Chapter 104: The Girl Who Never Grew Up
Art by Crash X Fusion: It's time you all knew the truths long forgotten and buried.
While the rescue parties have their own adventures, Mel's past is explained while Puck continues to confront his own.
Tropes that appear in this Chapter:
- Abusive Parents:
- Maleficent is emotionally abusive to her daughter, mocking Mel when she learns that she befriended the descendants of her old enemies.
- Oberon's abuse over Puck has already been hinted at and described before, but now we see the full extent of that abuse which resulted in Puck losing his memories.
- Cronus manages to be even worse than Maleficent and Oberon, since he literally ate his own children.
- Achievements in Ignorance: If one eats food from the Underworld, they'll remain in the Underworld forever. Edric doesn't know this, but stubbornly refuses any food brought to him because he went on a hunger strike.
- Adaptational Karma:
- The original Beauty and the Beast showed the Enchantress getting away with cursing the Beast after she tried to seduce him. Here, she's turned into a mindless pig by Maleficent.
- In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Oberon got away with his actions towards Titania and the changeling boy. Here, he's turned into a raven against his will for his treatment over his people, which includes Puck.
- Affectionate Nickname: Brucy calls Camila "Boss' mom", on account of her connection to Luz.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Before he gets turned into Maleficent's familiar, Oberon begs Puck to stop her and save him.
- Aesop Amnesia: Pain and Panic never seemed to learn from the last two known times they had the "if is good" mindset.
- Ambiguous Situation: Tinker Bell says that the residents of Pixie Hollow evacuated, but isn't sure if her friends there are among the evacuees. It's left unclear who made it out and who didn't.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Both Maleficent and Mel are victorious at the end of the chapter, the former successfully overthrowing Oberon and taking his kingdom while the latter defeats her father and becomes the new ruler of the Underworld.
- Big Bad Wannabe: Oberon was set up with the impression that he would eventually come after Amity to claim her as one of his children. However, he never even gets the chance to meet her as his plan to lure her to Avalon is stopped by Camila, coven scouts, and Ms. Traveler subduing Yui, Kitsuni's sister, before she kidnapped Kay, Maleficent's rebellion leading to his dethroning, and his fate of being turned into a raven and becoming her pet.
- Big Damn Reunion: Puck reunites with Tinker Bell while in London and she takes him to see an elderly Jane before they return to Neverland and find the Lost Boys and Tiger Lily waiting for them.
- Boyfriend-Blocking Dad: Right before Mel can get into anything with Edric, Hades storms into her room after Trini tells him what she's been up to, leading to a brawl between them.
- Bullet Dancing: Hades can't claim Cups' soul while he's still alive, so he has him and Mugs perform a song-and-dance routine while Pain and Panic shoot at them using BB guns so they get hurt.
- The Bus Came Back:
- Brucy and all the household objects brought to life during the Glandus War are seen for the first time since "What is it Good For?"
- Meg, the artist from the Bard Coven who debuted in "The Grim Goblin Strikes", is shown watching the Owl House with Clé and Hugh.
- Hades appears for the first time since "Understanding Odalia". This also applies to Pain and Panic.
- Call-Back:
- Edric's handling of the aftermath of Luz and Trini's match at the Brawl was brought up twice.
- Puck still holds guilt over stranding Amity on Earth, and it increases when he learns of the consequenses their deal had on her.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Mel rightfully calls out Hades for disciplining her like a father when it puts him at risk of Persephone's wrath, not because he actually cares about her.
- The Cameo:
- Viney calls Camila to let her know that everybody went to the Underworld to save King, Edric, and Mel's other victims.
- Nessus appears to pull Mel's chariot, and Spot receives a pat on the head from her.
- Canis and Lupis, Hecate' winged wolves from Hercules: The Animated Series, appear as the guard dogs keeping watch over the prisoners Mel keeps as her pets.
- Mel causes Hades to see Cronus when performing a Mind Rape on him.
- Composite Character:
- It turns out that Puck isn't just the real Peter Pan, but also the Indian boy from A Midsummer Night's Dream.
- The Weird Sisters take this to the extreme. It turns out they are also the Gift Givers of the Grove, the Norns, the Graeae, the Witches of Morva, and the Fates.
- A Day in the Limelight: The chapter's spotlight goes to the Fae, with Mel handling the A-plot as she returns to the Underworld with her spoils from the Demon Realm while Puck spends the B-plot reconnecting with old friends and recalling his long-forgotten past.
- Dark and Troubled Past:
- Puck was once a human named Kumar whose mother died after giving birth to him. He was adopted and turned by Titania, but Oberon got her to fall in love with a human actor named Bottom, leaving him free to torture the boy out of spiteful envy. Over time, Oberon would kill Puck for the smallest of slights, the trauma of those deaths contributing to his Identity Amnesia.
- Mel was blamed for cursing Aurore's brother Jour and burned Aurore's hands in a moment of anger, which ruined their friendship.
- D-Josh and his mother Nasira were turned into genies for trying to bring Jafar back from the dead using dark magic. For good measure, D-Josh was separated from his mother.
- Tiger Lily had to witness the Exorcists wiping out her tribe and along with the Lost Boys, hid in secret while they turned Neverland into a wasteland. At the same time, Jack Sparrow got stranded in Neverland and had to stay with them.
- Jean Paul D'Low is a human from the 1300's who lost his family to the Black Plague and was granted immortality.
- Laura is one of the many sentient animals Mel captured and took as a pet after she started a riot in her realm. Knowing what eating Underworld food would do, she had to resort to cannibalism of dead fellow prisoners to survive.
- Hades was literally eaten by his father, an event that he still has some trauma over.
- Death of Personality: A spell deflected by Maleficent turns the Enchantress into a mindless pig.
- Dirty Coward: Oberon stays in his throne room while his forces are fighting Maleficent's army for him.
- Don't Call Me "Sir": D-Josh allows Edric to call him Josh or Joshua after explaining his past to him, as "D-Josh" is merely a stage name.
- Dragged Off to Hell: Hades is dragged further into Hell again when Mel sends him down the River Styx, thus allowing her to take control over the Underworld.
- Due to the Dead: While in London, Puck visits Wendy's grave which is the first time he visited her since her death.
- Even Evil Has Standards:
- Clé, Hugh, Meg, and Gidget may work for the Emperor's Coven, but they don't have orders to arrest Amity and even if they did, they wouldn't hurt her since she's a kid.
- Mel of all people actually has some. She's happy to cause riots, kidnap people and sentient animals, even threaten people who refuse to give her whatever she wants; however, she's strongly against infidelity as she refuses to let Trini seduce her or force Edric into any threesomes.
- Evil Is Petty: In response to Mel's rejection, Trini ratted her out to Hades.
- Evil Laugh: Mel sounds one off at the end of the chapter as she makes preparations to mess with Luz and Amity's rescue team.
- Expy:
- Laura the anthropomorphic otter is based off of Lylla from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
- Roughhouse, or Ruff, the Lost Boy is an homage to Rufio, the leader of the group in Hook.
- Gidget the squirrel demon is one of Bridgette from Total Drama.
- Eye Scream: While shooting the Holder brothers with BB pellets, Pain swears he won't nail them in the eye. Hades soon gets Cups to open his eye so Pain can hit him in it, leaving Mugs to heal it.
- Fate Worse than Death: Maleficent decides to give Oberon one by transforming him into her familiar.
- Foil: Mel is established as one to Puck: both are Fae who've never grown up, cause trouble everywhere they go, and didn't take responsibility for their actions. However, Puck has gone through a lot of Character Development and accepted his role in several things (mainly how his actions affected his friends), while Mel thrives on making things worse for shits and giggles. This is especially displayed for Amity, who Puck feels guilty for over making her life more difficult while Mel enjoys it.
- Forced Transformation:
- The punishment for D-Josh and Nasira trying to bring Jafar back to life was Jafar's own fate: becoming genies themselves.
- To cement Oberon's downfall and her conquest, Maleficent turns him into a raven, taking him as her familiar.
- As Mel begins her takeover of the Underworld, she has D-Josh turn Hades' assistant Minthe into a mint plant. Apparently, it's happened before.
- Freudian Excuse: A Fae cursed Jour and Aurore believed that Mel was responsible and had planned to do that all along. That and Mel burning her is why Aurore developed a grudge against the Fae by the time that Amity met her at the Northwest party.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: After hearing the story behind Mel's friendship with Jour and Aurore, Edric notes that it (along with her being a victim of Parental Neglect and emotional abuse) doesn't justify what she's done. Especially since as previous chapters have mentioned, Mel has been causing riots long before she met Aurore...
- The Ghost: Persephone was mentioned throughout the chapter.
- Given Name Reveal: Puck's birth name and True name is Kumar.
- Glamour: Upon reaching the Underworld, Mel reveals she's been using such a spell to conceal her true god form, removing it now that she's returned home.
- Going Native: Brucy lampshades Camila undergoing this since she's learned how to use crystal balls.
- Greater-Scope Villain: With the reveal that the Weird Sisters are also the Fates and the Witches of Morva, they are shown to have even greater significance to the larger universe than it initially seemed.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Oberon was jealous of the love that Titania showed to the Indian boy she adopted, so he had the boy taken from her.
- Heroic Lineage: Being the descendants of Princess Aurora, Prince Philip, Belle and Prince Adam would qualify Aurore and Jour for this, but it's inverted for Aurore since she becomes antagonistic towards the Fae, but threatens Amity as a result of a Fae cursing her brother which she blames Mel for.
- History Repeats:
- For Edric, as he's been deceived by his partner over their hiding a huge secret from him and putting his little sister in grave danger.
- Once again, Hades is thrown into the River Styx by a teenage god and dragged down by the souls within.
- Hypocrite Has a Point: While Edric is correct in everything he accuses Mel of being cruel, she counters it by remarking how Edric didn't care about Luz getting injured by Trini, a fact King is forced to agree with.
- Immediate Sequel: The chapter picks up from when Kitsuni left Luz, Amity, Eda, and Camila in her home to recruit some help with Mel in "Helluva Dad".
- Internal Reveal:
- Puck finds out that Captain Hook escaped Neverland's destruction, that he made Amity part-Fae, and that Mel outed her.
- Trini informs Hades about everything Mel did in the Demon Realm, but his attempt to punish her falls flat.
- Mel learns from the Fates that Luz's group is on their way to the Underworld.
- Jerkass Has a Point: After telling Edric about Mel's failed friendship with Aurore and Jour and hearing his pointing out that her Freudian Excuse about her parents doesn't justify her actions, D-Josh mentions that Edric has been acting the same way in regards to his own family.
- Jerkass Realization: Implied for Edric, as Mel, King, and D-Josh pointing out how he's been acting lately (especially during Luz's match against Trini) is what led to him ending up in Mel's clutches.
- Killed Off for Real: The mermaids of Neverland and its First Nations tribe with the exception of Tiger Lily were all wiped out when the Exorcists attacked.
- Laser-Guided Karma:
- Yui captures Kitsuni on Oberon's orders and tries to do the same with Kay only to have her tail handed to her by Camila, Brucy, all of the Owl House's living objects, Hooty, and the coven scouts monitoring the house before getting taken away by Ms. Traveler.
- Oberon tormented all the named Fae, notably Puck, for many years and sent a mercenary to kidnap Kay so Amity would be forced to join him, but Maleficent's forces slaughter his and she turns him into a raven, cursing him to be her familiar.
- Let Me at Him!: Trini attempts to attack King for his "Scarface" comment and is held back by D-Josh before she can grab him.
- Mama Bear: Camila steels herself and faces off against Yui armed with only Brucy in order to keep her from taking Kay, and it leads into Yui's humiliating defeat.
- Meaningful Name:
- Puck's true name is "Kumar", a Sanskrit name meaning "male child" or "son". Its use by Hindu families highlights his being born in India.
- The title itself is a reference to Mel, who's a Spoiled Brat who doesn't take no for an answer whenever she wants something and is pretty much a Foil to Puck.
- Moral Myopia: Mel has the audacity to complain about Amity forcing her to reveal her true self when she outed Amity as half-Fae, starting a riot that attempted to harm her and putting her in danger from both Belos and Oberon. Edric rightfully calls her out on this.
- Mythology Gag: One of Maleficent's attacks is summoning meteors.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: With Maleficent ruling the Unseelie Clan, there's no telling what she'll do.
- Not Me This Time: After Jour is cursed and Mel is confronted by her mother, she accuses her of causing said curse. Maleficent says she didn't and that regardless of who caused it, Aurore still turned on her.
- "Not So Different" Remark: When Edric points out that Mel's Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse in her being an asshole, D-Josh points out how he's been acting just like her, which may have opened his eyes to what's he's given up sticking with her over his family.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Yui has this reaction when she sees Ms. Traveler taking her into custody.
- Oberon panics right before Maleficent turns him into a raven, going as far as to beg Puck to save him.
- Origins Episode: The chapter delves into how Puck became a Fae and developed Identity Amnesia along with Mel's history with Aurore.
- Out of Focus: King has a small subplot while Hooty, Camila, Brucy, Acorn, Kay, and Ghost have a few scenes together. The rest of the main cast is absent save for mentions.
- Regained Memories Sequence: As Puck stares into a campfire, he slowly remembers his life when he was born a human named Kumar, taken in by Titania, abused by Oberon until he left for Neverland, and repeatedly stabbed by Oberon each time they met again until he forgot who he was.
- The Reveal:
- Kitsuni was captured by her sister Yui just as she left to find Edric.
- Cups owes his soul to Hades.
- Meg is a coven scout and her specialty is paint magic, as in bringing her art to life and subduing criminals with it.
- Mel used to be friends with Aurore and her brother Jour, and that friendship fell apart when Aurore blamed the goddess for Jour getting cursed. The siblings also turn out to be the descendants of Aurora, Philip, Belle and Adam, the descendants of the latter couple marrying those of the former and merging the families at some point.
- Tiger Lily and the Lost Boys survived the Exorcists' attack on Neverland and have been hiding in the Lost Boys' hideout.
- Jack Sparrow ended up in Neverland when his compass took him there, and was stranded when Hook stole said compass.
- D-Josh is Nasira's son and Jafar's nephew: in trying to revive Jafar using dark magic, D-Josh and Nasira were changed from humans to genies and separated.
- Hades was the one who revived Jafar and sent him to Wonderland.
- Puck was born a human named Kumar from India. His mother died after giving birth to him and he was adopted by Titiana, and a jealous Oberon not only made her fall for someone else, but repeatedly stabbed Puck each time he encountered him.
- Demon-Puck's old witch form was a form that Oberon took when he stabbed him in the back.
- Trini used to work at Ozzie's, which is where she met Mel before her banishment from Hell.
- The Weird Sisters turn out to be the Fates, with the Mother being Lachesis, the Maiden being Clotho, and the Crone being Atropos. They are also shown to be other incarnations like the Gift Givers of the Grove, the Norms, the Graeae, and the Witches of Morva.
- Second-Act Breakup: Subverted when Edric tries to dump Mel; she just laughs it off and says he belongs to her now whether he likes it or not.
- Sequel Hook:
- Maleficent is now the ruler of the Unseelie Clan, which will be a massive problem for the Order to deal with now.
- Mel now knows Luz, Eda, Amity, and their friends are coming to the Underworld to get Hades' help to deal with her, and intends to prepare to make them miserable.
- Shared Family Quirks: Like Hades, Mel can lose her temper and create intense flames out of fury.
- Shout-Out:
- King refers to Trini as a literal "Scarface".
- Mel sings "In the Land of the Dead" from Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure.
- Tinker Bell teaching Puck/Peter to fly again comes from Hook. Pockets the Lost Boy is also seen.
- Jafar being Hades' yes-man is a reference to their alliance in "Hercules and the Arabian Night".
- When Mel first met Aurore, the latter sings "Once Upon a Dream", which was also sung by her ancestor, Aurora.
- Mel burning Aurore's hands by accident brings to mind Aang doing the same to Katara in the Avatar: The Last Airbender episode, "The Deserter".
- Jack Sparrow makes an appearance.
- The Weird Sisters' other forms include the Gift Givers of the Grove from My Little Pony: Best Gift Ever.
- Skewed Priorities: Compared to what Mel and D-Josh suggest on which doors in The Multiverse to open using the keyblade, Trini would rather open all the bathrooms.
- Sole Survivor: Tiger Lily is the last of her people after the Exorcists' attack on Neverland.
- Synchronous Episodes: As this chapter's synopsis reveals, the events here are set as the same time as those of the previous two chapters. In fact by the time the chapter ends, Mel learns from the Fates that Luz's group is traveling down the River Styx in order to reach the Underworld.
- This Is Gonna Suck: Maleficent is ruler of the Unseelies, something that Kitsuni knows will have to be dealt with once Mel is taken care of.
- Uncertain Doom: Tinker Bell isn't sure if her friends from Pixie Hollow survived the Exorcists' attack after evacuating.
- The Un-Reveal:
- How do the Holder brothers know Hades, and what did Cups do that resulted in the death god wanting his soul?
- The Fae that cursed Jour is yet to be revealed.
- Unwitting Pawn: Puck realizes too late that Maleficent and Meteora used him to overthrow Oberon just so Maleficent could sieze control over the Unseelie clan.
- Villain Episode: The A-plot showcases Mel returning to the Underworld as Edric learns her backstory from D-Josh while the B-plot shows Maleficent kickstarting her coup on Oberon once Puck agrees to help her cause.
- Villains Want Mercy: As his last act of free will, Oberon begs Puck to save him from becoming Maleficent's familiar. Puck stands by and lets it happen.
- Was It All a Lie?: Now that he knows the truth about her, Edric asks Mel if anything she told him was true; this doesn't hold much weight as he asks about her parents' divorce and her real name.
- We Used to Be Friends: Mel befriended Aurore in the past despite Maleficent warning her it wouldn't work out. Once Jour was cursed, Aurore blamed Mel and developed a hatred towards the Fae as a result.
- Wham Episode: Puck remembers his entire past including events from before he was a Fae and helps Maleficent dethrone Oberon, although this leads to Maleficent taking command of the Unseelie Clan as Puck goes with Kitsuni to warn the Order about Mel. In the Underworld, Edric learns about Mel and D-Josh''s pasts and sees that he's become no different than the hybrid. King begins planning his escape and tries to rally the rest of Mel's "pets" into joining him as Mel overthrows Hades to become ruler of the Underworld. The Weird Sisters, now unveiled as the Fates, warns Mel of Luz's group traveling down the River Styx and she leaves to intercept them.
- Wham Shot: The Weird Sisters meeting Mel, then taking several forms before settling on the Fates.
- Work Off the Debt: Since he can't take Cups' soul without getting into trouble, Hades has him and Mugs entertain him for the weekend before sending them back to the Demon Realm.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Edric's response to Mel acting like Amity wronged her and was in the right for outing her.Edric: Are you fucking kidding me right now?! Do you honestly think you're in the right for kidnapping me, King, and those two over there?! I've been deceived before by someone I used to love, and now I've been deceived again by someone who shows no regard for her actions, has lied to me from the moment we met, has hurt people, kidnapped us from our homes, and let Donna get taken by Jackson! Not to mention you just referred to me and King as your pets, which we're not, and you endangered my little sister! [...] I don't care who she is! You've crossed the line, Mel! Consider us through!
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Once Oberon is defeated and Maleficent seizes the throne and power over the Unseelie Clan, she tells Puck he's served his purpose and can do whatever he wants now.
