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The Santa Clauses Review Season 1 Episode 5 Across the Yule-verse The Santa Clauses Review Season 1 Episode 5 Across the Yule-verse

The Santa Clauses

The Santa Clauses Review – Scott and Bernard Take a Trip Across the Yule-Verse (105)

Credit: Disney+

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The penultimate episode of The Santa Clauses was one of the best installments to date mainly because of Bernard’s (David Krumholtz) return. 

Say it with me now—BERNARD! Oh, it’s good to see you old friend.

As most of us guessed, Scott Calvin’s OG right-hand elf arrived in Chicago (and froze his family) in hopes of convincing the former Santa to go back to the North Pole and save Christmas from Santa Simon, whose flawed Christmas Every Day plan was backfiring and destroying the meaning of Christmas. 

However, to convince Scott—who was under the impression (as were we) that he became Santa by sheer accident—he needed to tell him the whole truth: he was the first human hand-picked to carry the torch.

Cue a trip to the Yule-verse. I know everyone protested the name, but I’m with Scott–it’s clever and catchy and truly encompasses what he saw while over there. 

To make Scott believe again, Bernard pulled a stunt straight out of The Christmas Carol, taking the former man in the red suit on a little eye-opening journey to have a little face-to-face with all the Santas of the past. 

While there’s something to be said for all those who believe The Santa Clauses should’ve been turned into a movie, the format may not have allowed writers to explore some plots in-depth, like the trip to the Yule-verse, which was a fun use of time and an unexpected way to incorporate Bernard back into the magical storyline.

The question on everyone’s mind was Bernard’s sudden aging since elves are supposed to be immortal, and he revealed that he gave up being an elf and assumed a human body after falling in love and marrying Oscar-winner Vanessa Redgrave. Why not have a little fun with it, right?

It’s also special that Bernard is the one taking Scott on this soul-searching journey because he was the first one to introduce Scott to his new life as Santa and help him get acclimated. It needed to be Bernard to help reignite the fire… not to mention their back-and-forth banter was priceless and truly missed.

The Santa Clauses Review Season 1 Episode 5 Across the Yule-verse

Credit: Disney+

Noel is fun and all, but he’s no Bernard, and I wish the series was able to keep him around for one additional episode so he could assist Scott in reclaiming the North Pole. We all know Scott could’ve used the help. When he arrived back there, all the elves, including Betty, disappeared, and within moments, he found himself locked up in Simon’s prison after falling for the old Santa trap. Typical Scott.

But before we got to the activities of the North Pole, we have to go back to the Yule-verse, which truly felt like stepping into the History Channel. Scott finally met Santa 17, the jolly man he replaced after he fell off of his roof, and realized that it was all part of a carefully calculated plan to carry on the mission of Saint Nicholas and meet the challenges of the time. The other Santas had to deal with things like the Great Depression and world wars, but Scott’s reign started when technology began replacing the magic. And technology has only become more prevalent since his takeover in 1994; it’s now the very thing threatening the very sanctity of the holiday. 

Santa is often portrayed as a fun and silly character, but the series acknowledged the history that is important to remember—Santa is a sign of hope during the dark and trying times. Times may have changed since the days when Santa gave out oranges, but the need for hope and optimism remains just as necessary.

Bernard succeeded in his mission of reminding Scott of the true meaning of Christmas—beyond the presents—and the importance of Santa, the one that embodies and represents all the ones that came before him.

It’s not just an accident that he was chosen for the role either as a flashback scene to when Scott was a child proves that Santa deemed him worthy of making the world a better place and helping people believe again. The episode also serves as a prequel to The Santa Clause film, and I don’t hate it. It’s nice to see what came before Scott.

And since he’s such a special figure chosen to deal with this very crisis, it’s why he’s the only person that can stop Simon from his destructive plan (aside from Grace, I’m sure). 

One of the exciting developments that came out of the Santa meeting in the Yule-verse was that part of the plan included Santa having human children who would hopefully have special powers after being born at the North Pole. 

Everyone laughed it off initially except for Sandra, who was very much aware that she can talk to animals—both in Chicago and in the NP. And soon enough, it’s revealed that Buddy Calvin also has powers that allow him to see the vortexes unleashing the drones. Basically, the series is teeing up for Buddy to take over the gig and become the next Santa when it finally is the right time for Scott to retire. 

Scott’s family didn’t seem interested in heading back to the North Pole initially as they’ve built quite a life for themselves in Chicago, including Carol, who is proud of her new title as Principal, but once Scott emphasized that they were picked specifically and that elves were disappearing as Christmas spirit dwindled, everyone was more than eager to head back.

Since Scott wasn’t sure of the dangers lurking back at the North Pole, he decided to err on the side of caution and traveled back with Noel, leaving his wife and children behind. It wasn’t his best idea considering they’ve always done everything as a family, but I admire his decision to keep them safe. 

They, however, figured out a way to get there all on their own, with Sandra convincing Butter the horse that if he just believes in himself, he can fly. Have you ever seen a horse pull a sleigh? Butter is giving the reindeer a run for their money! 

Their arrival at the North Pole triggered intruder alarms, so Simon has definitely been alerted.

Up until now, he’s been rather indifferent about the fact that the North Pole is literally falling apart under his rule, but that will soon change when his delivery machine stops working considering it needs some Christmas magic. From my understanding, the only person still keeping it afloat is Grace. In fact, she seems the be the only person with any Christmas spirit left, which means there’s a huge chance she’ll be able to help them salvage whatever is left while convincing her father to stop being a Grinch.

Simon doesn’t seem like a bad guy on the surface, but he’s also not fit to run the North Pole. He’s just an entrepreneur that so laser-focused on making his business a success that he doesn’t see the effects it’s having on the real world. He took the job as Santa for the wrong reasons… for selfish reasons, but the flashback to when his wife was still alive proves that he wasn’t always this man. He made a promise to her that he would give Grace the world, and I think he’s gone a little overboard making good on that promise. Will Grace’s reminder that their mother wouldn’t approve of Christmas Every Day force him to rethink everything?

How do you think the final episode of The Santa Clauses will pan out? Will Scott Calvin be reinstated as Santa? Will they find a way to bring back Christmas spirit, and thus, the elves?

And will Riley actually see Santa come down her chimney? Buddy trusted her enough to tell her the truth, which she naturally dismissed, but she might get in on the festive family business one day if she just starts to believe again!

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Lizzy Buczak is the founder of CraveYouTV. What started off as a silly blog in her sophomore year at Columbia College Chicago turned her passion for watching TV into an opportunity! She has been in charge of CraveYou since 2011, writing reviews and news content for a wide variety of shows. Lizzy is a Music Business and Journalism major who has written for RADIO.COM, TV Fanatic, Time Out Chicago, Innerview, Pop’stache and Family Time.

The Santa Clauses

The Santa Clauses Season 2 Episode 5 Review – B-E-T-T-Y

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The Santa Clauses Season 2 Episode 5 Review - B-E-T-T-Y

The Santa Clauses Season 2 Episode 5 finally gave fans insight into the Betty-led coup against Mad Santa thousands of years before his resurgence in Illinois, Scott Calvin’s old stomping grounds, with a vengeance. 

Of course, we know that Magnus Antas was turned into a nutcracker—before coming back alive with a sprinkle of Santa magic at Santapolis—by the elves, but what we didn’t know is that Betty and La Befana teamed up to make sure he got what he deserved. 

Betty, returning to the North Pole early from her Kribble Krabble, turned in her resignation upon telling Santa Scott the full story, but he didn’t care about any of the clauses/rules, adamantly calling her a “hero” for her sacrifice. 

Nothing that Betty told Santa Scott was all that shocking to audiences, though he was definitely taken aback by the news, he didn’t have much time to sit with it because Cal ventured out of the North Pole to retrieve his vest from Magnus Antas, not fully understanding the level of danger he was putting himself in. Cal’s naivety is his best asset and his greatest flaw, all at the same time.

On the other hand, you have to pride him on his bravery because he walked in without a plan and tried to handle it himself without any fears… well aside from his fear of heights and flying the sleigh, which he somewhat conquered. 

Mad Santa turned Cal into a puppet after he called his dad the greatest Santa of all time, and was surprised by how much Santa magic he possessed, which means that Scott may get his wish of keeping it in the family business after all.

After they locked all the vortexes and portals coming in and out of the North Pole, Scott and Carol had to find a more unique means of transportation back to the Windy City to save Cal from Mad Santa, while Sandra hung back with La Befana to keep the North Pole safe. Having a witch in the family came in hand!

As for Betty, I’m a bit bummed we didn’t get to see any of her adventures in the real world, and it feels like a missed opportunity to have her not come face-to-face with Mad Santa and Olga, however, I did genuinely like the moment where Noel stood up for his wife and made sure that Magnus Antas knew who she was—her name is B-E-T-T-Y, don’t forget it because she’s the one who managed to take you down and save Christmas for everyone! The North Pole was functioning without her, but it wasn’t thriving, so it’s a good thing she’s finally back. 

As for the second season of The Santa Clauses, I feel like it would’ve benefitted from being a movie rather than a limited series because it does feel like the storyline is being dragged out unnecessarily at this point… and it’s starting to lose its magic. 

Also, poor Kris, who just wanted to run his little Santa village and earn his father’s love, and now he’s stuck in the royal battle between Mad Santa and Santa Scott. But at least he’ll have one heck of a story to tell, if they don’t dust him when all of this is finally over. 

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The Santa Clauses

The Santa Clauses Season 2 Episode 4 Recap – Miracle on Dead Creek

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The Santa Clauses Season 2 Episode 4 Recap - Miracle on Dead Creek

Operation Save Easter is in full swing on The Santa Clauses Season 2 Episode 4. Easter was celebrated as the holiday became the North Pole’s problem after Sandra accidentally turned the Easter Bunny into an actual bunny.

While Scott isn’t used to hiding Easter eggs and delivering baskets, he is used to sneaking into homes unnoticed to drop off goodies, so all they really needed to adjust was the costume—a funny hat, an eggplant coat, and an invisibility cloak that could’ve been straight from Hogwarts. 

Naturally, Cal assisted as part of his “Santa training,” which hasn’t been going so well, and while he definitely proved he has a long way to go when he mistakenly hid the Stink Eggs from the Basket of Tricks versus the actual eggs, it helped him get his mind off of Riley. 

Everything was going pretty smoothly, in fact, aside from Cal and Scott needing to backtrack to a few houses until Scott decided to be a good dad and stop by Riley’s place so that his son could see her. We knew Cal’s love life was going to cause problems, but in a way, it’s also a good thing that it brought the whole Mad Santa situation into Scott’s orbit as the elves were never going to fess up. Plus, it helped him make sense of the visions he was having. 

The arrival at Riley’s set off the alarms for Mad Santa, who put a whole plan into motion by using North Pole magic to turn Santaland into a premiere winter destination that rivaled the North Pole. Little did he know, Santa was actually in town for a different reason—and the elves chose to keep the North Pole magic being used in America a secret from Santa, as they were determined to keep him from finding out the truth about Mad Santa.

Was it the best decision? Likely not. But Noel is doing his best and hoping that it’s enough. Plus, they all vowed to protect Santa at all costs by closely monitoring him. When they realized he was on a collision course with Mad Santa, the emergency protocol was enacted just as Scott and Cal got caught in a trap set up by Olga. 

Mrs. Clause was the true hero of the episode, however, taking her jetpack to save her husband and son once she found out the truth about the missing nutcracker coming to life in Chicago. She never panics or misses a beat, which was also evident when she enlisted Sandra’s help to scavenge the Easter Bunny’s house to save the holiday. 

She use the opportunity to reconnect with Sandra, who was struggling from her fallout with La Befana and swore never to use magic again, despite the fact that she’s a witch. 

While I don’t know if destroying the Easter Bunny’s house—and defending it by saying he’s so messy he won’t even notice it—was the right move, it was sweet that she helped Sandra find an outlet to channel all of that anger. As women, we often need to be reminded that it is okay to be angry, and there’s a healthy way of getting all those emotions out without repressing them and letting them fester and make us resentful.

Overall, there were a few key developments, but mostly, the episode felt more like a filler, especially all the scenes with the Sandman. Even though Scott learned of Magnus Antas’ existence and came face to face with him, we will have to wait until next week’s episode to see what comes of it. Will he be furious with the elves, especially poor Noel?

What happened to him when he got hit with the ball of fire? Will Cal and Sandra play a role in helping Santa Scott defeat Mad Santa?

And what’s Magnus’ plan now that Santa is aware of him? It feels like he’s run his course in Santaland. You’d think Kris would’ve realized by now that Mad Santa is actually a villain, but alas, he’s just happy that he can make his father proud with his Christmas-themed park now a roaring success. 

Also, where is our girl Betty? Why aren’t we seeing more of her adventures in the real world? 

What did you think of the episode? Are you enjoying the season thus far?

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The Santa Clauses

The Santa Clauses Season 2 Episode 3 Review – No Magic at the Dinner Table!

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The Santa Clauses Season 2 Episode 3 Review - No Magic at the Dinner Table!

The Santa Clauses Season 2 Episode 3, titled “No Magic at the Dinner Table,” was a slower-paced episode up until the final few moments where Cal and Sandra, being typical rebellious teenagers, took the reindeer to the real world to pay Cal’s ungrateful girlfriend, Riley, a visit, and unintentionally gave Mad Santa access to the magic he needed to kick off his reign of terror. 

That honestly about sums up the episode. 

Mad Santa and his sidekick struggled to make their way back to the North Pole for much of the episode, and without magic, they were rendered rather helpless, though they did bide the time by tormenting the poor Easter Bunny by forcing him to eat a huge pile of Peeps, which he likened to packing materials. They weren’t lying, Magnus Antas really is pure evil.

The Easter Bunny used his weaponized eggs—too many Peeps are bound to give you bad gas—to stage his swift escape, arriving at the North Pole to warn Santa Scott only to get turned into an actual bunny by Sandra, accidentally, of course. Scott’s children are creating a world of problems, and they can’t really be excused simply because they are accidents. They are both adult enough to understand that their actions have real-world consequences, but it proves that they aren’t ready to take on the family business. 

Not only is Scott completely unaware of the threat bubbling up in the real world, but because of Cal’s carelessness, Mad Santa was able to restore his powers using the Santa in training vest.

Cal threw the vest in anger after his visit to see his love Riley backfired, with the teen girl breaking up with him because he spends “too much time with his father” and not enough time with her. It was harsh when she asked him to dust her so she could forget all about him after he fought to have her included in all the North Pole shenanigans.

It’s almost like she didn’t realize he was in training to become Santa. But that’s the problem with young, and specifically, first love—it happens when you’re so young that it’s your whole world, when, in reality, Riley was never the right person for Cal, and he should’ve been focusing more on his future before letting the right woman in on his secret; a woman who would want to be part of it all right alongside him rather than making him choose. 

Teenagers, right? Instead of focusing so much on getting Cal to fly the sleigh, maybe Scott should be showing him the true meaning of the job, and emphasizing how important it is not to allow North Pole magic to infiltrate the real world as, clearly, danger is lurking everywhere.

Hopefully, now Cal will see things in a new light and begin to take his training seriously—or tell his father he’s not interested—because it’s something he wants to do, not because it’s something other people want from him. As you grow older, you begin to learn that you can’t please everyone.

And now that Mad Santa has access to magic, he can make good on his threat against Santa Scott, infiltrating the North Pole with his gnomes. It’s going to get ugly, I can feel it.

I hate to say anything negative against Mrs. Clause, especially after she had such a hard time accepting that her daughter was spending so much time with La Befana, but why has it been three months since she launched her investigation into the missing nutcracker and she’s wielded zero results? She couldn’t even verify that it was last seen in Chicago!

She should’ve focused more on the case and less on her jealousy, which was unwarranted as Sandra wasn’t trying to replace her or cut her out of her life, she was simply enjoying learning more about herself and her powers. Unfortunately, Sandra’s misstep with the transformation spell on the Easter Bunny drove a wedge between her and La Befana, who suggested that they hit the brakes on the training as she’s becoming too powerful too quickly. Everyone seems to have underestimated Sandra, so I understand her frustration over the years.

Of course, her powers could always come in handy now that the North Pole is about to get infiltrated by Mad Santa’s attack.

Also, where is Betty? None of this would’ve happened under her watch. Not to mention it’s been several months and she hasn’t come across Mad Santa in the real world, which seems unbelievable considering he smelled the reindeer the moment they set foot in the real world. I guess Mad Santa doesn’t have an elf radar at all. 

How is Betty faring? Will she make it back to the North Pole to help Santa Scott? Will the Legendaries be notified of Mad Santa’s return?

As for the best moments of the episode, it’s between Mad Santa and Olga trying to find a rideshare with their goat, stating that they’ve “brought their own provisions for the journey,” La Befana clarifying that her beautiful sing-songy voice is just her Italian accent, and Mrs. Clause dressing like Alice Cooper to connect with her teen daughter… for some reason.

What did you think of the episode? Did it feel more like filler to you before the real action starts? Will Santa Scott begin to understand that his children aren’t ready for the responsibilities of the North Pole?

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