Todd Marker's father has passed away, while his mother struggles to make ends meet by designing storyboard art for advertisements, so he aims to help her financially by answering a part-time job listing for a magician's assistant.
The magician, Shandu the Magnificent, or just Shandu for short, lives in a wagon full of magical paraphernalia, including a three-foot Magic Wand made of interwoven sticks.
Shandu arrives and deduces Todd's minimal experience, but Todd insists he is a fast learner and a hard worker. Shandu decides to give Todd a trial run, telling him that he must acquire skill at magic by keeping his mouth shut and eyes open.
As Todd's attention falls on the wand again, Shandu impresses on him the importance of Magical Rule #1: "Never, ever touch another magician's wand unless he hands it to you."
Over the weeks that follow, Todd rehearses with Shandu, and although he makes numerous mistakes, thus earning the ire of his impatient mentor, he is determined to learn from them as Shandu shares Magical Rule #2: "Only let them see what you want them to see."
Magical Rule #3 comes up when rehearsal of a disappearing act goes badly: "Never, ever get caught in your own reflection."
Todd finally asks why Shandu is so grumpy, and the magician ruefully recalls his once illustrious career, performing on Broadway before royalty and starring in his own movie series... which hasn't even been released on video.
His guard let down, he gives Todd the bow tie he wore to his first performance for good luck at his own first performance. The childrens' party audience love the act.
Shandu smiles gruffly, and tells Todd he's not the worst assistant he's ever had.
The next day, Todd discovers Shandu's wagon ransacked. He impulsively picks up the wand and, with Shandu's signature invocation "Shandu can do!", is able to tidy up the wagon in an instant - revealing that the wand really is magic. He quickly feigns innocence as Shandu arrives.
When he returns home and finds his mother has been commissioned to draw forty storyboards for the next day, he gets the idea of swapping a stripped potted plant stem for Shandu's wand. He then uses the wand to magically create the forty storyboards while his mother takes a short nap.
However, as he admires the effects of the spell, a blue glow appears behind him and coalesces into a female figure calling herself Nazrak, the spirit of the wand. She tells Todd the wand has special powers - contrary to Shandu's instructions, he can use it whenever he pleases.
Shandu catches Todd replacing the wand and realises he has broken Magical Rule #1, "Never, ever touch another magician's wand unless he hands it to you." Todd tells him about Nazrak, and Shandu is horrified; Nazrak is an evil demon sorcerer who has been imprisoned for centuries and seeks Shandu's wand, which can potentially grant enough power to pose a threat to the entire world. He angrily dismisses Todd, who rides off on his bike before realising he still has Shandu's bow tie.
He returns to the wagon to find it full of smoke, and impulsively grabs the wand to clear the smoke with another cry of "Shandu can do!" Shandu thanks him... after all, he only needed Todd to use the wand one more time to free him. He quotes Magical Rule #2, "Only let them see what you want them to see," and draws his arm across his face to reveal the hooded, corpse-like face of Nazrak, who has swapped places with Shandu and imprisoned the magician in the vortex. Todd tries to get rid of Nazrak with the wand, but it no longer works. He flees back home.
Mrs. Marker asks Todd what happened to the potted plant, but as he fumbles an explanation, he sees a note on his mother's desk thanking him for the illustrations, which she has taken to the office immediately - and he realises Nazrak has taken the form of his mother. Nazrak sheds the disguise and demands the wand; Todd tries picking up the phone, but only hears Nazrak's voice at the other end. He then hears Shandu's voice and sees the magician's face in the reflective surface of the toaster; he urges Todd to use the rules of magic to defeat Nazrak.
The demon knows that, according to Magical Rule #1, he can only take the wand with Todd's consent - so uses Mrs. Marker as a means of persuasion. Todd agrees to give him the wand only if Nazrak leaves his mother alone. Nazrak agrees, and Todd hands over the wand.
As Nazrak prepares to banish Todd to the vortex, Todd stands in front of a full-length mirror, reminding him of Magical Rule #2, and ducks out of the way as Nazrak casts the spell. The mirror reflects the spell, banishing Nazrak to the vortex and freeing Shandu. The magician and his assistant recall Magical Rule #3: "Never, ever get caught in your own reflection."
Todd apologises for disobeying Shandu, and Shandu apologises for his impatience; he has been seeking a new keeper for his wand for a long time, and believes Todd to be worthy. He hands Todd the wand, telling him its power will become apparent to him in time, and with a promise to remain nearby, he quotes Magical Rule #4, "Always leave them wanting more," and vanishes in a blue glow. Mrs. Marker returns, wondering what happened to her potted plant; Todd looks at the wand and smiles.
That was the last Todd saw of the old magician, Gary tells the rest of the Midnight Society. As he douses the fire and they disperse, Frank can't resist trying to discover the secrets of the stick he used to ignite the fire, but when he taps it the way Gary did, nothing happens, so he leaves to join the others.
This episode provides examples of:
- The Apprentice: Todd, merely hoping for a manageable job, devotes himself to Shandu’s training.
- Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Shandu, with a promise to remain close by, willingly fades from earthly existence.
- Chekhov's Gun: Magical Rule Number Three, "Never, ever get caught in your own reflection," is initially used in the context of potentially ruining tricks that rely on strategically placed mirrors to create illusions by standing in such a way as to cast a reflection in what should be a hidden mirror. In the climax, Todd uses this rule in conjunction with Rule Number Two ("Only let them see what you want them to see") to defeat Nazrak by standing in front of a mirror when Nazrak casts a spell to banish him to the vortex; as soon as the spell is cast, Todd steps aside to reveal the mirror, which reflects the spell back to banish Nazrak instead.
- Exact Words: Todd extracts a promise from Nazrak that he must leave Mrs. Marker alone if he wants the wand. When Nazrak agrees and Todd hands over the wand, the demon points out that he never said he would leave Todd himself alone, and he prepares to banish him to the vortex with Shandu.
- Good Luck Charm: Just before their performance at the children's birthday party, Shandu gives Todd the bow tie he wore to his own first performance for luck. Ironically, it is only because Todd realises he still has the bow tie after Shandu dismisses him for weakening Nazrak's prison that he goes back to Shandu's wagon and inadvertently frees the demon completely.
- I Have Your Wife: Nazrak coerces Todd's cooperation by threatening his mother.
- ISO-Standard Urban Groceries: After dropping off the storyboards, Mrs. Marker stops by the supermarket, and we see her walking down the alleyways toward their apartment building with a single paper bag of groceries that includes a baguette, a bunch of celery with leafy green tops, and an assortment of oranges and grapefruits that have not been put in a produce bag, so they spill out of the paper bag when the bottom inevitably tears.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While irascible, Shandu is a supportive mentor, warmly congratulates Todd on his defeat of Nazrak, and gives a hearty performance to a party of kids (despite his longing for the old days).
- Magicians Are Wizards: A possible subversion. While eminent conjurer Shandu the Magnificent knowingly keeps custody of a genuine magic wand, he warns that actual use of the wand can summon evil.
- Magic Wand: Used by ancient sorcerers to draw power from the earth, such an item is guarded by Shandu.
- Oh, Crap!: Shandu is mortified to learn of Todd's glimpse of Nazrak.
- Reality Warper: The wand can instantaneously intricately rearrange local objects.
- Rule #1: Over the course of the first act, Shandu reveals three cardinal rules of magic to Todd. Rule #1: "Never, ever touch another magician's wand unless he hands it to you." Rule #2: "Only let them see what you want them to see." Rule #3: "Never, ever get caught in your own reflection." After Todd uses the three rules to defeat Nazrak, Shandu passes his wand on to him, and just before he disappears, he reveals Rule #4: "Always leave them wanting more."
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Nazrak, an ancient sorcerer, trapped in the vortex.
- Sealed Good in a Can: When Shandu is trapped in the vortex, he appears in a reflection to advise Todd.
- Sorcerous Overlord: Nazrak is strongly implied to threaten such influence.
- Stage Magician: Shandu the Magnificent had an illustrious career as a world famous conjurer. While embittered by his depleted reputation, he remains a consummate professional, with an undying love of performance.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Shandu tells Todd that Nazrak can take many forms. The demon initially appears as a beautiful woman, transforms into Shandu to trick Todd into using the wand one more time to free him from his prison, and finally turns into Todd's mother in an attempt to get Todd to hand over Shandu's wand.
- White-Dwarf Starlet: A long time ago, Shandu was one of the greatest magicians of his time, the talk of Broadway. He performed for royalty and even had his own movie series. But these days, his fame is sadly behind him, to the point where his movies aren't even on video tapes. He's been reduced to living in a trailer and performing at kids' birthday parties.
