Wva 3.9Lady Lyzera, Varg, the Warlock, a disappearing Moon – but is Tom’s worst problem a new girl footballer?

Wizards vs Aliens completes its third season with a pedal to the metal finale that explains exactly what Lady Lyzera is up to, allows Varg to try to reassert his authority, ties up a number of the threads that were started in the opening story, and most importantly, sees Tom finally come to terms with what happened at the end of the previous season, and accept who he is.

Phil Ford juggles the various plotlines well – we’re constantly reminded of the peril that Michael and Ursula are in, while the Warlock is never allowed to go (too far) over the top. The various alliances that are forged between former enemies as the story progresses are credible, and I was delighted to see that Lady Lyzera hasn’t gone the same way as a number of her predecessors who’ve battled Tom – the dynamic between her and Varg going forward is going to be very interesting, and hopefully Alex Childs and Kristian Phillips will be donning the prosthetics again soon.

After the amnesia spell on Katie earlier in the season, I was a bit worried that the same was going to happen with Simona Brown’s Jazz James. Her unenchanted outlook in these sorts of situations was something that the show was just starting to feel the lack of, and she and Scott Haran bounced well off each other. She slotted so well into the series that a fourth season without her would feel odd. Haran himself has had more weight on his shoulders this season since the departure of Percelle Ascott, and has carried it well.

There’s also a moment in the spotlight for Dan Starkey’s Randal Moon, and a rare chance to see Starkey without prosthetics. For a moment you expect his speech patterns to be altered along with his appearance, but Starkey maintains the character’s essential hob-hob-hobgloblinness throughout and it’s almost a shame when he’s returned to normal partway through the final episode.

This has felt like the most assured season of the series to date, and hopefully it won’t be the last – there are plenty of story possibilities still to be investigated.

Verdict: A strong finale that plays to the strengths of both the format and the actors involved. 9/10

Paul Simpson

 

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