07.00 Rising Damp
03.00 Superboy
03.30 Shazam!
Rising Damp. Season 3, Episode 4. "The Good Samaritans" A new tenant moves in, and climbs onto the roof to commit suicide.
For the third time this season, the story is driven by a new character created especially for the episode. This time out it's a depressed man, who drops a lot of non-subtle hints about his intention to commit suicide and - eventually - climbs out onto the roof.
The early comedy comes from Rigsby and the gang panicking over what the man might do, and squabbling among themselves. The latter part of the episode has most of the regulars climbing around on the roof trying to get the poor man to come back inside. There are laughs to be had, yes, but some of the humour is too forced to work. The depressed tenant is written/played way over the top and the man who comes to help them with the crisis is written/played very stupid so that he keeps assuming the wrong people are planning to commit suicide. The conversation he has with Miss Jones is very funny, but his repeated attempts to have Rigsby carted away for observation are too strained to work fully.
Superboy. Season 2, Episode 1. "With This Ring, I Thee Kill" Lex Luthor returns, assumes a new identity and kidnaps Lana Lang.
Three superb performances dominate this very strong episode. Stacy Haiduk (the real star of the show) gets another chance to show us Lana in peril, Sherman Howard assumes the role of Lex and steals the episode from everyone with a succession of superb scenes (playing two characters) and Gerard Christopher appears as Superman/Superboy for the first time and instantly establishes himself as the best actor to play the part. Ever.
It's a fun story which accomplishes a lot. The change in actor playing Superman/Superboy is ignored while the change in actor playing Lex is explained in great detail. I've always been curious about that. Why not just replace Lex and start fresh? Never mind. At least, the 'origin' story for the new Lex is great.
Shazam! Episode 1. "The Joyriders" Chuck's friends want to 'borrow' a car. He knows it's wrong, but he doesn't have the courage to speak up and say so...
There are two things to say about this: First, it's hokey. But hokey is okay. I don't mind something that's a bit too earnest and tries to teach a moral. There's nothing essentially wrong with that, if it's done with a sense of style and flair. And, to it's credit, this half-hour is fun in several ways: Billy Batson and his mentor driving around the country, taking direction from animated gods in visions, and helping people and so on. It's goofy nonsense.
Sadly, the story lacks logic in many places. Billy and Mentor keep bumping into Chuck and/or his friends with a crazy amount of ease. So much so that you begin to wonder if this town they are visiting has, like, one short street, one house and one car!!
Logic-flaws aside, it did make me smile a few times. It's okay, but you really have to switch your brain complete off to enjoy this.
Highlight? Superboy (great cast, great story, great fun)
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Sat, Feb 28, 09 - Rising Damp, Superboy, Shazam!
