New Powers and Body-Swap Hijinks in Latest "Hamster & Gretel" on Disney Channel

We’re still waiting for the impending arrival of the season’s big bad - but Hamster and Gretel have found themselves in some time-killing fishing and brain-swapping hijinks before we all discover a new superpower in this week’s episode of Hamster & Gretel.

Gretel Keeps it Reel

It’s time for the annual father-daughter fishing competition at Lake Walla Walla, an annual event that has been taking place for years at the lake.

Nearby, Swan Boat rental company owner Ziggy and his sons are trying to get folks to rent swan boats for the occasion, but are overshadowed by more traditional watercraft and “wet skis." Dave, Gretel’s Dad, is trying to make sure Gretel masters the Grant family perfect cast (no don’t cue up A Goofy Movie, it’s not the same) so they can have a chance at winning the competition.

The first-round goes to Greg and Cindy, but as they are being awarded with their winning sashes, a rope that is attached to the sash drags Greg out into the lake with force by a speedboat. Ironically, it gives Greg a taste of what it feels like to be a caught fish on a reel, vowing to never fish again and basically disqualifying/forfeiting the duo from the rest of the competition.

But who did this? A note is found saying the competition needs to end…or else… and Kevin knows there’s someone sabotaging the event somewhere on the lake.

In order for them to figure this out, Gretel must win the competition and needs to let her dad teach her the perfect cast (again, no need to cue up A Goofy Movie). Kevin starts asking folks around the lake looking for leads and gets to Ziggy - who points a finger at the woman who owns the wet ski rentals. If anyone wanted to end the competition it would be her for sure.

At the competition, Gretel cannot master the Grant family cast, and does not win so now pair of random citizens who won are now in danger and sure enough it’s not the wet ski lady, but Ziggy who rises out of the lake in a swan boat-esque water blasting war machine. He wants to end the competition because he can never participate in it, given that he has seven sons and no daughters.

Worse yet, Gretel can’t transform in front of everybody, especially her father, so this is all up to Hamster to take care of now.

Despite Ziggy’s best attempts, the intense water blasting can’t dispatch Hamster but he can take down the pier. His winners/hostages(?) are trapped above in a fishing net while all this is going on and Gretel sees that they can easily be released if she had some kind of device that can hook onto it - oh yeah totally the fishing pole. She performs a great Grant family cast and hooks the net, releasing the winners. Just before Ziggy can take down the pier with a mega blast of water, Hamster redirects the cannon, blasting Ziggy himself right into a police van that was nearby. Too bad his son is an environmental lawyer, and is of no use to him once again.

Squeaky Friday

It seems there’s yet another scientist with kooky gadgets in town, and it’s Doug. He has created a special device that will allow him to swap bodies with his pet pigeon Mr. Tinkles, only so he can discover what it feels like to fly like the bird.

Clearly, he didn’t think this through though as once he triggers his device, a pigeon-brained version of his human form is now running around uncontrollably using his van and everything. Doug, as the pigeon, gives chase with the device, but drops it along the way. I’ll go ahead and tell you now, these two are not the villains/antagonist in this episode. However, that dropped device comes into the hands of Kevin and Gretel while they are on a walk with Churro and and setup is wrapped up - they accidentally trigger the device and switch the brains of Hamster and Churro. So now, Hamster occupies the dog body while Hamster’s body is running around with the simpleminded brain of Churro.

Fortunately, Doug left his phone number on the side of the device but nobody is answering the phone. Gretel leaves voicemails and keeps trying, but for now they must keep up the ruse (much to Hamster’s chagrin) that Churro is Churro and Hamster is Hamster.

Making matters worse, Dave immediately senses that something is wrong with the family dog. While Hamster has succeeded in avoiding a trip to the vet, Dave suggests that they all go together to the park, but Gretel has to go take on a villain causing a ruckus at the nearby gym - Bodybuilder Burt, who is constantly ridiculed because he has tiny legs (since he always skips leg day) and those days are now over. However, he gets his hands on Hamster (now Churro) who is not as tough as he was led to believe but to get him back, Gretel has to lure Burt to the park where Churro (now Hamster) can help fight the baddie.

Cue the episode’s musical number here, full of gym puns. At the height of the battle, Burt, with all his strength, rips a tree out of the ground and throws it into the air. While Gretel takes him down, the still airborne tree is heading right for her dad, brother, and dog. As she sees she can’t help them immediately, she is overwhelmed with emotion and unleashes a new power that viewers of the series have yet to see (surprising even Gretel herself) that is a force-field generating laser blast that protects her family while simultaneously exploding the tree.

Shortly thereafter, Doug returns the phone call and explains how to reverse Churro and Hamster back to normal but obviously asks for his device back as he is still in pigeon form himself.

Could Doug be a problem in the future or maybe an ally? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

This episode of Hamster & Gretel is now available on Disney Channel and the DisneyNOW website. You can catch up with earlier episodes streaming now on Disney+.