The following contains spoilers for The Santa Clauses Episode 5, "Chapter Five: Across the Yule-Verse," now streaming on Disney+.
The latest episode of The Santa Clauses has revealed that it was no accident that led Santa Claus to fall off Scott Calvin's roof in the 1994 holiday film, The Santa Clause.
The Disney+ series' fifth episode, "Chapter Five: Across the Yule-Verse," saw Tim Allen's Scott Calvin finding out that he was actually the first human to ever become Santa Claus, with the rest of the Clauses coming into existence through Christmas spirit. Additionally, while Scott always believed it was an accident that led him to becoming the next Santa, the episode massively retcons the events of the film trilogy to reveal that he had actually been chosen for the role by the former Santa Clauses -- who continue to exist on a multiversal plane Scott dubs "the Yule-Verse." Furthermore, the episode brought back the Kris Kringle fans saw fall off Scott Calvin's roof in the 1994 film, with Parks and Recreation's Jim O'Heir assuming the role of the seventeenth Santa Claus from Steve Lucescu.
"Across the Yule-Verse" also welcomed back David Krumholtz as Bernard the Elf to The Santa Clause franchise for the first time since 2004's The Santa Clause 2. While Krumholtz was unable to return for 2006's The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause due to his commitment at the time to the CBS series Numb3rs, an in-universe explanation was never given for the character's absence in the threequel. However, The Santa Clauses has revealed that Bernard left the North Pole sometime between the second and third films to attend Kribble-Krabble, the elf equivalent of Rumspringa, but fell in love with a human -- specifically Oscar winner Dame Vanessa Redgrave -- while he was there, deciding to give up his eternal youth to live with her on Earth.
Will Scott Come Out of Retirement?
"Scott Calvin is back," reads the official synopsis for The Santa Clauses. "After being Santa Claus for nearly thirty years, he’s as jolly as ever. But as Christmas declines in popularity, so does his Santa magic. Scott struggles to keep up with the demands of the job, as well as being there for his family. Upon discovering there is a way to retire from his post, Scott considers stepping down as Santa Claus and finding a worthy successor so that he can become a better father and husband."
The Santa Clauses stars Allen and Elizabeth Mitchell, who reprise their roles from the film trilogy as Scott Calvin/Santa Claus and Carol Calvin/Mrs. Claus, respectively, with Austin Kane, Elizabeth Allen-Dick and Kal Penn round out the main cast as Buddy "Cal" Calvin-Claus, Sandra Calvin-Claus and Simon Choski/Santa Claus, respectively. Matilda Lawler, Devin Bright and Rupali Redd also star.
The first five episodes of The Santa Clauses are now available to stream on Disney+, with the season finale set to release on Dec. 14.
Source: Disney+