So...it looks like we finally made it to the final three. The remaining three spots of the 2021 version of the Top 12 Countdown. I might as well make the best of it since we’re only less than three days left in the year. So coming in at number 3 of the Top 12 Countdown of 2021 and look at that, it’s The Owl House once again in the Top 3 with “Yesterday’s Lie” taking the bronze medal for the year.
When it comes to the number 3 spot and with The Owl House no less, it was a hard decision and as I said from the past spots regarding the series, the season has been banger after banger that it would be hard to pick any episode into the list. Especially with the three episodes that I had in mind to put into this exact countdown. There’s this episode but also “Hunting Palismen” and “Eclipse Lake”. So I guess “Yesterday’s Lie” might be the decent choice to pick because much like with almost every other episode, it has some moments. But there are some good moments and had some questions to be answered while giving us more questions. As well as giving us...I don’t wanna say closure because it’s not technically closure between Luz and her mother Camila, but more of a bit of reunification and also some emotions built into that scene. But we’ll get to that later.
So...remember that scene at the end of “Keeping Up A-fear-ances” from earlier in the season where you had Camila crying, thinking that Luz is nowhere to be found but instead was finishing watching a documentary with a shadowy figure that came out of nowhere giving her a box of tissues that resembles Luz? You know, what the fanbase dubbed that mysterious evil Luz doppelgänger as “Creepy Luz”? Well, we got our answers on who is that mysterious Luz copy is, and turns out, the identity of the so-called “Creepy Luz” who has taken Luz’s identity while being trapped in the Boiling Isles...
Well, it’s none other than a runaway basilisk who took refuge in the Human Realm and took the form of Luz on the day she was supposed to go to camp. The same day that Luz stumbled into the Demon Realm for the first time. So we were fully introduced to Vee in this episode and took Luz’s identity while the actual Luz is being trapped in the Boling Isles and trying to build a portal for herself to get back home. And Vee’s backstory in the episode...yeah, she has it rough while being in the Demon Realm because she, along with the other basilisks, was chained up and treated as test subjects for Belos because basilisks are known for draining magic out of the user. Don't know why Belos would ever want to do that by treating a creature capable of draining magic out from a random user and also shapeshift into that said user, then I really don't want to know what he's planning with that. Either for his sick, twisted amusement or maybe has something to do with the upcoming Day of Unity? But Vee, after going through a lot of shit with what she and other brethren have gone through, said that enough is enough and make their escape.
Which makes sense for when Vee gets trapped by accident by a museum curator who believes in all things conspiracies and is on the verge of exposing her to the world. Her living with that memory of being trapped and being mistreated as...well, a lab rat. It's to the point where you feel bad for Vee for all the crap that she had been through in her entire life while being caged up. How the fanbase went to a complete 180 when it comes to their views on Vee as a character and what she had been through. Going from the shadowy figure at the end of "Keeping Up A-fear-ances" and thinking that Luz would kick the living daylights out of that figure to this episode and want to protect her from potential harm. At least she's happy at the end of the episode with her finally getting a home in the Human Realm and for Camila to accept Vee and let her live there. That and also taking Luz's spot until she gets a working portal and finally gets back home by the end of the series.
Speaking of the portal, you have Luz, along with King and Eda, to create what is pretty much their attempt at the portal that they can remember before Luz destroyed it at the end of Season 1 and while the prototype worked, the door structure did have some issues but it should be more than enough for Luz to wander through the portal, though not going from Point A, the Demon Realm, to Point B, i.e. the Human Realm, but instead stuck in traffic at the bridge that connects the two worlds. Though she did connect to the human realm, though not physically like her physical body touching down on solid ground, but more of her reflection doing all of the talking. Especially with Vee throughout the episode leading up to her apparent capture by the curator. Though despite showing some concerns for Vee’s safety when strolling through town in disguise, despite her almost giving herself away whenever she is put in a tight spot, she apparently has a good life while living in the Human Realm. From her making friends at camp and reuniting with them over at the town square to, of course, residing with Camila at the end of the episode, it seems that Vee looks happy and found her safe place that she could call it home...well, until Belos’ plan to get the party started with the Day of Unity and putting everyone, including Vee and Camila in deep shit. Oh right...Camila.
Being the major player in the episode and being the center focus regarding Luz and Vee. And I guess you could give her some early brownie points when noticing Vee, pretending to be Luz, throwing away Luz’s items from her room, and also noticing that one of the items that are being thrown away is a swan made out of aluminum foil and puts it back into the house. But once we get to the third act of the episode is where she really begins to shine as Vee and Luz find out that they were set up by Jacob Hopkins and claims that witches are real, which is true if you look at it, but thinks that Vee is a Martian that was sent from Mars to steal people’s teeth and power their time machine. Like...okay? Doesn’t make sense and is also a complete nutjob. Though not on the same category as the QAnon people, but more of your run-of-the-mill conspiracy theorist. So it’s Camila to the rescue with Luz finally getting the confidence she needs to face her biggest fear yet in her life, confronting her mother. Telling her about the existence of magic and where she’s been the entire time. A fear that was mentioned ever since it was brought up back in Season 1 in “Enchanting Grom Fright” and now, she’s ready to go face-to-face with her fear, her mom about everything that is going on in hopes for both saving Vee and finally getting the monkey out of her back.
Camila finally knows about the existence of magic and what’s been going with Luz all those times as she notices Vee trapped in a cage, accepting her into the household. Finally noticing that the “Luz” that Camila’s been living with all those times since the start of the series is nothing more than an imposter and accepts Vee on who she is as she frees her and of course, the most epic scene from this episode with Camila giving Jacob a good beating with the power of la chancla. And growing up in a Hispanic household, I can relate to the notion of not getting in my mom’s bad side and having to deal with the brunt of a flip flop. It may look like your normal sandal, but don’t mess around with the forces of the item in hand. Just putting it out there.
And then, we get to the emotional brunt of the episode at the end with Camila and Vee finally returning home in the rain with Vee finally getting a hold of a pair of Hexem hold’em cards for her to consume because she needs magic to continue disguising herself as Luz. Standing in the rain with the car lights on, Luz and Camila finally have a talk to themselves with Camila trying to put her together about the existence of magic and where she’s been for the past few months. Glad that she has shown some maturity in trying to venture her way to build a portal and try to get back home to the Human Realm. Only for Luz to reveal that she chose to stay in the Boling Isles, staying with Eda and King. Bit of a harsh reaction coming from Camila after learning about the minor slip from Luz about staying in the Boiling Isles and questioning her parenting skills concerning her daughter’s creativity and imagination as if she’s driving Luz away. Luz disagrees with the notion and thinks that she didn’t do anything wrong that drove her to be trapped in the Demon Realm. She was an outcast in the first scene of the series with her struggling to make some friends or join some extracurricular activities. And it took her to be issekai’d to another dimension, going through a self-discovery journey, made some friends and a girlfriend during those few months...fuck, she even took on a baddie of a higher-up to save the person who took her in. All that while having the thought of if she’s able to head back home and reunite with her mom leading up to this exact moment. This was all built up and my god, they succeeded on an emotional level and the addition of the rain being poured into the scene and Luz being hologram through Camila’s car light makes it a beautiful scene to glance at.
Though not more emotional as Luz is being pulled up courtesy of Eda, King, and Hooty back to the Demon Realm but not before promising Camila one last time that once she comes back home that she’ll never leave her side. And if Luz finally gets back home at the end of the series, it’s going to be a gut punch if she plans to say goodbye to her friends before crossing to the other side back home. Though knowing that Belos is one step away from completing the steps for the Day of Unity to arrive...yeah, I don’t know if having both the Demon Realm and the Human Realm combined a la the ending to Star vs The Forces of Evil would be a good thing for Luz because then she’ll never have to say goodbye to everyone that she knows, but it would also put them in grave danger. Thus, ending the episode with Luz back to the Demon Realm with Camila crying as she watches her daughter fade away. And if that’s not enough, while it’s good that Luz finally got the monkey out of her back and told her mother about everything that’s been going on, she may have created yet another lie. This time to Eda, King, and Hooty as the three think that they’ll have the chance to visit the Human Realm, tour around the place, and meet Camila, putting Luz in a very difficult spot to close out the episode.
And what an episode to close out the first half of the second season of The Owl House. All the build-up with Luz wanting to tell her mom about the existence of magic and where she’s been for the past few months and they did not disappoint with the delivery at the end of the episode with their conversation in the rain. That was the highlight of the episode and there are no questions or debates about it regarding Luz and Camila.
And the introduction of Vee in the episode to take Luz’s spot while the real Luz remains trapped in the Boiling Isles was handled perfectly and again, you feel bad for her for all the shit that she’s been through with her being a test subject to Belos for his gain or amusement. So just be glad that Vee finally got a place that she’ll be calling home with Camila letting her stay over. Though there until Luz comes back home with a working portal. But besides all that, this episode has some moments and it was a good, if not, perfect episode for the first half of The Owl House. And hopefully, once we get a trailer and a release date for the second half of the series, hopefully sometime in 2022 is where we get some more stuff for the show leading up to...well, the Day of Unity. So this was a fantastic episode and it’s more than enough to give it a higher rating and will be taking home the bronze in the Top 12 Countdown of 2021.
But that’ll do it for the Number 3 spot of the countdown with “Yesterday’s Lie” from The Owl House. Do you think that this episode should be higher, lower, or just stay put on your list for the year? Put it in the comments below. And then there were two. Two spots left waiting to be filled. Which episode and series will take home the silver? You’ll have to wait and find out as the countdown continues. That and also the reveal of the honorable mentions, being the episodes that didn’t make the cut. Follow me over at Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram for updates and behind-the-scenes stuff and all that jazz. And y’all should probably know the drill by now...
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