eerieindiana | Entries tagged with a: paralysis shriek

Aaaah, “Reality Takes a Holiday”, perhaps the most famous of all “Eerie, Indiana” episodes. And rightfully so, because for the first time, or at least the first time in a while, it feels like the show is dictating everything on its own terms. I've complained in the past about many things in this series, even though I like it: the pointlessness of certain characters (Dash-X and Syndi spring to mind), the uneven balance of creativity (some episodes seem like the show was trying to set a new standard for young adult shows, while others felt like they were just trying to blend in), etc., but I have to say that they wisely saved (one of) the best for last. This isn't just a great final episode of a children's show; this is a great final episode, period. (I guess this comes with an asterisk: This was the final episode of the original run. A nineteenth episode, which is not very good, was added on after the show was syndicated.)

It starts off a day like any other: The Teller family, plus Simon, are sitting around the lunch table, trying to beckon Marshall into going with them to see Revenge of the Corn Critters (a film the Wilson Twins give “two fingers up”, to which Simon jests, “Which fingers?”), the sequel to the popular first film. Marshall, per the usual, doesn't want to go, if for no other reason than everyone else does; he stays home while the rest head off to see the movie.

While he's outside, seeing them off, he decides to check mail. And there, in the mailbox, is a copy of a screenplay. A screenplay for a show called “Eerie, Indiana”, and an episode titled “Reality Takes a Holiday.” Confused, he reads through the first couple pages, which are a word-for-word repeat of the conversation he just had with his family. He re-enters his house...only to find his entire family sitting there, staring at him. Wait, didn't they just leave? His father utters a sentence to him, he repeats it back, and then Edgar loses it, cursing his inability to remember his lines. “Cut!” says a voice in the background, and everything is revealed to be nothing more than a set in a studio soundstage.

It all seems like a joke, and one that only poor Marshall isn't in on: He seems genuinely baffled when people keep referring to him as Omri (his “real life” name), and telling him that he is screwing up lines that he had no idea he even had. Amidst all the chaos and anger of the people around him, all he wants to know is, “What happened to my house?”

There's some inspired humor in the complete change between the way the characters act on the show, and their real-life personas: For example, Justin Shenkarow (who plays Simon), goes from sweet and innocent, to an egotistical maniac who consistently likes to harass women (he tries hitting on Julie Condra, who plays Syndi, provoking a slap at one point), and yell at his agent over his own personal cell phone in between takes. Francis Guinan (Edgar), throws on a sweater as a scarf and speaks with the accent of a sophisticated gentleman (“Really Omri? These lines aren't that hard to memorize. It isn't as if we're doing [laugh] Chekhov.”) And so breaks the fourth wall: Everyone is aware they are part of a television show, except for Marshall, who is actually stuck in character. Pretty clever, right?

In trying to escape his reality, he runs out of the indoor set, where he ends up on the studio lot. Dozens of people are moving about, carrying props and backgrounds, to the many soundstages nearby. This is when Marshall hears a familiar voice, and enters into The World o' Stuff, run by Mr. Radford. Radford doesn't appear to be “in on it”, as he refers to Marshall by “Marshall”, and seems to be a real shop owner. But when Marshall tells him his problem, Mr. Radford pulls out a copy of the script, telling him the answers always lie within those pages. They skip ahead to find out how everything is resolved...only to discover that the ending of the episode hasn't been written yet!

Figuring that if there's a script, there has to be a writer, Marshall heads to the office of Jose Schaefer (a combination between the names of the two series co-creators) to get to the bottom of this. As it turns out, Dash-X is planning on having Marshall killed off in this episode, an idea that Jose is on board with. This will allow Dash to take over as the new lead. But since everything is real to Marshall...does that mean that he will literally die in real life?

He doesn't intend to find that out. Instead, he sneaks into Jose's office and re-writes the ending to the episode, giving it to Jose's secretary to deliver to the production crew. Marshall shows back up on set, where they are excited to see him, and joins his acting family at the dinner table from the first scene. What is taking so long for the rewrite to arrive? (It's the 1991 printer, which has to make enough copies for everyone on set). He stalls for a few moments, while Dash is relishing the opportunity to kill him. Then, at last, it arrives.

Marshall closes his eyes in relief...only to discover his onscreen family staring at him when he reopens them. They're still waiting for an answer. Is he or isn't he going to see the movie with them? Shocked, Marshall gets up and looks outside, where he sees neighbors enjoying a beautiful summer day; he's no longer on a set, but back to real life! As a token of thanks, he agrees to see the movie with his family, but a page of script catches his eye...

I've said it a million times over the course of these episodes, but this show was always at its peak when it wasn't afraid to do its own thing, and it certainly wasn't afraid here. The entire installment, from concept to execution, is pretty close to genius. It doesn't quite usurp “Heart on a Chain's” place on the throne as the best this show ever produced, but it's easily the best example of the show's trademark lighthearted quirkiness. (Listening to Syndi berate Marilyn for getting a tattoo by saying, “Self-mutilation is playing right into the hands of the male power structure,” is a thing of beauty. So too, is Marilyn's response: “It's my midlife crisis. You'll know what it's like in ten years.” So too, again, is Syndi's response: “Fifteen.”)

It would be impossible for one episode to completely justify the sudden appearance of Dash-X, but this one deserves points for trying. We've always known that he has always been drawn into situations for selfish reasons (usually involving beefing up his bank account), so to see him try to oust Marshall so he can take over as the show's star comes as close as possible to explaining his role in the show, in an almost "meta" kinda way. It feels like he was working “undercover” to get what he wanted all along, helping Marshall out to gain his trust so he could ultimately tear the rug out from under him...for good.

This would be the perfect episode for those looking to get into the series and see some of the best it has to offer, but I'm hesitating to recommend it in that regard, because many of the remaining episodes just don't reach its lofty heights. Besides, who eats the cherry on a sundae first? It's best to save it for last, knowing that there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, should you ever want to quit watching the series. I'm not certain this would go down as one of the great farewells in episodic television history, simply because I don't watch enough full series to make an accurate statement on that, but I am fairly certain that a strong case could be made.

EPISODE RATING: 9/10

froodle

Sometimes, things that should be pretty obvious, don't appear that way until it's too late. In this case, it probably wasn't a good idea to jump back into television reviews a mere two months after having a baby; it was even dumber to pick a show that offered up a whopping nineteen episodes, far and away the most out of any show I have reviewed up to this point. Add to this the fact that I watched every episode twice (because I was too tired and/or lazy to sit down to review them the first time), and you might begin to feel as burned out on it as I am.

Anyway, I have to say that the show was a little more uneven than I remembered, having caught a few episodes back during its initial run, with some made to stand out amongst shows of similar ilk, while others seemed like they were content just to “blend in”. It was also uneven in quality, though I feel like that is a criticism that can technically be leveled at almost any show ever produced. But when it was firing on all cylinders, man did it deliver the goods: “Heart on a Chain”, which I feel like I mention quite frequently, is pretty much a perfect example of episodic young adult television, while the the original series finale “Reality Takes a Holiday” cleverly centers its basic premise on breaking the “fourth wall”, an idea that not many “kids” shows would have the guts to do.

When it was bad, it was bad, with episodes like “The Retainer” and the complete dud “Tornado Days” immediately springing to mind, but thankfully the show was “mediocre” more often than it was flat-out bad. As unbalanced as it could be, I at least have to be thankful that it wasn't wildly so: there were more stand-out episodes than complete bombs, so at least there wasn't a huge fluctuation, and that is enough for me to recommend the series as a whole.

What it consistently delivered, though, were characters that had the audacity to be smart, something so often missing from shows aimed toward younger crowds. Flip on any number of shows now—even ones geared toward teens—and you'll immediately find that the formula tends to consist of obnoxious characters overacting to an obnoxious degree, while shouting recycled lines that were never funny to begin with. In "Eerie", Marshall, and his trusty sidekick Simon, are kids that could pass for almost any kid in America today, and that's what makes them so instantly relatable.

By extension, even (a majority of) the adult characters were several notches above the norm. The parents encourage Marshall's imagination and curiosity within a reasonable limit, and even know about his constant hunts for the bizarre, which make up the framework for many of these episodes (in a cute touch, they even ask him in a couple episodes if he's in the middle of any investigations before asking him to accompany them to a family event). It never devolves into a “Marshall vs. his parents” storyline, which so many shows tend to fall back on; sure, he sometimes has to sneak around and avoid his parents to get the info he needs, but it's never with malicious intent. In other words, he is part of perhaps the most functional family unit in television history. (Though I will say Marshall's sister isn't really given much to do, but she's hot so I'm not completely against her inclusion.)

The show also wasn't afraid to back down from tackling stronger themes, which they did more than a couple times. Simon's parents are never shown, but it is insinuated that his parents were abusive, and that is why he is always with Marshall. In another episode, entitled “Who's Who”, a lone girl with an alcoholic father and several brothers is always expected to take care of them; the entire installment is about her trying to escape her captive life by using drawings that come to life. In every instance, it's handled with humor and a healthy dose of reality, a balancing act that's hard to do, but that the show pulled off well.

As I mentioned in an individual review, the show's lone season did go on for way too long (I could have seen cutting at least six episodes), which I think is what prevents it from having as much of a cult following as it could. Not that nineteen half-hour episodes is too much to slog through, but in my opinion, it's a big reason for its unevenness. You can always tell when a show is frantically trying to make something work when a new main character shows up unannounced, and that's what happened with Jason Marsden's “Dash X”, who became the “is he bad or is he good” kind of guy starting in episode thirteen (again proving my theory they should have just cut their losses there).

Regardless of its criticisms, I would still take an “Eerie, Indiana” over almost anything that passes for children's entertainment nowadays. It's a show that, almost thirty years later, is still ahead of its time in that there really hasn't been too much like it since then. Like all good children's shows, it catered to the parents of the audience, throwing in tidbits about conspiracy theories, taking aim at “liberals”, politics, beliefs, and other heady topics. How some of the comments made it through the censors is rather shocking (especially the references to the “Iran-Contra affair”, which is mentioned in no fewer than three episodes, and was a huge scandal just a couple of years prior).

It was fresh in that it didn't rely on many effects, which is also a big reason why shows always seem super-dated (after all, we've come a long way since the early '90s). That might be enough to cause disinterest in many kids, but its minimalist approach means that more gravity is placed on the story, rather than trying to cover up plot deficiencies with special effects. Hell, there aren't too many adult shows that would be daring enough to try this, which speaks to just how different it really was.

Lastly, it was intelligent enough not to assume its viewers were complete idiots, a decision that ironically probably lead to its early demise. If you're looking for something unique, and don't require your stories to have a bunch of “razzle-dazzle”, you really should give “Eerie” a try; it's a very good young adult/kids show that deserves far more attention than it has received.

SERIES RATING: 7/10

froodle

I've mentioned how “Eerie, Indiana” liked to take adult ideas, and make them palatable for older children and younger adults, and now they are at it again, with an episode that takes on the (potential) evils of the credit world.

It's always a timely subject. We all know that person that eagerly got their first credit card at a young age, and was thousands of dollars in debt before the end of the month. Hell, there's a good chance you even might have been that person. The thought that we can buy something, anything we could possibly want, without actually having the money is an enticing one, and obviously the lenders are always trying to cater to people with that thought process. After all, the higher the total bill, the more they stand to collect in interest.

Naturally, there's a bizarre spin around it—as I said, it has to appeal to children—and in this case, it comes in the form of subliminal advertising, which is also either a timely subject, or one that has beaten a horse to death. Mr. Radford, the owner of the world-famous (or just Eerie-famous) World o' Stuff General Store, has fallen behind on his taxes by quite a few years. An auditor from the IRS is on his way to the store, and Mr. Radford is sure that he will lose his store, and probably many other things, in the process.

After venting about the heartlessness of the IRS, in walks “The Donald”, a creepy man of cocky arrogance who seems to think he can sell out the entire store within 72 hours. If he does, Mr. Radford will have to pay an unspecified (onscreen) fee. If not, then Radford doesn't owe him a thing. It sounds too good to be true, but Radford is a soon-to-be poor, desperate man (“Being broke made him an easy mark,” a line spoken by Marshall that teems with aching truth), so he will take anything that comes his way; he signs the contract before reading even a single word. (Explains Marshall: “But a little voice inside me was screaming: Do not trust a dude in a ponytail whose first name is 'The'").

Yet again, we have another random appearance by Dash-X, who—again yet again—is caught attempting to steal things from The World o' Stuff. As is becoming standard for the course, The Donald likes what he sees in the young rebel, and wants to hire him as help for his new ad campaign. Eager as he always is at the promise of making tons of money, Dash agrees, and signs on the dotted line. He's only been in the show for a few episodes now, and somehow his mere presence has become completely redundant (though, once again I must note it is through no fault of Jason Marsden, who portrays him; the writers just never give him anything to do).

The new ad campaign, which promises “E-Z Credit” and is prominently featured on every single channel, is a big hit, drawing the entire town to The World o' Stuff's “Midnight Madness” sale. But these don't look to be well-informed consumers looking to make necessary purchases; no, as the title alludes, they appear to be brainwashed zombies putting stuff on credit simply because they can. And, as usual, it's up to Marshall and Simon, both of whom have resisted the catchy marketing jingle, to save the town from the greedy Donald! It might take some help from one of the items he purchased from the store...

This one is vintage Eerie, for better and for worse. Once again, Marshall's parents are sucked into the chaos (along with the entire town), but no one remembers anything that happens afterwards, even though everyone snaps out of the “zombification” as they are entering buses in their nightgowns and pajamas (long story). The fresh-yet-predictable Dash-X character decides to help only after learning that he stands to gain nothing from the contract he signed. I understand he's the bad boy character, but the whole “Dash goes against the good guys to make money, learns that he stands to gain no money after all, at which point he decides to help Marshall and Simon, after all” routine is already growing stale.

But for all the typical complaints, we have all the standard praise, too: It deftly blends some humorous moments with stinging truth to form a concoction that appeals to virtually all age groups. Marshall and Simon continue to be one of the most adorable one-two punches in kids' show history, and while I could argue that Simon seems to be taking the backseat to Marshall and Dash more and more every episode, I won't. Their innocence is refreshing in that it doesn't feel staged simply to make them appear to be “holier than thou” kids who can do no wrong, but instead feel genuine, thanks to writers that seem to understand them pretty well (it's always frustrating in shows when characters seem to frequently act “out of character” just to advance a plot, but that rarely seems to happen here.)

I am starting to wish that the show wasn't greenlit for so many episodes right off the bat. Studios usually tread lightly with shows like this, given all the question marks and variables involved, but I'm sure having Joe Dante's name attached might have had something to do with it. The episodes vary wildly in quality, and so with a shortened season of twelve, or even ten, episodes could have really left viewers wanting more, and cemented it in the pantheon of classic television shows abandoned before their time (curiously, NBC must have had second thoughts about its cancellation, as they produced a spin-off series entitled “Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension”, a few years later, which also lasted just a single season). Granted, this probably wouldn't have helped it during its run—I think it was doomed to be canceled no matter what, as it its best it was way ahead of its time, and its targeted viewers' intelligence—but it really could have helped secure a stronger fanbase down the road. Either way, I guess once a show's done it's a moot point.

Actually, come to think of it, introducing the Dash-X character seems to have been a last-ditch effort on the part of the writers to infuse something fresh and new into the series in order to gain more viewers. This frequently seems to happen with struggling shows, much in the same way people in struggling marriages will try to have a child, thinking that will save them; both situations usually end up the same way. The only downside to eliminating Dash is that the excellent series finale probably wouldn't have been possible, so I guess there's that. Still, fewer episodes would have been the key here, at least in my opinion.

As I said, this is more of the same, which is great if you're already a fan of the show, and probably not so great if you're not. For me, what started off as an exciting bit of nostalgia is admittedly whittling itself down a little bit with a successive cluster of episodes that just seem too bland for what the series is capable of. We do have the famously weird final episode to look forward to, which ended the series on a good note at the time, but since the series was syndicated, they added a nineteenth episode that's not so good. Why can't anything be straightforward in Eerie?

froodle

The creators of "Eerie, Indiana", Jose Rivera and Karl Schaefer, have made no attempt to hide the fact they are into conspiracy theories and cover-ups, and now they confront one head-on: the Illuminati. Only, of course we're not dealing with it on a global scale, but rather a scaled down version as it pertains to Eerie, and Marshall Teller specifically.

In this one, his father has joined a weird, secretive society that is all geared toward...well...corn. They wear corn-shaped hats on their heads, pass around popcorn, have a leader referred to as a “kernel”, and sing a song called “Hail to Thee O' Ears of Splendor”. Since Edgar is a new member, he is being “initiated” into the group, which involves being whisked away to a secret room, to do God knows what. Well, Marshall, who is viewing all this from the window of the building (why would such a secretive group use a first-floor building with a wide variety of windows?) desperately wants to get in...until they are confronted by someone who doesn't take kindly to their snooping!

Oh wait, that's just Dash-X, who once again randomly shows up simply to move the plot along. He just started his job as a waiter in the Loyal Corn building, and is going to have the kids removed, until they bribe him to let them in. Always game to fatten his wallet, Dash agrees, sneaking them in through a window. That's when they discover that the bartender, an old man who also functions as Dash's supervisor, is in every single lodge picture dating back to 1915...and he looks exactly the same in all of them! Clearly, there's more going on here than meets the eye...

Conveniently, all the members leave the lodge, heading to Edgar's house to grab a “part” necessary for an unspecified project, which leaves the lodge unattended...except for Dash, Simon, and Marshall, that is! The trio find a large color-changing crystal hidden away (“This looks like one of those hokey, new-age crystal things. My sister has one almost that big. She thinks it'll get her a boyfriend,” Marshall explains), and link it to an open slot on a machine that oversees a massive television screen. As Simon and the crew find out the hard way, that crystal can open a portal (via the TV) to other planets, and before we know it, Simon is stuck freezing on Mars!

The secret lies in Edgar, who is working on a universal remote of sorts that will allow people to come and go freely from inside the television monitor (or something like that). Meanwhile, his wife Marilyn is getting fed up with all this “corn” business, and threatens to prevent him from completing work on the weird device. But if he never finishes the remote, then Simon will be doomed to spend the rest of his life on a foreign planet! That can't happen, can it?

As it turns out, and spoilers be here ahead, the bartender is an alien being, after all. But he is not here to destroy our planet, but merely to explore it. The episode ends with him being summoned back to his home planet. Dash wants to go with him (as they creepily share the same “Dash-X” symbols on their hands), but is told that the answers to all of his questions—namely who he is and where he came from—lies in Eerie. These are, sadly, things that the series never found the time to answer, and honestly, questions that were never all that convincing to begin with. (Why do we care, considering this is a character that just popped up randomly, and with no warning?)

This is an okay episode, teeming with mysteries, but with an ending that feels way too standard for a sci-fi themed episode. Actually, the whole thing just feels standard, with a rather lackluster story, and an unconvincing “race against time” to save Simon. Once again, Edgar and Marilyn, who witness all of the bizarre events inside the lodge (including Simon being rescued from Mars, and the old bartender returning to his home planet) forget everything by morning, on account of them wearing the corn hats, which control their thoughts. I know that's the point of the show—that only Marshall and Simon are attuned to what's going on, while the brainwashed adults are completely oblivious to the weirdness—but it gets frustrating that the show teases us by including Marshall's family in on the bizarre happenings, only to just have them “forget”. I use this phrase often, but the show feels too smart to resort to these kinds of lame tactics usually reserved for lesser kids' shows.

This one started off with some promise—the introductory scenes in the corn lodge are appropriately weird and clearly hint that something isn't right—but the otherwise conventional handling of the material makes this feel like “Twilight Zone Light”. That might be up the alley of some, but to me, the show was always at its best when it was subverting, rather than catering to, the needs and wants of its target demographic. It was a show that, on its surface, was geared toward children, but deep inside, seemed to want to be accepted by adults even more. “The Loyal Order of the Corn” just feels like the show was on autopilot at this point, and while it's not a terrible episode, it's a far cry from the flashes of brilliance this show always liked to tease us with.

EPISODE RATING: 5/10

froodle

A crazed homeless man is confronted by a mysterious older red-headed woman, who proceeds to shoot him with a laser beam. Of course, this crime is witnessed by Marshall and Simon, who step in to prevent her from finishing him off: with police sirens looming in the distance, the woman gets into her car and speeds away.

Marshall and Simon know he's a weird guy, on account of his mumblings to himself, but think there might be something causing his bizarre behavior besides a mental disorder. So they take him to Marshall's house, shave off his facial hair, cut his head hair, and tell Marshall's sister Syndi to watch over him, under the explanation that he is Simon's uncle (a notion that doesn't seem to surprise Syndi at all). The duo then go out to look for clues as to his real identity.

Meanwhile, Dash-X stops by the Teller residence to get Charles, explaining to Syndi that he is Marshall's cousin. He meets with the red-haired woman, who promised him a cash reward if he could deliver Charles to her, alive and unharmed. Dash keeps his end of the bargain, meeting the red-haired woman at the old mill that presumably is the exact same one from “The Hole in the Head Gang”. Money is exchanged, and this is when they learn that the man that everyone believes to be so insane was actually the smartest man in the world. “Was”, until one of his own inventions, the Brainalyzer, stole all of his knowledge, leaving him to be the mumbling idiot that he is now.

Marshall and Simon stumble on the Brainalyzer, and the ensuing mishap causes Simon to become a genius! Things get further out of whack when, in an attempt to reverse it, Simon, Marshall, the red-headed woman, and the former genius, all get in the way of the machine and end up in a four-way body switch that really confuses things. As it turns out, the red-headed woman, who was the genius man's wife, never loved him, and was just using him in an attempt to cash in on his smarts. Dash-X steps in with a laser gun to save the day, and everyone is reunited with their proper brains.

The “brain control” idea is back here, although presented in a different way than it was in the superior “Just Say No Fun”. That had a cooler story that showed how brainwashing affected the entire town, diluting the idea of a dystopian society down for a younger audience. This one just aims for the more straightforward stupidity you see in kid's shows (the crazed homeless man just shouts out non-sequitur words and phrases, of which “my sharona” is a favorite, though that does tie in to the story later), and the effect just isn't all that interesting.

It also shows a rather grating issue that has been gnawing at me for at least a few episodes now, and that's the stupidity of the Teller family. I mean, the family banter and dynamics are better represented here than in similar shows of its ilk--a point that I have made clear many times before—but how many things do they have to see before they finally start to believe that Marshall is right and that Eerie is insane? For example, in the last episode, Syndi (Marshall's sister) saw a werewolf, but passed out and conveniently woke up without remembering what happened. In this one, Syndi is asked to watch “Simon's crazed uncle” (who is just the crazy homeless guy), and does so, without suspecting anything's up. Yeah, I suppose maybe it's to show that Syndi is dumb and goes along with anything, but for a show that seems to pride itself on being smart and different, the whole “dumb sister” routine just feels really unfair.

Speaking of unfair is throwing Jason Marsden in there as Dash-X, another character that never really has anything to do. Outside of the final episode, where his presence finally serves a clever point (but I'm not sure so much that it justified having him here in the first place), he seems interjected in these episodes solely as a lazy way for the writers to advance their plot. Need a character to learn some info? Just have Dash-X hanging around for no reason to eavesdrop! Do Marshall and Simon need saved? Have Dash-X show up out of nowhere! His ideologies and beliefs seem to change on a whim, making him a relatively worthless character. I don't dislike him--in fact, I actually like his gravelly voice and negative outlook on the world, all wrapped up in a world-weary teenaged kid—but he was doomed to fail from the outset.

“Eerie, Indiana” is a good show overall, but this is the episode where the foundation is showing a lot of cracks, and everything is threatening to completely collapse. Will it, or will the next episode put us back on track? I guess we'll just have to trudge onward to find out.

EPISODE RATING: 4/10

froodle

It's the day of the Harvest King selection, and as usual, Marshall is not feeling the bizarre Eerie tradition. What exactly is the Harvest King, you may be wondering? Excellent question! Every thirteen years, the town's “elite” (The Mayor, Mr. Radford, and a mysterious man named Mr. Chaney are the selectors this year) pick a citizen of Eerie to go out into the woods and look for the Eerie wolf. Why? It's all part of the town's superstition—if no one goes, then they believe that the town's crops will fail and they will suffer bad luck. The only problem with this whole theory, is that no one who has been selected the Harvest King has ever returned from their trip to discover the Eerie wolf. Even creepier: no one seems to care.

But the ever-acute Marshall wants no part of this weird ritual, and seems to be the only person not buying a ticket for the chance to become the next King. Well, he's the only one besides Dash-X, who is now in every episode from here on out. In this one, he is first seen during the Harvest King festivities, stealing cans of food from the World o' Stuff. Mr. Radford sees him, and he storms out of the building, only to return later on that night to overhear the three-person committee prepare to make their final selections. The mayor casts a ballot for Dash-X, hoping he gets selected so they can get rid of him (although he still doesn't have a name at this point, so they simply write “The Kid With The Gray Hair” on the ballot). Once they leave for the night, Dash-X mischievously scratches out his “name”, and replaces it with Marshall Teller. And guess who “wins”!

At first, he is the most popular man in the town, with women throwing themselves at him and farmers offering him cows (!). But before he has a chance to truly bask in all the attention, it is time for him to head to “Wolf Mountain”, with the mysterious Mr. Chaney in tow. It doesn't take long to discover why: as the full moon beams down on them from above, Mr. Chaney turns into a werewolf! He's about to make Marshall his next meal, until—SURPRISE!--Dash-X shows up and knocks him out from behind with a swift log to the head. It seems someone was spending time at the library, and uncovered old newspaper clippings from previous year “winners”, which all stated the earlier Harvest Kings went for a “trip to Spain”, which is a euphemism for “were killed”.

Rather than kill the beast, Dash, Marshall, and Simon all bring him to Marshall's house and tie him up in the kitchen. While he's still unconscious, Marshall wants to pay a visit to the “powers that be” and, along with Dash-X, show up to the World o' Stuff, where Mr. Radford and the mayor are very shocked (and somewhat disappointed) to see that he is still alive. Marshall threatens to reveal the secrets of the Harvest King to the whole town, to which the mayor bluntly replies: “This town...heck, this whole country, has a long tradition of looking the other way. The Warren Commission, Watergate, Iran-Contra, the October Surprise...the people don't want to know about this stuff, because if they knew about it, they might have to do something about it.”

This is a brilliantly truthful line that I'm surprised actually made it into the final cut. Granted, it probably went over children's heads way back in the early '90s, but now with the joys of the Internet, anyone can look up and learn about these “conspiracy theories”, many of which have more than a modicum of truth behind them. Hell, we have to look no further than a few months back to find the latest example of an “October Surprise”, in which the FBI decided to reopen its probe against Hillary Clinton, an announcement that supposedly cost her the election (nevermind the fact she was a terrible candidate who felt she was entitled to the presidency thanks to her many “connections”, but we'll go along with the mainstream explanation). Who knows the things journalists and government workers know, but will never reveal for fear of their lives. It's really quite a hard-hitting, audacious line to spring on its impressionable audience.

Meanwhile, back at home, Simon gets sidetracked from his werewolf-watching duties by a delicious pie, and that's when the werewolf wakes up. He grabs Simon, and is about to munch down on him when a clueless Syndi enters the kitchen, groggily grabbing a banana. The werewolf's growl startles her, and she screams before passing out. This, in turn, startles the werewolf, who leaves the house (by running right through a window).

Radford arrives, moved by what Marshall said, and vows to help them stop the Eerie wolf. Armed with a rifle and silver bullets, they head back up to Wolf Mountain, where they discover the wolf/Mr. Chaney. One well-timed shot to the foot turns Chaney back into a human, presumably for good, while Marshall's only side effect from getting slashed by the Eerie wolf are super-hairy sideburns. The end.

This is a decent episode in concept and execution. It's not as funny as “The Hole in the Head Gang”, nor as powerful or thought-provoking as some of the better eps (I hate to always have to quote “Heart on a Chain” as an example, but examples don't get more powerful or thought-provoking than that), but it's perfectly watchable and has its moments. The wolf transformation, which seems to have been done digitally, is actually better than similar effects in a lot of low-budget fare from the same time period; I was actually surprised at how decent it looked, especially for a kid's show.

It really just boils down to the same old complaints: Syndi is given nothing to do besides scream and pass out in this one, but then with the caveat that she conveniently forgets everything she's seen upon waking up. Which, you know, was "only" a werewolf. Dash-X is once again a pretty pointless character who flips and flops between “good” and “bad” with no real reasons why. I don't hate the character, but he certainly doesn't seem to be needed. It's an okay entry in the series, but nothing of note from within it.

EPISODE RATING: 6.5/10

froodle

Well today we'll be taking a look at the thirteenth episode of “Eerie, Indiana”, which not only focuses on a simple plot—Simon and Marshall investigate a haunted house—but also introduces a new character, presumably in an attempt to breathe new life—and bring new viewers—to the series. Judging from its one-season run, it didn't work, and the character, known as “Dash X” (from two symbols he has written on his hand), always showed up to either create trouble for the boys, or get them out of danger. He had a “bad boy” charm that went completely against the personas of Marshall and Simon, which I'm sure was the entire point, but the writers never really gave any convincing reason for him to be around.

This episode also has another revelation up its sleeve: that the man we had come to know as Mr. Radford—owner of the World o' Stuff general store, you will recall--was actually an impostor; the real Radford was tied up in the basement the whole time. (In a humorous moment, Marshall asks the real Radford why he's not going to press charges, to which he responds: “Well, despite all his faults, that guy was one hell of a salesman. He moved more merchandise in six months with me tied up in the basement, than I made in my best year.”)

Since Marshall and Simon happen to be the first customers after the impostor is taken away (no one realized the completely different look of the “new” Radford?), Radford treats them to free drinks, and then notices that they have pictures of the Ol' Hitchock Mill, which is rumored to be haunted. He recounts the story of “Grungy Bill”, who has the unfortunate distinction of being “the worst bank robber east of the Mississippi.” (In another silly exchange, Simon mistakes Radford's meaning. “Really evil, huh?” “No! The worst! As in, no good, incompetent, 'don't quit your day job' worst.”) According to legend, he was arrested twelve times...in twelve attempts robbing the Bank of Erie. On the thirteenth time, the talentless would-be thief forgot the most important tool to someone in his line of work—his gun—and he ended up perishing after police tracked him down to the mill and filled it, and Bill, full of holes.

Of course now Marshall and Simon have their interest even more piqued, so they return to the mill to find evidence that a ghost exists. Instead, they find man-made contraptions that lend themselves well to ghostly effects, such as a chair set up to a pulley system (that can make it look like it's levitating), and a long brass tube that can emulate ghostly voices. What's more, is they also find evidence that someone is living in the old mill. Who would be crazy to do such a thing?
Well, this is where Dash-X enters the picture (as played by Jason Marsden), in all his gravel-voiced glory (I will admit it's kind of funny to hear a teenaged kid have the voice of a man who has smoked for fifty years). He doesn't take kindly to visitors, and demands that Marshall and Simon give him any evidence that they had been there, such as photos and tapes. As he steps on the video tape to smash it (“This is one tape that's not going to be on America's Stupidest Home Videos”), he inadvertently reveals a small opening under the floorboard, which houses a rusty gun. Why, it's Grungy Bill's!

While waving it around, Dash-X accidentally sets it off, which then releases the spirit of Bill (and leads Simon to quip, “I hate guns! I hate 'em, I hate 'em, I hate 'em!” which somehow strikes me as adorably cute, and also very similar to my own viewpoint of the weapons). It seems he's been spending the last hundred years formulating a special plan to rob the Bank of Erie, and he's enlisted Marshall to help him (His plan? Bring a gun and demand money.) So Marshall ties up Dash and Simon, and heads to the bank with Grungy Bill. (In yet another scene worthy of mention, a bound Dash-X asks a bound Simon, “Does this kind of stuff happen to you guys a lot,” to which Simon exasperatedly replies, “At least once a week.”)

The robbing duo arrive at the Bank of Erie, with Marshall in full disguise (he looks like a woman from the 1800s). As if being an unwilling participant in a robbery attempt wasn't bad enough, there's a huge problem compounding matters...Marshall's family enters the bank, lured in by the promise of a free toaster with every new account opened. Well through a series of events, Grungy Bill's plan is foiled yet again...or is it? In the series' most inexplicably (and unexpectedly) hilarious moment, he vows that he's not leaving without robbing the place, and fulfills that promise by grabbing a (free) toaster, and marching out the door with it.

Having been successful in his attempt to rob the Bank of Erie, and with his now-rusted gun in a million pieces courtesy of Dash-X, his spell is broken. In yet another clever twist, his spirit now haunts the toaster, seeing that his gun is destroyed and unusable, something that Marshall and Simon add to their collection.

The second-half of this series seemed to embrace the humorous more than the first, and this is the prototypical example of such an episode. That's not to say that early episodes weren't funny or lighthearted—this show has (almost) always been about that—but this one ups the sillymeter to crazy proportions...literally none of it is meant to be taken seriously.

Aside from the toaster theft, I remembered not liking this episode all that much (I'm viewing most of these episodes for a second time, as we blew through them too quickly for me to review them the first; this is why all reviews are way late), but upon a second viewing, it's really not all that bad. Most of the jokes land soundly, and there are even a couple callbacks (including a reference to Foreverware, from the first episode, in the bank) to reward faithful viewers of the show. This won't go down as any sort of classic, even within this show's nineteen episodes, but it's a great singular example of what this show was all about.

EPISODE RATING: 7.5/10