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

This video is very personal to me (cause of experience and how interested I am in psychology) and took a lot of effort to make so I hope y'all enjoy. If you have any personal feelings are experiences feel free to share! I based some of this off of my own experience which is why at a certain part of the video I get very loud and dramatic(?) cause that specific part spoke to me.

Music made by Brad Breeck

Intro | 0:00
Luz's Issues In The Demon Realm | 0:47
Luz's Issues Prior To The Demon Realm | 9:57

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Due to COPPA, i am obligated to inform that my content is not made specifically for kids, only a general audience

[Strawtebby]

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.

[bjp]

"She would rather talk to rats than people her own age"

I mean, that's just relatable.

[utopiaa_]

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 ouch)

[azrik]

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.

[somegirl]

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.

[zblustorm]

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.

[ragingmonkeycritic]

"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

[lightyearpig]

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.

[MiraBoo]

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.

[NutyRiver]

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.

[SkaTuneNetwork]

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 🙃)

[alexdoloress]

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

[janehowlett]

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.

[WatchThisSpace]

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?

[ascendedcat]

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.

[lunaanyaerso]

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.

[AngryMan]

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

[MillysUniverse]

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.

[diobrando]

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.

[finikksu]

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.