Post by vwhassenfeffer on Jun 2, 2018 20:34:35 GMT -5
While the exploding rocket sled over the cliff device has long been considered the most absurd method for attempting to kill James West - a category for which the bar is set pretty high, you have to admit - I have long given Colonel Moseley top honors for the wire-to-the-hand-of-the-grandfather-clock-that-will-set-off-chemical-fire-bomb-at-midnight device in TNOT Underground Terror. For sheer absurdity of the yes-Jim's-unconscious-you-could-make-it-look-like-an-accident-but-no-you're-choosing-to-do-this-instead type I still give him the individual crazed villain merit award. He came up with that by himself instead of having the backing of a committee.
But upon repeat viewing, I've decided that this episode as a whole deserves top billing in the vaunted Everyone-Writing-And-Participating-In-This-Was-Sniffing-Glue competition.
Let's just consider:
Jim is assigned to guard a man's life - not a task to be taken lightly, but he's prepared to let his charge walk into a mysterious tobacconist's shop without him in spite of the dereliction of duty angle this represents. Plus, we all know Jim likes cigars! Maybe less so, thanks to Dr. Loveless, but still . . . .
He and Arte utterly fail to recognize the fact that their host is virtually identical to Lady Bea's assistant who tried to do them in during the TNOT Two-Legged Buffalo affair. But then, they and the intended victim didn't take a hint from the electrified door device either. Helloooo - wakey, wakey, boys!
Hmmm - that suspicious host declares that they're sealed in from the jammed shield door and there's NO OTHER WAY OUT! Our heroes do not attempt to explore their alternate exit options. They just take his word for it. Dudes, seriously?
Jim, after escaping the rocket sled device, succeeds in subduing several of the masked minions, but he makes no noticeable attempt to see who they really might be even when their masks come flapping off. He also makes no attempt to imprison them more carefully, or interrogate them to find out who they're working for. At all. Mr. West, I'm giving you a grade of D on that one, as in the Denver Training Center really needs to have a word with you! And some homework assignments . . . .
First Darwin Award of the night goes to Mr. Baring, who despite being scared out of his skivvies and attempting to practice every precaution, suddenly throws all common sense to the wind when a mysterious music box song starts playing and he sees a book fall over by itself. In spite of knowing that the entire house could be booby trapped and that this is in fact highly suspicious - even more suspicious given that the book is entitled 'The Death of Mr. Baring' - he not only picks up the death book, HE OPENS IT! We can only hope he wasn't allowed to breed first . . . .
Second Darwin Award of the night goes to our fratricidal main villain who traps Jim in a room he has personally custom laden with killing devices (because he obviously gets off on this sort of thing). He's got a gun, too. Plus, he can observe West through a special window built into the chamber door. After he sees West dodge the mechanized gun volley and jam the giant cole-slaw maker with his coat, does our villain use that handy-dandy window to fire his gun at our hero? No-ho! Of course not! Instead, he not only opens the chamber door to get a better shot, thus giving West egress, our bad guy WALKS INTO THE ROOM so that when West exits and whips loose his improvised razor-fan-jammer, guess who's the real cole slaw? Yup. Kind of reminds me of ol' Bish-ka-bob at the end of Ladyhawke.
Hmmm . . . and somehow our heroes got back to the Wanderer just fine in spite of THE ONLY WAY OUT being jammed!
As Anna Russell used to say, I'm not making this up, you know! I can practically picture Count Manzeppi observing the whole contretemps from afar, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head in a pained manner . . . .
This one tops TNOT Raven for overall absurdity and illogic as far as I'm concerned! Verdict's still out on Lord of Limbo . . . .
But upon repeat viewing, I've decided that this episode as a whole deserves top billing in the vaunted Everyone-Writing-And-Participating-In-This-Was-Sniffing-Glue competition.
Let's just consider:
Jim is assigned to guard a man's life - not a task to be taken lightly, but he's prepared to let his charge walk into a mysterious tobacconist's shop without him in spite of the dereliction of duty angle this represents. Plus, we all know Jim likes cigars! Maybe less so, thanks to Dr. Loveless, but still . . . .
He and Arte utterly fail to recognize the fact that their host is virtually identical to Lady Bea's assistant who tried to do them in during the TNOT Two-Legged Buffalo affair. But then, they and the intended victim didn't take a hint from the electrified door device either. Helloooo - wakey, wakey, boys!
Hmmm - that suspicious host declares that they're sealed in from the jammed shield door and there's NO OTHER WAY OUT! Our heroes do not attempt to explore their alternate exit options. They just take his word for it. Dudes, seriously?
Jim, after escaping the rocket sled device, succeeds in subduing several of the masked minions, but he makes no noticeable attempt to see who they really might be even when their masks come flapping off. He also makes no attempt to imprison them more carefully, or interrogate them to find out who they're working for. At all. Mr. West, I'm giving you a grade of D on that one, as in the Denver Training Center really needs to have a word with you! And some homework assignments . . . .
First Darwin Award of the night goes to Mr. Baring, who despite being scared out of his skivvies and attempting to practice every precaution, suddenly throws all common sense to the wind when a mysterious music box song starts playing and he sees a book fall over by itself. In spite of knowing that the entire house could be booby trapped and that this is in fact highly suspicious - even more suspicious given that the book is entitled 'The Death of Mr. Baring' - he not only picks up the death book, HE OPENS IT! We can only hope he wasn't allowed to breed first . . . .
Second Darwin Award of the night goes to our fratricidal main villain who traps Jim in a room he has personally custom laden with killing devices (because he obviously gets off on this sort of thing). He's got a gun, too. Plus, he can observe West through a special window built into the chamber door. After he sees West dodge the mechanized gun volley and jam the giant cole-slaw maker with his coat, does our villain use that handy-dandy window to fire his gun at our hero? No-ho! Of course not! Instead, he not only opens the chamber door to get a better shot, thus giving West egress, our bad guy WALKS INTO THE ROOM so that when West exits and whips loose his improvised razor-fan-jammer, guess who's the real cole slaw? Yup. Kind of reminds me of ol' Bish-ka-bob at the end of Ladyhawke.
Hmmm . . . and somehow our heroes got back to the Wanderer just fine in spite of THE ONLY WAY OUT being jammed!
As Anna Russell used to say, I'm not making this up, you know! I can practically picture Count Manzeppi observing the whole contretemps from afar, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head in a pained manner . . . .
This one tops TNOT Raven for overall absurdity and illogic as far as I'm concerned! Verdict's still out on Lord of Limbo . . . .