Post by zimmerman on Jul 2, 2013 19:16:01 GMT -5
"Good guys wear tights"--but not in Dr. Loveless' world!! ;D.
Seriously, "The Night of the Green Terror" is probably the closest WWW came to reaching "Batman"-esque campiness in the shows historical setting. It is also another episode that features the devious doctors' quest to be someone a lot taller than he is, with him very carefully getting in the suit of armor as he becomes "The Lord of the Forest" easily duping the Indians of Bright Star.
Peggy Rea just stands there and accompanies the cheif Indian of the tribe, who probably would have been more belivable if Lorne Greene had played him. Unlike some shows of the era, the Indians of Bright Star appear to be very believable and do not look like they are stereotyped.
Of all the Indians in this particular episode, the big chief is my favorite. He is throughly annoyed and irritated by Loveless' portrayal of "Robin Hood" and has some great lines to boot: "That little man? I hate being spoken to by him. Sometimes he acts as though he were a great warrior. He does not know his place." and when he told this "funny little man" to "Shut his mouth".
This episode has our favorite doctor once again trying his best to be a 1870's dictator: He kills all of the fruit-bearing trees with his secret formula, supplies the Indians with venison and quail while the government sends them books and seeds that irks the Indians to no avail. The using of the Indians is just another pawn in his large chess game of tricks to destroy every major political office in the country in an effort to start the world all over again, as if the REAL Lord and creator of the forest did not get it right with Noah and the flood!
How much pain and torture can James West take in that teepee? That wet-wood activated rifle, PLUS the little shard of glass that James uses to try to cut the ropes on his hands seem to be taking forever until Artie comes in, as usual, to save him from impending death.
This is another one of those episodes that Artie does not have much to do in the disguise department, but he makes his portrayal of the fair Indian maiden believable, and the moment he knocks out the Indian guards is a great highlight of the program.
This also could go down as one of the funniest of the ten Dr. Loveless episodes, as the good doctor has to contend with both a fever and a cold, at least in the first half of the program. and the scene with Antoinette helping knock down his cold is probably one of the funniest in the whole program. We also find out a little more of the good doctor's stradegy when Antoinette accuses him of misjudging people: "That's unthinkable! I know human nature. What you have to do is keep giving people something they want badly enough, give it to them for nothing, and you reduce them to passive obedient children."
Speaking of children, the compassion that Dr. Loveless had for the children in the early episodes is slowly beginning to fade, as he is even determined to kill them when he unveils his secret plans to James in the teepee scene, that was supposed to be have been their last hurrah (they did not count on Artie to bail Jim out, of course). James tries to reason with the Doctor, and in response, we get another layered level of his pain: "What could children know of crying in the night?" "What could children know of a whole lifetime of crying?"
This could be the one Loveless episode wherein he is the most cheerful and playful as he tries to carry out his evil plans to save the world, as his devious, mischievious laugh and his child-like qualities are all over this episode, particurlarly in the scene when Loveless unveils his plans for blowing up all political offices in the tree labratory with the explosive hydrogen balloons filled with green powder, especially as he prepares to blow up his scale model with his test balloon as he utters, "Ah, the simple pleasures of boyhood."
Could this be the one Loveless episode wherein we have the most songs with him and Antoinette or is it equal in number? Either way, Pheobe Dorin has some great solo numbers that really prove to us that she was a pretty good vocalist. Plus that "Hey young rider Apple Cheeked One" number has a hook that will stick in your brain for days.
It is too bad that this is the last Loveless episode to feature Antoinette. The ladies that came in her wake, like Belladonna and, especially, Triste, were so far beneath the high quality of standards in women that we have come to expect from the good doctor.
Every time I watch this, It always bugs me that James does not pick up his suit, vest, and gunbelt after the duel goes awry.
There are some great lines in this episode. In addition to the aforementioned lines from the Indian cheif, we get several great quotes from Loveless:
"So, welcome to Sherwood Forest, Thou naughty varrmints."
"Sqaw, gentlemen, or would you rather eat crow?"
"Well, old slyboots, what perilous dragon must be slayed this time?"
"Those Indians dawdle so."
"Darn these pine needles! Why can't a forest be decently carpeted?"
"Why do they have to bother me now? I distinctively told them don't call us, we'll call you."
"What urgent matter brings you into my awful presence"
The closing tag scene, wherein James teaches Artie how to fight, is funny at just the right moments, but is not a favorite of mine. It reminds me of a seventh season episode of "Laverne and Shirley" wherein the two of them goit into an argument while Rhonda was there, and Shirley ended up breaking Laverne's jaw.
Despite its campy moments, this is a very enjoyable episode, one of the very best in the ten-episode Loveless saga.
10 out of 10 from me, easily.
Seriously, "The Night of the Green Terror" is probably the closest WWW came to reaching "Batman"-esque campiness in the shows historical setting. It is also another episode that features the devious doctors' quest to be someone a lot taller than he is, with him very carefully getting in the suit of armor as he becomes "The Lord of the Forest" easily duping the Indians of Bright Star.
Peggy Rea just stands there and accompanies the cheif Indian of the tribe, who probably would have been more belivable if Lorne Greene had played him. Unlike some shows of the era, the Indians of Bright Star appear to be very believable and do not look like they are stereotyped.
Of all the Indians in this particular episode, the big chief is my favorite. He is throughly annoyed and irritated by Loveless' portrayal of "Robin Hood" and has some great lines to boot: "That little man? I hate being spoken to by him. Sometimes he acts as though he were a great warrior. He does not know his place." and when he told this "funny little man" to "Shut his mouth".
This episode has our favorite doctor once again trying his best to be a 1870's dictator: He kills all of the fruit-bearing trees with his secret formula, supplies the Indians with venison and quail while the government sends them books and seeds that irks the Indians to no avail. The using of the Indians is just another pawn in his large chess game of tricks to destroy every major political office in the country in an effort to start the world all over again, as if the REAL Lord and creator of the forest did not get it right with Noah and the flood!
How much pain and torture can James West take in that teepee? That wet-wood activated rifle, PLUS the little shard of glass that James uses to try to cut the ropes on his hands seem to be taking forever until Artie comes in, as usual, to save him from impending death.
This is another one of those episodes that Artie does not have much to do in the disguise department, but he makes his portrayal of the fair Indian maiden believable, and the moment he knocks out the Indian guards is a great highlight of the program.
This also could go down as one of the funniest of the ten Dr. Loveless episodes, as the good doctor has to contend with both a fever and a cold, at least in the first half of the program. and the scene with Antoinette helping knock down his cold is probably one of the funniest in the whole program. We also find out a little more of the good doctor's stradegy when Antoinette accuses him of misjudging people: "That's unthinkable! I know human nature. What you have to do is keep giving people something they want badly enough, give it to them for nothing, and you reduce them to passive obedient children."
Speaking of children, the compassion that Dr. Loveless had for the children in the early episodes is slowly beginning to fade, as he is even determined to kill them when he unveils his secret plans to James in the teepee scene, that was supposed to be have been their last hurrah (they did not count on Artie to bail Jim out, of course). James tries to reason with the Doctor, and in response, we get another layered level of his pain: "What could children know of crying in the night?" "What could children know of a whole lifetime of crying?"
This could be the one Loveless episode wherein he is the most cheerful and playful as he tries to carry out his evil plans to save the world, as his devious, mischievious laugh and his child-like qualities are all over this episode, particurlarly in the scene when Loveless unveils his plans for blowing up all political offices in the tree labratory with the explosive hydrogen balloons filled with green powder, especially as he prepares to blow up his scale model with his test balloon as he utters, "Ah, the simple pleasures of boyhood."
Could this be the one Loveless episode wherein we have the most songs with him and Antoinette or is it equal in number? Either way, Pheobe Dorin has some great solo numbers that really prove to us that she was a pretty good vocalist. Plus that "Hey young rider Apple Cheeked One" number has a hook that will stick in your brain for days.
It is too bad that this is the last Loveless episode to feature Antoinette. The ladies that came in her wake, like Belladonna and, especially, Triste, were so far beneath the high quality of standards in women that we have come to expect from the good doctor.
Every time I watch this, It always bugs me that James does not pick up his suit, vest, and gunbelt after the duel goes awry.
There are some great lines in this episode. In addition to the aforementioned lines from the Indian cheif, we get several great quotes from Loveless:
"So, welcome to Sherwood Forest, Thou naughty varrmints."
"Sqaw, gentlemen, or would you rather eat crow?"
"Well, old slyboots, what perilous dragon must be slayed this time?"
"Those Indians dawdle so."
"Darn these pine needles! Why can't a forest be decently carpeted?"
"Why do they have to bother me now? I distinctively told them don't call us, we'll call you."
"What urgent matter brings you into my awful presence"
The closing tag scene, wherein James teaches Artie how to fight, is funny at just the right moments, but is not a favorite of mine. It reminds me of a seventh season episode of "Laverne and Shirley" wherein the two of them goit into an argument while Rhonda was there, and Shirley ended up breaking Laverne's jaw.
Despite its campy moments, this is a very enjoyable episode, one of the very best in the ten-episode Loveless saga.
10 out of 10 from me, easily.