Welcome to Timey Wimey #4! This time we’re not doing a Doctor Who episode, but instead the long-awaited Santa Clause 3. Time travel and Christmas rolled into one. But how good is the time travel? Find out with our entirely-too-in-depth analysis.
And this week we have a special guest, Corbin and Tripp’s little brother and my son: Braden.
This is the podcast that introduces a whole new generation to Doctor Who by watching an episode each week and discussing it from the perspective of a dad who’s seen it before, and THREE sons who haven’t. Except this week, we aren’t!
We have some Christmas traditions in our house.
- First rule: NO Christmas music before Black Friday.
- Second rule: We have to watch ALL the Christmas movies we own between Black Friday and Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve at the latest.
Super-short Recap
This is the one where toy company executive Scott Calvin perpetuates a global fraud on the world’s children. I mean, it’s got Santa!
Twelve years ago, Scott Calvin inadvertently killed Santa and took his place. A few years later he got married. Now, they’re about to have a baby, and Mrs. Claus isn’t happy. She misses her family. The toy factory is behind schedule, the delivery room is too small, Jack Frost is trying to upstage the Big Man, and Santa is freaking out! He decides to bring the in-laws to the North Pole, risking the Secret of Santa, which doesn’t make any sense.
Jack manages to find out about The Escape Clause and tricks Santa into going back in time and steals the big red coat. Back in the present, Jack has turned the North Pole into a kitchy tourist trap. Scott tricks Jack back and reclaims the role as Santa just in time for the baby to come just in time for the presents to be delivered. Seriously guys, we have to start planning around this Christmas Eve thing. I mean, it comes every year.
The… end?
Characters:
- Santa Claus – Tim Allen
- Carol Claus – Elizabeth Mitchell
- Melody Fuller from Gortimer Gibbons
- Once Upon a Time
- Revolution
- V
- Lost
- Charlie – Eric Lloyd
- Acting since 18 months old
- All 3 Santa Clause movies
- Young versions of other actors – Fred Savage in Wonder Years, Robert Downey Jr. in Heart & Souls, George Clooney’s Bruce Wayne in Batman & Robin
- Just finished shooting a movie called Onyx of Wall Street
- Jack Frost – Martin Short
- I hate him in everything but Inner Space
- Sandman – Michael Dorn AKA Worf!
Random stuff we noticed:
- What’s the creep level on that fireplace?!
- Jack’s tie is an icicle
- Santa manipulates the space-time continuum, and that’s the least of their worries
- Carol’s mom, Sylvia is played by Ann-Margret, a famous singer from the
60’s . Hence Jack Frost saying “and I bet you sing too” - Braden pointed out that Santa can use his hands as a drill
- The entrance to the Hall of Snowglobes is behind a vending machine selling Red Deer
- The existential horror that is the Hall of Snowglobes. How many snowglobes are in there?! That’s a lot of dead Santas.
- Nice National Lampoon’s reference with Neill and the tangle of Christmas lights
Timey Wimey Details :
Method:
- Wishing on a snowglobe
Rules:
- Time Travel Type: you CAN change the past
- Time travelers maintain knowledge of the original timeline
Where was the time travel type introduced?
- When Curtis explained The Escape Clause to Jack Frost
- It seems the whole POINT of this time travel is to change things
Things they got Wrong:
Did they follow their own rules?
- It got a little timey wimey with the results of the time travel.
- They both disappear and retain their memories.
- However, it seems that Scott went ahead 12 years instantly and doesn’t remember the alternate timeline they created, only the original.
- Jack disappears but seems to have experienced the 12 years in real time (“has it been 12 years already?”)
- Then the second trip, they both return to the very second that they left in the first place.
- There wasn’t really any rule about repeat trips. When they go back the second time they don’t see themselves from the first trip. It would’ve been expensive, but awesome to all four of them fight.
- So, yes, they did… twice.
Things they got Right:
- I love when time travel franchises use footage from previous movies, just like Back to the Future.
Was it good?
Was it a good story?
- Thumbs up all around!
Was it a good time travel story?
- Let’s be honest, we kinda shoe-horned this one into the Timey Wimey category. Merry Christmas!
Crackpot theories
- Braden: are Elves Time Lords?
- Austin: Is this a prequel to Elf?
- At first, I thought Elf might’ve been a sequel, then I realized it was released 3 years before Santa Clause 3.
- Santa names his kid Buddy. After the tragic death of Carol in the Tinsel Incident (often known as the
Tincident ), Santa turns into the crotchety Ed Asner and quietly grows distant from Buddy. When Buddy becomes too much of a reminder of Carol, he hands him over to the elves, swearing them to secrecy and inventing the story of him stowing away in his bag as an orphan.
Listener Input
- Not a lot of input this week, but we need your help for the Recap episode!
- Go to our last post and take the poll!
Next Time…
Join us next time as we discuss the Series 3 Recap!
Closing
Noobs and the Whovian is a production of Master Closet Studios, where it’s always smaller on the inside. Your Senior Producer is Austin Reason. Our Audio Engineer is Tripp Reason. Corbin Reason is our Production Editor. Special thanks to tardis.wikia.com for the trivia.
You can find us at facebook.com/noobsandthewhovian and email us at [email protected]. Please subscribe and leave a rating wherever you found us, and share us with a friend.
