The Doctor is "IN" and the Legend Begins
Jul 2, 2013 14:41:47 GMT -5
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Post by zimmerman on Jul 2, 2013 14:41:47 GMT -5
TNOT Wizard Shook the Earth is another important episode in the development in the early history of WWW because it introduces us to what would become the shows primary villan, Dr. Miguelito Loveless, super-inventor extradinaire, and his menagerie of inventions and friends, including, for the first three of the ten episodes he was in, Volitaire, an almost Frankenstein-esque monster who originally grunted, but finally got words in his last appearance, TNOT Whirring Death, and his lovely, charming girlfriend, Antoinette, a gifted singer and instrumentalist, who always insisted on calling him by his first name. Of course, Michael Dunn and Pheobe Dorin were discovered singing in a club in New York when he was approaced by either Michael Garrison or one of the other shows producers to play the good Doctor.
In this, his first appearance, Michael Dunn does an absolutely stellar job portraying the devious doctor who wants to create a better world for the children of the world, yet is determined to kill up to 10,000 people in order to get what he wants. Despite all of this, he lets innocent houseflies live and has compassion for them. We get to learn all kinds of things about the good doctor that never show up in frequent episodes: He is an expert in Judo, and that he inherited his love for music from his mother: "She worshipped music. A saint in a world so imperfect." This is probably the only Loveless episode wherein he comes across as charming and a gentlemen: in subsequent episodes he gets more and more uptight between Jim and Artie and other parties, like the Indians of Bright Star in TNOT Green Terror.
Leslie Parrish is kind of so-so as Greta Lundquist, the former Assistant to Professor Nielson who actually was working for Dr. Loveless. She came off as charming and nice in the first half of the program, yet was starting to come off as annoying toward the end of the episode. Either way, I still consider her a vital part of the Loveless universe, and she should have returned for at least one more appearance.
Pheobe Dorin, sadly, is underused in her first appearance. She only appears in one scene, as she plays the music behind the conversation behind the Doctor and James' conversations, and of course, joins the Doctor in a rousing, catchy duet version of "Sylvie."
Speaking of the music, Richard Markowitz's score for this episode is outstanding and really sets the overall whimsical tone for the early Loveless episodes. Those dramatic fiddles, and that wonderful, almost chasing riff that is played during the scene when the monkey lands on James that would reappear again in TNOT Whirring Death.
We also find out that Voltaire is a romantic as he gives flowers to Greta and that he really likes his boss' music, as he does a little dance in the chair to Miguelito and Antoinette's duet.
The scenes between Loveless and Volitaire are among some of the best highlights of the program. Love the scene when Loveless quotes Peter Piper to Volitaire: it was very humorous ;D.
Really like the shield that James uses to stave off the arrow, plus Artie's gadget coach is one of the best highlights of the program, making me wish that it had appeared in subsequent episodes
Artie does not appear much in this episode, but the moments that he does show up are great. Great scene as he talks to James in the gadget coach, plus he is very charming as he gets ready to have smorgesboard with James and Greta at the end of the program ;D.
Even though this show stays pretty much locked into the "James Bond in the West" concept, there are great scenes with Jim and Artie together. We get to see probably for the first time that Artie has for his partner when he tells James that "It's not you I'm worried about. I just don't like to break in a whole new partner."
James looks very good and very distinguished in glasses, and he has got a great fight scene with Loveless' guards, who are well-dressed dandies instead of your common ordinary thugs.
The cage where James is locked in would reappar in subsequent color episodes.
This is early in the Loveless saga, so the mansion that he uses does not get blown up, plus it is one of the few episodes where Dr. Loveless is wearing a hat.
Of course, the meddler line that Loveless utters is probably the most memorable classic line of the whole episode.
Overall, a good introduction to Dr. Loveless, setting up some outstanding adventures in the ten-episode Loveless saga.
7 out of 10 from me.