Another fun episode that admirably breathes new life into the well-trodden trope of characters switching bodies. And while Charmcaster is a B-list adversary at best, she proved an amusing if not especially formidable opponent.
This is Charmcaster's second appearance and the first on her own. Back in the first season's "Tough Luck" she played sidekick to her uncle, the sorcerer Hex. Fittingly, she turns up in Salem, Massachusetts. Uh-oh, I feared, here comes the Cliff's Notes rehash of "The Crucible" we were all forced to read in school coupled with the chronological snobbery condemnation of Cotton Mather and company for the infamous witch trials, but nary a word was said. I credit the creators for trusting their audience to bring all the background necessary to enjoy the show and to appreciate why Charmcaster would turn up in this particular town.
"I love being a witch!" declared our antagonist after blowing out the second floor of a building, scattering the madding crowd of muggles. This teenage witch sure ain't Sabrina!
Now here's Gwen trying to calm a spooked horse and when it bolts , she grabs onto the carriage. Why? The streets were deserted (all the rational people having fled to safety). So why was she calming the horse and why was Grandpa inexplicably behind the wheel--er, the reins--of a runaway carriage? It's like they have compulsive do-gooderism even when not required by circumstances. Maybe they're trying to keep up with Ben?
Okay, Gwen getting flung from the carriage is what led to the body switcheroo with Charmcaster, so allowances must be made for the plot to get from point A to B. And don't think too hard about Charmcaster wanting to switch bodies with Ben just to get the Omnitrix. Would it be worth it for this beautiful young woman to give all that up to live her life in a ten-year-old boy's body? And as an insightful fan pointed out in the goofs section, Ben lacked the "magical aura," so even had Charmcaster successfully body-swapped with Ben, it's unlikely Charmcaster's plan would have even worked.
What is a "magical aura" anyway? I suspected those who dabble in the dark arts are cursed to have a familiar spirit or even a demonic presence without and within them. Yikes, what's Gwen getting herself into?
When Gwen-as-Charmcaster gets tossed into juvie the story veers left through the box office and into a 1970's grindhouse. Gwen gets WIP'd, as in the "women-in-prison" genre that was so popular back in the day (the apex arguably being the iconic "Angels in Chains" episode of CHARLIE'S ANGELS). All the components are here, toned down for Saturday morning, of course. There's the bully Pinky and her toady giving Gwen a snarky nickname, the bd guard with a mullet, the Miss Beazleyesque lunchlady serving up slop with organic earwax she grew herself (ugh! Hey, c'mon, some of us out here are still eating our Fruity Pebbles!). Uh, isn't Gwen a little young to have seen ANIMAL HOUSE? She sure does a boffo Blutarsky shouting "Food Fight!" to get the party started.
Hmm, I wondered if Pinky was named as an homage to Fonzie's tough biker galpal, Pinky Tuscadero? Considering the preceding shoutouts to the Seventies, I'm thinking yeah.
A ton of fun, but for me, the wind went out of the sail once Charmcaster's switcheroo was revealed and then Ben and Gwen get switched. Yeah, there's some funny lines like Ben repulsed at Gwen's fruit salad lotions and Gwen revolted by Ben's fetid footwear, but it was all anticlimactic. Cannonbolt making matchsticks out of a 17th-century tall ship was wince-worthy for us history buffs (I'm still shuddering over what they did to Mt. Rushmore back in "Secrets"!). And how did Cannonbolt as a fast-rolling blurred ball manage to pick up a chain and wrap it around Charmcaster? Don't ask, I tell myself, just suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride.
And I did enjoy the ride! Charmcaster trying hard to be sweet Gwendoline with mixed success was a highlight. I enjoyed the octopi and lobster attacks and especially that chase on Segways (the show capturing that short-lived fad). Ben as Diamondhead had an Iceman as Spiderman thing going on to get across town that was pretty darn cool. All topped off with a smile-evoking ending with Charmcaster about to reap another girl's karma right in the kisser.
