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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 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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