Episode Review: The Owl House (Season 2, Episode 10) – Yesterday’s Lie
Finally, it is here…the last Owl House episode before the series goes on hiatus, only to return with the remaining batch of Season 2 episodes at an undetermined (at this time) date.
But enough of that, let’s get into this episode.
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After studying Philip Wittebane’s diary, Luz has been able to construct an unstable variation of his doorway, in hopes to be able to communicate with her mother.
Upon testing out the doorway, Luz is able to peer into the human realm and see her mother…along with a figure who looks just like her!
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Like the episode Hunting Palismen, this is a story that holds a singular focus around Luz and what she observes. There isn’t a “B” storyline to get in the way, which makes things much easier to follow.
Since the end of season 1, there had been hints that there was a version of Luz in the human realm that had taken her place. The fandom had thrown out plenty of theories as to what was going on, but none of them came close to what was revealed to be a creature that dubs itself as Vee.
Much like how one can’t judge a book by it’s cover, Vee is one of the most surprising characters in the episode. For much of the story, we follow Luz communicating with her, and learn more about her backstory (which turns out to be quite emotional). It also helps in how voice-actress Michaela Dietz is able to emulate Luz’s voice at first, before we hear Vee’s more timid, somewhat nasally voice that contributes to her personality.
One of the most unexpected storypoints, is learning more about where Luz lives. We get to see that there’s a history to the town of Gravesfield, and it feels like there are clues and hints that may tie into what we have learned about both Emperor Belos, and Philip Wittebane. Plus, we get some information regarding Eda frequenting the town while she had access to Wittebane’s portal.
Most of season 2’s episodes have revealed more about numerous characters, and in this episode, we get some moments with Luz’s mother, Camila. While not a whole lot of time is devoted to her, what we do see is enough to really show us how Luz was influenced by her, let alone just what kind of person she is.
For most of this season, I kept really looking for something that hit emotionally. Echoes of the Past came pretty close, but to me, this episode really delivered. So far, this has felt like one of the most satisfying storylines, even if there are some moments that do get a little hokey.
The hokiness comes in the form of a person working for the town’s historical society, who happens to be quite the conspiracy theorist. The character toes the line between being humorous, yet dangerous at the same time. It does beg the question if he’s a one-off character, or if we’ll encounter him again in the future.
There were also some moments that put me in mind of the series Stranger Things, but even so, Yesterday’s Lie has quickly become my favorite episode of the season. Pity that just as we get something so well-crafted, the season goes on hiatus, leaving us to wonder what is yet to come.
Final Grade: A-
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Episode Review: The Owl House (Season 2, Episode 9) – Eclipse Lake
As we near the half-way point for The Owl House’s second season, there’s been quite a lot of information and new characters shown.
We’ve seen Emperor Belos and his coven working on a major project, and when it comes to our main characters who live in the owl house, there’s been some surprising revelations as of late.
With this episode, there’s the chance to not only expand our knowledge of The Boiling Isles, but also get some character development too.
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Amity and Luz have been doing more research on trying to find a way to help Luz get back home. A key element (according to the diary of Philip Wittebane), is said to be found at Eclipse Lake.
Unfortunately, Luz has caught “the common mold.” With Willow, Gus, and Hooty helping her recover, Eda, King, and Amity go off on the journey…where they soon find there are other forces who may also be seeking the same thing.
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Some time ago, I was lamenting that we seemed to have our basic group of characters associated with the owl house, but they have not fully come together for any type of adventure. With this episode, the wish is somewhat fulfilled, even if the group is split in two after a few minutes together.
The “A” story involving Amity, gives us one of the first chances to see her in a more prominent role, let alone one working alongside just Eda and King. After what she and Luz worked out last episode, Amity seems pretty confident, but has some small moments where she is concerned for her girlfriend (and their budding relationship).
In regards to Eda and King, the episode gives opportunities to showcase the new powers they obtained from the previous episode. There are some moments where they try to mine comedy out of Eda trying to get her new “harpy” form to materialize, but it comes off being a bit too ridiculous for my tastes.
The trio also encounters the machinations of Emperor Belos, in the forms of Kikimora and Hunter (aka The Golden Guard). While Kikimora has Belos’ express permission to be at Eclipse Lake, Hunter is trying to prove his worth on his own. What is notable is that both have a certain level of desperation about them, each determined to prove their worth and return with what Belos desires.
This is the second episode this season where creator Dana Terrace is given a sole “written by” credit, and it seems to show. There’s a certain level of focus to the story that allows us to follow along and not get too bogged down by extra things. Plus, just like Luz interacted with Hunter in episode 6, Amity gets the same opportunity here.
The “B” plot story of Willow and Gus taking care of Luz is kept alive at times, but is much smaller in scope to the “A” plot. At the most, it feels like it exists mainly to keep Luz and her friends in the picture.
I usually like most “mission”storylines, and this one does a pretty good job in places. There is a certain element of “who will get there first” regarding what is happening around the lake, but it feels like there are several areas that they try to mine comedy out of, that drags the episode down for me. It is in the character-driven areas that the episode really held my attention (including one area where the animation made my eyes go wide!).
Eclipse Lake’s premise and storytelling is definitely a high-point for season 2, but to me, it needed a little extra “oomph” to really be spectacular. I do wonder what the next episode will have in store, given what we have learned here.
Final Grade: B+
*Note: this link will take you to Amazon.com, and product(s) pertaining to items and/or content mentioned in this blog post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Episode Review: The Owl House (Season 2, Episode 8) – Knock, Knock, Knockin’ On Hooty’s Door
The Boiling Isles is home to all sorts of strange (and sometimes uncomfortable) creatures…but one whom fits that bill and is also a home himself, is Hooty.
Connected to The Owl House in magical ways, Hooty often has a way of making audiences laugh and cringe when he shows up. However, some were a little surprised earlier this season, when he seemed to form a friendship with Eda’s sister, Lilith. Sadly, their interactions didn’t last very long, before Lilith returned to live with her mother.
Most of this season’s episodes have focused on giving us some more information on a number of characters, and in this episode, it looks like Hooty’s turn has come.
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After receiving a letter from Lilith that perks him up, Hooty turns his attention to the denizens of The Owl House.
Seeing King, Eda, and Luz wrestling with problems of their own, Hooty decides to help each of them in his own special way.
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Given the title of this episode, I expected some sort of “anthology” format like last season’s episode where Luz, Eda, and King swapped bodies. Once the episode gets going, each of the characters storylines average around 5-7 minutes, with opening/closing bookends to the episode.
While Hooty does figure into each of the plots, there’s only so much he can do.
Out of all of them, the storyline revolving around King is where he has the most influence (and is basically voice-actor Alex Hirsch talking to himself for the entire segment!). Figuring King is having some sort of an identity crisis, Hooty attempts an analysis to help him figure out more about what he is, with a cameo from a most unexpected sub-character.
Eda’s story is a bit more introspective, and probably the most intriguing of the three. Diving into her subconscious, we get more information about her past, along with her wrestling with the owl curse within her. There are familiar faces (and some new ones), that will surely catch many fan’s eyes.
When it comes to Luz, I’m sure most will remember her story the most, as Hooty overhears her wrestling with her feelings for Amity Blight, and decides to do something about it. There are some places where his actions make him like an overeager wingman.
Luz’s storyline is definitely the most fun of the three segments, but it feels a little “off” in places. After events in the episode Through The Looking Glass Ruins, Luz hasn’t really made light of Amity’s actions, which makes a few of her lines here feel a little over-reaching for me. I wish between Looking Glass and this episode, we had some little moments of Luz going over how she felt (like in season 1, where we saw Amity wrestling with her growing feelings for Luz).
Speaking of Amity, there were some areas where I had to remind myself where she was emotionally the last time we saw her, and that a lot of her uneasiness was stemming from her actions back then. It does seem a little odd, seeing Amity speechless and acting more nervous than usual.
One thing I have pointed out in a number of season 2 episode reviews for The Owl House, is that most of them feel quite over-stuffed when it comes to content. Most surprising about this episode, is that even with it juggling three different character stories in 22 minutes…it actually works surprisingly well! We get little nuggets of character information, and steps that move these characters into new territories that will (hopefully) be expanded upon in the future. It’s not often one finds an episode that seems to take a step back, and a few steps forward.
Like most viewers, I didn’t expect this to fall into my Top 3 episodes so far for this season. There’s ample room for the stories to breathe, and unlike some other episodes, there wasn’t an overload of information that had me trying to make sure I understood everything.
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Final Grade: B+
*Note: this link will take you to Amazon.com, and product(s) pertaining to items and/or content mentioned in this blog post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
