"The Owl House" is a show that needs no introduction, to anyone who follows me or modern animation in general. I have been following it from the day the debut episode first surfaced, and while I enjoyed it from the start and have always had a lot to say (in fact, I’ve written breakdown posts on the first 9 episodes, which I may or may not return to), there eventually came a point where each passing episode would feel like a big event. By the time season 2 was beginning to wind down, it was legitimately a hyperfixation of mine (which I’ve not had too many of with full shows), and I’ve found myself engaging with the fanbase to an extent I’ve rarely ever done so. And with it having recently completed, I can confidently say that season 2 is quite possibly one of the greatest seasons that we have ever gotten out of western animation. I know that may seem like tall praise, but as I go through the elements that made the season the masterpiece it is, hopefully you’ll understand why I feel this strongly about it.
To quickly go over season 1, I (like many fans) consider it a good, solid, but flawed start on the whole. From the minute she entered the screen, I was continually intrigued by how Luz would work off the Boiling Isles and find a path to forge within. The first several entries really did have a nice framework going, each one swiftly tying into the next while carrying its own little theme. The middle portion did have some rough parts, which was partly due to higher-ups trying to squeeze in their own ideas, but even those mustered in some story relevance and could be enjoyed on their own merits. And the strong material only became even more so with "Adventures in the Elements" being the first to really 'wow' me. But then the last five episodes came in and set the standards to a brand new high. "Understanding Willow", "Enchanted Grom Fright", and "Agony of a Witch" were all instant fan favorites and nearly right alongside each other, perfectly representing what the show could grow into down the road.
By then, the show had grown rather exponentially in popularity across internet circles, and it was very easy to see what grabbed people in. The dark and unsettling but still fun fantasy environment was certainly a good draw for those who wanted a change of pace from the more lighthearted fare that you always saw on cable animation. Most of the characters were also impressively multi-layered and, despite the series still being relatively early, practically became symbols for certain crowds (be it neurodivergent or just... MILF). But the biggest thing, of course, is the strong, spotlighted LGBTQ+ representation: this instance being particularly special not just for it being the first real romance of this sort in a Disney cartoon, but one involving the star character and one given major focus in what is essentially act 1 of the overall story. So you can imagine how beyond excited we were to see how season 2 would push things further. Little did we know that we would be in for one of the greatest seasons in all of western animation.
Right off the bat, it became evident that season 2 was opting for a more serialized approach with the story, which itself was going to become a lot more dramatic and complex - not unlike what you saw with "Gravity Falls" as it went along. Dana Terrace said in advance it was closer to the show she wanted compared to season 1 as well, suggesting it was going to carry a lot more horrific implications, which was especially nice because despite the show being labeled as a horror-comedy, the horror side was up to then relatively light stuff. But more importantly, it was going to not just double, but quadruple down on the character growth. The first two episodes, which I actually caught early as part of a special ticketed showing, on initial glance don't seem too different from what we got in late season 1. But with each passing episode, it became more and more evident that not only was this level of quality going to stick, but there was going to be at least a couple new intriguing plot developments with each new episode we'd get, no exceptions.
Not to get too ahead of myself, but the single biggest compliment I can give season 2 is just how masterfully it is able to pack down a crapton of story. Not just within the season itself, which straight up doesn't even feel like the same show by the end, but each episode feels intricately designed to put one or more characters in a very different place than they were at the start of it; if not physically, then certainly emotionally. I'd be hesitant to consider even the weakest episodes of season 1 'filler', but with season 2, you will be lost if you skip over even a few minutes. Not every plot-line progresses all at once, and there are many instances where some growth is said to have happened off-screen, but even these work because it allows the character arcs to go on in a pretty realistic manner, all the while conveying to the audience exactly as much as needed without feeling drawn out.
This goes double for the back half, or season 2B as it's always called, as it was written after the crew had heard that the third season it was getting was vastly shorter than the others for reasons I don't have time to get into here. So they had to change up some plot points, simplify some character arcs, and overall put the story in full gear just so the show can be driven to the finish line. That sounds like it'd be a mess, especially with how much the front half had left to follow up on. But the mind-blowing thing is: it's all told in such a masterful way that, as packed as it all becomes... it almost never feels in any way rushed. You are allowed to take in each beat that comes in, and they know exactly where to leave off each episode and what plot points to keep dangling. More attention was put in the little visual moments and expressions to use the time they had wisely, at one point even shoving in a full character backstory as background portraits.
Sure, every now and then there is a plot-line that you wish could’ve been more thoroughly fleshed out, but that ends up not mattering too much in the grand scheme because there’s always at least two more that do go all out and leave you gripped in what’s actually being focused on. There are even times where the show’s sense of negativity can put you in a state where you fear some plot points going a certain direction, only for the writers to always prove too smart to resort to these cheap means of drama. Even at its most reveal-heavy, “The Owl House” really knew how to keep its audience guessing, and do so in a manner that still made complete sense upon rewatch. And I attribute this mainly to just the series team’s near-unmatched passion for what they were putting together. It was a real act of magic in how they made this situation work out in the end. Even if it wasn’t the ideal scenario, they knew that if they made the most of what they had it’ll all be somewhat worth it and the cut might’ve even incentivized them to make the story that much more hard-hitting. And needless to say, I believe their extra efforts paid off in spades.
Speaking of visual moments, the technicals are another area where this season has heavily excelled. There was already a lot of high-quality work in season 1, and it’s not like they had a budget on the level of “Arcane”, but some of what we get is just jaw-dropping for cable animation. Beyond what I mentioned last paragraph; the art direction proves consistently top-tier, with excellent use of color (which only gets better and better near the end), smart scene staging, and backgrounds that really immerse you in each individual location. And while the actual animation doesn’t get as many standout moments as season 1 did, there’s still some real highlights like the climax of “Eda’s Requiem”, a battle between Hunter and Amity in “Eclipse Lake”, and a certain groundbreaking moment in “Clouds on the Horizon”. It’s a key example of knowing every single person on the crew loved the show and went out of their way to make it as fantastic as they could, resources be damned. The soundtrack, this time from Brad Breeck instead of TJ Hill, compliments the more mysterious, dramatic tone of the season really well too. It can feel a little familiar to “Gravity Falls” sometimes, but every episode has at least one unique banger track in there too.
Another aspect worthy of heavy praise is its ability to naturally play with tone. With how much people love to amplify the most traumatic scenes, you’d think this season would be enough to put anyone watching in therapy on the spot. And while there are definitely many scenes of that nature, the show continually proves that it can also do lighthearted and do it really well. Sometimes as assorted moments of comedy within heavy episodes, or just having an entire episode that proves wholesome on the whole (though not without drama of its own). To name a key example, “Reaching Out” and “Hollow Mind”, both major emotional wounds for Luz, are cleverly broken up by another episode that almost entirely consists of a backstory on how Eda and Raine first met as children, which is every bit as funny and lovable as you’d expect (and totally not a backdoor pilot to a spinoff idea Dana had). Each tonal shift is done with a purpose too, and I don’t just mean in terms of giving the audience levity; I mean how the characters are acting in a given scene always matches the situation they’re in and is part of what makes them really shine.
With how much the show places emphasis on its character arcs, I think it's important to quickly go over each one and why they succeed in regard to the overall story.
Starting with our lead herself, Luz starts out with a sense of self-determination following the events of the season 1 finale, trying to find a way back to the human realm after Eda's portal door was destroyed, all the while continuing to pursue her magic studies. The latter goal gets shot down by "Hunting Palisman" when she realizes that she has no idea what she really wants to do with her witch education, especially upon returning home. All this only becomes more complicated once she briefly makes contact with her mother, ending up conflicted over leaving her mother behind verses all the friends and found family she has made. The more stuff unfolds, the more desperate she becomes to make things right with everyone and the more guilt she places on herself, whether or not it's actually warranted. She pretends she's totally fine with her father's passing when reminded of its anniversary, when she's very visibly broken inside. When Eda tries to keep her safe with someone else, she becomes worried about letting her down and losing another mother figure. Put simply, she goes through much more trauma than any girl her age should ever have to.
What makes her psychological wounds really hit home is that while she isn’t always right to punch herself down, it’s handled in such a realistic way for someone like her. She came to the Isles as someone who turned everyone else away, and initially imagined it as one of her fantasies where she was destined for greatness. Even after learning better, she still had the drive that she can do whatever her heart sets out to accomplish. What’s more is that this isn’t overblown; you’re not going to have Luz act like a total downer for an entire episode, even after one like “Hollow Mind”, but the emotion and weight on her shoulders is still given focus and remains lingering for some time. This is even reflected by the multiple instances where she flashes back and the specific dialogue is misinterpreted in a way that - while subtle at first - changes the context and brings the perception of certain things to a more visible light. And she can still step into action and have moments of charm and confidence when she needs to, along with her frequent habit to always put the happiness of other people over her own (some may say, too much). She’s become such an animated icon for neurodivergence, and her arc here is a crowning display why.
Eda and King both go in many directions you wouldn't initially expect from them, which I'm lumping together because they're both rather similar in terms of their overall purpose. Eda, who in season 1 was mostly defined by her Owl Beast curse, ends up overcoming this relatively early, finding a way to make the relationship sym-biotic, turning the beast into a rather attractive-looking power up. But that's because she has more personal matters to attend to, like her troubled relationship with old partner Raine Whispers, and becoming much more motherly to Luz and King (in the latter's case, quite literally), wanting to keep them safe by any means necessary. Hell, she's perfectly willing to give up her lifelong beliefs and face possible death for the sake of saving everyone on the Boiling Isles, which especially shows how far she's come from the more Grunkle Stan-ish personality she started as. But there’s still that insecure side where she wants to keep this illusion of having everything under control, which more often than not just makes the tensions worse but the circumstances are so extreme and impactful you know full well why she's like that.
I'm not even much of a King fan, but it's hard to deny that he managed to catch me by surprise as well. Sure, his true identity could be considered a predictable reveal to some people, but the way in which they really get to that conclusion is incredibly well done, especially in his two spotlight episodes. It's the kind where parts of him are slowly revealed piece-by-piece, with the occasional fakeout, and that’s because it’s a situation where what he is seeking ends up making what we find to be true all the more heartbreaking. Once this does come into play, it's fascinating to see King realize that the sense of power he was all about at the beginning of the show isn't actually what he wants, and he's left to decide where the heck he should go from there. And it comes with the cost of him having to face even more harsh truths than those pertaining to his background. But without completely giving the end of the season away, it is the perfect bookend to his attachment to Luz and so heart-tugging knowing that, still being a young kid, it must've been a hard but bold decision for him to make - especially given the girl’s own arc.
Now let’s get into Emperor Belos, who I’ll admit, didn’t leave me interested at first. It was obvious based on his general appearance and his role at season 1’s ending that he was the big villain - but it wasn’t at all clear what his motives or even his plan was. He talks of something called the ‘Day of Unity’, which we’re led to suspect must be bad news but at first, it’s never specified how. Even when you think they’re telling or showing us the result of it all, it ends up actually being a fake-out on both the audience and the Coven Heads. But that's part of what makes his role surprisingly clever. As the season goes on, we learn more about his background and what kind of person he actually is - specifically, his exact motivation and what time period he comes from. It’s such an out-there idea at first, but it makes an exorbitant amount of sense for a show like this as well, especially once you put all the pieces together. A few reveals may admittedly seem obvious, but his cunning, manipulative, and outright punchable nature makes him all the more interesting on rewatch. And even on first watch, it becomes difficult not to be curious over what else is up with him and how exactly he’s going to be stopped.
Of course, Lumity is easily one of the things everyone anticipated the most going into the season, and not only did it deliver, but it is arguably one of the most fleshed-out romance arcs in any of these western cartoons, not just LGBTQ+. Their affection was already on a good track in the final portion of season 1, but they waste no time in getting Luz attracted to Amity as well, and this only becomes stronger when Amity risks losing her job to assist Luz in her quest and Luz helps Amity better self-express herself in appearance - rewarded with a kiss. And even with all that, they officially get together when everyone least expected - with Hooty as matchmaker and with them being as lovably awkward as possible. And come next episode, they are all over each other and prove willing to give up everything for the other. Remember too, that significant periods of time are implied to pass between episodes, so it’s not like they rush into it either. The show was just really good at trimming the fat, and knowing that doing it then will not only enable their relationship to really go places… but for them to look out for each other when they need it most.
You'd think season 2B would be more of them being adorkable and possibly getting in some kind of romantic conflict, but with this show being the subversive genius it is, where they go is much more believable and enjoyable. They don't get as many appearances together, but the amount of emotional support they provide each other can be felt through and through. On two occasions, Luz enters a very vulnerable state that could easily spur Amity to be all upset with her, but both times she knows to approach her maturely, getting through to Luz and pushing her to be honest about her feelings, and promise to help out as best she can. On the other end, Luz pushes Amity to stand up for herself in the face of her controlling parents, to the point where she and the father Alador vow to leave Odalia behind for good, in one of the most cathartic moments of the whole show. Beyond how their romance delivers many of the most uplifting - if sometimes brutally bittersweet - moments the season has to offer, the healthiness on display is as wholesome as it is ground-breaking.
One of the most interesting character arcs, however, is of someone that was practically absent in season 1, and shares all his spotlights with other characters: Hunter. There's so much to Hunter that the amount of smart foreshadowing and emotional insights with him is enough to warrant an entire character analysis essay on its own. From his initial loyalty to Belos and him being a legitimate (if somewhat) hammy threat to our heroes, which gets challenged upon him getting unmasked and completely turned on its head in the most brutal way you can imagine. To how he unknowingly finds his first real friends in Willow and the Emerald Entrails, and later still helps Gus overcome his own stress and wins over the entirety of Hexside. Hunter is easily one of the biggest examples of what I said before about how well this show has been able to condense so much, because it really is unbelievable that the person we see at the beginning of the season is
the same one we see at the end - and yet it really isn't because of just how much of his growth we see and how satisfying it is to see someone literally born to serve an abusive grasp manage to escape and start to form a life of his own from there.
Speaking of Willow and Gus, as much as it initially seemed like they were going to be sidelined (a concern I’ll admit to sharing during S2A), they end up getting some good development in as well - even beyond the incredibly clever decision to tie them to Hunter. We see Willow becoming much more confident in herself (both as a leader and a strong fighter) as well as surrounding herself with much more supportive company - but still showing weakness when things start to look dire. Gus has also been given a self-doubt arc of sorts, thinking his illusion magic may not be all that useful, and letting his anxiety blast out of control when he and the rest of Hexside are put in danger. And when he isn’t doing that, he is much more active in both his magic and his words. He’s notably the first character to really call out Hunter on his BS, and by the end of the season they’re basically bros. And his true power proves so mind-blowing on multiple occasions that you can’t help but look up to the guy.
The more minor characters have a lot going on with them as well, even if they don’t have as much time for deep exploration. Luz’s mother Camila has a fascinating dynamic start to build with a shapeshifting basilisk named Vee who, by chance, ends up taking Luz’s place in the human realm (in one of my personal favorite concepts). The various coven heads, although we don’t get to meet all of them, have really fun personalities and gain varying opinions on the Day of Unity, with the cunning Terra Snapdragon determined to make sure it happens, and others like Darius going out of his way to help form a rebellion. One of them, Raine Whispers, gains an especially prominent role as - being Eda’s ex - they struggle to balance trying to keep a good relationship with the Owl Lady going, and simply keeping her safe from the Emperor’s Coven, serving as an effective contrast with how Luz and Amity are both made stronger by them more openly communicating their struggles.
And of course, you have the mysterious Collector - a rather rambunctious but overbearing God - who we find out about relatively late in the game and doesn't get too much total screen-time when you add it all up. But they really catch your attention with not just how unique the character is from the moment we first really get to see him, but also how phenomenally flexible they make the animation on his shadowy form, and with each passing appearance they get, you get a crapton of new insight into them but ask just as many new questions. Why are they trapped? Where does he play in Belos’ plan? Is he acting in malice? I became beyond fascinated in the kind of character we were in for, and sure enough, what we ended up getting in the end is the kind of ride that I and so many other fans are both thrilled and scared to hop onto. I dare not spoil where they take him on the off chance you haven't watched all the way, but believe me when I say it's one of the most fascinating, earth-shattering revelations to come from the show.
Before I finish this essay, I think it’s important to also talk a bit about season 3. I totally get the instinct to fear how it’ll consist of a rushed ending or at least one filled with lost story potential. But not only do we have evidence that season 2’s ending was written actively taking this into account, but as demonstrated by S2B, the show has mastered communicating so much with so little runtime because the crew are just that passionate about it. Even Dana Terrace has recently tweeted to the fans basically saying “Calm down, we have this under control”, so I firmly believe we should take her word for it. As for what can we expect them to be like, I suspect that not only will they make for a satisfying conclusion, but if the season finale was an exciting, gripping thrill ride, these specials will be a mind-blowing experience to remember. In particular, I’m eagerly awaiting what they will do in resolving Luz’s promise with Camila to stay in the human realm, where Vee goes from here (please have Camila adopt her…), and what the heck the Collector is up to because of the super vague note we left the Boiling Isles on.
In conclusion, while “The Owl House” isn’t the highest-quality animated show out there, it is the one with the most impressive feats and all the awards and recognition it has gotten by the masses are incredibly deserved and speak a crapton about the kind of show this really is. On the surface, it may seem like your standard Disney Channel fantasy cartoon, possibly one akin to Gravity Falls, but it has grown into its own immersive emotional rollercoaster that will leave audiences of all ages gripped. It has meant a ton to me in its time on the air, and just as much to countless others. As much as it hurts that they were denied a full third season, I am confident that the crew will make the most of the three hour-long specials it has remaining. And with the heavy popularity and notoriety it has gained in the time since the season began, it’s possible Disney will be open to additional side and post-story content in the future. And it all started with a macabre enthusiast dreaming to get her story out there.
Comments