To be completely honest, there are way too many TV shows out there. Try as I might, there isn’t enough time to pick all of them up, watch weekly, and have some satisfying relationship with them. That is generally why I’ve lately found myself holding off on programming until I pick up on general consensus. Unless there is a hook that grabs me, it isn’t unnatural for me to watch a show months late and find myself in awe. Given that I’ve recently picked up a handful of shows, I’m in for a fun summer of discovering all sorts of crazy entertainment that I’m glad exists.
Of every show that I’m currently watching, few have been as long-gestating as The Owl House. I knew next to nothing about it other than it was created by Dana Terrace, who had done work on other Disney series like Duck Tails and Gravity Falls. I had no strong relationship with those shows and yet I kept hearing about Terrace’s new one. There was a small but fervent audience out there who were defending the show, eager to keep it alive at any cost. As I saw more of them crop up on TikTok, sharing a video of protagonist Luz dancing with Amity, I became curious to learn more. On July 7, 2020, Terrace would go so far as to suggest that “there was nothing heterosexual” about Amity’s relationship with her.
Suddenly the defensive fans made more sense. Much like how Netflix has a bad trope of stopping queer shows before they had time to develop an actual identity, The Owl House fans had reason to complain. After all, this is a Disney show – the same company that came under fire this past June when they posted a Pride flag over heterosexual Disney characters before receiving a comment from one of their employees that they wanted to repress gay themes in their series. Given that Luz is bisexual and Amity is lesbian, the chances of the show being great are in a difficult vice. As it stands, the series is only planned to have one more season that falls greatly under Terrace’s expected vision of the show.
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| Amity |
Obviously, I’m for positive LGBTQIA+ representation in any manner. I cannot fully speak on this matter, though I’ve always been skeptical of Disney to do the right thing. But as time went on and the discussion of The Owl House continued to build, I became curious to check it out. Given how satisfying the queer representation on She-Ra and the Princesses of Power was, I wanted to see if I could feel that jubilant about a show again. There was something affirming and even comforting about a show like She-Ra being so inclusive, reflecting the power of teamwork and an ability to overcome personal struggles. I had found other shows that gave me that comfort, but rarely in the realm of children’s cartoons.
With exception to Big Hero Six: The Series, The Owl House is one of the first shows to immediately grab me personally. While there are dozens upon dozens that I’ve grown to like while babysitting my nieces, not too many are ones that I would openly watch on my own when I need a quick pick-me-up. There is a certain innocence to these cartoons that allows you to put down your guard and enter a world of childlike creativity. They teach you familiar allegories and remind you about the wonders of the world. I have only watched 10 episodes of The Owl House, but almost immediately I connected with it, eager to go on this journey and see where it leads me.
The crux of the show follows Luz as she enters Boiling Isles: a land of magic. The way that I’d describe it is to imagine someone walking through the wardrobe from C.S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia” and falling into someplace not unlike Disenchanted. Everyone has powers, attending a wizarding school and running into crazy monsters in the forest. A way to determine if one is a witch is to look at their ears. Whereas Luz’s is round and stubby, witches are long and pointy. Still, Luz feels at home because she is in wonder of the magic, the infinite possibilities that come with living here. The catch is that because she is human, she cannot be a witch. As one can guess, this doesn’t necessarily stop her.
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| King and Eda |
She lives with Eda a.k.a. “The Owl Lady” who is more known for negligent behavior like petty theft. Her haggard appearance and spinster nature is nicely balanced with a quirky sense of humor and a demonic creature with a Napoleonic complex called King. There are other aspects that include friends she makes at school and a library that has its own set of amazing discoveries, but that all comes with impeccable world-building that I’m sure that I’ve just gotten into.
As far as protagonists go, Luz is one of the easier to love that I’ve seen from recent series. In the real world, she is odd and inquisitive with a penchant for overdoing gross-out stunts. It’s all done in the name of creativity, but it’s clear that nobody connects with her. In the first episode when she’s transported to Boiling Isles, her eyes sparkle over things Eda perceives as mundane. The magic opens up to her, even as she feels like an outcast in a different way. Whereas she feels uncomfortable in the real world, here she gets to challenge every impulse and learn how to survive. Early episodes even play on fantasy tropes by having Luz dress up in stereotypical witches' garb before Eda suggesting that she put on a bathrobe and a very dirty traffic cone.
The show takes joy in deconstructing fantasy tropes by viewing it from Luz’s perspective. She takes as much joy in a simple walk through town as the audience does, gawking at behavior that seems foreign. There’s comedy from bits that include going to a garbage dump to retrieve bile that Eda needs for a potion. Even the use of the supernatural becomes more intriguing as character development as Luz falls victim to a hypnotic puppet master that almost kills her. Because Terrace writes Eda as morally ambiguous with a slight bent towards mischief, certain acts of rebellion are met with mystery. Will disobeying her put Luz in danger? The answer differs case by case, and it’s one of the other ways that the show exists in this compelling shadow of mystery.
Like most contemporary series, there is a continuity that informs character growth. It may be less obvious in the moment, but that’s the beauty of the series. Certain characters aren’t introduced until four episodes in, leaving Luz to spend those early episodes building themes and rules for the world.
This is found in things as simple as Eda needing to refill her medication and as complicated as forming a conflicting relationship with Amity. She starts the series as evil but even within the first 10 episodes, the audience gets to see something more complex. Amity has siblings that harass her, forming insecurity and the need to over-achieve. While I haven’t gotten to the point in the series that would suggest a more sympathetic shift for Amity, there already has been a change in how she treats Luz. Add in a more conventional friendship with schoolmates Gus and Willow, and the show already shows a level of acceptance that has the promise to build into something greater. They accept Luz in spite of her differences, encouraging her to follow her dreams of becoming a witch – even if that is deemed largely impossible.
It should be noted that while the series exists in whimsy and clever humor, the show isn’t afraid to also feature moments of peril. Every now and then the show will embrace the macabre and put the cast in peril, leaving Luz to figure out how to survive. These often come in the second or third act, and may terrify younger audiences. With that said, these moments are often riveting, relying on themes built throughout the episode that builds to a satisfying conclusion. The world of The Owl House is a spectrum of tone, and I think it all blends together nicely, knowing when to tone something down with a moment of levity.
I’ll confess that I am not well-versed in the best children’s animated shows and which are accessible to adults. I mostly write about what interests me, and The Owl House is currently high on that list. Whenever I’m feeling down, there is something encouraging about a series that focuses on somebody following their dreams even when they seem impossible. While I’m aware of certain plot details, the general trajectory of the show remains largely a mystery to me. That’s exciting to me. Given that I recognize Terrace’s willingness to take risks in tone already, I’m curious to know if there will be more emotionally satisfying turns as the show goes on. Given that I still have nine episodes this season, I imagine that it will only grow more harrowing as time goes on.
Also, she is dressed like an asexual flag! How cool is that?
Considering that this is a column dedicated to things that make me happy, it feels like a good place to discuss the one show that has brightened my day in recent weeks. While it takes risks and is sure to raise your heart rate at times, it’s largely a lighthearted show that does amusing things with its fantasy premise. I cannot wait to see where Luz’s journey goes. What will her story reveal? Considering how many talk about the bisexual component of her identity, I’m hoping that it’s respectful and serves as positive encouragement for some young viewers to believe in themselves. I’d love to imagine that there’s even more in the future as far as representation goes. Thankfully, in this case, the rest of the story is entertaining and worth your time… especially if you like a clever twist on magic and following your dreams.
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