Not much David Tennant in this episode, but we do get plenty of Catherine Tate, so that’s fun! It’s a story featuring Webby and her friends, especially Lena, and there’s also a delightfully entertaining appearance from a recurring side character.
Lena has been having trouble controlling the amulet she took from her aunt Magica, but even though she hates how magic constantly seems to be screwing up her life, she’s going to need to learn fast: a mysterious figure known as the Phantom Blot is going after all magical beings, and the amulet may be the key to stopping him. At Webby and Violet’s urging, Lena is forced to seek Magica’s help.
For starters, the Phantom Blot is voiced by Giancarlo Esposito, and he drains people/artifacts of their magic using a Thanos-looking gauntlet. (There’s even a desperate “get the gauntlet off!” scene, a la Infinity War.) We get his backstory through a neat shadow-magic reenactment from Magica. Also, he has some kind of assistant voiced by Amy Sedaris, but she only has a couple lines—a sign that her character will be back in future episodes?
We’re introduced to the conceit of a vengeful being determined to wipe out all magic through one of his victims: Donald’s impossibly-lucky cousin Gladstone! Stripped of his luck, his reactions to normal life are hilarious. He tells the girls the harrowing tale of going into a restaurant, explaining, “I asked for food, and you know what they asked for in return? Payment!” His appearance is great throughout the episode, and it’s always nice to have Paul F. Tompkins pop up in stuff (Mr. Peanutbutter!)
And of course, as I said, we have Catherine Tate vamping it up as Magica. She’s just as superior and maniacal as ever, but because Lena has her amulet, she has to try and sell it without her mojo, turning to cheesy sleight-of-hand tricks. But she’s not exactly fooling anyone—her evil lair is positively filled with Empty Pizza Boxes of Depression.
I enjoy Webby-Lena-Violet stories, even if Scrooge rarely plays much of a role in them. The three girls are always good together, and while this storyline gets a bit “friendship is the real magic!”, it’s sweet and fun. We get another classic Webby sleepover, where we learn Webby sleeps with a battle axe at the ready and Violet sleeps wearing a string of garlic—“statistically speaking, we’re due” for vampires. There’s an entertaining training montage and a terrific gag involving Webby banking on a heretofore-unproven ability to talk to snakes.
Scrooge and the triplets bookend the episode, going off on an adventure of their own so we get the three girls leading this storyline. David Tennant’s largest scene is the opening one, where Scrooge repeatedly gripes about how troublesome and dangerous magic is, which only worsens Lena’s frustrations with the amulet. When he’s summoned off to his adventure, he says, “The mystical kingdom of Goathoul must be under attack again. Great, more magic.” Then, switching to a cheerily flippant voice, he tells Lena, “Again, no offense!”
No comments:
Post a Comment