Original air date: 4/2/2022 (produced in 2021)
Production code: 213
Hunter goes undercover at Hexside where Willow recruits him to join her new Flyer Derby team, not knowing he plans to get them to join the Emperor's Coven. Meanwhile, Luz and Amity try to track down the author for The Good Witch Azura.
Tropes:
- Accidental Athlete: Willow decides to scout Hunter for her Flyer Derby team when she sees him escaping an angry griffon's clutches and stealing his boot back from it.
- Affectionate Gesture to the Head: It initially looks like Darius is going to strike Hunter for defying him, only to instead gently bop him on the head while saying he is impressed with him.
- All for Nothing: When Amity and Luz notice the differences between the author portraits on their Azura books, they try and track the author down at a book signing, hoping to find some answers, and maybe a portal to Earth. When they finally chase the supposed author down, it turns out to be a disguised Tiny Nose, and the whole thing with the pictures was because Tibbles was trying a scam. On the side of Tibbles, since Amity is literally the only one buying the books in the Isles, it's all been a net loss for him.
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: When Alador posts a selfie on Penstagram hashtagged #WHOSTHEHACKNOW, Emira (as "EM_IRA") is seen commenting below the post with "DAD THIS IS EMBARRASSING 🤮".
- Americans Hate Tingle: In-Universe, the Good Witch Azura series is very popular in the Human Realm, with several movie adaptions. In the Boiling Isles, Amity is the only one who actually likes it. Boscha mocks the saccharine cover art and the flowery language when Luz tries to sell her on it.
- Amusing Injuries: Poor Steve got his mask dented from being punched in the head by Skara, and he ends up carrying an ice pack on his parietal area.
- An Aesop: Luz and Amity come up with wackier and wackier theories as to who the author of the Azura books really is, but eventually learn that she is just a normal human who wrote a children's book. Luz realizes she and Amity were putting undue importance on the author due to their love of the books, and ends up concluding that you don't have to be a special person to make something special.
- Anti-Climax: Luz and Amity track down who they think is the writer of the Azura books, believing they may be a cross-dimensional traveler, but the truth is the books just leaked through from the human realm like so much other junk. They're reproduced and sold by Tibbles running another scam, using Tiny Nose to pose as the writer while having Mattholomule touch up the picture on the back to make her look like a witch. Tibbles, rather mockingly, lampshades Luz's disappointment.
- Armor-Piercing Question: When Darius arrives to take away Hunter's captured teammates (whom the latter betrayed), he returns the old Golden Guard cloak to him, and Hunter happily remarks that now he can finally wear it proudly. Darius sarcastically and disapprovingly asks "Can you?", and Hunter then starts developing serious doubts about what he's done (which is solidified by Steve's words afterward).
- Atrocious Alias: Hunter spends most of the episode going by the name "Caleb Jasper Bloodwilliams."
- Being Evil Sucks: Reminiscing about the training to get into the Emperor's Coven, Steve begins to regret his life choices. Hunter likewise realizes he's made a terrible mistake.
- Berate and Switch: After Hunter stands up to Darius and lets the Emerald Entrails go free, Darius is seemingly furious at his actions and pulls back his arm as if to strike him... then just lightly bops him on the head and praises him for finally showing some backbone and making friends outside the castle.
- Big "WHAT?!": A shared reaction by Luz and Amity at the end of the episode, when they see the team selfie with Hunter in it. It's so big that it shakes the Boiling Isles and sends birds flying.
- Bilingual Bonus: Luz calls Amity "hermosa" (which is Spanish for "beautiful") at one point.
- Breather Episode: This episode is relatively lighthearted and comedic, albeit with some character development for Hunter, compared to the lore-building in the previous episode.
- Brick Joke: Darius calling Alador a hack in "Eda's Requiem" gets a brief Continuity Nod here. Alador posted his Abomaton 2.5 on Pentstagram with the hashtag #WHOSTHEHACKNOW. Darius simply groans and mutes him.
- The Bus Came Back:
- The Detention Trio finally have major roles again in this episode, with Viney joining Willow's team.
- The Abomination Professor from season one returns as well.
- Tibbles makes a speaking appearance for the first time since "Really Small Problems".
- On a milder note, Cat makes her first appearance since "Wing It Like Witches" last season. Likewise, the blonde oracle guy cameos after last being seen in "Really Small Problems".
- Call-Back:
- The episode features a character giving themselves a pep talk in a mirror like in "Wing It Like Witches" (there it was Boscha while here it's her former victim Willow).
- The Azura book club Luz wanted to set up with Amity back in "Adventures in the Elements" is finally shown.
- When telling Luz about how she plans to form the Flyer Derby team, Willow states that she's been practicing at home since the Grudgby match she played with Luz and Amity against Boscha in "Wing it Like Witches".
- Tibbles reveals that the Good Witch Azura books wash up on the shore like most human junk, something that had been shown when Luz was looking up information on Philip in "Through the Looking Glass Ruins".
- Alador's Penstagram post showing off his Abomaton 2.5 has the hashtag "Who's the hack now?". In "Eda's Requiem", Darius called Alador a "hack" for his creation of the Abomatons.
- Willow mentions her old nickname of "Half-a-witch".
- When Luz and Amity see Hunter in the group picture of Willow's Flyer Derby team, they let out a Big "WHAT?!", just as Amity did at the end of "Hooty's Moving Hassle" when she saw the picture of Luz, Gus and Willow with the animated Owl House.
- Characterization Marches On: A minor case, but Boscha is notably mellower here than in her previous appearance. In "Wing It Like Witches", she was a Barbaric Bully before, willing to go as far as to cause physical harm. Here, her bullying is limited to merely making fun of Luz' favorite books, which Luz isn't even particularily offended by.
- Chekhov's Gag: When Hunter asks how Willow plans to recruit "the best and brightest" for Flyer Derby, he suggests a witch's duel, a maze full of traps, and leaving them at the top of a mountain and picking the survivors. When Willow, Gus, and the others are captured and being taken away by Darius, it turns out that this is what all Emperor's Coven recruits are put through to be allowed to join.
- Club Stub: The Azura book club is shown to consist solely of Luz and Amity since they are the only two people at Hexside who are actually interested in the series. They eventually decide to rebrand as a writing club instead.
- Collective Identity: Played with. Mildred Featherwhyle is the actual author of the Azura series, but Tibbles is publishing bootleg copies of the story on the Boiling Isles under her name with Mattholomule doctoring the author's photo to make her look like a witch and Tiny Nose acting as her for public appearances.
- Commonality Connection: Willow and Hunter find silent empathy with each other when they reveal they are/were known as "half-a-witch." This resolves Willow to show Hunter that the Flyer Derby recruits are more than they first appear and persuades Hunter to rescue the team, respectively.
- Conditioned to Accept Horror: Hunter actually considers the Training from Hell that the Emperor's Coven scouts go through fun. He also thinks it's totally normal to have just one day off a year, being forced to abandon your friends and family forever, and have "friends" who constantly stab one another in the back at every chance.
- Conspicuous Trenchcoat: Tiny Nose uses this along with stilts to avoid being recognized while posing as the author of the Azura series.
- Continuity Cameo:
- Raine appears with the other Coven heads as they all leave at the start of the episode, pausing to look at Hunter before being ushered away by Terra.
- Barcus is seen amongst the students playing Hexas Hold'em.
- Continuity Nod:
- The pattern of the old Golden Guard's patch looks exactly the same as the crest of Gravesfield, as seen in "Yesterday's Lie".
- The photo of Luz, Amity, Willow, and Gus at Grom shows up again, this time on the side of Willow's mirror.
- All but one of Professor Hermonculus' teammates are members of the Abomination track. The one that isn't is part of the Baby Class (and thus not old enough to be part of any track), though her ancestor was shown using abomination magic in "Elsewhere and Elsewhen".
- After Hunter is reminded of what Belos does to palismen, he flashes back to the scene of Belos draining one in "Hunting Palismen".
- Luz previously saw an article on a crystal ball about a box of human literature washing up on a beach. This is where Tibbles got his copies of the books from.
- Conveniently Timed Distraction: Willow and the others try to reclaim their palismen from Darius, but he keeps thwarting their attempts. When Darius tells them they need to be more clever if they want their palisman back, Hunter pops up in front of Darius, distracting him from the others, which gives Willow the distraction they need to reclaim their palismen and crash the ship to the ground.
- Costume Evolution: A minor case. Willow now wears ankle-length heeled shoes with her uniform and the frames of her glasses are now gold instead of black.
- A Day in the Limelight: For Willow and Hunter, whose interactions form the A-plot. By extension, Gus, Viney and especially Skara are given some much needed screentime.
- Deus Exit Machina: With Luz and Amity out doing their own thing, no one is left to stop the Emerald Entrails from being kidnapped by the Emperor's Coven, or to rescue them after they are. It's up to Hunter to find his conscience and make the situation right.
- Dramatic Irony: Willow and Gus spend most of the episode befriending Hunter, unaware that he's actually the Emperor's right-hand man, the Golden Guard, because they've never seen his face before. Even when he tells them point-blank that he's the Golden Guard, they think he's joking at first until he puts his uniform on.
- Drench Celebration: After Hunter scores the winning goal of the Flyer Derby game, Viney dumps a tub of red liquid on him.
- Drunk with Power: Discussed and Played for Laughs by Willow, who tells herself "don't let the power get to your head just yet," upon becoming captain of the nascent Flyer Derby team.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Hunter has this reaction when none of the other Coven Heads take him seriously after Belos leaves him in charge for the day, even implicitly rescheduling a meeting because of it, and not even bothering to explain as they leave the room. Darius is the most vocal about not liking Hunter, since the last Golden Guard was his mentor and he views Hunter as an Inadequate Inheritor.
- Dull Surprise: Luz's reaction to Amity telling her that the author of The Good Witch Azura is holding a book signing at the Book Nook this afternoon is a flat "Huh?", since Luz believes the author to be human and is confused by Amity's statement.Amity: You are much less excited than I imagined.
- Easily Forgiven:
- Willow and the Emerald Entrails forgive Hunter for kidnapping them and are more than happy to let him play Flyer Derby with them next year.
- Surprisingly, Darius forgives Hunter for attacking his ship and letting the students go, all because he's relieved he's finally connecting with kids his age outside the castle.
- Entertainingly Wrong:
- Hunter believes other teenagers are into authority and rules, just like he is.
- Amity realises that the portrait of Mildred Featherwhyle on her copy of the Azura books is different to the portrait on Luz's copies. After coming up with numerous theories as to how this could be the case, it turns out to have been Tibbles pulling another scam.
- Entertainment Below Their Age: Luz says that the Good Witch Azura books are written for ages six to eleven, but she and Amity are fourteen and huge fans of the series (in fact, they seem to be the only fans of the series in the entirety of the Demon Realm). This is also
Reality Subtext - The Owl House itself is aimed at ages six to eleven like the rest of Disney Channel programming, but most of the fans are teenagers and young adults, something that the show staff is very much aware of. - Et Tu, Brute?: Played for laughs. Viney hisses out "Traitor!" upon seeing Jerbo on the opposing team, complete with Throat-Slitting Gesture. Jerbo is horrified because he didn't even know she was on the other team.
- Everyone Has Standards: Professor Hermonculus pulls a cheap move on Willow while on the ground, saying his "hand slipped"; the other players, his included, glare at him, annoyed.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Although he's more misguided than truly malicious, Hunter being under the sway of Belos for most of his life and having no friends has given him an incredibly skewed view of the Emperor's Coven's "greatness". He finds it strange his teammates don't like being kidnapped and forced into the coven against their will, that people don't want to abandon all their loved ones for a coven, and is repulsed when Jerbo states his ambition to change the coven system to allow for more multi-track covens rather than joining the Emperor's Coven.
- Evil-Detecting Dog: Viney's pet griffon Puddles tries to attack Hunter twice. Then again, he did provoke the creature earlier by stepping on her tail.
- Evil Is Petty: Professor Hermonculus threatens to shut down Willow's club unless she steps down as Captain because he's still mad she switched to the Plant track. And this is despite being a skilled Flyer Derby player himself, which he rubs her face in when saying that he might change his mind if they beat his team.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: Just before the fake author of the Azura books is revealed to be Tiny Nose, she blasts apart Amity's abomination with the exact same spell she used to she attack King back in "Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Hooty's Door".
- Foreshadowing:
- When Willow asks Hunter for his name upon meeting him in disguise, he struggles to come up with an alias. His Palisman whistles something to him, followed immediately by him blurting out the name "Caleb".
- When last seen in this episode, Steve mentions questioning his life choices. The next time he appears in "O Titan, Where Art Thou", this thought process will lead to him quitting the Emperor's Coven.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus:
- The picture Willow has of the "Ghouls" Flyer Derby team features two players that appear to be younger versions of her dads.
- When Professor Hermonculus shows a picture of himself playing Flyer Derby when he was young, a young Principal Bump is seen in the back.
- Darius scrolls through Penstagram, showing three different posts:
- Raine shows off a selection of violins, with Eda (who had made an alt account) posting messages trying to get Raine to call her.
- Lilith is reviewing inks with her palisman, with hashtags such as #BadGirl and #Cool.
- Alador is showing off the new Abomaton 2.5, mocking Darius for calling him a hack, with Emira calling him "embarrassing".
- Given Name Reveal:
- The Abomination professor's last name is revealed to be Hermonculus when Willow addresses him.
- The name of the author of The Good Witch Azura series is revealed to be Mildred Featherwhyle when Luz and Amity are discussing if she's actually able to travel between realms.
- Tiny Nose's name is revealed to be Tinella Nosa when Amity recognizes her. Luz lampshades it by declaring "She had a name this whole time?"
- Heroic BSoD: Willow takes it hard when she finds out "Caleb" is really the Golden Guard and then tries to force her and the other Entrails into the Emperor's Coven against their will. She relapses into thinking she really deserves to be called "Half-a-Witch Willow". She gets over it when Hunter saves them from Darius.
- Hidden Buxom: Willow's flyer derby uniform shows off that she's far curvier than her Hexside uniform, casual dress, or even her workout clothes reveal.
- Hidden Depths: Skara's shown to be an avid follower and strategist in flyer derby but has been playing grudgby for so long, she has to catch up. And like Willow, Gus and Viney, she was also looked down upon at some point, possibly a reference to how a younger Amity thought she was mean when evidence shows she really isn't.
- Hypocritical Humor: When Luz suggests that the author of the Azura books is really Eda in disguise, Amity tells her that theory is unrealistic. She then claims that the author is Luz's mother's teenage self sent forward in time.
- I'm Standing Right Here: Boscha is deeply annoyed at how Luz and Amity quickly forget about her presence while talking about the Azura books' author.
- Inadequate Inheritor: Part of why Darius doesn't like Hunter much is that he was mentored by the last Golden Guard, and doesn't feel that Hunter measures up to the role. He even steals Hunter's cloak, with the old Guard's patch poorly sewn onto it, until he earns the right to wear it.
- Instantly Proven Wrong: Luz tries to defend the Azura books after Boscha disparages their covers by saying that it's the words inside that are important. Boscha proceeds to dramatically read a purple prose-laden passage, forcing Luz to concede that it is a bit overwrought.
- Irony:
- Boscha, annoyed with Luz and Amity ignoring her, shouts that she has more friends than them and yet is totally unaware that Skara, her best friend, later spends time hanging out with Willow, her former victim, for the majority of the episode.
- Speaking of Skara, she's the only member of the Emerald Entrails with actual team sport experience (being a member of the Banshees), yet she's the first one eliminated during the match against Professor Hermonculus.
- Internal Reveal: While Luz already told Willow and Gus about Hunter off-screen, this is the first time they, along with Skara and Viney, see his face.
- It's All My Fault: Willow blames herself for her team being captured by Hunter and the Emperor's Coven, calling herself "half-a-witch." This and Steve help convince Hunter that he's actually done a terrible thing by forcibly recruiting them.
- It's the Journey That Counts: While Luz and Amity are bummed that their search for the author ended up amounting to nothing, they do take solace in the fact that they enjoyed each other's company while on a magical quest. Luz suggests they start a writing club instead, which Amity agrees to.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Even Luz has to admit that Boscha is right when she criticizes the Azura books' prose.
- King Incognito: Since most people outside of the Emperor's inner circle don't know what the Golden Guard looks like under his mask, Hunter is able to spend most of the episode masquerading as an ordinary student.
- Legacy Character: Hunter isn't the first Golden Guard. The previous person to hold the role evidently could do magic, and was Darius's mentor.
- Line-of-Sight Name: When Gus asks why he's never seen Hunter at Hexside before, Hunter hastily states he's a new transfer student from the Titan's toes, after looking at Viney's pet griffon licking her foot.
- Literal-Minded: When Willow compliments him on his "sick flying skills", Hunter comments that he doesn't feel sick.
- Missed Him by That Much: Luz and Amity run off to meet the author of the Azura books, who is currently doing a book signing, conveniently removing the only two people at Hexside who would have instantly recognized Hunter seconds before he arrives.
- Mundane Utility: This episode shows that Willow uses her plant magic in her workout routine and her bee palisman acts as her spotter.
- My God, What Have I Done?:
- Hunter has this reaction after Darius takes the Emerald Entrails and Steve reminds him about how much being in the Emperor's Coven, particularly the training, actually sucks and that they'll have their palismen forcefully taken away to be consumed by Belos.
- Amity has this reaction when she finds out she’s been buying into a scam.
- No Social Skills: Hunter clearly has no idea how to interact with teens his own age in normal circumstances.
- Not Helping Your Case: While fleeing from Viney's pet griffon Puddles, Hunter calls her a "flea magnet".
- Only One Finds It Fun: It turns out Amity, much to her embarrassment, is literally the only person in the entirety of the Boiling Isles who likes The Good Witch Azura (barring King, who doesn't need to buy it since he can just read Luz's copies). Tibbles complains he's only been able to sell the books to a single person (Amity), while Luz fails to recruit even a single member for her Azura book club in the beginning. They come to the conclusion that a writing club would probably work better.
- Pet the Dog:
- Darius never intended to force the kids into the Emperor's Coven, and was just going to drop them off at Hexside. He is willing to attack and potentially kill them, but only after they crash his airship.
- Darius also sincerely praises Hunter for making friends and being willing to stand up to him, fixing up the patch on his cloak that belonged to the previous Golden Guard and gifting him a scroll so he can keep in touch with his new friends. He also promises to keep Hunter's palisman a secret.
- After being reminded about why it kinda sucks to be in the Emperor's Coven, Hunter helps his teammates escape from Darius.
- Belos seems to attempt one by giving Hunter the opportunity to handle the Coven Heads' meeting for the day, explicitly so he can prove himself, but unfortunately the Heads just decide to reschedule it themselves instead.
- Photo Memento: Willow takes a group photo after the Emerald Entrails win their match against Professor Hermonculus's team. Luz and Amity are shocked when they see Hunter in it at the end of the episode.
- Poor Communication Kills: It turns out Darius never intended to force the Emerald Entrails to join the Emperor's Coven and was planning on just returning them to Hexside, but since he didn't bother to explain this, the students end up wrecking his airship in their bid to escape.
- Press-Ganged: Although Darius didn't actually intend to go through with it, the fact that no one questions that he's planning to force the Emerald Entrails into the Emperor's Coven implies that it is entirely possible to join the Coven against your will.
- Properly Paranoid: Gus is rightly suspicious about Hunter just showing up out of nowhere, but he puts it aside because he wants Willow to succeed and Hunter is helping her do that.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Darius has shades of this, as while he has no particular issue with doing the bidding of Emperor Belos, he doesn't see much need to take further initiative. He proves uninterested in the idea of rounding up more unwilling recruits when the Coven already has plenty and is willing to ignore the issue of Hunter's Palisman. Apart from being dismissive of Hunter initially and furious at having his ship crashed, Darius proves fairly mild-mannered.
- Purple Prose: It's once again highlighted that the prose in the Azura books is "ornate" as Luz as puts it.Boscha: (reading an excerpt) "Twice have I tarried at Tanabrack. Yet e'er have I kept my troth to thee, Azura."
- Resignations Not Accepted: Hunter tries to quit the team when Willow's recruits seem unimpressive. Willow responds by using her magic to drag him to the field to force him to see how well they do, because she doesn't like herself or others being underestimated.
- The Reveal:
- There have been previous Golden Guards before Hunter.
- Tibbles is the one that has been selling the Azura books on the Boiling Isles, and Amity is the only one that's ever bought one.
- On a lesser note, Skara's palisman is revealed to be a cricket while Jerbo's is a unidog.
- Even lesser, Viney mentions that Puddles is a girl.
- Scary Shiny Glasses: Hunter is introduced to Willow by her snatching him out of the air with vines and seeming to glare down at him with these... before she sweetly asks him to join her Flyer Derby team.
- Secret-Keeper: After discovering that Hunter has the cardinal palisman, Darius promises to keep it a secret.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Amity and Luz's quest to find the author of the Azura books, believing she may have some way to travel between realms, turns up nothing useful. The differing author portraits on the back covers were a Red Herring; Tibbles had been altering them to hide that they were human-written books.
- Shout-Out:
- In the opening scene of the episode a Sprig plushie can be seen poking out of the pillows on Hunter's bed.
- Willow's Flyer Derby pamphlet
◊ depicts palismen that strongly resemble certain Digimon. In order from closest to farthest, clockwise, the palismen are Patamon, Gatomon, Tsunomon, Biyomon, and Diaboromon.
- Sickeningly Sweet: As Boscha points out, the cover art for the Azura books is a bit on the saccharine side, with one of them depicting Azura holding a puppy while riding a broomstick that leaves a trail of rainbows.
- Sky Surfing: Gus's preferred method of staff flight, which serves him quite well. Willow also engages in sky-surfing during the match while Hunter briefly uses it in his demo to garner members.
- Snipe Hunt: It's pretty clear that Darius only suggested that Hunter find recruits for the Emperor's Coven to get him out of his hair, and actually says as much under his breath when Hunter calls him. Darius even more-or-less admits it at the end, saying that the Coven has too many recruits as it is, so he was just going to send the team back to Hexside. But he does appreciate him for trying anyways.
- Social Media Before Reason: Subverted. At first, it seems like Skara is more interested in her Penstagram account than Flyer Derby, but she soon reveals that she was simply looking up strategies for the game.
- So Proud of You: Darius is actually pleased that Hunter stood up to him to protect his new friends, and has started to make friends outside the castle.
- Stronger Than You Look: Despite her youth, Skara was able to punch Steve so hard she left a huge dent in his mask.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Luz tries to brandish the Azura books in her hand like a deck of cards. They altogether prove to be very heavy and promptly fall out after a few seconds, hurting her hand from the strain.
- When Viney and Jerbo - two students who have presumably never played Flyer Derby before - charge at each other during the match, they crash into each other with their staffs soaring away rather than snagging each other's flags.
- Take a Third Option: Unsatisfied with the options of only being able to study multiple kinds of magic if he becomes a criminalized wild witch or joins the Emperor's Coven, Jerbo plans to reform the coven system to allow for more multi-track covens.
- Take That, Audience!: The B-plot with Luz and Amity trying to solve the puzzle of whether the author of the Azura books is a witch or human, coming up with some wild theories in the process, only to find out that it was just Tibbles altering the author photo on the back to try and make a quick buck, is one to fans who do this towards the show. Tibbles even lampshades the Anti-Climax by mockingly asking if they were expecting some big discovery.
- Teleport Spam: Hunter uses his teleportation/Flash Step spell to great effect during the Flyer Derby match.
- Tempting Fate: Darius tells the Emerald Entrails they'll need to be more clever if they want to escape from him after he easily thwarts a few escape attempts. Only a few seconds after he says this, Gus casts an illusion of them jumping over the side of the ship, which fools Darius for long enough for them to take control of the steering and crash-land the ship.
- This Is Gonna Suck: Jerbo is very happy for being asked to play with Professor Hermonculus' team as he feels they are going to have a "fun afternoon"... until the moment he sees a very angry Viney in the opposing team calling him traitor.
- Throat-Slitting Gesture: Viney does this towards Jerbo once she sees that he's on the opposing team.
- Torso with a View: When Amity conjures a massive Abomination to capture the author, she uses fire magic to blast a hole through its stomach, then leaps through.
- Training from Hell: Recruits for the Emperor's Coven are forced into witch duels, mazes filled with dangerous traps, and left at the top of a mountain to find their own way back. It's indicated that many recruits don't survive the last one.
- Underestimating Badassery: Hunter doesn't think much of the witches Willow recruits for her Flyer Derby team at first. They soon prove themselves more capable than he thought.
- Unwitting Pawn: Willow and her Flyer Derby team become this to Hunter.
- Villain Opening Scene: The episode begins at the Emperor's castle where Hunter is tasked by Darius to find new recruits for the Emperor's Coven as part of a Snipe Hunt.
- We Need a Distraction: Gus conjures an illusion of the team leaping from the airship so Darius and Hunter will be distracted. By the time they realize the trick, the four have reclaimed their palismen and bring down the airship.
- Wild Mass Guessing: In-Universe, Luz and Amity come up with some wild theories to try and explain how the Azura books are sold in two different worlds.
- The Worf Effect: Willow's powerful plant magic and her adept skill at using it has made her one of the strongest students at Hexside, but she stands no chance against Darius, who easily slices through all of her plants with his Abomination magic, demonstrating that coven heads are leagues above even the best students.
