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O Titan, Where Art Thou?
The stakes of the story are rising significantly as is usually the case the further it goes, and the past several episodes have not let up on how hard they are on the main protagonists. They’ve been faced with near-traumatizing reveals, learned disturbing truths about their backgrounds, and struck with emotional turmoil and uncertainty of the future. If that’s not enough, just after a scene threatening to uphold their security, the previous episode held off on revealing their fates by not showing them at all. Luckily, the audience is able to finally catch up with them in this episode big on welcome insights on how they’re dealing with their current situations.
In accordance with the title, the driving after effect of the protagonists’ plights is King learning that he’s a Titan, the last and youngest Titan to be exact. Such a reveal is not something to take lightly with the entire Boiling Isles composed of a fallen corpse of a Titan. It would be appropriate for King to be viewed in the high regard he wanted for himself for most of his life.
There is at least one thing to highlight the big status that comes from him being a Titan with the opening scene showing him dream of being in the presence of the Collector. In fact, it’s in the same space Luz found herself in during her portal experiment. The Collector themselves also seem to have a more innocent portrayal than before, making it seem like all they really want is friends, a very relatable and humane motive. There are bigger mysteries to this character set up as well as welcome background from what is shown, but the opening scene is all that’s shown of this element. It’s mostly here to show the weight of how big King being a Titan is. What’s more, he, Luz, and Hooty soon discover how much things have changed for their daily lives.
Everyone just wants to get home and get on with their lives, but since the Day of Unity is approaching as well as the fact that Luz was in the emperor’s mind, that’s not so easy. Wanted posters of all the Owl House inhabitants are way more prominent than ever, and the house itself is in terrible disarray with all its furniture and amenities confiscated. Fortunately, Eda and Lilith were not captured and escaped to the snowy Knee to hide before the coven scouts could get them, and it isn’t long before Luz, King, and Hooty find them. After everyone is together again and Eda and Lilith learn the big reveals about King, his feelings on the situation become a compelling drive for the story for the main protagonists. King is left with uncertainty and near-depression over finally knowing who he really is. Lilith, a known worshiper of the sacred background of the Boiling Isles, pampers him with the high praise he’s always wanted, but he can’t bring himself to enjoy it. It’s a very clear identity crisis for the character portrayed very believably. Such feelings are a background for Luz and Eda’s big roles for the episode as well. While Luz is eager to defeat Emperor Belos, she also sees how distraught King is over who he really is and takes it upon herself to do something about it. Eda is silent on a potential plan to stop the emperor’s plans, but Luz sets her focus on giving King some sense of familiarity. It involves going on a heist for one particular confiscated amenity from the Owl House, King’s prized stuffed bunny Francois. This in turn showcases a major tendency of Luz to feel like she needs to shoulder the problems of everyone she knows and loves, which will bring major effects later on. As for Eda, the situation leaves her in a more emotional parental situation. She was last seen lamenting over how she will protect Luz and King from danger, and the feelings have only exacerbated here. She’s at her most hopeless in this situation with nothing planned, and this matter is concealed from the eager Luz. To her, everyone is doomed and there’s nothing they can do about it. These emotional backgrounds for the three characters set them up for a troubling beginning, but the rest of the episode manages to bring them all to satisfying places.
Since he’s central to the main drive of this episode, King’s identity crisis gets particular focus going forward. Amongst his uncertainty over being a Titan and being unable to appreciate Lilith’s praise over his deity status, he walks off on his own to contemplate life. On the way, he meets a familiar coven scout with a given name and a history of little moments of legit endearment, Steve. As King explains his sorry state, Steve sympathizes with him, and takes him for a motorcycle ride of self-discovery. What follows is a simple montage of all the sights they see and the memories they make. King clearly feels more at peace in these moments, though he still has some instances of trying to be a Titan. A notable example is him posing as an isle in the middle of water with paper figures of people on him representing inhabitants of the demon realm. By the end of his motorcycle trek though, King admits that having power and authority and respect solely based on the species he is just isn’t worth it. He may be a Titan, but he’d rather live a simple life as Eda’s kid. As Steve officially throws off his coven scout uniform in response, revealing his true charming demon design, King’s identity crisis seems to be resolved. It may not be shown as prominently as its focus suggests, but it’s still admirable for his emotions to come to a believable conclusion of healthy reassurance.
At the same time, even more emotion comes from Luz and Eda’s portion for the episode as they go through with the heist for King’s bunny. As Luz approaches it with confidence and determination, there’s underlying weight to this whole thing on Eda’s end. Though the heist itself goes fairly easy for them, there’s still the matter of Eda worrying about the safety of Luz and King. It comes to a head when during their search for Francois, Eda overhears a coven scout contacting Raine Whispers, still keeping up their charade of serving the emperor. They demand the scout to keep searching for Eda and bring her to them, but then Eda manages to get on the contact line and confronts them with her biggest desperation yet. As someone known to fight against authority, Eda tells Raine that she’s willing to give themselves up if they keep Luz and King out of harm’s way for the Day of Unity. This show of parental fear for her kids’ safety is so genuine, even Raine, who’s deliberately trying to keep up an appearance, breaks their role to agree to these arrangements. However, Eda dealing with her emotional problems bring those of another to the forefront.
It turns out that Luz heard all of Eda’s talk with Raine, and she is very distraught about Eda sending her away and not letting her help stop the Day of Unity. From the very sounds of what was heard, Luz gets the impression that even after how much she has grown and what she’s accomplished, Eda sees her as weak and incapable. Not only that, but it only enhances her own beliefs that people see her as nothing more than a burden and nothing can fix that. It’s very emotional to see Luz break down like this over the apparent impressions, with everything she sees Eda do touching very personal issues for her. This is further proven by Luz physically fighting Eda to keep her from sending her away, her fury seeming to back up her display of offences. One could only wonder if this was how she really felt about her mother sending her away to the camp at the start of the series and if that made her feel insignificant. However, it should be noted that Luz feeling that Eda thinks she’s insignificant are a conclusion she’s jumped to, and what happens next is quick to show this to her. The scuffle between her and Eda gets the attention of the coven scouts, and they’re arrested.
While they’re locked up, Luz tells Eda off for not letting her in on the plan, in turn getting Eda to confess that she has no plan, and the whole situation feels hopeless. Luz understands all of this, but her rage at Eda turns to desperation as she begs her to fight back and not give up to the point of promising to be completely obedient to her. This simple moment also says a lot about Luz, relating to how she’s come to see her loved ones as a part of a family. Knowing that she’s already lost her dad, the idea of losing anymore family members is very devastating, and seeing Eda give up and not fight back brings an impression of that happening. Much like how she agreed to her mom’s promise, in this situation, Luz becomes vulnerable enough to forsake what she believes in just so she can still be with her loved ones. It’s one of the biggest examples of how Luz has a lot more heavy emotions going on than her usual positive demeanor suggests. Like with her feeling insignificant, the threat of being separated from family members drives even bigger aggression as she breaks out of her imprisonment ready to fight.
While the moment sets up major aggression from Luz, the ending is actually pleasing and reassuring, which is very fitting after what the protagonists have been through. She and Eda are rescued not just by Lilith, King, Steve, and Hooty, but also Raine and their allies, Darius, Eberwolf, and even Raine’s old crew from the BATTs released from prison. It’s here where they make their rebellion officially known as the Covens Against The Thrown, or the CATTs, and offer all the hope the protagonists need. Though it isn’t explained in detail, they have a plan to stop the Day of Unity, and are happy to let Eda and the others in on it. There’s even an endearing moment for Eda and Raine’s romance where instead of being mad at Raine for faking being brainwashed, she completely understands their motives. She has, after all, done the same thing of lying to others for their protection, including right now. Basically, all the hardships the main heroes have been going through finally does come to a more positive place, and it doesn’t even stop there.
In the very last scene, it’s revealed that in addition to Francois from the heist, Luz and Eda also uncovered the special wood for making palismen from earlier in the season. In this moment, Eda makes it clear that she’s impressed with how much Luz keeps growing and learning from her experiences, making it seem like she’s ready to carve her palisman. It’s a very endearing family scene here, showing that Eda understood Luz’s earlier feelings of insignificant, as she makes it clear that she does see value in this human girl. As Luz shows how touched she is by those words, it isn’t long before she decides that she’s ready to carve. It’s especially good for her since having actual allies means she doesn’t have to bear all the weight of the Day of Unity now. The episode then ends just as they begin the carving process, so it’s unsure what Luz’s palisman will be or what it will represent for whatever she decides her future. However, with all the inevitable darkness about to go down, it’s still something nice and hopeful to look forward to.
As necessary as it is to ramp up the darkness and emotional trauma going into Season 2’s climax, the dark endings can understandably be too much for the audience. That’s a big thing to take from this episode and how it handles its main protagonists. They each have their own heavy turmoil as a result of current events, but they endearingly get through them in a healthy way and come to the best hope possible in the situation. It’s the very reassuring thing they, and everyone who’s watched and followed them, need before the major action pieces that make up the thrilling end to the season.
A+
Fan Art
Series Ranking
1.
Knock,
Knock, Knockin’ on Hooty’s Door
2.
Reaching
Out
3.
Hollow
Mind
4.
Enchanting Grom Fright
5.
Eda’s Requiem
6.
Follies
at the Coven Day Parade
7.
Yesterday’s Lie
8.
Agony of a Witch
9.
O Titan, Where Art Thou?
10.
Elsewhere
and Elsewhen
11. Hunting Palismen
12.
Echoes
of the Past
13.
Escaping
Expulsion
14.
Understanding Willow
15.
Lost in Language
16.
Adventures in the Elements
17.
The Intruder
18.
Covention
19. Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances
20.
Eclipse Lake
21.
Through
the Looking Glass Ruins
22.
Labyrinth
Runners
23.
Edge of the World
24.
Them’s
the Breaks, Kid
25.
Young Blood Old Souls
26.
Any Sport in a Storm
27.
Separate Tides
28.
Escape of the Palisman
29.
Wing it Like Witches
30.
The First Day
31.
I Was a Teenage Abomination
32.
Witches Before Wizards
33.
Something Ventured, Someone Framed
34.
A Lying Witch and a Warden
35.
Sense and Insensitivity
36.
Hooty’s Moving Hassle
37.
Really Small Problems
38.
Once Upon a Swap
The next Owl House review covers the lead-up to the Day of Unity, and how all our protagonists try to stop it.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews is "The Dinner" and "Battle of the Bands" from Amphibia.
If you would like to check out other Owl House reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.
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