Young Blood Old Souls
It’s
been a real joy going through this world and following all these
characters. That’s why the last episode
effectively left a heavy emotional toll when it ended with Eda cursed and
captured and Luz and the other Owl House inhabitants left alone. This along with the threatening presence of
Emperor Belos and the reveal that Lilith was the cause of Eda’s curse leave a
lot to overcome in this work to close out the season. While it doesn’t reach the heights of the first
part of the finale, it’s overall emotionally satisfying.
The
biggest factor to how well the finale works is the culmination of much of the
character development. Luz in particular
really impresses where after leaving the last episode devastated over the loss
of her mentor, she’s brave and determined enough to do whatever it takes to get
her back. The best part of all this is
how she’s very competent with going into the fray. Throughout this whole season, even up to the
most recent episodes, Luz has constantly sprung herself into random situations
without the proper knowledge. This time,
she’s going in with every magic she knows, and actually thinks before going
through with certain spells, showing that she knows the seriousness of the
situation. She opts to go after Eda
alone, only reluctantly bringing King along, forms clever strategies to get
herself arrested, and uses her spells skillfully to free herself and learn
where Eda is held. I love Luz as a
positive energetic individual, but her developing this much of a backbone is a rewarding outcome for her journey . It’s genuine development that
really gives purpose to her progress of learning to be a witch thus benefitting
the series as a whole.
Astonishingly,
Luz’s development isn’t the only thing standing out in this episode. The last episode did not leave very good
impressions on Lilith with the reveal that she was Eda’s curser and offered
little reason to why she was that drastic.
However, a lot of this is uncovered here with circumstances getting her
to realize that the Emperor’s Coven, which she devoted her life to, is not what
she thought it was. Her desire to get
Eda’s curse healed by having her join the coven was very true to the heart, and
she's eager for the process to be done. All
Emperor Belos does though is make Eda speak audibly again while she’s still a beast, and
nothing more. In fact, he plans on
having Eda petrified for being a wild witch going against his norm, and to make
things more serious, in this world, petrification cannot be reversed. It’s a fate so dark that everyone feels that
she doesn’t deserve it, and this includes Lilith. At the same time, it brings a welcome air of
humanity where for all her high class, she’s still capable of naïve mistakes
and acting before knowing all the details.
Balancing the situation, her wild sister proves to be quite mature in
the situation. When Luz comes to free
her, all Eda cares about is getting the human to go back to her realm where
she’ll be safe and just accepting petrification. I wouldn’t say this tops her emotional
sacrifice when her curse took hold last episode, but it comes close, and really
sells the endearing family bond between Eda and Luz. As for Lilith, it’s after this instance where
she goes on to atone for all her mistakes, and a lot of things come together in
a genuine manner.
Unsurprisingly, Luz is very aggressive towards Lilith after what she did to Eda, going all out with using her form of magic to attack her. Everyone winding up in the human realm where magic doesn’t work and Lilith agreeing she deserves Eda’s fate then brings many welcome insight to her background. Once Luz quells her aggression, focus turns to a flashback of Lilith and Eda’s youthful days. They were very close as children with Lilith making sure to look out for her sister, down to the point of using a spell to allow her to share any pain Eda would get. They were also powerful enough to try out for the Emperor’s Coven with Eda especially working hard enough to have a chance. This also answers why she originally wanted to join the coven; so that she and Lilith would be in something grand and special together. There was a catch to all this though when only one spot was available, and the only way to decide on who got the spot was a witch’s duel.
Like the stunt that she would later pull in “Covention,” Lilith obtained
something that would shake up the system and give her an advantage in the
duel. That would be the very scroll that
contained the curse, though Lilith was under the impression that it would only
strip Eda’s powers for a day. Then
there’s an air of tragedy as Eda’s love for her sister ruled, for she refused
to fight Lilith, dropping out of the duel, but that’s when her infamous beast
form took hold. This paints her whole
situation not out of malice, but out of a big mistake that drove Lilith with
guilt for all her life, giving context to all her past actions. It makes her feel much better rounded as a
character, and shows that she’s more complex than her usual qualities
suggest. It’s a clear example for why
the cast of characters is one of the biggest strengths of this show.
Once
Lilith’s stance is explained, the last moments of the finale fall into place,
giving solid resolutions to some of the conflicts while also setting up new
ones. Lilith’s betrayal to the emperor
is quickly uncovered and she’s imprisoned with Eda, leaving Luz to face Belos
alone. Despite him being a legitimately
powerful and intimidating force with a brand of magic unlike those of most
witches, Luz still holds reasonably strong against him. The spells she possesses even prove this as
they break off a piece of his mask. As
intimidating a villain Emperor Belos is though, his motives seem to be much
more specific than being malicious and power hungry alone. Throughout this episode, as well as the last
one, he constantly brings up that everything he’s doing comes from
communicating with a being called the Titan.
At this point, I can only assume that it’s the decaying corpse that the
Boiling Isles is built around. In any
case, there are suggestions that his motives or more complicated than
that. This is further proven when he
claims that his plan isn’t really to destroy Luz or even Eda, and they’ll be
spared as long as Luz gives him the portal that brought her to the demon
realm. The very move is one of many to
set a new status quo into motion, for giving up the portal means Luz will be
staying on the Boiling Isles for an unknown amount of time. That’s not even mentioning being separated
from her mother. Still, her love for her
mentor, and possibly everyone else she’s met on the Boiling Isles, is strong
enough to give into the demand to protect them.
Even so, she remains strong and resourceful as she manages to destroy
the portal just as Belos lets her go, prolonging whatever plan he has.
As
for Eda, not only does her disdain towards Lilith back down slightly when she
hears she betrayed the emperor, but the crowds of the Boiling Isles are led to
vouch for her. In some of their more
awesome moments, Willow and Gus advocate that Eda being petrified isn’t right
and everyone recounts the good she’s brought to their lives. It’s like the first signs of true revolution
against the rule of Emperor Belos, although since the petrification still goes
on as plan, it’s not at its most powerful yet.
Luckily, Luz is able to save Eda before anything bad comes to pass, and
they’re all quick to escape. However,
one ominous statement on what wild magic did to Eda from Emperor Belos shows
that his threat is still very much at large.
Then
there’s the overall resolution to the episode big on heart and even more long
lasting effects. Lilith, now officially
seeing the error of her ways, handles Eda’s curse once and for all. Using the same spell to share pain when they
were younger, both sisters hold a little bit of the curse. While this means their magic is weakened for
good with Eda's magic completely gone, it’s still the best way possible to get the curse under control. Plus, there’s an option for their magic to
continue with Luz stepping in to teach the magic she knows, opening the
possibility of her form of magic becoming a new norm. Speaking of Luz, she may not be able to have
a way home now, but with how much her social life has grown, she’s clearly in a
good state. It’s even bigger now that
Lilith is against the Emperor and back with her sister, even though signs are
present to show that true forgiveness will take a while. As you can tell, things are mostly wrapped up
nicely with a few loose ends, but the loosest end comes from one last scene
with Emperor Belos. To build up
excitement for future seasons, even though he lost the older portal, he’s shown
building a bigger one intended for an event called the Day of Unity. Something interesting is also done in regards
to the inhabitants of the Owl House where he doesn’t brand them as criminals,
but sends someone to spy on them.
Ultimately, his plans are very unknown, but again, it fills a season finale’s
obligation to build up excitement for what comes next.
Along
with the previous episode, this is an exciting closure to Season 1. It may not leave as strong an impact as the
first part, but in showing how the characters have grown and shaking up the
status quo, the resulting effects are definitely positive. You feel like something was gained from
following these characters leaving you emotionally invested in their trials,
and proud of where they end up. Above
all, it leaves you wanting more in terms of where their adventures will lead
when the time comes to revisit the Boiling Isles.
A
Fan Art
The Ranking
1. Enchanting Grom Fright
2. Agony of a Witch
3. Understanding Willow
4. Lost in Language
5. Adventures in the Elements
6. The Intruder
7. Covention
8. Young Blood Old Souls
9. Escape of the Palisman
10. Wing it Like Witches
11. The First Day
12. I Was a Teenage Abomination
13. Witches Before Wizards
14. Something Ventured, Someone Framed
15. A Lying Witch and a Warden
16. Sense and Insensitivity
17. Hooty’s Moving Hassle
18. Really Small Problems
19. Once Upon a Swap
Final Thoughts
There
have been times in my life where I’ve come across shows that I simply could not stop admiring and thinking about, with almost all their elements bringing huge intrigue. That’s a way of saying how engaging those
shows really were, and how they were huge sources of leisure that made life
worth living. In this modern age, I’m
proud to say that The Owl House is
one of those immensely engaging shows.
From its first season alone, it’s shown the makings of a quality work
easy to get fixated on through creative worlds, inspiring messages, and
especially endearing characters.
When it comes to shows taking place in a fantasy world, the best ones are those that immerse themselves in the imagination to the fullest extent possible. This show is no exception, and it’s very fitting that’s the case with the main setting inhabited by such a menagerie of witches and demons. There’s always something creative happening from all-out character designs, the settings that lend themselves to every adventure, and even deep insight to various major story beats. When you look around the Boiling Isles, the scenes always pop into life be it from the looks of a witch or demon or a vast variety of magical spells. In fact, magic itself is practically an element all its own. Much of it is separated amongst various characters in different tracks or covens marked by different colors, making it easy to tell everything apart.
Then you have
major outliers to the rule to add more intrigue to the subject. There’s Eda’s access to magic of all kinds,
including long unused spells, Luz’s ability to do magic with a multitude of
glyphs, and even Emperor Belos’ vastly different powers. How magic is utilized adds as much character
as the designs and personalities definitely helps the show define itself as a
creative experience. Plus, the many
locations of Boiling Isles go hand in hand with the inhabitants and the magic
they possess and further breathe life into the series. The Owl House itself is a stylish locale
appearance-wise, but through the deeper themes of the show, it soon makes sense
that its inhabitants are societal outliers.
Other reoccurring locations include the magic school, Hexside, where the
brimming magic and personalities make it stand out from the normal school
setup, and the Emperor’s Castle holding the darker sides of magic. Great creative appeal is also found through
one-off locations through their memorable impressions. There’s a convention that brings all the
different magic groups together, a library where contents of the books come
alive, a wholesome wintry location that turns out to be most principle in
magical development, and the ever-popular depiction of the inside of one’s mind. Just to add even more intrigue,
special events are given very creative touch, be it a sport with unpredictable
obstacles, or a school dance that exposes one’s deepest fears. With all this said, it’s no doubt a major
selling point to The Owl House that
you’ll be treated to one of the most immersive and creative experiences ever.
Endless
creativity in worlds and characters could be the biggest selling point for the
show, but a real measure of its endurance is how it balances fun imagination
with deep subjects. This way it’s able
to reach out, not just to kids, but to anyone of any age via universal themes
all people can imagine themselves in.
That’s a huge reason why everything The
Owl House has created for itself is so successful. The core theme of the series definitely fits
the universal standard, and it makes itself
known almost immediately. You have a main
protagonist, Luz, with an overt spirited passion that allows her to really
express herself, but also isn’t accepted by her peers. It’s only when she’s transported to an
all-out fantasy world when she and her interests finally start feeling at
home. Living here and learning its trade
of magic becomes her big chance to have a place where she can be accepted for
her true self. Granted, it doesn’t come
off very strongly at first with the premiere being very preachy with its
message and also ignorant of some legit problems Luz’s interests have
caused. Luckily, almost everything after
that greatly improves the presentation.
In addition to following Luz grow as a witch, several occasions bring to
light necessary measures to improve herself as well. She learns to manage expectations picked up
from the books she reads; sees the consequences of brash actions; understands
it can sometimes take a while to win someone over; realizes the issues of being somewhere without her mom knowing; and becomes considerate of how
others approach her extreme courses of action.
All
of these instances lend themselves well to the presentation of the main message from here, as
it’s seamlessly woven into the framework of the storytelling and is not preachy at
all. Interests and legit growth lead to
Luz becoming her own witch, showing clear transformation from awkward and
inexperienced to a uniquely powerful individual. This is evident in the ways she finds
non-biological ways of performing spells by drawing glyphs, sometimes in huge discoveries, and later during random activities. If you think the latter point is impressive,
consider just how much Luz actually uses the spells. Her use is limited at first, but as the
series goes on, they’re put to broader more apparent use in dangerous
situations. By the time she uses them
against the Emperor and hits him genuinely good in the season finale, it’s
clear that Luz may not be a chosen one, but she’s still destined for greatness. As you can see, this presentation of the
series’ come theme turns out to be very inspiring. Through balancing the notions of expressing
passions and holding back for the sake of good impressions, anyone can become
their best self.
The
more that’s seen of the series, the more impactful this main theme becomes. In
highlighting Luz’s growth as a witch, attention is also brought to her finding
an ideal place. No matter who anyone
watching the show may be, it’s believable that many could feel like they’re not
accepted for who they are, some more overtly than others. Through watching Luz’s struggles to fit in,
it becomes truly inspiring to watch her slowly consider the Boiling Isles the
place to be her best self. The core
theme is certainly a good fit for the eccentric fantasy lovers, but it gets
even broader as it relates to other members of the cast who each have their own
struggles. Audience members struggling
to find their talents and true status; suffering abuse from strict authorities
that shapes them into cold and miserable figures; blindly following a rule that
seems to do more harm than good; and living as parts of various races and
sexualities are sure to find hope that even when they don’t seem to fit in,
there’s always a place for them.
For
the message to leave an even bigger impact, it’s allowed to really shine
through the atmosphere of some seriously dark undertones. An example of this involves frequent explores
of Eda, for all her magical abilities most witches don’t have access to, having
to suffer a curse that turns her into a frightening monster. It’s somewhat great to see her take the right
measures to live a good life, but as the season goes on, it’s clear that the
curse has drawbacks even she can’t manage easily. By the season’s end when the curse completely takes over, the series is brought to new emotional heights effortlessly. True, the curse is later calmed enough to
turn Eda back to normal albeit without magic, but still. In the bigger picture though, there’s a huge
challenge to the series’ setup that can even make the multitude of witches and
demons feel unaccepted. It’s first shown
in a small extent in the series premiere with creatures of erratic differences
imprisoned, but it isn’t long before the dark weight of the concept gets even
bigger. Due to the tyrannical rule of
Emperor Belos, witches are prevented from using magic to their fullest extent
by being forced to choose one single coven and stay there forever. Only a select few can join a coven that
allows all magic, and that seems to come with a lot of pressure that has been
shown to do a lot of damage to one’s demeanor.
Eda is, or was, able to get around this by doing all magic without
joining a coven, but by this season’s end, her actions bring to light the
consequences of breaking this rule.
Witches of her kind are deemed to be using magic the wrong way and are
therefore wild and deserve to be petrified, a process that’s irreversible. However, the prospect of such a dark process
isn’t met with blind obedience, but rather several instances of rebellion which
I suspect will grow in future seasons.
It’s great to see that even under such powerful
purposes, the show is able to stick with its messages of allowing
self-expression for all kinds of people.
How it’s a matter that can connect to many and brings on some genuinely
bold story directions further shows the magnitude of this animated series as something great.
Of
all the elements of this series though, the one thing that makes things like
the imaginative world and inspiring themes work is the endearing cast. In fact, in my experience, you
could say that if you have characters of great personalities starring in any
project you undertake, everything else will write itself. The Owl
House may just be one of the strongest instances of this I have ever
seen. Starting with the main protagonist
Luz, there’s not much I can add to her since much of her development was
covered back in the look at the series theme.
However, I can say that as far as main protagonists go, she’s a truly
great one to follow. From the moment she
first appears, one can easily sense her appeal in how her charm and spunk
really livens things up.
Just her energy and enthusiasm is nothing short of a cute selling point
to her scenes as well as a strong tie to her always trying to express herself
through her fantasy passions. Plus, how
she continuously grow in maturity, consideration, and calculating serves as a
good balance for all her quirks, making for a truly well-rounded individual.
All
of these qualities are great for Luz herself, but her appeal is best
demonstrated as it brings out the best in the rest of the cast. The other main protagonists, Eda and King,
serve as a greatly appealing surrogate family for Luz during her time at the
Owl House. When she first comes, their
eccentricities seem to blow hers out of the water, with Eda being a laid-back
smart-talking witch and King supposedly being former ruler of demons. They may not seem like the caring type, but
Luz’s presence easily reveals them to be much more than that. King is already proof of this concept through
looking cute, his menacing words lacking true menace, and only getting Luz to
constantly coddle and pamper him. Still,
his lust for power grants him sympathy as he always feels from the heart
whenever he’s left out or not taken seriously.
Instances of this don’t always make for the best stories, but it’s well
in line with his primary characteristic.
Eda, on the other hand, is even more demonstrative of characters being
more than they seem. Given what she’s
like, when Luz first shows up in her life and has her be a mentor in the ways
of a witch, you’d think she wouldn’t be too up for that. As the series goes on, not only does Eda turn
out to be a solid mentor, but a genuinely great parental figure to Luz too. She may joke around and be snarky a lot, but
the show is quick show she also has good heart.
There’s genuine care to how she’d do anything for her roommate even if
there’s no weight to what he wants, and how she works hard to keep Luz safe and
provided for. Heck, the season finale is
like the culmination to all of Eda’s care for Luz as she willingly lets herself
succumb to the curse during a violent duel just to keep Luz alive. As for her mentorship, while she doesn’t do
much of it, what she does in that regard is very commendable. I mean, she has a
major disdain towards orderly thing like school, but is willing to let her
biases down to give Luz the best magic teaching possible, and it really
benefits her. In addition, what Eda
herself teaches Luz even has a deep basis for exactly how the human uncovers her own true power. All the while, Eda remains
delightfully charming being just as caring to Luz and later the other friends
she makes, as well as entertainingly charismatic.
Speaking
of Luz’s other friends, the rest of the cast does their part to make this show
as great as it is. With every
appearance, it’s telling that intense care is taken to portray them as likable
and prove that they’re more than whatever their introductions suggest. Now and then you have one-dimensional
characters like shallow bullies and figures only around for funny lines, but
the most prominent figures are those much broader than that. Luz’s first friends outside of her surrogate
family, Willow and Gus, mostly fit the basic role of her supportive friends
joining her for escapades, but they’re plenty compelling. They both start out as underdogs stemming
from lack of confidence and really wanting to fit in. As time goes on and they get to know Luz
more, they manage to pull off truly impressive plant and illusion respectively,
and even get in their own form of rebellion by season’s end. Personally, Willow stands out more between
the two with there being more heart to her challenges though. Nevertheless, in
addition to her and Gus being an enjoyable dynamic, their growth does have
legit merit. Character depth especially
astounds within those who appear much darker than most. Eda’s sister, Lilith, head of high and mighty
Emperor’s Coven, appears stern, uptight, and generally unpleasing. However, the fact that she lightens up at the
prospect of being with her sister again, even if potentially in something Eda
opposes, brings out a genuine light in her dark mood. Throughout the season, both sisters are
portrayed as rivals, but care is constantly taken to show there’s heart in
their sibling bond too. It seems like
the heart could mean nothing once it’s revealed that Lilith put that curse on
Eda, but disdain over this reveal doesn’t last too long. The last episode shows that everything Lilith
has done was to make up for this wrongdoing and fully repair her relationship
with her sister. Even more remarkable is
that at the same time, she realizes her faults in siding with the Emperor’s
Coven, goes against them, and is set up on a path to true redemption.
Ultimately, Lilith has a lot to think about as a character, and leaves plenty
of intrigue for where things will go with her in the future. I could also say the same about her former
authority figure Emperor Belos. He only appears in the last two episodes, but
his presence is felt through his tyrannical rules with his coven system, following
the “Titan’s will,” and petrifying ‘wild’ witches. However, when Luz and her family escape his
grasp, he doesn’t seem active in hunting them down, showing more interest in
Eda’s portal to the human world. This
begs a lot of questions on how genuine he is with his rules. Could it be that
he’s just using them as a way to pull off his own personal plan? Either way, the show is clearly doing
something right when even just a few appearances of a character build
anticipation for what more there is to be done.
Now
of all the characters, there’s one that just about perfectly embodies being
more than they seem, having several layers of appeal, and developing smoothly
and naturally. That character is Amity
Blight, and as you watch the series, it’s truly surprising how much she steals
the show. Her first moments suggest big
clarity to exactly what we’re in for with her, but every appearance shows just
how complex she really is. In fact, her first moments present her as just your standard mean girl most wouldn’t want
anything to do with, valuing her high status and belittling those beneath
her. However, those first impressions
turn out to be precisely why Amity turns out to be so great. Every subsequent starring role following this
is dedicated to exploring a new area of her character and significant ways of
her changing for the better. You’d think
all she cares about is achieving perfection, but she’s actually very moral by
wanting to earn it fairly and being distraught when tricked into breaking the
rules. Heck, she even sounds like she’s
pressured into being perfect, begging questions if it’s what she truly
wants. Another appearance shows
her genuinely enjoying simpler pastimes like reading to kids and indulging in the
fantasy novels Luz happens to be into. This aspect confirms that while she may not
have seemed like it at first, Amity really is a good sympathetic soul at heart,
but the life she leads has conditioned her not to show this. A big source of this comes from her family
consisting of relentlessly teasing older siblings, and even more pressing,
parents who use their authority to have her fit a certain role. Now, all we see of Amity’s parents this
season is how they made her severe ties with her former best friend, Willow, but
I’m inclined to believe that’s just a small extent of their power.
Thankfully,
for Amity’s sake, she ultimately finds a way to embrace all her good qualities
through Luz coming into her life.
Really, Luz’s presence on the Boiling Isles naturally brings out the
best traits of everyone she meets, but this quality is at its most apparent
with Amity. At first, adhering to the
toxic mentality of her family name she’s grown up with, Amity doesn’t want
anything to do with Luz. She puts her down for trying to learn magic even
though she’s a human, and gives her the most blame for every bad
occurrence. Despite this, Luz is able to
see through Amity’s cold exterior and understand where she’s coming from. When Amity is distraught over the bad outcome of a witch’s duel, Luz comforts her by proving that she works as hard at magic as
Amity does via the glyphs she knows. An
even bigger example is when Luz first notices Amity’s sweet side, something
implied to not be accepted by her authorities, fully making her interested in
befriending her. Instead of judgement and disdain, though it takes time to
prove this, Luz instead responds with acceptance. Wholesomely bonding during an escapade at the
library and Luz allowing her to borrow one of her prized books further do a
world of good for Amity. It’s Luz’s
instances of compatibility and care that allow her an outlet where she can be
her best self and not have to worry about coming off as strong and
perfect. Because of this, Amity
continuously rediscovers her true self as her respect for Luz only grows from
here. She adopts a tendency to stop at
nothing to keep Luz from getting hurt no matter how badly Luz messes up, and
works together well with Luz who never judges her own mistakes.
Through
the intricate care to Amity’s character and how Luz brings out all the layers
showing she’s more than her cold exterior suggests, what it all leads to
seems like poetic justice. Within the
last few episodes of the season, all their time together leads to a surprising
culmination in which Amity flat out falls in love with Luz. It isn’t even implied either, a refreshing
change of pace for how couples are typically built up, and standing out a lot
more with this being an LGBT ship.
There’s Amity
timid with a note asking Luz out, the two getting very intimate in a dance, and
an abundance of blushing and awkward talk from Amity whenever Luz greets her. In addition, when considering all the
hardships that Amity has to live through, this romance stands as something more
meaningful than just a separate element.
Because Luz has shown Amity great kindness and gestures purely from the
heart despite all animosity she's gotten from her, Amity now has a place where she's never judged for how she acts. Luz has simply
been the only figure in her cold, authoritative life to give her what she
needs, so it’s no wonder Amity would see her as someone special she’d never
want to lose. She’s a character you can
tell desperately needs happiness, and the amount of times she and Luz are
paired together builds the potential for that once the couple comes to pass.
Although Amity
is currently doing all the explicit flirting while Luz is oblivious to it all, there are a couple signs that lean to the possibility of Luz returning those
feelings. For one thing, even back when they weren't on the best terms, Luz has appeared the most interested and excited in befriending Amity. That would make sense considering how, out of all the friends she's made, Amity shares a lot of what she's really into. There’s also a sincerity in tone
and posture to her service and concerns of Amity that easily puts aside her
usual eccentricities. To add a broader background, this also
occurred back when they were rivals. Luz
also goes on to trust Amity enough to seek advice from her and confide in her with personal problems, things she’s never shown to do prior, except maybe around
Eda. Let’s not even forget Luz actually
seeming to want to do something big and grand for Amity. Their last moment together this season has
Amity break her leg with Luz, initially concerned for her well-being, happily
stepping in to carry Amity like a bride.
The charm, the sweetness, and all the ways these characters bring out
the best in each other definitely give good reasons to want them to come
together. However, the fact that Amity’s
big role this season gets her a broken leg does have a significant connection
to this next point.
It’s
clear that The Owl House has a lot of
ambition with its story and characters, the major foundations of the true
strength of an animated work. In a way,
the word to describe how much of them introduced in Season 1 alone is crazy. While this shows the series has a lot to work
with, there are also times where certain story beats and characters are given
memorable performances, but don’t really lead to anything. Some unresolved plot points are a given to be
explored in later seasons such as Emperor Belos’ Day of Unity, the truth behind
King’s background, who the Titan is exactly, and Luz finding a way to reconnect
with her mother on Earth. Then you have
story and character elements that have significant appearances that feel
unresolved due to never tying into anything bigger. Some of them feel like superfluous obstacles
like Tibbles whose schemes involving cards and an obvious carnival are mostly
there for light-hearted fare without significant weight. Less laughable is a being called the Bat
Queen who has a connection with Eda, leaves an offering of treasure and a whistle, and
connects to the background of palismen.
Despite bringing a lot of mystery and promise for big reveals, the Bat
Queen just shows up in two episodes, and then nothing is done with her afterwards. You’re just left wondering things like who
her owner was and what her whistle does, and these big things being ignored
bring fear that those answers may never come. The same can also be said for what the deal with the Good Witch Azura books is. Once it's revealed that these books Luz is into somehow existing on the Boiling Isles which Eda has no knowledge of, you have to wonder how they exist in both worlds. They're brought up this season with great intrigue, but like the Bat Queen, they're totally unresolved.
As
to how this connects to Amity’s last big role in Season 1 getting her a broken
leg, this turns out to be perhaps the biggest instance of unresolved story and
character beats. As extensively
discussed earlier, she’s had a lot of great development as well as attention
and appearances throughout this season.
This steers us to the subject of season finales. By nature, most would expect them to be grand
events to wrap up what came before in the season and prepare for what’s to come. Aiding in the grandeur is usually all the
characters who left the strongest impact throughout the season coming together
for their own grand performance. Amity
certainly left a strong impact, but when we reach the end of the season, she’s
given nothing but an injury that leaves her unable to really do anything in the
last two episodes. Everything shown of
her says she’s destined for bigger things, but when all is said and done,
everyone gets a big thing to do at the end of this season except for her. That simply doesn’t feel right and is
completely disproportionate to the attention she had beforehand.
Now,
one logical reason I can think of for why this and other exciting story and
character moments were cast aside were time reasons. In recent years, a very common criticism for
shows has been that they’ve felt too fast-paced, slow-paced, or just plain
underdeveloped. When it comes to TV
episodes, they can only tell so much in a fixed amount of time, so as a result,
telling stories and fleshing out characters in a satisfying way can be most
difficult. In the case of the last two
episodes of this first season, it was a necessity to get to get somewhere with
elements like Eda’s curse, Emperor Belos, and Eda and Lilith's relationship. Those had a lot of weight and urgency to them
throughout the season, maybe even the most urgency, and they could not be left
ignored for long. As those episodes
showed, those plot points had a lot to unpack, so it’s understandable that
there wasn’t room for any other major elements or roles for in-depth
characters. If they tried to fit them in
there, any development could have run the risk of feeling rushed, take away
from what needed to be focused on, and not being satisfying in their own right. The fact that the last episode, “Young Blood
Old Souls,” feels less grand and impactful than many other episodes, including
its predecessor, supports this perception.
This
is probably why characters like Willow and Gus, who honestly don’t have much to
work with as characters, got chances to shine in the finale and Amity
didn’t. It seems indicative that she’s
here for more than just the romance angle.
Shown as early as the fifth episode, Amity herself has a tie with things
like the emperor with her being set up to work hard to be the best and join the
Emperor’s Coven. That’s something simply
too big for what the final two episodes were meant to fully explore. Imagine how intense a confrontation with her
mentor, Lilith, would have been considering that she showed a lack of faith in
her protégée’s abilities behind her back.
I bring this up because it's implied that Amity lost a lot
of respect for Lilith after that witches’ duel, and that they were never very
close to begin with. The point is featuring something like this here could have
badly affected the pacing, and taken away from Lilith’s needed confrontation
with Eda. It might have also meant that
Eda’s sacrifice would not be the emotional highlight that it is if Amity was
involved.
Then
there’s the matter of Amity setting out to join the Emperor’s Coven. On the surface, it seems like a huge
aspiration of hers, but through closer looks, her stances on this goal seem a
lot more complex than that. For one
thing, she only really puts a lot of focus on joining the coven in one episode,
and never openly brings it up again anywhere else. That begs questions as to how much she herself actually aspires for that. Also factor
in how she seems much happier doing activities unrelated to training for the
coven, the fact that her biggest fear only involves her love for Luz, and that
she comes from parents who say that people in her family only associate with
the best of the best, demonstrating lots of stress and pressure. Heck, her only line throughout all of the
last two episodes is “Shut up,” and that’s directed at a poster of Lilith and
the Emperor’s Coven. This leads me to
believe that Amity never really valued being the best witch with the best
status in the best coven, and it was all a goal her parents have been forcing
on her. Only Luz showing up in her life
has gotten her to realize this and start embracing her true self. While all of this makes sense though, it
hasn’t been explicitly stated. If that were to happen, it would probably be presented
in a huge character building moment for Amity.
The thing is, again, the finale to Season 1 simply didn’t have room for
that. Now the best outcome is that all
of this will happen in the following season, whenever it comes. I know from experience that the length of hiatuses
of shows are very unpredictable, some even lasting as long as a year. I’m usually fine with waiting for shows, but
a great character like Amity exiting this season doing virtually nothing after
lots of attention and development will make this wait pretty hard. I’m left feeling anxious to see the closure
of her role in heavy series matters.
While I would like what I discussed to happen and I think that it makes
the most sense to happen, for all we know, the actual series may go in a
completely different direction. It may
not even be totally emotionally satisfying.
Ultimately, I’m only left to speculate what will happen and won’t be
able to fully come to terms with things until more episodes air. That’s enough to really get one fixated on
this show, both for the better and the worst.
That being said, you could say that the show is doing right by making
its audience want more.
Overall
though, a great work of animation is a very welcome thing to turn to when
dealing with the difficulties of the real world, and The Owl House is definitely one to fit the bill. The world is imaginative, its messages are
universal and inspiring, and bringing everything together are characters that
are very easy to invest a lot of care in, even if they’re not real. I’d even go so far as to say that for a TV
series, this has all the makings of a Disney classic destined to be remembered
for ages. I have no idea where exactly
it will go next or when more material will come, but several things are for
sure. I’m excited to check out any of its new surprises, following story
directions, and especially more time with its amazing characters. This is a series that successfully brings
light into a dark world, saying there’s a place for absolutely everyone no matter
who they are, and you can’t ask for better than that.
Highly Recommended
Be sure to stay tuned for reviews of the remaining episodes of Amphibia Season 1. Until then:
Stay Animated Folks!
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