Luz the human, Eda the Owl Lady, and King the Demon return for another season of madcap adventures and ethically-questionable hijinks. After the epic showdown with the nefarious Emperor Belos that ended last season, the world of The Owl House (2020 – 2021) is a much different place, at least as far as our characters are concerned. Luz is now trapped in the mystical realm of the Boiling Isles, with seemingly no way to return home. Meanwhile, with her powers diminished, Eda is not the feared witch she once was. At the same time, the Emperor’s presence has increased dramatically, with propaganda posters adorned everywhere, promoting his coven and his newest champion, Golden Guard.

This week’s episode, “Separate Tides,” takes place a mere week and a half since our heroes’ escape from the Emperor’s Coven. Eda may no longer be considered a wanted criminal, but she has yet to determine a way of making an honest living, made even more difficult without her powers. Having to resort to other ways of making ends meet, the Owl Lady has taken up bounty hunting, a venture that is not nearly as lucrative as it may be in a galaxy far, far away. Realizing the sacrifices her mentor is making, Luz takes it upon herself to catch the biggest bounty there is: the dreaded sea creature called Selkidomus. This is a task that will take her well outside her comfort zone and possibly into the clutches of the Emperor’s Coven.

It’s clear after the events of the first season finale, that the cast dynamics have changed, for better or worse. Once bitter enemies, Eda and her estranged sister Lilith have finally begun the process of trusting one another and the latter is now living at the Owl House, trying to make sense of her life. Her new status quo seems to indicate that she’ll have a larger presence this season, as she makes amends for her transgressions and even shares a surprisingly sweet and fun dynamic with Hooty, the house demon. Likewise, the mentor/protégé relationship between Eda and Luz has shifted, with Luz now teaching the once-powerful Owl Lady how to master using glyphs to cast spells. It’s a fun change that doesn’t get much time but will likely be a plot-point moving forward.

The changes here are really just window-dressing to a mostly lackluster episode that feels very by-the-numbers. Every revelation leads to an obvious resolution with virtually no surprises. While the character development is there, the story feels a weak entry in a series that has been consistently entertaining. The new opening title sequence is fun and allows for a little more focus on the supporting cast, but is ultimately misleading as none of Luz’s friends even make an appearance (Lumity fans will have to look to next week’s episode for more developments in that dynamic). It may have been a wise choice to focus on a smaller grouping this time, but it’s a shame there wasn’t even a mention of Willow, Gus, or Amity, after mostly sitting out for last season’s two-part finale. Knowing the series will end after the truncated third season, it’s especially a disappointment that this episode doesn’t have more to offer.