There’s always a way to help. You just have to look for the right opportunity.

Once again, King’s eavesdropping on the Collector, this time while they’re conversing with Belos.

The Collector: But- but you said! You said you’d let me out! I hate it here!

Belos: Just a little longer. We have to wait till after the draining spell.

Collector: You better not be fibbing. You pinky-swore me.

Belos: Patience, Collector. You can trust me.

King: Psh!

Collector: Who’s there?

Then he wakes up.

They’re still following Luz to Belos, and naturally, tensions are running a bit high.

Alador: Very eager to return to Belos, eh, Golden Guard?

Hunter: At least I never built him an army!

Alador: Watch your tone with me, young man!

Gus: Hey, here’s a bright idea: Don’t distract the pilot!

And to top it all off, King’s feeling more useless than ever.

King: I can’t believe she’s going to face Belos alone, again! And I’m powerless to help her. We can’t even manage to help each other.

But that gives Willow an idea.

Because who could say no to those precious faces? And to food.

Amity: Look, we’re all exhasted and terrified. Let’s focus our energy on helping Luz, instead of fighting each other.

Amity: Aw! This is just like when I was a kid! Wait…is this why you call me Mittens?

It’s nice to see that Amity can rely on at least one of her parents!

King: That was amazing!

Willow: There’s always a way to help. You just have to look for the right opportunity.

Meanwhile, at the Day of Unity…

Raine: Pay attention! The other Coven Heads think they’re gonna be royalty after today, and they’ll do anything to make that happen. The cloaking stone won’t cover your voice, so make sure not to speak. Also-

Eda: The curse will do its thing. I got this, Rainestorm, don’t worry-

Raine: Don’t! Don’t tell me not to worry.

Eda: Don’t worry, Lily. With this spell declared, promise I’ll be back.

Lilith: That’s not a spell. Doesn’t even rhyme.

For as much as Eda tells people not to worry about her, she’s saying goodbye an awful lot like someone who thinks it’s the last time…

Then the draining spell actually starts.

And Belos escapes to his portal before things can get ugly.

The Collector: We did it! It’s done, it’s done! Now you can set me free, and we can play new games!

Belos: I’m afraid that’s impossible.

Collector: Uh, excusewhat now? But you said you’d use the Titan Blood to help free me!

Belos: And I’m sorry, but I just realized I only have enough Titan’s Blood to open the portal.

And then Kikimora finally shows up.

But since Belos is ready to leave, he’s done showing the least bit of consideration to his underlings.

Kikimora: I come bearing a gift. You had been looking for the Golden Guard, and here he is! Perhaps this act is worthy of returning me to my old post. Or, if you’re looking for a new right hand…?

Belos: Have you as my right hand? I’d sooner cut off my whole arm.

Kiki: But, I just want to help.

Belos: You want to help? Go find a hole to wither away in.

And then he says goodbye to The Collector.

The Collector: I gave you the draining spell. I taught you magic, stronger than anybody’s!

Belos: And that’s why I won’t release you. Can’t have you giving that to anyone else. Goodbye.

And he tosses the tablet off a bridge.

Belos: Of course she’d mess up such a simple task. But I am glad to see you, my fellow human.

Belos: What, no fight left? Or did you learn your lesson from last time?

Luz: You wish!

So she starts fighting Belos. Again.

And Luz’s friends approach the Head just as the draining spell begins.

And it doesn’t take too long for them to discover the rebel plot (and fix the spell), because they already suspected that Raine might try something like this.

Eda: You are making a big mistake!

Terra: My only mistake was letting you two live all those years ago.

Belos: I didn’t realize you’re already combining glyphs! You do have a strange intuition with these. It took me years to figure that out. Almost like the Titan himself didn’t want me to have that knowledge. Though you’re still decades away from beating me.

He might be a little right, but it’s more likely that Luz learned these things because she had people to collaborate with – Eda was the first one to have the thought of combining glyphs, after all.

Luz: Eat dirt, Belos!

Belos: It’s Philip. And despite our differences, I want to help you, Luz. I can send you home. I have just enough Titan Blood for one more trip. Please. I don’t want to see another human life destroyed by this place.

Luz: You’re such a hypocrite. You talk big about protecting humanity, but after everything you’ve done, you’re barely human yourself!

Belos: I do pity you. These monsters have warped your sense of reality. Perhaps it’d be merciful to put you out of your misery.

Then he starts to PETRIFY HER, so she fishes wildly for something she can offer that won’t crush her soul just to think of.

Luz: You do realize you’ve been gone from the human realm for centuries. Times have changed. You want to be known as the “Emperor of the Witch Hunters”, right?

Belos: Witch Hunter General.

Luz: Sure, sure. Witch Hunter General. But those aren’t really a thing anymore. No one’s going to take you seriously if you start ranting about the demon realm. Not to mention a fashion sense like that? Yikes, my dude.

Belos: So, what? You’re offering to be my modern day guide?

Luz: I’m not offering anything. But I do want to make a deal. I can’t beat you, I know that. So I will return to the human realm and I will be your guide, if you spare my friends. Come on! You’ll need living proof that this realm exists. You’d do anything to save humanity, well, I’d do anything to save the people I love. Please, Philip.

Because whatever scrap of humanity Belos does have left exists within Philip.

Belos: Fine.

Luz: Then shake on it, human style.

Luz: You’ll never make it out of here unless you stop the draining spell right now! I said stop it!

But that only seems to make him angry…

Just when the people begin to see that something’s wrong.

Belos: We don’t belong here.

Luz: I’m not like you!

But by this point, she’s starting to doubt that herself. She’s always blaming herself for the hardships her loved ones face, and now it’s starting to look like she won’t even be able to fix the mess that “she” made.

But of course her friends show up to remind her that she doesn’t have to fight alone.

Amity: Did you really think we wouldn’t follow you?

Gus: Yeah, girl. Get with it.

Luz: You guys are literally the coolest! We have to get him to stop the draining spell, but he’s all berserk mad!

And Gus sets King aside, thinking he’d only be a liability in a fight…

King: But I can help!

But once again, he proves much more useful in communicating than fighting.

Kikimora: It’s pointless. Belos can’t stop the spell any more than they can. Only The Collector has that power.

King: Who is The Collector?

Kiki: Neither witch nor demon. A child from the stars. Belos only talked to him when he thought no one was around, but I was always listening. Belos was afraid of him.

King: An opportunity…take me to him!

Kiki: If that means kicking the Emperor’s butt, gladly.

This doesn’t represent a change of heart for Kikimora so much as a long-overdue shift in loyalty – I mean, he basically fired her and left her to die, so what does she have to lose?

Meanwhile, Hunter is obviously having the hardest time in the fight, between his still-shaky loyalty and, you know, dealing with the effects of the draining spell (the only one of the kids to have that issue).

Belos: Hunter! Why are you hurting me? I only wanted to help you.

Hunter: You’re- you’re lying!

Belos: Caleb!

Note that Belos is reminded of Caleb (his brother, the original) when he sees Hunter’s palisman (and this will actually get an explanation…sort of).

So Kiki leads King to “where the failures end up” (aka a mass grave for all the golden guards), and where The Collector’s tablet ended up.

The Collector: Wait, I know someone’s there, I can feel it. Why can’t I see you?

Then King realizes that his collar (or the symbol on his collar) is what’s hiding him from The Collector. Never mind that he clearly wasn’t wearing it until he revisited his castle in season 2 – I’ll take that as an understandable plot hole of a developing series.

Collector: You look like that bully who put me in here. No way! Are you his little Titan baby? I’ve always wanted to play with you, but your dumb pops hid you. Hey, do you like Hide and Seek? I’ll hide first!

King: Wait! Mr. Collector, please, we need you to stop this draining spell.

Collector: Mister? You are so boring.

And then he figures out The Collector’s game: Games!

King: Well, you know what’s better than Hide and Seek? A game called the, uh, the Owl House!

Because everything comes back to the Owl House!

King: Oh, it’s so fun! Like, the most fun! And I could show you if you want. We’re gonna need a lot of players, like, a whole island’s worth of players, but, uh, oh. Aw, shucks.

Collector: What’s wrong?

King: Well, gee. Everyone’s gonna perish from this ding dang draining spell…guess we can’t play that awesome game after all. Man, it was fun, though.

Collector: Wait, if you’re a Titan, you can let me out. I can stop the spell. And we could play together!

King: Golly! You’d do that?

Collector: Wait. You’re not tricking me into doing your chores like Philip, are you?

I mean, technically he is, but at the same time, this seems to be the only way to motivate The Collector to not destroy the Boiling Isles.

Meanwhile, the Day of Unity is getting real dire.

But Raine managed to save Eda by RIPPING OFF HER ARM that bore the sigil (because the curse had already thoroughly decayed it). It pays to be cursed every now and then!

Raine: I promised a special kid I’d protect you.

And once the Collector’s released, they promptly deal with Belos.

Collector: What ya playing?

Belos: Collector. You’re free, just as promised.

Collector: As promised? I remember someone throwing me off a bridge. I’m not angry, though. Say, you wanna play tag? I’m it.

Then, with a mere tap on the face, they SLAM BELOS AGAINST THE WALL, reducing him to a puddle of slime. And the kids are understandably a little traumatized, and terrified of the Collector!

Thankfully, King intervenes before The Collector can start “playing” with the kids, too.

King: Remember what we talked about? You gotta help all my friends outside or, uh, we won’t get to play Owl House.

Luz: Owl House? Gosh, I love that game.

Amity: The memories last a lifetime!

Willow: I play it every day.

Gus: I play it every hour!

That poor boy is just trying not to cry.

King: I’ll explain the rules later, but remember: We need lots of players.

Then they just stop the eclipse and the draining spell like it’s nothing.

Collector: We’re gonna have a blast, everyone!

Then they start to destroy the ground everyone is standing on, so the kids head over to the nearest exit, which just so happens to be the portal…

Luz is torn between her Owl Family and her “real” family, but she can’t keep the portal open much longer – she has to make a choice.

But for the first time, King chooses for her.

Luz: We gotta stick together. We gotta stick together!

King: I’m sorry. Not this time. But I can keep you safe.

Luz: No!

King: Luz, I’m so happy I had you as a big sister.

Then he pushes her through the portal, because he has to stay and keep his promise to The Collector.

But the portal is closed now.

Luz: Hey, Mom. I’m back.

And that’s how the season ends. Is it any wonder the fans rioted to think that THIS would be the end of the show?

But thankfully, there IS a next time…