Owl House Spoiler Recap: For the Future
The new special for The Owl House “For the Future” wasn’t what I was expecting. Though then again, when you have a character like the Collector who can literally do anything as a cosmic being, I had no idea what to expect. The penultimate episode of the show capped off several characters’ emotional journeys and set up everything for an amazing series finale.
I want to go ahead and get my only big criticism out of the way because it’s about the entire episode. And I in no way want this to sound like I disliked “For the Future,” because it was really great. My only negative thought was I don’t think the writing was as tight as “Thanks to Them.” It was little things that made the episode trip on its own feet a few times. A lot of the setup of how and why things occurred is shown in the end credits, which didn’t even air when I watched the Disney XD broadcast. It touched on why Lilith and Eda were freed thanks to King as well as how Kikimora got close to Boscha to manipulate her. I was questioning how plot moments happened as I was watching until I got to the end which filled in the gaps. “Thanks to Them” had such tight writing that it was able to convey so much plot and character emotions in a short time. “For the Future” didn’t accomplish that as well for me. I loved everything else about the episode, though, so I wanted to get that out of the way right here at the top. And I honestly must praise the crew for doing the very best they could with the shortened season. What they’ve accomplished is an amazing feat and they should be very proud.
The opening montage was chaotic in the best way possible. It once again showed why the Collector is a powerhouse character. One by one, the main cast who were left behind in the Boiling Isle fell under his control. It was the one-two gut punch of watching both Lilith and Hooty fall victim to the Collector’s magic that confirmed that none of them are a match for this all-powerful cosmic child.
I loved the visual storytelling between Raine and Eda in this scene. The creators conveyed so much emotion without any dialogue and let Brad Breeck’s always beautiful score do all the heavy lifting. Raine immediately understands Eda’s need to save her son, King. They are completely enamored seeing Eda in her harpy form. But what stuck out to me most was the reaction of the Owl Beast when it saw the Collector. It instantly takes over Eda, which harkens back to "Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Hooty's Door.” The Owl Beast has a history with the Collector and clearly remembers the trauma it went through. I have to once again get frustrated at Disney for giving us a shortened season because there probably will be little to no time to get to explore this element in the series finale. Though, I do wonder if the Owl Beast’s past is with a different Collector as this episode established there are others like him. The one in the previous episode did look very different from our present Collector.
A huge theme of “For the Future” is accepting who we are as opposed to who others want us to be. Or in Willow’s case, who we think others want us to be. Luz, Amity, and Willow have huge moments of realization that really was the heart of the episode. I adore this for Willow and Amity especially, because they both felt like they got short-staffed in “Thanks to Them.”
I’m so glad that the last episode focused so heavily on Camila because she was the missing piece in Luz’s story. The entire reason Luz went to the Demon Realm was that she felt like no one understood her back home. She thrived in this new place because she was accepted as the weirdo she always was. But even going back to season one, there was always a fear of facing her mother. There was a fear of her world that no one there got who she truly was. “Thanks to Them” becomes all the more important because of this.
Camila was like Luz at one time, but the realities of the world made her lock away the weird side of herself that she thought others would look down upon her for. While Camila might be content with her life now, she wasn’t embracing her full self until these wonderful kids from another world helped her own daughter grow and embrace her life. The greatest way to show change is when you can give the wisdom of what you’ve learned to someone else which is exactly what she does for Luz. She shares those hidden parts of herself with her daughter showing that she’s just as much of a weirdo as well.
There is also the important lesson that it’s okay to make mistakes, which ties in well with Willow’s story too. No one is perfect, and striving for perfection will only destroy you. All we can do is try our best and accept to learn from our mistakes. Camila says that her greatest mistake was stifling Luz, which led to one of the most beautiful moments of the series: Luz realizes all she ever wanted was someone to understand her. This understanding started with meeting her friends, Eda, King, and Hooty. It’s now complete with her mother. She’s now in a place where she knows herself better which allows for her Palisman to finally hatch. After how incredibly sad she’s been in the last few episodes, it’s wonderful to see Luz smiling brightly again.
Stringbean is the perfect choice for Luz. How incredibly smart of the creators to make her a Snake Shifter, encompassing many of the fan theories in the process. Stringbean’s ability to change her skin and reinvent herself if needed has ultimate potential which is exactly where Luz is in her journey. Luz has her entire future ahead of her with unlimited possibilities. It was a gorgeous moment to finally meet Stringbean.
Quick side note: Camila is the best mom. Her reactions to the Demon Realm were a source of levity and I’ll point out some of my personal favorite one-liners later in this review. It was the little moment the entire way through that stood out like noticing there was something wrong with Willow or being concerned for the kids’ families. Camila is such a stellar woman and I adore her.
Willow’s story hit me on such an emotional level because I am very much the person who takes care of everyone else only to neglect myself. It’s such a culmination of Willow’s journey up to this point which was beautifully executed in “For the Future.” We first meet Willow as a meek young woman who is unsure of her path. But over the course of the show, she’s truly found her strength and voice. That confidence has become a big part of her. But the downfall of that is when Willow makes that her defining trait, that she must always be reliable and can never show weakness. That is not what true strength is. True strength is knowing when to ask for help and letting others pick you up when it’s needed.
Hunter has this trait too. Being in the Emperor’s Coven, he was never allowed to show weakness so it’s still a new thing for him to share his feelings. He’s irritable and angry for a good chunk of “For the Future.” Anger is a secondary emotion, and for Hunter, his anger is a mask for his fear. He is truly scared of Belos, losing the people he loves, and thinking he can’t protect those around him. Flapjack’s sacrifice is also still very fresh for him.
It’s why he responded strongly to Willow spouting the exact same fears and panicking when she believes she was showing weakness. Hunter saw his own flaws, hearing them come from Willow’s lips. He hated she felt that way and in turn, hated he wasn’t being fully open with her and Gus. His power awakened to save his friends, also opening a path for him to finally express what he’s been feeling. It’s a beautiful scene as both Hunter and Willow let their thoughts flow to connect with the other. And my god did my shipper heart soar when they held hands at the end! I love that these two sweet babies finally get together.
Amity is a few steps further along her path of change than Luz or Willow, but her story is very much the same as theirs. She’s already accepted her flaws and doesn’t want people to define her path for her. She doesn’t care anymore how people see her, be it her family or Boscha. That confidence is from herself which Amity is now proud of.
Boscha’s role in “For the Future” is wonderful because it’s like looking back to where Amity was in season one. Boscha is still trying to hold onto the status of leadership instead of what’s doing what’s best for everyone. It’s a selfish path being nurtured by Kikimora, who has been manipulating Boscha. The pain of staying the same was still less than the work it would take to change for Boscha. Amity showing up in turn challenges her belief that change is bad. Amity also represents a loss for Boscha. It’s hard when a friend changes, and often time you do lose them. It doesn’t have to be a negative thing, something that Amphibia really executed well in its series finale. But Boscha chose not to evolve with Amity which is why she lost too much and feels alone. I do think that she’s starting to go on the path of change. Even if it’s for more selfish reasons to fight back against Kikimora, Boscha chose to fight back for herself which is a nice start.
To touch on the rest of the Hexside crew, I adored that they all got some love, especially watching Matt step up. He’s had a great little character arc over the course of the show starting as Gus’ mean rival. The shift started in “Through the Looking Glass Ruins” which helped him develop into a leader. I’ve said for some time that Hexside was going to be a very important staging ground to stop Belos. Now, it’s to stop the Collector. And to see Principal Bump get the praise he deserves makes me so happy. He’s one of the most underrated characters of the show, so I love that the creators took a moment to note that he’s always been an important part of all of this with the most amazing statue ever.
I am having such wonderful schadenfreude watching Belos struggle and being haunted by the ghost of Caleb and the past Golden Guards. This miserable man deserves all the horrible things coming to him once Raine is safe again. Belos has been one of the best-written villains I’ve seen in a long time. Unlike many classic villains who get the instant end of death, watching Belos’ comeuppance slowly and torturously play out is an entirely different level of enjoyment. I am not one to watch people suffer, but this fictional man is the WORST and I am loving it.
Especially since he’s not trying to redeem. When he sees Caleb’s ghost, there is no remorse. He blames Caleb and yells, “I tried to save your soul! It’s your fault that all of this happened!” There’s no moment of accountability, that he’s the one in the wrong. It’s why he fails compared to Luz who is learning to grow from her mistakes. Belos doubles down again and again which stunts him as a person. He had every chance to find love and acceptance like Caleb and Luz did. Instead, he chose conformity and destruction. Now, all he has left is his miserable existence. I am here to watch this man suffer.
BUT OH MY GOD, RAINE! The moment that made me scream watching “For the Future” was Belos taking over Raine’s body. Like, can’t they just catch a break and be okay for one second!? Ahh!
Narratively speaking, it is the stronger choice for Belos to take Raine over Odalia. Fans across the board dislike Odalia (and it was pretty funny to watch Belos completely ignore her). But people love Raine which drastically raises the stakes. We don’t want any harm to come to them, so it’s far scarier that Belos is controlling their body. It’s also setting up a Clawthorne showdown. Caleb fell in love with a Clawthorne witch with short hair. Eda now has short hair, and probably looks so much like Caleb’s once love. I cannot wait to see a Belos vs Eda brawl to save Raine and the world.
Coming into “For the Future,” I didn’t really know what to think about the Collector. This episode really did an amazing job defining that he’s not some evil being out to destroy the world. He’s just a little guy who is lonely and wants friends. He just so happens to have all the power of the cosmos and can destroy everything with a snap of his fingers. This is such an interesting dichotomy that reminded me of the classic The Twilight Zone episode “It’s a Good Life.” For you young ones out there, the plot of that is a child has godlike powers so all the adults pander to him. If they make him mad, he turns them all into toys or banishes them. The entire point is to try and have a ‘good day’ so no one is hurt. That episode and this one are way too similar to not be on purpose.
The Collector has so much sympathy though because he honestly wants friends. Already eagle-eyed fans have noted the paintings in his home depicting a possible history. It seems like he either disagreed with the other Collectors or was cast out from them. There is also the insinuation that he disagrees with the Collectors’ book that if a world rises up against their race, they are to destroy that world. It’s why he changed the book that making friends is the better option over war. Which you know, is valid! He is very much at his core a scared lonely kid which is something King is realizing. They’re both the last of their kind in this world, a pain that they can share together.
This is where “For the Future” ventures from The Twilight Zone inspiration because King wants to help the Collector. Finding a way to safely meet this child’s needs and nurture him as a person is a far more kind solution than imprisoning him or killing him. The Roundtable made a great point in their review that the Collector is essentially King in the first episode of the series before his character arc. King has grown up so much over the course of the show. Luz and Eda’s influence has truly made him come into his own. He actually cares for the Collector’s well-being. Unlike Belos who manipulated this cosmic child, King honestly wants to help this poor kid out. Which of course got messed up by Belos manipulating the Collector into misunderstanding King’s intent. While I’m not the biggest fan of the ‘misunderstanding to make plot’ trope, I do not mind it here. There is one episode left of The Owl House. They must take this shorthand path to reach the finish line. And I trust this cast and crew to pull it off masterfully. It’s going to be great.
Some random thoughts to round out For the Future:
-I adored how Lilith screamed, “GET AWAY FROM MY NEPHEW!” when trying to save King. As an aunt of 14 little kiddos, I felt that in my bones!
-I know I mentioned this already, but I adore how Raine is so in love with their harpy wife. I am here for that kind of love.
-Who or what did Luz see in the world in between realms? I have two theories. The first is that it might be another Titan like King. Perhaps even the spirit of the Titan of the Boiling Isles. But the one I really think it is is the Owl Deity. In the Owl House, there is an image of an Owl Beast that’s been shown occasionally since season one. There have been many hints throughout the show that it’s a real creature. I think the finale is going to finally show it to us, and “For the Future” was our first look at it in the spiritual flesh.
-“I love the fact that you’ve been living on a giant… carcass.” Camila experiencing the Demon Realm for the first time is such a joy. He bowing to the eyeballs on the streetlamp was perfection.
-The broken reamins of the Owl House still hurts my heart, especially watching Luz see it for the first time since she fled.
-First of all, Tera playing Eda is brilliant. Second of all, she has a dead looking Sonic the Hedgehog on her head. Everything about this is 10 for 10, no notes.
-This wonderful 80’s photo of Eda, Luz, King, and Hooty is perfection
-I adore that Camila immediately falls in love with King and Stringbean.
-Warden Wrath’s son and all the kindergartners being tiny hellions is amazing. Rock on, you tiny babies!
-MY BOY BARCUS IS HERE!
-Emira and Edric are okay! I’m always happy to see the twins back, though I’m on the fence about Ed being stuck in a cast for the episode. Like doesn’t Em have healing abilities? She’s not working on that? It’s a personal preference, but I’d always prefer them to be more active in the story than used as jokes.
-I love that Odalia is being forced to be a mother, the thing she never was to her children. And I hope her family never takes her back.
-I really love Kikimora’s design as Miki. It’s very cute and had me fooled for a short time there.
-Lilith is so happy to see Hooty! Their reunion was bittersweet!
-Avi Roque acted the hell out of Raine possessed by Belos in this episode. They really captured so much of Matthew Rhys’ nuances, and it’s a stunning performance by them.
-Camila called Kikimora a “little red kitten!” That line killed me!
-I totally called Hunter having some kind of magic from Flapjack in my “Thanks to Them” recap!
-Awwww, Matt. I’m sorry it didn’t work out between you and the *check notes* robot
-Just going to scream into the void about my Hunter and Willow ship finally being canon! I’m super duper happy for these sweet kiddos! They’re precious and I want Willow’s dads to meet Hunter like right now!
-LET EDA AND CAMILA MEET EACH OTHER! Come on! They’re so close! I need it!
I can’t believe there is only one episode left of The Owl House. It’s been such an emotional journey. This series has become one of my personal favorite shows of all time. I can’t wait to see what the crew brings us for the final outing. It has been such a joy to review this series for so many years. Here’s to the next.
