Spoilers ahead for Season 1, Episode 5 of The Santa Clauses, “Chapter Five: Across the Yule-Verse.”
‘Tis the season to be jolly with The Santa Clauses. The new series on Disney+ continues the story of Tim Allen’s Scott Calvin, who thinks it’s time to retire as Santa. In the midst of Christmas joy being taken away bit by bit, Scott is reunited with an old buddy in the latest episode, and fans will definitely be jolly about Bernard the Elf’s long-awaited return.
When David Krumholtz was announced to be reprising his role as everyone’s favorite elf and joining the cast of The Santa Clauses, people were super excited. Bernard finally appeared in Episode 5 of the sequel series, and Krumholtz opened up to EW about why the episode is such a big one, saying:
In my episode, we learn a lot about who Santa Claus really is, who he has been, who the elves are, and why they exist. It's all brought into some perspective instead of just accepting the fact that there are pointy-eared elves working somewhere on the top of the Earth for a jolly, bearded, fat man. It's a mix of the actual history of the myth of Santa Claus that has been written about for hundreds of years and some new stuff thrown in to make sense of it all. It's really, really brilliant.
The episode sees Bernard reunite with Santa Scott, explaining that he left the North Pole after meeting and falling in love with a human. Bernard shows Scott the whole legacy of Santa, and how it was planned for Santa and his family to wind up at the North Pole. It’s definitely information that ties the franchise together, and to have Bernard explain it to Scott makes it even better.
David Krumholtz opened up about the scenes and getting to be part of such a big story that ties everything together in the Christmas franchise. He explained how the story will also open up the door to future possibilities and answer questions that many have had since the first film:
When I read it, I was so moved by it. It's this real, genuine attempt to sort create a lineage for Santa Claus and for the elves. So you get an idea of what exactly happened that night in the first movie when the Santa Claus fell off Scott Calvin's roof, why Scott Calvin became Santa Claus, why it was him and not someone else. Did Santa really die when he fell off that roof? What really went on that night? What actually happens to Santas and to elves? Without giving too much away, it's kind of like a multiversal origin story of Christmas.
Even though David Krumholtz was absent from The Santa Clause 3 because he felt like Bernard didn’t have a lot of value in the film, it’s nice that he decided to return for the series. Because of that, he also got to be part of such an important piece of the franchise that explains why Scott became Santa and what is really behind it all. Quite literally, the multiverse of Santas.
Bernard’s return was first teased in the first trailer for The Santa Clauses, and it was definitely enough to make lots of people excited. Whether fans will get more of Bernard’s backstory and what else he was up to while away from the North Pole is unknown, but at least there was a little bit of explanation. Though all that really matters is that Bernard the Elf is back.
New episodes of The Santa Clauses drop Wednesdays and can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription. All three Santa Clause movies are also streaming on the platform if are really feeling in the holiday spirit, or if you want to get more of Bernard.
