The Part Of Luz That Is Overlooked | A Psychoanalysis of Luz Noceda (The Owl House) 

One thing I’d like to add is that after Luz’s father died, she likely took up all these interests and fantasy and people pleasing attitude AS COPING MECHANISMS. She wanted to escape from a painful reality where someone who was supposed to be strong enough to love and protect her *died* and where her loving but grieving and newly single mother was probably so busy trying to cope herself and provide for the two of them that she didn’t have much time to spend on ensuring Luz was processing things correctly. And then just a few years later her mom criticizes her fantasy world and inadvertently blames her for her isolation. I’m not surprised that, when it was still a new, fun adventure that she could leave anytime with the door that she was more comfortable there.

Another thing I noticed when binging the whole show is just how many plots are driven by luz's tendency to lie to her friends, family, and random strangers, all so that the people in her life have their feelings spared. It's a surprisingly consistent trend that adds an interesting extra layer to the things discussed here.

"She would rather talk to rats than people her own age" I mean, that's just relatable.

The Season 1 finale is so much more painful if you recontextualize it with what we know now. Luz was so desperate not to lose another parental figure to what equates to a terminal illness (the ticking time bomb of Eda’s curse overpowering her magic) that she went to such desperate lengths to do so and ultimately landed herself and her mentor in even more trouble. It also makes her breakdown at the end of Agony of a Witch and their conversation in the next episode even worse, because as far as we know her brain could have immediately jumped to the conclusion that Eda was dead. (also Luz clinging onto the cage and saying “No! Not yet!” hurts even more now because that’s her basically begging not to relive the trauma of her dad passing,,,,, ouch)

Another reason Luz was distraught over Eda trying to send her away was because it parallels her mom also trying to send her away. I know it's for different reasons, but in her eyes she's had her actual mom and surrogate mom try to send her away which probably doesn't help how she views herself as a burden.

As someone who recently found out about rejection sensitive dysphoria, Luz definitely ticks off some of the boxes for it. Withdrawal, negative self-talk, low self-esteem, I can relate. Helps that Luz is neurodivergent, and RSD is very common with them. I think I relate to Luz now more than ever.

This is why it makes me really mad when people say Luz is falling out of love with Amity or something, because while that's still a hidden possibility, Luz looks at Amity with such a tender expression that I can't believe it. Luz has just been shown time and time again that caring too much for people leads to loss and grief, on top of all this trauma about thinking of herself as a burden, this makes perfect sense that she would push Amity away. All this time trying to impress people and make friends just to get them all ripped away from their homes, and believes she ruined an entire world that she showed affection for.

Her mother’s psychology is important to note too. She, like Luz, was also ostracized for her nerdy interests, shares (or at least appreciates) Luz’s sense of humor, isn’t squeamish, and also prefers the company of animals to people. Her mom, a veterinarian, is likely a huge reason why Luz isn’t bothered by “creepy crawlies” and knows so much about animals (including magical ones). Unlike Luz, however, her mother felt ashamed of her interests and opted to hide them. She never encourages Luz to do the same. If anything, she indulges Luz until it becomes clear that the escapism from fandoms/fantasies has become a crutch. Luz is certainly overly reliant on escapism, but her fantasies can also be viewed as a barrier she puts up with the subconscious intention of pushing others away as a means of protecting herself. If her father was still alive, her mom would have likely never suggested the camp retreat. However, since his passing, she’s far more vulnerable and starts to believe that maybe she’s the reason Luz isn’t able to cope well or socialize. She blames herself for Luz’s ostracism and, out of desperation, she opts to send Luz to a camp retreat that might offer Luz the structure, support, and strategies that she cannot. Unfortunately, as you pointed out, she does not communicate this properly with Luz, leading to a misunderstanding where Luz, much like her mother, feels at fault. In conclusion, they both (be it together as a family or as separate individuals) need proper therapy with a compassionate and knowledgeable psychologist whom they can trust.

Your mention of a “higher likelihood of developing Generalized Anxiety Disorder” reminds me of Luz’s ADHD, which connects to her misunderstandings of social cues and impulsivity. Jeez this show is such great ADHD rep.

This is so true, this is why Luz is my favorite character. I have trouble with being myself and trying to be social. High school kinda helped but it didn't. People say I'm obsessed with this character but they don't know how relatable Luz is. And I can totally relate to Luz putting the blame on herself, I do that most of the time. Edit: well.. Damn. I'm famous? 😳

man this makes that last scene in the s2 finale even more painful. her and her friends are injured, she has no idea if her surrogate family is alive- if millions of innocents are alive- an all-powerful entity is running wild, and she blames herself for all of it. most would just be speechless, in tears and inconsolable for at least a few hours. but luz? she just smiles, in tears, and says "hey mom. i'm back." even with all that pain she's in she still attempts to be outgoing and "happy" for the sake of others.

Now the Lumity just hits different : -a self less girl with a restricted social sphere -a girl who grew up graviting around arranged friendships to keep a good marketing image for her family firm

"Luz would rather talk to rats than people her own age" I love Luz more and more each day, I just wanna give her a hug

A bit of a side note: I feel like Luz realistically had nothing to do with getting Belos where he is today. He would’ve found SOMEONE to sacrifice to the collector, as he was already looking for someone (implied in how he got the blue guy killed and stole his palisman). Plus, Lilith was also “involved”, but Luz holds absolutely no blame on her. It’s extremely telling of Luz’s issues that she would blame herself over someone else’s decisions (ie Belos’s decision to look for the collector and continual decision to go through with his plan), but it’s also very telling of BELOS that, while in his mind, he openly blamed her for it. My reading of the scene in Hollow Mind is that Belos is an extremely manipulative man. He encourages people to “make sacrifices” to get into the Emperor’s Coven, and held Lilith’s sacrifice (cursing her sister) over her head for YEARS to control her. He knows Luz makes irrational decisions when she blames herself. I think he knows for sure she isn’t to blame (and he’s very aware that she’s a CHILD), but still continued to blame her knowing it might benefit him later.

Can we also please note that Luz can’t even talk to a therapist *because* of the things she has gone through in the Boiling Isles. She can’t even feel like she can vent to her friends due to feeling of being a burden. Not even to her own mother or sister figure, Vee. She feels like even if people knew about the Boiling Isles, she should keep it to herself even when the person is a paid professional trying to help her.

S1: Wishing to be more like Luz S2: Realizing you got what you wanted but you end up realizing your more fucked up then anticipated cause of it.

Wow, now this is why Psychology is so fascinating to me. Analysing a characterto not just gain a greater understanding of their motivations but also to understand oneself. This is really well put together too. The jokes break up the psychoanalysis without taking away from the pacing even a little bit. It’s gonna be interesting to see how Luz’s isolation is dealt with and how it’ll impact her relationship with Amity as well as the rest of the gang in presumably the first special… Yeah, this is gonna get worse before it gets better, isn’t it?

You glossed over the fact that she’s so invested in her relationships that she’s borderline willing to maim or kill in order to protect them. The fact that she more than once tried to ram an icicle through Belos’s eye (which is basically a lethal blow) is pretty telling. Others would definitely kill to protect the ones they love, but the fact that she goes for the fastest and most effective way to kill someone twice just to make sure she can save Eda. Also, let’s not forget the numerous other times she doesn’t hold back in clobbering people with glyphs and magic just to get them out of her way to save people.

one thing that struck me was during the palisman episode, when everyone was declaring their goals/hopeful purpose in life, that she says that all she wants is to be a witch, and no palisman steps forward. you could interpret it as her desiring acceptance (she wants to be a witch in a dimension of witches), and when her statement is met with radio silence, it's like another stab of rejection

As if Dana couldn’t make the owl house even more darker, then we got this psychoanalysis of luz…

Me before watching this: "I wish I could be like Luz" Me after watching this: "I guess we were already more similar than I realized 😅"

Also want to point out in the art, that luz looks genuinely angry, while Hunter looks so too, but he may be about to cry

I think hunter is also a major people pleaser. I hope that this season we will start to see that more as an audience as Luz and Hunter go in opposite directions, one healing and the other closing off.

If you ask me that quality Luz has is her gift and her curse. She has the mentality of a guardian angel a hero but that quality would almost get her killed if it weren't for eda amity willow gus and the rest of the gang

I think one of the saddest little moments that show how little self-confidence Luz has is when she is going to carve her palisman with Eda. She is worried a Palisman she herself will carve, that she will give life, that will basically be like her child... won't like her.

As someone who massively struggles with this: I feel like Luz is also codependent on her friends in the Boiling Isles. She needs them to be happy in order for her to feel any sort of satisfaction and happiness for herself. When she is given people who finally accept her, she doesn’t want to lose them, so she does anything and everything to make them happy, because without them she can’t be happy.

[SEASON 3 SPOILERS] after watching Thanks to Them, it's very obvious that Luz's guilt is eating her whole. It's so bad that Amity and the rest of the gang hide their plans of finding titan's blood, worried that if they fail again Luz will spiral even deeper into her own self-blame. Luz believes that her actions deserve hate, as she says during class "...If his friends and family knew about his mission, they'd know that their lives would never have been in danger if it weren't for him. *They should hate his guts, and it would be BETTER if he literally never existed!* " projecting onto the main character of a book (mood). (and concerning-) She feels so trapped whenever she isn't able to "right her wrongs", that when she's not trying to be "the hero" she falls into a hopeless state. I'm both excited and dreading the last two finale episodes, and I just really hope they give some form of conclusion or resolution or at least a h i n t of possible change to Luz's Achilles heel (C'mon. it's literally been one of the main conflicts in every episode-) Luz deserves to know that it's not her fault and she doesn't have to blame herself for things that are out of her control. Hunter was right, she was tricked, and if not for her it would have been someone else. It isn't her fault, and I hope someone tells her that soon.

1. Camila, find your daughter a therapist or two, or three, maybe all at once. 2. Amity, comfort your girlfriend. Ease her mental pain. 3. Everybody, help Luz understand how important she is in both the human realm and demon realm. Teach her to love herself as much as she loves all of you. Finally, help Luz feel appreciated, show her that she is loved, and make her pain go away. Thank you.

Gotta give kudos to Amity though, for all the times Luz *did* lie or did not tell something, Amity did not fall down the rabbit hole that is the miscommunication trope. Which at this point is a favorite of most writers in order to make cheap drama. Instead, Amity is understanding, and makes up for Luz's miscommunication by communicating herself. Also, let's remember that by the end of S2, Luz lost her "found family"(and only by the grace of Dana she got through the portal with her friends and her GF, rather than alone, so...silver linning?), so by now she'll probably become(a least for a while) someone a bit depressive, a bit closed off, a bit fearful, hopeless and doubtful. So much instability a once for someone that only had her mom on her side for quite a while...ouch.

I think its really cool that you noticed Luz's expression in the art by Terrace, I think its really indicative of the dark places her arc may be headed. When I first saw that art, I couldn't help but notice how her expression was similar to the one she had while arrested after her fight with Eda. This was a very rare moment where we see Luz be DEEPLY angry in a very dark way, and I definitely think it plays into the self-blaming tendencies she has. This is an amazing analysis of Luz's character and the psychology of people pleasing. Also really cool that you opened up about your own struggles with that.

I really like how this trait of Luz's guilt & self hatred was directly addressed throughout the third season! Great catch on noticing it before they put a spotlight on it.

I'm autistic and I absolutely adore how luz's story shows how growing up autistic causes trauma.

14:30 - 15:39 This part made me realize something about Camila's behavior at the end of Yesterday's Lie. Here's how she reacted to learning Luz chose to stay in the Demon Realm, which she then became trapped in. "Were you trying to live out some witch fantasy? Did you...did you hate living with me that much?" "When you come home, promise you'll stay here? I didn't mean to push you away! I swear things will be different!" "Promise me, Luz! Please!" Just like Luz often does, Camila blamed herself for something bad happening and was willing to perform a grand gesture to right her perceived wrong. Luz responded to this by attempting to reassure Camila that she wasn't to blame for her current predicament. "Mom, it's not you! It never was!" Now that Luz is back in the Human Realm, she can explain her situation to Camila, which is only made easier by the fact her friends and girlfriend are with her to help her do that. Imagine Luz says something along these lines after her telling her story. "You don't need to do anything special. What happened wasn't your fault. I love you as much as I always have." THAT would be the moment where it all connects for Luz. She would realize those facts apply to her as well. She would understand how her intense need to people-please and self-sacrifice makes her loved ones feel. She would realize all the bad stuff that happens isn't her fault. She would see that she is loved unconditionally.

It's kinda ironic, despite Luz never wanting to be like Philip, the two do share parallels between each other which is usually the case between Protagonist and Antagonist. Both clearly had dreams to become these amazing figures being Witch/Witch Hunter. Both determined to see that dream to fruition regardless of what obstacles in their way or what new alternative methods they would have to take. But the big reason why the two do differ is because Luz's dreams evolved while Philip's remained stagnant which is appropriate since Luz was able to learn magic faster than him not only because of her imagination, but her dedicated research into magic for the fun and wonder of it instead of a means to an end like Philip clearly saw magic only as.

You nailed the Luz compearing herself to Philip when she meet with Kings dad.

Note also that the way Luz's mother reacts to finding out she ran off into a fantasy world is to also blame herself in the moment. Many of those coping skills and trauma can be passed down from parent to child, and you can only wonder how much Luz picked up both the positive and negative aspects of Camelia, especially when they both had to deal with her father's death and Luz had to grow up look up to her mother for guidance in what was probably a confusing and tragic time in their lives.

You know, when I first watched the Owl House, I thought it was going to be some other cartoon that most people just like, I really thought it was going to be like the same thing over and over again. But as I kept on watching the first episode I realized, Luz was just more than just a generic protagonist, and Luz is weird like me or well like us, and when they quoted the "Us weirdos have to stick together." It already made me feel connected and relatable to Luz from then on there, nonetheless when I kept on watching more and more of it. I noticed on how much both me and Luz are, and what we have to go through. We always do weird and extreme things, we're afraid of getting rejected, made of fun, and we have been bullied for it as well. Literally ever since then, I never felt more relatable and connected than any other character, other than Luz herself, and I'm so glad that Dana has made this show to show us that we are not alone, and shouldn't be afraid on who we really are.

Something I think shows how fragile her sense of self worth really is is that she expected Amity to turn on her that easily despite having already come to understand Amity well by that point & see her as a good person. It indicates that it's not that she thinks Amity could turn out to be just like everyone else but that she actually thinks she deserves to be ridiculed or that ridiculing her is so easy that even a good person like Amity wouldn't be able to help it. It's like she doesn't even recognize that a bully is a bad person unless she sees them bullying someone else. Bullying her is just normal in her eyes.

Your point about Camila is something I've been saying too! Her comments are directed at tamping down Luz to make her easier to be around and more normal instead of giving insight and advice that might help Luz find ppl who enjoy her. And the part in that one episode where Camila learns that Luz chose the boiling isles was a selfish comment that accused Luz of not loving her mother enough. Camila isn't intentionally doing these things but it's clear her bias as a very nerotipical woman leads her to make assumptions about Luz's intentions and thinking that are just FALSE and harmful to her development. Ironically Eda starts out making her own assumptions but quickly learns and adapts as she realizes that Luz has a very different perception of the world and so turns more to asking Luz questions and letting her explain her reasoning instead of using accusatory language.

One moment adding to this argument that I'm surprised wasn't brought up happens in The First Day, when the Detention Track kids get on her case for making an inconsiderate comment about wanting to leave the Detention Track, thinking that this means that she thinks she's better than them. They all turn on her on a dime, a complete 180 of the glowing praise she was getting a literal minute before, and although she tries to defend herself to Viney at first, once the others pile on and Viney tells her to leave, she just...accepts it. Immediately after, she goes into a depressive spiral outright comparing herself to trash, and only snaps out of it with the basilisk crisis and subsequent rekindling of her friendship with the trio. It's honestly one of the things that make The First Day my personal least favorite episode: beyond how it lowkey butchers the Detention Track kids until they start showing up again later, seeing Luz *that* broken up and blaming herself over what amounts to little more than poor word choice that she could've explained in, like, two seconds is just terrible to watch, even if it is, unfortunately, 100% in character.

I’ve been trying to explain why I think Luz is one of the best written characters imho and this video does it (and maybe I relate too much lmao 🙃)

I’d also like to point out that Luz has probably hidden that fact that she’s been bullied or at least hasn’t told the extent of it to her mom since we’ve seen that she doesn’t want people to worry about her. This probably the same with her mom since maybe Luz felt she needed to be strong for her after her fathers passing, which in turn made her hide her struggles from her mom

i think that the whole luz comparing herself to phillip thing is very interesting, and people have noticed that when luz started putting her hair in the little ponytail in the back she’s looking more and more like phillip. i just think it’s a really neat idea that luz might start seeing herself as the bad guy

Growing up around stressed out and overworked parents always made me anxious and prone to please them so they can be in a better mood. Not just them, it grew to almost everyone I meet. Trying but ultimately failing to be my ideal self and impress them……it hits too close to home when I see Luz act like this.

Quick sidebar: Seeing S1 Luz in the opening after the last few episodes hits different. I mean, wow, going from King's Tide to A Lying Witch and a Warden is a whole new kind of whiplash.

Luz was literally, without exaggeration, 100% ready to fight god for her girlfriend there.

Wow, this hit me deep. As a child I was very social, if I saw someone alone. I'd take their hand and bring them into a group to socialize despite not being apart of that group myself and it always worked! As I got older and I started to share my interests. I started to get bullied constantly and I blamed myself for this. I never set any boundaries because I thought it was my fault for sharing my interests to other people. I apologize a lot for things that aren't my fault. The bullying got so bad that some boy kissed me on the lips against my will for $60 ON VIDEO. And once again I blamed myself and never reported them, they did get caught after they posted the video on the schools website but I felt like it was my fault they got in trouble. It didn't help with the fact that I lost a lot of family members in less than 10 years. I refused to get close to any one in fear of them hating me or getting so close death would take them away from me too. I also work in customer service so people pleasing comes natural to me. I know I probably need to see an actual physiatrist for this...

Steve should drop the name of his therapist for Luz too 😭

Dude YESS the analysis on the last drawing of Dana is so accurate, all I heard is people talking about how sad and tired they are after the battle and poor Luz and I was like "... nahh look at that face, This girl is PISSED" and also her body language, the legs, the arms. she is beaten, frustrated, deeply upset and already plotting her way back on track in a very kinda of "not letting go of pressure" way, I am really worry about her for the coming episodes when they start.

My heart does break for luz, these extreme conditions aren’t helping either. But as you said, it’s almost worse now that it’s over. Helping was how she refilled her self worth. She doesn’t have that coping mechanism right now so she’s gonna get worse and pull away from her friends

this aged so well

Something I haven't really seen anyone mention is that Luz's friends are just as trapped as she is at the end of King's Tide. I actually thought it was a pretty cool way of flipping the show's formula on its head - going from the hexsquad being in their natural environment and Luz being the outcast to the reverse. After season one, Luz was officially closed off from the human world and spent most of season two trying to get back, wanting desperately to get back to her family. Now her friends are in the same predicament and she thinks it's her fault. They're away from their families and they can't tell them that they're okay, that they're safe, and they don't even know if their families are alive and she thinks it's her fault. There's little to no hope when it comes to getting a full season three, but I thought it would be nice to see a more in depth exploration of all the characters, and how the hexsquad interact with the human realm. One thing that really stood out to me in the season finale was how Gus's reaction to being trapped differed from everyone else's. He collapsed into tears while everyone else just stood there. Usually in scenes like this, all the characters will have the same reaction to encourage the viewer to have a certain reaction. But the Owl House didn't do that, they thought through how each character would process this event, and they all do in their own way. None of them have an expression that communicates the exact same emotion when Camila opens the door. I will never not be an advocate for this show's ability to portray mental health.

I feel one of the other core reasons why Luz is such a people pleaser is because of her father dying; during the scene where she accidentally activates the abomination's siren she lashes out and screams "Get out of my head!" It makes me think she was at least nearby when ambulances or even a firetruck came by to help her father, or maybe she actively saw how he died. Making her desperate to keep relationships because in those she can at least control them staging to a degree by doing things for them. That mixed with escapism via fantasy and anime and you have a chronic people pleaser with crippling self esteem

Something I'd like to mention: when Camila starts talking about Luz not having friends that aren't imaginary, she almost came off as harsh. Not in the way that she was intentionally trying to be, just her wording wasn't thought through very well. She basically told her daughter that everything that she liked was going to keep her from moving on in life. Yes, Luz may have been a bit in the extreme when she went and got absorbed in her fantasy realms, but that doesn't change the fact that it was her passion. Her mother basically just put her down for liking things like that. It always rubbed me the wrong way. There is also the fact that she was going to send her daughter to a summer camp specifically designed to make her lose her creativity, to stifle her sense of self. I have no doubts that Camila loves Luz, and really wants the best for her, but sending your child to a summer camp you know they will not enjoy and will be miserable to give them a "reality check" is really not okay in my opinion. If their sense of reality is so warped that they can't tell fiction from reality, sure. They might need to be sent somewhere to help with that, namely therapy. But Luz wasn't disillusioned. She could tell reality from fantasy. She knew that her childhood dreams would most likely never come to fruition. Then she gets sent to the boiling isles. Suddenly, she's able to become something she'd always dreamed of being. She's able to learn magic, able to make friends, go on adventures, and just learn more and more every day. It's no wonder she felt more comfortable in the Boiling Isles (at least until the portal was destroyed), she wasn't an outcast there outside of being human. And even that wasn't a big deal once people got used to her being around, and she could make so many more connections with actual people there. She didn't want to go back home because the Boiling Isles were more of a home to her than her actual home. She felt like part of something. Then in the episode where Luz is finally able to contact her mother, she lets it slip that she willingly stayed in the Isles rather than coming home immediately. Camila was angry about it, and I agree she probably had a right to be, but then she basically made Luz promise to never return to the Isles once she found a way back. That was like a betrayal of trust, Luz had told her mother about everything and then was immediately told that she couldn't ever see the people she had grown to care about ever again. I love Camila, but she doesn't think her words through well enough sometimes. Oh well, I simply hope that everything will get better :)

Thanks to Them spoilers ahead-- I don't know if anyone's mentioned this yet, but S3 revealed that Luz got the Good Witch Azura book from her father before he died. And she was willing to literally place probably one of the most important things in her life at the time in the literal trash bin for the sake of pleasing her mother. Camila didn't ask her to throw it away, she didn't have to do it, but she chose to as one of those grand gestures she's known to do- and it might not seem like much on the surface, but under the context, that has to be one of the most heartbreaking things she's done. All for the sake of trying to prove herself at least a little bit.

I have a feeling that Luz’s sanity is gonna collapse at any moment

I like that you pointed out camila mistake without calling her abusive mother. When people bring the topic camila being abusive people bring that mistake without understanding at all. Camila not a perfect mother and her action did have damages however camila is a realistic mother not perfect so her action have consequence. Because this happen to children who grew up misunderstood, neurodivergent sure their parent love them but they didn't realize some of the thing they did is harmful. Owl House they managed to make their character complex Luz, Camila and others

15:22 although, since some teens stay quiet with their parents about bullying, I wouldn't be surprised if Camila doesn't know that Luz is an outcast and therefore has no friends. But that is also due to her extreme impulsiveness in trying to be accepted

When Steven Universe (which has been my comfort show for a very, very long time) ended, I genuinely thought I'd never have another connection to a show like I do with the SU cast. Then, my brother started begging me to watch The Owl House. From the first episode, I knew I was going to end up crying a lot. I've always struggled making friends, I've gone through bullying, and I buried myself in media and fantasy to escape. As soon as I watched the first episode, I knew I was going to have another huge comfort show. It's so amazing how shows like this, ones that get swept underneath the rug, can bring out the best and worst of us. We get so connected to these characters, we almost forget that they started as that. Characters. It honestly shocked me when they put in realistic reactions to things. Like with Luz's confession to Amity about her dad dying and it being the first anniversary without her mom there. My dad's still alive, but I lost my older brothers. They say it gets easier, but I honestly believe that's a load of horse shit. You just get more numb to it. The way that they handled it made me want to squeeze Luz and never let her go. And their faces when The Creator killed Belos- just. Everything. Even Willow and Gus with their panic attacks just fuck they did a lot of things right and that's not even touching on Lilith, Hooty, Eda, King- they made these characters so human. It genuinely feels like they put every part of their soul into this show. I'm sad it's ending like this, I know they wanted to do so much more with it. But goddamn, they're making it feel like it was always meant to end like this. They handled everything so flawlessly, and they've put so much growth into these characters already. They even put more twists and turns into it than any of us could've guessed, all without losing their characters in the process. I never thought I'd watch another show that made me feel like Steven Universe made me feel. I'm so glad Dana and the rest of the crew proved me so fucking wrong.

I still admire how well Luz’s character has been written, especially throughout Season 2. She has conveyed many diverse feelings and character traits that go far beyond just being an optimistic, happy teen girl due to her facing many issues during her experience in the Boiling Isles. Several of these feelings include depression, regret and emotional trauma. I feel really bad for Luz because of all she went through, but I am glad that there have also been natural ways as to handle some of these situations like healthy communication. And I really hope that we have time to repair at least a few aspects of Luz’s mental health in the S3 specials.

There's a really great song by GHOST called "Appetite of a People Pleaser" that uses eating disorders as a metaphor for this very thing, and has a few great lines including:"Maybe if I try a little harder it will be okay One day Keep on eating More and more Divide my life away Into servings." The climax of the song has the singer saying they don't know who they're supposed to be anymore and screaming at the listener "WHY AREN'T YOU HAPPY?!" as if they'll die if they don't do something to please us. Other people's approval is food, and the different personality traits they adopt to please everyone are flavors.

“FIGHTING A MAGICAL BRITISH GUY FROM OWL MOM IS PEAK GIRLBOSS” oh my gosh make so many more video essays you are genuinely so funny and I love hearing you talk

As someone who used fantasy novels/shows as an escape, one common theme is the element of self-sacrifice. Where end the end the hero is made to sacrifice themselves for others. The heroes in fantasy novels have a group of loyal friends who either rally around and celebrate the hero’s survival or cherish their memories forever. Luz seems to be trying, in a way, to repeat that fantasy. If I ado this people will have to value me, like the heroes in the books. Great video. I’m a forensic psychology student, so I’d probably be more help with Belos.

I bet this could be her conflict in the upcoming special in October- she'll not only deal with her guilt thinking that it was her fault that she both got King captured and took her friends from their homes and families, but also deal with all of the trauma from the past that made her into the person she is today.

The fact that she's almost always trying to hide how she's feeling breaks my heart, because she probably tells herself she shouldn't burden others with her problems (hence why she never thinks of asking for help, been there myself), but her friends, her girlfriend, and her family would probably be more than happy to listen to her and give her the words she needs to hear, she just...doesn't let them. Since season 3 was cut short we probably won't see it, but I'd love for Luz and Amity to have a moment where Amity calls her out on it, and Luz finally opens up to her girlfriend on all the feelings she's been repressing for maybe years.

IN CONCLUSION: THERAPY NOW you can say that for most of the characters when you think about it. On a serious note, Luz is pretty relatable to me. She has been my favorite character but now she's become one of the most relatable and most favorite characters i've seen in awhile.

This aged damn well and works even more after seeing the final episode. No spoilers, but this is damn fitting.

16:41 Wow. Now I want to give both Luz and you a hug.

You really put into perspective why Luz is such an interesting protagonist. She may just look like your average happy-go-lucky main character but there's so much to her.

This explains why none of the palismen went with Luz. The Bat Queen even says she sensed no conviction in Luz’s wish to be a witch. It’s not really what she’s striving for and I’m sure the palismen sensed that. This was an incredible video, thanks for sharing it with us :D

This is basically Luz getting Therapy.. perfect and thank you for giving this bean therapy she's been through so much and never cut herself any slack😭♥️

I first saw this video the day it came out and have watched it many times since then. Something about this scene made me pause the show and just stare at my screen. Like other people, I have experienced some of this type of trauma. I sometimes escape from reality to a story in my head full with fantasy and/or excitement. I believe I cause bad situations and I’m tried of that. I rarely tell people my interests because I’m afraid they will drop our friendship if they knew. While I don’t people please often, I have done it before just so I would have friends. I lost my mom in March. Only about a week and a half before “Reaching Out” was released. I was 14 at the time. When I discovered Luz had lost her dad rather then her parents just being divorced… I almost cried. Which never happens as I have taught myself to never cry… at least in public. I’ll stop typing now. I know no one will probably ever see this comment but still. I hope everyone who has experienced this trauma is in a healthy environment. It sadly seems common. Thanks so much for making this video bunnyskies (dreaminqbunni).

You showed some clips from the episode, but Luz's insecurities are first put in the spotlight in the episode that she and King write a story together. Her reactions to King making fun of her writing is so heartbreaking and i immediately thought back to it when she said "i'm gonna get made fun of again" in Knock Knock Knockin'

If the Owl House had aired when I was younger, I would have felt so seen. I felt pretty isolated when I was younger - I was (and still am) always unintentionally too loud, I was easily distracted all the time, suuuper emotional and expressive, always had intense special interests that I would never shut up about… all of Luz’s traits were so similar to mine. I constantly felt embarrassed and ended up suppressing my personality a lot, now realising this was ADHD masking. Maybe I wouldn’t have changed myself so much if I’d had the owl house. I hated the person I became. Luz, in my eyes, represents a very specific type of kid. I was that kid, and many of you guys were too. An artsy, awkward, neurodivergent kid who isn’t accepted as they want to be. Someone who has intense love for a special subject of interest. I know that bubbly, happy and interesting girl characters DO exist, for example Star from SVTFOE or Mabel from Gravity Falls, but they never really clicked with me like Luz had. From a grown perspective, I feel like Dana Terrace perfectly presents to us exactly why it’s important to live out your early teens authentically. TELL PEOPLE about your special interests! CREATE fanart, fanfiction, or edits! MAKE FAN ACCOUTS!! WEAR MERCH!!! BE A CRINGE KID, the future will thank for for not hiding! No matter how much you cringe when you look back, how much people get annoyed at you for it, the importance of being yourself in your early years is SO significant. I really felt it in my heart that Luz felt as if she had to hide back at home.

I love how newer shows these days (Amphibia, The Owl House, etc.) have much deeper meanings and touch on important topics, making them enjoyable for those old enough to understand as well as young children. Right now I really relate to what Luz is going through and I wonder if she will be shown getting help by the end of the show because trauma really isn't something anyone should have to face on their own. Thank you for the analysis of her character! This video is really insightful and gave me a new look into the show and it's characters :)

Coming back to this after s3e1 and as someone who kins her, this hits harder 💀

I knew I kinned Luz for reason, and I knew I was a people pleaser, but I didn't know being a people pleaser was so much more than just trying to make others happy, and I resonate with it so much. Since I was young I've always wanted people to like me and my reputation is a huge deal to me (my parents had that built into my brain since I was born) I would do a lot of things so people could like me, even if those people had bullied me or didn't like me. And instead of addressing it, I ignored it or excused it and just told myself "They hangout with you, and they play with you, so they're nice." and most of the time I gave more than I got, and I still give more than I get sometimes and it sucks. That's why I dont expect much from others anymore and when someone does do something in return for me, I thank them but I just say it isn't necessary or that they should just keep whatever they got me. I would also always try to make others look better than I did in situations. An example I could say thats going on currently is that I go to therapy, and I haven't told my therapist everything that I'm supposed to tell her. The reason I haven't is because I don't want everything to get worse on my mom and dad, I don't wanna make them look bad and I don't want them to be mad at me so I keep my mouth shut. And the last time i did mention my siblings or family in something, I was speaking for their feelings and got them involved in something that was my fault because I couldn't take a joke. And it almost tore my family apart which back then was all I wanted, but things have gotten better and I've gotten past the trauma I'm pretty sure. Overall, since I started watching The Owl House I always resonated with Luz since Season 1 because of her attitude, the way she acts, and overall just her general being, but as Season 2 started and things started getting more intense I began relating to her even more and I did understand why but I didn't know how to piece all of it together, and I feel like this video just sums it all up. And I wanna say thank you from the bottom of my heart, not just for making this video and helping me understand Luz more, but for also helping me understand myself more, even if that might've not been your intention. Also just know you're an extremely strong person for going through all of this. And once again, thank you

I wonder if it's also to do with wanting to hide her pain and keep everyone happy because she may have done that for her mum since her dad died. Her protectiveness of Eda may partly come from her fear of losing another parent

I'd love to hear your thoughts after having seen Thanks to Them. MINOR SPOILER ALERT--- Especially after that in class monologue she gives...

you should show this to your professor it looks like a college assignment add and essay attachment and your teacher will be proud

ive never really noticed just how deep luz is. now thinking about it for a good few minutes i got so caught up in lumity and their relationship because its so cute and wholesome, something i lack, that i kinda forgot these girls are their own characters with their own extensive personalities. i already related alot with amity because of how her relationship was with her mom but now im really realizing how much more me and luz have in common besides "haha we r both just quirky weirdos that dont fit in." i mean ive always said id do literally, *literally,* anything to protect those i love and to protect the innocent. i never realized i was a people pleaser.

I had always thought that her low self-esteem for not having friends in the human world, had made her behave like this, she always wants to solve everything by herself and not be a burden to feel valid in the boiling islands, otherwise if she is not able to adapt there she would not have anything else left. But your interpretation seems more formed to me

Wow, you totally called it for season 3

I personally think that a part of Luz’s problems also stem from her fathers death. This is mostly based on speculation, but I believed that Luz’s father introduced her to fiction and fantasy as a form of entertainment and fun. But after his death, Luz clung to fantasy as a way to cope with the loss of her father. This is seen in the episode with the fake wizard squid dude (sorry I forgot the exact episode title) Luz purely did this sort of “Quest” to prove to Eda that she was a witch. But this could also be more internal. It’s shown both in the first episode and when we see Camilla later on that Camilla has little to no similarities to Luz or the things she likes. While although it is possible that Luz discovered fantasy on her own, I do think that showing that Luz’s father sort of “held the torch” to Luz’s love of fiction would make sense. But of course this is mostly speculation and probably won’t happen in the show. (Also ps: Disney sucks for shortening s3)

What I also noticed after the finale is that she is always determined to save *everyone* no matter how bad they have been to her. It makes me wonder if she has heavy grief in thinking she could've "somehow" save her father, which no child should ever feel that responsibility.

That she is actually very traumatized? Yes. Acting happy is hard to do, ya break out in tears pretty easily if you don't keep yourself calm enough... Thanks...for bringing this up...I've been dealing with this exact thing but in a sense that nobody believes my compassion and assumes I'm in it for something in return and I legit just want people to be happy...it's really hard to find friends this way... but I've gotten used to being cold and lonely. I guess...

2:47 'you dumb lesbian' ah yes, i see myself represented

something that hits hard even more in episode 1 after season 3 released it that luz is about to throw away the good witch azura book, a gift from her dead father.

WOW I’m blown away by this analysis, I strongly agree with these arguments. The minute said that luz is a people pleaser, “yep, accurate”. I don’t think it’s a bad thing and I don’t think most people who are consider “people pleasers” are bad, but in Luz’s case where she she feels some sort of guilt and sacrifice every 2 or 3 episodes of season 2, this poor girl dealing with so much weight on her shoulders that she makes up for herself. And as you stated, doesn’t even give herself an excuse. However in the context given of the show, it is kind of easy to maybe have this slip through your mind while watching the show, but taking a step back to notice her behavior and actions, it can start to feel obvious. In fact it kind of is *Get this girl some therapy. Now* I love that line sm pfft

I feel like a lot of people really do overlook Luz's character sometimes. I have been in Luz's shoes before and honestly am still am to degree. The way my partner described me is how I described Luz. She's helpful to her own detriment.

There's an owl house game and one of the lines in said game that you can have Luz say is I kid you not. "Anything I can do to prove I'm useful!!"

This is one of the biggest things about this show for me. I really care about these characters. I don’t know how, but the Owl House really speaks to me. I’m genuinely concerned about Luz’s mental state. She’s been through too much. I just pray that she’s safe both physically and psychologically by the end of the show.

I really like your analysis and agree 110%. If I were to add something to it, I would be Luz's additional development between season 1 and 2. In the very beginning of the show, Luz while extremely kind and thoughtful had a tendency to get lost in her own fantasy and head space. This on its own is fine, however she had a tendency to apply her fantasy into real life of the Boiling Isles. This caused several instances of impulsive shortsighted behavior that got her into trouble (cough ep 2 and ep 3). This all came to a head in the season 1 finally where Luz's action unintentionally resulted in Eda's capture and loss of magic, and the loss of the portal door. This was a major set of consequences that I believe effected Luz's behavior form then on as season 2 Luz felt completely different. While she was still kind and goofy, it felt like she was taking the reality of the situation a lot more seriously. This ties into what you said about being harder on herself and trying to take on all the burden. Luz is a great character and I love her to death, but she has flaws. This is NOT a bad thing as these flaws are what make her interesting to watch grow.

This was an extremely good analysis of Luz’s character. I really liked the way you worded it and it is exactly what Luz is! And while I didn’t get bullied, I’ve had that fear about people calling me childish my whole life. I’ve liked animation forever, and due to the misconception that it’s just for kids, I never told people about the stuff I watch. I have been made fun of for having so many favorite characters from different shows, and prioritizing stuff I like over stuff I don’t. While I have become better, and have amazing friends who know about my interests, apart from them I’ve always felt better online, in places where I KNOW I won’t get made fun of. I’m still a little scared of people just not liking me only because of my interests. And yeah, that has lead to me basically using fantasy as an escape

Whenever I see videos like this one, I tend to assume that its just some overanalysis of things writers unintentionally put together without much thought. But I must admit, this video really resonated with me. One of the main reasons why I got hooked up on toh in the first place is simply how I relate to Luz. Listening to someone speaking about this felt affirming and comforting. Thank you. I really, really hope that this video helps more people recognize the problem in others and themselves.

The worse part of this is how Luz herself feels about her struggles. It’s been a consistent fact that she constantly undermines her trauma and problems (much like the fandom does), and instead hyper fixates on helping those around her. Her self worth is non existent and has been for basically her entire life. She feels as if she’s completely alone, and who could blame her? She’s a human in a world of magic, who has been constantly beaten down her entire life to the point that she doesn’t even consider her worthy of the life she has. She has to deal with the fact that she contributed in helping Belos eradicate witch kind by her presence along, and that she can’t share that with anyone because she things that all of this is her fault. It makes me wonder if there’s something deeper brewing inside of Luz. Not like evilness or something, but genuine and severe self hatred that could lead her into doing something terrible to herself. My heart aches for her.

Luz always feels the need to prove herself and having worth thanks to her lack of connection with people, she’s truly admirable for her efforts but this comes with some downsides as she’s always blaming herself, she doesn’t need to justify her existence, she just needs to be herself, I hope she can work out these problems in the next few episodes, luz is such a well written character and it’s no wonder she’s become so beloved. But considering what happened in the season 2 finale, she’s gonna go through so much more trauma due to her guilt

It’s only somewhat related but I feel Reaching Out was a very important episode for illuminating Luz’s lack of self-worth. Luz being so against talking about her problems showed that she sees very little worth in her struggles, as opposed to the struggles of the people around her. Luz didn’t want to burden anyone else with her issues while simultaneously doing everything in her willpower to help Amity with hers, because she viewed them as more important. While it isn’t the same as constantly feeling at fault for all hardships her and others go through, it does act as a building block for reaching that sort of mindset. This is only my personal reading of the episode based on my own experiences. If you have your own interpretations that’s cool too.

Well, this aged like fine wine

Another point is that Luz is seriously neurodivergent-coded. A lot of (but not all) neurodivergent people develop these exact traits and coping mechanisms from the trauma of growing up "different" with the world expecting them to change to conform. Hence we people please and place the blame on ourselves bc we're the odd ones out, there is already an expectation for us to take on that extra responsibility to change and mask etc to make everyone else comfortable. It's easier than asking everyone else to change. Sources: 1. I am autistic, I developed the same behavioural and thinking patterns and am still working through them, therapy helped. 2. In my job I support other ND young people and I have seen this pattern crop up time and again in countless other ND young people.