Tag Archives: tv

6 Classic Television Episodes To Watch On Halloween

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

If you want to celebrate Halloween but you don’t necessarily want to spend the entire day watching horror movies …. well, what the Hell’s wrong with you?

No, no!  I’m just joking!  I actually understand where you’re coming from!  Well, fear not — here are six wonderful shows for Halloween and I believe they’re all streaming somewhere.  So, if you need some quick Halloween entertainment, take a look at this list below!

(The episodes below are listed in chronological order.)

  1. Saved By The Bell 3.26 “Mystery Weekend” (first aired on December 21st, 1991)

Desperate to spend a weekend away from Bayside High School and Mr. Belding, Zack and the gang head off to a mansion for a mystery weekend!  The plan is to solve the murders and win …. something.  To be honest, I’ve never really understood the point of the mystery weekend and I’ve always found it weird that the a bunch of underage high school kids were allowed to participate without the presence of their parents.  Like I would think most murder houses would have an age requirement.  Of course, an even bigger question is why would they bring Screech with them?

Anyway, it soon appears that the mystery weekend has taken a dangerous turn as people start to turn up dead for real!  Or are they?  And then Lisa Turtle disappears! Or does she?  Only Zack Morris can solve this case!  This episode is dumb but entertaining in the typical Saved By The Bell manner.

2. Boy Meets World 5.17 “And Then There Was Shawn” (February 27th, 1998)

The entire season 5 cast is in detention because they interrupted class to have a debate over Cory and Topanga breaking up.  Good Lord, did these people not have a life outside of Cory and Topanga’s creepy relationship?  Anyway, it soon turns out that there’s a murderer in the school and, one by the one, the entire cast is murdered!  Who could it be!?

Complete with a random guest appearance from Jennifer Love Hewitt (who was dating BMW’s Will Friedle at the time), And Then There Was Shawn was a parody of films like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer.  It’s surprisingly well-done and I say this as someone who isn’t really a huge fan of this show.  (Cory’s love for Topanga was a bit too stalkerish for me.  Even worse was everyone’s insistence that Topanga was obligated to love him back, regardless of how she felt.)  In fact, this episode is a macabe classic in its way.  One gets the feeling that the writers had been discussing how they would like to kill off the cast for a while before this episode was written.

3. King of the Hill 7.9 “Pigmalion” (January 12th, 2003)

Luanne (voice by the much-missed Brittany Murphy) is dating Trip Larsen (voice by Michael Keaton), the owner of Larsen Pork Products and one of the richest men in Texas.  Yay!  Trip is totally and completely insane and only Peggy (Kathy Najimy) realizes it.  Uh-oh!  My favorite thing about this episode is that, even though Trip is trying to kill everyone and he’s literally in love with a pig, no one but Peggy and eventually Luanne ever notices.  Instead, they just shrug off his behavior as him being an eccentric Texas millionaire.  Michael Keaton does a wonderful job voicing Trip and fear not, Trip does eventually get his sanity back.  Of course, as soon as he regains his sanity, he notices that he’s on the conveyer belt in a slaughter house and well …. things don’t end well for him.  But, as Luanne pointed out, at least he sounded happy before he died.

This episode was originally meant to air during Season 5 but was delayed because Fox thought it would be too controversial.  (The episode takes place during Halloween but aired in January.)  When it did air, it would be the only King of the Hill episode to get a “parental discretion advised” warning slapped on it.  It’s a good episode, though.  Family Guy wishes it could come up with something as good as Pigmalion.

4. The Office 2.5 “Halloween (October 18th, 2005)

Poor Michael!  He just wans to celebrate Halloween and he’s even come up with a pretty cool costume.  Unfortunately, corporate expect him to spend the day finding someone to fire.  Will it be Creed or will it be Devon?  When this episode was being shot, the writers weren’t sure who Michael would fire.  But after the scene where Creed Bratton argues with Michael in his office, it was decided to keep Creed and the eccentric energy that he brought to the show.  Don’t worry, though.  Devon Abner the actor was already planning on leaving the show because he had gotten a role in a play and Devon the character was hired back in the final episode.

5. Community 3.5 “Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps” (October 27th, 2011)

After Britta gives all the members of the Study Group an anonymous personality test, she is shocked to discover one of them is a psychopath!  But who?  Perhaps the best way to find out would be to have everyone tell a scary story.  Shirley’s story involves her wild friends getting “left behind.”  Pierce’s story is reactionary, violent, and kind of disturbing.  Abed’s story is extremely meta while Troy’s story is, of course, about him and Abed.  My favorite story was Annie’s rather violent vampire story.  Eventually, it turns out that Britta misread the test results.  Only one member of the group is sane but I won’t spoil who it is.

The great thing about this episode is not just that it perfectly parodies so many horror films but that each story is also perfectly tailored for the character telling it.  Only Annie could have come up with that vampire story.  Only Troy would have found the positive in being sewn together with Abed.  Season 3 of Community was one of the best.  For proof, just consider that this episode that preceded this one was Remedial Chaos Theory.

6. South Park 16.12 “A Nightmare on FaceTime” (October 24th, 2012)

Long before he became a marijuana farmer, Randy Marsh tried to force his family to help him run the last Blockbuster in Colorado.  It turned out to be a haunted Blockbuster and, not surprisingly, Randy ends up going crazy and turning into Jack Nicholson from The Shining.  Fortunately, it all worked out in the end!

Happy Halloween!

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television 10/24/21 — 10/30/21

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Needless to say, this week was more about movies than it was about TV.  Here’s what I did watch.

Allo Allo (Sunday Night, PBS)

“Some you may be wondering what I am doing in my office, bricking myself up.”  Oh, Rene …. I’m sure you have a good reason.  In this case, it was because Rene was concerned that the Germans were looking to arrest him.  It’s far more probable that Rene just wanted an excuse to get away from all of the drama in the cafe.  Eventually, Michelle showed up to give Rene both a medal to honor his bravery and a suicide pill for him to take once he was captured.  Fortunately for Rene but unfortunately for the Resistance, the attempt to send all of the German generals to England failed and Rene was in the clear.  The Resistance took back both the suicide pill and the medal.

Eventually, this all led to Rene pretending to be a member of the clergy, Michelle pretending to be in love with Rene, Mimi pretending to be s baby, Herr Flick also pretending to be a baby, and a group of Italian soldiers running around the village with bayonets.

It was all very odd but rather funny.

Dancing With The Stars (Monday Night, ABC)

It was horror night!  All of the dances went pretty well, in my opinion.  I did have to smile a bit at the dance that was described as being “an homage to The Purge,” as if the Purge is some decades-old classic.  And I groaned when one of the dancers said he was “dressed as Hellraiser,” when he was clearly dressed as Pinhead.  JoJo’s It-inspired dance was good.  The judges were too hard on Melora Hardin.  To be honest, the judges remain the worst part of this show.

Degrassi: The Next Generation (DVD)

I watched the classic Breakfast Club episode from season 3 and I wrote about it here!

Fear the Walking Dead (Sunday Night, AMC)

I reviewed the latest episode here!

Firing Line (Sunday Night, PBS)

On this public affairs show, Margaret Hoover was interviewing a woman who was very concerned about Donald Trump’s policies.  It was a new episode but no one was interested in talking about Joe Biden’s policies.  In its way, this episode was actually a perfect reflection of what politics is like in America right now.  We have a president that few people take seriously and an ex-president who everyone either fears or loves.

Friday the 13th: The Series (YouTube)

Discovering this series has been one of the true pleasures of this year’s horrorthon.

It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Sunday Night, PBS)

Erin and I watched this classic on Sunday.  Two years ago, Erin wrote an essay about why we love this special and it’s still relevant today.

Open All Hours (Sunday Night, PBS)

Arkwright’s attempt to set up a mobile food truck nearly killed Grandville.  All of the neighbors were, as usual, upset at being inconvenienced.  No one seemed to have too much of a problem with Grandville nearly dying.  Poor Grandville.

Seinfeld (Every Day, Comedy Central)

I watched two episodes on Friday.  One featured Jerry dating a Miss America contestant and Elaine getting a job with a cranky old man.  The other featured Elaine ordering a “Big Salad.”  I relate to Elaine.  Big salads are the best!

Survivor 41 (Wednesday Night, ABC)

I wrote about this week’s episode here!

Toy Story of Terror (ABC, Thursday Night)

Erin and I watch this Halloween special every year.  Though it may not bring me to tears like the movies do, it’s still nice to see all of the toys together and looking out for each other.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond (Sunday Night, AMC)

I’ve actually reached the point where I’ve gone from being totally indifferent to kind of liking this show.  The idea of teenagers trying to enjoy their youth in a world that will probably not allow them to grow old is actually more compelling than I thought it would be.  Plus, it’s not quite as slow as the other two Walking Dead shows.  I still spend a good deal o this show feeling confused but still, it does mange to consistently hold my interest for the hour that it’s on.  That may be a long-winded compliment but …. well, so be it.

Bonus Horror on TV: The Curse of Degrassi (dir by Stefan Brogren)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

How about a bonus installment of Horror on TV?

This is a special episode of my favorite TV show of all, Degrassi!  Originally airing on October 28th, 2008, The Curse of Degrassi features Degrassi’s main mean girl, Holy J Sinclair (Charlotte Arnold), getting possessed by the vengeful spirit of deceased school shooter, Rick Murray (Ephraim Ellis).  Chaos follows!  Fortunately, Spinner (Shane Kippel) is around to save the day.  As any true Degrassi fan can tell you, only Spinner has a chance against the forces of the undead.

What I like about this episode is that, in the best tradition of Degrassi, it goes there.  Holly J does get possessed.  Just about the entire cast end up dying horribly.  Spinner has to battle the undead spirit of Rick Murray and he has to do it without the help of Drake.  And, as far as we know, this episode is canon.  So, yes, Rick Murray’s ghost actually does haunt Degrassi Community School and yes, only Spinner can save us all.

Go Spinner!

Enjoy!

Horror on TV: Friday the 13th: The Series 2.23 “The Maestro” (dir by Timothy Bond)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Tonight, for our horror on the lens, we have the twenty-third episode of the 2nd season of Friday the 13th: The Series!

Yes, I did pick tonight’s episode specifically because it was about dancer and an insane choreographer. Sometimes, you just seen an episode of a show and you immediately relate. Colm Feore gives a great and menacing performance as this week’s villain.

This episode originally aired on May 27th, 1989.

Here’s The Trailer For True Story

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Wesley Snipes comeback continues in the upcoming series True Story. This series will also feature Kevin Hart in a serious role. To be honest, I think Kevin Hart can handle a serious role. It’ll be interesting to see if I’m right.

True Story drops on November 24th, on Netflix. Here’s the trailer:

Horror on TV: Friday the 13th: The Series 2.21 “Wedding Bell Blues” (dir by Jorge Montesi)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Tonight, for our horror on the lens, we have the twenty-first episode of the 2nd season of Friday the 13th: The Series!

In tonight’s episode, Jack and Ryan are out of town so Micki takes it upon herself to recover a cursed pool cue. Helping her out is Johnny (played by Steven Monarque), who would eventually become a regular in the third season after John D. LeMay left the show. I like this episode because Micki is at the center of the action. I relate to Micki, though I don’t believe in cursed antiques. That’s a good thing because we’ve got a lot of antiques around here.

This episode originally aired on May 15th, 1989.

Horror TV Review: Fear the Walking Dead 7.2 “Six Hours” (dir by Michael E. Satrazemis)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Earlier today, I finally got around to watching the most recent episode of Fear The Walking Dead.  Before I write this review, I should probably take a minute to remind everyone that this show is somewhat new to me.  Here’s what I know, after watching two episodes.  Strand and Morgan dislike each other.  Someone bombed Texas with nuclear warheads.  Strand is hiding out in an office building.  Morgan is living on a submarine with Grace.  They are caring for an adopted baby named Mo.

This week’s episode focused on Grace and Morgan.  Apparently, due to the fallout, they can only leave the submarine for six hours at a time.  This episode followed them over the course of one such trip, so we got a lot of yellowish fall-out cinematography and all of the usual abandoned stores that always show up in The Walking Dead and its spin-offs.  It all moved fairly slowly, though Grace and Morgan did eventually run into two survivors, Fred and Bea.  Fred and Bea were dying of radiation sickness.  They’re baby was already dead and had turned into one of the undead, which was pretty depressing.  In fact, it was so depressing that it reminded me of why I stopped watching the original Walking Dead in the first place.

That said, as much as I complain about the grim tone of these shows, a real-life zombie apocalypse would be pretty damn grim so, even if I don’t always enjoy the scenes of misery, I do have to respect the shows for saying true to their theme.  The end of civilization is not something that’s going to be fun, especially when you’re having to shoot your loved ones in the head to keep them from reanimating a zombies.

In the end, the most important thing is that Grace and baby Mo finally bonded.  Yay!  Having a baby is already stressful.  Imagine having to take care of one while facing both a zombie and a nuclear apocalypse!

Bea did mention that there is a place called “Padre,” which, since the show is set in Texas, I’m going to assume that she’s referring to South Padre Island, which is a great place to go for Spring Break.  Before Strand tossed him over the side of the wall last week, it was revealed that Will was also somehow connected to Padre.  At the time, I assumed that was just a joking reference to South Padre but apparently, it’s going to be the season’s big destination.  (Spring Break of the Walking Dead!)  I guess the other big revelation of the episode is that Morgan’s got a stalker who is obsessed with trying to kill him.  I’m not ashamed to say that I had to use Wikipedia to find out that the stalker is apparently the brother of someone who Morgan killed previously.  Morgan kills a lot of people, apparently.

It was an okay episode.  A little slow.  A little depressing.  But the fact that Grace and Mo finally bonded made up for a lot of it.  Even at the worst of times, there is still hope.

What Lisa Marie Watched Last Night #217: Degrassi: The Next Generation 3.16 “Take on Me” (dir by Phil Earnshaw)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Last night, I watched a classic episode from the 3rd season of Degrassi: The Next Generation, Take On Me!

Why Was I Watching It, eh?

A few days ago, when I wrote my review of R.L. Stine’s Trapped, I started thinking about how much I love Degrassi‘s take on The Breakfast Club.  That led to me getting out my Season 3 DVD and watching Take On Me!

What Was It Aboot?

This episode originally aired on February 16th, 2004.  It’s the weekend in Canada but instead of watching a hockey game and studying the dual languages of their native country, five Degrassi high school students are serving detention.  Ellie Nash (Stacey Farber) skipped school.  Hazel Aden (Andrea Lewis) used the school computers to look up porn.  Jimmy Brooks (DRAKE! — back when he was still known as Aubrey Graham) and Toby Isaacs (Jake Goldsbie) hacked into the school’s computers in an attempt to change Jimmy’s grades.  And rebel Sean Cameron (Daniel Clark) is in detention because he’s suspected of being a part of a gang of thieves who are terrorizing the entire school!

Together, the five students talk about their different cliques, play truth or dare, and sneak up to the roof.  Ellie and Sean start to fall for each other but how will Sean react when he discovers that Ellie has a secret motive for being in detention?

What Worked:

This is one of those episodes of Degrassi that you either love or you hate. You either can’t believe how blatantly the show ripped off The Breakfast Club or else you watch it and go, “Oh cool, they’re ripping off The Breakfast Club!”

Myself, I love this episode!  Not only does it center on two of my favorite characters, Ellie and Sean, but it’s also the start of the Ellie/Sean romance!  Unfortunately, the Ellie/Sean romance would only last a few episodes but they were a great couple.  Stacey Farber and Daniel Clark had a really great chemistry in their scenes together, as can be seen in this episode when they go up to the roof and they talk about thievery and self-harm.  The scene where Ellie shows Sean the scars on her arm is one of the best in the history of Degrassi.

This episode also features one of my favorite Degrassi exchanges.  When Ellie says she’s in detention for skipping school, Jimmy deadpans, “Wow, that’s a great story, Ellie.”  It’s just the way the line is delivered.

What Did Not Work:

There’s this really weird subplot involving the principal, Mr. Radish (Dan Woods).  Radish is at the school to supervise detention.  He brags about how it’s all a part of his new “no tolerance” policy for misbehavior.  However, Archie “Snake” Simpson (Stefan Brogren), the media arts teacher, stops by the school and tells Mr. Radish that there’s more to life than just following rules.  Sometimes, tolerance is a good thing.

At the end of the episode, a chastised Mr. Radish tells the detention kids that he’s just trying to do the right thing.  He suddenly decides to show some tolerance and he lets everyone go home early.  The thing is, though — Sean was stealing things from the school.  And Jimmy did bully Toby into trying to change his grades and Toby did hack into the school’s computer.  Hazel and Ellie were both in detention for minor reasons but the three guys actually did some serious things wrong.  Their behavior was exactly the sort of thing that would get most students in a lot more trouble than just weekend detention.  If anything, Mr. Radish was being nice by just having them give up a few weekends as opposed to calling the cops.

Finally, the end of the episode reveals that Ellie was actually working undercover for the local news station, for a story they were planning on doing about the thefts at the school.  But why would a big city news station care about such a minor crime and whose bright idea was it to get the story by putting an emotionally vulnerable teenage girl in potential danger by sending her in with a tape recorder?  And couldn’t they have at least given Ellie a less bulky tape recorder?  It’s almost like they wanted her to get caught.

“Oh my God!  Just Like Me!” Moments

Honestly, every single minute of every single episode of Degrassi is pretty much an “Oh my God!  Just like me!” moment, as far as I’m concerned.  That said, I always related the most to Ellie.  We both have red hair.  We both spent a good deal of high school dressed in black.  We both went through a cutting phase and a rubber band on the wrist phase and I’ve always appreciated the sensitive way that Degrassi handled that subject matter.  (Whatever flaws it may have had, Degrassi was way ahead of its time when it came to dealing with anxiety.)

I especially related to Ellie in this episode, both because I always ended up crushing on the sensitive rebels like Sean Cameron and I also got assigned detention a few times.  Of course, I always skipped detention because I was really into the whole “No one’s going to tell me what to do” thing.  Strangely, I never got in any trouble for not showing up to detention and I always wondered if everyone regularly skipped or if it was just me.

Lessons Learned

There’s nothing more fun and emotionally rewarding than weekend detention!