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The Owl House, Season 2, Episode 19 Review

Even though the series finale to Amphibia is tonight, and I meant to get that out first, The Owl House also deserves my attention. After today, it’s going to be the show that will have everyone’s undivided attention. It’s not hard to see why, though. The last few episodes have been a whirlwind of revelations, nightmare fuel, and trauma. Belos plans to wipe out everyone on the Boiling Isles. Hunter warned everyone at Hexside of the planned genocide. And King learned that he was the only known Titan left in the Demon Realm. Everything’s coming to a head, and a rebellion is brewing. A rebellion that will put Luz and the Owl House residents right in the center of things.

The Time Crunch

The events of last week left fans wondering whether the last two episodes take place concurrently or not. While this week’s episode doesn’t answer that exactly, it’s safe to say that they are. Given how the second half of Season Two takes place over a month, it’s safe to say that the series is feeling the crunch, both in-universe and outside. 

Many fans were outraged by Disney’s decision to reduce Season Three of The Owl House to three, forty-minute specials, but there’s nothing that can be done at this point. No one’s happy about that decision, but Dana and her team want to do the best with the hand they’ve been dealt with. Thus, they’re trying to tie up any loose threads in these final episodes, with “O Titan, Where Art Thou,” bringing several of them full circle. Case in point, Eda’s growing maternal love for Luz and King, Luz’s desperate attempts to remain positive, and King dealing with who he really is. And also making a jab at Disney for their decision in a throw-away line.

Nothing is the Same Anymore

As Luz, King, and Hooty return from their trip, they’re horrified to discover the Owl House has been ransacked by the Emperor’s Coven, with all their stuff looted, and the group the Boiling Isles most wanted. Fortunately, Eda and Lillith both managed to escape to the Knee, leading the three to meet up with the Clawthornes and come up with a plan. There’s just one problem: there is no plan.

No matter what Eda and Lillith think, they can’t think of a way to stop Belos’ plans for genocide, yet Eda lies to Luz about it, not wanting to see her spirit break any further. Meanwhile, once they reveal that King’s a Titan, Lilith goes full-on cultist mode. In one of the best examples of character development in the show, King’s actually put off by this. Yeah, King. The guy who wanted everyone to worship him and do whatever he said now hates that idea. The irony’s not lost on him, either. 

Steve the Breakout Character

King ends up getting help from the most unlikely of sources: Steve the Coven Scout, who’s likely the breakout character of the whole show. When fans last saw him, Steve questioned his choice to work for the Emperor, and as seen in this episode, that led to him quitting the Emperor’s Coven. He gives King the pep talk he needs not to let his identity as a Titan mess with him while also waxing philosophical about the notion of someone speaking for the Titan of the Boiling Isles. Who says the Titan wasn’t just some normal person.

Meanwhile, Luz and Eda’s relationship comes close to a breaking point. Luz wants to keep fighting, while Eda just wants her and King to survive the Day of Unity. This culminates in them fighting, which is both heartbreaking and impressive as it shows how powerful Luz has become. Ultimately, though, Eda comes clean about having no plan. In true Owl House fashion, though, all’s not lost.

The Rebellion Joins Forces

The previous episodes already showed it, but this episode confirms it. Darius and Eberwolf were planning their own rebellion against Belos, and when they learned what Raine was doing, they joined forces with them. Now, they are the Covens Against The Throne, the C.A.T.T.S!! They have a plan, and now the Owl House Residents are a part of it. I doubt that they’re the only ones, though. I’m willing to bet that this rebellion will be joined by many others. I.E., everyone Luz has befriended on the Isles will join forces to stop the Day of Unity. On top of this, the episode ends with Luz finally ready to carve her own Palismen.

So, why does it feel like things won’t end well? Given how the show has the three specials to wrap things up, there’s a chance that, even if the Day of Unity gets stopped, Belos could still free the Collector. This, in turn, will take us into the series final act. Given how the second season of Amphibia ended, it might not be out of the question for The Owl House to end on a bittersweet cliffhanger. Or maybe not. Either way, next week, The Owl House will be the big focus of this blog.

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The Owl House Season 2, Episode 15 Review

From the moment we met him, Raine Whispers became a hit character on The Owl House. Outside of the residents of the Owl House itself, Raine is probably the person that Eda’s closest with. The two came close to taking down two Coven Heads, but Raine got captured in the process. When we next saw them, it looked like Raine was brainwashed by the Emperor’s Coven. However, a flashback episode this week shows us that Raine’s not as controlled as they appear. Also, it serves as a great look into the lives of the older generation when they were Luz’s age!

When Eda Was Luz’s Age

The episode starts off with Luz trying out the various glyph “constellations” that she got from Phillip’s Diary, only to fail miserably. So, to make up for it, Eda decides to tell the story of how she and Raine first met…

When Eda and Lillith were Luz’s age, they attended Hexside alongside many of the adult cast members. However, Hexside was an even less friendly school than it is today, under the tyrannical rule of its then-principal Faust. Faust is everything that I hate in an educational figure, punishing and expelling students for the dumbest of infractions. And when he catches Eda pranking him, he threatens to expel her unless she brings home a blue ribbon from this Coven event. Oh, and Bump (who’s only Vice Principal) will get fired if she doesn’t.

I got a real kick out of seeing a young Eda, before she got cursed in a misguided attempt by her sister to win. She’s every bit as cocky and trouble-making as she grows up to be, and just so much fun! If she and Luz knew each other then, they’d be best friends. And, of course, she can’t help but cause trouble at what amounts to a half-baked convention.

That’s when she meets Raine, studying at a different school.

A Perfect Match Taking a Stand

From the getgo, Raine proves that there’s a reason why they eventually became a Coven head, using bard magic to accomplish many incredible feats. They and Eda are perfectly suited as partners, and as they discover, they each have similar views about the state of the Boiling Isles.

In the final event of the H.E.C.K. thing, the host, a younger Terra Snapdragon, has the students split into two teams, “Wild Witches,” and “Coven Witches.” The Coven Witches must catch the Wild Witches before time’s up to win. On the surface, this may seem harmless, but in truth, it’s not. It shows just how corrupt things under Emperor Belos were even then. Seeing Terra gleefully pit the students against each other is meant to brainwash them into hating wild witches, as that is what Emperor Belos wants. Thankfully, despite being on opposite teams, Eda and Raine refuse to play Terra’s sick game.

Lucky for them, Terra’s the kind to be impressed by their acts of defiance, and while no one wins a medal, she ensures Bump keeps his job and Eda stays at Hexside, with Raine now attending alongside her.

Cut back to the present day, and we get a big reveal revolving around Raine.

Raine, You Sly Fox

When we last saw Raine, it looked as though they were brainwashed to follow Emperor Belos’ orders, with Terra feeding him drinks meant to keep him that way. However, it’s revealed that this isn’t the case. While Raine is getting the potions from Terra, they’re using Bard magic to dispel whatever allows Terra to brainwash them. They’re still fighting Emperor Belos right under everyone’s noses! Of course, this only makes their treatment of Eda at the Coven Day Parade all the more heartbreaking. Raine has to lie to protect the most important person in his life, but soon, they may not have a choice.

Fans have been speculating that this “Day of Unity” Belos has planned will involve a massive amount of magic being used. This episode all but confirms it to be so. Raine, and the audience, learns that the Day of Unity involves a draining spell that will absorb the magic from everyone in the Covens, for a purpose we still don’t full understand. However, such an act will likely endanger the lives of everyone present. Clearly, Belos needs to be stopped.

I loved the twist involving Raine Whispers, as this was something that I did not see coming. Now, I have no idea what to expect in the remaining episodes of the season! One thing’s for certain: this is getting good!

I Give “Them’s the Breaks, Kid” a 4/5

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