June 2, 2023 • 21 mins
The Mind of Simon Foster features Bruce Weitz as a man with nothing to offer the world except his memories. Luckily for him, memories are a hot commodity.
The Wall is a tale of a test pilot who breaches a portal and finds himself in a utopian world. Or is it?
The Wall is a tale of a test pilot who breaches a portal and finds himself in a utopian world. Or is it?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:23):
Hello there, I'm Chris Stashu,I'm Mike White, and this has fatherom
alone, and we're the host ofDreams for Sale, a once a month
look at a show that keeps ongiving. In the spirit of Christmas,
Twilight's Own nineteen eighty five, we'regonna be talking about the Mind of Simon
Foster and the Wall. The yearis nineteen hundred and ninety nine. Within
(00:45):
the box evidence that some things donot change with the passage of time.
It's contents the collected debris of ashattered life, now valuable only for the
dimes and nickels they can solicit froma third party in your process, and
a familiar long walk that is aboutto lead into the unfamiliar terrain of the
(01:07):
Twilight Zone. So the Mind ofSimon Foster is written by Douglas Jackson,
are directed by Douglas Jackson. Onceagain, written by our good friend Jay
Michael Strazinsky. Lady's It, JayMichaels Fazzinsky excited on Jay Michael Strazinsky's Twilight
Zone. Yeah pretty much, boy, put your name on it, just
like Jordan Peel did. We sawhow well that turned. You know what,
(01:30):
Jay Michael Strotsinsky has more of aright too, because he wrote the
bulk of the season. That's fair, that's fair. Yeah, that is
fair. And this episode focuses onthe titular Simon Foster, a man who
sells his memories to the highest bitterbuyer. Somebody's buying something dreams memories for
sale, not dreams this time.Yes, And hilarity ensues when he turns
(01:56):
out that memories are priceless ladies andgentlemen, and there is no price state
you can put on them, andhe had to sell his memories to find
that out. You don't, Yes, he did. The biggest the biggest
problem that I have with this episodeis there's a moment where he's like applying
for a job. Yeah, okay, this is the problem with the episode.
You're right, Okay. The entireproblem with the episode is removing a
singular. So okay my first birthday? Yes, yes, how I can
(02:22):
operate a forklift? No? Ifyou forklift operator. The logic of the
episode is if you forget your highschool graduation, you essentially never went to
high school. You are screwed.That is, and that is the entire
conceit of the episode, because that'sthe logic the episode plays by, and
it is moronic. I like theconcept of the episode, yeah, really
(02:46):
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, rightyeah? Or even like what end of
not end of Days? What wasthe rape? Finds Arnold did fight the
devil in this? You're right?No, no, no, no,
that was end of Days? Butnow there was a Strange Days with Ray
Fines. Oh yeah, yeah,and Tina Turner right, no, that
wasn't Tina Turner, and that thatwas Angela Bessett. Yes, I know,
(03:08):
I'm who played in the movie.Yes, yes, I gotcha.
I'm referencing sir. So like thathad the same sort of concept where people
are, you know, buying andselling memories and stuff, and I like
the idea that they're actually taking hismemory sort of out of his head,
and you know, it's just soclumsily executed. Ultimately, I think Jay
(03:31):
Michael Strazinski as a writer seems tobe a guy with really good, big
ideas, but then doesn't know howto whittle them down into a twenty two
minute teleplay, or even how toget out of the way of the most
obvious plot hole that's so obvious everybodywatching it is thinking, we all came
to the same conclusion at the samemoment. There were stakes to be mined
(03:53):
out of him selling his memories,but that was the clumsiest way to portray
it. Yeah, oh that's andthat's and that's kind of where I came
down as well. It was Iliked the idea of the episode, but
the direction they went is strange.Just because he was singular, memory doesn't
negate all memories forever. That's justthat's that's not what they're talking about here.
(04:15):
That's not even what the pawn shopowner is talking about. He's talking
about singular moments. Like you know, a fine wine drinker doesn't want to
drink a kangaroo tail. He wantsto drink some wine from nineteen fifty.
That's what this is about. It'sit's like they missed the point of their
own idea from the get go.I didn't take him not remembering graduating high
school as the actual memory that wipedout later because he kept going back right
(04:40):
and they kept showing memory after memories, so I assumed he had sold some
other memory later and forgotten what hehad done. But like again, that
just makes the character ridiculously stupid thathe would have sold that one. Well,
it was I was more referencing thething where he's like, all of
a sudden, he doesn't know howto do any of the thing that he
(05:00):
supposedly knew how to do, right. So yeah, but it's like that
makes no sense, Like you forgotevery memory associated with that down to like
the core. That's not what thiswas about. No, because he remembered
what high school he went to,you know, but he didn't remember like
other things for that job. Yeah, I know, but he remembered the
high school memory, which is whatyou're saying is the sort of spark that
made him forget everything else, Likehe didn't remember anything in high school.
(05:24):
So like if they took any memoryout like that, then and the dominoes
would fall, you know what Imean. Like, I think he sold
some other memory later on. Idon't know why we're quibbling about this.
This is I don't know either.The best part is when he's like,
I want to get I want memoriesof the first time you've ever had sex
with someone. Yeah, Yet Ikept thinking that the person that was buying
(05:46):
all these memories because they have awoman that's in the store that he passes
and I was like, Oh,maybe she's someone from his past. Oh,
and she wants to buy up allthese memories. So she's depriving him
like she's maybe the first person heever had sex with. Maybe he did
something else that was really bad andshe wants to just punish him something something
(06:09):
as any's a twist here in theTwilight Zone. Yeah, like an actual
real world payoff of him losing amemory other than like you're not going to
get that job right. This isvery similar to the card. Like the
stakes in this episode are similar,where it's like this one single person makes
bad decisions and they they don't liveto tell about it, quote unquote this
(06:29):
guy lives, but what is thisguy's life. He's like brain dead.
I don't know what's Like the waythey leave him at the end of the
episode is like he's like just completelylike a like brain dead. He's just
like he's say, memories right now, He's got everyone's memories now. Yeah.
Yeah, it's I like the ending. I like that. I was
reminded of Johnny Mamonic because when Johnnyhad to like choose, I think he
(06:55):
lost his fifth birthday because of theseepage from the memory and plants. I
was like, oh, that thatkind of works somehow. Mentioning Johnny Mmanonak
here makes Johnny Manonak much better thanit even is. And it's still pretty
good. It's a great movie,but associating it with this is just this
is just it's it's strange again.They have a germ of a good idea
(07:15):
and then they just fucking crash intothe term actor. They do not know
what to do with it. Yeah, so Chris, I don't want to
play old man here, but I'mgoing to the guy who was selling his
memory, Simon to Foster. Hein the eighties was huge. He was
part of Hill Street Blues, wherehe played what was it Belker right.
(07:40):
The character was so popular that theyeven gave him was probably a very short
lived spinoff, much like Fish Ohyes, yes, yeah, oh my
god. But that character was fantasticand he he seemed to be on the
precipice of just greatness and you probablyrecognize it from so many roles that he
(08:03):
did something. Yeah, and hewon an Emmy. Yeah four Hillstrey Blues.
He was great enough. He wasHe's okay here, he's not given
much to do. I think that'sprobably the I like the pawn shop guy
a lot. I like him too, He's one of Cronenberg's guys. Here
we are in Canada, where we'regonna get some good Canadian actors in here,
(08:24):
they get all of them. Yeah, so he was in what like
Scanners and oh Dead Zone, andI'm not sure if he was in anymore
from Croniberg, but but I wasgot a great face, Yeah, he
does. I think the other thingthat that really cracks me up and Father
Malone. We talked about this alot on our other show that's now finished,
(08:45):
Chronicle from the Crypt, about Tailsfrom the Crypt. This episode is
so set bound, and then theflashbacks that they show, or the flash
to the memories, it feels likeit's it's it's taking place in the corner
of a set somewhere. Oh yeah, it really does. I mean,
obviously the budget was showing for thisentire season, but you know, I
(09:05):
did feel the same way while watchingthis one. But you could tell that
the director was taking pains to lightit in a way that it wouldn't come
off that way. But there's justnothing you can do if you're going to
have the whole set lit, youknow, there's only so many and so
yeah, I did notice that,but overall, I thought it was actually
shot pretty well. This particular episode. It's just where the writing comes into
(09:26):
play, which is the entire thing. And you know, it's one of
these episodes it didn't feel it wouldn'thave felt out of place in the original
series. This seems like a rodSterling special, you know, like two
characters in a room with a deviceand then just have the character keep coming
back. And what was nineteen ninetynine we had everyone had television communications at
(09:48):
that point, right that that waspart of the production design of it was
for some reason it was set inninety nine. Yeah, that was odd
a world like our own, butjust a little fause because we start in
the guy's apartment where it's clearly we'renow in the future. It looks like
every sort of cubical housing thing thatthe future will portend, and then he
(10:09):
steps outside and it's just like,oh, this is just Canada, right,
yeah, in eighty nine, right, yeah, oh pretty much.
Yeah, It's it's strange. Iguess there's not a way to have set
this story in eighty nine with aguy who's just doing back alley memory stuff.
Yeah, I know, but likeyou know, they could have just
said, like I've read about thissort of thing in the underground, like
(10:31):
who cares, Like the actual technologymakes as much sense now in twenty twenty
one as it did then, Likenobody's figuring that shit out anytime soon.
No, it's it's one of theseepisodes where once again all I want is
all I want is for the showto have the writing downpat Everything else seems
to be kind of there for themost part, and many writing is just
(10:54):
Stinsky is floundering. Yeah, Ireally quick wanted to correct my self.
Apparently I was having a Mandela effectthere. It wasn't Belker who got his
own show. It was Bunts.It was James or Dennis France who had
a spin off from it. Didhe did? He did? I thought
(11:15):
Belker had the clout that he wasgoing to get it. Seems like he
would have. Yeah, yeah,yeah, yeah. So let's talk about
the next episode. The Wall.Alexander McAndrews former test pilot with a paper
trail of commendations and a closet fullof broken records, A man for whom
the unknown is to be faced,not feared, conquered, not surrendered to
(11:39):
Alexander mccandrews, who was about toface yet another unknown, but this one
is unlike all of the others forthis one and burns at the very heart
of the Twilight Zone. So TheWall is directed by Adam mcgoyan, written
by J. Michael Strazinski. Onceagain, didn't fuck that name up,
and it's ours John beck Is,Alexander mc andrews. What a terrible name
(12:03):
for a character. Very bad name. Mc andrews. Yeah. And Andy
Anderson, Yeah, exactly exactly.That's all I could think of. Uh,
And it's it's kind of an episodeabout a stargate and star Gate.
(12:24):
Go through the star Gate and there'slife on the other side right to it.
Yeah, how much? And onceyou know what, the military wants
to do something with that gate,because why would they want to bomb the
ship out of all the people thatare there, They just like immediately they're
like, oh, we could justbomb them all the back to hell.
It's like what Yeah, I thoughtwhat they were doing was they were going
(12:45):
to put people on the other sideof the portal because they didn't know where
it went. I mean, itsounded like the to put weapons and stuff
over there. Yeah, they couldlike use it to teleport themselves other places
once they once they understood the technologybetter. But you know what I gotta
say, I'm so tired of theagrarian utopia. Go ahead, bomb that
fucking thing. How many times?Tell us how many times now we've seen
(13:11):
this ship on this show? Isthis three or four? At least three
times? And this might be thefourth? Like there was the Scott Wilson
episode, right, and then therewas like there was like one other one
other than that. There's one withthe guy that goes into the future and
they can psychically heal people with theirhands. Scott Wilson episode with there was
(13:31):
one the barrier between two worlds andit looked like peaceful and a grarian over
there. They're actually vampires. Whatabout what about the George went episode?
Does that count? Yeah? Idon't remember vampires in this, but okay,
I might be remembering an outer limits. So if if we we have
at least three, possibly four,it's it's it's it's absolutely insane. What
(13:56):
it destroy that agrarian utopia? Idon't know what, blood eyed motherfuckers.
I'm a military man who wants tolearn about love and the only way I
can do that is by working withthe dirt under my fingernails. Christ Almighty,
And was there an arc for ourlead? Like? Was he?
He was just the craziest test pilot. No, similar to the arc of
(14:20):
one throwing garbage into a trash can. Yeah, yeah, that at least
would have accomplished something, because whatwe got here was this guy who's just
like okay, and then like hehangs out for a little while and then
he comes back. You know what. I wanted this to happen so badly.
At the end, when he's nowmade his decision that he's going to
go back and live with the agrariansociety and protect them from the evil military,
he smashes the machine that makes thething after giving his little speech.
(14:43):
I wanted the thing to wink offbehind him, and then he's stuck there
with them. Like, here's howthis works. You're given ten seconds.
Okay, anytime you destroy something ina movie, you're giving ten seconds to
jump through it, run away.You've seen Harry Potter that dagger goes through
and kills Dobby for the same reason. It's it's so lazy. Wait Dobby
(15:05):
dies. Oh Jesus Christ, sorry, hashtag don't spoil my Potter hashtag j
K already did. It's lazy,it's that late. It's a lazy level
of screenwriting that this show is employingat this point that I can I cannot
understand. I mean when I describethe episode as is there any more to
(15:26):
it? Like, no other thanmilitary, bad, farmers good? Pretty
much? What else was there?The messaging is very sound, I'll say
that much. Adam Egoyan, whowho I like as a filmmaker, Yeah,
um, you know he kind ofeven for me, sometimes wildly uneven,
but like he's had some interesting stuffout there. Yeah yeah, we'll
(15:48):
sweet here after is gorgeous, gorgeousman and I'll tear your heart out,
Yeah exactly. Um, so,I mean he can hit it, but
um, even like Exotica, forall its weirdness, not doing such a
great job here, like talk aboutset bound like this guy should have fucking
known better, like and he onlyhas like what like one sort of interior
(16:10):
set and the rest is the fuckingbucolic whatever. The bucolic whatever didn't even
look beautiful. It should have lookedfucking gorgeous, right right, Well,
it looked like it had that Sheenon it where it was just like overly
let like right, it was almostlike a dream sequence. Very Uh.
The way I like to describe itis like imagine a Carpenter's album, like
the cover that's it's like it's likewashed out. It's like reminds me of
(16:33):
the seventies. Yeah, and that'swhat they're going for, like a more
from from head to toe they're goingfor. The seventies are like silent running
all the way. Oh yeah,and then having time having John Beck as
your lead. I'm just like,oh, it's uh, you know,
uh, James Conn's best friend fromRollerball. That's pretty much from Oh my
(16:53):
God, Houston exactly. Fuck,I gotta watch that again. I love
it. Right, Yeah, Inever seen it, but it's probably better
than this. Right, Oh,it's so much better, much better.
And yeah, in that the futureis much more dystopian and that's pretty great.
But it's also it's not, butit's somewhere in between. Right.
(17:15):
It's society is still together, likeit's not, but it's a better one
than this agrarian bullshit. It's like, now it's dystopian, but society is
still together. Yeah, exactly forwho knows how long. Yeah, we're
living in we're living in the rollerballtimes. We're not always been ever since
American Gladiators. I don't know whatwould possess them to do this story again
(17:40):
again, but this is at leastthe second time that they've done something this
close, because that's Scott Wilson episodeis dangerously close to this one, because
that one is like they're coming backto Earth to find the life on Earth,
and it's the same, like shitabout the military bad, agrarian good
or non military good, whatever whateverthe stand in is in that episode,
(18:02):
I forget. I don't think theriggery and I think it's you know,
I don't know who the fuck they'reon some other bullshit, some other high,
high minded thing from the mid eightiesthat people were into in the seventies.
I mean, that's what it is. Basically, trying to recap children
of hippies writing screenplays. That's whatthis is. Yeah, but the but
but there was some wit to itat one point, there was some bite,
(18:25):
there was some edge to it.Shattered day word play. Oh oh,
you're talking about the twilight Zone NewTwilight Zone as a whole, Yeah,
of course, but it ain't herenow not with this guy. I'm
sorry, not in Canada. Notin Canada. Not I do I do
(18:45):
you know what in that the thethe first episode the mind of Simon Cowling
at there's the scene where he's finallyreached his destitute moment where he makes himself
some soup and a cock roach dropsinto it like he bent over to put
the soup in the and the boommics swung into frame and they went back
out. So so in fact,I do blame the Canadian god him your
(19:11):
number, Canadian Film Board not getinvited to tiff anytime soon. I don't
think, damn it. It's youknow what's strange about this show, like
Tales or like Tales from the cryptIs, is that season change at the
end of the final season of theshow goes to completely, it changes venue
completely. And it's weird because itwould almost be better just did not have
(19:37):
done that, you think, AndI don't think it's not about it.
I think we're quite certain. Youknow, this is all the money grab
from CBS Television at this point,like it's just whatever is available put it
on the air. Yeah, andyou know, I can't even say it
tarnish that first season maybe first twoor so, fucking go to this show
that, like you know, Ican't can't allow this to drag that down.
(20:00):
Go watch the Scott Wilson one.If you watch the Scott Wilson whe
you've already seen this one essentially,Yeah, don't watch this one. Yeah.
So on the next episode, we'regonna be talking about the twenty fourth
and twenty fifth episodes of the thirdseason. We're nearing the end here.
We're gonna be talking about Cat andMouse and Rendezvous in a Dark Place.
One of those has Janet Lee andthem. The other one's about a horny
(20:21):
cat. Yes, until then,Where can people find you? Father Malone?
Check me out over at father Malonedot com. That's got links to
all of the dumb stuff I'm involvedin, but you cannot does have a
link to my podcast, Dark Destinations. It's an a half hour radio drama,
right and produce. That's over atfather Malone dot com. What about
(20:44):
you, Mike? Where can peoplefind you? You can find me over
at the Projection Booth podcast, whichis available at Projection boothpodcast dot com.
And you can find me at cstashu dot com, cstac hiw dot com.
That's my link tree for all thestuff I work on, So there
you go. Thanks as always toroxy Drive and Neutron Dreams for the music
for the show, and we'll catchyou on the next episode.
Hello there, I'm Chris Stashu,I'm Mike White, and this has fatherom
alone, and we're the host ofDreams for Sale, a once a month
look at a show that keeps ongiving. In the spirit of Christmas,
Twilight's Own nineteen eighty five, we'regonna be talking about the Mind of Simon
Foster and the Wall. The yearis nineteen hundred and ninety nine. Within
(00:45):
the box evidence that some things donot change with the passage of time.
It's contents the collected debris of ashattered life, now valuable only for the
dimes and nickels they can solicit froma third party in your process, and
a familiar long walk that is aboutto lead into the unfamiliar terrain of the
(01:07):
Twilight Zone. So the Mind ofSimon Foster is written by Douglas Jackson,
are directed by Douglas Jackson. Onceagain, written by our good friend Jay
Michael Strazinsky. Lady's It, JayMichaels Fazzinsky excited on Jay Michael Strazinsky's Twilight
Zone. Yeah pretty much, boy, put your name on it, just
like Jordan Peel did. We sawhow well that turned. You know what,
(01:30):
Jay Michael Strotsinsky has more of aright too, because he wrote the
bulk of the season. That's fair, that's fair. Yeah, that is
fair. And this episode focuses onthe titular Simon Foster, a man who
sells his memories to the highest bitterbuyer. Somebody's buying something dreams memories for
sale, not dreams this time.Yes, And hilarity ensues when he turns
(01:56):
out that memories are priceless ladies andgentlemen, and there is no price state
you can put on them, andhe had to sell his memories to find
that out. You don't, Yes, he did. The biggest the biggest
problem that I have with this episodeis there's a moment where he's like applying
for a job. Yeah, okay, this is the problem with the episode.
You're right, Okay. The entireproblem with the episode is removing a
singular. So okay my first birthday? Yes, yes, how I can
(02:22):
operate a forklift? No? Ifyou forklift operator. The logic of the
episode is if you forget your highschool graduation, you essentially never went to
high school. You are screwed.That is, and that is the entire
conceit of the episode, because that'sthe logic the episode plays by, and
it is moronic. I like theconcept of the episode, yeah, really
(02:46):
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, rightyeah? Or even like what end of
not end of Days? What wasthe rape? Finds Arnold did fight the
devil in this? You're right?No, no, no, no,
that was end of Days? Butnow there was a Strange Days with Ray
Fines. Oh yeah, yeah,and Tina Turner right, no, that
wasn't Tina Turner, and that thatwas Angela Bessett. Yes, I know,
(03:08):
I'm who played in the movie.Yes, yes, I gotcha.
I'm referencing sir. So like thathad the same sort of concept where people
are, you know, buying andselling memories and stuff, and I like
the idea that they're actually taking hismemory sort of out of his head,
and you know, it's just soclumsily executed. Ultimately, I think Jay
(03:31):
Michael Strazinski as a writer seems tobe a guy with really good, big
ideas, but then doesn't know howto whittle them down into a twenty two
minute teleplay, or even how toget out of the way of the most
obvious plot hole that's so obvious everybodywatching it is thinking, we all came
to the same conclusion at the samemoment. There were stakes to be mined
(03:53):
out of him selling his memories,but that was the clumsiest way to portray
it. Yeah, oh that's andthat's and that's kind of where I came
down as well. It was Iliked the idea of the episode, but
the direction they went is strange.Just because he was singular, memory doesn't
negate all memories forever. That's justthat's that's not what they're talking about here.
(04:15):
That's not even what the pawn shopowner is talking about. He's talking
about singular moments. Like you know, a fine wine drinker doesn't want to
drink a kangaroo tail. He wantsto drink some wine from nineteen fifty.
That's what this is about. It'sit's like they missed the point of their
own idea from the get go.I didn't take him not remembering graduating high
school as the actual memory that wipedout later because he kept going back right
(04:40):
and they kept showing memory after memories, so I assumed he had sold some
other memory later and forgotten what hehad done. But like again, that
just makes the character ridiculously stupid thathe would have sold that one. Well,
it was I was more referencing thething where he's like, all of
a sudden, he doesn't know howto do any of the thing that he
(05:00):
supposedly knew how to do, right. So yeah, but it's like that
makes no sense, Like you forgotevery memory associated with that down to like
the core. That's not what thiswas about. No, because he remembered
what high school he went to,you know, but he didn't remember like
other things for that job. Yeah, I know, but he remembered the
high school memory, which is whatyou're saying is the sort of spark that
made him forget everything else, Likehe didn't remember anything in high school.
(05:24):
So like if they took any memoryout like that, then and the dominoes
would fall, you know what Imean. Like, I think he sold
some other memory later on. Idon't know why we're quibbling about this.
This is I don't know either.The best part is when he's like,
I want to get I want memoriesof the first time you've ever had sex
with someone. Yeah, Yet Ikept thinking that the person that was buying
(05:46):
all these memories because they have awoman that's in the store that he passes
and I was like, Oh,maybe she's someone from his past. Oh,
and she wants to buy up allthese memories. So she's depriving him
like she's maybe the first person heever had sex with. Maybe he did
something else that was really bad andshe wants to just punish him something something
(06:09):
as any's a twist here in theTwilight Zone. Yeah, like an actual
real world payoff of him losing amemory other than like you're not going to
get that job right. This isvery similar to the card. Like the
stakes in this episode are similar,where it's like this one single person makes
bad decisions and they they don't liveto tell about it, quote unquote this
(06:29):
guy lives, but what is thisguy's life. He's like brain dead.
I don't know what's Like the waythey leave him at the end of the
episode is like he's like just completelylike a like brain dead. He's just
like he's say, memories right now, He's got everyone's memories now. Yeah.
Yeah, it's I like the ending. I like that. I was
reminded of Johnny Mamonic because when Johnnyhad to like choose, I think he
(06:55):
lost his fifth birthday because of theseepage from the memory and plants. I
was like, oh, that thatkind of works somehow. Mentioning Johnny Mmanonak
here makes Johnny Manonak much better thanit even is. And it's still pretty
good. It's a great movie,but associating it with this is just this
is just it's it's strange again.They have a germ of a good idea
(07:15):
and then they just fucking crash intothe term actor. They do not know
what to do with it. Yeah, so Chris, I don't want to
play old man here, but I'mgoing to the guy who was selling his
memory, Simon to Foster. Hein the eighties was huge. He was
part of Hill Street Blues, wherehe played what was it Belker right.
(07:40):
The character was so popular that theyeven gave him was probably a very short
lived spinoff, much like Fish Ohyes, yes, yeah, oh my
god. But that character was fantasticand he he seemed to be on the
precipice of just greatness and you probablyrecognize it from so many roles that he
(08:03):
did something. Yeah, and hewon an Emmy. Yeah four Hillstrey Blues.
He was great enough. He wasHe's okay here, he's not given
much to do. I think that'sprobably the I like the pawn shop guy
a lot. I like him too, He's one of Cronenberg's guys. Here
we are in Canada, where we'regonna get some good Canadian actors in here,
(08:24):
they get all of them. Yeah, so he was in what like
Scanners and oh Dead Zone, andI'm not sure if he was in anymore
from Croniberg, but but I wasgot a great face, Yeah, he
does. I think the other thingthat that really cracks me up and Father
Malone. We talked about this alot on our other show that's now finished,
(08:45):
Chronicle from the Crypt, about Tailsfrom the Crypt. This episode is
so set bound, and then theflashbacks that they show, or the flash
to the memories, it feels likeit's it's it's taking place in the corner
of a set somewhere. Oh yeah, it really does. I mean,
obviously the budget was showing for thisentire season, but you know, I
(09:05):
did feel the same way while watchingthis one. But you could tell that
the director was taking pains to lightit in a way that it wouldn't come
off that way. But there's justnothing you can do if you're going to
have the whole set lit, youknow, there's only so many and so
yeah, I did notice that,but overall, I thought it was actually
shot pretty well. This particular episode. It's just where the writing comes into
(09:26):
play, which is the entire thing. And you know, it's one of
these episodes it didn't feel it wouldn'thave felt out of place in the original
series. This seems like a rodSterling special, you know, like two
characters in a room with a deviceand then just have the character keep coming
back. And what was nineteen ninetynine we had everyone had television communications at
(09:48):
that point, right that that waspart of the production design of it was
for some reason it was set inninety nine. Yeah, that was odd
a world like our own, butjust a little fause because we start in
the guy's apartment where it's clearly we'renow in the future. It looks like
every sort of cubical housing thing thatthe future will portend, and then he
(10:09):
steps outside and it's just like,oh, this is just Canada, right,
yeah, in eighty nine, right, yeah, oh pretty much.
Yeah, It's it's strange. Iguess there's not a way to have set
this story in eighty nine with aguy who's just doing back alley memory stuff.
Yeah, I know, but likeyou know, they could have just
said, like I've read about thissort of thing in the underground, like
(10:31):
who cares, Like the actual technologymakes as much sense now in twenty twenty
one as it did then, Likenobody's figuring that shit out anytime soon.
No, it's it's one of theseepisodes where once again all I want is
all I want is for the showto have the writing downpat Everything else seems
to be kind of there for themost part, and many writing is just
(10:54):
Stinsky is floundering. Yeah, Ireally quick wanted to correct my self.
Apparently I was having a Mandela effectthere. It wasn't Belker who got his
own show. It was Bunts.It was James or Dennis France who had
a spin off from it. Didhe did? He did? I thought
(11:15):
Belker had the clout that he wasgoing to get it. Seems like he
would have. Yeah, yeah,yeah, yeah. So let's talk about
the next episode. The Wall.Alexander McAndrews former test pilot with a paper
trail of commendations and a closet fullof broken records, A man for whom
the unknown is to be faced,not feared, conquered, not surrendered to
(11:39):
Alexander mccandrews, who was about toface yet another unknown, but this one
is unlike all of the others forthis one and burns at the very heart
of the Twilight Zone. So TheWall is directed by Adam mcgoyan, written
by J. Michael Strazinski. Onceagain, didn't fuck that name up,
and it's ours John beck Is,Alexander mc andrews. What a terrible name
(12:03):
for a character. Very bad name. Mc andrews. Yeah. And Andy
Anderson, Yeah, exactly exactly.That's all I could think of. Uh,
And it's it's kind of an episodeabout a stargate and star Gate.
(12:24):
Go through the star Gate and there'slife on the other side right to it.
Yeah, how much? And onceyou know what, the military wants
to do something with that gate,because why would they want to bomb the
ship out of all the people thatare there, They just like immediately they're
like, oh, we could justbomb them all the back to hell.
It's like what Yeah, I thoughtwhat they were doing was they were going
(12:45):
to put people on the other sideof the portal because they didn't know where
it went. I mean, itsounded like the to put weapons and stuff
over there. Yeah, they couldlike use it to teleport themselves other places
once they once they understood the technologybetter. But you know what I gotta
say, I'm so tired of theagrarian utopia. Go ahead, bomb that
fucking thing. How many times?Tell us how many times now we've seen
(13:11):
this ship on this show? Isthis three or four? At least three
times? And this might be thefourth? Like there was the Scott Wilson
episode, right, and then therewas like there was like one other one
other than that. There's one withthe guy that goes into the future and
they can psychically heal people with theirhands. Scott Wilson episode with there was
(13:31):
one the barrier between two worlds andit looked like peaceful and a grarian over
there. They're actually vampires. Whatabout what about the George went episode?
Does that count? Yeah? Idon't remember vampires in this, but okay,
I might be remembering an outer limits. So if if we we have
at least three, possibly four,it's it's it's it's absolutely insane. What
(13:56):
it destroy that agrarian utopia? Idon't know what, blood eyed motherfuckers.
I'm a military man who wants tolearn about love and the only way I
can do that is by working withthe dirt under my fingernails. Christ Almighty,
And was there an arc for ourlead? Like? Was he?
He was just the craziest test pilot. No, similar to the arc of
(14:20):
one throwing garbage into a trash can. Yeah, yeah, that at least
would have accomplished something, because whatwe got here was this guy who's just
like okay, and then like hehangs out for a little while and then
he comes back. You know what. I wanted this to happen so badly.
At the end, when he's nowmade his decision that he's going to
go back and live with the agrariansociety and protect them from the evil military,
he smashes the machine that makes thething after giving his little speech.
(14:43):
I wanted the thing to wink offbehind him, and then he's stuck there
with them. Like, here's howthis works. You're given ten seconds.
Okay, anytime you destroy something ina movie, you're giving ten seconds to
jump through it, run away.You've seen Harry Potter that dagger goes through
and kills Dobby for the same reason. It's it's so lazy. Wait Dobby
(15:05):
dies. Oh Jesus Christ, sorry, hashtag don't spoil my Potter hashtag j
K already did. It's lazy,it's that late. It's a lazy level
of screenwriting that this show is employingat this point that I can I cannot
understand. I mean when I describethe episode as is there any more to
(15:26):
it? Like, no other thanmilitary, bad, farmers good? Pretty
much? What else was there?The messaging is very sound, I'll say
that much. Adam Egoyan, whowho I like as a filmmaker, Yeah,
um, you know he kind ofeven for me, sometimes wildly uneven,
but like he's had some interesting stuffout there. Yeah yeah, we'll
(15:48):
sweet here after is gorgeous, gorgeousman and I'll tear your heart out,
Yeah exactly. Um, so,I mean he can hit it, but
um, even like Exotica, forall its weirdness, not doing such a
great job here, like talk aboutset bound like this guy should have fucking
known better, like and he onlyhas like what like one sort of interior
(16:10):
set and the rest is the fuckingbucolic whatever. The bucolic whatever didn't even
look beautiful. It should have lookedfucking gorgeous, right right, Well,
it looked like it had that Sheenon it where it was just like overly
let like right, it was almostlike a dream sequence. Very Uh.
The way I like to describe itis like imagine a Carpenter's album, like
the cover that's it's like it's likewashed out. It's like reminds me of
(16:33):
the seventies. Yeah, and that'swhat they're going for, like a more
from from head to toe they're goingfor. The seventies are like silent running
all the way. Oh yeah,and then having time having John Beck as
your lead. I'm just like,oh, it's uh, you know,
uh, James Conn's best friend fromRollerball. That's pretty much from Oh my
(16:53):
God, Houston exactly. Fuck,I gotta watch that again. I love
it. Right, Yeah, Inever seen it, but it's probably better
than this. Right, Oh,it's so much better, much better.
And yeah, in that the futureis much more dystopian and that's pretty great.
But it's also it's not, butit's somewhere in between. Right.
(17:15):
It's society is still together, likeit's not, but it's a better one
than this agrarian bullshit. It's like, now it's dystopian, but society is
still together. Yeah, exactly forwho knows how long. Yeah, we're
living in we're living in the rollerballtimes. We're not always been ever since
American Gladiators. I don't know whatwould possess them to do this story again
(17:40):
again, but this is at leastthe second time that they've done something this
close, because that's Scott Wilson episodeis dangerously close to this one, because
that one is like they're coming backto Earth to find the life on Earth,
and it's the same, like shitabout the military bad, agrarian good
or non military good, whatever whateverthe stand in is in that episode,
(18:02):
I forget. I don't think theriggery and I think it's you know,
I don't know who the fuck they'reon some other bullshit, some other high,
high minded thing from the mid eightiesthat people were into in the seventies.
I mean, that's what it is. Basically, trying to recap children
of hippies writing screenplays. That's whatthis is. Yeah, but the but
but there was some wit to itat one point, there was some bite,
(18:25):
there was some edge to it.Shattered day word play. Oh oh,
you're talking about the twilight Zone NewTwilight Zone as a whole, Yeah,
of course, but it ain't herenow not with this guy. I'm
sorry, not in Canada. Notin Canada. Not I do I do
(18:45):
you know what in that the thethe first episode the mind of Simon Cowling
at there's the scene where he's finallyreached his destitute moment where he makes himself
some soup and a cock roach dropsinto it like he bent over to put
the soup in the and the boommics swung into frame and they went back
out. So so in fact,I do blame the Canadian god him your
(19:11):
number, Canadian Film Board not getinvited to tiff anytime soon. I don't
think, damn it. It's youknow what's strange about this show, like
Tales or like Tales from the cryptIs, is that season change at the
end of the final season of theshow goes to completely, it changes venue
completely. And it's weird because itwould almost be better just did not have
(19:37):
done that, you think, AndI don't think it's not about it.
I think we're quite certain. Youknow, this is all the money grab
from CBS Television at this point,like it's just whatever is available put it
on the air. Yeah, andyou know, I can't even say it
tarnish that first season maybe first twoor so, fucking go to this show
that, like you know, Ican't can't allow this to drag that down.
(20:00):
Go watch the Scott Wilson one.If you watch the Scott Wilson whe
you've already seen this one essentially,Yeah, don't watch this one. Yeah.
So on the next episode, we'regonna be talking about the twenty fourth
and twenty fifth episodes of the thirdseason. We're nearing the end here.
We're gonna be talking about Cat andMouse and Rendezvous in a Dark Place.
One of those has Janet Lee andthem. The other one's about a horny
(20:21):
cat. Yes, until then,Where can people find you? Father Malone?
Check me out over at father Malonedot com. That's got links to
all of the dumb stuff I'm involvedin, but you cannot does have a
link to my podcast, Dark Destinations. It's an a half hour radio drama,
right and produce. That's over atfather Malone dot com. What about
(20:44):
you, Mike? Where can peoplefind you? You can find me over
at the Projection Booth podcast, whichis available at Projection boothpodcast dot com.
And you can find me at cstashu dot com, cstac hiw dot com.
That's my link tree for all thestuff I work on, So there
you go. Thanks as always toroxy Drive and Neutron Dreams for the music
for the show, and we'll catchyou on the next episode.
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