I went into this episode with very high expectations, as the back half of the season has been significantly better than the first with the last episode being the best episode in the show so far, preceded by several excellent episodes. Honestly it wouldn't be surprising if the finale was a disappointment. Thankfully, I can say that wasn't the case.
This episode was really strong in many departments. The action and animation was great as usual, with the fight with Emperor Belos having some very creative choreography. The tension was high the whole episode because not only does the viewer care about Eda's fate, but the way the characters are acting reflect the gravitas of the episode. Despite this, there was still room made for some great humor, with my favourite joke being Luz and King getting arrested by stepping on grass. I could see how this could be taken as mood ruining, but I think it just keeps the situation from being unbearably grim. Also there were some very nice emotional moments like Eda telling Luz to go back to her world and King saying Eda was his family.
Something I had an issue with was that Amity had absolutely no involvement in the finale. Even Willow and Gus tried to help Luz. It's especially a disappointment because there's been so much screen time for her since Adventures in the Elements. I know she had an injured leg, but she could've still come to help protest for Eda's release without needing to get in on the action.
And then there's the thing that I'm neither really positive nor negative about. Lily and the start of her redemption arc. At first I was pretty disappointed and thought the owl house was gonna be another show that redeemed someone too easily and I thought it sort of went against the found family theme. But then when I rewatched the episode and thought about it, I realized the way it was handled was actually pretty good for now. She not only betrayed the organization that she dedicated her whole life to, but she also sacrificed her magic to return Eda to a relatively normal state. That's a pretty big sacrifice, and it feels natural too since it's been made very apparent that whatever Lily says and how she acts, she definitely does care about her sister. Plus she was a kid when it happened so it's more understandable. But that doesn't make up for her being a jerk before and it doesn't make her a good person. However I think her love for her sister could be a catalyst for her change. In the end, I think the quality of her arc will be determined by one main thing: how the relationship between her and Eda is developed in the next season. If the show is just like Lily made a good sacrifice so all is forgiven then I will retroactively be upset at this decision, but if there's some tension and animosity for a while and it takes time and effort for Lily to earn Eda's true forgiveness, I'll be happy about it. For now, I'm tentatively ok with it.
Overall this was a very satisfying finale for an awesome first season of the show. While it's not my favourite episode (that's still agony of a witch), it's definitely up there among the other episodes, and that is saying something. The action, the drama, the emotion, the comedy, the story, the characters. The finale fired on all cylinders and only left something to be desired in one or two areas. 9/10
This episode was really strong in many departments. The action and animation was great as usual, with the fight with Emperor Belos having some very creative choreography. The tension was high the whole episode because not only does the viewer care about Eda's fate, but the way the characters are acting reflect the gravitas of the episode. Despite this, there was still room made for some great humor, with my favourite joke being Luz and King getting arrested by stepping on grass. I could see how this could be taken as mood ruining, but I think it just keeps the situation from being unbearably grim. Also there were some very nice emotional moments like Eda telling Luz to go back to her world and King saying Eda was his family.
Something I had an issue with was that Amity had absolutely no involvement in the finale. Even Willow and Gus tried to help Luz. It's especially a disappointment because there's been so much screen time for her since Adventures in the Elements. I know she had an injured leg, but she could've still come to help protest for Eda's release without needing to get in on the action.
And then there's the thing that I'm neither really positive nor negative about. Lily and the start of her redemption arc. At first I was pretty disappointed and thought the owl house was gonna be another show that redeemed someone too easily and I thought it sort of went against the found family theme. But then when I rewatched the episode and thought about it, I realized the way it was handled was actually pretty good for now. She not only betrayed the organization that she dedicated her whole life to, but she also sacrificed her magic to return Eda to a relatively normal state. That's a pretty big sacrifice, and it feels natural too since it's been made very apparent that whatever Lily says and how she acts, she definitely does care about her sister. Plus she was a kid when it happened so it's more understandable. But that doesn't make up for her being a jerk before and it doesn't make her a good person. However I think her love for her sister could be a catalyst for her change. In the end, I think the quality of her arc will be determined by one main thing: how the relationship between her and Eda is developed in the next season. If the show is just like Lily made a good sacrifice so all is forgiven then I will retroactively be upset at this decision, but if there's some tension and animosity for a while and it takes time and effort for Lily to earn Eda's true forgiveness, I'll be happy about it. For now, I'm tentatively ok with it.
Overall this was a very satisfying finale for an awesome first season of the show. While it's not my favourite episode (that's still agony of a witch), it's definitely up there among the other episodes, and that is saying something. The action, the drama, the emotion, the comedy, the story, the characters. The finale fired on all cylinders and only left something to be desired in one or two areas. 9/10
