“The Owl House” Review Series: S1 E2: “Witches Before Wizards”

With the first episode, “The Owl House” had set up Luz as a very imaginative and optimistic girl, eager to become a witch just like the hero Azura in her books. It’s certainly an idealistic dream, and like all dreams of that nature, reality has to set in sooner or later, no matter how big a pill it is to swallow.

Episode 2, titled ‘Witches Before Wizards’, takes this goal of Luz‘s and really begins to break it down, letting her know the truth of the matter. She can hope for a great chance to prove herself to arrive, but she still has to put the work in, and she certainly isn’t set to fulfill any kind of grand prophecy. The episode executes this concept with flying colors, largely due to how it tackles the tried and true Chosen One trope.

As Luz is tasked with delivering Eda’s potions to her clients, she comes across a wizard that hands her a map, citing her as the potential Chosen One that will find a celestial staff hidden in the forest. Anyone who’s familiar with that kind of set-up expects things to go perfectly fine for the protagonist; the prophecy will be fulfilled no matter what. But the episode itself is very critical of that idea, either openly mocking it through Eda and King’s laughing at the situation or subtly by the fact that Luz’s journey isn’t even difficult at all.

As Luz ultimately decides to try finding the staff, it goes eerily well to the point where the viewer just has to guess that something is up. The closest thing she has to a trial of any kind is the riddle on the bridge, and even then, the solution is practically gifted to her on a silver platter. Through this, the episode shows that while being the Chosen One does sound nice, you’re not really learning anything from it, and you’re not putting in any real effort for your rewards either.

The reveal that the whole thing was orchestrated out of petty business revenge against Eda is quite hilarious as well. It’s also another sign of just how far Edna’s reach is in the Boiling Isles, and the puppeteer himself is suitably creepy and disturbing, though not without a comedic flair, of course.

The ending scene is one of the best of the season, as it depicts Eda’s world-weary wisdom passing onto Luz in a way that still comes off as motherly. Wendie Mallick’s performance really sells it, portraying Eda’s soft side blended masterfully with her snark. It‘s a scene that showcases an excellent bit of growth between Luz and Eda, with Luz realizing that her mission is going to take a lot more effort than she thought and Eda promising to guide her the whole way. It’s one of the most human moments in the entire series, and it only gets better every time I see it.

For being so early in the show’s run, ‘Witches Before Wizards’ is a very smartly written episode, breaking down a trope often associated with fantasy stories in such a way that’s both humorous and properly setting the stage for the kind of journey the protagonist is about to embark on. Throw in some creative creature designs and solid comedy, and it’s a winner.