Lumity Is Completely Canon And Why That's Important
The Owl House returns on March 19th! While the show was between seasons 2a and 2b, fans of the Disney cartoon were left to speculate what will happen next, as well as mourn the loss of a complete third season.
did it hurt? when you found out that the third season of the owl house got shortened to only three 40 minute specials?
— mar (@amitysluz) September 6, 2021
A huge takeaway from the last few episodes, however, is the new relationship between the main characters Luz and Amity. “Lumity,” the fan-given ship name, is officially and completely canon. Previously I wrote an article on why it was half canon after season one, why it would become fully canon, and what that might look like.
I am happy to say, however, that Lumity is more canon than I ever would have predicted, and progressed in a much better way than I expected.
I assumed they would be canon at the end of the entire series, and potentially only in a vague way with a little room left for deniability. The fact that the Disney show went so much further than that is a delightful surprise.
The first season gradually leads to Amity having a crush on Luz. First, she is simply a mean girl, who is mainly an antagonist and ex-friend for Willow. Luz and Amity come to a better understanding of each other after an adventure in the library, and episodes later we see Amity blush around an unsuspecting Luz.
Then we have a full-blown confirmation of the crush in a prom-style episode, in which Amity was going to ask Luz as a date via a note but was too afraid of rejection to follow through. As the show went into hiatus, the ship was half-canon.
In season 2a, instead of simply leaving the crushing to Amity, and letting Luz reciprocate towards the end of the series, Luz developed a SEPARATE crush on Amity.
The show also really took the time to properly pace this. After a few episodes with a mutual crush, it showed the awkwardness of a first relationship and added a layer of realistic tension. This is all rarely seen on television with girls who date other girls, let alone in a children’s cartoon.
This also wasn’t just some side character suddenly dating the show’s main character... This was a character who went through some amazing story arcs and development.
We got to see a green-haired mean girl first get more depth with the reveal of controlling parents. She then transformed into the “cotton-candy-haired" witch with nicer friends who stands up to her mom, and oh yeah, WHO HAS A GIRLFRIEND.
Amity dying her hair purple marks an important turning point in her development. While her hair is naturally brown, she kept it dyed green throughout the show, and presumably years before, to match her siblings’ hair as her mother wanted.
Purple hair was the ultimate way to rebel against too-controlling parents. This also has some nice build-up when Amity breaks a magical necklace that her mother used to send her telepathic orders. A flashback even shows Amity had the necklace from a young age. A bit of rebellion was a long time coming.
Because the Grom episode set up Amity’s fear of rejection as character development, the show wouldn’t let her walk away without facing this fear. Low and behold, Amity technically asked Luz out first… though she was pretty safe from rejection as Luz was moments away from asking Amity herself.
There was also a brief moment before this, in which the audience caught sight of the emotions Amity would have faced if she were to be rejected and added more emotional depth to the story.
Another aspect of this season that shouldn’t go unappreciated is the character interactions Amity and Luz have separated from each other. Amity gets a scene to talk about her overwhelming feelings from her crush on her siblings. When Luz asks to borrow Gus’s library card, he knows it’s really a way to visit Amity. Luz admits she “hasn’t been hiding that well,” and Gus doesn’t humor her. She hasn’t.
Finally, when Amity becomes Luz’s “awesome girlfriend” she’s immediately more involved in Luz’s support network and is in scenes with those characters even without Luz. It’s even a running joke how often Amity mentions being Luz’s girlfriend. It’s all very clear-cut and leaves no room for misinterpretation.
They all add up in little ways that will show how this crush (and later relationship,) is just like any other to younger viewers.
For the handful of cartoons that have or had a canon same-sex couple, it’s not uncommon for the pairing to become official as part of a finale, not leaving much time for the audience to enjoy the dynamics of the couple—The Legend of Kora, Adventure Time, and the main relationship of the new She-Ra.
The Owl House, however, has some time left to explore Lumity. (Even though it can be argued that the show should have had a longer run.)
It will also be interesting to see how the show will tie up all the remaining loose ends. There’s the matter of King’s father… everything Emperor Belos and the Coven Heads are planning. Also, the small matter of getting Luz home.
There might be more drama from the Blight family, and of course, some good old-fashioned angst when it comes to Luz keeping, breaking, or negotiating her promise to stay home. There will be some sort of solution, and I find it unlikely the show would end with Luz having to give up The Boiling Isles and therefore magic completely.
I think it’s safe to say the show will end with some sort of solution that keeps Amity and Luz together indefinitely. With Lumity being more canon, and sooner than I would have dared imagine, all this will be great to see.
Opinions and Perspectives
Its incredible how naturally their relationship fits into the overall narrative.
Even with the shortened season, their story feels complete and satisfying.
Their dynamic adds so much depth to the show without overshadowing the plot.
The way their relationship impacts the overall story is just brilliant writing.
I hope other shows follow this example of how to write young LGBTQ+ couples.
The show really captures that mix of excitement and nervousness in first relationships.
Watching them figure out how to be girlfriends is both adorable and relatable.
Their relationship adds such depth to both their individual character arcs.
The way they support each other through all the magical chaos is so sweet.
I actually think the show handles teen romance better than most live action shows.
The contrast between early season Amity and current Amity is incredible.
It's amazing how much character development we get through their relationship.
Their relationship feels like such a natural part of the story, not just added representation.
The subtle build-up in season 1 makes the payoff in season 2 so much better.
I love that they show both the fun and challenging parts of young relationships.
Watching them go from awkward crushing to comfortable dating is so heartwarming.
Their relationship actually adds stakes to the portal situation, which is brilliant writing.
I appreciate how they show other characters being completely supportive of their relationship.
The way they handle the crush to dating transition is so authentic to the teen experience.
It's refreshing to see a same-sex relationship that isn't just subtext or heavily coded.
Their dynamic adds so much heart to the show without overshadowing the main plot.
Remember when we were all analyzing every little interaction between them in season 1?
The fact that we get to see them navigate an actual relationship is so important.
I love how they show both characters growing individually while also growing together.
The relationship feels so natural that sometimes I forget how groundbreaking it actually is.
Seeing Amity stand up to her mother was such a powerful moment for her character arc.
The show proves you can have meaningful LGBTQ+ representation without making it the whole plot.
Anyone else worried about how they'll resolve the human realm versus demon realm situation?
I totally get what you mean about other shows saving it for the finale. This is so much better!
That scene where Amity talks to her siblings about her feelings was so relatable.
The way they balance the relationship plot with the main story is really well done.
I love that we get to see them as an established couple dealing with actual relationship stuff.
The show really respects its young audience by not being vague about their relationship.
Still not over how they both planned to ask each other out at the same time.
Can we talk about how perfectly they captured that nervous energy of asking someone out?
The cotton candy hair era was iconic, but purple Amity just hits different.
Anyone else love how they show the awkwardness of first relationships? It's so realistic.
The way they handle LGBTQ+ representation in this show sets a new standard for animation.
I worry they might rush the ending with only three specials to wrap everything up.
Their relationship adds such an interesting layer to all the magical chaos happening in the show.
The mutual pining was so well done. Both of them being useless disasters around each other was perfect.
I'm curious about how they'll handle the Blight parents situation in the limited time we have left.
Remember when we all thought the Grom episode was as good as it would get? How wrong we were!
The fact that Disney actually went through with making this relationship explicitly canon is groundbreaking.
I really hope they resolve the portal situation in a way that doesn't tear them apart. My heart couldn't take it.
The library card excuse to see Amity was such a classic move. We've all made up silly reasons to see our crush.
I'm still not over how Gus just completely called out Luz about her obvious crush on Amity. That was hilarious!
You know what makes me happy? Seeing Amity interact with Luz's friends independently. It feels so natural and genuine.
The running joke about Amity constantly mentioning being Luz's girlfriend is just adorable. We've all been there with our first relationship!
I actually disagree about the pacing. I felt like they could have stretched out the will-they-won't-they dynamic a bit longer.
The scene where Amity breaks her mother's control necklace gave me chills. Such a powerful moment for her character.
I really appreciate how they didn't just make it a finale thing like other shows tend to do. We actually get to see them as a couple.
The way they handled the mutual crush aspect was so refreshing. Usually shows just make it one-sided until the very end.
Does anyone else think Amity's character development is one of the best written arcs in recent animation history?
While I'm thrilled about Lumity being canon, I'm still devastated about the shortened third season. We deserved more time with these characters!
The hair color symbolism with Amity is such a brilliant touch. Going from green to purple really shows her growth and independence.
I absolutely love how naturally their relationship developed. The progression from enemies to friends to girlfriends felt so authentic and well-paced.