You look fun. Wanna play?

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

Goodbye.

So naturally, we have to backtrack a bit in order to explore the aftermath of the Day of Unity.

To put it simply, it’s a mess. A very colorful mess, but still a mess.

Collector: I’m free! I’m free! Oh, this is the goodest I’ve felt in forever and ever! It’s like the whole world is singing!

King: Yeah, I wouldn’t call that “singing”…

Collector: So, tell me about your game, The Owl House. You promised you’d teach me if I stopped the draining spell.

King: Well, it’s, uh, like playing pretend! We get roles and go on adventures. But this is too crazy! We can’t play if you’re freaking everyone out.

Raine and Eda get just a moment together before she notices King up in the sky and flies off to save him.

It doesn’t go well. (and yes, I am including scenes from the end credits, because so much had to be cut in order to maintain any sense of pacing). Also Lilith (and Hooty!) is just a puppet now because The Collector just has terrifying powers like that.

King: You can’t hurt people, either!

Collector: But they’re not hurt. They’re safe and sound in our new house. Now, what part do I get to play?

So, back to the end of the last episode…

Amity: Luz! You were in there so long, we thought you got stuck behind! Are you hurt anywhere?

Luz: I-I’m fine. I saw something, or someone. But it was probably just in my head.

Luz was sucked back into that weird portal realm, the same as in last season, except this time she caught a glimpse of someone else in there. But they have more pressing issues at hand.

Luz: Any sign of…him?

Hunter: Oh, come on! It’s not like a swamp ghost will inexplicably appear if you say his name! I think. Anyway, if Belos was here, he’s long gone now.

Poor Hunter has backslid a bit into his old ways, which is kind of understandable, considering the kind of day he’s having (without any sign of a hug!).

But his bad mood isn’t gonna stop Willow from enjoying the return to her natural habitat.

Willow: Oh, hello, red grass! I’ve missed you! I can’t talk for long, we’re on a mission to save the Boiling Isles.

Hunter seems fine with them messing around a bit…until he hears a bird that sounds like Flapjack and gets upset again.

Hunter: We don’t have time for red grass or illusions! Belos had a head start, so we should keep moving until we find him.

Willow: Don’t worry. I bet we’ll all feel better when we punch Belos right through the face. And yes, I mean through the face!

Gus: Thanks, Willow. You’re always looking out for us, aren’t you?

Willow: Well, someone has to. And it looks like my job here is done.

Willow is going to be one of the focal characters of the episode, which is kind of necessary, considering that she’s been assuming a new role in the past few episodes: The team mom (ironic, considering they have an ACTUAL mom on their team now). Ever since the kids started acting more independently (even if there occasionally was an actual adult around, like Alador or Camila), she’s been the one to make sure that everyone gets taken care of. She’s evidently been playing this role with Gus for a while, but as her friend group’s expanded, she feels like she has to be responsible for ALL of them.

Camila: Oh, wow! You kids were really holding back in the human realm, huh?

Amity: Maybe a little. Hello, you gorgeous slime!

Camila: Mija, you never told me how pretty this place was! The trees, the sky, que belleza [what beauty] –ah!

Then she sees the Titan.

Amity: Actually, the Titan skull is normal. Everything else is…

Luz: Wrong.

Camila is understandably concerned.

Luz: Mamá, you’re pretending to like this place, aren’t you?

Camila: No! I love the fact that you’ve been living on a giant…carcass.

Luz: It’s sweet of you, really. But I haven’t changed my mind. After we rescue Eda and King, I’m staying in the human realm, permanently. It’s for the best.

But before they manage to talk things out, they reach the sad remnants of the Owl House. Luz goes up to Eda’s nest, so Camila has a chance to chat with Willow and Gus.

Camila: I need advice about Luz. See, she’s planning to…make a very bad decision for herself. She’s so determined to make herself sad, and…I don’t know how to help.

Gus responds with an anecdote about a time he failed a school project.

Gus: Maybe Luz is going through something like that. My dad didn’t care if I failed that project, but I didn’t want to fail him, and- oh, man. I hope he’s okay.

Willow: Don’t worry. We’ll get him back. I’ll make sure of it.

And then Hunter’s still clearly upset, so Willow heads out to deal with him.

Camila: Willow, hold on. How are you feeling?

Willow: Don’t worry about me. You heard what Gus said. I’m the reliable one.

Camila: It’s okay to be scared, too. It’s not good if you try to hold it all in.

Willow: I’m fine, really. And I think you’ll be fine, too. You and Luz are a lot alike.

Because of course Willow turns it around and tries to reassure Camila about her relationship with Luz and WILLOW. Girl. It’s okay to not be okay! Especially when you’re providing so much emotional labor for the people around you.

Amity: Did you think sitting in a nest was gonna make your palisman hatch?

Of course, there’s a bit more going on than that, but this is at least a vein of conversation that isn’t painful for Luz, so she asks about how Amity connected with her palisman (because her family could afford to buy her one).

Amity: Well, after being handed the staff, I said, “I wanna be a great witch,” or I don’t know, “I want to be a great author like Mildred Featherwhyle,” but she wouldn’t move until I admitted that I don’t know what I’m gonna be when I grow up, but I want to choose the path myself. And that was enough.

Luz: I want to be a witch, and help my friends. But doing one always seems to mess up the other. Why did this get so complicated?

Amity: You’ve just gotta be patient. This isn’t the only reason you’re in here, is it?

Luz: I’ll find Eda and King. No matter how long it takes.

At least they’re getting better at communicating with each other, even if Luz is still planning to leave the demon realm forever…

Then they spot Eda and King heading toward Bonesborough.

And they make do with two people per staff.

But once they arrive in town, they find it eerily quiet…

Until the Collector shows up with King and a bunch of their “toys”, including one of Willow’s dads (!), featuring a rampaging monster…

Collector: Stop right there, beast! Fear not, citizens of Bonesborough! I’m here to stop this beast’s mad rampage!

King: I believe in you, Collector!

Collector: Thanks, best friend!

And then it turns out the “beast” wasn’t even Eda, but rather an unenthusiastic Terra.

Terra: Who’s got a pint of apple blood? Hoot hoot.

Collector: Time out, everyone, time out! Terra! For the last time, Eda doesn’t sound like that! She’s got more of, like, a cool aunt vibe, who pretends to be all coldhearted, but actually cares a lot!

Terra: Oh, you’re a real thorn in my side. I’ve had it with you and your stupid little dog! Ugh, whatever. All I have to do is play Eda the Owl Lady, and I don’t get turned into one of those things, right? Then, let’s just continue. “Ooh, I like musicians!”

Collector: You’re not being very nice right now.

Terra: Wait!

I mean, she’s still a horrible person, but removing any person’s free will like that is horrifying, too.

At least King understands the severity of their actions.

King: Collector, buddy, you gotta stop doing that. Think about what you’re doing to these people.

Collector: You are so boring! I’m just playing pretend.

King: Even playing pretend has consequences. A cranky old witch taught me that.

Collector: You mean Eda, right? That’s what we need, the real thing! A cranky know-it-all mentor figure, no substitutes allowed. Maybe if I ask real nice, I won’t have to turn her into a puppet!

King: No! Her curse is still, um, in effect. But I can check if she’s feeling better.

And with that, they head back where they came from.

Camila: Is that the little King guy you were telling me about? Ai, cariño.

I love how they had the exact same response to King.

Luz: Wait, no! Not yet! King.

Camila: Okay, the eyeballs on the ground are normal, but the little space cherub is the danger?

She’s catching on, slowly but surely.

Gus: It looked like they were playing a game.

Luz: Yeah, with some sort of messed up version of my life! King must have told him about our adventures.

Gus: Do you think everyone who was turned into a puppet gets locked in the archives?

Luz: If they do, then that’s where we have to go.

Mattholomule: You’ll never make it. Cause you guys are losers!

And thus we turn to consider the lot of the Hexolios who were left behind in an apocalypse. Thankfully, it’s turned out more Mad Max than Lord of the Flies (mostly).

Most of the students and teachers took Hunter’s warning seriously, so Bump opened Hexside up for students to live in.

Matt: We thought we could handle whatever the Emperor threw at us, but when the draining spell hit, we realized things wouldn’t be so simple. After the adults recovered-

Skara: That’s when the Collector’s spies showed up.

The adults at the school naturally tried to defend the kids, but were turned into puppets for their trouble (along with most of the Grudgby team). Ever since the kids have more or less remained holed up in the school.

Skara: Let me welcome you to New Hexside!

Gus: This does not smell great.

Camila: It’s so nice to see teachers getting the respect they deserve…I think.

Then word starts to spread about their arrival. Evidently the kindergartners have become little terrors who refuse to listen to any of the older students (and some of Willow’s plants have gained sentience in her absence, as magical plants are wont to do?).

But at least we get one family reunion!

Amity: What happened?

Ed: After you and Dad left the factory, I bravely set off to find you. Then I was tragically cornered by one of The Collector’s spies.

Em: When he was running away, he fell into an empty well.

Ed: Not empty! There were rocks at the bottom.

Amity: Come here you weirdos!

Meanwhile, Belos is seeking out a new host/body, because he’s still been relegated a slime monster, haunted by the ghosts of his past victims. Also, it’s pretty much confirmed in this scene that the grimwalkers were also intended as new bodies for Belos after they’d outlived their usefulness (hence why he had pointy ears when we saw his face). He finds an already decaying corpse, so he moves on in the direction of the Collector…

And so do we!

Evidently, Odalia managed to avoid puppetification by volunteering herself as the “Mamadalia” – basically a glorified nanny/housekeeper for the Collector. Honestly, it’s no worse than she deserves.

Collector: We’ve been playing pretend forever, King. It is fun, but what if we switch it up? We could play Capture the Flag! Us vs. everyone on the Isles. We could put the losers on the Moon!

King: Wow! That is…an idea. But don’t you think people would have a tough time breathing?

Collector: So they could hold their breaths.

It’s obvious that King is just trying to mitigate the damage at this point, steering the Collector away from more destructive “games”.

Then, they ask King to read them a story…

King: Collectors live long, we watch things pass. To observe, to preserve, we must amass. What flies, what swims, be it predator or prey, seal them up so that they never fade. Ah…

Collector: No no! Don’t read the next part. Skip to where I fixed it.

King: Uh, okay. But playing is more fun, so I’m gonna make friends instead. The others stink, boo.

Evidently this “story” represents the goals of the Collectors as a species. and considering what their stated policy was (“should they meddle in our affairs, we’ll cleanse the planet and scorch the air”), this Collector is, comparatively, much more reasonable than others of their kind.

Collector: King, can I sleep with Francois?

King: Come on. You know I’ve only let one other person hold him.

Collector: Right. That human. Can you at least leave him to watch over me? I don’t like being alone.

Meanwhile at Hexside…

Matt: Allow me to introduce Student Body President Boscha, and her trusted guards, Miki and Roka.

Boshca: Welcome to New Hexside! Home to the future of the Isles and stuff.

Luz: What the heck is going on here?

Amity: Yeah! Hexside doesn’t even have a student council! I would know, I kept trying to organize one, but Bump thought I was too “obsessed”, and-

Willow: All right girl, take a breath.

Because OF COURSE Amity wanted a student council.

But on a practical note, it would make sense that Boscha would win a popularity contest in the absence of our heroes (especially if she constantly reminded/was reminded of the traumatic event of having the rest of her team stolen by the Collector). She’s already on top of the school hierarchy…even if she’s terrible at leading anything but a sports team.

Gus: And who are you two?

“Miki”: My little sister and I were traveling for the day of unity, but found ourselves hiding here after the, ah, incident. Boscha brought us in, so we helped her establish order over Hexside.

Boscha: Now, we are flourishing!

Yeah, it’s not hard to see that “Miki” is just Kikimora (and her robot) in disguise, but as there are more pressing concerns at the moment, that revelation doesn’t come until later.

Luz: Long story short, we’re here to help. We are gonna rescue everyone from the archives, and save the Boiling Isles!

But “Miki” has effectively Wormtongued Boscha into utter inaction, even nixing policies within school walls that could potentially take resources from Boscha’s personal guard, so support for any sort of mission beyond its walls is off the table.

Luz: Maybe there’s another way…I don’t know how to get into the archives, but we may be able to get close, by teleporting directly into the Titan’s Skull!

Meanwhile, King’s checking in on Eda and co.

King: You gotta stop leaving your room! The Collector thinks you’re still in beast mode.

Eda: I know. I just like visiting Raine.

And by “visiting Raine”, she means crossing a magical boundary so that all the puppet-Coven Heads activate with the intention of stopping her from potentially wreaking havoc. Why, yes, she DOES have a bad case of cabin fever/quarantine brain.

Hooty: Sequestered in a darkness like unto death, the dulcet tones of an angel wakes me! Be it you, Lulu?

Lilith: It be, it be!

Eda: Hooty, you keep finding new and impressive ways to creep me out.

King suggests having the Collector release Hooty, but they shoot it down for being too risky. Evidently, he convinced them to release Lilith because she helps make potions for Eda.

Eda: What’s the matter?

King: I don’t know. I just miss Luz.

Eda: Well, I miss her too, kiddo. But she’s in the human realm now, with, you know, her real family.

King: Don’t say it like that! You know you don’t mean it.

Lilith: What Eda means to say is, we’ll find a way to defeat The Collector. At least Luz and her friends are safe, and far, far away from this madness.

And elsewhere in the castle, Belos has usurped Raine’s puppet-body (!!!).

Belos: Oh yes, I think you’ll prove to be quite useful.

Meanwhile, back at Hexside, having successfully fished out Luz’s memory of the teleport-to-the-head glyph combo, Willow tries to cheer Hunter up.

Willow: Before we go, look what I found.

Gus: We’re all gonna miss Flapjack, but we know he loved you the most.

Willow: And we just wanna let you know, we don’t care who you’re supposed to be. Cause you’re one of us now. Never forget that.

Luz: Hunter, are you okay?

Hunter: I…don’t know.

Willow: Oh, um, I’m sorry. I…didn’t mean to make things worse. I, uh, I’ll be right back.

Gus: I guess this is my fault, too.

Hunter: What? How?

Gus: I’ve known you were a grimwalker since the Day of Unity. I was waiting for you to bring it up yourself, but…I don’t know. Maybe if I weren’t so afraid, none of us would be hurting right now.

Then Gus runs after her. And Hunter runs after him.

I feel for Hunter here. He’s got a lot of feelings, and he’s never been taught healthy ways to express them. This particularly bothers Willow, since she’s bottling up a lot of feelings, too, and has been feeling so much pressure recently to keep it together, under the assumption that she needs to be there for others first.

Boscha: Trouble with your team, Captain Half-a-Witch? Leading isn’t easy, is it? All your time is spent helping the team, keeping people from fighting, planning your next move, and Titan forbid you show any weakness! Everyone else falls apart.

Willow: Not now, Boscha.

Boscha: If you want my advice-

Willow: Advice? From you? You have been nothing but petty and mean to me since I met you! What? You want me to give up? You want me to admit how stressed I am? What advice could you possibly give me?

Boscha: Actually, I was gonna advise you to watch your back. You never know when your opponent is gonna strike.

As it happens, Boscha excels at exactly one thing: Defending her own power.

Back with Luz…

Camila: You kids have gone through too much. Even when we rescue your families, there’s still so much to fix.

Amity: At least we’ll all be together to figure it out. Right, Luz?

Then Luz is just about to say that she’s going back to the human realm and WHY MUST YOU REFUSE TO BE HAPPY?

And for the first time, I’m actually happy to see Kikimora, because ANYTHING is better than that conversation.

Luz: No, not you!

Kikimora: Long time no see, human.

And thus they successfully knocked all our heroes out.

Meanwhile, after Belos discovers that The Collector isn’t quite so easy to kill as he’d hoped, he pivots to a different tactic.

Collector: You’re not supposed to move on your own. How did you break your spell?

“Raine”: The spell isn’t broken. See? You take such good care of us Coven Heads, Collector, keeping us safe in the archives. It was the, uh, power of your kindness that brought me to life, so I could tell you-

Collector: What is it?

“Raine”: You’re in danger, Collector.

Kikimora: The days of Kikimora the Underling are over. I prefer partnerships such as ours. We need to establish our rule now, for the wellbeing of future generations.

Considering you’re “partnering” with a kid, that doesn’t seem very equal to me.

Camila: Okay, I’m still catching up. What’s the little red kitten trying to do?

Luz: She’s just copying Belos’s “scare people into worship” thing, because she has no ideas of her own!

Amity tries to appeal to Boscha directly when Kiki decides to KILL her prisoners, to no avail. They fight her off (with an assist from Camila), but Luz and her mom are separated from the others.

Camila: Kikimiki! Uh, bruja [witch] toss!

Then Amity (with Matt) runs into Boscha again.

Amity: Let us go, Boscha.

Boscha: Oh, Amity, I already let you go. Many times. When you stopped hanging out with the group, when you left the Grudgby team, when you disappeared for months?

Amity: What are you saying?

Boscha: I’m saying…please come back! […] The others are gone, but we can still be a team! We can rule New Hexside together. It’ll be just like the old days. Maybe even better!

Amity: Sorry. We don’t have time for this.

Even when the world’s falling apart around her, Boscha can’t manage to think about anybody but herself.

Amity: I can’t be who you want me to be, Boscha. But we can still save your teammates. Will you let us try?

At this point, all Amity is asking for is that Boscha won’t try to stop them from doing their heroing.

And now, we turn to Hunter’s predicament (much the same as the others at the moment, but thankfully no Kikimora).

Hunter: Flapjack…everyone’s on edge, and I don’t know what to say. I wish you were here.

Then some rogue vines appear, and with them, Willow’s conflict.

Willow: Oh! Hunter! I had a little run-in with Boscha and got stuck down here. Gus just surprised me.

Hunter: What’s going on?

Willow: I’ve got it all under control. I can do this!

The more she tries to tamp down on her feelings, the more her magic gets out of control.

Meanwhile, Belos sows enough doubt in the Collector’s mind that they eavesdrop on King.

Lilith: According to these, er, “borrowed” books, Titan magic can actually cancel out the Collector’s. And that’s why his predecessors…well, uh-

King: Wiped out all the Titans?

Lilith: The important thing is that there’s hope to defeat him. Maybe even trap him again.

King: No! We can’t do that!

Collector: Hear that? He’s looking out for me.

Eda: Well, why not?

King: Cause it didn’t work! If we want things to go back to normal, The Collector needs to be stopped for good. And I think I know a more permanent solution.

Collector: That didn’t sound very friendly…

And of course, that’s where they stop listening to King and start listening to Belos, who informs them that Luz is back and wants to put a stop to their “games”.

But naturally, King doesn’t actually want to hurt his friend.

King: The Collector is just a little kid. A scary, powerful one, but also sad and alone. I don’t know, this whole time I was scared of making him mad, but I think I can relate to him. Let me talk to him. Immortal being to semi-immortal being. It’s worth a try if no more people get hurt, right?

Eda: Oh, you’re growing up too fast for me, kiddo.

HE IS THE GOODEST BOY

And now, Camila finally gets a chance to have her talk with Luz.

Luz: My whole plan fell apart! I messed up again.

Camila: What are you talking about?

Luz: It doesn’t matter.

Camila: No, mija. It does matter. You don’t want to leave the demon realm, do you?

Luz: Of course not, but-

Camila: You keep messing up? Messing up is a part of living! You don’t think I’ve ever messed up before?

She has a lengthy list of mistakes right off the top of her head (like selling energy drinks for an MLM).

Camila: And of course I was convinced we should move to Gravesfield to be closer to that fancy hospital. You know how that ended. And worst of all, I didn’t stand up for you when you needed me most. I forgot about the astral oath.

Luz: The what?

Camila: The astral oath is a promise, made between Captain Avery and his family, to love and protect each other, just as they are, through supernovas and solar winds.

Luz: Mom…are you a secret nerd?

Camila: I had a hard time growing up. I was afraid you would, too. My biggest mistake was trying to protect you by changing this beautiful, good witch into something she wasn’t.

Luz: I think I just realized something. I don’t know why it took me so long to figure out. The only thing I ever really wanted was to be understood.

And then her palisman starts to hatch and communication saves the day! Even if the magical energy also alerts Kikimora to their location.

And now we return to Willow’s crisis.

Willow: I can do this! I can do this. I can’t do this. I can’t control my own magic. I can’t help my friends. Why have I been trying to be someone different? Boscha’s right. I’ll always just be half-a-witch Willow.

And Hunter jumps in at that, because that sort of language is triggering for him, too.

Hunter: You didn’t make anything worse, you didn’t do anything wrong! You guys mean the world to me, and I- I didn’t know how to say that yet. Just please, don’t call yourself that ever again! You’ve been holding in a lot, haven’t you?

Gus: Willow! Reliable people need someone to rely on, too. Just let it out. We’ll be fine.

Willow: I miss my dads!

And then HUNTER saves the day with his new powers (which are not entirely new…).

Gus: You have magic, dude!

Hunter: The magic of friendship?

Willow: No. The magic of Flapjack!

He inherited Flapjack’s warp-magic and it’s too perfect. But still bittersweet.

Luz; Sorry! I’m still getting the hang of this.

Gus: Luz has a staff.

Willow: Why does that make me nervous?

Maybe because she almost hit you with a magical blast just now?

But there’s also a person trying to kill them in the form of Kikimora.

But as soon as Kiki declares her independence from Hexside, these guys show up to support the hero squad.

Boscha: I didn’t do this for any of you. I just wanna do normal things, and look great, and play Grudgby with my team!

And they distract Kiki just long enough for the kids to draw the teleport glyph.

Willow: Oh my gosh! I can’t believe that actually worked!

Camila: Ooh, you really beamed us up, eh, O’Bailey?

And thus she comes out as a nerd to the boys, delighting them.

Luz: Guys, come meet my palisman!

And, of course, her palisman is just as unique as she is.

Luz: She’s a snakeshifter! Her name is Stringbean, and she’s perfect!

Camila: Oh, mira que precioso mis bebes. Ven, ven.

I certainly understand the impulse to cuddle all the cute critters.

And another couple’s taking shape…

Willow: Thanks for what you said back there. You mean a lot to me, too.

Hunter: Cool. Happy to help.

Luz: I can’t wait to show Eda and King [my palisman].

Amity: They’ll love her. Although Hooty might eat her.

Luz: King might too

Amity: Eda might three...

This is a pretty happy ending! So of course, Belos just HAS come and ruin it.

Belos: What did I tell you? Luz has come to help King get rid of you for good. What will you do, Collector?

Collector: I think I wanna play a new game.

Until next time…