On Sept. 14, the announcement I had been waiting for arrived. Dana Terrence, creator and executive producer of “The Owl House,” tweeted, “Hooty hoot we’re back, October 15,” along with the show’s poster, created by Sam Bosma.

When I saw this tweet announcing the premiere of the show’s third season, I was ecstatic. I couldn’t wait to see where my favorite Disney show was going, especially after the devastating cliffhanger finale of the second season. But nothing could have prepared me for what was in store.

About a week before the first episode — “Thanks to Them” — premiered, the opening six minutes were shown at the New York City Comic Con and then released online. I was surprised that we were getting a peek at the episode so close to the premiere and I refused to watch any of the videos and leaks that I encountered online. I wanted to go into it blind and be surprised by what happened. And it was worth it.

“Thanks to Them” begins where the ending of the finale of the second season left off — with the main cast getting stranded in the Human Realm and going to main protagonist Luz Noceda’s house. Noceda reunites with her mom Camilla and the gang settles in for the night. A montage shows our heroes adjusting to life in the Human Realm and trying to make a portal back to the Demon Realm as the months go by before transitioning to the title screen.

The main focus of the episode is split between Noceda trying to reconcile with everything that has happened and blaming herself for it and her friends, Amity, Willow, Gus, Vee and Hunter trying to solve a puzzle they found that might lead to a hidden stash of Titan’s Blood, the thing they need to make a portal to the Demon Realm.

Meanwhile, there are hints that the series’ main villain, Emperor Belos, is lurking in the shadows and stalking the protagonists. Hunter begins to see Belos around after he touched a bit of Belos goo that traveled with him to the Human Realm. Belos slowly begins to possess Hunter over the course of the episode, which was greatly concerning to me.

The gang then go to a Halloween festival in town and during all their fun, Hunter tells Noceda about what the group has learned about the Titan’s Blood that might be hidden in town. Luz decides to confirm that the blood is actually real and sneaks off with Hunter to go find it. But once they arrive at the location marked on the map, things go downhill fast.

This episode was incredible. After months of waiting, we finally get to see what happened to Noceda, Amity, Willow, Gus and Hunter. “Thanks to Them” was cathartic in that we get to see the gang enjoying themselves in the Human Realm while trying to find a way home. We also get to see more development with Luz, who has always been perceived as happy-go-lucky and quirky.

Noceda has been through a lot over the course of the show and often blames herself when things go wrong for her and those she cares about. It’s difficult to see her at the lowest point she’s ever been. But she’s always had someone, from her mentor Eda, to her friends, to her girlfriend Amity, to help her back up. I have hope that Noceda will get back up from where she is and become a stronger person over the rest of the season.

This is only the first of three specials that comprise the third season of “The Owl House.” The next two are said to be coming out next year, but no dates have been announced yet. Despite this, I can’t wait to see what will happen and how this awesome series will come to a close.

The first two seasons of “The Owl House” are available on Disney+.