"Understanding Willow" is the fifteenth episode of the Disney Channel animated series, The Owl House. It premiered on August 1, 2020.
Synopsis
Luz and Amity take a trip down Memory Lane when Amity accidentally destroys Willow's memories and they must work to restore them.
Plot
Luz and Willow are attending magic photo class, which is making pictures out of people's memories. However, they must be careful not to damage the prints otherwise they will damage the memories themselves. Luz takes pictures from Willow's memories from when she was a toddler. One of them includes a picture of when she and Amity were friends. This picture disgusts Willow, and turns it over, not wanting to look at it. Luz wants to help her make amends with Amity, but she does not want to. After they leave for lunch, Amity and Boscha pass the classroom. When Amity sees the photo of her with Willow, she rushes over and regretfully burns it before Boscha sees it. However, she ends up accidentally burning all the photos taken from Willows memory, erasing her memories in the process. When Luz and Gus notice Willow has forgotten them, they rush back to the photo class and catch Amity trying to save the photos, but it is already too late. Willow's memory has been destroyed.
The kids take Willow to Eda for help. While at first it looks hopeless for Willow, but Eda reveals there is a way to restore her memories, but Luz will have to go into her mind to fix the damage. It will not be easy because there will be a lot to fix. So, she will need someone to accompany her. Luz asks for Amity to come, but she is uncomfortable about it. However, she reluctantly agrees to go after being reminded this whole ordeal was her fault. Eda gives Luz and Amity a bell to signal her when they are done, and warns them to be on the lookout for Willow's inner self. She is the gatekeeper of emotions and memory, and might help them. Then she casts a spell that sends Luz and Amity inside Willows mind.
They find themselves in a forest of trees with picture frames. These happen to be photos of Willow's damaged memories, and Luz and Amity can pass through them. The first picture they enter is of when Willow and Amity took swimming lessons at Lake Lacuna. They even find the fort Willow and Amity built, and when they fix it the memory is restored. Luz turns to fixing the photo of Willow at Amity's birthday next, but Amity suggests fixing the other memories first. Meanwhile Gus is having trouble trying to decide who to interview for journalism class. He is supposed to choose someone interesting, accomplished, and noteworthy. So, Eda and King offer to be interviewed. Gus agrees to choose one of them, but first they have to impress him.
Back in Willow's mind, Luz and Amity manage to successfully restore all of Willow's memories. Seeing all these memories, makes Amity feel guilty for almost destroying all the good times she had with Willow. The last memory to fix is the one Amity keeps trying to avoid. Luz begins to suspects that there is something in that memory Amity does not want her to see. Suddenly, they notice all the memories they fixed had caught fire again by some flaming monster. The girls ring the bell, but Eda and King are making so much noise to impress Gus that they do not hear them. Luz and Amity notice the monster is only burning the memories related to Amity, meaning it is after Amity. They lure the monster into the Lake Lacuna memory and trick it into falling in the lake. The monster turns out to be Willow's inner self, enraged by Amity's actions. She shows them the memory Amity had been avoiding in which she ended their friendship because she saw her as weak. But as the Inner Willow prepares to burn Amity, she reveals the truth. Her parents forbade her from being friends with Willow any longer by threatening to ensure she never goes to Hexside with her. This quells Inner Willow's rage and completely restores her memories, including the one that represented their friendship.
Luz and Amity ring the bell, and this time Eda hears it after Gus chooses to interview Hooty. Eda brings them out of Willow's mind just as she wakes up and remembers everything. Amity almost leaves the house unnoticed, but Willow stops her. While she does not believe they are friends quite yet, what she did for her is a start, giving Amity closure.
Cast
- Sarah-Nicole Robles as Luz Noceda
- Wendie Malick as Eda Clawthorne
- Alex Hirsch as King, Hooty
- Tati Gabrielle as Willow Park
- Issac Brown as Gus Porter
- Mae Whitman as Amity Blight
- Rachael MacFarlane as Mrs. Blight
- Jim Pirri as Mr. Blight
- Eden Riegel as Boscha
- Kimberly Brooks as Skara (uncredited)
Gallery
Trivia
- Willow is revealed to have two fathers in this episode.
- It is also revealed that Amity used to have brown hair, confirming all fan based speculations that she dyed her hair.
- Skara is officially named in this episode.
- The Memory tweezers from the Witch's Apprentice game make an appearance in this episode.
- Christmas or an analog of it is celebrated on the Boiling Isles.
- This is the first episode where Luz is not seen wearing her signature outfit.
- The secret code is translated to "And"
- In international releases, the pictures of Willow and her dads are blurred out.
Goofs
- Although Skara speaks in the episode, her voice actress is not listed in the credits.
- When Luz casts the Ice spell, line down the center of the diamond is missing.
International premieres
- August 9, 2020 (Canada)
- August 28, 2020 (United Kingdom)
- September 11, 2020 (Southeast Asia)
- February 5, 2021 (Italy) (Premiere on Disney+)
External links
