"Keeping up A-fear-ances" is the fourth episode of the second season of The Owl House, and the twenty-third episode overall.
It premiered on July 3, 2021.
Synopsis
Eda gets an unwelcome visit from a family member who puts a strain on everyone in the Owl House.[1]
Plot
In a flashback taking place thirty years ago, Eda is telling a healer from the Healing Coven what it's like when she is in her beast form, describing it as being chased by a giant owl beast in a shadowy void. The healer gives her a gem that will tell her when the beast's energy is bubbling to the surface. Her mother isn't too happy with this and asks to speak with the healer outside Eda's room. Eda eavesdrops on their conversation; she learns that none of the Healing Coven's members had ever seen such a curse before, and they are uncertain if it can be healed. The healer suggests that the best they can do is to consult with the Potions Coven and find a way to keep it at bay, but Eda's mother refuses to accept this. She snaps at the healer, saying that she wants Eda's curse fully gone, even demanding that they "cut it out" if they have to. Horrified by this, Eda escapes out her bedroom window. Upon reaching the forest, she discovers the ruins of some building, where she trips over the portal door buried in the dirt; in examining it, the door suddenly activates and opens up. Upon hearing her mother shouting her name, Eda runs through the portal into the Human Realm to escape from her mother. Unable to find Eda, her mother becomes upset, but immediately declares that she will find a cure for her, no matter what it takes.
In the present, Eda wakes up, goes through her morning routine, and heads downstairs to find Luz sleeping in the kitchen. Luz complains that she spent all night trying to find information about building a portal to the human realm, but to no avail. Eda is about to tell Luz what she knows about the portal, but they're interrupted by Lilith screaming. They find her on the living room floor, with the curse starting to flare up on her arms. As she is seconds away from transforming, Eda gives her a bottle of elixir and stops the curse. Lilith is relieved, but is horrified to find that her limbs are detaching from her body. Eda reassures her that it's just a side effect of the curse and that she has hidden elixirs all over the house, so Lilith can just get those if it happens again. Lilith now understands what Eda's been dealing with for years and apologizes for what she has done to her, but Eda simply brushes it off, saying that at least she's got company now.
Eda then takes Luz outside and continues what she was about to say. Eda explains how she found the portal, but she has no idea who made it, and simply kept it to herself, having used it to hide from "someone". Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blows toward Luz and Eda. It is soon revealed to be a visitation from Eda and Lilith's mother, who Eda refers to as Gwendolyn. Lilith is surprised to see her, but Gwendolyn is more interested in talking to Eda. Gwendolyn then announces that, after thirty years, she has found a way to cure her daughter's curse. However, instead of being grateful, Eda declines and sends her away, much to Luz and Lilith's shock. Eda explains that Gwendolyn comes around every year toting a new cure for her curse, and none of them have ever worked, so she gave up hope. This shocks Lilith, as she hasn't seen her mother in years. Luz, taking pity on Gwendolyn, runs after her to talk. Luz mentions that she is stuck without a way back to the human realm, and Gwendolyn offers to tell Luz some information that would be useful to her, with the condition that Luz must help her cure Eda's curse.
Luz and Gwendolyn venture deep into the woods to meet a curse expert. On the way, Gwendolyn explains that, after years of dealing with the Healing Coven, she decided to find help from other sources, eventually finding someone who promised her a cure. His name is Master Wortlop, a traveling curse expert who has perfected next-level healing magic. Gwendolyn leads Luz to his cave, where they witness him healing a small gremlin's eye infection. Gwendolyn comes forward and presents Wortlop with the sacred items he asked her to get: a copper egg from the snowy rib cage, a silver dagger from the swampy toes, and a golden chalice from the desert of Palm Stings. Wortlop rewards Gwendolyn with a tome that he claims will hold the cure she seeks, but advises that she is not to share it with "non-believers".
Meanwhile, King is excited by the prospect of Eda's mom turning up, as it could mean his dad could do the same. However, Lilith, who is lounging on the couch binging tubs of ice cream, tells him not to get his hopes up. She is upset because her mother only came to see Eda and not her, which is no surprise to her. All her life, she has been neglected by her mother, regardless of all her efforts and success. Her mother didn't even attend her Coven initiation, and only ever paid any attention to Eda. Lilith then starts to make King believe that his long-lost father never wanted him, which is why he was not there when he hatched and never came looking for him. Upon hearing this, King becomes devastated.
Soon after, Luz and Gwendolyn lure Eda into the woods under the guise of free apple blood. They have Eda fall into a series of traps, which are supposed to drive the beast out of her according to the book, but they put Eda under a lot of stress instead, causing her curse to come out. Luz is worried, but Gwendolyn assures her to trust Wortlop's tome and that soon Eda won't have to drink any elixirs ever again.
Back at the Owl House, King and Lilith have gone through several tubs of ice cream, much to Hooty's concern due to the fact that Eda gets that ice cream from the Night Market. King eventually declares that, if his father does care about him, he'll have to come to him. Lilith counters by declaring that she has no mother, and states that she'll tell that to Gwendolyn's face. King tells her to do so, as he saw her go into the woods with Luz to try to cure Eda. The idea of her mother focusing on Eda as usual stresses Lilith out, which causes the curse to flare up. Lilith rushes to find the elixirs, but they have mysteriously vanished. Soon, the curse takes over and she transforms into a raven-like beast, frightening King and Hooty.
In the woods, Luz starts to doubt if Wortlop's methods actually work. She becomes even more suspicious when Gwendolyn trades in a few family heirlooms in order to get the next volume and takes the book from her with a plant spell. Upon reading it, Luz finds it to be filled with remedies that are clearly just a load of nonsense and announces to Gwendolyn that Wortlop is a con man scamming her. Gwendolyn refuses to listen to Luz, who declares that she's calling this off and goes to give Eda an elixir. Gwen stops her, stating that the elixir is made by potion makers and healers who are conscienceless cash-ins and shows Luz a part in Wortlop's book urging people not to spend money on elixirs and to instead spend it on his remedies. Luz simply takes this as further proof that Wortlop is a snake oil salesman whose remedies are just a load of bunk and decides to go back to the Owl House to get more elixir. Gwen tells Luz that that's a waste of time and reveals that she has ordered her palisman Hawksley to take all of Eda's elixirs from her house (which is why Lilith couldn't find any). Gwendolyn tries to throw a bottle of elixir away, but Luz pounces on her trying to grab the bottle, causing both of them to fall to the ground and destroy the entire supply, which grabs Eda's attention. Due to going through many traps, Eda is now all stressed out. After realizing that Luz has seemingly teamed up with her mother, she becomes even more stressed, causing her to transform into the Owl Beast. Gwendolyn checks the tome to find out what to do, only to realize she needs to purchase the next volume.
Suddenly, King runs out from a bush behind them. He tries to explain what happened to Lilith back at the Owl House, but before he can finish, Lilith lands in front of them, revealing herself to have transformed into a Raven Beast that is much larger than Owl Beast Eda. The two cursed sisters rush towards each other, and Lilith simply snatches Eda up and flies away. Gwendolyn is shocked that Lilith is cursed too, which causes King to angrily yell at and accuse her of not paying attention to Lilith. Luz and King go after them on Owlbert while Gwendolyn begins to doubt Wortlop. She flies to his lair, only to have her doubts confirmed when she discovers Wortlop is in fact four gremlins who scam witches of their assets and that the eye infection she saw Wortlop heal was fake. Gwendolyn becomes enraged and confronts them with her magic. Shocked to see her, the gremlins assume Wortlop's form and voice but Gwen cuts them off and reveals that after Eda was cursed and the Healing Coven couldn't cure Eda's curse she joined the Beast Keeping Coven and dedicated herself solely to Beast Keeping Magic in the hope that she could find a way to tame the Owl Beast and cure Eda's curse. But just like the Healers told her that the curse couldn't be healed, the Beast Keepers told her that the Owl Beast the curse turns Eda into couldn't be tamed. She voices her regret for all the Snake Oil scams she's fallen victim to because she didn't listen to the professionals when they told her that there was no fixing what the curse was doing to Eda and to Eda when she told her that she found a way to make the curse manageable. Still posing as Wortlop and still believing that they can scam her, the gremlins tell Gwen that they will give her the next volume at a lower price but Gwen, finally accepting the truth, tells the gremlins to leave and never come back and threatens to use her Beast Keeping magic to have every beast in the forest come after the gremlins if they ever return to Bonesborough, sending them to burrow downward into the ground in terror.
Eda and Lilith's fight leads to Bonesborough, damaging multiple buildings along the way and causing people to flee in terror. Luz rushes to Mr. Elixir to get some elixir from Morton, and attempts to pay with a drawing of Morton drawn by her. Morton becomes annoyed and closes the shop panel door in front of her, which angers Luz. Fortunately, Gwendolyn arrives just in time with a large bag of snails she took from Wortlop's cave, and comes up with a plan. Luz, King, and Gwendolyn watch as the sisters' fight leads to rooftops. Luz and King fly off on Owlbert, while Gwendolyn confronts her daughters. She approaches Eda and is able to get through to her. She apologizes to her, stating she now understands why Eda pushed her away, as she made her think her curse was something to be ashamed of. But whether they want it or not, the curse is now a part of Eda, and she loves every part of her daughter. Gwendolyn's words give Eda the strength to confront the owl beast in her head, causing it to shrink, resulting in her gaining control of her owl beast form. Soon, Eda partially reverts back to normal, much to Gwendolyn's gladness. Furious, Lilith tries to attack them, but Eda pins her down instead. Gwendolyn apologizes to Lilith as well for never giving her the attention she deserved. Upon hearing this, Lilith calms down and starts sobbing. While her daughters are distracted, Gwendolyn shouts at Luz and King to act immediately. King jumps down from the Owl Staff and pins Eda and Lilith down, while Luz dumps elixirs from above into their mouths. Eventually, the sisters return to normal, and Gwendolyn hugs them in her arms. Lilith bursts into tears, apologizing for what she did as the beast, while Gwendolyn reassures her that it's okay. The three women then hug together as Luz and King look on.
After returning to the Owl House, Gwendolyn prepares to head home. She again apologizes to Eda for everything, and the Owl Lady forgives her. Lilith has also decided to go home with Gwendolyn in order to make up for lost time, which surprises everyone, especially Hooty. Gwendolyn tells Eda that Lilith told her that she was the one responsible for cursing Eda, and wishes she knew sooner, so they wouldn't have to have been weighed down by such a secret. Lilith hopes to learn more about the curse, while at the same time reconnect with her family. Hooty cries and stretches towards Lilith, begging her not to leave. Lilith tries to assure him that they can be pen pals, but Hooty cries even harder, as he cannot hold a pen. Before leaving, Gwendolyn thanks Luz for opening her eyes, and in return reveals to Luz that she is not the first human to have lived on the Boiling Isles. According to her, there is a rare substance called Titan's Blood, which happens to be extremely powerful and sometimes causes leaks between the two realms. Plants, animals, and human trash have occasionally crossed through these leaks, but humans are rare. Gwendolyn's great-grandmother told her about a human who once lived on the Isles until he mysteriously vanished one day. Rumor has it that he left something in the library, and if Luz could find out more about him, she may find out how he came to the Isles. This builds up Luz's hopes of returning home.
After Lilith and Gwendolyn depart, Hooty continues crying on the floor, while Eda decides to go inside and crash on the couch. Luz looks up to the sky and promises her mom that she will be home soon. Luz realizes that summer camp has probably ended by now, and her mother must be worried sick. Back in the human realm, at the Noceda residence, Camila is seen sitting on the couch crying. However, it is soon revealed that she is actually crying over an animal documentary. A hand passes a tissue box over to her, which turns out to be another "Luz". Unaware that the Luz sitting beside her is an impostor, Camila thanks her, remarking that she always knows what to do.
Cast
- Sarah-Nicole Robles as Luz Noceda and Luz impostor (uncredited)
- Wendie Malick as Eda Clawthorne
- Natalie Palamides as Teen Eda
- Alex Hirsch as King and Hooty
- Cissy Jones as Lilith Clawthorne
- Deb Doetzer as Gwendolyn Clawthorne
Additional voices
- Dee Bradley Baker as Eda and Lilith's cursed forms
- Eric Bauza as Healer and Gremlins
- Elizabeth Grullon as Camila Noceda
- Shannon McKain as Morton
- Gary Anthony Williams as Master Wortlop
Mentioned
Title in other languages
| Language | Title | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Spanish (Latin America)
|
Manteniendo los miedos | Keeping the Fears | |
 Bulgarian
|
30-годишна мисия | 30-year mission | |
 Portuguese (Brazil)
|
Karma do Passado | Past Karma | |
 Mandarin
|
母女連心 | Strong Bond between Mother and Daughter | |
 Czech
|
Všechno je v pořádku | Everything's Fine | |
 German
|
Mutter Dornenklaue | Mother Clawthrone | |
 Danish
|
Frygt og stolthed | Fear and Pride | |
 Arabic
|
مواكبة الخوف | Keeping Up with Fear | |
 Spanish
|
Mantener las a- pánico-riencias | Keep the Panic-riences | |
 French
|
Sauver les A-peur-ances | Saving the A-fear-ances | |
 Indonesian
|
Menjaga Rasa Takut | Keeping Fear | |
 Hebrew
|
הפחד לא הולך לשום מקום | The Fear is not Going Anywhere | |
 Italian
|
Mantenere le a-ppaur-enze | Keeping Up A-fear-ances | |
 Malay
|
Berpura-pura | Pretending | |
 Dutch
|
Angsten behouden | Keep Fears | |
 Norwegian
|
Gode minner til sleipt spill | Good Memories for Slick Play | |
 Portuguese
|
Receios Bem Guardados | Well-Kept Fears | |
 Polish
|
Za wszelką cenę | At all Costs | |
 Romanian
|
Ține Pasul cu Frica | Keeping Up with the Fear | |
 Swedish
|
God min i elakt spel | Good Mine in Nasty Game | |
 Turkish
|
Sihri İdare Etmek | Managing the Magic |
Transcript
| For a full transcript of "Keeping up A-fear-ances", click here. |
Gallery
Click here to view the gallery.
Trivia
- Viewership: This episode was watched by 0.38 viewers on its premiere.[3]
- When Gwendolyn says that "she got the golden chalice from the desert of Palm Stings", it is a play on Palm Springs.
- This episode marks the first appearance of Gwendolyn and Vee, albeit as Luz's impostor.
- This episode marks the only appearance of the Raven Beast and the only time Lilith succumbs to her curse.
- The coded message is found on a boulder next to the entrance to Wortlop's lair:
, which translates to "puppet". - The sign Luz wrote which says "IT REALLY IS ¡THAT GOOD!" at the end of the trail has a second inverted exclamation point (¡). This is how exclamation points are used in Spanish.
- In the photo of Luz and Camila, Camila is wearing the shirt Luz wears in show's "Next Time On" reel.
Revelations and significant events
- The gem in Eda's chest was given to her by a healer, and was meant to help her monitor the curse.
- Eda stumbled upon the Portal by chance, partially buried in the ground, when she ran away from home. She does not know its origins, and she describes it as having already been old even back then.
- Eda's first time entering the human realm is shown.
- Eda dons a new outfit in this episode.
- Lilith transforms into a beast for the first and only time.
- Body parts becoming detachable is revealed to be a side effect of the curse.
- Eda and Lilith's mother is named Gwendolyn, and she is part of the Beast Keeping Coven.
- Gwendolyn did not attend Lilith's Coven initiation, which rankled in Lilith's mind.
- Gwendolyn finds out from Lilith herself that she gave Eda the curse.
- Lilith leaves the Owl House to spend time reconnecting with her parents and study the curse.
- Gwendolyn reveals to Luz that she's not the first human to visit the Boiling Isles, and the previous human left a clue in the Bonesborough Library.
- In the human realm, summer camp is over, and an impostor of Luz has been living with her mother.
- The potion keeping Eda's curse at bay has a disgusting taste to it.
Continuity
- This episode takes place roughly three months after "A Lying Witch and a Warden", as the summer camp Luz was meant to go to has ended.
- Gwendolyn remarks on the events of Eda's failed petrification from "Young Blood, Old Souls".
- King mentions his goal of finding his father, which he declared in the previous episode.
Production notes
- Deb Doetzer was confirmed as the voice of Gwendolyn Clawthorne by Acting Studio Chicago on July 16, 2020, months before the second season premiere.[4]
Allusions
- Keeping Up Appearances - The title is a reference to the British sitcom.
- Cats - During the flashback, there is a poster in Eda's room titled Rats, which is a parody of the musical Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
- Prince - Another poster in Eda's room is of a witch who closely resembles this artist.
- Madonna - Another poster in Eda's room is of a witch who closely resembles this artist.
- Jaws - Another poster in Eda's room, titled Maws, is a parody of this 1975 thriller film.
Errors
- When Hooty checks on Lilith and King, one Key Slime ice cream bin is incorrectly colored red.
Videos
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Disney TVA [@DisneyTVA] (May 17, 2021). "#TheOwlHouse is back and the new episodes are flying in soon to #DisneyChannel 🦉 Catch all-new episodes on Saturdays in June and July! #WatchOnDisneyChannel" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2021-05-17 – via Twitter.
- ↑ "Keeping up A-fear-ances Concept 4".
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Metcalf, Mitch (July 6, 2021). "Top 150 Saturday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.3.2021". Showbuzz Daily.
- ↑ Acting Studio Chicago [@ActingStudioChi] (July 16, 2020). "Congrats to ASC Faculty Member Deb Doetzer! Deb recorded a @DisneyNow animated TV show from her home closet! And she will be playing Gwendolyn in THE OWL HOUSE!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.