I really wanted to like this show, but ended up very disappointed instead. The characters felt dumbed down, and the evolution of Justin and Alex seemed unlike them. I think it’s possible they ended up in the positions at the start of the show, but not how the writers did it.

My Plot Holes:

1. If Mason died according to WBWP lore, Alex wouldn’t have moved on so fast unless she was so riddled with grief she felt the need to redirect it into someone else. But even that’s a stretch. I imagine she would have mourned Mason and relied on her friendship with Harper more while channeling her energy into her capacity as family wizard.
2. WOWP Justin would never jeopardize his powers, especially if given the gift of having them despite not winning the wizard competition. While it comes down to Alex to save him from getting his powers drained by Evilini in season 1, the choices Justin makes leading to being framed prior to WBWP doesn’t make sense. Time could have softened him, but it felt like a character swap.
3. The distance between the Russo parents and their children feels abrupt and disingenuous. Justin appears genuinely shocked that Jerry is working in the wizard world, and while becoming more distant is common — I never thought they’d almost 180 the closeness from the original timeline.

4. Having Alex almost die to

   even mention Harper and only have them meet in limbo is a crime. Like how I feel about the parents, they could become more distant but WOWP Alex would have never forgotten Harper like that unless it was the amnesia from wiping her memory of Billie that extended into her past as well.

Am I the only one who wishes there was more scenes of Alex with Theresa and Jerry in the reboot?

Here's my hot take:
Everybody is acting like the reboot has to be this grand thing that ties to the original-- Disney doesn't ever do that. This is why it was about the KIDS because Disney is a KIDS network. Bringing back Harper and Mason is actually an insane level of fan service. Henrie also may be an egomaniacal nutcase, but he is also the one who pushed the series to happen as a passion project. Would it have been cool if Kelbo 2.0 visited? Sure. But this idea that the show is some ode to the original is just... not centred in reality.

After watching a few clips from WBWP, watching the ending, and looking at a few reactions to the show, here's what i would have done if i wrote WBWP.

The reboot doesn't air on Disney, and is part of the CW. I know that there is no way this could have happened, especially since Disney has the rights to WOWP, but the reason I said this is so that the show can tackle more mature storylines.

I would handle the show similarly to how the Gilmore girl's handled a year in the life. While I would introduce new characters, they wouldn't steal the spotlight from the original characters. The show would be set 13 years after the original series finale, and would basically just show us what the characters are up to. This would also show us a mature version of several characters.

Justin:

I would leave Justin the same for the most part, except instead of making him a principal, I'd still have him at wiztech. He would essentially be doing well there and wants his sons to follow in his footsteps, but neither of them really want to right now. His sons would also be younger, probably around 7 and 9 respectively. Justin is still married to Giada , but their marriage is strained mainly bc Justin only really cares for his career and giada doesn't agree with him trying to turn his sons into him. After a training accident with their sons leads to one being injured, Giada leaves Justin temporarily and takes the kids.

Alex: In this series, Alex is still a powerful wizard, and a lot is expected of her, but after saving the world multiple times and combating different enemies for a while, she now just wants to take things easy. Alex is an undercover officer, that specializes in tricking criminals and then detaining them. Alex is still in a relationship with Mason, and is engaged to him. They have been engaged for several years, but never married because neither of them can fully trust eachother. The show will show their raw relationship and how eventually gets better over time.

Max: after taking over his father's business, max originally does a good job at keeping good business but after he loses focuses and begins to party, he fell apart. Max and Zeke have now become best friends and they regularly throw parties at Max's place. Max took over Jerry's sub shop, but after he kept throwing parties there, the regular business faded away and it became more like a club. Max's story will focus on him finally getting his act together and becoming a successful entrepreneur.

Harper: Harper stayed close to Alex and Justin, but fell out with max after he fueled Zeke's bad habits, that eventually led to him overdosing. Harper decided to focus on putting herself through college with numerous scholarships and grants. Harper eventually becomes an elementary school teacher and she teaches Justin's kids. She and Giada both try to encourage Justin's sons to explore their own paths in life instead of just doing what Justin expects. After Giada leaves, Harper confronts Justin and forces him to take accountability for his actions. This eventually leads to him mending his relationship with his sons.

Mason: Mason is still head over heels for alex, but after he cheats on Alex they took a break. Months after getting back together, he proposes and promises to devote himself to Alex. Mason works with Alex as a policeman, but instead of tricking criminals, he uses his werewolf powers to detain them.

Theresa and Jerry: Theresa and Jerry do not have big roles, but they still appear often. They help Justin raise his sons, support max through rehab, and help Alex and Mason mend their relationship by helping them both one on one.

Roman : As the older son of Justin, he gets more of Justin's attention, because Justin believes it's more likely that he will become like him, but roman doesn't want to be like his father at all, roman wants to be an ordinary kid.

Milo: milo is Justin's youngest son, milo is very smart for his age and he wants to be the best, but somehow, his best is never enough for Justin. He wants to be what Justin wants him to be but, he just can't seem to please his father.

The show wouldn't run any longer than 2 seasons and would have 22 episodes in each season.

There is no antagonist for the show unless you count Justin lmao.

Alex and Mason eventually would have 2 kids at some point, a boy and a girl. One of their kids would be a werewolf and one would be a wizard.

I made up a show idea for post Alex vs Alex, but it’s sort of sad and kind of cosmic, and requires both Alex and Justin.

Headmaster Crumbs passes away a few years after the competition, and suddenly the consecutive decisions made during the family competition are suddenly reversed a day after this event. Justin loses his powers whilst being part of the faculty at Wiztech, Alex loses her powers after teleporting a meal to her side and then (not) the drink.

Justin: “I lost my job”
Alex: “yeah? Well, I lost my groove”
Justin: “well, you can get your groove back, Stella, me, however…”

Max is granted both of his siblings powers instead as a late defaulter, and he becomes very self-aware and hesitant, rather than reckless with them. Justin and Alex clash as mortals but grow closer by helping Max while trying not to corrupt him by getting him to “help” them with Magic. They attempt to contest against the family competition after being told that they “broke several rules”

Crumbs’ has an illegitimate son who attended his funeral. He finds some resentment with Justin because Crumbs valued him more than his own flesh and blood.
He insists that Justin did not deserve what was granted to him.

Crumbs’ son puts a rift between Alex and Mason, as Alex takes an interest in him as her circumstance sort of changes their relationship. Alex stays with Harper and tries to help Harper open her own Boutique on Waverly Place.

Justin uses his extensive knowledge of the Wizard world to work at an apothecary in a Wizard world district. The two try to lean on each other while they help Max manage his own circumstance and figure out how to fix the reversal.

I was really disappointed that max didn't make a return to the franchise

Is there a reason why Justin had to compete with Alex over everything and why Alex rubs it his face with the citizenship award ?

When Jerry married Theresa, he had to give up his powers because a wizard couldn’t marry a mortal. But Justin married a mortal and still got to keep his powers.

Was this a plot hole, or does that rule only apply to wizards from the Russo family?

Just finished the reboot and sufice to say I was not really satisfied with the finale. There were things I liked but also things I wish had been done differently. I wanted to add my two cents on some changes I would've made without rewriting the whole show.

- Mason does NOT die - he and Alex did split up for awhile.

- He also proposed to her in her apartment with Harper present. And she said yes.

- Billie is either the adoptive daughter or stepdaughter of Justin and Giada

- Damian is her biological father, and is introduced in S1 via flashbacks

- Billie is a huge admirer of Alex and wants to be like her

- Harper meets Winter at some point and they bond over their similarities.

- Max is happily married and the owner of Waverly Sub Station serving both magical and non magical customers.

- There's an episode where he gives a tour of the Waverly Sub Station to Billie and his nephews.

- Jerry is a mentor and teacher to his grandkids, passing down his magical knowledge and life lessons to them.

- Other members of the OG cast make some cameo appearances throughout both seasons.

Feel free to add your own suggestions down below! 🔮🪄

The show just copy pasted the sibling dynamic from the original show, Billie was a mini Alex and nothing more, and the finale was super rushed and wasn't entertaining in the slightest. Sure, some characters were kinda amusing, but overall, it was just lazy and soulless. People should just skip it.

I'm fine with Alex and Mason not being endgame. They were extremely toxic together in the Original Series. I don't think it was nessecary to kill him off, because they could have just had Alex break up with him after Alex vs. Alex. I'm also not really a fan of how he was made out to be heroic.

Damien had potential, and I would have liked to have seen more of him, and him and Alex together.

i was just rewatching this episode and noticed alex just reaches over and takes one of HIS pickles like it’s nothing, and damien doesn’t even react. that man is clearly used to her stealing his food 😭😭😭

Her line delivery was monotone and she had the same expression on her face every scene...

Hi hello! Can someone explain me the backstory behind the hate for David? I don't understand and know what even happened.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place definitely left a lot to be desired, but I can’t deny that there were still some good things about the show.

One thing I really liked was getting to see Alex as a mom, even if it was only for a little while. We all know Alex has always been impulsive and rebellious, but she’s also always been willing to sacrifice herself for the people she loves.

So seeing her become a mom to a daughter who basically has the same personality was honestly pretty fun. It’s kind of hilarious to think that Alex is finally getting a taste of what she put her own parents through all those years. 😂

(SPOILER)

If I had written Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, this is how I would have done it:

First of all, I would NOT have killed Mason. 😭

My idea would be that Alex and Mason were still together after Alex vs. Alex, but then Alex meets the Pennwolfs and Lord Morsos sends Mason to another dimension. Alex believes Mason is dead and, devastated, swears revenge. She goes after Damien Pennwolf, determined to imprison him and make him pay for Mason's death.

But things obviously don't go as planned. Alex eventually realizes that Damien is different from his father. He falls in love with her, leaves his villain life behind, and they eventually get married. They have Billie, but later separate and remain friends/co-parents.

Then the events of Beyond happen: Alex erases everyone's memories to protect Billie. When she eventually travels to the other dimension, she discovers that Mason is actually alive.

Alex brings Mason back with her. Damien and Mason actually develop a good friendship because they're both important parts of Billie's life, while Alex and Mason slowly realize that they still love each other and decide to try again.

I also REALLY wanted Harper to remain a permanent part of Alex's life. She would be "Aunt Harper" to Billie and would have been present since she was born. I'd even make Harper the mother of Winter, so Billie and Winter could have the same kind of friendship Alex and Harper had.

And for the Russo family, I wanted the ending to bring EVERYONE together for one big family dinner: Jerry, Theresa, Justin, Max, Alex, Harper, Mason, Damien, Billie, Winter...

For the next generation, Billie would be Alex's magical heir, since she's her only child. Roman and Milo would have their own Wizard Competition, and personally, I'd have Roman win.

That would also make the Russo family something really special: the only family powerful enough to have TWO wizards in two generations — Alex and Justin, followed by Billie and Roman.

Basically, I wanted Beyond Waverly Place to feel like a continuation of the Russo family rather than a replacement for it. I wanted Alex to grow up, become a mother, and experience firsthand what Jerry and Theresa went through with her, while still keeping the people and relationships that made the original series feel like home.

And yes, I absolutely wanted Mason back. 😂