Owl House Spoiler Recap: Thanks to Them

It’s the beginning of the end for The Owl House as season three kicked off with a spooky Halloween themed episode “Thanks to Them.” I wouldn’t expect anything less from The Owl House as it came out swinging in the first of the specials to end the series.

The opening montage covering the time jump was fantastic. Honestly, I could probably write pages about that alone. But since I’ll cover the majority of the character stuff in a moment, I want to focus on the queer rep from that scene.

There has been a trend with Disney shows to save their queer rep for their final seasons, like Good Luck Charlie and Amphibia. Angry pearl-clutching parents can’t cancel a show when it’s already ending, right? While frustrating that this is a caveat, I can’t deny how powerful and incredibly important The Owl House has been with its queer representation. The crew doesn’t have to hold back anymore and can make it as gay as they want. That scene of Luz coming out to Camila with Amity at her side with rainbows and bi flags flying all over as Gus celebrates all around them will absolutely go down in animation history. Camila hugging her daughter and then wearing a rainbow pin for the rest of the episode along with LGBTQIA+ parenting books in her room will help so many people in the long run. I did not grow up with this kind of stellar representation. The next generation is going to be so much better off. The Owl House is how to do queer representation correctly. There are no coding or leftover questions. It’s clearly defined. This show has been spectacular in execution and all series should absolutely take notes, even adult live-action series.

I want to talk about a point that was made by The Roundtable in their first recap video for “Thanks to Them.” They brought up an idea that is a theme for not just this episode but for the entire show. They pointed out that during the Wittebane brother lore scene, Masha explains how the orphaned brothers came to Gravesfield and conformed to the town’s way of life as a way to survive. Conformity is the key here and it is showcased throughout the episode.

Phillip conformed so much to the brainwashing of his society that he became a villain. Camila was bullied in school and it had lasting effects on her. This caused her to crumble under outside forces when it came to Luz’s future. Luz always struggled to fit in with her normal life, the biggest reason why she came to the Boiling Isles was to find people like her. Dana Terrace has talked about her own struggles to fit in growing up as being a big inspiration for the series. Conformity is laid out in the series in a way that showcases the dangers of following religious institutions, society, and people’s opinions blindly can have horrific effects.

This idea of conformity really comes into play with Luz’s story in “Thanks to Them.” We see her school life which is drastically different from her life at Hexside. The art teacher is silently belittling her for her past actions. Students still think she’s strange. In Camila’s dream sequence, we know the principal is the one wanting Luz to be “normal.” Normality is based on the individual, not societal norms. There is nothing wrong with Luz. She is a perfectly thriving neurodivergent teenager that is supported by her mother. But with her guilt about everything that happened with Phillip, she is starting to reconsider her life.

I think it’s very interesting that the chalkboard behind her teacher is a discussion of fate versus free will which is very much tied up in Luz’s story. Time traveling did lead her into Phillip’s path, making her think that she was always supposed to be a pawn. That this fated path would always leave her at fault. It’s concerning that she declared that she should have never existed. In her mind, that’s the only way her friends would have never been in danger. Luz is buying into the idea of fate.

Luz’s best trait is her eagerness to help. This is also her greatest fault as it has massively come back to bite her in the past. Whether it’s accidentally hurting her friends in “Wing it like Witches” or aiding Phillip in “Elsewhere and Elsewhen,” it’s both a blessing and a curse. Luz is aware of this now as her guilt is eating her up. She’s so timid in this episode, a shell of her usual vibrant self that we saw in the first episode. It was a nice reminder in comparison as we see in her video diary. But now she’s overcompensating in the opposite direction by making the choice to abandon her friends by staying in the Human Realm. Thank goodness Camila stops her in time from making a mistake. Luz was learning the wrong lesson.

Hunter’s speech to Luz at the end is so important. He flat-out tells Luz that she is a victim, just as much as he was. He, too, is escaping his own cycle of fate from being a clone of Caleb in a history of failed Grimwalkers. Instead of being stuck in this wheel, he is declaring his own free will and tells Luz to do the same. They can’t change the past, but they can make a better future. All the events that come after this will be based on the decisions they make from here on out. I think in the next two specials, Luz will absolutely realize who she is and become proud of the person she has become.

At first, I was a bit surprised that we didn’t see Luz’s Palisman hatch in this episode, but in hindsight, it really makes sense. I am almost certain that when Luz needs her Palisman the most or when she is at the height of knowing her best path forward that that creature will absolutely emerge.

CAMILA MY LOVE! This episode said, “Oh hey, all of you people who think Camila is a bad mom, here’s all the reasons why she’s awesome.” Because my goodness, this episode did so much justice for that woman.

I always had a soft spot for Camila because she and Eda remind me so much of my sister who was also a single mother for many years. I watched my sister struggle to raise two kids on her own and understood the difficulties that were faced. Despite her hardships, she took in a third child, who became my nephew, because his birth family abandoned him and he had no one else. I’m so glad that “Thanks to Them” really gave Camila time to shine on her own. It built up everything from “Yesterday’s Lie” and reframed it in a way that made sense in the story.

It can’t be understated enough that Camila is grieving. The episode seems to indicate that while it’s been a few years since his passing, Manny’s death deeply affected both Camila and Luz in different ways. Grief is a powerful thing that can cause people to make choices without thinking them through. It has a very particular way to cloud judgment which is absolutely what happened in “Yesterday’s Lie.” Camila was worried sick about Luz being stuck in a completely different realm. It was a fear response in her when she demanded Luz never go back to the Demon Realm. She already lost her husband. Camila didn’t want to lose her daughter too.

It's why Camila’s advice to Luz about learning from their mistakes truly resonates. After living with Vee and taking in all the witches into her home, Camila has more knowledge now to realize her request to Luz wasn’t the right one. She opened her life to Amity as Luz’s girlfriend and has been researching in her spare time what it takes to be a good parent to an LGBTQIA+ child. She took in a demon, Vee, first and then four more kids, no questions asked, because they were Luz’s friends. Without hesitation, she risks her own life to save Hunter as he’s drowning. She got to know each of them as people.

Honestly, one of the crimes of the shortened season is we probably lost a lot of interactions of her bonding with everyone. But the little bit of time in this episode showed Camila learning from her own past mistakes to support her daughter. It’s why she reacts negatively to Luz’s video diary. Luz doesn’t need to atone for her past actions; she needs support going forward. Camila doesn’t want her daughter to close this part of her life away.

Because Camila did shut away parts of her life which is something we learned from her dream sequence and her nerd stuff hidden in a closet. Camila was forced to conform because of her own past bullying. She defended Luz when others criticized her child and was ready to chew out some parents. But she caves to the social pressures of the principal because, again, grief clouds her judgment, and she wants her daughter not to struggle. I also think it’s telling too that she’s hiding away her own love of the Star Trek knockoff show. While much of it is labeled as her husband, Manny’s, stuff, it’s clear that she loves it too. It’s actually sad how nervous she gets when Hunter and Gus bring it up to her. I have to wonder if that’s what she was bullied over as that’s a very negative reaction for a character who is usually pretty sturdy for the most part. It’s a piece of her completely hidden away from the world until these amazing kids came into her life and allowed her to be more open about it.

Camila got so much good character work in this episode. It was needed and I am excited to see her in the Demon Realm with the group. I especially can’t wait to see her meet Eda and King. Eda and Camila are an awesome duo of great moms who love Luz. As someone who has parents and step-parents, there really is a unique relationship when it comes to people in these positions. Eda and Camila are going to be such an awesome pair together.

Also, the reveal that Manny was the one who gave Luz the Good Witch Azura books was heart-wrenching. That was her coping mechanism to deal with her own grief. Also though, it was the gateway to allow her to bond with Amity and to open Luz to new, lasting friendships.

So much of Vee’s story in “Yesterday’s Lie” was about her being unsure of herself and her purpose in life. She was forced to do atrocities to people, so it makes sense she’s uncomfortable as a basilisk. It is why I adore her thriving on Earth. She’s fully integrated into the technology, which made her vital at times in the episode. She understands where the other witches are coming from and can help them cope. She’s gained confidence in her appearance, officially choosing a face for herself. That confidence came back again when she was potentially going to face Jacob in the historical society. She has found herself in the Human Realm.

Brought out of extinction into captivity, Vee has every single right to not consider the Demon Realm her home. The first place she has ever felt safe is in Gravesfield with Camila. It’s why I love that she put up a boundary and chose to stay behind. Sure, she could have supported her friends, but she can also support Camila and Luz from afar to keep their house in order while they’re away. While I will miss her, I understand this choice and love that character moment for her. Vee staying behind is a strength because she made the choice for herself. It wasn’t put on her by Belos. It wasn’t an act to hide as a fake Luz for her safety. She stayed because she chose to.

And it looks like Vee got a romantic interest as well in Masha, which was a cool reveal that they were non-binary too. This show and its queer rep are just so good.

I think another casualty of the shortened season was Amity’s role in the episode. Don’t get me wrong. I think she was great in her story. She is a fantastic girlfriend to Luz, who is clearly struggling with her guilt about helping Phillip. With Amity not knowing this, she’s doing her best to help her girlfriend with what Amity assumes are the failed portal attempts. She is running off of a lack of information. Amity clearly knows that Luz is feeling some kind of pressure. She understands boundaries and knows when to give Luz space. Honestly, Amity only steps in when Luz is being reckless and hiding things from her. This is the second time Amity has told Luz to stop keeping secrets from the group. And Amity doesn’t lose her patience this second time, because she can see how much it weighed on Luz that she accidentally helped Phillip. Amity has so much patience, well beyond her years.

The reason why, to me, this is one of the casualties of the shortened season is the execution of it. It felt off that Amity didn’t step in sooner to ask Luz if something was going on. Because again, Luz is sad in this episode and nowhere close to her normal self. And she’s been this way for months. Yeah, they went through some crazy stuff in the season two finale, but everyone except Luz bounced back. I bet if this was a full season, there would have been a lot more back and forth between our Lumity couple. Amity would be voicing her concern more with Luz reassuring her. The execution feels like Amity’s just sort of okay with how Luz is coping, which I don’t think was what the creators intended. The same could be said with Amity and Willow mending their friendship which has had a very fast turnaround. Still, I think the crew did the very best they could with the time given to them. It simply makes me wonder about all the “what if’s” that might have occurred in a full season.

I feel the same thing about Willow. She really didn’t have anything to do in “Thanks to Them” outside of just being there. And again, don’t get me wrong. I loved all the moments she had with Hunter. I would have loved for her to have a moment to question him and ask why he was acting weird. It’s a time issue of the shortened season and if every single character had a moment to shine, then this episode would have been longer. I love Willow so much and I’m more upset with Disney’s choice to shorten the season than with the creators.

The lore reveal about the Wittebane brothers was creative, and I loved the use of the hayride and puppets to tell the story. It felt like a nice connection to the paper puppet imagery they used in season two for Phillip’s journals. I like the confirmation that Caleb was the older brother which works in the narrative. Phillip was still young when he was radicalized by the witch hunters. Caleb, being older, probably had more of an open mind due to life experiences that didn’t lead him to get radicalized.

Also, the witch being named Evelyn pretty much confirms that she was a Clawthorne, right? All signs are pointing to this. Flapjack is a cardinal and so similar to Del’s Palisman. Bird imagery is tied to the Clawthorne family. Eda and Gwen both have the “-lyn” at the end of their names. It would make sense for Belos to target the Palisman trees and decimate them, which have ties to the Clawthornes too. It explains why he specifically hated Eda so much because that is her bloodline. I love this idea because that would make Hunter a Clawthorne too, giving him the home that he desires so much.

Speaking of Hunter, I have said for the longest time that Amity was the best-written character in the show. After “Thanks to Them,” I am ready to take back that proclamation and give it to Hunter.

They use such economic writing with him. There is no wasted scene or piece of dialogue in Hunter’s story. Out of the main cast, he has been here for the least amount of time, and yet, they’ve done so much with his character. In one season, they introduced him, showed him as an antagonist, gave him his backstory, established relationships with all the main characters, had him redeemed, and now he’s part of the good guys standing up against Belos. Looking at his episode appearances, they did this in nine episodes plus the special. That’s so difficult to do. I talked about economic writing a lot with Amphibia in episodes like “The Core & The King.” It takes an insane amount of talent to pull this off.

Hunter’s story in “Thanks to Them” is powerful. It’s absolutely a narrative about standing up to your abuser. I know I saw on Twitter some fans were upset about Hunter being possessed and experiencing his trauma again. But that’s the point of fiction. It allows us a safe space to explore these kinds of stories with the barrier of television to think critically and process our own emotions. That’s why fiction is so important because it’s cathartic.

Belos will always be part of Hunter. Victims of abuse will always carry that trauma with them. It’s only recently that Hunter has been happy, as Gus pointed out. Belos isolated him, manipulated him, and controlled his life to the point where when he broke free, Hunter didn’t know who he was anymore. So much of Hunter’s narrative is about deciding who he wants to be.

Physically, Belos was part of Hunter. When Flapjack first comes to Hunter’s window in “Hunting Palisman,” Hunter squeezes the little bird. That was possibly the earliest sign of Belos coming out of our sad boy. The difference is that Hunter controls himself and learns. He understands that he hurt Flapjack and wants to befriend him, probably like how Caleb did in the past. In “Thanks to Them,” Hunter is quick to point out that Flapjack is hiding things from him. This is probably a piece of Belos pointing out how Caleb more than likely hid information from him as well. But then Hunter starts to lose control as Belos takes him over. He cuts his finger and the Belos goo comes out later. His eyes glow and he commands Flapjack to do his bidding. Things spiral as Hunter quickly loses control, probably thanks to the magic of the hidden Titan’s blood.

Mentally and emotionally, this is a story of self-love. Despite everything put on him, Hunter is not Caleb and he is not Belos. He is Hunter. So much of season two is about Hunter learning his own likes and dislikes. Being away from the Demon Realm, that becomes even more apparent as he experiences the Human World. He’s in no rush to get back because he is finally free to make his own choices. By being on this journey, Hunter has grown to finally accept who he is. He has friends that care for him. Despite Darius having to keep up appearances as an undercover agent, Darius also loves this kid. Hunter’s breakdown into tears when Luz calls him family made me want to smother that boy in hugs. He has a place he belongs now. He will never be fully healed from his trauma but he has grown as a person.

The best way to tell that a person has changed is when they pass their wisdom onto someone else. Hunter realizes that he was a victim of Belos. By recognizing this, he’s able to tell Luz the same. It is not her fault she was manipulated by the dictator. They both were. But now free of Belos, Hunter is able to share this with Luz to help her.

Hunter will never be magically better. He will always have this trauma be part of him. Now though, he can move forward and be stronger from it with people who love and support him. He does not have to conform to Belos’ ways anymore. He can start a new life for himself.

I really loved Gus’ role in the episode too. It’s pretty clear he knows some kind of truth about Hunter’s origins. When using Adrian’s looking glass on Belos in “King’s Tide,” we know that Gus sees all of those memories as well. He tries so hard to hint heavily at Hunter that he knows about the Grimawalker thing. When Gus gives Hunter the knock-off Star Trek book, Gus specifically emphasizes the word “clone.” Later, Gus implies this again when talking about how the captain character has figured out that the other character is a clone. But Hunter cuts him off claiming he doesn’t want to be spoiled.

It really builds their brotherly bond. Like Amity to Luz, Gus is giving Hunter the choice to open up. At no point does Gus come right out and say he learned this information. The only reason Luz spills the truth is that Hunter is dying and they need to save him. It’s good for Gus to let Hunter makes this choice for himself. When everything in Hunter’s life was decided for him, Gus is a good brother to give him the space and autonomy that Hunter never got prior.

I got to talk about Flapjack’s sacrifice. Holy goodness, I was in tears especially because Hunter was probably inside of Belos screaming as the tyrant attacked our sweet bird.

Flapjack was Hunter’s first friend. He helped Hunter open himself to other people and guided him toward a better future. Hunter has a support system now which means that Flapjack has completed his role in the story. It makes me wonder if Flapjack did the same for Caleb honestly. Has Flapjack tried to guide the other Grimwalkers too? Did that sweet little bird have to watch them all get destroyed one by one? The very thought of it wrecks me.

It also makes sense that it would be Flapjack sacrificed. I mentioned a few times last season the lack of Owlbert in episodes. Flapjack really took over the role of the main Palisman character and was far more of a developed character than the rest of them. If Ghost, Amity’s cat Palisman, was killed, it wouldn’t carry the same emotional weight to it. Out of all of our animal friends, Flapjack is the most likely choice to perish outside of Owlbert or the Bat Queen.

Though if I can put out my tinfoil hat theory, I wonder if Flapjack somehow gave some sort of magical ability to Hunter. Like one last little gift from Evelyn and Caleb. I doubt hunter would be able to do full magic like his friends, but it would be cool to see Hunter gain some sort of abilities. I also really hope in the final special in the ending scenes a moment where Eda or Willow are helping Hunter carve a Palisman. Not as a replacement for Flapjack but in honor of him. That would be very sweet.

The one part I don’t quite get is why Belos wants to go back to the Demon Realm in the first place. His goal was to get home to the Human Realm and he succeeded. My theory is he realized that Luz was right in “King’s Tide.” The world did change without him and he’s too monstrous to stay. So all he has left is his one burning desire to destroy what he hates the most and finish his mission to kill all the witches. Or maybe he might try to bargain with the Collector to restore his human body. If this question isn’t answered in the final specials, it was probably cut in the shortened season. It feels like there was a big setup with Jacob from the Historical Society that got cut too. It makes me really want a tell-all book from the crew when this is over so we know the entire story.

Still, there is a very interesting standoff coming with Belos upon his return. In “King’s Tide,” all of the Coven Heads know now that he deceived them. They were promised paradise, and they almost died because of his lies. They’re probably going to be a united force against Belos.

That is unless the Collector is absolutely wreaking havoc on the Boiling Isles. Maybe the Hexside group with Principal Bump is taking people in for safety.

Everything is coming down to the Collector and his plans at the moment.

Some random thoughts to round out Thanks to Them:

-Amity bringing Camilla tea with the tea bag put in wrong was precious!

-Gus’ sheer excitement over human stuff is the best and I love that for him.

-Willow cutting Hunter’s hair AND ALL OF HIS LITTLE BLUSHES! I love them!

-The kids learning Spanish with a knockoff Duolingo app was amazing. The rivalry turned friendship between The Owl House and Duolingo will be something I miss from this fandom

-Amity being salty that she’s not the top student anymore was a great callback

-The kids painting Hooty on the door of the old house! ME HEART!

-Hunter loving wolves and making a shirt is so on-brand for him

-Camilla has the garter snake skin framed! SHE IS THE BEST MOM!

-Willow digging Hunter’s human disguise and they’re totally flirting. Ugh, stop! I already ship you two!

-I love the kids going around town on their own AND THE GIRAFFE!! So glad to see that lore-building joke finally come around again. Everything about it from Gus bowing in honor to it changing into its demon form was awesome!

-The fact they watched Hocus Pocus and Willow was completely unimpressed with it is a great blink-and-you-miss-it moment.

-I don’t know where Hunter and Luz got those King and Hooty masks but I love them.

-Amity looks great as a redhead! I love that design for her and all of their Halloween costumes

-I love that the Palismen just hide in their clothes. That’s such an odd detail with no explanation but it works in the context of the show

-Hunter’s design when Belos is possessing him is AMAZING! He’s so creepy and cool!

-I feel like I always say this, but Zeno Robinson kills it as Hunter every single time. He’s so good in this role. This man is so talented which is why I fancast him in other roles. He deserves more work.

-The animation on the fight scene is so good. I feel like this is just a taste of what the next two specials are going to bring us

-CAMILLA SAVES HUNTER BECAUSE SHE IS THE BEST

-Willow is so worried about Hunter when they think he’s dying. Stop my shipper heart!

-Camilla’s reaction to Belos is PRICELESS! Just the “THAT’S the Belos you’ve been fighting!?” made me laugh so hard.

-I know I said this already, but I can’t wait for Camilla to meet Eda and King. That will be such a highlight of the entire series.

Season three of The Owl House is officially underway now. It’s the beginning of the end. I cannot even begin to fathom how the show will come to a close. I can’t imagine a world where this will go the Amphibia route and separate Luz from her friends and Amity for good. They’ve done so much good work in their queer rep that I would be hurt and livid if they break Lumity apart. It looks like we’ll have to wait until next year to find out what happened next.