Tim Allen is back with a new season of his hit franchise The Santa Clauses.
Episode 1: The Kribble Krabble Clause
Starting off in the 14th Century, life at the North Pole is one of combat. The Mad Santa, Magnus Antas (Eric Stonestreet) is fleeing from a coup, wondering how on earth he could be deposed from his position. Irate at the actions of the elves, Santa proclaims that the name Mad Santa will cause fear for hundreds of years.
In present day Chicago, Christmas is here, and a local Santa named Kris (Gabriel Iglesias) is getting ready for the yearly visit from Santa. High above, Santa in the form of Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) and his wife Carol (Elizabeth Mitchell) and their children Cal and Sandra (Austin Kane and Elizabeth Allen-Dick) are flying through the night sky having successfully saved Christmas. Soaring through the sky, the kids taunt their father to see what he can do with the sleigh, and while Carol does not want any action in their ride, Scott can’t help himself.
Corkscrewing through the night, Cal passes out, while the rest of the family is delighted by the thrill of air travel. Traveling down the chimney at ‘The Santapolis’ Scott encounters a sleeping Kris and begins his Christmas delivery.
Back at the North Pole, Scott is celebrating another successful Christmas Eve delivery. Christmas spirit is at an all time high thanks to the idea of giving everyone magical snow globes that show everyone’s favorite Christmas memory.
Carol offers to take over the E.L.F.S. with a desire to help avoid the ruination of Christmas. Scott floats the idea of his son Cal taking over as Santa, and while Cal is excited by the idea, there is a lack of support from the elves because of Cal’s poor skills at most simple tasks.
Scott and Carol decide to tell Sandra about her new role at the North Pole. Scott wants her to oversee the reindeer, and all the animals at the North Pole. At his birthday party, Cal makes a wish and blows out the candles only to see his girlfriend Riley (Ruby Jay) appear.
Carol thinks Cal isn’t cut out for the job. Scott thinks Cal is perfect for the job. As Head Elf, Betty (Matilda Lawler) is forced into vacation due to the Kribble Krabble Clause. She must take a year off and tour the world.
Sandra is inundated with the noise of all the animals. Riley talks endlessly about the magical snow globe gifts, but Scott just wants her to go home. Carol meets with Gary (Liam Kyle) and informs him that she was taking over the E.L.F.S.
As Scott gets a haircut, he’s informed by Betty that she must go on vacation because of the Kribble Krabble Clause. Scott encourages her to go and wants Noel (Devin Bright) to replace her. Everyone assembles to see Betty off, but Betty is not thrilled about the idea. Before she steps through the portal for her vacation, Betty gets Scott to promise that no big changes will be made while she’s gone. The moment the portal closes, Scott announces Cal’s promotion to be the next Santa.
Noel is worried that he is failing Betty, and while he frets in his office, Scott gets him compared to Magnus Antas, the Mad Santa. Overhearing the comparison, Scott wants to know who this mysterious Santa is.
Back in 1307, we see Magnus belittling his elves before they imprison him in a nutcracker. In the present day, Noel learns that the Mad Santa nutcracker is missing. Noting that it would take North Pole magic to free Magnus, Noel isn’t worried. However, at ‘The Santapolis’ the snow globe gift breaks and leaks out North Pole magic which touches the missing nutcracker, and Magnus Antas is freed from his prison.
Kris is amazed by the sight of Santa, but Magnus is angry about his imprisonment. Despite Kris’ kind words and thanks for the snow globe, Magnus claims the title of Santa, and proclaims the one at the North Pole is a fraud.
Episode 2: Floofy
Scott, Carol, and Cal enter a meeting with the elves, and immediately, Scott starts breaking protocol. Carol talks about taking over the E.L.F.S. and the case of the missing nutcracker. Scott is wondering about the missing pages from the Santa lore book. While the elves’ recoil at the mention of Magnus Antas, Cal receives his Santa training vest.
Riley is there cheering on her boyfriend, and Scott is okay with Riley staying so long as it doesn’t interfere with what they do at the North Pole. Cupid (Kevin Pollack) arrives and states that many other legendary characters are worried about the choice of Cal being the next Santa. Cupid agrees to try to calm down the other creatures, and when Scott asks about Magnus Antas, Cupid denies knowing him, even though he knew his name.
Magnus is getting accustomed to the world he has woken up to. His first amazement is the power of a smartphone. Kris’ kindness finally gets him a hug, only to discover that a gnome named Olga (Marta Kessler) was frozen on Magnus’ back.
Carol is wondering why the elves responded so strangely to the lost items. Meanwhile Sandra is shocked by her ability to shoot sparks from her hands and seeks advice from the witch La Befana (Laura San Giacomo). La Befana tells Sandra that she might be a witch. Describing how annoyed she was, Sandra shows how with her bottled up feelings and her frustration has revealed some extra powers.
Cal begins a training session for Christmas Eve, only to fail miserably. Scott is concerned about Cal’s success, but Riley encourages her boyfriend’s failure.
Kris leaves the museum to find Magnus some pickled goat legs. Olga wants to take back everything they lost, but Magnus is happy, free, and comfortable, perhaps the mantra of churn and burn is not the right thing anymore he tells his gnome follower. Charmed by Kris, Magnus thinks people might have changed. Olga tells him that he is getting soft. Despite telling her to let things go, Olga slaps Magnus in the face for his poor choices.
Scott notices that Sandra is becoming distant, while Carol is looking back at old security camera footage with no leads. Sandra approaches Carol and wonders about her opinion of La Befana. Carol tells her daughter that La Befana is a witch and that she is kooky which only annoys her daughter more.
Working with the witch, Sandra starts to develop her magic. She sees some success but has multiple failures. Sandra confesses that she never told her parents about her new powers because they don’t get her. La Befana wants her to be honest with her parents.
Scott wants Cal to learn about the past Santas and insists they start with Magnus Antas. This leads to Noel talking about the first time he met Betty in the 12th Century after Magnus moved the operation to the North Pole.
While Noel is selectively telling the historical tale, Magnus is walking around ‘The Santapolis’ grounds giving out gifts. Scott learns that Magnus was the first to close the North Pole to outsiders and is impressed. What Scott doesn’t learn is that Magnus stopped listening to the elves and chose gnomes as his advisors which led to Betty’s imprisonment long ago.
Encountering a kid, Magnus is amazed at how people are ignorant of the gifts they have. After giving a gift to a kid which is thrown away, Magnus is angered.
Scott tries to make amends with Sandra. Thinking that she is upset about the choice of Cal for Santa, there is mild reconciliation between father and daughter over ice cream. Summoning a spoon across the room, Sandra tells Scott that she thinks she is becoming a witch. Scott is very accepting of his daughter’s new abilities.
Carol walks in and tells Scott that the missing pages are related to Magnus Antas and that he was turned into a nutcracker. Magnus is fuming over the ungrateful actions of the people. Declaring that they will take back the north Pole, Magnus states that the whole world will pay for their ungratefulness.
Bill’s Final Thoughts:
I have never seen the movies, nor the previous season, but I liked what I saw. The Santa Clauses is light entertainment that mixes Christmas lore to create a wholesome family show about family connections, and the meaning of Christmas.
As much as I enjoyed the down to earth approach of Scott and his family, it is the arrival of Eric Stonestreet as the Mad Santa, Magnus Antas which makes this season sparkle. His demeanor, from anger to acceptance and back to anger is hilarious. Stonestreet is a brilliant addition to offer a tinsel of humor to this holiday treat.