"Hunting Palismen" is the sixth episode of the second season of The Owl House, and the twenty-fifth episode overall.
It premiered on July 17, 2021.
Synopsis
It's Palisman Pairing Day at Hexside, but Luz doesn't match with a Palisman of her own and soon finds herself on an unexpected journey with a foe.[2]
Plot
One night, at his castle, Emperor Belos summons the coven heads for a private meeting. As a reward for their efforts, Belos shows them a glimpse of what they are working towards, the Day of Unity: where the Demon and Human Realms will be merged into one, in order to purify the Boiling Isles of wild magic. Belos tells the nine coven leaders that the more their covens grow, the more power they'll have to achieve this goal. However, he doubles over in pain mid-speech, causing the Golden Guard to lead him into his throne room. There, he transforms into a raging monster and starts punching a nearby wall. Belos soon comes to his senses and absorbs the magic of a palisman given to him by the Golden Guard. Belos asks for more, but the Golden Guard informs him that they don't have anymore, as the palistrom wood has been overharvested.
The Golden Guard begs Belos, his "uncle", to let him help by making more, but as soon as he mentions that he has read about harnessing wild magic, Belos glares at him, ending the conversation topic. Belos advises the Golden Guard to be careful with his studies of wild magic, as their family was destroyed by it, and he doesn't want to see him get harmed by it too. He tells the Golden Guard to find him more palismen, as he can depend on him to do it. Kikimora overhears this conversation through the door and gets an idea.
The next day, at the Owl House, Luz is watching her new pet echo mouse, hoping it'll tell her more about Philip Wittebane. Eda tells her to get ready for school, as it is Palismen Pairing Day at Hexside, where Luz and her classmates will receive their staffs as well as meet their palismen. As the students wait for it to begin, Luz notices that Amity isn't there and asks Willow about her absence. She explains that Amity chose to stay home, which Luz concedes "makes sense".
Principal Bump then turns up with Eda, who explains what palismen are. He reveals that the demon-like creature on his head is his imp palisman, Frewin, who helps him see. Eda and Bump then explain that, traditionally, witches carve their staffs from the branch of an old palistrom tree, but they are becoming rare and are under heavy guard. As such, Eda has called in the Bat Queen to bring in some palismen for the students to adopt. Soon, everyone gathered receives their palismen based on their deepest wishes and desires, except for Luz. The Bat Queen explains that palismen choose their owners through emotional bonds, but because Luz has no conviction, other than "being a witch", none of them approach her. When asked what she hopes to accomplish with her magic, she is at a loss. She hopes to return home, but never thought about what to do after, since she can't use magic in the Human Realm.
Later, back at the Owl House, Luz is still trying to figure out her goals for the future, aside from finding a way home. She then discovers one of the palismen, a red cardinal, had stowed away in her bag, but it did not come for her. She takes it back to the nest, but then decides to sit with the other palismen and figure out her future, hoping for one of them to choose her. However, after a long time brainstorming, Luz has still not figured out what she wants to do with her magic. Suddenly, her thoughts are interrupted when the nest gets stolen with Luz and the palismen still inside. They find themselves being carried away by an airship, and when Luz climbs aboard, she discovers the pilot is the Golden Guard. She tries to seize control of the airship, but the Golden Guard quickly restrains her. Despite this, she manages to knock his staff overboard with her ice magic. Before the Golden Guard can do anything, they are attacked by a hand dragon creature, causing their airship to crash.
When Luz regains consciousness, the cardinal palismen that followed her home frees her from her restraints. She finds the Golden Guard's staff, as well as the Golden Guard himself, unconscious and without his mask. Before she can get a good look at him, she overhears Kikimora with other members of the Emperor's Coven. She learns that they have found the other palismen, and discovers it was Kikimora who sent the hand dragon to attack them, as she wanted to beat him to the palismen and gain Belos' favor. Kikimora lies to the other coven members that the Golden Guard has been killed and orders the dragon to sniff him out to make sure he is dead, letting it eat the Golden Guard's mask. Luz then approaches the unmasked Guard, and discovers that he is only old enough to be a Hexside student. Even though Luz despises him, her good nature will not allow him to be killed at the hands of Kikimora. She slaps him awake and informs him of what's going on.
Even though he doesn't fully believe her, they leave behind his cloak for the dragon to sniff out, giving Luz and the Golden Guard time to escape. They arrive at a nearby town called Latissa, which Luz marvels at, but she also notes the Golden Guard's lack of gratitude for saving his life, saying he could at least tell her his name, but he just glares at her. Luz follows the Golden Guard to the local Emperor's Coven headquarters, but since he is missing his mask, cloak, and staff, the Emperor's guards do not recognize him. He asks Luz for his staff to prove he is their superior, but she hides it behind her back. The Emperor's guards are again not convinced, and they tell the two to go home. Annoyed, the Golden Guard chases after Luz, which comes to an end when Luz uses ice magic to jump onto a roof. She expects the Golden Guard to use magic to come after her, only to realize he is powerless without his staff. However, he still manages to climb up. Luz and the Golden Guard are now at a standoff, but the Golden Guard points out that no matter what Luz does, it won't end well for her. She won't attack him because she's too nice, and she can't fly away either because then she'd be leaving the rest of the palismen behind. Luckily, they catch sight of Kikimora with the hand dragon, preparing to return to the castle with the palismen. The two of them decide to make a truce and work together to get the palismen back, since neither of them want Kikimora to win.
Luz then comes up with a plan to get the palismen away from Kikimora while en route to the Emperor's castle. Using a fire and ice glyph combination, she can conjure up a thick mist, combined with pollen from sleeping nettle flowers that will create a sleeping-induced smoke, forcing Kikimora and her steed to land. The Golden Guard is impressed by Luz's knowledge of wild magic, as well as fascinated by her glyphs. He, too, is interested in wild magic, and compares it to the elemental magic used in the Savage Ages. However, the Golden Guard realizes that he's said too much, as the information is restricted. Luz is curious to know how the Golden Guard ended up in the Emperor's coven, and so he tells her that he comes from a family of powerless witches. He thought he would never have a future in the Demon Realm, until Emperor Belos took him in, and gave him a staff with artificial magic, saying the Titan had big plans for him. Luz muses that the Golden Guard has his future set out for him, to which he says that at least Luz can figure out her future for herself. The cardinal palisman has also taken a liking to the Golden Guard, though he does not return the affection because it's made of wild magic.
Soon, Kikimora is on the move and Luz activates the glyph combo, conjuring a mist of sleeping-induced smoke. She also gives the Golden Guard's staff back, and they fly after her. After Kikimora and the dragon are exposed to the mist, they become drowsy. Luz and the Golden Guard lure them to the ground with a light spell, where the dragon falls asleep after crash-landing. All the stolen palismen are still inside the nest. However, the Golden Guard prepares to double-cross Luz as he aims his staff at her. Feeling betrayed, Luz criticizes him for what he is willing to do to the palismen for the sake of the Emperor, stating that she should've known better, as he's not her friend, he's just the Golden Guard. Visibly hurt by this, he lowers his staff and tells her his name is Hunter.
Suddenly, an enraged Kikimora attacks them. Since she is still under the effect of the sleeping smoke, she is too drowsy to tell who she's attacking. Hunter holds her off, during which Kikimora drops the whistle that controls the dragon. She tells Hunter that what he is doing is treason, and she'll have his head. She misses most of her attacks, but she manages to singe his hair. Luz then picks up the whistle and uses the hand dragon to escape with the palismen. Hunter manages to knock out Kikimora, and watches Luz get away. Luz flies the palismen back to Hexside, where the Bat Queen arrives the following morning to pick them up. The cardinal palisman informs the Bat Queen that it's found someone to bond with, and she tells them to go to that person.
Luz returns to the Owl House, upset that she failed to get a palisman of her own, further doubting her future as a witch. Suddenly, Eda and King show up with a surprise for her. They felt sorry for Luz, so while she was gone, they broke into the Bonesborough Garden Club and stole some palistrom wood for her to make a palisman. Eda tells Luz that, whenever she figures out what she wants to do with her life, they'll start carving her palisman together. Luz says that she needs time to think about what she wants, as it's hard to think about her future without thinking about her mother, but Eda reassures her that King and her are there for Luz whenever she needs them.
Meanwhile, Hunter returns to the castle empty-handed. He informs Belos that he was attacked and the palismen got away, but does not tell him about Kikimora's involvement and that he let the palismen go. Belos is disappointed with him, so Hunter suggests that he tells him how wild magic did this to him, but Belos lashes out and summons a tendril that just barely misses his face. He forgives Hunter for his actions, as he knows he can do better. After he is dismissed, Hunter comes across Kikimora in the hallway. She is surprised he is alive and he tells her that he survived the crash due to being rescued by some travelers. However, she spots the singed part of his hair she caused, and starts to suspect his involvement in last night's events.
Hunter goes to his room, where he wishes he knew a little more about wild magic so he can help Belos. Suddenly, he is greeted by the cardinal palisman, as it has chosen him to become his owner. Hunter is hesitant, because it is not safe for him, but he accepts him as his palisman. He stands by the window, his face lit up, except for his scar.
Cast
- Sarah-Nicole Robles as Luz Noceda
- Wendie Malick as Eda Clawthorne
- Alex Hirsch as King
- Issac Ryan Brown as Gus Porter
- Tati Gabrielle as Willow Park
- Eden Riegel as Boscha
- Zeno Robinson as Golden Guard/Hunter
- Mela Lee as Kikimora
- Isabella Rossellini as Bat Queen
- Matthew Rhys as Emperor Belos
- Bumper Robinson as Principal Bump
Additional voices
- Dee Bradley Baker as Flapjack, Various Palismen, and Princess
- Kimberly Brooks as Skara and Guard Captain
- Matt Chapman as Spiked Headed Student and Guards
- Ally Maki as Viney
- Roger Craig Smith as Coven guards
- Kari Wahlgren as Old Green Witch
Non-speaking cameo
- Darius Deamonne
- Raine Whispers
- Eberwolf
- Terra Snapdragon
- Mason
- Hettie Cutburn
- Adrian Graye Vernworth
- Osran
- Vitimir
- Jean-Luc
- Hooty
- Jerbo
Mentioned
Title in other languages
| Language | Title | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Spanish (Latin America)
|
Cacería de taliamigos | Palismen Hunt | |
 Bulgarian
|
На лов за палисмани | Palismen Hunting | |
 Portuguese (Brazil)
|
Caçando Parlismãs | Hunting Palismen | |
 Mandarin
|
護身法寶爭奪戰 | Battle for Palismen | |
 Czech
|
Lov fámulů | Hunting the Fable | |
 German
|
Das Geheimnis des Goldenen Wächters | The Secret of the Golden Guardian | |
 Arabic
|
صيد التميمة | Mascot Hunting | |
 Spanish
|
A la caza de los talismágicos | On the Hunt for Talismagics | |
 French
|
La chasse aux Amilettes | Palismen Hunting | |
 Hebrew
|
צדים חיות כוח | Hunting Power Animals | |
 Italian
|
A caccia di Amici-Amuleti | Hunting for Palismen | |
 Malay
|
Memburu Palisman | Hunting Palisman | |
 Dutch
|
Loyaalismanjacht | Loyalist Hunt | |
 Portuguese
|
Caça aos Palismãs | Hunt for the Palismen | |
 Polish
|
Polując na Palizmany | Hunting Palismen | |
 Romanian
|
Vânarea Palismanelor | Hunting Palismen | |
 Turkish
|
Palisman Avı | Palisman Hunt |
Transcript
| For a full transcript of "Hunting Palismen", click here. |
Gallery
Click here to view the gallery.
Trivia
- Viewership: This episode was watched by 0.45 viewers on its premiere.[3]
- It is also the most viewed episode in the second season.
- Starting from this episode onwards, the opening sequence is updated with a few changes:
- Eda wears her new dress, which first appeared in "Keeping up A-fear-ances".
- King now has both horns, and the symbol engraved on his collar tag, which he both got in "Echoes of the Past."
- Amity has her new hairstyle from "Through the Looking Glass Ruins", along with a new necklace and her red tights.
- Hunter can be heard whistling the show's main title theme while flying the airship.
- The gag of Luz slapping Hunter awake originates from a similar gag in the series' "Next Time On" test reel.
- The secret message is located on a wall in Latissa during the scene of Hunter chasing after Luz, and translates to "he".
Revelations and significant events
- Eight of the main nine Coven Heads appear for the first time, except for Mason, who first appeared in "Covention".
- Emperor Belos claims that he wants to fuse the Demon and Human Realms together in order to rid the Boiling Isles of wild magic.
- The ailment which Belos suffers from causes his body to transform into a raging sludge monster. This transformation is kept at bay through absorbing the magic from palismen.
- Belos claims that his condition was caused by wild magic.
- Palismen are made from a special type of wood called "palistrom" wood, the supply of which has decreased over time.
- Belos claims that most of his family is gone because of wild magic.
- Several pieces of information about the Golden Guard are revealed:
- His face is revealed for the first time.
- His real name is Hunter.
- He is the nephew of Belos, who took him in due to the Titan apparently having "big plans" for him.
- Most of the Emperor's Coven does not know what he looks like without his mask.
- He states that he is a powerless witch, born with the inability to cast magic, and that most of his ancestors were likewise powerless.
- He is capable of performing magic by using a staff powered by "artificial magic", given to him by Belos.
- He has been studying wild magic to figure out how to cure Belos, despite Belos telling him not to.
- Luz has a new pair of pajamas.
- Luz is revealed to be from the US state of Connecticut, which means her mother Camila and other human characters she interacted with in the first episode are also from said state.
- The creature on Principal Bump's head is revealed to be his palisman, named Frewin. He attaches himself to Bump's head to help him see.
- Principal Bump has long black hair, a scar over his right eye, and no sight in his left eye.
- Several character's ambitions are revealed:
- Willow wants to become strong and wise to protect her friends, and harm those who wish to hurt them.
- Gus wants to become ambassador to the human realm and re-establish contact with giraffes.
- Boscha wants to be a professional grudgby player.
- Viney wishes to become a veterinarian for mythical pets.
- The spiked-headed student wants to make it to graduation.
- Luz has no ambition other than to just be a witch (which was, according to the Bat Queen, deemed insufficient by the palismen, as none of them chose Luz).
- Several characters receive a palisman:
- Willow's palisman is a bee named Clover.
- Gus' palisman is a chameleon named Emmiline.
- Boscha's palisman is a crab named Maya.
- Viney's palisman is a manticore.
- The spiked-headed student's palisman is a sloth.
- Hunter is chosen by a one-eyed cardinal palisman, though this occurs separately from the Hexside ceremony.
- While Luz does not receive a palisman, Eda gives Luz palistrom wood to carve her own palisman in the future.
- Hunter states that the glyphs are similar to elemental magic used in the "savage ages".
Continuity
- The Abomatons from "Escaping Expulsion" reappear in the castle, having been bought by the Emperor's Coven.
- Jean-Luc is still in Luz's room after the events of "Echoes of the Past".
- Amity is absent from this episode, having stayed home from school, implied to be due to her nervousness after kissing Luz in "Through the Looking Glass Ruins".
- Eda uses the whistle the Bat Queen gave her in "Lost in Language".
- Luz wears her magic resistant cape again.
- Luz mentions escaping the Conformatorium twice, referring to the events of "A Lying Witch and a Warden" and "Young Blood, Old Souls".
Production notes
- An alternative scene was made for the Day of Unity vision, in which the Titan rises out of the Boiling Sea, standing up before then entering the Human Realm, where it begins to rise while everything around it begins to burn. This sequence was cut from the final version for unknown reasons.[4]
- This sequence was accidentally leaked by Brad Breeck in an upload of the episode's soundtrack to YouTube. The video was later deleted and reuploaded with the scene removed.
Allusions
- Demon Slayer - The introduction of the coven heads was inspired by the scene introducing the Pillars in Demon Slayer.[5]
- Untitled Goose Game - One of the palismen for adoption is a goose with a bell, a reference to the titular character from this game.
- Amphibia - In Hunter's room, a plush of Sprig Plantar can be seen under his pillow.
- Big City Greens - In Hunter's room, a statue of Remy Remington (whose voice actor, Zeno Robinson, also voices Hunter) can be seen on a shelf.
Errors
- When Boscha gets her palisman, Viney's leggings are blue instead of orange for a few seconds.
- When Luz says "Hey, Willow. Shouldn't Amity be here?", the lip syncing is incorrect.
- In one shot, Luz is seen with her arms showing under the rope, but in the next frame, they're gone.
- When Hunter is unconscious, he doesn't have the scar on his cheek, but when Luz slaps him, it appears.
- When Hunter's cloak is removed, the pauldron is on the wrong shoulder.
- The cardinal palisman sometimes has both of his eyes in certain shots.
- During the over-the-shoulder shots of Luz, the missing chunk on Hunter's ear is on the wrong ear.
- When Luz gives Hunter his staff back, the sleeping nettles are missing.
Videos
References
- ↑ Hunting Palismen concept art by Matthieu Cousin
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "July 2021 Programming Highlights". dgepress.com (June 21, 2021).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Metcalf, Mitch (July 20, 2021). "Top 150 Saturday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.17.2021". Showbuzz Daily.
- ↑ The Catboy (July 18, 2021). "Deleted scene the owl house". YouTube.
- ↑ Underwood, Bridget (July 18, 2021). "Some of my storyboards from yesterday's episode of Owl House, Hunting Palismen! (SPOILERS maybe??)". Instagram.
