So at first, I thought Belos’ interaction with Luz didn’t impact him much beyond losing Hunter, something he already expected. But in this episode, it looks like Luz’s reaction after his speech on his goal actually marked him. Not in a good way.
This is his first time interacting with a human since he killed his brother for loving a witch, something he believed was a sin. And here is another human, someone who should agree with him, who even unknowingly helped him back when he was Philip, calling him evil. After his first reaction in Hollow Mind -which was to attack Luz and deem her crazy- he had time to think.
Belos met two humans -one being his own brother- who disagreed with him, and no matter how in denial he seems to be, this doesn’t bode well for him and his delusions of saving humanity. What if things in the Human Realm really changed, like the Collector said? What if they didn’t agree with him, even though he was saving them from evil? His conversation with Luz seems to have disturbed him more than he wants to admit.
This could also be why he wants Luz to be brought directly to him. He has doubts, not about his goal but about what humanity will think of him. And he wants to ask her how humanity is now.
After everything, Belos still wants to manipulate Hunter… THE AUDACITY—
Update : i think “Caleb” and “kill him” are both valid for now. This is the “yanny” and “laurel” situation and I guess we’ll wait if the next Posthoot is going to confirm it
No but Luz and Philip’s last proper conversation was everything to me.
Philip had centuries in the Boiling Isles. By the end of it he had the universal love and respect of everyone there, all the power and control his abusive ass could have dreamed of. And still he couldn’t be satisfied with it, couldn’t see it as a home.
But Luz, whose journey had so many bumps and twists, who fought and struggled to belong and build a place as a human witch, chose the Boiling Isles with almost no hesitation. She doesn’t want to leave her mother, but…Luz is more at home in the Demon Realm than the human one. Because she wanted to make it work there, and was willing to put the work it.
Luz was disappointed that the Isles weren’t the PG Fantasy world she dreamed of. But she made herself at home there anyway, while Philip only ever sought to destroy it.
This can be seen in their (one-sided) conversation about Glyphs, too.
Philip is so obsessed with the idea that he struggled with these Glyphs because something got in his way — insisting the Titan was hiding it from him.
Generously putting aside the fact Philip wanted to kill everyone on the Isles — like, obviously the Titan would hide Glyphs from you??? — he cannot even fathom that Luz learning so much faster than him would be for any reason besides external interference. (She isn’t better than him, she can’t be, she’s wrong to care about this place.)
Whereas the reasons Luz learned as fast as she did were 1. Out of necessity — something that goes just as much if not more so for Belos. (Luz had more severe battles to fight, but she also had fellow witches who were willing to protect her, while Philip drove everyone away with his rancid vibes.) 2. Out of desire. Luz WANTED to belong on the Isles, to understand and appreciate it.
Luz learned about the Isles and was accepted by it because she was willing to. But Philip rejected it right up until the end.
[ID: Two drawings based off Belos’ memories from The Owl House. The first one is child Philip and his brother in a dull brown color palette. They’re standing in front of trees, smiling and holding sticks. Philip looks eager and exited. His brother’s face is scribbled out, but you can still see him smiling. The second image is in a color palette consisting of dark reddish-purples, and bright orange and yellows. His brother is standing in a defensive pose, holding a knife to the side, and his hand up in front of him, as if not wanting to fight. His expression looks upset. Fire and smoke fill the background behind him. End ID]
Ok so that moment where Philip is just by himself after betraying Luz and Lilith in Elsewhere and Elsewhen and he’s just…walking though the forest with the Collector’s mirror like—
“How to describe you? …Oval? Oblong? …a round boy? ☺️”
Ihate that it’s so cute. I despise that he has such a cute little discussion with himself about what he’s going to write in his journal.
It’s such good writing but oh my god I hate that I liked him before the episode aired and even after it aired this moment was too sweet — I hate you Dana oh my god.
BELOS CARVED THE GLYPHS INTO HIS ARM WITH A KNIFE!!! THE SAME KNIFE HE USED TO KILL HIS BROTHER-
And yet…
Does he feel regret? Does he mourn the loss of his brother?
Or is he just in pain from the palismen, from the spell his brother’s wife cast on him; Did it bleach his hair? We see the same knife in the sink… And maybe a bone or finger; Did Philip just cut out a bone from his brother’s corpse, and he’s taking a moment to recuperate from the emotional intensity of such an act? Or is that somebody else’s, maybe his own???
Wearing the mask even as an adult; This and Inner Belos really does prove that he’s still a stunted man child who never grew up and still misses his childhood memories playing with his brother; Hence why Belos seems to get along with the ageless Collector.
I don’t think this is him feeling regret, look at the blood on the knife and the piece of flesh in the sink.