Owl House Spoiler Recap: Any Sport in a Storm

 This week’s episode of The Owl House saw the return of my boy, Hunter, teaming up with Willow in “Any Sport in a Storm.” It truly built on a lot of the groundwork since “Eclipse Lake” so let’s get started. It was a big one!

I want to start with the B-Plot of Amity and Luz searching for the author of the Azura books. It’s fairly straightforward, so it’s the easiest thing to tackle in “Any Sport in a Storm.” I keep going back and forth about how much to read into this storyline. On the surface, it feels like a meta-commentary of fandom, lovingly poking fun at some common fan theories. They find Tiny Nose, whose name was revealed to be Tinella Nosa, pretending to be the author. It’s a series of fake unveilings that string along Luz and Amity. It makes a fun little romp to break up the bigger A-Plot by playing with common fanfiction tropes.

This is where my tin foil hat comes out. Maybe we’re supposed to think it’s a light meta-commentary. Perhaps every theory Luz and Amity threw out is a possible future plot thread! Their dialogue could hide bigger consequences! Maybe the point is to purposely overthink it to hide hints in plain sight! Tinella loves conspiracy theories and is voiced by series creator, Dana Terrace! It could be on purpose!

And now I sound like Luz and Amity, throwing out all sorts of what-ifs. Which is what I do think is the actual point of this section. It’s a plot point to get us to think creatively and have fun while doing it. At the same time, it lovingly pokes fun at fans searching for those twist endings. Sometimes we don’t get all the answers and a twist is lackluster. Expectations can be dangerous in a fandom. Heck, I’ve been there before where I had such high expectations for a piece of media. When those expectations weren’t met, it can ruin a show, book, movie, etc. But that is no fault of the creator. It’s a good mini-lesson in an all-ages show by teaching these fandom tools to the next generation of fans.

I’m going to spend the majority of this review discussing Hunter, because his story really is the meat of this episode. But I do not want to undercut Willow in the process as she’s a huge catalyst for Hunter’s story this week.

I had to go back and double-check because I could have sworn that Willow and Gus had met Hunter before. But sure enough, they had to stay out of a lot of the main adventures for the purpose of this episode. I’ve stated before that it feels like Gus and Willow had been massively sidelined all season, and now I see why.

I’m mixed on that. On one hand, I sort of don’t mind the sidelining. Being introduced this season, the writers really needed to quickly get Hunter up to speed with the rest of the cast. From a story and character standpoint, it makes sense. But on the other hand, both Willow and Gus have had to share their time. In “Through the Looking Glass Ruins,” Gus’ episode was completely overshadowed by Amity kissing Luz on the cheek. Now in “Any Sport in a Storm,” Willow’s story is shared with Hunter’s after a season of being kept on the backburner.

I don’t have a good solution to any of this. All I can say is that I really love Willow and Gus. I hope they get more time to shine on their own.

Is it weird to be proud of a fictional character? Because I am so proud of Willow’s growth over the course of two seasons. She’s always been a powerhouse character, but it was buried down deep because of bullying. That horrible ‘half-a-witch’ nickname reared its head again as Hunter lamented his own situation. This is where we can really see how much Willow has grown. While Willow has a support group of Luz and Gus, it was important that she found worth in herself. The first step of that was getting on the right path. Once she found her strength in the Plant Track, that’s when she really started to thrive. It built confidence in herself to stand on her own.

It also allows her to push Hunter towards choosing a different path. Like she used to be, he’s stuck in a place that’s not good for him. He’s slowly starting to realize it’s wrong, but Willow gave him a huge shove in “Any Sport in a Storm.” He calls himself ‘half-a-witch,’ the very same name that used to get thrown at Willow. She’s been in that place of insecurity before. It makes her act, literally dragging him to the playing field. There, Willow offers Hunter a different choice. He has the chance to make new friends, just like Willow chose to befriend Luz. He can see that maybe the Emperor’s Coven is harming him, just as Willow felt in the Abomination Track. Willow used her own growth to help another person.

It really is a great moment for her character. Willow has become such a fantastic standout in The Owl House, and I can’t wait to see the next step of her journey.

Gus plays a subtle but important role too. Immediately being wary of Hunter, he is actually the one who challenges Hunter first. Hunter starts on a single-minded path of recruiting students. Gus quickly calls him out on that, speaking from a protective place. Gus, in a way, makes Hunter pause to consider his actions. Yes, Hunter still backslides in the very next scene by wanting Willow for the Emperor’s Coven. Still, Gus’ challenge starts the process of Hunter opening up to the other members of the flyer derby club.

Hunter episodes are interesting to me because they always feel big in the most subtle way possible. I saw a few takes on Twitter that this episode didn’t have any plot, something I disagree with whole heartily. This episode was drenched with world-building and hidden possibilities that I could see definitely coming back into play.

I am absolutely about to sound like I’m going off the rails here, but I promise it is related to everything in “Any Sport in a Storm.” I want to talk about Hunter being the kidneys and/or lifeblood of this story. Hunter’s character seems to have some sort of relation to the kidney imagery that pops up throughout the series. YouTuber WhitneyVision has discussed this in a few of her episodes, but it got me thinking deeper about it this week. What if Hunter’s role in Belos’ bigger plan functions like how the kidneys work in the human body?

We found out this week that Belos filters information to Hunter. The poor kid has never been around people his age. While he snuck some forbidden knowledge as we found out in “Hunting Palismen,” Hunter only knows the worldview that Belos has crafted for him. Belos said in “Eclipse Lake” that it would be a hassle to replace Hunter and wanted to keep him safe. Hunter could be the lifeblood of these plans, bringing us back to the kidney symbolism. The kidneys clean the blood of our body and are vital to removing waste and keeping our fluids balanced. What if Hunter has to remain ‘clean’ and ‘pure’ for whatever machinations Belos has up his sleeve? Or what if Hunter’s role is to help cleanse wild magic from the world?

Hunter was fearful of wild magic at the beginning and only used a staff made of technology before getting his palisman. Wild magic and palismen are ‘bad’ and ‘unclean’ for Belos’ perfect coven system. As he’s developed over the course of the season, Hunter’s starting to realize that Belos’ way is wrong. In each new entry, Hunter’s worldview is breaking down in the face of truth and finding people who actually care for him. In a way, if Hunter is the lifeblood of Belos’ plans, he is becoming ‘dirtied’ by the truth.

Part of this truth is that Hunter actually interacts with people outside of the Emperor’s Coven. Building on previous episodes, we’re seeing these walls around Hunter crumbling both inward and around him.

The world Hunter is used to is based on transactional interactions like we saw in “Eclipse Lake.” Self-worth is based on success. If you’re not useful, then you’re out. It’s the inciting incident of “Any Sport in a Storm” as Belos flat out says leading the Coven Heads is a test for Hunter (put a pin in this point to come back to). I’ve talked before about Hunter and Belos having a carrot and stick relationship. That also seems to be true with the other Coven Heads or at the very least Darius. Cruelty is used as a reinforcement. Kindness is only given when the other person gets what they want. This is absolutely a manipulative tactic used in emotional abuse.

So when Hunter starts to run into people who are genuinely kind to him and want nothing in return, he has no idea what to do with that. Yes, Willow does have some motive as she wants to make a flyer derby team. The difference is that she’s willing to let Hunter go. Before his change of heart in the third act, he keeps pushing the Emperor’s Coven even when Willow and the team are imprisoned. His concept of friendship is stabbing people in the back. It’s when he pauses to think about how they all truly cared about him regardless of getting anything in return is when the change happens. Willow even leaves the door open for Hunter to rejoin them in the future if he wishes to.

Outwardly, Hunter interacting outside of the palace is also informing him that the Emperor’s Coven isn’t as beloved as he thinks it is. His interaction with Luz in “Hunting Palismen” is one thing. She’s an outsider from another world. While still important and Luz is always the catalyst for change in the show, it’s not enough to pull Hunter completely away from his upbringing. It’s very different when he’s talking to witches from the Boiling Isles who were raised on the same propaganda as him.

The short conversation Hunter has with Jerbo is quite telling. Jerbo expresses interest in learning multiple forms of magic outside of the Coven System. He even says he disagrees with the notion that the Emperor’s Coven is the only way to do it. Hunter is stunned. He even looks fearful at an idea so drastically outside of his worldview.

This notion is pushed even more when Hunter hears it from someone who works for the emperor. Steve, while played for laughs, tells Hunter he regrets joining the Emperor’s Coven. When someone has to leave their home, family, and friends behind, the reward better be worth it. Everyone is starting to realize that it’s not great.

The Emperor’s Coven recruits people into it with propaganda and misinformation. Once they’re there, they’re trapped for good, something we saw with Lilith in season one and Kikimora’s growing paranoia this season. Hunter is starting to realize that the Emperor’s Coven doesn’t have the power it once did as people are pushing back against Belos’ misinformation thanks to Luz and Eda’s influence.

Remember in season one in “Covention” when the Emperor’s Coven was the prized and highly sought-after coven. Fast forward to this week when Hexside students shirk away in fear when Hunter mentions it. Willow went from singing the praises of the coven system in “Agony of a Witch” to telling him that it’s wrong in “Any Sport in a Storm.” These outward influences are poisoning the misinformation Hunter was raised on as he’s starting to see the truth. Now that he has a form of social media, thanks to Darius, Hunter has another window to the world outside of Belos. He’s not that perfect, clean lifeblood in Belos’ plans anymore.

Hunter, as well as the people of the Boiling Isles, are starting to wise up the Belos’ ways. But with the reveal that the Coven Heads are more active than previously thought, is it too late?

That last few episodes have definitely thrown my theories for a loop. I mentioned in the “Follies at the Coven Day Parade,” maybe the Coven Heads are actually the ones in control of Belos with the exception of (that we know of) Raine.  It’s also pretty safe to say now that the Coven Heads and the Emperor’s Coven are two separate and competing entities. Season two has really emphasized that being in the Emperor’s Coven means nothing if they’re really the puppets of the story.

The power of the Coven Heads is growing. Maybe the Emperor’s Coven started off as equals, but that power is quickly crumbling away. Lilith left once she realized the truth. Kikimora was tested and her power is limited. Hunter’s authority is questioned and mocked by Darius. If the Emperor’s Coven and Belos’ inner circle actually had real power, then they wouldn’t be getting this treatment towards them.

To come back to this episode being a test for Hunter, what if this was all set up by Darius? Darius could have wanted to test Hunter and his loyalties. Especially since Darius states that Hunter is good at doing exactly what he’s told to do. It would mirror what happened to Kikimora being tested by Terra a couple of episodes ago. The most important piece of dialogue to me is when Hunter gets his cloak back and says, “I can wear this proudly now, right?” only for Darius to follow up with, “Can you?” It feels like a litmus test to see where Hunter stands.

This is important if the Coven Heads are actually the ones in charge. If Hunter is completely loyal to Belos, then he might need to be removed from play by Darius and the other leaders. But since Hunter showed an ability to not only think on his own but also has a hidden palisman, Darius realizes that Hunter can be swayed away from Belos if needed. Again, this is all theoretical. Only time will tell if this is true or not.

But mark this review now: Darius is absolutely going to blackmail Hunter over his palisman at some point.

Finally, who was Hunter’s predecessor as the Golden Guard? Or maybe a more important question, what happened to that person? In “Eclipse Lake,” Belos flat out says that it would be a hassle to replace Hunter and wanted to keep him safe. Perhaps the predecessor defected or was killed? For Darius to still speak so fondly of the predecessor, I’m leaning towards the person probably died. Maybe Belos killed the previous Golden Guard, something that pushed Darius to act against Belos. Though who knows! It’s hard to tell what the truth is at this point. Darius could be lying to Hunter by speaking kindly of the previous Golden Guard just to set the events of the episode into motion.

 Some random thoughts to round out Any Sport in a Storm:

-I find it interesting that Raine hesitated to look back at Hunter at the start of the episode. There’s a little something planted there for a future story, but I’m not sure what yet.

-Eda has a new Penstagram account and wants Raine to call her back! MY SHIPPER HEART!

-Also, I adore everyone’s Penstagram accounts.

-If Darius hates Alador’s abominations so much, why is he using them in the opening scene? Kikimora and Hunter were the ones who brought them into the castle. Is Darius manipulating them for his own nefarious goals?

-I love every Willow sports montage. They are some of my favorite moments of this episode.

-It was really great seeing Willow’s palisman Clover getting so much screen time in this episode! I love that little bee!

-Is that a picture of Willow’s dads meeting over sports? This family is so freaking cute!

-Luz sticking her entire face in a book and inhaling is something I’ve absolutely done before.

-I adored seeing the members of the Detention Track come back. I love Viney, Jerbo, and my sweet boy Barcus!  

-Steve really is like the perfect amount of comedic seasoning in this show. They use him just enough to be awesome but never too much.

“Any Sport in a Storm” was a doozy of an episode! There was so much detail wrapped up in a short story. I feel like in time, this might end up being one of the major players of the season.