The Owl House Wiki
Advertisement

"Hollow Mind" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of The Owl House, and the thirty-fifth episode overall.

It premiered on April 23, 2022.[1][2]

Synopsis

A magical mishap transports Luz and Hunter into a new mindscape...and this one is a twisted nightmare.[2]

Plot

Luz wakes up and finds herself in a dimly lit corridor with huge paintings hanging on the walls, gasping upon noticing the painting in front of her. The painting depicts Emperor Belos holding his staff while looming over herself, King, Lilith, and Eda in her Owl Beast form. Below the painting is a plaque that says "Triumph Over Wild Magic". Scared, Luz stands up and starts retreating, wondering where she is. Behind her, Hunter appears accusing her of playing dumb and yells at her for causing both of them to be trapped inside Emperor Belos' mindscape, greatly shocking Luz. She finds it unbelievable that they're really in Belos' mind, so Hunter reminds her of what led to them being trapped here in the first place.

The scene cuts to earlier at the Night Market, where Hunter was on a mission to capture some criminals that he saw after he heard rumors that they were planning to invade Emperor Belos' mind with wild magic. He noticed three cloaked figures and followed them into an alley, finding them about to activate a spell on the ground.

Concurrently, Eda, Luz, and King were also at the Night Market to buy the Witch's Wool needed to fix Luz's cloak. While Eda knocked on the door, Luz and King proceeded to communicate with each other via walkie-talkies. When the shopkeeper, Prim, finally opens the door, she showed Eda the oracle mark on her wrist. She informed Eda that because Belos warned everyone of the dangers of wild magic, she had closed the shop and joined the Oracle Coven. After she reluctantly shut the door, a furious Luz complained about Belos' lies and tyranny, causing Eda to remind her to pipe down. She then adds that Belos had been in power for more than fifty years, and unless Luz can find proof that Belos is evil, the situation wouldn't change. Seeing Luz's sad state, Eda consoled her by saying they'll figure out something together. As she walked away, Luz is saddened by how Eda is being treated, wondering how she could prove Belos is evil. King told her that nobody wants to follow the wrong person and encourages her to find something significant to prove herself. Just after he headed away, Luz noticed Hunter and followed him.

Luz pounced on him from behind as Hunter was about to arrest the spellcasters, and both fell to the ground. Hunter was astonished but quickly became frustrated when the spellcasters escaped. During his heated confrontation with Luz, he accidentally stepped on a neon yellow vial placed by one of the spellcasters on the ground. This activated the circles drawn earlier by the spellcasters, and both were teleported into Belos' mind.

In Belos' mindscape, Hunter laughs at Luz for thinking he'd help her prove that his uncle is evil, but she brushes him off as now she can discover the truth herself. Right then, she notices that Belos' mindscape is very different from Willow's. Hunter explains that a mindscape is a reflection of their individual, claiming that he had read a lot on the subject. Walking toward a painting of Belos guiding citizens away from a fire, he reveals that his family died because of wild magic; Belos took in the survivors of said magic and dedicated his life to the coven system, which is why he is so well-liked on the Boiling Isles. Hunter also claims that the sigils on people's wrists help protect them from themselves and make the Titan happy. At that moment, he observes another painting beside the current one, which depicts the moment when he inherited his mechanical staff. He proudly informs Luz that he's the youngest scout to become the Golden Guard while admitting that he never found out what happened to his predecessor, questioning why Darius is saddened in the painting.

As Hunter focuses on the painting, Luz walks up to touch the painting she saw earlier when she hears a child sobbing nearby. She follows the source of the sound and finds a masked child figure sitting behind a pillar nearby, crying and becoming frightened by her presence. Luz hesitantly calls out Belos' name right as Hunter does the same, and turning around; Luz finds a manifestation of Belos moving towards them. Hunter thinks this is Inner Belos and kneels before him, asking for his assistance to help them return to the physical world. The figure stops in front of Hunter, and the child figure emerges from behind it, shaking his head and hands desperately at the duo. Luz looks at him with a puzzled expression when suddenly, the dark figure starts roaring and transforms itself, revealing multiple glowing eyeballs on its body. Sensing danger, Luz rushes forward and activates fire glyphs, creating an explosion with blasts strong enough to send her and Hunter flying backward. They crash through a wall and fall into a dark void. Luz proceeds to take out a hover glyph and grabs onto Hunter, then activates it before they hit the ground, slowing down their fall, but they impact the ground face-first.

When they sit up, they find themselves in a strange place filled with dead trees covered in paintings, and Luz surmises that they are in Belos' real mind. Hunter finds that absurd and mentions the gallery above them, but Luz theorizes that those are made up of Belos' lies. Right then, Eda's voice calls out from Luz's walkie-talkie, asking where she is right now and informing Hunter that his friend wants to talk to him. After hearing Flapjack's chirp from the speaker, Hunter immediately grabs the walkie-talkie and asks him if he's okay. Still, Luz takes the walkie-talkie back and reveals that they are inside Emperor Belos' mind. Shocked, Eda asks Luz if the Inner Belos have spotted them yet, which she confirms as the dark Belos. Eda comments that there cannot be a second Inner Belos upon Luz's prompting. She (with additional objection from Hunter) warns Luz about the possibility of being devoured in Belos' mindscape forever. King assures her they'll find a way to get them out as soon as possible. As a parting message, Eda instructs Luz not to lose the walkie-talkie, and Hunter tells Flapjack that he will be home soon while also whispering that he loves him, something Eda and King find cute.

Suddenly, they hear the sound of leaves rustling nearby. Not far away, the child figure from before emerges. Luz walks towards him, calling him Kid Belos, and thanks him for saving them earlier. The dark Belos starts shrieking, causing Kid Belos to grab Luz's arm. Luz wonders if Kid Belos is Belos' sense of guilt, but Hunter denies this, claiming it's his sense of innocence. She thinks Kid Belos can keep them safe and suggests that he can probably show them who Belos really is, to which he slowly nods. From somewhere, dark Belos shrieks again, prompting Kid Belos to drag Luz away. He brings her over to a painting and jumps through it. Before Luz can follow suit, Hunter exclaims that she can't invade Belos' memories. Still, Luz retorts that it's a way to survive, and she pulls Hunter through the painting.

Back at the Owl House, Eda arrives back with King and Flapjack. She then orders Hooty to lock down the house and instructs King to grab all the textbooks he can find as she prepares to make the return spell to save Luz and Hunter. Hooty then barricades all the windows, summons spiky plants, and latches the main door. Outside, Raine, Darius, and Eberwolf observe in the bushes. Raine wants to go into the house but is stopped by Darius. Right then, they hear Hooty chatting with Flapjack. When he mentions Hunter, Darius immediately rushes forward, but Raine halts him. They then write on the ground to communicate with Darius and Eberwolf, telling them they know how to get past Hooty.

In Belos' mindscape, Luz and Hunter follow Kid Belos through the memories: a part of Bonesborough during the Deadwardian Era. Multiple people have gathered in front of a stage, where Belos appears and gives a speech about their lives dishonoring the Titan, in addition to mentioning the destruction wild magic caused to his family. He then claims to have been shown the healing light, which shines in nine hues and then pulls an illusion of nine different lights, which amazes everyone. Suddenly, explosions start to go off, and Belos exclaims that he has been found by the wild witches, ordering everyone to run. Luz and Hunter dash away, and when they stop, they witness Belos scolding an old Golden Guard for almost injuring him just now. He informs the Golden Guard that he will be going to the next town, telling him to "put on a bigger show" with the remaining explosives, so he ignites the fuse before following Belos into a building. Right then, Kid Belos appears and picks up a sack from the ground before jumping through another painting, Luz and Hunter following suit. Outside, Luz declares that Belos was lying about being attacked. Still, Hunter justifies this by suggesting that Belos was perhaps using a special technique to get people to listen to him for the greater good. Suddenly, dark Belos' claw emerges from the memory, and Luz and Hunter quickly pursue kid Belos through another painting.

This second memory is at the Knee. Luz and Hunter follow kid Belos to a crowd of people standing in front of Belos. Behind him, a town has gone up in flames. Belos claims that wild magic caused that and tells everyone to imagine what it would do to them. He then professes that he can make their magic pure again, just like the Titan intended, so everyone holds out their wrist and lets the Golden Guard tap on it to create a coven sigil. The sigils proceed to drain magic out of everyone, causing them all to collapse to the ground in agony. The past Golden Guard notices they are still alive, although only barely; Belos pays no mind and orders him to gather everyone's palismen as Luz and Hunter watch the memory in horror and dismay.

The duo then follows kid Belos out of the memory. Luz barks that Hunter can longer deny that Belos is trying to hurt people, but Hunter — becoming increasingly enraged — denies this, as he claims that Belos was perfecting sigil magic. Hunter chases down kid Belos, but before he can catch him, dark Belos appears behind and tries to attack him and Luz. The duo immediately accompanies Kid Belos to another painting. When Hunter hesitates, Luz offers him her hand, then whisks him into the memory.

Inside this memory, Luz is stunned to find out that Belos has already rebuilt the portal after she destroyed it before, and Hunter confesses to helping rebuild it. Right then, the Collector appears in an abstract shadow form. Belos asks if he can do anything for them, and they proceed to ask if the Draining Spell is ready, as they can't wait for the Day of Unity. Belos says that they will have fun when that day comes. Hunter and Luz are baffled when a projection of Hunter from the past suddenly rushes up to Belos. Hunter presents the key he had just taken from Amity back at Eclipse Lake and apologizes for disobeying Belos' orders. Before he can explain further, Belos immediately snatches the key away and angrily orders him to leave. After Hunter departs, the Collector reemerges and murmurs that they thought Belos would be mad at Hunter. Still, he replies that he won't be, as Hunter does exactly what he is told whenever he tells him that the Titan has big plans for him. The Collector thinks that Belos is having fun destroying the "things" he made, and he denies this, saying that it hurts when "he" chooses to betray him every time. Both Luz and Hunter are shocked to hear all this, especially Hunter.

The duo then comes out from the memory along with kid Belos. Luz believes that Belos is trying to wipe out all life in the Demon Realm with the usage of the sigils, and Hunter walks away, unable to reply. Luz reassures him that he doesn't need to return to the castle, but then, she notices another part of the mindscape, which horrifies her. This part of the mindscape has various discarded and broken Golden Guard masks and staffs on the ground with paintings depicting what Belos did to Hunter's predecessors. Luz spots kid Belos nearby, standing inside a circle made of a rope and various bottles of liquids, throwing a cracked Golden Guard mask into a fire. Luz rushes forward to pull him away while Hunter stomps out the fire. As Luz wonders what kid Belos is doing, the dark Belos reemerges inside the circle and screeches at her and Hunter. Suddenly, dark Belos warns the duo to get away from him, claiming he is dangerous. Luz is shocked to see that "Inner Belos" is actually comprised of various palismen. Hunter suddenly realizes that instead of this figure, the real Inner Belos is the child who has been with them the whole time. Behind them, kid Belos starts crying, but it soon turns into maniacal laughter as he takes out a wooden sword and strikes the rope on the ground. This activates the circle and launches the bottles onto the figure. The rope then tightens around it, causing it to fall.

Kid Inner Belos proceeds to transform into an adult Inner Belos in front of them, and glad that he finally caught the monstrous figure, he explains that they are all souls of the palismen whom he had killed before the figure fades away. Inner Belos then grabs a palisman and destroys it in front of Hunter, whom he thanks for helping to distract the figure; Hunter confronts Inner Belos about what he did to his predecessors and their family, realizing that the destruction by wild magic was a lie all along. Upon hearing this, Inner Belos' face turns cold, and he expresses disappointment that Hunter is starting to turn against him. He cryptically remarks that he, out of all the grimwalkers, looked the most like "him," much to Hunter's confusion. Just then, Hunter gets dragged down into the ground, and Luz tosses her jacket to him so he can gain leverage. Despite her best efforts, he gets sucked into the ground along with her jacket, and Belos remarks in disappointment that he had hoped that Hunter would last longer than the previous Guards. Enraged, Luz angrily says that she will tell everyone about the Day of Unity and his lies about being able to talk to the Titan. Still, Belos calmly admits that the whole situation was prolonged, revealing himself as a witch hunter. Luz is shocked at the idea that a witch hunter was leading the people and that people were tricked easily, although Belos tells her not to judge so quickly; he summons a picture frame from the ground and shows Luz some scenes from when she met Philip Wittebane. Luz is horrified by what this implies, proclaiming that the Emperor is just Belos, no one else. Belos asks Luz to call him by his real name, but she can't bring herself to do it. As the scenes continue to play, Luz reluctantly accepts that Belos is what's left of Philip Wittebane.

Back at the Owl House, Eda is frustrated that she can't successfully create a return spell, but without warning, someone knocks on the door, and Hooty gets the door. He returns with a bouquet from a "secret admirer". Thinking that the flowers are rigged, Eda tells Hooty to throw them away, but they then wilt, causing the contents wrapped inside the petal to dissolve in the vase and create a yellow liquid. Eda picks up the note attached to the flowers and is surprised to learn that the liquid is a teleportation potion from the mindscape. She rushes to the window to look outside just in time to see someone running away. Eda then notices that, according to the note, the potion still needs a large power source to make it work, prompting King to grab Amity's glove. Eda is hesitant about using it, as Luz requires that last bit of Titan's Blood to return home. However, King retorts that Luz will never return home if she can't escape from Belos' mind.

Back in Belos' mindscape, Eda tries to reach out to Luz using her walkie-talkie, informing her that they will pull her and Hunter out. Unbeknownst to her, Luz has dropped her walkie-talkie on the floor. Belos is advancing towards Luz, forcing her to retreat in fear. Belos tells Luz it feels good to hear another human say his old name again, stating that he had to change it after "Philip" was chased out of too many towns. He muses to Luz that perhaps they were destined to meet as he did so long ago. Luz asks Belos what Hunter is, and he informs her that Hunter is a "better version of an old friend", but now, thanks to Luz, he will have to create another one. Luz demands to know why Belos is doing all this, and he mentions that he is trying to save humanity from evil. Unable to reach Luz, Eda tells her that she will start counting down soon. Luz furiously snaps and tells him that he is the evil one, to which he replies that he "can't reason with crazy" before attempting to attack her with a bladed hand. Luz cowers in fear, but a thick wall made of vines suddenly bursts out from the ground and blocks Belos' blade - revealing Hunter - who has used Luz's plant and ice glyphs to save himself and Luz as Eda starts counting down; both Luz and Hunter rush towards the walkie-talkie. Just as Eda counts to one, the duo manages to reach the walkie-talkie on time, and Luz screams at Eda to immediately activate the return spell. The spell then activates, successfully bringing the pair back to the Owl House.

At the Owl House, King and Hooty are elated to have the duo back, but Eda asks them to give the pair some space, and she asks Luz and Hunter if they are okay. While Luz sits expressionless, Flapjack flies towards Hunter, who knows the truth about Belos and himself and, horrified, realizes that Belos knows what happened. Knowing that he can't return to the castle, Hunter panics, throws off his cloak, and tearfully runs out of the house with Flapjack following him. Luz chases after him but stops, and King and Eda both inquire about what happened. Luz turns to them as tears start to form in her eyes.

Cast

Additional voices

Non-speaking cameo

Mentioned

Pictured

Other characters

Title in other languages

Language Title Translation Notes
Argentina Spanish (Latin America) Mente hueca Hollow Mind
Taiwan Mandarin 空虛的心靈 Hollow Mind
Czech Republic Czech Mysl, která je dutá Hollow Mind
Germany German Düstere Gedanken Dark Thoughts The episode was originally called "Hohler Geist" (Hollow Spirit) but was changed for the final release.
France French Piège mental Mental Trap
Italy Italian La mente vuota The Empty Mind
Japan Japanese 空っぽの心 Empty Heart
Netherlands Dutch Leeg van Binnen Empty Inside
Portugal Portuguese Mente Oca Hollow Mind

Transcript

For a full transcript of "Hollow Mind", click here.


Gallery

Gallery promo
Click here to view the gallery.

Trivia

  • Viewership: This episode was watched by 0.35 viewers on its premiere.[4]
  • This is one of the three episodes to completely cut the main theme, with the others being "Elsewhere and Elsewhen" and "Them's the Breaks, Kid".
  • Luz uses the code name "Echo Delta Alfa", 'Eda' in the NATO phonetic alphabet, over her walkie-talkie.
  • The hidden code for this episode is found on one of the trees in Belos' mindscape. This code translates to "Skies".
  • In 2023, Disney Television Animation ranked this episode as the second-most spooky episode on Twitter (ahead of The Owl House's sister series[5] Amphibia's "The Shut-In!" at number three but behind Gravity Falls' "Into the Bunker" at number one).[6]

Revelations and significant events

  • Luz has been trying to convince people to see Belos for the evil tyrant he is by sending them letters to no avail.
  • King speaks Spanish for the first time after receiving language lessons from Luz.
  • Darius and Eberwolf have been helping Raine in their rebellion against Emperor Belos.
  • Flapjack's name is spoken on-screen for the first time.
  • The true nature of Belos is revealed:
    • He lied about the dangers of wild magic and used false-flag attacks to create fear amongst the populous, which helped him in his rise to power.
    • His monstrous outbursts are caused by the souls of the palismen he consumed fighting against him.
      • Belos gains control of his monster form.
    • He also admits to being a witch hunter, as his plans with the Day of Unity are for "humanity's protection".
    • He reveals himself to be Philip Wittebane, which was hinted at in the end of "Elsewhere and Elsewhen", as Luz learns.
      • He remembers his encounter in the past with Luz and Lilith in that episode.
      • Due to him and Philip being one and the same, he is over three hundred and fifty years old, which also means he has been governing the Boiling Isles beyond fifty years.
  • Luz learns that Belos has already rebuilt the portal she destroyed, and that Hunter was helping him.
  • The Collector is working closely with Belos on the portal.
    • According to the Collector's rhyme, they are trapped beneath the Titan.
  • Hunter learns the whole truth about Belos, the fate of the previous Golden Guards, and that he is a clone called a grimwalker.
    • Belos mentions that Hunter and the previous Golden Guards are made out of someone he knew.
  • Belos and Hunter address Luz by her name for the first time.
  • Several paintings depicted inside Belos' mind hint at details of his past. These include:
    • Philip with another child when he was young. This child's eyes are scribbled out in many portraits, but he resembles Hunter.
    • Philip and his friend mimicking what seems like a mob behind them.
    • Philip's friend carving him a wooden mask that resembles Belos'.
    • The two friends playing in the woods, with Philip wearing his mask and his friend pretending to be a witch getting caught in Philip's trap.
    • Philip's friend eagerly approaching a witch, while Philip looks afraid in the background.
    • Philip as a young adult, exploring the Boiling Isles.
    • A now bearded Philip looking dismayed at his friend, holding hands with a witch, who appears to be pregnant.
    • Philip carving glyphs onto his arm.
    • Philip confronting his friend and his companion in a possessed-like state.
    • Philip's friend hugging him in his possessed-like state.
    • Philip's friend introducing his witch companion, with Philip holding a dagger behind his back.
    • Philip in a knife duel with his friend while both are surrounded by flames.
    • Philip's friend fallen, with Philip's reflection in the dagger beside him.
    • The witch companion of Philip's friend chasing Philip away, with his friend's body lying in the foreground. Philip seems to be hit by a spell.
    • Philip talking to some witches, while hiding his journal behind his back.
    • Philip absorbing essence from a palisman, wearing his cracked childhood mask.
    • Philip creating the first grimwalker.
    • Philip donning the first iteration of his Belos mask, signifying his new life as Belos.
    • Belos cutting his ears to change their shape.
    • The fates of the previous Golden Guards.
  • The Owl House has various security systems (such as window shutters, spiky plants at the perimeter and several door chains) which can be activated by Hooty at will.
  • Hunter uses glyph magic for the first time.
  • Eda uses the last of the Titan's Blood at the Owl House in order to get Hunter and Luz out of Belos' mind.
  • Hunter defects from the Emperor's Coven due to the fact that Belos knows he was in his mind.

Continuity

  • The spell used to teleport people into other people's minds appears to be the same one was the spell used in "Understanding Willow".
    • The events of that same episode are also mentioned.
  • Luz's cloak is still tattered from her stay in the In Between Realm in "Yesterday's Lie".
  • The pen Luz takes out from her pocket after she pounces on Hunter is the same pen which is used to distract Eda in "The Intruder".
  • Darius helping Raine was hinted at the end of "Them's the Breaks, Kid", when a small abomination with the same physical attributes as him gives Raine information about Belos' plans.
  • Raine can use a flute to create a smokescreen, just like their BAT colleague Derwin did in "Eda's Requiem" with his bassoon.
  • The potions book seen on the ledge above the fireplace is first seen in "Reaching Out".
  • The backstory of the ruins on the Knee, which is first seen in "Adventures in the Elements", is explained in this episode.
  • Flashbacks from "Elsewhere and Elsewhen" are shown. The events of that episode are also mentioned.
  • One of the memories in Belos' head takes place after Hunter's trip to Eclipse Lake in the episode of the same name.
    • Belos calls Hunter a "grimwalker", a term that appeared in "Eclipse Lake".
    • Eda uses the last of the Titan's Blood on Amity's glove from the episode.
  • Belos' reply, "can't reason with crazy", is also said by Luz in "Wing It Like Witches".
  • After Eda strong-armed Warden Wrath in "Reaching Out" into relaying intelligence from the Emperor's Coven, he told her rumors about how the world after the Day of Unity wouldn't be welcoming to magickind, wild or not. As revealed in this episode, these rumors were an extreme understatement as Belos' plans for the Day of Unity actually involve the genocide of all witches.
  • The painting in front of Luz when she wakes up at the beginning of the episode appears to tell how Belos remembers the events of what happened in "Young Blood, Old Souls".

Production notes

  • This is the second time that English subtitles are used in the series, which is first time they are seen is in "The First Day".
  • Concept art of the memory photos unveils one that wasn't seen in the episode of Belos talking to Flora D'splora, likely ordering her to attend Lilith's party in "Elsewhere and Elsewhen".
  • Storyboards showed that the episode's ending would've had Luz collapsing to her knees crying with Eda, King, and Hooty comforting her.

Errors

  • Eda pauses for a significant length of time after mentioning being devoured within Belos' mindscape, allowing Hunter to finish the explanation for her, after which King responds that he and Eda will find a way to get them out. During Eda's pause, Luz is never seen pressing the push-to-talk button on her walkie-talkie, meaning Eda not finishing her statement and King responding as if he heard Hunter don't make sense.
  • When the Collector is talking about how they want to see everyone on the Boiling Isles screaming, the sound effect of their shadow merging with the statue plays before they actually do it.

Allusions

Videos

References

ve Episodes
Season 1 "A Lying Witch and a Warden" • "Witches Before Wizards" • "I Was a Teenage Abomination" • "The Intruder" • "Covention" • "Hooty's Moving Hassle" • "Lost in Language" • "Once Upon a Swap" • "Something Ventured, Someone Framed" • "Escape of the Palisman" • "Sense and Insensitivity" • "Adventures in the Elements" • "The First Day" • "Really Small Problems" • "Understanding Willow" • "Enchanting Grom Fright" • "Wing It Like Witches" • "Agony of a Witch" • "Young Blood, Old Souls"
Season 2 "Separate Tides" • "Escaping Expulsion" • "Echoes of the Past" • "Keeping up A-fear-ances" • "Through the Looking Glass Ruins" • "Hunting Palismen" • "Eda's Requiem" • "Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Hooty's Door" • "Eclipse Lake" • "Yesterday's Lie" • "Follies at the Coven Day Parade" • "Elsewhere and Elsewhen" • "Any Sport in a Storm" • "Reaching Out" • "Them's the Breaks, Kid" • "Hollow Mind" • "Edge of the World" • "Labyrinth Runners" • "O Titan, Where Art Thou" • "Clouds on the Horizon" • "King's Tide"
Season 3 "Thanks to Them" • "For the Future" • "Watching and Dreaming"
Owl Pellets "Welcome to Hexside" • "Eda's Cursed Brush" • "Paint Scare!" • "Art Lessons with Luz" • "Coven Lovin Soap Opera" • "The Dollhouse" (unreleased)
Chibi Tiny Tales "The Bake Off!" • "Hooty the Palisman Sitter" • "Lumity Date" • "The Amphibia House" • "Back to the Swamp"
Others "Pilot" • "Next Time On reel" • "The Letter from Lulu" • "Luz's Diary Entry" • "Hunter's Palisman Observations"
Advertisement