IN REVIEW: THE SANTA CLAUSES (S2 EP 3) – No Magic at the Dinner Table!

Synopsis: In No Magic at the Dinner Table! Magnus Antas, the Mad Santa, drags another Legendary Figure into his plot against the North Pole.

The Story

Picking up from last week’s episodes. This week the madness and mayhem continue as Mad Santa and his Gnome Olga attempt to recruit The Easter Bunny in the hopes that their past friendship would persuade the big-eared one to help him in his plot against the North Pole.

Meanwhile, back in the North Pole. Mrs Clause is no closer in her investigation to find the magic nutcracker and Santa continues to be oblivious to the threat that Mad Santa poses and continues to try and train Cal as his potential replacement. Added to this Sandra’s magic lessons from La Befana are getting into more advanced territory, but when Sandra accidentally turns the Easter Bunny into a real Bunny the two have a falling out. 

When Sandra and Cal make a secret trip to Chicago so Cal can visit his girlfriend. They accidentally lose the Santa Training Vest, which winds up in the hands of Mad Santa who now has the magic he so badly needs to act out his nefarious plans.

The Acting

It’s pretty miraculous that the cast on this show is able to keep a straight face. Especially given how corny many of the jokes are. Eric Stonestreet and Marta Kessler continue to shine as Mad Santa and his Gnome assistant Olga. A fun moment is when Olga reminds Easter Bunny that the “G” in Gnome is silent. Tracy Morgan puts in a solid and fun performance as The Easter Bunny.

Overall

No Magic at the Dinner Table! is rather slow-paced when it comes to moving the story forward. But it does have some fun moments like the argument between Sandra and La Befana having a bit of an argument at the dinner table, which ultimately builds toward Cal and Sandra heading to Chicago. All this said. The show continues to be a fun watch for both its intended audience and us older kids.