Finally, an episode of The Santa Clauses that I liked. An episode that feels genuine. An episode that explores more of the dynamics of family and the holidays, versus me wanting to turn off the television and reclaim the time that I just gave up to watch it. It wasn’t a great episode, but it wasn’t a bad one.
What it was – an episode that moves things forward and it makes us look at characters in a different way. I feel like what the episode does what it needs to do – sets the movie forward, the characters growth, and ultimately sets up for whatever is going to happen.
Santa is doing his best to train Cal to become the next Santa, but that’s not going to well. Cal is not catching on, but TBH, you can tell that he doesn’t want to be Santa. He wants it to impress his girlfriend, but that’s the only reason. He loves the way that she looks at him when he’s training for Santa, but like most teenage girls she’s upset over attention.
Cal is a good kid, but he’s definitely a teenage boy. He’s a teenage boy who things that love is end all and be all. I remember those days, so definitely not hating on it. But I think that we all learn that at a certain point, that becomes misguided and idealistic.
Sandra is dealing with being a witch (though I don’t think that is what she is) and it is taking up all of her time. She’s training and though all of the noise is getting better, her powers are getting stronger. She’s just learned how to harness that power in a different way.
Carol doesn’t like the fact that Sandra is going to someone else and feels jealous. She’s trying to relate to her daughter, but doesn’t know how to. All she knows is that her daughter is talking to someone else and hey, nothing like a mothers jealousy to a make her pay attention. Only even that doesn’t go Carols way. Nothing really seems to go Carols way.
Nothing is going anyones way.
On earth, the Easter Bunny has figured out that the Mad Santa is alive. Now lets talk this “Mad” Santa. Besides the fact that he’s in desperate need of a shower, all I see is a gnome influencing him. All I see is a gnome that is really annoying. The Mad Santa doesn’t know what he wants. He’s like Sandra and Cal – immature.
Though I would say that Sandra would be the most mature out of the three. Except like most girls who are hitting puberty – she makes stupid choices out of anger. She suggests taking the sleigh so he can go see Riley.
Long story short, Riley breaks up with Cal, because of where he lives and what he does. The whole point of the episode was for the Mad Santa to get the magic that he needs to return to the North Pole and he does get it. Because Cal, being stupid and reacting out of anger, throws his vest out of the sleigh and the Mad Santa finds it.
Look, the whole point of the episode was to get him magic and I think that’s the reason that I liked this episode. Because we’re moving forward. Now, I do hope that we find a way to have Santa be less of a douche, women not be demeaned, and for the show to not feel so sexist. This show really does make me miss the original movies, because this doesn’t feel as genuine, but also – I do know that times have changed.
But it tells me that something is wrong when a 10 year old I know, who watched the first episode asked me, “Why is Santa so mean?”.
Just saying.
The Santa Clauses streams on Disney Plus.
