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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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The Owl House Season 2, Episode 14 Review

One of the things that Luz and Amity have in common is that they don’t have the best relationships with their parents. In Luz’s case, her relationship with her Mom’s strained by her choice to stay in the Demon Realm. Amity’s is because she’s got a control freak of a Mom and an absent-minded Dad. But they still have each other, and are there to help each work through their problems. Even if one of them refuses to admit that they have a problem to begin with, like Luz with her Dad.

A Very Important Day for Luz

While Luz has shown no interest in returning to Earth beyond showing her Mom she’s alright, the day this episode takes place is an exception. We open up to a reminder on her phone for a very important event with her Mom that she quickly tries to ignore. In addition, she spends the rest of the day trying to stay as busy as possible by helping Amity with her problems.

The annual Bonesborough Brawl is taking place that day, and Amity’s always dreamed of winning it like her Dad did back in the day. However, her Dad’s too busy to care and wants her to go to the Emperor’s Coven tryouts. Rather, her Mom wants her to go, something she has no interest in. It drives home how much of an influence Luz has been on Amity when she says she may not even want to join a Coven at all. Luz’s solution is simply to go anyway and compete in disguise.

However, things get derailed when Luz decides to ultimately compete in the Brawl herself, all while claiming that nothing’s wrong. It all comes to a head when Luz ends up alerting Alador to what his daughter’s really up to, making Amity mad at both of them and storming off. What follows is something that fans suspected but is now confirmed.

RIP Mr. Noceda

From the beginning, fans have speculated about the abscence of Luz’s father. Some people thought that her parents were divorced. Others thought that he was a Witch. However, I guessed that he was actually dead this whole time; and it turns out I was right. Luz’s dad died some time ago, and this date marks the anniverserary of his passing. Her Mom and her would lay flowers on his grave to honor his memory every year, and the fact that she can’t do it is eating away at the poor girl.

Once again, I would like to say that this was something that I already suspected. However, knowing this doesn’t diminish the importance of this moment any less. If anything, Luz’s obvious grief tugs at the heartstrings even more. Despite loving her life in the Boiling Isles, she does miss some things from Earth. And this led her to cope by trying to help Amity sort out her own paternal issues.

Hearing her motives is more than enough to get Amity to forgive Luz, and hearing her girlfriend’s lack of a father spurs her to confront Alador as he’s fighting a mutated Warden Wrath (long story!) Afterwards, the two have an honest heart-to-heart, where Alador admits that he hasn’t been the best parent, but is willing to respect her daughter’s choices and be there for her. I hoped that Alador was the good parent.

Cracks in Belos’ Reign

In the b-plot of the episode, Eda, King, and Edric team up to learn more information about what Belos is planning, and why Raine’s acting weird. Their planned blabber (truth) potion backfires, though, and leads to Wrath being mutated and everyone having to lay down the smack on him. It doesn’t even matter in the end, though, as Wrath got demoted for stealing coworker’s lunches! However, they do learn a little bit of information.

It turns out, not everyone in the Emperor’s Coven is into the Day of Unity plan. Belos claims it will unite them all with the Titan, but some think that no good could come of that. If all the signs shown thus far are true, than they’re right to be afraid. Belos might be planning on using the Boiling Isles residents as fuel for a massive spell, one that could destroy everything in the process. However, we won’t know until the Day of Unity arrives.

Parent-Child Bonds Transcend Worlds

The episode ends on a very somber note. In the Boiling Isles, Luz and Amity pick flowers and send them skyward on an Abomination balloon. On Earth, Mrs. Noceda puts flowers in a vase while solemnly looking off into the night sky, thinking of her husband and daughter. It’s a very sad moment. In fact, the whole situation seems sad.

This was a suprisingly emotional episode of The Owl House that touched on character arcs and past decisions, but it was one that I loved. It showed just how far Amity has come since we first met her, and how far she has to go. And while Luz might not be able to work things out with her Mom right now, she’s not alone. She’s got others to help her through this.

I Give “Reaching Out” a 4/5

Stray Observations

• I love how Alador automatically calls Luz Eda’s kid!
• The tree from Grom is still there
• My friend JP-Ryder and his beta-editor got Luz’s Dad right in their fanfic!

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The Owl House Season 2, Episode 13 Review

I’m sorry that I didn’t get to this yesterday, but I had a busy day. But do you know who probably had an even worse day? Hunter, AKA the Golden Guard, AKA Emperor Belos’ supposed nephew and/or magical clone of his brother. Ever since he debuted in the second season premiere, fans have just fallen in love with Hunter. He’s funny, adorkable, and probably in more dire need of a hug than anyone on the Boiling Isles. The more time passes, the more we see how bad Hunter has had it in life, growing up under an emotionally manipulative man such as Emperor Belos. After seeing this Hunter-centric episode, though, I feel more sorry for him than ever before.

Hunter Just Wants Some Respect

Poor Hunter really has it rough in life, and that’s not just because he’s the Emperor’s supposed nephew. All he wants is to earn the respect of the people who work for Belos, and they treat him like dirt. When Belos puts him in charge while he’s doing other things, the Coven Heads outright reschedule a meeting just so they don’t have to deal with him. Being the insecure teen that he is, he ends up taking the head of the Abomination’s Coven remark about “finding new recruits” as an actual mission. Thus, he goes undercover at Hexside to do just that.

Meanwhile, it’s club day at Hexside, and Willow’s looking to start the school’s first Flyer Derby team, which is like Quidditch meets capture the flag, only more extreme. Through a series of events beyond his control, Hunter gets drafted into joining Willow’s team for their first match against her old Abominations teacher. From then on, the episode shows just how messed up Hunter’s life has really been. It turns out, joining the Emperor’s Coven means going through boot camp that would make the Navy SEALS look tame in comparison. What’s worse, Hunter’s grown up thinking that it’s normal to lie and stab your friends in the back, as this is what the Coven heads do under Belos.

This just shows how messed up things are under Belos. He emotionally manipulates people to do what he wants, while also having them at each other’s throats to curry his favor and keep them from becoming a threat. It’s like the Skeksis from The Dark Crystal, but for kids.

Baby Steps, Hunter

Ultimately, Hunter’s “mission” at Hexside does do some good for him. Willow, Gus, and the other students serve as a positive influence on him, ultimately leading Hunter to stand up to Darius when he’s ready to attack them after trying to escape. And fortunately, Darius actually respects Hunter for this, saying that it’s about time he get a life outside the palace. Maybe he’s not such a bad guy, after all. Then again, he does work for the Emperor, so…

The end result is that Hunter gains yet another positive emotional connection in his life. He’s changing for the better, people, but his full heel-face turn won’t come until he realizes that his Uncle Belos isn’t worth it.

Take That, Us!

Meanwhile, in the episode’s B-Plot, Luz and Amity discover that the author of the Good Witch Azura books is in town for a signing, and they eagerly attend. While doing so, they come up with more and more outlandish theories to explain who the author is. Like, is she a Witch who can travel between worlds? Is she Luz’s mom as a teenager sent forward in time? Kikimora?

Turns out, it’s none of these things. The books are just normal books that find their way to the Boiling Isles and sold by Tibbles. However, it turns out Amity is the only one to buy them.

So, the entire B-Plot of the episode was a funny jab by the show’s team at the fans for coming up with crazy explanations for mundane ideas. It’s all done in good humor, though, and I couldn’t help but laugh about it. You got us, Dana!

This was a fun episode, all around, and I just love seeing Zeno Robinson voice Hunter. He’s a rising star in the VA world, people!

I Give “Any Sport in a Storm” a 4/5

Stray Observations

• More Steve!
• Look and you’ll see a Remy Remington bobblehead in Hunter’s room. A nice reference to his role in Big City Greens

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The Owl House Season 2, Episode 11 Review

It’s been nearly six months since we last saw them, but The Owl House is back with new episodes, and things are as crazy as ever. However, that might not be for the better as far as the characters in the show are concerned. The midseason finale saw Luz go through a very unpleasant trip back to Earth (sort of), and it’s clear the event has given her some heavy baggage. Since this is the kind of show that doesn’t sweep trauma under the rug, the midseason premiere has Luz work through her problems. And she does it against the backdrop of Emperor Belos’ Coven Day Parade.

Luz Has Some Issues to Work With

It’s been a short while since the events of “Yesterday’s Lie“, but Luz is still trying to come to terms with what happened. Thanks to poor communication on both their parts, Luz made a hasty promise to her Mom to stay on Earth once she finds a way home. Or, as she remembers it, never go back to the Boiling Isles, which Camilla never outright says. As far as Luz cares, though, it might as well have been.

The events of “Yesterday’s Lie” were a very traumatic experience for Luz, and the prospect of never seeing the Boiling Isles again and having to keep the truth from her friends starts eating away at her. The worst of it, though, comes from having to withhold the truth from Amity, who’s clearly excited to go to Earth and meet Luz’s Mom. As a result, Luz doesn’t tell Amity she tried making a portal to Earth, and it leads her to make a rash decision.

It turns out, it’s time for the annual Coven Day Parade, an event meant to remind the Boiling Isles “Covens good, Boiling Isles bad.” And Belos’ lapdog, Kikimura, gets torn between her desire to do her duty to her boss and see her family. So, since Luz is an impulsive teen who doesn’t always make the best decisions, she decides to help Kikimura. By pretending to kidnap her!

You can see the flaws in this, right?

The Return of Raine Whispers…or is it?

Meanwhile, Eda has her own stake in messing with the Coven Day Parade. It turns out, her ex, Raine Whispers, will be taking part in the Parade, and since she last saw them being captured by the other Coven heads, Eda’s determined to rescue them. Chaos ends up ensuing, and right as Luz grabs Kikimura, Eda grabs Raine. Only, Raine is not as Eda remembers them.

The end of “Eda’s Requiem” made it clear that Belos had plans for Raine that kept him from killing them, and fans guessed that Raine would be kept under control. That guess is confirmed this week, as we see that Raine has been brainwashed by the head of the Plant Coven, Terra Snapdragon. As a result, Raine believes its been ten years since they last saw Eda, and doesn’t remember their attempted rebellion. And Terra regularly feeds them a potion that’s all but confirmed to keep them under control.

I liked Raine when they were first introduced, and I think they gave us some new insight into Eda’s life. So, seeing them come to blows with Eda in this episode was very heartbreaking to watch. For the moment, Eda has to give up on Raine, though I doubt that she’ll stop trying.

Lumity Goes Through a Rough Patch

Meanwhile, Amity suspects that Luz is not telling the truth about making the portal to her, and questions what she do about it. Ultimately, this leads her to helping Luz with her Kikimura plan…and also fighting alongside her when Kikimura double-crosses Luz.

I’m sorry, but we all knew that it was coming. We’ve seen that Kikimura’s the kind of person who’s only out for herself. She’d ditch her own family if it meant staying in Belos’ good graces, which is what she does in the end when she learns of a potential promotion. Thankfully, she gets a dose of Karma in the end. However, the whole experience confirms to Amity that this whole thing wasn’t about the Coven Day Parade, but Luz having issues.

Relationships can be hard to maintain at times. That’s as true in fiction as it is in real life. But a surefire way to maintain one is to be honest with the other party, be it a friend, a family member, or romantic partner. Thus, Luz ultimately decides to tell Amity everything that happened, and the two agree to work through things one day at a time. Lumity lives!

The Day of Unity Approaches

So, in the end, relationships prove to be the heart of the Coven Day Parade. One relationship gets salvaged, another frayed. But the backdrop of the Coven Day Parade takes on new meaning in the episode’s final moments. Emperor Belos broadcasts himself live to proclaim the approach of the Day of Unity. In one month, when the tide’s at its lowest amidst a solar eclipse, the denizens of the Boiling Isles will journey to the Titan’s Head and claim their utopia free of wild magic.

We still don’t know what Belos’ endgame really is, despite much speculation, though it might not be as good as everyone thinks. However, the Boiling Isles firmly remains behind Belos’, especially when he decides to unmask himself before everyone, giving a face to the name for all to see. It’s a brilliant propaganda move, and only makes things harder for the heroes. Regardless, all they can do now is take things one day at a time.

I, for one, am going to enjoy the rest of the season. After all, even if we’re getting 3 specials after this, this is the last season of the show as a whole. We gotta make it count! Also, kudos to the animators for the new end credits scenes. And for giving us this nightmare fuel.

I Give “Follies at the Coven Day Parade” a 3/5

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