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| DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
: | THE NIGHT OF NO TOMORROW
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Reviewed by Andrew Borntreger on 11 December 2007
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The Dungeon Master directs the kids to a town on the far horizon. Long ago, the town was cursed by Vengar and attacked by a swarm of dragons. It was the powerful magic of Merlin the Magician that finally drove off the monsters and saved the town. Dungeon Master also warns the party that Vengar will appear in disguise, but they can recognize the evil master by his white hair. Notice that the legendary wizard is a counterpoint to Presto. The teen's spells often backfire, including an attempt to summon magic burgers that results in a loudly mooing cow. Well, at least the vocal bovine is not dangerous, unlike many of Presto's other flubs (unless it is a Mad Cow).
Wait a minute. Isn't the AD&D food of choice pizza?
The party unexpectedly discovers Merlin's castle in the clouds and meets the old wizard. At first, the kids believe that Merlin must be Vengar, because he has white hair. The magician removes his hat, revealing that he is bald on top. Before they can start laughing about Merlin's toupee, Tiamat breaks into the castle; the kids lock her in the basement. During the short battle, Presto summons a purple rug and the display of magical prowess impresses Merlin. He asks the bumbling boy wizard to become his apprentice. Diminished by one and saddened that their constant teasing alienated their friend, the rest of the party continues on their way.
As everyone guessed, Merlin is Vengar in disguise. The baneful lord tricks Presto into undoing Merlin's spell and releasing the dragons once more. Alerted to the fact that something is wrong, because the townsfolk tell them that Merlin died centuries ago, Hank and the others race back to save Presto.
The adventurers' failure to see through Vengar's disguise is hard to accept. So what if Merlin is wearing a toupee? He still has a white beard and, even more suspicious, he is carrying a "white hare" that the kids misidentify as a rabbit. Merlin says, "Oh no, it is not a rabbit. It is a hare, a white hare." They should have realized the ruse right then! It is not as if they were reading the words.
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| Things I Learned From This Show: | |
|  | Never practice yodeling outside of a dragon's bedroom.
| | | Merlin was the original owner of the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
| | | The rare, fire-breathing wyvern is often mistaken for a true dragon.
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| | | 6 mins - It's your own fault for not having ancestors with hands.
| | | 11 mins - He conjured a purple rug, and not the kind of rug that you need.
| | | 13 mins - Hey, that looks like an Ansalon potluck!
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