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shivverLike I said in the previous post, GAH was largely fluffy in the second season, and that's mostly what people remember about it - I mean, that's only to be expected with a main character running around in bright red tights. But there are two things that have stuck with me about it over all these years.
In the second season, there was an episode called "The Beast in the Black", and the fact that I remember the episode title should tell you something. In it, Ralph (the schoolteacher / superhero) and his class go to an old house to recover items to donate to charity. While they're there, the ghost that haunts the house possesses Ralph's friend, the FBI agent Bill Maxwell. In order to free him, Ralph has to travel to her domain, which is accessible by going through a brick wall, through "the Black" - a shadow dimension, maybe - and into her little drawing room. The Black is inhabited by the Beast (roll credits), which attacks anyone that passes through, and Ralph, who is normally invulnerable in his suit, is injured each time he goes through.
I remember being terrified by the scenes in the Black - filmed in kind of a negative style, with flashing outlines. I can't describe it. Also, Bill Maxwell being possessed? That was terrifying, too, partly due to his eyes turning blue, but mostly due to an impressive performance by Robert Culp. Of course, nowadays they are nothing - 80s special effects just weren't that good - but you know what? Back before I rewatched the episode, probably around 2000 or so, I mentioned the series to my husband, and he brought up the exact same episode - the only one he remembered - and said he'd been terrified, of both the Black scenes and Bill's possession. So much so that he remembered the name of the episode as well.
I'd say that episode was pretty damn successful.
The second thing that stuck with me is a very specific image: a bald young woman in a plain t-shirt and fatigues, climbing out of a jeep, singing "Onward Christian Soldiers" as she walked over and executed the FBI agent they'd discovered had infiltrated their organization. It was still chilling on modern rewatch. And this in the pilot episode of a show that was geared toward young audiences. Imagine what that show could have been if ABC had allowed Cannell to follow his own vision, rather than remake it into popcorn viewing.
In the second season, there was an episode called "The Beast in the Black", and the fact that I remember the episode title should tell you something. In it, Ralph (the schoolteacher / superhero) and his class go to an old house to recover items to donate to charity. While they're there, the ghost that haunts the house possesses Ralph's friend, the FBI agent Bill Maxwell. In order to free him, Ralph has to travel to her domain, which is accessible by going through a brick wall, through "the Black" - a shadow dimension, maybe - and into her little drawing room. The Black is inhabited by the Beast (roll credits), which attacks anyone that passes through, and Ralph, who is normally invulnerable in his suit, is injured each time he goes through.
I remember being terrified by the scenes in the Black - filmed in kind of a negative style, with flashing outlines. I can't describe it. Also, Bill Maxwell being possessed? That was terrifying, too, partly due to his eyes turning blue, but mostly due to an impressive performance by Robert Culp. Of course, nowadays they are nothing - 80s special effects just weren't that good - but you know what? Back before I rewatched the episode, probably around 2000 or so, I mentioned the series to my husband, and he brought up the exact same episode - the only one he remembered - and said he'd been terrified, of both the Black scenes and Bill's possession. So much so that he remembered the name of the episode as well.
I'd say that episode was pretty damn successful.
The second thing that stuck with me is a very specific image: a bald young woman in a plain t-shirt and fatigues, climbing out of a jeep, singing "Onward Christian Soldiers" as she walked over and executed the FBI agent they'd discovered had infiltrated their organization. It was still chilling on modern rewatch. And this in the pilot episode of a show that was geared toward young audiences. Imagine what that show could have been if ABC had allowed Cannell to follow his own vision, rather than remake it into popcorn viewing.
