If you like this review and want to stay updated for what else I have in store, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter. Now on with today's review:
Through the Looking Glass Ruins
The most central character to this episode is Gus, and his role nicely serves the best parts of his character. In all honesty, I often view Gus as one of the weaker protagonists. It usually feels like he’s mostly just there for laughs that tend to get old quick, and he usually feels the least productive in plots. In the case of this episode, his story takes him through a mature and relatable conflict on what to do with his life as well as his magical abilities. He specializes in illusion magic, and has frequently proven to be very talented there, but the start of this episode puts him in a funk on whether it’s actually impressive. It doesn’t help that this type of magic led him to accidentally injure Willow in an unseen incident with pixies. Basically, Gus is set up to try and forge a different path for himself through feeling insignificant with what he already follows. It’s a relatable dilemma speaking to people of any age and covering the drama that comes with uncertainty over what to do with life. What follows though is an endearing way for Gus to see value in his natural talents.
It happens when he comes across a group of kids from the often mentioned rival magic school Glandus. There’s Gavin, an abomination student with parent issues, Angmar a plant magic demon with a fascination for insects, and their high-spirited leader, Bria. When they appear defending the town from a rampaging monster, their different magical abilities are certainly impressive, as is their apparent chemistry as a team. This dynamic more or less being what Gus wants, he’s enticed to introduce himself to the Glandus group and join them on a mission of theirs. They’re venturing to a place called the Looking Glass Ruins in search of powerful artifacts called Galderstones, said to amplify any kind of magic with tangible effects. While this means they wouldn’t do much for Gus’ illusions, they’d be very good enhancements for everyone else in the group. With the aid of glyphs Luz lets him borrow though, Gus is granted a reason to go along with the Glandus kids after all. All the while, they appear to have solid philosophies to live by that motivates their pursuit of the Galderstones. They approach this dangerous quest understanding how scary it could be, but believe they can get through anything as long as they stick together. That’s not even mentioning how they hope to use the Galderstones to help make the world better and praising Gus for his contributions to the quest, even if it’s the glyphs talking. It’s a pleasing dynamic all throughout that seems to be a welcome new magical outlet for Gus, making him feel like he belongs while also furthering his potential. Then everything changes when they actually reach the Looking Glass Ruins.
The Galderstones are soon uncovered, and it isn’t long before they’re revealed to live up to their promise. Based on the pleasing portrayals of the Glandus kids from earlier and claims of what they’d do with them, it wouldn’t be wrong to think of the benefits coming from this find. However, it’s here where Gus shows some of his best and most mature appeal as a character when he discovers the truth of the ruins. Through investigating the statues, he learns that the place is really a graveyard for illusionists, and the Galderstones belonged to them. The mature bit is that Gus opts to not take the Galderstones and give into their powerful promise, instead leaving them to their original owners.
It’s here where the biggest disappointment for this story unfolds. The Glandus kids, so far, have seemed like a fairly nice and likable group of kids with good words to live by as well as solid compatibility. When they aggressively object to Gus’ refusal to take the stones, they get antagonistic and show no good intention with taking them, especially Bria. In other words, they’re perfectly ok with what’s essentially a robbery and are mad with power for the Galderstones, the essence of unlikable jerks. These unfortunate reveals continue when the group is caught by a big whale-like creature said to be the guardian of the ruins. Gus suddenly runs out of glyphs, but he later proves the usefulness of illusions by using one to scare the guardian away. Not only does this move work, but it also reveals that the guardian was the work of another illusionist using his magic to scare intruders to the ruins away. Interesting of a twist as it is, it leads to a sorry state of affairs as the Glandus kids overpower and capture them all, not holding back in continuing to belittle the illusionists. After all the genuineness to their teamwork and sticking up for others, it’s hard to sit with this sudden reveal of their true nature. At the same time, there is some logic to their behavior where at Glandus, it’s said that students have to be tough and uncompromising in order to get by. Still, little to no acknowledgement to the heart behind their actions squashes the potential for truly in-depth characters.
While it is very disappointing that the newly introduced characters turn out to be jerks, the important thing is that the experience does a lot of good for Gus. Surprisingly, it also brings out actual humanity for a former rival of his from a past starring role, Mattholomule. Back then, Mattholomule came off as a very unlikable jerk himself, always belittling Gus and his potential. As a result, seeing him alongside Gus and the Glandus kids does not seem very welcoming. This is why it turns out to be surprising that he turns out to be more sympathetic than the Glandus kids. Even before the reveal of their true nature, he’s shown to be a lackey to them doing various menial tasks, as they constantly point out how he’s not Glandus material. In a way, any edgy jerky remark he gives Gus here is his way of survival amongst this new social group. Also, with a mention that he had to endure bullying from his older brother to get a map for the Glandus kids, it’s implied that he gets mistreated a lot.
For that, when things get tough, it’s impressive that Mattholomule turns out to be the most sympathetic next to Gus. He too is unsure of the kids’ use of the Galderstones, and takes it upon himself to free Gus and the old illusionist master from the trappings the Glandus kids put them in.
This in turn leads to an exciting show of magic to resolve all of this. Gus performs a grand display of illusions to get the Glandus kids out of the ruins. Angmar and Gavin are easy to lure away by creating illusions that appeal to their interests, though it's very clear that Gavin will realize what he sees isn't real later on. Bria, on the other hand, gets the biggest illusions which makes it appear that the ruins have come alive and are attacking and petrifying her. The rising tension, staging, and Bria’s horrified reactions sell this sequence as a grand spectacle of frights and technical elements. Above all, it’s an effective way to help Gus see that the magic he excels at does have worth, and he himself has talents to be proud of. Seeming to start befriending Mattholomule after this is also a good plus. Their rivalry turned friendship might not be as charming as another one from this show, but it’s still an interesting twist for the story. Even if it has disappointment in devaluing good depth and likability from the Glandus kids, there’s still a good amount of payoffs for the characters worth liking and following.
Despite it being relegated to a B-plot, the other set of characters majorly involved in the story also bring a lot of appeal and intrigue. In fact, their role is as strong if not stronger than the main role. For one thing, its premise is a direct continuation of a huge lore reveal from the last episode where Luz learned of another human who lived on the Boiling Isles. She’s inspired to head to the library to research this human as well as find something he left there, in turn learning how to get back to the human realm. All the while, there’s one element to really make Luz’s research attempts very endearing.
As this is all taking place at the library, one can easily be reminded of how important it is to her relationship with Amity. It was here where Luz not only first saw Amity’s sweet caring side, i.e. the real her, but their adventures there are what ultimately led to them seriously befriending each other. With how much their relationship has grown at this point, it would be appropriate to anticipate seeing where their time in the library now will take them. It’s especially interesting with how Luz views Amity now.
This episode makes it very apparent that Amity saving Luz from that abomination robot really caused her to start seeing Amity in a whole new way. In the first place, a conversation with Gus heavily implies that Luz has been borrowing his library card just to see Amity there very frequently between then and now. Then, just like how Amity constantly blushes at Luz, this episode basically showcases Luz blushing at Amity as a norm. In other words, the instance of that in “Escaping Expulsion” was not a spur-of-the-moment thing; it was a major development of perception. Luz just happens to see Amity do something cute like putting her hair up, or gets closer to her than normal, and that’s all it takes for her face to go red and her words to stumble. With all this said, there now is no doubt that the romance between them is fully mutual, and it's a good circumstance to be at the center of Luz’s goal.
Because Amity is a well-known library employee, it’s fortunate that she’s able to function as a guide to Luz. That human who lived on the Boiling Isles hundreds of years ago, Philip Wittebane, left an old diary in a section of the library which Amity has access to. In setting out to retrieve it, there are several pleasing and healthy instances of her and Luz’s dynamic. The location of the diary, the Forbidden Stacks, is only permitted to the master librarian, and if Amity is caught there, she could lose her job. Luz understands this, and instead of doing the reckless thing and opting to go in anyway, she feels like playing things safe so Amity doesn’t have to lose what’s important to her. To make it clear, this is a hindrance to Luz finding a way home, yet she’s putting Amity’s needs first. However, Amity is more than willing to put Luz’s needs first, with it being her idea to go into the section as long as they stay sneaky and quiet, despite knowing the risk.
This continues into this very section while also setting up new potential areas for this growing relationship. Among more cute moments of blushing, intimacy, and bonding over the sounds of Luz’s home realm, Luz brings up the possibility of actually showing Amity the human realm. Once again, while she loves the thought of this, Luz feels that they shouldn’t go any further out of concern of Amity potentially losing her job. Amity, however, becomes determined to finish the quest and doesn’t want anything to stop it. Some could say this is her love talking, but it could also be for a much bigger desire than a date. Going to a different world does mean an entire space away from her old controlling life where she can be true to herself without judgement, and be with who she loves. It’s just a telling sign of how powerful and meaningful this romance is, and it’s just plain interesting to see how it has as much thought put into it as the show’s main elements.
It’s clear that Luz and Amity’s relationship is very charming and admirable, but where this story takes them brings some heavy truths to the idea of even going through love. They eventually find the diary, but it’s apparently been eaten up by a mouse, suggesting that this quest was for nothing and Luz has no way home. It’s understandably so frustrating that she lashes out in anger at the mouse, blowing their cover, and causing Amity to lose her job as feared.
Looking at Amity’s background, this scenario is understandably very devastating to her. Like Luz and her friends, the library was a place of escapism for Amity where she could be her true warm caring self, and have her own space away from the world. Now because of this whole escapade, it’s gone, and this leads her to reflect on her feelings. Breaking into tears, Amity laments how she’s led to do stupid things from being around Luz, with interactions and gestures since her feelings became apparent proving this. Through saying she wishes being with Luz didn’t cause her to do stupid things though, it’s clear that she truly does like being with Luz, demonstrating major complications. Still, gay or straight, from many works of media I’ve seen, this is generally a part of what it’s like to be in love with someone. Considering that Luz is Amity’s first major crush, these feelings are understandably unrecognizable from the controlling routine life she’s used to; heck, they’re even scary. Coupled with how they just caused her to lose something important to her, it makes sense for Amity to react as she does.
Despite Amity referring to her own feelings and how she takes being with Luz, the words she uses make it seem like she’s blaming Luz. As Luz knows that her blurting out is what caused Amity to get spotted and has been seeing herself as a burden lately, she’s moved to tears from this scenario too. It’s like she’s getting a confirmation that she really does only cause problems which is inaccurate and very depressing. You can just feel the strain as she tries to force back her tears and smile to reassure Amity that she’s not alone with doing stupid things; that’s true for Luz when she’s with Amity too. This could be seen as endearing if not for Luz’s true emotions being so apparent, not to mention Amity’s reaction to them, and her own feelings intensifying and confusing her more. They ultimately part ways, while the audience is left to recoil in how this dynamic is practically as emotional as it is charming. At the same time, it is admirable of how honest this scene is with how hard love can be, especially when it’s felt for the first time. This is why the resolution to these events is such a strong payoff.
In this episode’s spirit of showcasing major character development, more of its most pleasing developments come from Amity’s older twin siblings, Edric and Emira. Like Amity, they were introduced with rather unpleasing impressions with pranks and schemes that could potentially harm her which they never seemed to realize. It’s been ever since then that they’ve improved immensely, slowly proving to be good, even loving siblings at heart. There were only small instances of their good sides in Season 1, but Season 2 is already in good stride of showing off the caring sides of the twins. There was a brief scene of them offering assistance in the rescue scene in “Escaping Expulsion,” but the care they show in this episode really shines. At the library, amidst their snarky attitudes and joking about, they see the blossoming romance between their sister and her friend, and wisely don’t interfere. However, the biggest instance of care the twins show follows Luz and Amity’s emotional discussion of their feelings after Amity is sacked from the staff. It’s as if Amity now has a healthy outlet to talk about such a personal issue in the form of her siblings.
As she confides to them how Luz’s presence has led to unknown thoughts and feelings, they offer a welcome way of perceiving them. Despite everything, all of this is actually good for Amity because she’s actually happy for once, at least for the first time since before she was forced to cut ties with Willow. Moreover, Amity actually sees merit in this philosophy, as she’s inspired to make a big change for herself. During the hiatus, it was stated in an AMA that her unique hairstyle and its green color was a result of her mother’s control to have all Blight children be color-coordinated. It was a telling and sorry example of Amity not making her own choices and forced to live in someone else’s image. Here, however, she’s moved to show off her own identity by dying her hair a completely different color, and cutting it into a whole new style. This can be looked at as another stupid thing that could get her in trouble with her mother, but that apparently doesn’t matter. It’s a change that makes Amity happy, and is reflective of the real her. With her making this move to do what’s pleasing to herself, it’s telling that she’s actually seeing merit in her feelings for Luz.
Speaking of Luz, she arrives at Amity’s doorstep shortly after this change is made having dealt with the situation her own way. First off, it’s pretty sad that she arrives ready to accept that Amity may never want to see her again, though thankfully those feelings slowly fade away. After some affection over Amity’s new hair, Luz reveals that she resolved the library mess by doing dangerous chores in exchange for Amity getting her job back. From how beaten up she looks, you easily feel the dedication Luz has for Amity, and in spite of any pain she’s gotten, it’s worth it knowing Amity’s reclaimed something important to her.
There’s even good progress for Luz’s goal of getting home after all, with her having picked up that mouse who ate the diary in her chores. According to Amity, the mouse has the ability to play back whatever it eats. She demonstrates its ability by having it play old memories of Philip Wittebane and his recordings. It’s very brief, albeit highlighted by a stylized cutout animation style, but it’s a strong start to promising reveals of this new piece of Boiling Isles lore sure to follow. On another note, it nicely softens the blow of Luz’s guilt over their exposure in the first place. Amity could have told her about the mouse sooner, and then she wouldn’t have gotten so upset when she saw it ate the diary, but that’s just me. Anyhow, the main plot is progressed nicely and Luz shows her own appeal from the affection she shows the mouse and all she went through to get Amity her job back. It leads into a very rewarding way to finish off the episode.
Moved by her charm and grace, Amity gives Luz a kiss on the cheek without hesitation. For someone known for being too flustered, timid, and in this episode confused, by her feelings, this is a bold move for Amity here. It also means good hope for the relationship with its progress being made clear as early as it is. This is only the fifth episode of the second season, and they just had their first kiss. This means this relationship’s development is not being dragged out and saved for the end where it could interfere with bigger plot points. Even straight couples can’t escape that setup. Still, Amity is unsure if Luz will still like her after this as she leaves the scene embarrassed right after doing it, but the audience can tell Luz is very much touched by the kiss. Despite not giving a clear answer, Luz eyes growing and sparkling and the final shot of her sinking to her knees show she was moved in a positive way. What’s more, it’s exactly what Luz needs after believing she ruined things with Amity. This girl who’s been seeing herself as a burden and probably unable to be loved has been shown that yes, she is capable of being loved, making up for all prior emotion. Amity’s love for Luz is out in the open now, and it’s clear there’s no going back. Since the audience is also aware of Luz’s feelings for Amity, it’s easy to anticipate the inevitable moment where she lets Amity know that she loves her too, but that's another episode. Basically, for all its layers, how it connects to the main plot instead of distracting from it, and ending up emotionally appealing, this episode has a lot to love with this romance.
In spite of feeling like two disconnected stories told at once, the elements of this episode come together as a satisfying whole. It’s all because of the care put into the characters that make the entire series as great as it is to begin with. Their chemistry, development, and overall craftsmanship to their adventures is some of the most impressive of recent animated shows, ultimately standing as timeless.
A
Fan Art
Series Ranking
1.
Enchanting Grom Fright
2.
Agony of a Witch
3. Echoes of the Past
4. Escaping Expulsion
5.
Understanding Willow
6.
Lost in Language
7.
Adventures in the Elements
8.
The Intruder
9.
Covention
10. Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances
11. Through
the Looking Glass Ruins
12.
Young Blood Old Souls
13.
Separate Tides
14.
Escape of the Palisman
15.
Wing it Like Witches
16.
The First Day
17.
I Was a Teenage Abomination
18.
Witches Before Wizards
19.
Something Ventured, Someone Framed
20.
A Lying Witch and a Warden
21.
Sense and Insensitivity
22.
Hooty’s Moving Hassle
23.
Really Small Problems
24.
Once Upon a Swap
The next Owl House review confronts Luz with the lack of weight to her goal of being a witch when everyone gets their palismen, and we learn more about the Golden Guard.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews is "Swamp and Sensibility" and "Wax Museum" in Amphibia.
If you would like to check out other Owl House reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.
No comments:
Post a Comment