The Grant-Gomez Family Heads to Las Vegas in “Hamster & Gretel”

A special two-part episode takes the Grant-Gomez family to Las Vegas, where they might just have a close encounter with the aliens who gave Hamster & Gretel their powers in the first place.

U.F. Uh-Oh

The Grant-Gomez family is on a trip to The Vegas, (as Las means “the”), and the family is sticking to their usual protocol where Mom and Dad pretend they don’t have kids for a few hours and Kevin and Gretel go find some safe and perfectly legal trouble elsewhere for under $40.00. Fortunately for the kids, Las Vegas has grasped onto the Hamster & Gretel bandwagon with new figures in the Wax Museum and a musical show, “Champster and Greta.”

It’s at this musical that Kevin is reminded, once again, that he is without powers as the stage show completely overlooks him and his contributions to the team, with Greta singing a musical number about how she is an only child. It doesn’t help that as they exit, Gretel herself is singing the song some more. On their way to the Wax Museum, they encounter Wacko Walley (who sounds an awful lot like Weird Al Yankovic) who offers to take them on a tour of Area 51 where aliens can bestow powers unimaginable. You know, like what happened to Gretel and Hamster before.

Kevin takes advantage of the opportunity and forks over 20.00 for the pair to head out into the desert in the hopes of getting powers himself. I’m just confused as to how they still have half of their budget after getting good seats to a theatrical show in Las Vegas. I can only suspend my disbelief so much, Povenmire! Hamster isn’t around for this part of the adventure as he is off doing his own thing – partaking in a charity Go Fish tournament.

While on Wacky Walley’s bus they pass by Area 51 but don’t stop, and instead head to Area 50-1, Wacko’s specialty souvenir shop. While they don’t see them themselves, the aliens are actually conveniently nearby, and follow the bus back into The Vegas. The kids head into the wax museum (they still have money?!?) and find the Hamster & Gretel wax figures. Just outside however, the alien ship has turned on the city and started terrorizing the people on the streets below. Kevin and Gretel run outside when they hear the ruckus and discover the aliens. Kevin tries to signal them and remind them to give him powers as well. Gretel gets caught in the ship’s beam and is being pulled to the ship.

Kevin gives chase trying to save Gretel, but ends up just missing her as the ship burns a cryptic message into the field as it gets away. Finally, Hamster shows up wondering what he has missed and it’s time for a commercial break.

A rare two-part episode!

We come back to find Hamster and Kevin trying to decode the message, “J3hound+Sit.” Assuming the J3 is part of a map, with the help of Fred they are led to a dog obedience school. Too bad that’s the end of the trail until Kevin is showing the picture (upside down) to an employee of the location who asks “Who is Fistpuncher?” The message upside down reveals the true culprit!

On the ship, sure enough its Fistpuncher and the Destructress who have hijacked the ship from Area 51 and plan on smashing it into the nearby Las Vegas Dam. They have Gretel trapped in a box with a stone that takes away her special powers so she can’t stop them. Kevin and Hamster arrive at the dam and realize Fred was right, and much to Kevin’s excitement, Hamster gives him the green light to suit up. Armored Suit Guy returns!

Gretel turns up her little-sisterness on the ship to 11 and annoys Fistpuncher and the Destructress in this half of the episode’s musical number. Kevin is fully suited up and Hamster rockets him into the bottom of the ship breaking through the floor and into the chamber where the villains are keeping Gretel. Kevin bluntly asks why the two would use the powers the aliens gave them for evil, since not everybody even gets those powers. Now they know why, because the aliens told them to. Hamster is able to take out the villains, blasting them through the windows of the ship, while also knocking the spacecraft crooked, leading to a tilt that sends Kevin in his heavy suit and Gretal in her power-draining tube out through the hole in the floor.

The battle between Hamster and the sibling villains ensues and debris is launched into the sky, further knocking the ship off course and back to Gretel and Kevin. Luckily, Kevin is able to find his way into the control area and discovers that the ship is piloted just like the minivan! He regains control of the ship and guides it along the ground slowing it down but they are fast approaching the dam and barely make an impact. Too bad the dam starts cracking anyway, and Gretel (who now has her powers back) steals the hotel’s slide-zilla water feature (that their parents have been trying to enjoy this entire episode) and redirects all the water back to where it came from.

At the buffet, the siblings look back and wonder why the aliens told the others to be evil when we see the ship outside again pointing out the power draining rock was a nice touch and then flying away. Roll credits.

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

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Tony Betti
Originally from California where he studied a dying artform (hand-drawn animation), Tony has spent most of his adult life in the theme parks of Orlando. When he’s not writing for LP, he’s usually watching and studying something animated or arguing about “the good ole’ days” at the parks.