The Tale of the Magician's Assistant

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Air Date: Saturday, September 11, 1993
Storyteller: Gary (Ross Hull)

Frame: Gary opens things up by telling everyone how pleased he is that they're on time. Frank (Jason Alisharan) accuses him of sounding like his homeroom teacher, Mr. Drego, whom both Betty Ann (Raine Pare-Coull) and Gary defend. Gary goes on to mention that Drego often visits his Dad's magic shop, and is a "prestidigitator," otherwise known as a magician, which segues into Gary's story. In a fun twist, Gary introduces the story by using a stick as a magic wand to get the campfire roaring as opposed to the usual "midnight dust."

Story: Todd Marker (Noah Plener) and his Mother (Sally Singal) struggle to make ends meet after the passing of his father, so he applies for a "Magician's Assistant" job for the Great Shandu (James Bradford). As he's shown the ropes and taught the rules of being a magician, Todd also finds himself too curious for his own good upon the realization that sleight of hand is one thing, but Shandu's wand has some real magic to it. When Todd tries to sneak the wand away to help his Mom finish an assignment, he finds that using another magician's wand can have some serious consequences.

Review: In yet another middle-ground episode, this plays out more as a fantasy comedy to me than any horror. That said, to be perfectly fair, this one also provides us with another one of the creepiest faces in 'AYAOTD' history; almost a precursor to he much creepier "Creature of Darkness" in Season 3's 'Tale of the Quicksilver.' Apart from that bit, however, it's a light episode, and much lighter than Gary's usual storytelling, which often features dark twist endings. This episode is genuinely middle-ground and probably offers a few more ironic laughs than scares, but at the very least, it features a bit of memorable imagery.

Final Rating: Spooked

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