On Bump and Bias
This column is a reprint from Unwinnable Monthly #183. If you like what you see, grab the magazine for less than ten dollars, or subscribe and get all future magazines for half price.
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Here’s the Thing is where Rob dumps his random thoughts and strong opinions on all manner of nerdy subjects – from videogames and movies to board games and toys.
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Like anyone else who’s watched the show through to the end, I adore The Owl House. I’d even go as far as to say it’s technically a better overall package than She-Ra and the Princesses of Power – but I’d still rank She-Ra above it because of what that show means to me. So much can be said (and has been) about The Owl House and the way it presents a wide variety of subjects, but I want to zero in on one particular character and one particular idea. Because here’s the thing: Principal Bump is a masterclass in showing us how easily we can be swayed by personal biases. Mild spoilers from here on out, obviously.
When we first meet Principal Bump, he’s presented as a rather intimidating and almost antagonistic figure. He’s the principal of Hexside (one of a few magic schools in the Demon Realm), so of course he’s an authority figure, but he also has somewhat unnerving yellow and blue eyes along with what look to be literal devil horns on his head.
Due to episode shenanigans, Bump ends up trying to get Luz (the series protagonist) vivisected by another student in an attempt to . . . well . . . it’s complicated enough to not go through everything here for the sake of space. Suffice it to say, the creepy looking guy with devil horns seems to be gleefully trying to get our hero killed in a pretty gruesome way. So, clearly, he’s a bad guy and will end up being a threat in later episodes in some capacity, right?
The next time we see Principal Bump is when Luz’s mentor, Eda (the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles), is attempting to convince him to let Luz become a student at Hexside in order to try to learn magic. Eda’s inclination, and our own, is to automatically assume Bump would be against the idea. And yet, he accepts it immediately, stating that having a “human exchange student” would benefit everyone – Luz herself, as well as the other students.
More episode shenanigans ensue, and Bump is about ready to permanently ban both Eda and Luz from school grounds. Things are explained and he decides to give Luz a chance, but there’s still one nagging concern. Will Bump rat them out to authorities that have been trying to capture Eda (because more stuff I’m not going to get into)? And, no, he won’t. Stating “I’m the principal, not a stooge.”
Turns out that, despite how he’s first introduced, Bump isn’t a monster. He’s not even a bad guy. He’s actually an extremely compassionate and caring person who would (and to a certain extent, kinda does) fight and die to keep his students safe. Even when it means standing up to the Boiling Isles’ equivalent of law enforcement – which by that point has been revealed to be corrupt (like all law enforcement, really).
Partway through the second season we even find out why Principal Bump looks so cartoonishly evil. You know, aside from the show clearly trying to use our own preconceptions to throw us for a loop. His appearance is really due to his palisman (sort of like a magical familiar that can also turn into a magic staff), Frewin. When not in staff form, Frewin – who looks like an adorable little devil creature and you can even see his little booty and tail over Bump’s shoulder most of the time – sort of . . . engulfs Bump’s head in order to help him see better. Likely because of an eye injury that we can see whenever he’s not wearing Frewin like some sort of macabre hat.
Now, yes, when we first meet him, he’s seemingly trying to get our hero killed, but was he? Going back to watch the episode after finishing the series makes me think that wasn’t actually the case. With the context that Bump is actually a really good guy, suddenly his ominous smile as he pulls a knife out of his robe (you know, for the vivisection) almost looks . . . mischievous. Or possibly like he’s about to catch someone in a lie.
The Owl House is full of characters that do this kind of thing in one way or another. A kindly wizard turns out to be a vindictive demon octopus thing; the timid friend that’s always picked on ends up being a goddamn powerhouse (both mystically and physically) by the end of season two; a very powerful witch that specializes in plant magic, who we’re inclined to expect is reasonable and kind, is actually sadistic and a little bit terrifying; the bigoted, genocidal, manipulative main antagonist looks nice and friendly.
I never felt like the show was judging or scolding me for having these preconceptions, and I’d never do that to anyone else watching it for the first time. To an extent, that’s probably even the point.
Two running themes are that good and bad comes down to actions, not appearances, and that even “bad” people can change for the better – but they have to want and be capable of it first. We all know it’s not a great idea to judge someone based on how they look, but we do it all the time because it’s human nature. Something we’ll always need to internally push back against. But we have to want to do it. We have to be aware of our biases and prejudices and want to change them, for the sake of bettering ourselves and for the sake of those around us.
And if we catch ourselves doing it, even after trying to be consciences about it, that’s okay! We’re only human. What matters is that we notice, and that we care enough to course correct. Feeling bad about subconsciously thinking or doing something bad is a sign that we’re learning and trying to improve ourselves. Which is one of the best things we can strive for.
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Rob Rich is a guy who’s loved nerdy stuff since the 80s, from videogames to Anime to Godzilla to Power Rangers toys to Transformers, and has had the good fortune of being able to write about them all. He’s also editor for the Games section of Exploits! You can still find him on Bluesky and Mastodon.
