Wizards vs Aliens: Rebel Magic

After last week’s rather cutesy monsters, I was really impressed with the concept of “Rebel Magic,” even if some people thought the concept came off simplistically. Tom, still struggling with a desire to considered cool, comes across another wizard whose powers exceed his own.  The temptation to use this “grim” magic to finish off the Necross is strong—with no aliens to worry about, Tom could go back to using his spells for homework and soccer. 

Ursula is developing as a strong character, with certain similarities to Sarah Jane’s role in the Sarah Jane Adventures. Tom’s dad isn’t as well-rounded yet, but he’s got a tricky position, as the only “Unenchanted” in the family. He’s taking the reasonable position that Tom needs to learn to do things without shortcuts, but that view is hard to support in a children’s show. 

In my last review, I commented that it would be interesting to see further developments of the magical system. Well, in this episode, we see mind control—one character blocks 12 hours of memories—and a magic-generated pound note that dissolves. Are most of the enchantments in this system short-term or long-term? I would love to see more of these challenges at some point.