History Recap / TheOwlHouseS3E1ThanksToThem

** The Noceda family living room is shown to have two video game consoles called the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 BS4]] and the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch Swap]].

** The Dino Land logo patched onto Hunter's jacket is styled after the ''Film/JurassicPark'' logo.

** A "[[UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch Swap]]" game console is shown in the Noceda's living room.

* WhereNoParodyHasGoneBefore: Camila and Manny are revealed to have been fans of a novel series called ''Cosmic Frontier'', with Gus and Hunter also becoming fans over the course of the episode. It appears to be a mashup of ''Deep Space Nine'' and ''Voyager''. The plot features the crew of a ship lost in deep space trying to find their way home, but it includes characters based on Sisko and O'Brien (the former even has the name of the character's [[Creator/AveryBrooks actor]]) and the brief snippet of the theme song that plays when Gus shows Hunter the closet full of Camila's memorabilia recalls ''DS9''.

* WhereNoParodyHasGoneBefore: Camila and Manny are revealed to have been fans of a novel series called ''Cosmic Frontier'', with Gus and Hunter also becoming fans over the course of the episode. It appears to be mostly based off of ''Deep Space Nine'', with character based of Sisko and O'Brien (the former of whom even has the name of the character's [[Creator/AveryBrooks actor]]) and a brief snippet of the theme song playing when Gus shows Hunter the closet full of Camila's memorabilia.

* EyesAreMental: While possessed, Hunter's eyes turn bright, glowing blue and [[TaremeEyes slant downwards]] like Belos's.

* BodyHorror: As the possession takes effect, Belos's slime starts coming out of Hunter's cut and growing up the back of his neck. It then escalates with Hunter's arms turning to slime and elongating, with grotesque horns coming out of his head and slime across his face like Belos'. His arms don't even bend the correct way, with new joints created as needed, and after retaking control, they clearly cause Hunter pain and he's left with gigantic scars all over his body afterwards.

* ShooOutTheClowns: By the time the battle between the Hexsquad and Belos breaks out, none of the Earth background characters nor Masha are present.

* CloningBlues: Hunter is shown a few times to be angsting over his Grimwalker nature, worrying in particular about how his original might have been a witch hunter and how the others would react to the truth.

[[https://youtube.com/watch?v=dRfTRN1F5Ys The full episode can currently be watched for free on the Official Disney Channel Youtube.]][[note]][[NoExportForYou The video is, unfortunately, region blocked outside of the US, UK, and Australia,]][[LoopholeAbuse precluding the use of a VPN.]][[/note]]

* CoolGate: In contrast to the smaller and portable PortalDoor Belos made as Philip, the gate Belos opens in the Old Gravesfield graveyard with the Titan's Blood is a large stone arch that needs an external source of fuel.

* {{Zeerust}}: The ''Cosmic Frontier'' franchise seems to be this, as besides the obvious ''Series/StarTrek'' comparisons Vee notes that it was written in the 90s about 2008.

** Camila, Vee, and Luz arriving with takeaway food with the witches greeting them excitedly and Amity picking takeaway menues of the ground.

** Gus and Hunter playwrestling while Willow is about to supplex them.

** The gang watching a movie in a theater, the witches looking frightened while Luz and Camila try to calm them. A few rows behind them is Vee looking cool as a cucumber.

* CrystalBallScheduling: Right before they leave for Gravesfield Halloween festival, the Hexsquad were watching ''Good Witch Azura 2: The Betrayening''. In that movie, Lucy demands Azura to hand over Hecate to her, who is currently laying in Azura's arms, saying it's for her own good. Azura tearfully and bitterly replies that she will never forgive Lucy for betraying them. This foreshadows the Hexsquad's battle against Belos in the graveyard, with Belos in the role of Lucy, Luz in the role of Azura, and Hunter in the role of Hectate. Belos even echoes Lucy's "It's for your own good" line with "This is for the good of your souls". Justified in that it's a DVD they were watching, rather than something that just happened to be on TV.

** Luz is wearing a ''Videogame/SuperMarioBros'' shirt in one of her video diaries.

* TheCameo: Paying close attention to the EstablishingShot of the Old Gravesfield Halloween Festival will reveal several recognizeable characters who otherwise don't appear in the episode.
** Principal Hal can be seen to the left of the middle of the frame, talking to an unnamed blonde woman with brown roots showing.
** [[WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}} Sasha Waybright]], with her haircut from seasons 1 and 2 and wearing a [[ColourMotif red and green]] jacket, can be seen standing next to the stage.

** The EstablishingShot of the festival is full of characters who appear properly later on. These include a number of background extras, the two kids Luz met at school, the stage with Inquisitor Jones whom Gus will play of later, Jacob Hopkins watching, Masha running the hayride, and principal Hal from the first episode. There are also a girl dressed as [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Rarity]], and a [[TheCameo cameo]] from [[WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}} Sasha Waybright]].

*** The EstablishingShot of the festival has a small but recognizeable [[WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}} Sasha Waybright]] standing by the stage.

* TearsOfJoy: When Luz tells Hunter he's family now, he immediately starts sobbing into his mask.

* TheWorfEffect: Vee's ManaDrain would ordinarily prove a perfect counter to Belos, who is more magic than man at this point, but he manages to power through the attack long enough to take a swing at her, then smashes the ice bridge after Amity flies her to safety so she can't approach again.

* GrandFinale: The first of three 44-minute specials that collectively serve as this.

[[caption-width-right:350:''[[Film/ElCamino Lord, I know I've changed]] \\
[[StrangerInAFamiliarLand Though I look much the same...]]'']]
%%

* SinisterDeerSkull: Camilla has to pull over because the police is investigating a car that skidded off the road. The driver tells the officer she lost control because a deer went out of nowhere and frightened them, although her little daughter insists that it wasn't a deer, but a monster. The camera slides to border of the road, showing the skeleton of said deer, result of a PossessionBurnout by Belos.