TV Recap: Wizards Beyond Waverly Place Builds Toward a Dark Finale in “The Wizard at the End of the World: Part 1”

After a season of secrets, spells, and sibling rivalry, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place reaches its turning point with “The Wizard at the End of the World: Part 1." The second season has seen Billie struggling to balance her newfound power with her place in the Russo family, Justin stepping into his role as a protective mentor, and an unseen dark force quietly tightening its grip on the wizard world. From changelings and cursed relics to forbidden romances and prophecies of doom, every mystery now points to one shocking truth: Billie’s destiny may be the key to unleashing a darkness strong enough to end both worlds.

Season 2, Episode 9: “The Wizard at the End of the World: Part 1" - Written by Jed Elinoff & Scott Thomas

In the wizard world, Minister Bigalow McFigglehorn (Kirsten Vangsness) receives a call through the Eye of Evilini from Lord Morsus (Tobias Jelinek), furious that his orc servant has betrayed him. Lord Morsus reveals that stealing Billie’s power will destroy her.

Meanwhile, Billie (Janice LeeAnn Brown) fills Winter (Taylor Cora) in about what happened with Quentin (Recker Eans) at the dance. Determined to protect him from the evil wizard he disobeyed, she sneaks out to find him. But when she tries to leave through her bedroom window, she mysteriously ends up in Roman’s (Alkaio Thiele) room instead. Every exit leads her right back inside — even the front door loops to the kitchen. Justin (David Henrie) catches her, revealing he hexed the house to keep her safely contained. He begs her to let him handle things, but Billie refuses to sit still.

Billie sends Winter to try to locate Quentin, but there’s still no sign of him. Just then, a fish jumps against Billie’s window. She opens it to reveal a magical messenger fish carrying a warning from Quentin himself — he urges her to stay away, saying it isn’t safe to be near him. Ignoring his advice, Billie asks the fish to help her break Justin’s protection spell and lead her to Quentin.

In the kitchen, Milo (Max Matenko) panics after eating all of Roman’s gummy bears, worried his brother will find out. Billie helps by teaching him a conjuring spell — one that endlessly replenishes candy. Her plan works a little too well.

While Justin searches the Tribunal archives for information about Lord Morsus, Giada (Mimi Gianopulos) notices something strange: gummy bears begin raining from the ceiling. They soon discover the entire kitchen has been overtaken, with gummy bears flowing from cupboards, sinks, and vents. Justin evacuates the house and calls a professional — the WizTerminator — who needs two full days to clean up the sticky mess.

With nowhere else to stay, the Russos relocate to Alex’s (Selena Gomez) unused New York apartment. Justin enters the password to bypass her enchantments — “Password" — triggering a magical jolt that wakes Alex, who’d been napping on the couch. After catching up, Alex reveals that she broke Tribunal rules to retrieve the Oracle’s painting of Billie. The prophecy, she explains, shows a red rift in the sky — the gateway to the world of dark magic — and she believes Billie will be the one to open it.

When Milo accidentally spills a glowing potion on Billie, Alex whisks it away before it explodes, but a familiar fish voice starts yapping from Billie’s bag. She covers quickly and tells Justin she’s going to look at the view. Before she can sneak out, he demands her wand, knowing that without it, she can’t run off.

Out on the balcony, Alex joins her. Billie confides that she and Justin are fighting — about a boy. She doesn’t mention Quentin’s name, only that Justin forbade her from seeing him. Alex sympathizes, encouraging her to follow her heart and teasing that her own type is “bad boys." The two share a heartfelt hug, happy to reconnect.

But the peace doesn’t last. When Alex confronts Justin about forbidding Billie’s relationship, he admits the truth — the boy is an orc working for Lord Morsus. Their argument turns personal as Alex accuses him of being overprotective. “Why would Billie lie to me? I’m the cool one," she says. Justin snaps back that responsibility comes with parenting — something Alex doesn’t understand. Giada intervenes before the fight escalates further, reminding them that Lord Morsus is still after Billie.

The trio travels to the Tribunal, leaving Roman in charge and warning the kids not to touch anything in Alex’s enchanted apartment. Billie seizes the opportunity, stealing Roman’s wand from his pocket and sneaking off with the messenger fish — unaware that she drops Quentin’s magical button behind her.

At the Tribunal, McFigglehorn attempts to act innocent when Justin, Alex, and Giada confront her about Lord Morsus and the missing database files. Giada picks up on inconsistencies — McFigglehorn slips and mentions details they never told her. Realizing she’s under magical influence, Justin suspects the Eye of Evelini has been used to control her.

Back in New York, Roman realizes his wand is missing. Before he can react, someone starts jiggling the door handle. Milo, thinking fast, arranges Alex’s enchanted objects around the entrance as a trap. When they finally open the door, the trap activates — only for the chair’s restraints to capture Justin! But in the mirror’s reflection, the person bound isn’t Justin at all… it’s Lord Morsus in disguise.

In the wizard world, Justin, Alex, and Giada manage to disarm McFigglehorn after a duel, destroying the amulet and freeing her from Morsus’ control. She reverts to her normal self — and immediately compliments Alex’s jacket.

Meanwhile, Billie follows the messenger fish into a dark alley where a masked wizard waits. The fish disappears, leaving her alone with Lord Morsus’ eerie voice. When she pulls off the mask, she’s horrified to discover Quentin bound and gagged beneath it. He warns her too late: “I’m sorry you ever met me." The door slams shut behind her, trapping them both inside as the real Lord Morsus closes in.

To be continued…

Next episode: “The Wizard at the End of the World: Part 2."

The entire second season of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place is now streaming on Disney+.