MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE OWL HOUSE SEASON 3 AHEAD
The Owl House has been Disney’s biggest animated show for a while, and it recently just premiered the first episode of its final season.
It picks up right where the second season ended, with the witch characters being spat into the real world. Throughout the show, the main character, Luz, gets trapped in the world of the witches: The Demon Realm. Through some complicated business she gets trapped there, and throughout the second season, she makes it her job to get home. And she did, alright. But not without a price. Now all the friends she made in the Demon Realm are stuck in the human world with her and there is no way to get home. Hijinks ensue.
The best part about Thanks to Them (The name of the season three premiere episode) is the slice-of-life aspect. As the plot threads are set up for the next season we see the witches and Luz settle into their new way of life in the human realm. And it is ADORABLE!
First of all, Luz comes out to her mom! Not only do kids get to see the first explicitly healthy sapphic relationship in this show, the words “I’m Bi!” are literally put on the screen. The first canonically bi-character in Disney history. This is big news, people. And Camilla, Luz’s mom, is so supportive! She starts wearing a rainbow pin to support her daughter. Also, she starts using a bat to beat the crap out of people. Mom of the year.
Then there’s the two-month time skip that gives us new character designs for the characters. One thing about the Owl House is that they show time passing through changes in the character’s designs. Unlike a regular cartoon, where there is a simple character outline that stays the same throughout the series, the characters change and grow along with the seasons! Because of this, we get adorable little fall outfits as the rest of the episode takes place around Halloween (the vibes are immaculate, y’all).
Hunter is the best character on this show. His arc is amazing. Going from a snarky antagonist to (described by Luz) “family,” makes his happiness feel earned in this episode, and even more heartbreaking as it is taken away.
The entire episode chronicles the character’s attempts to find a portal back to their home, a contraption that needs a substance called “Titan’s Blood.” Unfortunately for them, the main antagonist, Emperor Belos, also escaped death into the human realm, and Voldemort style resorts to possessing Hunter to get what he wants. Hunter was basically this guy’s son, and in a gut-wrenching scene that takes place on Halloween night, Belos takes over his body and one of the best-animated fight scenes in the show takes place. Hunter fights back against the possession with incredible use of voice acting. Belos leaves his body (giving Hunter a few new scars and… a mullet?), using the Titan’s blood to create a portal that the characters are forced to follow through. This leaves the episode on a cliffhanger that we have to wait till JANUARY to see resolved.
Unfortunately, not all escape unharmed, and Hunter’s pet, a cardinal named Flapjack, sacrifices himself to save his friend. It is incredibly heartbreaking, and as Hunter awakens his once red eyes have turned brown like the friend who saved his life.
I have a lot of predictions for the next episode, but I won’t bore you with them here. Disney cut the show short because of its LGBTQ+ representation, so it would mean the world if you gave it a watch to show them they’re doing the wrong thing in canceling it. Watch the show, form your own opinion, and have a great Halloween!