[image description] A Digital illustration of a triptych featuring the members of the Emperor’s coven from the owl house. The Triptych has 5 panels drawn in desaturated shades of gold, brown and white, which occasional red accents. The two exterior panels show rows of scout’s masks. The second frame of the left shows kikimora, who’s drawing a spell circle with one hand while grinning. Behind her there is the silhouette of an abomination and the vines that come from coven marks. In the middle, there is Emperor Belos, who stands with both hands in front of him, with one holding a broken palismen and the other his artificial staff. Behind him is the silhouette of the portal door. On the right is Hunter, who is holding his artificial staff in one hand, and is holding his mask up to his face with the other. Behind him, there is the silhouette of what is presumed to be Phillip Whittebane’s brother - and the cardinal palisman. The Boarders of the triptych show the pattens and symbols of the emperor’s coven in gold. [End ID]
Kikimora heard Emperor Belos speaking about his plans for the day of unity with The Collector. To the point that she knew EXACTLY what The Collector was.
Kikimora witnessed first hand Belos discarding children that were hyper loyal to him and replacing them without batting an eye. To the point that she knew where their remains were.
Kikimora knew that the Coven Sigils could be used AGAINST those that had them. To the point that she could wield that magic.
AND KNOWING ALL OF THIS THE BITCH DECIDED TO REMAIN LOYAL????????
TO THE POINT THAT WHEN BELOS TOLD HER TO FIND A HOLE TO ROT IN SHE DID EXACTLY THAT??!?
Holy shit, I know I should feel bad cause Im sure there are underlying reasons for desiring praisal so bad.
But you cannot fucking tell me that a part of it also wasn’t the benefits that came from being part of the oppresors circle perpetuating the cycle of oppression.
Kikimora had more information on Belos than anyone else on the Isles, shit, she might have even figured out that his name was Phillip and he was a human but she was too fucking happy running The Emperors Coven to give two shits.
She got comfortable placing the boot on everyones neck that forgot she also had one on hers.
Something I’ve been trying to figure out - if she knew about this pit with all the Golden Guards remains, if she knew how he discarded the “failures”, how could she WANT to be a Golden Guard?
Maybe she believed that she couldn’t fail, not like all the other Golden Guards and Hunter had.
Maybe the one thing she didn’t know, was that the golden guards and Hunter are grimwalkers of Belos’ dead brother and she simply thought that they were recruited people.
Recruits, who outshone her by being the golden guards.
Also keep in mind that shes been watching for so long. Shes been watching each of these children fail over and over again, so shes probabbly taken note of what their failures were and learned about them.
But again, he forgets that at the end of the day it doesnt matter. Your proximity to the oppresor will not save you when push comes to shove.
Kikimora knowing what happens to Golden Guards who are deemed failures by Belos, puts all her interactions with Hunter in a new light. Cause she was straight up rooting for Hunter to fail, knowing that he’ll be brutally murdered and disposed of…
What I Loved About “King’s Tide” from The Owl House
Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.
Here it is, ladies, gentlemen, and those of other genders! The Season Two finale of The Owl House! And holy s**t, what a season this has been! Season One wasn’t bad by any means, but everything in Season Two is taken up a notch.
The characters, for one, are impressively well-written. After a season of getting to know our cast of misfits and weirdos, Dana Terrace and her crew finally get a chance to play around with them, introducing new layers and motivations that make almost every character multidimensional. Not only that, but we get introduced to new fan favorites, like Vee, Raine, and especially Hunter, with each of them instantly winning us over.
But the characters aren’t the only things that are improved this season. The overarching story and the little narratives threaded within it are perfectly tied together. The writers managed to juggle so many plotlines in a way where they all flowed together well, giving each one its own time to develop while others moved forward. One complaint I had with Season One was how the B-plots always felt like filler, where the time they took away should have been used to better further the main plot. In Season Two, the B-plots are used appropriately, as they continue one plotline or develop characters while the main story focuses on others…Except for “Any Sport in a Storm,” which had a whole section of an episode dedicated to Luz and Amity finding out how The Good Witch Azura exists in both the Boiling Isles and the Human Realm. Still have no idea why they wasted so much time on that when Amity simply saying, “Oh, I got them from a box that washed onto shore,” would have taken no time. Still, everything else is so tightly written, and I was all there for it.
And the animation is where the improvements this season are more noticeable. Season One had fine animation, but in Season Two, there’s more emphasis on shading, colors, expressions, and movements that make it a spectacle to see at times. You can tell Disney pumped more money into the series this time…which makes their inevitable betrayal to Dana and her crew all the more frustrating, but that’s neither here nor there.
Season Two is damn near perfect. It does feel like there’s little time to breathe with how much every episode throws in, but if I’m seriously going to complain about getting a lot of high-level quality we got each week with little room for filler, I might just consider myself insane.
Now, let’s just hope “King’s Tide” can do its job at ending this season on a high note. I’m sure there will be a lot of awesome action and heartbreaking emotions ahead of us, so let’s dive into it, shall we?
Also…taking out the “Disliked” section…I won’t need it.
Spoilers ahead.
WHAT I LIKED
The Collector’s Getting Impatient: Once again, an episode starts things off ominously. Hearing The Collector spout off about how he wants to be free but Belos won’t let them shows us how childlike The Collector really is. Not only are they still naive to believe that Belos will hold his end of the bargain, but the way he’s whining about not being free yet is very childlike. Trust me, kids whine when you don’t give them what they want exactly when they ask for it. Granted, The Collector has more of a valid reason for why they’re whining. If I was trapped in that pokeball, I’d be screaming “Let me out” over and over again too. Regardless, with all the childishness in this scene, it tells us that The Collector is more of a unique type of godlike character. We’ll see more of that later, but for now, let’s appreciate this little taste of what this crazy kid could be like.
The Rest of the Opening Scene: Speaking of crazy kids, seeing what the others are up to after Luz let herself get taken away is just about what I expected. There’s a sense of panic and frustration between them all, escalating further with each second. It’s not until Willow gets the palismans to step in. What follows are a few nice moments of everyone sorting out their differences and even an adorable revelation for why Amity’s nickname is “Mittens.” When I first watched this scene, I didn’t think anything of it. I just thought it was cute, and that’s about it…and then the rest of the episode happened. From then on, it became clear that this scene was just the calm before the storm, easing us into the darkness that soon followed closely behind. And BOY did things get dark!
“There’s always a way to help. You just have to look for the right opportunity.”: Oh, Willow…Willow, Willow, Willow…
What you said was sweet and is very much true…but you pretty much doomed the planet by saying it. Because King was right. He WILL remember what you’ve said. For better and worse…
Eda DID Get the Brand: Well, there went that theory from the last episode.
I still stuck by what I said last time. Eda getting this brand is a betrayal of everything she stands for, so to go through with it proves how committed to the cause she is. If she’s willing to lose the one thing that makes Eda, well, Eda, it means that she’d do anything for the Isles. Such an action makes her far more than the con-artist we got introduced to in “A Lying Witch and a Warden.” Still, it leaves this sick feeling in my stomach to see her branded like that.
But don’t worry. That sickness gets replaced by sadness real quick.
Eda’s Talk With Raine, Lilith, and Hooty: Yup. That’s the good stuff…
This scene is everything. Eda already had a final moment with her kids, so to give her time with the other most important people in her life really hits hard. Raine and Lilith tell Eda to be careful, in which she reasures them both that everything will be fine. She even kisses Hooty on the head! That’s not only sweet as all forms of hell, but it says alot about how Eda sees her relationship with Hooty. He certainly got on her nerves a couple of times, but she cares about him enough to reassure Hooty that she’ll make it out alright. Granted, Eda doesn’t know that, but what’s she going to say? That things are as scary as they seem and that there’s a good chance things will go wrong? No. We know Eda, and we’ve seen that if given the chance, she’ll put a positive spin on things even though they’re dire. She did it with Luz in “Agony of a Witch,” and she’ll do it again here. I wouldn’t call it overconfidence, but rather Eda just caring about her loved ones so much that she’s willing to hide her own fears from them. Not the best thing to do, but it does further emphasize the nobility within her that the coven brand already revealed. And it’s incredible.
Belos Preparing to Leave: But if there’s anybody who’s best described as overconfident, it’s this son of a witch! You can tell how sure Belos is about his victory with how he quickly drops his act the second he begins the draining spell. He discards his old witch robes, makes himself look human, explicitly admits that he lied to The Collector, and just tells Kikimora to go die in a hole. Even when Luz shows up, Belos doesn’t look surprised or worried. If anything, it’s like he expected this to happen and was readily prepared for it. It’s not like he’ll be scared. Why would he? The draining spell has started and there’s very little that anyone can do to stop it. All he has left is to take care of this one “pest,” and he’s good to go in leaving everything behind. It’s a testament to just how confident Belos is in his schemes, to the point where he doesn’t consider that there’s the tiniest possibility that something could go wrong. Even though the people he disregarded ended up being what lead to his downfall.
But we’ll get into that. For now, we’ve got some action to go through!
The Kids (and Alador) Fighting the Other Airships: This is a pretty fun set-piece. The little ways that everyone works together to stop the airships attacking is extraordinary. They all contribute in a unique way with Gus covering them with an illusion, Hunter going for a full frontal assault, Willow saving Hunter’s dumbass, and Amity shutting down the abomitons while Alador drives their airship. It’s teamwork to the extreme, being a blast to see for every second. My only complaint is that I wish it could have gone on longer. I’m not saying I’m disappointed that we didn’t get an extended action scene. I just would have loved to see MORE. Still, I can live with how little we got.
Darius and Eberwolf Fighting Covenheads: This is another fight scene I wish was longer. Seeing Darius and Eberwolf fight through the covenheads to the best of their ability was awesome, not only in the ways that Darius and Eberwolf hold out on their own, but also for the chance to see what the other covenheads can do. Still makes me wish that we got an entire episode with them like we did with Terra and Adrian, but…eh. There’s literally nothing I or the writers can do to change that, so complaining that a series doesn’t give me more of something awesome is pretty petty at this point. Believe me.
So, I’ll take the little awesomeness for what it’s worth. Especially for the short character moments it gives us, like Darius stopping the second it looked like Eberwolf was in danger. I found that weirdly wholesome for some reason. I don’t know why.
Eda Telling Terra She’s Making a Mistake: Unfortunately, the wholesomeness doesn’t last.
The fear in Eda’s voice as she pleads with Terra to understand is something we rarely hear in her. There have been times when it’s evident how scared or worried Eda is for the people she loves, whether it’s Luz breaking into the Conformitorium or the Emperor’s Coven looking for Luz. This time, though, I feel like it’s the most afraid Eda’s ever been, and I can’t blame her. Literally the fate of EVERYONE is based on the draining spell failing, so of course, she’ll be scared out of her wits when it looks like everyone is going to die and there’s nothing she can do to stop it. It’s a moment that leaves them helpless, and some of HER fear bleeds into me.
But if you think Eda’s worried about everyone dying, just imagine how’d she react to what Luz is up to.
Luz Trying to “Make A Deal” with Belos: Don’t mind me. Just watching one of my favorite characters in all of fiction being turned to stone and can’t do anything to stop it. Carry on.
Real talk, though, this is the closest Luz has ever come to death…and I think she knows it. You see it in the way that she flounders to get Belos to agree in having Luz as a guide, as well as in how she begins to cry as the stone reaches her face. And what’s great (I can’t believe I just described this as great) is that Luz doesn’t appeal to Belos with kind words like she usually does with people. Instead, Luz uses logic, explaining to Belos that letting her live is the smartest thing to do. The reason that works is because reaching out to Belos’ humanity would be pointless. There’s nothing human left inside him anymore, so the only thing she has left is to use the one thing he understands: Logic. Still, it was an evidential shot in the dark that he’d take this deal, and you can all but see the relief in Luz when he does. And it’s a good thing he did…because it gave Luz the one thing she needed.
Luz Branding Belos: I feel like a show is doing something right when it makes me want to get up and cheer over a character doing something brilliant.
Seriously, moments like this are why Luz is one of my favorite characters in all of fiction. She doesn’t overpower her enemies, but instead outsmarts them. She is more or less a crafty strategist who uses her wits and environment to get a leg up on someone else, doing tricks like this that would make her adoptive owl mom proud. And it was a solid plan too…considering that–
The Draining Spell Begins to Take Effect: This…left me sick to my stomach.
Everyone realizing what the spell is doing and trying to just…run? Only to then realize that they’re trapped and can’t escape their fate? It was…horrifying. It was the most horrifying thing that I’ve seen in a kids’ show, and that’s saying something given all the s**t this series pulled in just this season alone.
Hell, even this episode seems pretty grim. Especially with what happens to Belos.
Does THIS scream Green Goblin to you?! COME ON, NOW! Come ON, now…also, spoilers for my Spider-Luz AU, I guess.
My bad.
Alright, now that I got my silliness out of the way, I really DIG his final form. I mean, it kind of sucks that his powerful magic is now restricted to evil rage demon, but at the same time…look at him! He’s a horrifying looking creature, and I adore it. Plus, with all the ways that he attacks like a wild animal, forming weapons with…whatever the hell he’s made of, it results in a pretty cool final boss…even though our characters could hardly fight him.
The Kids Fighting Belos: What’s interesting about this is that nothing that the kids could do actually hurts Belos. Maybe trap or distract him for a couple of seconds, but never really leave a dent to him. Gus is the one to do the most damage by bringing up stuff that Belos hid away, and even then, that didn’t really hurt Belos. If anything, it pissed him off. And I’m weirdly ok with this. It shows that while Belos isn’t the same witch who can perform spells that Luz can barely keep up with, he’s still very much unstoppable. It’d really take a force of nature to put an end to Belos…Or, a godlike child.
And we’re CLOSE to getting to that. Trust me. There’s just one thing I want to talk about first. Or, rather, one gremlin
Kikimora: It’s always the ones you least expect.
Who would have guessed it would be Kikimora, Belos’ most loyal stooge, would be the one to help lead to his downfall? Turns out all it took was seeing his true colors and witnessing the end of the world.
Now, normally I’d prefer a villain’s redemption to be handled a little more…well paced, but I wouldn’t call this a redemption, per se. More like a character getting pissed off at another to the point of murder. Sure, she probably didn’t expect what The Collector would EXACTLY do to Belos, but I doubt she’d leave murder off the table after how he treated her. It truly shows that Belos’ own confidence in being unbeatable is what led to his defeat.
As for where KikimoraleadsKing…
The Gold Guard Graveyard: ANOTHER thing that leaves me sick to my stomach.
We all assumed that the Golden Guards in Belos’ mind was all he killed…but apparently that was REALLY stupid of us. Turns out, Belos is WAY more of a twisted f**k than we thought, as he’s killed dozens of “failures” to the point that he’s all but made a graveyard for them. It’s…awful. But it’s supposed to BE awful, so…you know. Job well-done. I guess.
But, hey, don’t worry…things get worse.
King Meets the Collector: I don’t know what interests me more in this interaction, the fact that the Collector couldn’t see King or that they originally wanted to play with him.
To be fair, both are pretty fascinating. The symbols in King’s “castle” being something to help him hide from The Collector proves that The Collector himself is worthy of being someone to hide from. All they want to do is play, but we’ll soon learn just the extent of why that’s a bad idea. But there’s still the fact that he knew King specifically, meaning that it’s possible that King’s father is the one who trapped The Collector in the first place. Because while hiding King is one thing, getting rid of the monster looking for him is another.
Through just one meeting of two characters who have never heard of each other until that day, we get so much lore and backstory behind both of them. But that’s not even the best(?) part.
King Makes a Deal With The Collector: This plan. THIS. PLAN.
This plan…is going to lead to some debate.
Because it’s a stupid plan. But at the same time, it’s the only thing that saves EVERYONE. Yet, it also led to people being in MORE danger. Meaning that while they’re still alive, would it have been better if they were dead? So as not to suffer the wrath of someone who could potentially be WORSE than Belos?
It is an interesting scenario where everyone wins, but everyone loses at the same time. And let me tell you: No other series, kids’ show or not, has ever made me question whether something was the right call. Because I can see why King did this, but I also imagine the destruction it could lead to. And for that…we’ll just have to wait and see where it could lead. For now, there’s one last thing I want to talk about before.
Raine Rips Off Eda’s Arm: I’m well aware that this sounds horrible out of context…but, I don’t know. How do you WANT me to say it?
This really is a brilliant solution that I’m surprised none of us thought of…Well, MoringMark thought of it. Technically.
But, yeah, ripping off Eda’s arm so that the spell would stop affecting her is pretty clever. The mix of the draining spell and the curse causes it to decay into nothing, leaving Eda free from the magic and maybe even the coven brand itself. So, that’s the good news…the bad news is the position it leaves her in.
Right now, Eda is missing an arm, holding the person she loves most as they die in her embrace, and has NO IDEA of the danger her kids are in. And THAT is where we leave her this season. In a very bad predicament that we have no idea how she’ll recover from it. Or IF she’ll recover from it, that is. It’s crazy to think about how this is the last time we’ll see Eda for MONTHS, all because a certain someone decided to steal the show. And steal it they did.
The Collector in His Physical Form: You know, I was already on board with this character when they were basically just a shadow. But seeing him in their physical form and finally getting a chance to shine, I am more invested in this character than ever.
In the last few minutes they were on screen, The Collector turns Belos into paste, moves the moon, and forms the Isles into his own personal playpen. In other words, The Collector is certainly going to be a terrifying antagonist. Yet, the crazy thing about them is that I wouldn’t say they’re evil.
Oh, don’t get me wrong, he’s beyond nuts…but they’re also just a kid. Kids are nuts, yo! My nephew the other day said he’d rip Spider-Man’s butt off and then laughed like the little psycho that he is. The reason why I wasn’t worried about it was because I knew he was a kid who just didn’t understand how the world works and why some things are a bit messed up. It’s the same with The Collector. What he’s doing is messed up, but they don’t know that. He thinks that they’re playing a game and are unaware of how…fragile the players are. And THAT is what makes The Collector a unique antagonist. He’s a child with the powers of a god. They’re terrifying and insane, but in an almost innocent way. I’m not saying that because The Collector is a kid that excuses their actions, but I AM saying that after everything he’s done, they should expect a severe grounding when this series is over.
Unfortunately, this season has yet to end.
We’ve still got some more pain to go through…
Luz Trying to Stay and Keep Everything Together: Because, of course, she did.
Another great thing about Luz is her nobility. She doesn’t want to just run as everything is tearing down around her while there are people in danger. Instead, Luz will try to sacrifice herself at the first chance if it means someone she loves is safe. It’s what makes her Luz…but in trying to protect her loved ones, she ends up hurting them. Amity was literally begging Luz to come into the human realm, both because Amity doesn’t want to be apart again AND because she doesn’t want to lose someone else she loves. Alador ran off to distract the abomitons so the kids could be safe, and the twins are…Titan knows where, so if Amity lost Luz, she might just crack. And think of her friends? Do you think Gus, Willow, and maybe even Hunter would want to leave Luz behind so easily? But worst of all is Camila. How would she react to learning that her daughter is still trapped in another dimension while these four random kids aren’t? Something tells me she wouldn’t take the news well.
I get why Luz does this, but she needs to think more about the people she’s saving. For her greatest character trait is also her greatest weakness.
Just like how my greatest weakness is angst.
King Forcing Luz and Her Friends into the Human Realm: Yup…that hurt.
At the beginning of the season, King screamed how he would never let Luz go, caring so much about her that he doesn’t want to be apart. So to have King be the one to push Luz out the portal door says so much. Because while King values being with Luz forever, he cares more about her being safe above everything else. So, he does the one thing Luz could have done if the roles were reversed. And, just like Luz, he wasn’t aware of the pain this would cause.
Also, I didn’t want to be right when I said that Eda, Luz, and King’s scene together in “Clouds on the Horizon” would be their last scene together for a while. I really didn’t. But, yeah, that looks like where this is heading. And to tell you the truth, that might be more tragic than the Season Two finale of “Amphibia.” At least there, Anne may have been separated from Sasha and Marcy, but she wasn’t torn apart from her “family.” The Plantars still came with her to Earth, keeping Anne with the people she cares about the most. Here…it’s sort of different for Luz. She’s still with her friends, but her family is torn apart in all sorts of ways. Eda is stuck with Raine and a handful of dying witches, King is forced as The Collector’s playmate, and Luz is separated from both of them with no conceivable way of returning. A series is as strong as the bond between its main characters, so to have them separate like this leaves the series in a position where I don’t even know how the characters will resolve this.
So to end the season like THAT…earns so much of my respect
IN CONCLUSION
Is “King’s Tide” a satisfying conclusion? Is a hummingbird’s heart rate 1,260 beats per minute?
…Yes. The answer is yes–THIS FINALE WAS AWESOME!
There was great action and heartbreaking drama that still gave us some solid character building moments that led to a finale of epic proportions. I’m sure there are some nitpicks to be had, but I don’t care. Everything is done so well that why should I bother complaining about a few small problems that I mighthave.
An A+ all around, and I can’t wait for Season Three…whenever the hell that decides to come out.
Going to the beach and chill is the real reason behind the Day of Unity, let’s be realistic…. Yes, Belos is drinking what you are imagining. 10/10 I want his shirt too.
(A second sketch with Lilith and Hunter does exist… not my time to finish it tho… for now…)
Are you telling me that Kikimora knew about the Golden Guard graveyard the entire time, and yet still decided to take it upon herself to make sure Hunter ends up there too? She knew about the dozens, if not hundreds, of skeletons, could probably infer how many Golden Guards died previously - maybe even met a handful of them throughout her time in the coven. If she was “always listening”, she probably knew about Belos’ treatment of Hunter, which must have been harsh punishment at least half as often as any speeches on how special Hunter is.
Are you telling me Kikimora really looked at this dumb teenager with the shelf-life of maybe another year, if kept dry and away from sunlight, and decided to take it upon herself to make sure he’d join the graveyard before his time. Kikimora actively went out of her way to personally contribute another body to the pile of dead mayflies.
You gotta hand it to her, she’s way more unhinged than any of us previously realized, huh.
Kikimora knowing what happens to Golden Guards who are deemed failures by Belos, puts all her interactions with Hunter in a new light. Cause she was straight up rooting for Hunter to fail, knowing that he’ll be brutally murdered and disposed of…
![-The Emperor’s Coven-[image description] A Digital illustration of a triptych featuring the members](https://64.media.tumblr.com/2002e75e095a464d997ec77407d31217/e3b26497531a3a95-7b/s1280x1920/57141da63bad059b2e85dd7579158a14d53e50f8.png "-The Emperor’s Coven-[image description] A Digital illustration of a triptych featuring the members")
![-The Emperor’s Coven-[image description] A Digital illustration of a triptych featuring the members](https://64.media.tumblr.com/294c11cf708f09720bee67c0dbde8305/e3b26497531a3a95-7d/s1280x1920/e1dcce0193433981b9dc947d02a35e0f41ba0377.png "-The Emperor’s Coven-[image description] A Digital illustration of a triptych featuring the members")
![-The Emperor’s Coven-[image description] A Digital illustration of a triptych featuring the members](https://64.media.tumblr.com/a72add1da8b22d876b040ae38ca4c9f4/e3b26497531a3a95-5f/s1280x1920/38ca77f4833d7ddf13930afab5dbdd528613c7b4.png "-The Emperor’s Coven-[image description] A Digital illustration of a triptych featuring the members")
![-The Emperor’s Coven-[image description] A Digital illustration of a triptych featuring the members](https://64.media.tumblr.com/891ed06c403f1a04803c56625452c547/e3b26497531a3a95-bb/s1280x1920/a3ab7ac7716e2334435abc0b4cf93aa93eaedd04.png "-The Emperor’s Coven-[image description] A Digital illustration of a triptych featuring the members")
