Wing It Like Witches

"Wing It Like Witches" is the seventeenth episode of the Disney Channel animated series The Owl House. It premiered on August 15, 2020.
==Synopsis==
To get back at Boscha for teasing them, Luz, Willow, and Gus challenge her to a Grudgby match.
==Plot==
It is Grudgby season at Hexside. Boscha is the team captain of the Banshees and the star player. When she arrives at school on the big day, she is expecting a crowd of people to greet her. Instead, everyone is paying attention to Willow, who feels more confident and everyone is being very nice to her since she and Amity rekindled their friendship. Amity also no longer considers Boscha a friend, and kept her word that she would not let her and her friends bully Willow again.
Willow's newfound popularity soon begins to annoy Boscha, that she starts being extra cruel towards Willow, Luz, and Gus. Worst of all, everyone, including the teachers, let her get away with it. During the Grudgby season, Boscha is extra unbearable, and reasoning with her is impossible. According to Amity, the only way to get through to her is with Grudgby terms. So, Luz has Willow challenge Boscha to a Grudgby match, much to everyone's shock. Willow tries to get out of it, but the deal is set. If Willow's team wins, Boshca does not get to bully Willow again. But if Boscha's team wins, she and her friends will get to use Willow, Luz, and Gus as target practice. Both agree to meet at the Grudgby field after school.
At the Grudgby field, Luz begins training Willow and Gus, and according to them the aim of the game is to get the ball through the hoops while dodging magic traps. Everyone keeps telling her this is not a goody idea and that Willow has never played Grudgby, but Luz's overconfident and positive attitude will not let her listen. The training does not go well, and Luz starts to push Willow and Gus too hard. After almost getting them hurt with a move called the Thorn Vault, Willow and Gus call it quits. Willow tells Luz the game is off and leaves with Gus.
Amity finds Luz by herself, feeling rather ashamed. The two of them have a heart-to-heart talk. Luz just wanted to help Willow stand up to Boscha. Amity tells her that before Boscha, she used to be Grudgby team captain until she left the team. The team was playing against Glandus High for the Island Championship, and at the last minute she changed the game plan to the Thorn Vault. It went disastrously wrong, and her teammate got hurt. After that, she never played Grudgby again. After this talk, Luz confronts Boscha on the Grudgby field and tells her they forfeit and that she takes Willow's place as their target practice. So, Boscha and her friends start to attack her with Grudgby balls without mercy. Worried for Luz, Amity runs off to get help from Willow and Gus. Willow enters the scene to protect Luz, and re-challenges Boscha to a match. Amity also joins the team.
Meanwhile, while looking through her old Grudgby pictures, Eda is met by Lilith at her house. She has come to take her in, but Eda is not having any of it. But after Lilith insults her about her days as a Grudgby player, Eda challenges her to a match. If Lilith wins, Eda will surrender to the Emperor's Coven without a fight. They set up a Grudgby outside the house, and have Hooty as the referee and the traps. The game between Eda and Lilith comes to a tie. One more play will declare the winner. Eda intends to cheat, but discovers her cheat kit is empty because Luz had it cleaned. Eda now has no choice but to win the honest way. The final game begins, Eda gets the upper hand and wins without cheating. Lilith is devastated because the Emperor is expecting her to show up with Eda in custody and cannot go back empty-handed. So Eda gives Lilith her ring so she can tell him she put up a struggle. Lilith then leaves, but promises to return.
The game between Boscha's and Willow's team begins. Luz, Willow and Amity manage tackle everything Boscha and the field try to throw at them. Luz also learns how to cast fire magic during the game. The game between the two teams comes to a tie. There is time for one more game to determine the winner. Willow's team goes with the Thorn Vault, which wins the game. However, Boscha's team won by catching the Rusty Smidge which automatically declares her team the winners. However, Boscha still loses because her friends show new respect for Willow. They offer Willow to join their team, but she declines.
==Cast==
*Sarah-Nicole Robles as Luz Noceda
*Wendie Malick as Eda Clawthorne
*Alex Hirsch as King, Hooty
*Isaac Ryan Brown as Gus Porter
*Tati Gabrielle as Willow Park
*Mae Whitman as Amity Blight
*Cissy Jones as Lilith Clawthorne
*Bumper Robinson as Principal Bump
*Eden Riegel as Boscha
*Kimberly Brooks as Skara
==Gallery==
==Trivia==
*The episode's title plays with the 2002 romantic comedy sports film, Bend It Like Beckham.
*Luz learns her fourth glyph spell in this episode, fire.
*Willow's surname is revealed to be "Park", implying that her ethnicity is specifically Korean.
*The sports montage music on Luz's phone is labeled "Ricky", a nod to the movie .
*This is the last episode to have the original credits sequence featuring Eda's original design, which would change in "Young Blood, Old Souls".
*It is revealed in this episode that Lilith used to have red hair, wore glasses, and was a potions student like Eda.
**It is also revealed that Lilith is the older sibling while Eda is the younger one.
*The Rusty Smidge is a reference to the Golden Snitch from the Harry Potter series. Luz's criticism of it being the sole goal of ending the game, thus negating any of the actual skills needed to play, is most likely a reference to the actual criticism that the fictional game Quidditch receives from the Potter fandom.
**The Rusty Smidge also appeared in the game "Witch's Apprentice".
**Though in fairness to its inspiration, the Golden Snitch awards 150 points to the team who catches it, which could provide a come-from-behind victory.
*As of this episode, Eda no longer has her ring after giving it to Lilith.
*Luz's grudgby challenge to Boscha bears similarity to Azura's challenge to Hecate in the smibbitch championship.
**This marks the second time Luz issues a challenge that parallels a scene in The Good Witch Azura franchise, with the first instance taking place in "Covention".
**In "Covention", Luz challenges Amity to a witches duel, much like Azura did with Hecate.
*The code revealed in this episode is "A Betrayal".
==International premieres==
*September 1, 2020 (United Kingdom, Malta)
*September 13, 2020 (Canada)
*October 5, 2020 (South Korea)
*October 28, 2020 (Germany)
*November 18, 2020 (France, Switzerland)
*December 1, 2020 (Netherlands)
*December 4, 2020 (Southeast Asia)
*February 5, 2021 (Italy; Disney+)
*February 24, 2021 (Latin America, Brazil)
*February 27, 2021 (Bulgaria)
*April 13, 2021 (Scandinavia)
*May 30, 2021 (Spain)
*July 1, 2021 (Israel)
*July 17, 2021 (Japan)
*December 13, 2021 (Portugal)
==External links==
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pt-br:Jogue Como Uma Bruxa
Category:The Owl House episodes
Category:LGBTQ+ representation