More than that, I didn’t get why Luz took it as such a devastating revelation.
“Thanks to Them” provides a satisfying answer: because she helped Philip find The Collector, because she blames herself for setting into motion all that he’s done since, and because she’s worried her friends will hate her for the part she played in the difficulties that have steadily exploded since.
It’s her big struggle in this season premiere. Belos may have been thwarted, but things seemed potentially dire in the Boiling Isles when they last left, the witchlings are stranded here, and all of Luz’s efforts to find a way back for them have been for naught. It’s understandable that she’d be down on herself, worry that she’s made her friends’ lives worse through her mistakes and association with them. The teenage experience is one of heightened emotions and stepping into the big choices of adulthood for the first time. Luz is sympathetic in her concern that she’s screwed everything up, and relatable in her worry that it’ll make everyone reject her.
This is The Owl House, a warm supportive show, so savvy fans know things are, in all likelihood, headed for acceptance and affirmation rather than guilt and blame. (See also: the endearing part of the “What I did on my summer vacation” montage where Luz comes out as bi to her accepting and supportive mom.) But it’s still a good way to root the epic threats and challenging predicaments of the show’s major arc coming to fruition in something personal and understandable, one of the show’s strengths. It gives the wide-ranging events covered of the show’s new format an emotional throughline that helps the special feel unified.
Honestly, how well The Owl House pulls that format change off may be the most impressive part of an all-around outstanding episode. “Thanks to Them” has to tell a new story in an almost entirely new setting (something the show struggled with in “Yesterday’s Lie”, cross-pollinate a number of characters who’ve barely bumped into one another before, establish the Hexside crew in their new digs, cover the passage of time, resolve Luz and her mother’s reunion, and build toward the series’ endgame with only three installments’ worth of real estate left.
That it could succeed at all with so much ground to cover would be commendable. That it does this all so well, without missing a beat, is a hell of an achievement.
It succeeds in big ways. One of the big boons of the show is that despite the big threats, it’s a cozy show with characters you want to spend time with. “Thanks to Them” doesn’t skimp on the fact that Willow, Gus, and Amity miss their parents, in the same way that Luz missed her mom on the other side of the portal. But it also seems like a blast to basically have a kid clubhouse for several months, with your best friends all living under one roof. The little bits of Willow’s scrapbook, the montage of the crew thinning and working together, the glimpses we get of hijinks make it feel like one big sleepover you’d love to have gotten to join in when you were a kid.
If I had a complaint about season 2, it’s that Gus and Willow’s stories got a little downplayed in favor of other characters, (and to a lesser extent Amity’s stories as well), but I like the collective story they get here. On the one hand, they’re having a blast. On the other, they’re plainly more than a little homesick. On a third (magical demon hand), they’re good kids who are doing their best to adjust and repay Camila’s kindness and cheer up Luz.
One of my favorite parts of this one is the magical shoe being on the other foot here. It’s a shame that The Owl House’s third season is limited to a few specials, because I'd love to see more episodes centered on the witchlings getting used to the peculiarities of the human realm the way Luz did the Boiling Isles. There’s a lot of fun to be had, and even some sweet moments like Luz showing Amity some non-boiling rain. The fact that they have to navigate it in order to solve the rebus puzzle they find beneath the floorboards of the abandoned house serves the humor (from them not fitting in at various human spaces), plot (decoding the puzzle to help locate fuel for another portal), and character (them working together in the hopes of boosting Luz’s spirits.)
There’s some good lore additions going on as well. Masha, the Halloween tour guide and Jacob’s replacement at the historical society all but confirms that Hunter is a clone of Philip Wittebane’s brother Caleb. There’s also strong hints that Belos’ beef with witches stems from the fact that Caleb left him after falling in love with one, which is an interesting angle that would tie into the LGBTQ themes of the series. And, naturally, the reveal that magic comes from the Titan itself, such that mere proximity to TItan’s blood could be enough to get Luz’s powers to work in the human worlds is a hell of a twist.
Those twists have big import for Hunter, of course. As an inveterate Trekkie, I love that he gets obsessed with the “Cosmic Frontier” series (and seems to have admiration for an ersatz Ensign Rutherford). But on a broader level, I like the idea that he loses himself int his world and even cosplays as a way of trying on a different self. More than any of the others, he feels at home here. As he admits to Gus, when eh was in the EMperor’s Coven, he knew who he was and what was expected of him. Now he’s on his own, with the joy and terror of dictating his own destiny and purpose. The idea that ti’s a safe way to try out his true self, with bumpers big enough to keep him safe, speaks to the escape and representation I suspect many viewers feel for The Owl House itself.
To the point, I love how supportive Luz is when she realizes that Hunter literally and figuratively feels more comfortable behind a mask, and gives him one to put him at ease. And there may be no more touching moment in the show than Luz telling Hunter he’s family now, the kind of acceptance and kindness he never got from his biological family, and the poor young man breaking down in tears from the force of the moment.
But as much as I adore Hunter’s progression, I think my favorite part of this one is the exploration we get of Camila. Maybe it’s because I’m a lot closer to her age than Luz’s at this stage of my life, but it’s honestly lovely to get to see things from the mom’s perspective with complexity and empathy.
In particular, I love the choice to account for why supportive, accepting Camila would choose to send her daughter to the human equivalent of a conformatorium camp. Camila’s nightmare about it is heartbreaking. You can see her lauding her daughter’s offbeat creativity, defending her against tsk-tsking parents, and earnestly trying to do what’s best for her little girl.
But you can also see the powers of intolerance and conformity box her in too. You can see the legitimate suggestion from the outside that some of Luz’s “acting out” could be a product of grief over losing her father. You can see Camila trying to keep a stable school environment for her daughter. Most of all, you can see Camila recalling her own bullying as a child (see also: her nervous response to Hunter finding the ostensibly hidden Cosmic Frontier materials), and not wanting her daughter to suffer the same thing.
Seen through that lens, the “reality check” camp is not the oblivious act of a parent who doesn’t get their kid, but instead a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency measure by a loving parent, worn down by the same traditional forces Luz is resisting, trying to protect her child from the worst.
It’s easy for me to sympathize as someone who cares deeply about a bevy of lovable, off-beat youngins’ who come from nerdy stock, since I too worry about the challenges they’ll face in a world that tends to punish, rather than celebrate, difference. And it’s also easy for me to sympathize with Luz, since I too was an offbeat kid whose oddball interests and occasional (read: frequent) lack of tact made it tough to make friends or fit in. This is a familiar story, in a good way, which makes it resonant across the generational divide.
Which is why I like how the climax of this one brings all these threads together to bridge that gap. The return of Belos is terrifying. It’s terrifying because the simple fact of him surviving and making it to the human world is concerning in and of itself. It’s terrifying because he possesses Hunter, once again corrupting this kind soul. And at a base level, it’s terrifying because he returns to his palisman-strocity form, does fearsome battle with our heroes when they’re caught off guard, and most harrowingly of all, mortally wounds Flapjack.
I’m legitimately pretty impressed that a Disney show went there, even if Flapjack’s wounding and death is done in tasteful, impressionsitic terms. It makes sense that Belos would crack into one more palisman. But it feels tragic because Flapjack was this angel on Hunter’s shoulder, nudging him gently toward a better path. It was a pure force for good, one who stayed persistent in its efforts to help when it would have been all too easy to just fly away. Its sacrifice, its willingness to give its life so that Hunter can regain hsi, is an ultimate act of devotion, one made all the more heartening, and all the more heart-rending, by the choices that led Flapjack to that point.
Not for nothing, the battle where Flapjack perishes is another superlative outing visually for the show. The animators always bring their A-game to these big showdowns, and this is no exception. The fluidity of the magical chaos, the fight for the vial of titan’s blood, and the sense of genuine peril is all there in the imagery at play.
But so is the storytelling. Things come to a head when Luz’s role in Philip’s rise comes out in the open. Instead of the judgment and excommunication she expects from her friends, she gets absolution and encouragement. I love the theme expressed in that -- that it is no sin to make an honest mistake, and that it’s a sign of courage and character to keep standing up for what’s right despite that.
There’s a lot of adolescents who need to hear that. It’s easy to beat yourself up for missteps, especially when you're young and everything feels like the end of the world. The idea that it’s okay to mess up, that you can still learn from your mistake, and you don’t have to bear it for the rest of forever, is wholesome and uplifting. And the understanding Luz gets from her support system that Belos’ whole deal is tricking people, and the confirmation that they still love her for who she is, remains heartening.
Especially when it comes from her mom. Camila gets her own bit of redemption here. Let’s be real, it’s nuts that after witnessing a demon monster pop up and threaten the children in her care, Camila’s response is, “Time to take them back to a place where they’ll face many more of them!”
But granting the premise of the show, and understanding that it probably wasn’t going to end in the human realm, it’s just as rousing to see Camila not only support Luz returning to the demon realm, but come join her. It is, in a roundabout way, an apology for trying to send her to the “reality check” camp in the first place, an affirmation of the helpful experiences her daughter had on the other side of the portal, and a crucial recognition that, despite Luz’s sad diary entries, there’s never been anything wrong with who she is.
It’s a lot to tackle in forty-five minutes. And I do still wish we got a full season to explore these ideas in more depth. But damn if The Owl House doesn’t make it look seamless, and feel moving, in the process.
Until this point, Bebop is a fun anime with a neat aesthetic. This episode changed a lot of that for me. The montage as Spike is falling from the cathedral is magnificent.
This episode hit me in the feels.
Annie: "In fact, what are you doing for lunch?"
Abed: "It's Wednesday. Sometimes I eat in Jeff's car. Don't tell him."
"CLASSIFICATION: BITCHES"
Troy: "Why are you doing this?"
Donald Glover's performance, omg
Troy: "I hate you. I hate you."Girl: "What are these?"
Abed: "Destruct codes."
7/10
Bucky: "The serum never corrupted Steve."
Zemo: "Touche. But there has never been another Steve Rogers, has there?"
Indeed.
After episode three, this series had lost faith. But it looks like I'm returning on Friday nights! This episode is the best yet! We got action, plot and character developments and some exciting conflicts coming to the forefront! This episode does so much with such little time, but I'm thrilled it accomplished what it did.
Zemo is at his most fun here as the group's wildcard. He's one that everyone's after but can never get because they keep bickering amongst themselves. His personality is such a treat, and his resourcefulness is terrific, too, after seeing his work at the GRC refugee camp. He's straight savage for crushing those vials, and I love how he's just vibing while Walker, Sam and co engage the Wakandans.
Karli sounds like an actual reasonable person in this episode, even though her means still don't justify her ends. I feel like I've learnt more about her, but she's still an enigma.
"If he can talk her down, it might be worth a try." — Battlestar
Let's go!
Sam's dedication to diplomacy is a great character moment. I like how he faces conflict on both sides, reasoning with Karthi vs. killing her and whether super-soldiers equal supremacy. Also, his sister finally returns, if a little late, but I'm glad she's got some stake in the show. His empathy and counselling are his strengths, and I'm happy they got the spotlight here. When he uses his jetpack to distract during a fight, I appreciate the creativity in these scenes.
Then we have Walker, and oh man, he's lost the plot. His habit towards violence is a notable trait and proves to be a disastrous one. Rest in peace, his self-esteem; those Wakandans kicked his ass. When he finds the serum, his head tilt is creepy! Also, I'm surprised he didn't jab the vial straight away, but his conversation with Battlestar is revealing. He's asking the big questions, and it appears he has a conscience, which makes him such a tragic figure. He wants to do good, but everything he tries never does it. His medals of honour? They're only a reminder of the atrocities he's committed—wow.
"Where is she?!" — Walker
After Battlestar convinced Walker to try diplomacy, it's clear that Battlestar was the anchor keeping Walker sane. Well, the worst just happened; Karli killed him! That ending scene is powerful—hot damn! I will embed the last image in my mind forever.
This episode is solid and kept my attention all the way through. I can't wait for next week!
SCORE: 8/10
THAT TOOK A DARK TURN.
This episode isn't very PG. I mean, people get decapitated! Including David!
But it was fun, endearing and gave some excellent development for David, who we've only seen so much of this season. I'm glad the writer's dedicated this and the last episode to Frida and David, allowing them a chance to shine. It's nice. I also loved the adventure outside the wall. I don't know about the episode ending with Vikings killing and bringing themselves again and again. This episode was the darkest one yet!
TECHNICAL & ENJOYMENT SCORE: 8/10
[7.5/10] A charming and colorful introduction to this miniseries. This has an Adventure Time meets Miyazaki feel to it in the early going, which is a combo that really works for me. I like the setup here, with Wirt as the older brother who is, as his name portends, a worrywart and also a little dramatic, and Greg as the younger brother who is more sweetly naive and fearless to the point oblivious as they make their way through the woods. It sets up a good dynamic for their adventures, and I like the relationship between them.
That works here when the two brothers encounter a mill-working woodsman who seems a little dark and warns of a mysterious beast but is also willing to give them shelter and maybe directions. Wirt’s abject anxiety over this guy, in contrast to his little brother’s more childlike “just go with it” attitude makes for a nice contrast.
The animation here is also really nice to look at. The character designs have an old world toy look to them, which I like, and the wash of autumnal colors and dark spooky moods are inviting. The skirmishes and escape with the giant wolf creature is visually exciting and even a little gruesome in places, and the lighting in particular makes this feel distinctive.
There’s also a lot of laughs and fun little setups and payoffs. The banter between the two brothers is worth a smile even when it’s not going for an explicit gag. Greg’s various names for his frog, the running gag of him leaving a trail with the candy from his pants, and his effort to execute Wirt’s discarded plan are all good bits.
Christopher Lloyd also makes an impression as the woodsman, adding something dark and a little foreboding to all of this. His talk about the work of keeping the lantern going being his burden and Wirt being responsible for his brother’s actions as the elder sibling suggests a connection or a hard history there that we’re not privy to. There’s a strange, almost philosophical bent to him and his concern about the beast, which I found interesting.
Overall, this makes for a cool introduction to the miniseries, giving us the lay of the land and a good sense for the characters as we continue on Wirt and Greg’s adventures.
[8.4/10] When I realized we were getting an anthology-style episode centered on Hooty, I assumed this was going to be a comic relief, assorted hijinks outing for the show. And I would have been good with that! The King story, which falls the most into that framework, was delightful. Instead, this is one of the most powerful episodes of the show, and it caught me completely off guard.
As I mentioned, King's story is probably the lightest. Hooty trying to help him by uncovering what type of demon he is has all sorts of comic potential. The taxonomy of bugs/bipeds/beasts creates a solid framework for the silly “tests” that Hooty runs on King. And the comic exchanges that ensue between them are quite funny (let’s not talk about the cocoon).
But naturally, it lands someplace more profound. I honestly love that Hooty cheerfully tells King that he still doesn’t know what kind of demon King is, but that he’s still glad that King is who he is. But I also like how the show leans into King's distress at thinking he would have at least one answer to his identity and being thwarted even there. It's a familiar trope, but I still love that it’s bringing out that emotion (in the throes of demon puberty, naturally) that allows King to discover that he has a special vocal ability, showing that Hooty did do some good.
(That said, I find the reveal of King's obvious relative coming to give him a letter and Hooty just swallowing it utterly maddening. I know it’s a way to prolong the story until when the show’s ready to unbox it, but still! C’mon! What a tease!)
Eda’s story is my absolute favorite though, and one of my favorite things from the show writ large. The scenes and memories in her dream help us to better understand her psyche and sympathize with what she went through to become the superlative witch we know and love. The fact that she hurt her father in one of her transformations helps establish why she felt she had to stay away from the people she cared about and not let anyone get too close. And with the flashback to her breakup with Raine, we see how her embarrassment and insecurity about it prevents her from actually opening up, forming new bonds, or asking for help. It’s incredibly sad to see these traumatic moments in Eda’s life, that still cause her pain today, and they help illustrate what she's grappling with.
I love where the show ends up with it all though. The imagery of her on the beach, tethered to the owl who’s trying to get away just as much, is a powerful, impressionistic reputation of her challenges. (As Disney properties go, it made me think of Kingdom Hearts.) I adore her epiphany and urge to try to live with the owl, commune with it, rather than fight each other. The owl calming down and even curling up in her lap is a great rendition of that concept, and the fact that once she makes peace with it, it gives her a new powerful “harpee” form is a neat way to pay that off practically.
I’d never really thought about the metaphor behind Eda’s curse. I’d kind of taken it to be a chronic disease or something along those lines. But in this episode, it feels like a metaphor for mental illness or other emotional disturbances. The idea of worrying that you’re going to lose control of yourself and hurt someone, the fear of letting someone get close lest they get to know that side of you, the reluctance to ask for help, all align neatly and resonantly with mental health struggles. So that makes the notion of making peace with those parts of ourselves rather than fighting against them all the more powerful. Whatever the analogy (and this one doesn’t map perfectly onto Eda’s circumstances), the way the realization feeds into Eda’s breakthrough is wonderful.
Luz’s story leans back into the comic hin=jinks side of things, but also pays off the long-simmering attraction between her and Amity. While I love Hooty’s dorky attempts to set the mood for love (him as a paddleboat is particularly delightful), the shtick with Luz trying to prevent Amity from seeing it gets a bit over-the-top sitcom-y for my tastes. Again, the show leans hard into the teenage embarrassment angle, and loses some of the truth of their otherwise adorable crushes on one another.
At the same tie, there’s the kernel of something really genuine at the heart of this one. However high volume the illustration, it’s relatable for two people to like one another, but be uncertain about making the first move, or if the other person will think they’re cool enough, and wanting the big steps in your relationship to be perfect for the sake of the person you’re wooing. The pair’s romance is very sweet, and their teenage nervousness about it very relatable, so that helps cover for any broadness in the material.
And they pull the trigger on it! Seeing them finally ask each other out is very wholesome, and the support Luz gets from her adoptive family makes it all the sweeter.
I also love how it makes everything work within the confines of the frame story. Hooty feels unimportant and gets some encouragement from Lilith that he’s an essential part of the household. (I mean, he is the household.) So him trying to help his family members with their problems, thinking he made a hash of things, only to see that his meddling got them all where they needed to be is a really nice note to play for the show’s resident punching bag.
Overall, this is one of my favorite episodes of the show to date, one that serves all of the main characters well with a unique format and big boost for Hooty to boot!
[8.5/10] Poor Luz. From the minute she’s desperate for a distraction to take her mind off the phone reminder, you know whatever eating at her is going to be emotionally harrowing. And it was.
One of my favorite things about season 2 is that it engages with the fact that Luz is away from her mother and her life in the human world. Season 1 is a blast, but in the back of my mind, I often found myself wondering how, if ever, the show would pay the bill of having run away to a place where she faces down supernatural danger on an (at least) weekly basis.
Luz’s visit home answered that question to some degree. But her destroying the portal home to protect her mom, while also separating Luz from her, made for a more interesting emotional strain for our protagonist. Now home isn’t the thing she’s running away from; it’s the thing that’s out of reach, and with it, so is her mother.
That’s hard enough in a season where Luz’s main quest is opening another portal home. But I love how this episode leans into the small, down-to-earth things that Luz is missing from being in the Boiling Isles. After a few oblique hints, the show confirms that Luz’s father passed away when she was young. To miss her and Camila’s ritual, to gather flowers for one another, as he once did, to visit his grave and mourn this important member of their family together, is a sacred thing. To miss that, to be reminded not only of a painful thing like the loss of a parent, but to be unable to comfort someone you love going through the same thing, or be comforted by them, is devastating. No wonder Luz wants to do anything but think about it.
I love that element of this one too. Sometimes, unavoidable, unfixable things take up residence in our brains. It could be grief, or worry, or garden variety pain. Whatever the form, it cannot always be conquered. Sometimes all you can do is try to focus on something else so that this complicated thought or feeling doesn’t weigh you down too badly.
So it’s relatable when Luz jumps at the chance to help Amity with a straightforward problem that promises to distract them all day. I like that Luz genuinely errs here, and not in a take-backsies sort of way. She coaches up Amity and cheers her own in a Witches’ Duel rumble modeled after professional wrestling. She enters the tournament herself once the competition begins and she realizes that simply staying in Amity’s corner wouldn’t keep her occupied enough. She babbles while Amity and her sister need to focus to complete a healing spell between rounds. And in her anxiousness to do something, anything besides think about what’s bothering her, she messes with Amity’s abomination minder and inadvertently alerts Amity’s father that she’s disobeying his wishes.
The need to stay in constant motion, remain totally occupied lest the bad thoughts creep in, makes Luz sympathetic. But at the end of the day, she also lets her problems hurt Amity, and she even lies about it. The stakes aren’t tremendous, but it’s enough of a betrayal to have meaning. And it’s cathartic when Luz admits what she’s going through and explains what drove her to these mistakes to a girlfriend who is stung, but who still cares.
Granted, Amity has her own struggles here. Luz’s story alone would be enough to bump this one up to “great” territory. The Owl House does its audience one better, though, with an episode that explores Amity’s relationship with her dad. The idea that Amity wanted to join this rumble in the first place to follow in her dad’s footsteps is endearing. But it also comes from a place of estrangement. Since he drifted away into his work and her mom’s pan, Alador’s been distant with his children. This is partly an act of rebellion from Amity, choosing to find her own way rather than try out for the Emperor’s Coven like her mother wants. But it’s also partly an effort to understand her dad a little better by doing what he did, since he’s so closed off.
So I love Amity sticking up for herself. I love the shared strength the father and daughter demonstrate when they’re working together rather than at cross purposes. I love Amity continuing the arc she began last season, forging her own path and her own life distinct from her parents’ expectations.
But I also like that she calls her father out for this stuff. She’s frank with him about feeling that distance, feeling like he doesn’t understand her or even know her, feeling like he let her Mom dictate her life and just went along with it. Alador’s admission that she’s right and commitment to do better earns a handshake, not a hug, which recognizes the complexity of a problem that can’t be solved with a single conversation or gesture. There’s truth in that, and it laces Amity’s big triumph of self-actualization with some lingering family problems that haven't been resolved yet.
Interestingly enough, she’s not the only Blight offspring who finds their way in this episode. While Em is in Amity’s corner for most of the festivities, Ed feels out of place and a little useless. His magic skills don’t seem to fit well with anything, and he worries that he’s bad at the lot of it.
Shock of shocks, his problem ends up dovetailing with King and Eda’s efforts to make a blabber potion that forces rumble champion Warden Wrath to spill the beans on Belos’ plans. It ends up being a good story of Edric finding his tribe. He too doesn’t seem to fit in perfectly with the Blight family’s rigorous standards. And when he tweaks the potion, leading to Wrath turning into an unstoppable beast, he worries it will undo the good work and esteem he earned helping Eda and King find the creature ingredients for their brew.
But Eda, ever the fan of coloring outside the lines, pats him on the back instead for mixing magicks and improvising. It’s a nice sign of Ed’s strengths that connects to one of The Owl House’s key themes -- the way supposed misfits have value even if they don’t fit into traditional structures. Seeing Edric praised for his ingenuity even when things go wrong, and made a member of the Bad Girl Coven, is a surprisingly heartening part of what I assumed would be a comic relief storyline.
There’s not many laughs to be had when Luz confesses what’s been bothering her to Amity. There’s a realness to this moment, in the way a young adult wants to seem like they’re unbothered, like they’re not making a big deal out of something, when it’s obviously a very big deal, that I adore. Luz’s talk about the difficulty of being away from her mom on such an important day is heartbreaking.
But talking about it with someone she loves also gives her a comfort that simply trying to run away from the thoughts can’t. Amity offers solace, in the way a good partner would. But she also finds a way to recreate the ritual, just a little, in the way the Boiling Isles allows for. It’s something different, but something hopeful. And the imagery of the two sitting under falling cherry blossoms, sending a bouquet of flowers into the sky with their shared magic, while Camila sets a bloom out for daughter as well, is one of the most beautiful bits of imagery in the whole show. It adds a lyricism to this emotional breakthrough, the hardship of being away, but the peace that comes with support and action instead of distraction and evasion.
The end result is one of my favorite episodes of the series to date. By digging deep into the toughest part of Luz’s separation, The Owl House vindicates what she’s missing by being away, but also the community and support she’s found to help comfort her here.
[9.3/10] For a character whose presence I was a little resistant to at first, I’m amazed at how much I feel for Hunter here. The show has done work nudging him further and further away from his “uncle’s” programming. This is the final straw, the last step that makes him understand why everything about Belos is toxic, and it nearly breaks him.
Why wouldn’t it? I think Eda puts it best in the early part of the episode. People don’t want to hear that everything they’ve founded their lives upon is wrong. It is an unmooring thought to immerse yourself in, whether it’s learning that the societal beliefs your community rests upon are mercenary and wrong, or learning that your personal connection to someone is founded on a lie. Hunter doesn’t want to believe these things about Belos any more than the citizens of the Boiling Isles do. So when he can deny the truth no longer, when confronted with the horrible reality of who his uncle is and who he is, he is shattered by it.
There is so much pathos in that. And as with so much of the show’s subtext, it speaks to real life young adults breaking free from the systems they were brought up in, and learning that the people who raised and mentored them are not the good-natured souls they thought. That gives it extra power.
But for Hunter to figure that out, he and Luz have to discover the truth via entering the Emperor’s mind. I love the setup. Willow’s mindscape was one of my favorite episodes of season 1, so returning to that conceit, and melding it with the series’ myth arc, makes for a strong premise. The fact that Luz and Hunter end up there together, but accidentally, with no way out creates stakes. And the connections to Raine’s resistance and Eda’s efforts to protect her ward without magic all make this one a keeper.
It also feels like the right time to finally get Belos’ backstory in grand detail. It’s a strong choice to make him a garden variety charlatan, moving from town to town with his tricks and scary stories to try to fool the local populace. The idea that the grand leader of the coven system is all colored balls of light, fantastical claims about being able to speak with the Titan, and garden variety fireworks, speaks to the bunk that underlies his order.
What stands out most, though, is the fear. It’s not enough to promise that the Titan is displeased. It’s not enough to claim that the diversity of magic use is morally wrong somehow. He needs a mysterious Other to unite the people against. So he uses wild magic as his scapegoat, setting fires, burning down homes, and blaming it on Wild Witches who dare to mix magicks. That’s what’s so striking about his rise. Anyone can spin pie-in-the-sky falsehoods. What gets Belos his following is showmanship, certainly, but also that sense of terror, that someone and something dark and wrong is coming to get you, and only he has the answers to stop it. Like so many things on the show, it resonates because it’s true to life for how genuine fascist strongmen operate.
Hunter gradually comes to realize that. One of the touches I appreciate most is how he keeps trying to rationalize what he sees in the Emperor’s mind. He speaks of this place as sacred. He assumes the little impish version of Belos who appears to be leading them to safety represents his pure intentions. He justifies a little misleading theatricality in the name of leading the masses to the right path.
Until the Emperor turns on him too. How dispiriting must it be to defend someone all your life, to devote yourself to their service, only to discover that they never really loved you and view you as disposable. That’s the dagger in the heart for Hunter, the personal side of his uncle’s malfeasance, that upends his life and the life he thought he knew in ways that are understandably impossible to reckon with. There’s plenty of interesting hints at play, from the appearance of similar looking/sounding assistants in Belos’ past, and statements that they all betray him eventually. But the emotional thrust of this one is Belos talking about how easily manipulated his nephew is, and how easily replaced.
(Andrew’s crazy theory: My bet is that Hunter is some kind of magical clone of Philip Wittebane’s brother. In Luz’s spectral visit to the human world, the conspiracy nut mentioned town lore that two brothers were tempted by a witch into the humana world. My bet is that Philip tried to recreate his brother in some form (hence the “nephew” terminology) and the physical recreation of a dead person is why Hunter’s a “grim walker.” The theory would also account for Belos’ “You looked the most like him” comment.)
I appreciate how steadfast and compassionate Luz is through all of this. She never stops trying to show him the truth about Belos. She reads all of the events they witness fairly, even though she’s already predisposed toward believing that Belos is evil. But she also tells Hunter that he doesn't have to go back, that he can stay with them, that there’s another way. The balance of frankness and comfort helps mark Luz as a good person, never wavering, but showing empathy to Hunter at the same time.
I’ll admit, the part of this that doesn’t land with full force to me here is Belos revealing to Luz that he is, in fact, Philip Wittebanae. It’s anticlimactic because the show has hinted strongly in that direction for episodes and episodes now, so it’s not much of a shock to the audience.
Theoretically, it could still make an impact given the effect it has on Luz. But she seemed interested in Wittebane’s diary for practical purposes, not an emotional connection to its author, so no big deal there. She already knew Philip was a bad guy from her time travel escapade, sso that’s no big surprise either. And while Wittebane turning out to be Belos’ nom de guerre from after “Philip” was run out of too many towns is a neat twist, it doesn’t change much.
The most you can say is that it’s a strike against Luz’s ability to return to the human world. If Philip is Belos, and he hasn't been able to make the portal work in all this time with all his sources, then it's right for Luz to be discouraged about her prospects for achieving the same thing. But we don’t really get much of a sense of that in the text, just her being gobsmacked by who he is.
That notwithstanding, I still love all the turns and reveals in this one. For one thing, I’m over the moon for the way the episode plays with your expectations for the personifications inside Belos’ mind. The malevolent-looking representation of the Emperor is legitimately terrifying. Big kudos to the designers and animators, who manage to give him an Eldritch Abomination feel that evolves and becomes more grotesque and frightening with each appearance.
It leads to the grand reveal that this scary-looking creature is not Belos’ darkside, and the spritely boy who leads them about is not a good part of him that’s been lost. Instead, it’s the little cherub who represents Belos’ real self, only taking that form to manipulate our heroes and get them right where he wants them. And the ghastly creature turns out to be the collected souls of the palismans he’s imbibed to stay alive, a horrifying concept made all the more gut wrenching when he traps and eliminates them.
I’m also intrigued by the presence of The Collector, another playful spirit who talks to Belos in private moments and seems to have a form and presence beyond what we’ve seen before. (Gravity Falls fans like me cannot help but see parallels to Bill Cipher.) The idea that Phlip found the partner he was looking for all those years ago, and is still collaborating with them, adds a new dimension to his plans. So does the reveal that The Collector is not a demon as we know them, but seems more like a trickster god, rhyme-inclined and childish in its frolics and protestations. More to come, I can only assume.
Otherwise, there’s some other nice details throughout. The reveal that Belos is a witch hunter is no great shakes since the clues have been there for a while, but him meaning to eliminate all witches does step things up a bit. The twist that he used glyph magic in the form of the coven brands to try to kill witches is an interesting spin on something the audience already knows. And I love the tough choice of Eda to use the last of the Titan’s blood to bring Luz back from the mindscape lest she not be around or alive enough to make it back to the human world. This one is filled to the brim with great lore, great character moments, and great storytelling bits that power it from start to finish.
Overall, what I’ll remember about this one is threefold: that devotion Eda shows to Luz in bringing her back, the lore drops that change the game for Belos’ backstory and purpose, and most of all, the gutting epiphany for Hunter that everything he’d anchored his life to is a lie. Poor boy.
[7.9/10] I’ll confess, I’m hesitant about The Owl House’s reluctance to let its characters commit genuine sins rather than simple accidents/misunderstandings. King can’t actually “temporarily disappear” Willow and Gus when he’s jealous, just sprays them by accident. Luz doesn’t really think she’s better than the kids in “detention track”, they just have a miscommunication. Amity didn’t really reject Willow as her friend because Willow was bad a t magic, she was just forced to by someone else.
This is a show for kids, granted, but also an ambitious one, with big reveals and good character arcs that mean it’s fair to hold it to a higher standard than giving its main players moral outs like that. People mess up. That’s real life. This is a good enough series to tackle that head on rather than treating the idea with kid gloves.
And yet, I like the twist here. The show has already hinted at their being former friends with some cryptic, unspoken break-up. That bill is paid now, and it’s a doozy. Despite the pair being playmates as youngins, Amity threw Willow out of her birthday party, ostensibly for being a
“weakling” at magic, and started hanging out with Dasha and others who pick on WIllow constantly.
But the truth is that Amity never wanted to end the friendship, but was told to do so by her parents. I’ll confess, I don’t love that it’s a “cruel to be kind” situation, where Amity’s parents threatened to hurt or otherwise stymie Willow and her family if Amity kept hanging out with her. It lets Amity off too easily.
But I do like that, similarly to Pacifica Northwest in The Owl House’s spiritual predecessor, Gravity Falls, we’re learning that Amity isn’t bad. She is, instead, the product of a home life that’s designed to mold her into something bad. And if anything, she’s tried to find respites away from it, to be a different person than the one she’s expected to be. Throw in the classism and sense of prejudice to the whole thing, and you have a potent story of someone dragged into the muck of arrogance and bigotry, who’s trying, through good, eye-opening friendships, to climb her way out of it. That hits home in a way the nerfing of Amity’s actions doesn’t for me.
I also like the concept here. While it's a little nuts that, even in a magical school, they would have the students “print out” photo memories that could seriously damage the minds of the witchlings they come from if damaged, and then just leave them sitting out. But regardless, it’s fun to have an Inception-like scenario of Luz and Amity running around in Willow’s head, trying to right what went wrong after Amity accidentally burned several of Willow’s memories. (Again, accidentally being the key word here.)
For one thing, Luz is a great side character. I enjoy her as the protagonist, but it’s a reminder that she has a Homemr-esque ability to just being a wacky and hilarious secondary figure for an episode and still excel in that role. Her excitement over Willow’s history, and the fun she has loping around in her mind is neat.
I also like the conceit of the fire monster destroying memories turning out to be “Inner Willow.” Certain other Disney productions prepared me for the twist, but I still like her as a representation of Willow’s anger at Willow. It’s a good way to dramatize the idea that personal betrayals like that can turn joys and fond remembrances and other positive emotions from past memories into nothing but frustration and resentment. The tragedy of not only halting a friendship for the future, but wrecking the fond recollections of the past, is a canny choice.
The B-story is a nice bit of comic relief. Gus trying to find the most interesting person to interview for his school paper project, with Eda and King competing for the spot, is good fodder for hijinks. THere’s not much to it, but the gags are solid. (I like King describing his greatest attribute as his decisiveness, only to then yell, “Wait I changed my mind!”) Plus, the fact that Gus ultimately chooses Hooty is a superb swerve.
But I also like that the ending isn’t just about absolving Amity for the actions in the past; it’s about fixing her actions in the future. Regardless of whether Amity had a comprehensible reason for ending her friendship with Willow, she didn’t have to sit idly by while the mean girls picked on her. Her resolution in the present to stop that teasing, and her impulse to distance herself from the mean girls shows Amity learning and making amends. It’s the kind of thing I do appreciate on this show, that even if they go light on main characters screwing up, they go big on them not just apologizing, but taking steps to make it up.
That’s what makes Amity’s growth here so engrossing. It’s not the excuse for the past. It’s the sense that, as we can see from her brown hair in old photos, she doesn’t quite fit in with the Blythe family. She’s been crammed into a mold that she doesn’t fit into. And now that she’s fund a more supportive, healthy group of people to fuel her, she’s beginning to make good on her mistakes in the past, and chart a better way forward for her life on the Boiling Isles.
Wirt: "Do you think it's some kind of deranged lunatic with an ax waiting out there in the darkness for innocent victims?"
Wirt: "This guy sounds loony. Maybe we should make a break for it. I-If we can. But he must know the woods really well, so we may need to knock him out first. Except that may turn out really badly, huh? Yeah, b-bad plan. Forget it. bad plan."
Greg: "Aw beans!"
Greg: "You have beautiful eyes."
Greg: "Spank! Spank! Spank!"
Greg: "Candy camouflage!"
Greg: "Wirt, he spit out that turtle and now he's my new best friend!"
THEY LIKE ENDING WITH A TWIST, DON'T THEY?
I'm glad they finally told Don and Gilda, that was a touching moment. At the start, I thought Don was an imbecile but after seeing him talk about his powerlessness.
The morse code was interesting; more mysteries that are really intriguing.
In the end, another solid episode. Don is a lot smarter than he looks too. He's just frustrated, and I can understand that.
TECHNICAL & ENJOYMENT SCORE: 8/10
RAY, YOU DISAPPOINT ME. I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU, MY DUDE.
MORE NOTES
TECHNICAL SCORE: 7/10
ENJOYMENT SCORE: 8/10
Abed: "Tell me about your parents, Britta."
Britta: "Um... no?"
Abed: "Cruel, cruel, cruel, cruel."
Priest(?): "Gentlemen, take this man to the infinite labyrinth of eternal ice."
All: "Yes!"
Troy: "No! No, take him to the police. He murdered someone. Take him to jail. You guys are weird."Pierce: "Shirley, if you're willing, I think we should let Jeff sign the sandwich shop form."
Shirley: "Yeah, you could represent both of us. You know, like our attorney."
Annie: "My God, Pierce! You had your first good idea."
Pierce: "Thank you."
Welp, it's time to see what all the fuss is about with Season 4.
Why can't I watch this in History class?
Troy: "Put the teethy wrench on the square thing and jiggle it left."
Laybourne: "Gentlemen. You are here because you have been selected as potential candidates for the Greendale Air Conditioning Repair School."
Abed: "Tron?"
Dean: "What's Tron?"Troy: "Why do you hate them so much?"
Jerry: "'Cause they're elitist. They pump themselves up to make everybody think that they're special. Because the truth is they're not."
Troy: "I have a gift. I'm special. I'm not a loser like you. I'm gonna eat spaceman paninis with Black Hitler and there's nothing you can do about it!"
Pierce: "'Well, I'm not scared of you anymore because you're dead, and I'm not. So I win.' And you can suck it."
Laybourne: "This isn't over, Troy Barnes."
8/10
Hazel: "What's an Alrick?"
Amelia: "He was a person. My person. And I... lost him."
[Hazel runs up to her and gives her a hug]
Hazel: "I like you. We're all here for you."
Grace: "I'll leave if I want to, Null!"
8/10
7/10
Tulip: "Oh, man, do you guys remember..."
[Sees unmoving reflection]
Tulip: "Whoa!"
Glad-One: "No, I don't remember, 'Whoa!'"
Sad-One: My memory has been terrible ever since the change."
Atticus: "What change?"
Sad-One: "My new haircut, didn't you notice?"Tulip's Reflection: "I'm gonna touch a tree, or like, smell something! What's something that smells good?"
Sad-One: "Let's see... asphalt, gasoline, sulfur, other petroleum-based products."Mirror One: "I've already alerted Reflection Enforcement. They'll bring her to justice."
Tulip's Reflection: "You called the flecs on me?!"
That was pretty cool! I nearly cried! Whaaat?!
8/10
"So to speak" — Annie
Damn, she quick
Annie? Woah
"That was a game. This is paintball." — Annie
Damn, what a titlecard!
Dean: "We're gonna end this year with a quick game of Paintball Assassin."
[Troy and Abed drop their icecream]Lol
Abed: "I heard a rumour you never shoot an unarmed man."
Annie: "Whoever started that rumour didn't eat my beans."
Abed: "Then I guess it's lucky for me I'm not unarmed."
[Reveals gun]DAMN
Jeff: "Whoa, where you going?"
Annie: "To have a conversation with Pierce."
Abed: "She's pretty awesome today."
"That's just the tip of the iceberg." — Pierce
9/10
"I'm not really dying. Over the last few weeks, it's become apparent how little respect this group has for me. So I summoned them here to exact my revenge." — Pierce
Troy's face, omg
"I told Pierce a thousand times I never wanted to meet LeVar in person!" — Troy
"Reading Rainbow." [Sobbing] — Troy
Omg, Troy be crying in the bathroom
Annie: "Are these blood diamonds? Are they Holocaust diamonds?"
Pierce: "No."
Annie: "Well, what does it mean?"
Pierce: "It means you're my favourite."
Annie: "What does that mean?"
Now that was amazing.
9/10
You know, I'll always appreciate good, creative action. Especially animated action.
8/10
