• Episode Name:
  The Wizards Return: Alex Vs Alex
• Air date:
  3/15/2013
• Summary:
  The Russo family and friends are headed to Tuscany, Italy, to meet their long lost relatives... but when Alex tries to prove she's more than a seemingly carefree young Wizard, she inadvertently conjures a spell that creates a Good Alex and an Evil Alex. When Evil Alex gets roped into a charming young wizard's foreboding plan to take over the world, Good Alex must find a way to save her family and humankind, which leads to a monumental battle between the two versions of herself - all atop the Tower of Pisa.

WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE is full of standard Disney TV fare: a nuclear family headed by two devoted (if often outwitted) parents, tweens and teens with woes that young viewers will easily relate to (a snobby rival who lives to embarrass a teen girl, for example), and squeaky-clean content. There's little here to worry parents of the show's target tween audience; while there's often some mild misbehaving of some sort going on, in the end, important lessons are learned and consequences are faced.

If you're looking for a worry-free series to transition your young tween into the next stage of entertainment, Wizards of Waverly Place might be right up your alley. But don't be surprised if older tweens -- who will easily see through the predictable storylines -- find the package a bit hokey.

To casual observers, Justin (David Henrie), Alex (Selena Gomez), and Max Russo (Jake T. Austin) are typical siblings, living in Manhattan with their parents, Jerry (David DeLuise) and Theresa (Maria Canals Barrera). In truth, the siblings are anything but ordinary: They inherited powers from their dad's side of the family and are actually wizards in training, learning the ins and outs of their magical craft. But despite Jerry's best intentions, their focus often strays from his careful instruction when they realize their powers can be used for more entertaining endeavors. As their magical powers strengthen, Justin, Alex, and Max must learn to control them -- and identify appropriate times for their use -- or run the risk of losing them altogether.