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

Reviews

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.

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!

Articles You May Like

Kyle Richards Lawyers Up Against Mauricio Umansky In Divorce
Karen Pittman Exits ‘And Just Like That…’ as Latest Season 3 Departure
Blake Lively Apologizes, Is ‘Mortified’ Over Kate Middleton Joke After Royal’s Cancer Reveal
Kelsey Anderson: 12 things to know about ‘The Bachelor’ star Joey Graziadei’s bachelorette Kelsey Anderson
‘The Passion of the Christ’: Reflecting on the Film 20 Years Later