Saturday, August 22nd, 2009
11.00 Friday The 13th
12.00 Batman
Friday The 13th. Season 2, Episode 3. "And Now The News" A cursed radio, in a psychiatric hospital, that gives prophetic news broadcasts... of death.
Great fun. A+ all the way. Not only is the cursed object interesting, but the story build around it is ingenious and the characters (both regular and guest) are well-served by the script.
An antique radio that requires no power to make it run. Mostly is plays old time music, but periodically it interrupts the music for newsflashes... Of events that are about to happen. If you are the owner of the radio it will tell you what good things are coming your way, and what you must do to make them happen. Nice. However, for anyone else who hears the broadcast it foretells their death. Not so nice.
With that very interesting cursed object at the center of things, Richard Benner scripts a story set inside a hospital with psychotic patients and two doctors competing to cure them. One of the doctor's has the radio, the other doesn't... and his patients are the ones that are dying. While all this is going on (often on a dark, stormy night) we witness Micki and Ryan's attempts to get into the hospital. First by being (relatively) honest, then by other means. There are some shocks to be had. Ryan coming a cropper on top of the electric fence really surprised me and the scene where Micki is captured and badly-beaten was extremely brutal and unsettling. Major praise to Louise Robey for showing us a badly shook-up, and scared, Micki in the aftermath of the attack.
Both doctors are well-written and well-played. Kurt Reis's character is the good one, but he's not very nice. It would have been easy to make him 100% sympathetic, but the show wisely crafts him in a more realistic way. Micki and Ryan are well-written in this one, also. Particularly in the final scenes, when Micki is recovering from a patient's attack and she starts to question the safety of what they are doing.
A nice set up for the 'twist' ending, where the radio makes them an offer. Great ending.
Batman. Episode 27. "Mad As A Hatter" Jervis Tetch goes to extreme lenghts to win the love of the girl called Alice.
One of the best episodes. Probably in the Top 5. The story is truly sad and human, and the amazing performance of Roddy McDowall will break your heart.
Jervis loves Alice (Kimmy Robertson, of Twin Peaks) from afar. Until her boyfriend breaks up with her, and Jervis steps in to sweep her off her feet. Using his mind-control devices to impress her as he takes her on a date, on the town. Eventually, when he sees that her heart still belongs to her ex, he starts to mind-control her as well. Knowing full-well that, even by doing this, he still can't have her love. Not really. Not the way he wants.
It's heavy stuff, this, a really tragic love-story. More a story of obsession than love, I suppose, and made all the powerful by the lead character's full knowledge that he is on a fruitless path once he uses his mind-control devices on her. Batman is reduced to the role of supporting character, in this tale, showing up from time to time to try and thwart Jervis. When he finally does, at story's end, it's hard not to feel genuine sorrow for the lonely little man.
Highlight? Friday The 13th (Great fun.)
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