Luz’s palisman hatched in Owl House, and Stringbean was the big payoff

The final episode of The Owl House aired on Saturday, and it brought the show’s teenage witches back to the Boiling Isles to fully realize the havoc that the mysterious Collector had wreaked upon the realm.

There were also some glimpses into the past of Lilith and Eda’s small demon King. The Owl House’s second season 3 episode also showcased some big character moments for Luz and her friends. Most notably: Luz’s palisman finally hatched — and the form it took was hugely symbolic of her character arc.

[Ed. note: This post contains major spoilers for “For the Future.”]

Image: Disney

There are many things to be thankful for in the world The Owl HousePalismen can be magical creatures that act as both companions and staffs. They’re carved from a special wood and when they “hatch,” they bond with the person who created them. Although palisman wood has become increasingly scarce, many witches adopt abandoned palismen. Eda gave Luz the rare palisman hardwood in season 2’s penultimate episode. Since then, it’s been in egg form, unhatched as of yet. Luz, her friends and their companions were left stranded on the human realm in episode 2’s final. They stayed there for about a month. During that entire time, Luz’s palisman remained unhatched, despite her best efforts. With the Boiling Islands finally open at season 3, the time has come for some magical events to take place.

Luz, Amity and their palismen are discussed in the episode’s first part. Amity tells Luz that her palisman, a white cat named Ghost, only hatched when she admitted her deepest wish to herself: Her greatest desire wasn’t to be a great witch or a great author, but to be able to choose that path for herself. Luz confesses that she has two big wishes — being a witch and helping her friends — but neither of those things seem to work well together and also clearly have not helped the palisman hatch.

Following a long conversation with Camila, Luz admits to her mother that she wants to understand her deeply. This realization makes the palisman egg glow and transforms into a staff which allows Luz magic to be channelled without having to use glyphs. During the big battle, the palisman is still forming, so it’s mostly just a glowing orb. Luz then reveals her friend, who she had just hatched.

Image: Disney

The snake-shifter Luz calls the tiny girl who can change her appearance Stringbean. Not only is she very cute, but throughout the show Luz has had an affinity for snakes — one that made her stand out back in the human world (the whole series kicked off because Luz got in trouble for using live snakes in a book report). And as many fans guessed, Luz’s palisman would end up being some sort of snake. Palisman can be both “normal” animals and magical ones, but the fact that Luz got a magical version of an animal she loves is particularly meaningful.

Season 3 featured Luz debating whether she really wanted to live in the Boiling Island. For one thing, as a human, she doesn’t really belong in the witch and demon realm. But for another, she’s felt like all her attempts to help her friends have only messed things up for them. In the first episode of this season, Luz had basically decided to stay with her mother in the human world — though only Camila knows about this and is trying to get Luz to follow her heart instead of doing what is expected. The fact that Luz’s palisman manifests as a magical creature speaks to the fact that Luz ShouldStay in the Boiling Islands and she will be told that she belongs with the demons and witches, even though she’s a human.

Luz must save the Boiling Island before she can make the final decision about staying there. Camila and the teenagers still have to be reunited with Eda King and Lilith. The Collector remains at large, though their relatively innocent childlike whims might be warped by puritanical Emperor Belos’ desire to wipe out all witches. The world needs to be saved, and there is only one episode left.

“For the Future” is available to watch on Disney Channel’s YouTube.