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Throughout this year, this blog has given a lot of attention to one of the recent Disney TV shows, The Owl House. Just two seasons have easily earned it the reputation of a practical lightning-in-a-bottle experience. In fact, Season 2 alone could easily be considered THE most perfect season of any show ever with a clear focus and strong execution of just about every episode.
There is an unfortunate somberness though just as the series was really getting good. In spite of dazzling audiences with its deep themes; heavy emotions; wide representation including the best for the LGBT community in any Western animated show; and especially highly endearing characters; The Owl House is sadly coming to an end. Creator Dana Terrace has gone on to craft something truly timeless and impactful to animation, and it’s great qualities make its place in the Disney legacy feel completely earned. However, the executives at Disney apparently didn’t seem to agree with that with one in particular making the call to end the show due to it not fitting the company’s brand. In their eyes, that’s focusing more on episodic shows as opposed to serialized fantasy-driven epics as a way of appealing more to the demographic consisting solely of kids. This is a very uncalled for and somewhat condescending mindset that prevents animation from reaching the best respect it can get. Really, it should be focused on appealing to all ages as a way to really ensure the timelessness of a great, one-of-a-kind representation of the medium. That is, after all, why the animated works of Disney in particular are such a big part of pop culture. While creatives at the company seem to understand this, the corporate higher ups clearly do not. The executive demands are a sad part of the process for animated showrunners to deal with, and The Owl House is no exception.
As a result from these corporate decisions, the overall conclusion to The Owl House is given an out-of-the-ordinary setup to say the least. After two seasons, most shows would need at least a full third season to wrap everything up. In this case, this third season has been severely truncated to only feature three 44-minute specials and nothing more. It’s easy to see this as a huge detriment to the quality and believe that what’s posed as the end of the show will not be well-executed. Yes, it’s certainly undeniable that these arrangements are very unfortunate, but that doesn’t mean everything can’t work. Given the great talents Dana Terrace and her crew have already expressed, there’s further proof that this extremely shorted season won’t be an issue. In fact, she’s gone on record saying that the show was able to turn out something very special they could never have done under normal circumstances. When thinking about it, one can view all these specials designed to end the series as a grand finale movie when put together. From the sounds of that, there can easily be a blessing to come from this unconventional third season.
So, after all the emotions and drama of the second season, The Owl House is all set to follow them up and bring on its big resolution with these final three specials. Each one will be covered in their very own MC Toon Reviews Shorty, starting with this one on:
Thanks to Them (The Owl House Season 3 Episode 1)
(October 15, 2022)
SPOILER WARNING IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS SPECIAL YET!
With these specials serving as a big finale arc to the entire show, an appropriate move would be to interpret them as acts in a film. As a first act, this special does a very commendable job at setting the stage for the grand finish and preparing the characters for what lies ahead. It already pulls off this role well by opening exactly where Season 2 left off. The aftermath of the Day of Unity has left the main protagonist, Luz, back on her home turf of the human realm. She’s cut off from her beloved demon realm and supportive found family of the titular Owl House, but even then she’s not completely alone. With her are some of the great friends she’s made during her time in the other realm; there’s her loyal girlfriend Amity, the troubled former Golden Guard Hunter, and her first supportive companions Willow and Gus. Being sent to another realm just as another is left at the mercy of unpredictable chaos from a figure called The Collector, it’s clear that these kids are in a dark scary situation. Luckily, they all get great refuge at Luz’s home, courtesy of her mother, Camila.
Reminding the audience of how the story got to this point is a logical way to get things going, but it also helps make the first special a unique experience for this series. The most telling sign of said uniqueness is how the special takes place entirely away from the usual setting of the Boiling Isles. The human realm offers a different experience to what unfolds for both the audience accustomed to other settings, and the characters perceiving everything. There’s also something to be said about how the special establishes its plot and tone, probably a result of having the third season majorly shortened.
After following up on the end of Season 2, there’s a montage depicting months’ worth of events covering Luz and her friends’ time in the human realm. It’s a mix of emotions where they all try various attempts to make a working portal at an old shack near Luz’s house, but to no avail. These failed attempts bring an air of depression to the story, and the effects of the failures are strongly felt by Luz who has another cause for sadness on her mind. At the same time, there are also uplifting moments to counteract the sadness. Through Luz revealing her relationship with Amity to Camila, coming out as bi in the process, and getting instant approval; shopping for new clothes which includes Vee, the shapeshifting basilisk living with Camila, finding an appearance she’s comfortable with; Hunter starting to move away from his old dark self with Willow helping him with a haircut; and everyone enjoying the beauty of human realm rain, this montage shows that even with so much at stake, there are bright sides to what’s going on. Everyone gets a good bonding experience, Camila really gets to know her daughter’s new connections, and Luz herself gets in some genuine happiness. Her matter is especially good to know since she clearly treasures the friends she’s made in the demon realm, and most other times she’s overcome with depression. As well as all the failed portal attempts and missing Eda, King, and the others, she also has to face usual customs of being back in the human realm, such as going to school. It should be noted that Luz does not exactly have great memories there, and her forlorn expression of leaving for the bus is a major contrast to the good times spent with her witch friends.
This special also has something bigger going on with Luz that persists throughout the entire story. On her mind is a major feeling of guilt regarding what’s happened and everything that led to it. The whole Day of Unity and its aftermath face her with the reminders that she had involvement in its conception. In her innocent attempts to find a way back to the human realm, she went back to the time of Philip Wittebane to get the information she needed. In the process she taught him glyph magic he didn’t know before and helped him meet The Collector who would give him the sigils and magic needed for the Day of Unity. Then in a later trip into Belos’ mind, she learned that Philip ultimately became Emperor Belos himself, and he rose to power because of her. Now that The Collector is loose and creating new chaos in place of what was caused by Belos, Luz is more beaten down by her past actions than ever before. As much as she values the life she made for herself in the demon realm and the friends she’s made, she’s confident that everyone will hate her for what she did. It’s easy to believe that won’t be the case given how well they know Luz, but given the magnitude of all this, it also makes sense why Luz thinks this will happen. Her guilt is so huge, it awakens a different more jaded side to her further perpetuated by being in a realm where she never really felt at home.
It’s particularly prominent during class where a hero in a story being told gets her to project her experiences onto said hero. Like the literary figure, she genuinely believes it’s wrong to be considered a hero given what she started and that it only makes sense for everyone to believe life would be better if she never existed. Needless to say, there are huge points of concern to what Luz is feeling.
Her interest in all things related to magic and witches also have a huge damper put upon them as seen with her palisman, a witch’s animal companion who responds to conviction to the future. As Luz chose to carve hers into an egg, she often tends to it while waiting for it to hatch, but it never does. This could reflect her being more unsure of her future than before, but given her guilt, she worries that the egg not hatching is a result of her ruining the palisman’s life too. It’s certainly sad to see Luz beat herself up over everything.
Out of Luz’s guilt come roles of several other characters to help ease the emotional strife and help her to see the light. The one to stand out the most in this case is Camila whom the audience really gets to know better than ever. She was only featured in just a few episodes before, but her presence was always felt through Luz’s adventures. Her plan on sending Luz to a creativity-restricting camp helped lead to her daughter finding and staying in the demon realm, but she was also a drive for Luz to try and get back. The few past moments that have been seen of Camila show that she’s a good loving mother, albeit one who needed to better understand where her daughter was coming from. This special is where Camila gets that understanding while at the same time, the audience learns where she’s come from as a parent. While her past actions of sending Luz to the camp and having her promise to stay in the human realm can suggest a lack of support, Camila is practically fully supportive of Luz here. For one thing, she doesn’t hesitate to take in Luz’s witch friends who are far from their home with nowhere to go. By taking providing for them seriously through things like buying clothes and considering what they eat, she practically becomes a mother of six, and a loyal one at that.
As it turns out, Camila has also been loyal to Luz’s unique way of doing things as shown in a striking nightmare sequence. There are memories of Luz’s most unusual customs that go as far back as when she was a little girl digging up strange things like snake skins and showing them to other kids. Unusual as her actions were, Luz was perfectly innocent and harmless, something most common to neurodivergent people in the spectrum.
The society she lived in though only responded with fear and scorn, not just other kids but their parents too, a sorry state of affairs that everyone was lacking acceptance of her. It really is no wonder Luz felt more at home in an entirely different realm.
Still, while the outside world always looked down on Luz, Camila not only found joy in her innocent ways, but aggressively defended her from others’ condescending remarks. This is a very clear sign of a truly loving mother on Camila’s part, but her defense of her daughter would soon come with her own hardships. It’s hard enough that she lost her husband, but other factors make it seem like the human realm was as unkind to Camila as it was to Luz.
One part of the nightmare has her faced with a figure from Luz’s school listing all of Luz’s offenses of inconsistent grades, no friends, and some practices seen in the series premiere. He insists it’s because she’s acting out for attention as a result of grief from losing her dad, but Camila knows that it’s just Luz’s way of thinking. Her claims are unjustly ignored though and she’s even pressured into going along with the school’s plan to stifle Luz’s ways as they remind Camila of her own bad childhood experiences. The takeaway from all this is that Camila really has always meant well as a parent, but was pressured to make less-than-pleasing decisions so Luz wouldn't have to endure what she did. The area most to blame in reality was a society that couldn’t be bothered to really understand and accommodate for those who think differently which is sad for both Luz and Camila.
Despite looking at how hard Camila has things as a parent, it’s still endearing that she remains a good one. In addition to providing for all of Luz’s interdimensional friends, she also helps comfort her guilt by telling her that no matter what she did, what’s important is that she learns from her mistakes. This, however, is only the start of an even bigger way Camila helps Luz come to a brighter more reassuring place, but that’s for later in the special.
Out of everyone in Luz’s friend group, the one who can relate to her the most is Hunter. Like Luz, Hunter has his own big secret to hide from the others out of fear of hatred. He’s a clone of someone from Belos’ past called a grimwalker, and one of several who were ultimately disposed of just like Belos had done to the real person, his brother. To Hunter, this means he’s in the vein of someone who was a witch hunter like Belos, and revealing that to others could cost him the great social life he’s built for himself. However, even as he hides these truths, Hunter does have a healthy way of dealing with the stress because of that social life. The aforementioned haircut in the opening montage is a smart way for him to become his own person and not just a copy of someone else. However, he also finds peace through other more personal means.
His close bond with Gus gets them both to open up about insecurities of their situation from not knowing who they are and missing loved ones. They both end up finding further peace through connecting to an old sci-fi book series that brings them a healthy dose of happiness. As an aside, the way Camila reacts to the boys finding them brings to mind another hardship of her background, suggesting it was a fantasy interest she was forced to hide. It’s refreshing that it was put to good use with it being found and appreciated, which is a common recurring theme regarding special interests in this show.
Anyway, another source of peace for Hunter is from his bond with his red cardinal palisman, Flapjack. Being his first true friend, it’s easy to see the connection Hunter has for the bird, but Flapjack does something bigger through reminding Hunter of how much he’s evolved. He may be different from how he’s meant to be, but Hunter is happier than ever in this new life, allowing him to come to much better peace despite the secret he’s carrying.
The threat of the secret still persists though as he constantly feels Belos is out there despite The Collector apparently destroying him. It seems to be validated when Flapjack discovers the sentient gunk of Belos that followed the group into the human realm. Hunter touching it with a cut finger leads to consequences later, but for the moment, it enhances his fear of his old ways consuming his new ones.
He has Luz investigate the shack for Belos later on, though it appears to lead to nothing. Out of this, however, is one of Hunter’s biggest showings of love when Luz sympathizes with his fears and lets him know she’s there for him since he’s family now. Such a warm caring gesture to let him know he belongs is enough to move Hunter to tears, which is very impactful considering his upbringing. Not only that, but these moments also lead to a very defining moment for Hunter’s arc later on.
As for the rest of Luz’s friends, Amity, Willow, and Gus, their role for the special may seem not as significant as others’, but they do represent something notable in the grand scheme. Being Luz’s first true friends, they are the people she aims to serve, and the ones she fears seeing them hate her for setting their suffering into motion. However, Luz seems to underestimate just how great friends they are in the face of this situation. They adjust very well to this new realm and clearly get along well with Luz’s family. It’s even to the point where they’re considerate of how Camila can’t provide for six kids forever. For that, they become very productive in finding a break in their goals in getting back to the demon realm. After finding a strange message in the shack by chance, the friends take it upon themselves to venture into Luz’s hometown to decipher it with Vee coming with them for assistance. Their adventure provides solid levity expected from supernatural kids in the real world to break up the special's drama. There are antics at a costume shop they think is a real center for magic; embarrassment from approaching a mundane human library as a magic one; and clearance as to why giraffes were banished from the demon realm. Still there’s solid room for heart in this whole escapade so not to make it fully antic-driven. There’s somberness when the kids are reminded of their father figures; they fondly reflect on the memories of fun they’ve had in the human realm over the months depicted in a scrapbook; and Vee overcomes her fears of a historical center she was once held captive in by leading everyone there and bringing on a break in the case.
Now when it comes to the character who best represents the heart of this group, that would have to be Amity. In addition to vocalizing the importance of needing to return to the demon realm to everyone, she’s also very considerate of Luz’s feelings on the matter. While she doesn’t know what Luz is hiding, Amity does notice how guilty she feels about their failed attempts. In fact, when they find the message, she worries Luz will beat herself up even more if it leads to a dead end. They ultimately decide not to tell her about the message until they figure it out, but still Amity aims to do more for her girlfriend. When they find that the message leads to a supply of Titan blood, a substance vital to travel between realms, in Luz’s home, Amity comes up with a great way to tell her.
With Halloween coming and Luz coming home from school with a flier for a hayride, Amity arranges the reveal as a big surprise with a dose of fun to appeal to Luz’s interests. It might not seem like much, but it makes a note of how much Luz’s friends care for her and better her life is for that, and it really shines in a major payoff later on.
So something big is set up from what could get everyone to the demon realm at last, and everything in the special aims to come together through this event. Working Halloween into it is also a good way for the show to cover a holiday even in its truncated state.
Just as it begins to unfold though, the emotional stakes start ramping up. Right after Luz is visibly moved by her friends deciding to take part in the hayride, she’s further reminded of the guilt brought by her past mistakes. To make it an even bigger sting, her fears are enhanced by one of her biggest special interests, the Good Witch Azura. Specifically, it’s a movie of the franchise where Azura and her confidants are betrayed by a former ally and vow to never forgive her.
Seeing this as well as her bearing a resemblance to the look of the traitor only makes Luz even surer that the same will happen to her if her friends find out what she did.
The following scene features Luz's somber response to these thoughts as she wakes up late at night to put together a video diary entry. In the process, it helps the audience really understand Luz even more. She vocalizes how she just wanted to be good at something and not be a reckless child always getting into trouble. She thought she found a place where she could accomplish all that in the demon realm, and it’s easy to see that from all she’s accomplished and the friends she’s made throughout the series.
However, Luz no longer feels this is so because of all her mistakes and claims she knows what she has to do as a result. While what she has to do isn’t revealed here, it’s easy to tell it isn’t good, and that brings a feeling of dread going further into the special.
Then comes the town Halloween hayride to serve as a climax to this special. For starters, it’s a very atmospheric backdrop for everything to unfold with fall colors, Halloween spirit, and everyone dressed up in creative costumes. It’s fun stuff to invest the audience for sure, though again, there’s an air of emotion knowing what’s on Luz’s mind as she thinks of that while trying to enjoy herself.
The actual hayride comes with another major Halloween touch with a scary story which also enhances the lore of the show. It tells of the two Wittebane brothers, Philip and Caleb, the former recognized as Belos and the latter clearly named to our main protagonists for the first time.
There’s welcome background on these historical figures integral to the series where they were orphans who came to this very town and became witch hunters to fit in with the society. It's a lot like what Camila had to do for herself and what Luz going to the camp allegedly would have done for her, though the story does also cover the idea of breaking from societal norms.
Everything changed when the brothers met a witch named Evelyn whom Caleb became smitten with. They would both travel between the human realm and the demon realm all while Philip, who really looked up to his brother, would pursue them believing Evelyn had corrupted Caleb. Eventually, they disappeared one day with no one sure of what became of them, though the audience can get a good idea from hidden background pictures in a past episode. It is very telling of the dynamic of the brothers Wittebane with Caleb being open to the ways of witches and move past conformity while Philip remained stuck in the ways of a witch hunter. That’s very true to his current nature as Belos which becomes even more apparent as the special continues.
Speaking of Belos, Hunter once again fears his presence and even sees him clearly in his monstrous form. He pulls Luz aside to inform her of his findings again, and in the process lets it slip that Amity and the others are planning on surprising her by leading her to Titan blood. Even with the depressing news Luz is planning on telling them herself, it’s still very endearing for her to see that everyone set out to do this for her. Still, with what she plans on telling everyone, she insists that they get to the Titan blood first.
As they set off, Hunter starts becoming monstrous himself, a result of directly touching the gunk Belos was reduced to, and this is mostly noticed by Flapjack. The poor bird is threatened to snag the map to the Titan blood, and he cowers in fear by the tyrannical authority in Hunter’s voice which is completely unlike him. Once the map is obtained, the climax is in full swing as Luz and Hunter head for it.
Meanwhile, there's another instance of emotional heart that ultimately helps Luz and Camila really understand each other. Back at the house, Camila stumbles across several of Luz’s diary entries arranged in a sequence, and it’s here where she starts seeing the light regarding her daughter. Each video highlights major moments for Luz, and put together, the sequence dissects all the hardships at the center of her existence.
It starts when she was much younger as she talks about how she and her mom moved to a new house deducing that this was so they could be closer to a hospital for her dad. This shows that she was very smart and observant, even in youth, which is quite impressive.
It’s only fitting that the next video shows her slightly older and looking more depressed, clearly because it was around this time when her dad passed away. She does, however, show off something he left for her, the Good Witch Azura book she treasures so much.
The following clip showing her excitedly say how much she loved the book puts a whole new perspective on her attachment to this fantasy series. Being the last thing she got from her dad, Luz uses it as a way to feel closer to him even though he’s gone. The fact that these interests led to her finding a place where she could live her best life and really grow a social circle says a lot about his spirit kept alive as it’s only benefitted Luz.
This leads to two more significant videos that really get Camila to understand Luz and become more active in making sure she lives her best life. One of them gives clarity to Luz’s out-of-the-ordinary habits and skills. While Camila has been shown to enjoy and defend them, it’s often felt like she thought that Luz only did them for fun. In the video, Luz explains that what she does are her own special talents she wishes to use to apply herself at something, though she laments they won’t help her get great grades. Still, she’s determined to use her way of thinking to academic success, such as the book report that ultimately started the entire series. Though it went wrong and resulted in snakes getting loose, knowing that Luz was genuinely trying to apply herself and make her mom proud makes it endearing and understandable. It shows that maybe if the environment was more open and accepting to the way people like Luz think, she wouldn’t feel as unwanted in the human realm as she does now. For that, it’s refreshing that the demon realm has provided a good place for her to apply herself and be accepted for who she is. That said, it’s also very sad when Camila notices Luz’s most recent video diary which is where the audience first hears of what she plans on doing. Because of her guilt over helping Belos rise to power and feeling she’ll be hated for it, Luz plans on staying in the human realm permanently. Upon hearing this as well as the reasons behind her past actions, Camila clearly refuses to let that happen. This growth as a parent and potential to stop her daughter from uprooting the accepting place she found for herself is one of many things added to enhance the climax.
It’s at this time when Luz, while pursuing Hunter, comes across the hidden stash of Titan blood as cleverly indicated by her glyph magic starting to work again. However, something isn’t right as Hunter acts very sinister as he goads Luz to keep looking for it.
Suspicions are further confirmed when she finds Flapjack cowering in fear, and just then, Luz sees the reason for fear.
The gunk of Belos that Hunter physically contacted as well as his growing paranoia of his presence has led to Hunter being possessed by Belos. The very reveal is just like something straight out of a horror film, and his monstrous design infused with Hunter’s form adds to the fright. It makes for a show of powers from his shapeshifting gunk he intends to put Luz out of her misery with just as he has done to others he tricked ages ago. That’s not even enough as he messes with Luz emotionally too, for just as her friends show up to help, only then does Belos openly state she helped him meet The Collector. It’s certainly a shock to them, but not enough to keep them from protecting Luz who is also quick to protest Belos’ claim of them finishing their work as witch hunters.
The battle continues to smoothly animated effect as a way to work in good action, but the high point of the fight is reached with a particularly dark moment with Flapjack.
He ends up in Belos’ clutches who seriously wounds him, and him referring to the palisman as Evelyn raises some interesting implications to the backgrounds of several characters.
Hurting his first friend like that brings out a very inspiring moment for Hunter. Even under Belos’ possession, he tells him off by standing up for himself, claiming he wants to live a nice peaceful life with his friends, refusing to go back to his old ways as the Golden Guard. It’s here where Hunter comes into his own character and showcases genuine growth, and one could also imagine that this could be like what Caleb said to Philip before his demise.
This is what’s needed for him to try and stop Belos by throwing away the stash of Titan blood into water, but Belos’ possession leads them into the water to go after it. Camila shows backbone by diving into save Hunter, but despite her effort, Belos still seems to get his way. He exits Hunter’s body, but succeeds in getting the Titan blood which he uses to make the portal. Now that he has access to the demon realm, even with The Collector running the place, he’s determined to go back and finish the witch hunt he started; his ways as Philip are still very persistent.
While what’s seen of Belos is certainly foreboding for the specials to come, there are still varying emotional effects from the final moments with our protagonists in this special. Firstly, the way Belos exited Hunter’s body felt a lot like a spirit exiting a body after Hunter practically drowned, which is further shown with Hunter not moving after all that.
As everyone panics on what to do, Flapjack suddenly steps in with one last act. Since he’s already badly injured and leaking magical essence, he uses his remains to heal and revive Hunter. In doing so, Flapjack ultimately gives up his entire existence, making for the first onscreen death of a protagonist in a Disney TV Animation show…that’s actually effective and not of characters the audience barely got to know. It’s emotional to see this endearing cardinal sacrifice himself just so one of the notable protagonists can live. However, it does allow for a whole new meaning of a lost loved one always being inside of someone considering exactly how he saved Hunter.
Anyway, there are also more follow-ups to the encounter with Belos that end up being good methods of healing for Luz. Since he revealed that she helped him meet The Collector, Luz is in a position to finally confess the truth with all its details. She also admits why she kept all this secret, and after doing that, she's ready to reveal what she feels need to be done in everyone’s best interests. Before she can do that, there’s a strong dose of heart to make everything she suffered through worth it as everyone offers powerful reassurance.
First, Camila stops her from saying she’s going to stay in the human realm permanently, and declares that she’s coming with her and the others to the demon realm. Not only is this good for Luz, but it really shows how much Camila has grown as a mother to Luz. Having seen her daughter’s personal thoughts and what she’s been trying to do, she’s able to take actions in doing the right thing to support her. In going with her to the demon realm, she allows Luz to keep the great life and social connections she’s built for herself while also keep her safe from harm. Those are the makings of a good parent as well as a chance for Camila to live her best life since, again, she’s struggled in the human realm too.
As for Luz feeling her friends will hate her for helping Belos, those harmful thoughts are shut down with it made clear that they heard her out and understand her feelings. It’s also fitting that Amity, the closest friend to her, is the one to let Luz know with a warm embrace that they’ll never hate her because of all the good she does for them.
Then Hunter vocalizes the whole truth of the matter, stating that Luz was simply tricked into helping Belos, which is true for everyone else, including him. This is kind of obvious if one were to think of all the details and context, but it really is something Luz needed to hear to feel better about her guilt and get clarity on the situation. It’s also said that since she was tricked but got away from harm, Luz is around to fight back against Belos for the sake of everyone he hurt, including Flapjack. All of this coming from the one who related to but also partially enabled Luz’s fears is a clear sign of growth to be proud of. After how much Luz had suffered from the weight of her actions for the whole special, getting so much love and reassurance from her friends and family is very refreshing. It deprives her of a reason to definitely go through with staying in the human realm forever, though it does have her remain unsure of what to do. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if she feels they only won’t hate her as long as she fights back against Belos which could lead to some obsession she’ll need to work through. That, however, is a matter apparently meant to be explored in the other specials.
For this special, the audience is left with a refreshing air knowing that the characters are in a better place than how they started. They finally have a way back to the demon realm and are ready to stand a fighting chance to save their home and get back to their families. There are unique parting words to the human realm as everyone goes through the portal one by one while Luz gets even more words of encouragement from loved ones.
A notable one is another moment of intimacy with Amity who expresses affection with similar words to what Luz once said to her. Luz noticing this and looking at her lovingly is a further effective reminder of the importance of the demon realm to her. Then there’s one more instance of reassurance to act as a bonding method for Luz and Camila. After Vee, who’s not yet ready to return to the demon realm, arranges to cover for Camila while she’s away with her shapeshifting, mother and daughter are left together.
Before they go, they each make sure they’re prepared for how much the Boiling Isles have changed since Luz and her friends left it last. For Luz, that means being ready to face what lies ahead as a true good witch. Her going back dressed in her Azura costume is very poetic and a vital part of her healing process. It shows her regaining what inspired her to want to be a witch in the first place, love for her interests and talents, and her connection to her late dad. By doing this and learning she’s not hated for her past actions and she’s still wanted, she’s realizing the benefits of the realm she found and starting to rise from her trauma. Granted, there’s probably more that needs to be done, but the progress made in this special is very clear. For that, the special leaves the audience with emotional satisfaction as well as great anticipation for what’s coming next.
“Thanks to Them” is both a unique experience for The Owl House and a strong first act to its grand finale. Through taking place entirely in a world different from what the audience is used to, it allows for interesting changes in atmosphere and ways certain characters get around within said world. Plus, it never holds back on the emotional effects of what the world means for everyone. The things everyone goes through following the end of the second season are heavy burdens to bear, but that makes it all the more refreshing when they start healing from them in the end. For all the hardships that come with their lives, the ways the characters the audience has come to love continuously get through them make it worth everything. The show may be coming to an abrupt end soon, but from the quality of this beginning to the end, it’s clear that even with the circumstances, it’s going out in style.
Highly Recommended
Series Ranking
1. King’s Tide
2. Clouds on the Horizon
3. Knock, Knock, Knockin’ on Hooty’s Door
4. Reaching Out
5. Thanks to Them
6. Hollow Mind
7. Enchanting Grom Fright
8. Eda’s Requiem
9. Follies at the Coven Day Parade
10. Yesterday’s Lie
11. Agony of a Witch
12. O Titan, Where Art Thou?
13. Elsewhere and Elsewhen
14. Hunting Palismen
15. Echoes of the Past
16. Escaping Expulsion
17. Understanding Willow
18. Lost in Language
19. Adventures in the Elements
20. The Intruder
21. Covention
22. Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances
23. Eclipse Lake
24. Through the Looking Glass Ruins
25. Labyrinth Runners
26. Edge of the World
27. Them’s the Breaks, Kid
28. Young Blood Old Souls
29. Any Sport in a Storm
30. Separate Tides
31. Escape of the Palisman
32. Wing it Like Witches
33. The First Day
34. I Was a Teenage Abomination
35. Witches Before Wizards
36. Something Ventured, Someone Framed
37. A Lying Witch and a Warden
38. Sense and Insensitivity
39. Hooty’s Moving Hassle
40. Really Small Problems
41. Once Upon a Swap
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