Coven Day Parade Has Luz Work out her Problems

The Owl House Season 2, Episode 11 Review

It’s been nearly six months since we last saw them, but The Owl House is back with new episodes, and things are as crazy as ever. However, that might not be for the better as far as the characters in the show are concerned. The midseason finale saw Luz go through a very unpleasant trip back to Earth (sort of), and it’s clear the event has given her some heavy baggage. Since this is the kind of show that doesn’t sweep trauma under the rug, the midseason premiere has Luz work through her problems. And she does it against the backdrop of Emperor Belos’ Coven Day Parade.

Luz Has Some Issues to Work With

It’s been a short while since the events of “Yesterday’s Lie“, but Luz is still trying to come to terms with what happened. Thanks to poor communication on both their parts, Luz made a hasty promise to her Mom to stay on Earth once she finds a way home. Or, as she remembers it, never go back to the Boiling Isles, which Camilla never outright says. As far as Luz cares, though, it might as well have been.

The events of “Yesterday’s Lie” were a very traumatic experience for Luz, and the prospect of never seeing the Boiling Isles again and having to keep the truth from her friends starts eating away at her. The worst of it, though, comes from having to withhold the truth from Amity, who’s clearly excited to go to Earth and meet Luz’s Mom. As a result, Luz doesn’t tell Amity she tried making a portal to Earth, and it leads her to make a rash decision.

It turns out, it’s time for the annual Coven Day Parade, an event meant to remind the Boiling Isles “Covens good, Boiling Isles bad.” And Belos’ lapdog, Kikimura, gets torn between her desire to do her duty to her boss and see her family. So, since Luz is an impulsive teen who doesn’t always make the best decisions, she decides to help Kikimura. By pretending to kidnap her!

You can see the flaws in this, right?

The Return of Raine Whispers…or is it?

Meanwhile, Eda has her own stake in messing with the Coven Day Parade. It turns out, her ex, Raine Whispers, will be taking part in the Parade, and since she last saw them being captured by the other Coven heads, Eda’s determined to rescue them. Chaos ends up ensuing, and right as Luz grabs Kikimura, Eda grabs Raine. Only, Raine is not as Eda remembers them.

The end of “Eda’s Requiem” made it clear that Belos had plans for Raine that kept him from killing them, and fans guessed that Raine would be kept under control. That guess is confirmed this week, as we see that Raine has been brainwashed by the head of the Plant Coven, Terra Snapdragon. As a result, Raine believes its been ten years since they last saw Eda, and doesn’t remember their attempted rebellion. And Terra regularly feeds them a potion that’s all but confirmed to keep them under control.

I liked Raine when they were first introduced, and I think they gave us some new insight into Eda’s life. So, seeing them come to blows with Eda in this episode was very heartbreaking to watch. For the moment, Eda has to give up on Raine, though I doubt that she’ll stop trying.

Lumity Goes Through a Rough Patch

Meanwhile, Amity suspects that Luz is not telling the truth about making the portal to her, and questions what she do about it. Ultimately, this leads her to helping Luz with her Kikimura plan…and also fighting alongside her when Kikimura double-crosses Luz.

I’m sorry, but we all knew that it was coming. We’ve seen that Kikimura’s the kind of person who’s only out for herself. She’d ditch her own family if it meant staying in Belos’ good graces, which is what she does in the end when she learns of a potential promotion. Thankfully, she gets a dose of Karma in the end. However, the whole experience confirms to Amity that this whole thing wasn’t about the Coven Day Parade, but Luz having issues.

Relationships can be hard to maintain at times. That’s as true in fiction as it is in real life. But a surefire way to maintain one is to be honest with the other party, be it a friend, a family member, or romantic partner. Thus, Luz ultimately decides to tell Amity everything that happened, and the two agree to work through things one day at a time. Lumity lives!

The Day of Unity Approaches

So, in the end, relationships prove to be the heart of the Coven Day Parade. One relationship gets salvaged, another frayed. But the backdrop of the Coven Day Parade takes on new meaning in the episode’s final moments. Emperor Belos broadcasts himself live to proclaim the approach of the Day of Unity. In one month, when the tide’s at its lowest amidst a solar eclipse, the denizens of the Boiling Isles will journey to the Titan’s Head and claim their utopia free of wild magic.

We still don’t know what Belos’ endgame really is, despite much speculation, though it might not be as good as everyone thinks. However, the Boiling Isles firmly remains behind Belos’, especially when he decides to unmask himself before everyone, giving a face to the name for all to see. It’s a brilliant propaganda move, and only makes things harder for the heroes. Regardless, all they can do now is take things one day at a time.

I, for one, am going to enjoy the rest of the season. After all, even if we’re getting 3 specials after this, this is the last season of the show as a whole. We gotta make it count! Also, kudos to the animators for the new end credits scenes. And for giving us this nightmare fuel.

I Give “Follies at the Coven Day Parade” a 3/5

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