They succeeded.
Eerie, Indiana takes place in the titular town. We first meet Marshall Teller on his paper route. He's relocated from the dank, rotting Big Apple. He misses it. His father, Edgar is an inventor for a company in Eerie called "Things, Incorporated," and his mother, Marilyn is a party planner despite having lax organizational skills. His sister, Syndi is a regular, normal teenage girl. Marshall is the odd one out in his family it seems. But he notices that something is amiss in this 'burb. He sees an older, fatter Elvis on his route. He knows Bigfoot eats out of his trashcan. The town's population is 16,661. Gulp. He shares this with the only person that'll hear him out, Simon. Simon is a younger kid from his neighborhood who is ignored by his parents, so Marshall takes him under his wing. They know that something spooky is afoot in Eerie and they seem to be the only ones to do anything to try and stop it.
Originally, reviews for the show insisted that the show's true relation was that great masterpiece, "Twin Peaks." But I don't buy that, personally, I see it as more of a "Blue Velvet" type show. You know, a town with a darker undercurrent. Marshall and Simon are predicating Fox Mulder in the hunt for the truth and the idea of a town under duress from outside sinister forces is something that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer will run through for seven years. Eerie was ahead of it's time and it only lasted 19 episodes. I personally think that in 2012 this show would've lasted a longer life. Or at the very least gathered a cult following. But I digress, let's start this thing off.
"Foreverware"
In the beginning, when Marshall's family moved to the town, they were greeted by Betty Wilson and her twin boys, Bertram and Ernie. She is a salesperson for a tupperware-esque product called 'Foreverware.' It's a product that seems to have leaped in a time machine in the 60's and landed in the 90's. You can put a sandwich in there from 1957 and it would be as fresh as the day it was made. That sounds unhealthy but I digress When Simon and Marshall smell and look at it, it's a bologna sandwich sure enough. But Marshall accidentally leaves the container cracked open. So, after Betty Wilson peddles her wares and leaves the Teller house hold that day, little Bertram or Ernie (I'm not sure either) passes Marshall a note that says, "Yearbook, 1964" he's a little curious.
Sure enough, when he looks in the book, he sees two boys that are very similar looking to those mini-Othos, Bert and Ernie. Simon just thinks they've been in school since the 60's cause they aren't smart. Marshall knows that something's up. He goes over to the boys' house and sees that their mother seals them in giant Foreverware containers at night to prevent them from aging because their father ran away when they were younger and she doesn't want them to leave. Yikes, am I right?!? Soon, the boys beg Marshall to help them and so he sets about trying to free the boys from their eternal youth. Betty, the boys' mother is trying to woo Marshall's mother into becoming a salesperson for Foreverware by singing a jingle. I wish I could link to it. I just wish I could. It would blow your mind.
Late that night, Marshall sneaks into the boys' room and releases them from their slumber. They have a score to settle with their mother for not letting them age. Marshall leaves them be. Later, Marshall's mother discovers exactly what happens if you leave the container open just a crack, the results are not so great and that bologna sandwich turns into a goopy paste. Marshall's mother just thinks that Foreverware is defective. So, she goes over Betty's house and to her and Marshall's surprise, the house is up for sale. In the front yard, she sees two older twin boys hammering away at the For Sale sign. They helpfully inform them that Betty moved away and they thank Marshall and his mother. As they walk away, an older woman calls out to the twin boys asking who's out there. Marshall looks back terrified. He knows who that is. He adds the Foreverware container to his "evidence locker" and closes the case ... for now.
I think that this is a great start to the series. It knocks the little bit of exposition out in the pre-credits sequence. We don't need to worry about where Marshall and his family came from, although I'm certain that they would've mined that territory had the show lasted longer. It's a great dip into the strangeness of the show and a great first episode, although a cursory glance of the weirdness of the town is only skated over, which is unfortunate because it seems to be a fun little town, except you might also die.
Additional footnotes:
- The pilot was directed by Joe Dante. His visual style will be handed over and emulated for the rest of the series, at least for the few episodes I've seen so far.
Yes, Marshall, a person who spells their name Syndi shouldn't be operating a motor vehicle.
Also, the older Bertram and Ernie are played by those reliable 90's twins, Dan and Don Stanton, whom appeared in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Another noteworthy appreance for horror aficnados Belinda Balaski appearing as one the Foreverware saleswomen. she's a stock Dante actress, appearing in "The Howling" and "Pirahna."
When you visit the dentist's office, it can be a terrifying experience. Especially for Marshall Teller, because as we know, life in Eerie is well, eerie. Especiall when your dentist is a great character actor like Vincent Schiavelli. Marshall's horrified to go because he knows exactly what may happen...he may have to get a retainer. Oh, and dogs are plotting to take over the town. But, oh, dentistry!
Sounds innocuous enough, right? Not for poor Steve. He's the unfortunate kid in school, who's cursed with the single most ridiculous overbite I've ever seen. He also enjoys eating a lot. One day, he's hanging out with Marshall and Simon, when he hears someone grumbling that they wish he'd drop his sandwich. It isn't Marshall and it isn't Simon. It's a dog sitting on the sidewalk. Yeah, you read it and I wrote it. The dog is drooling over the sandwich. Steve drops some and the dog hungrily gobbles it up. Marshall isn't certain yet, because it could just be radio interference or whatever else happens when you pick up signals from elsewhere. They run a test and sure enough, Steve hears the thoughts of the dogs. And what he hears is terrifying. The dog begins tussling with Simon on the floor and soon the thoughts become more and more violent. Simon escapes from the dog and the three boys become terrified. Until a little French poodle warns the bigger dog that they have a bigger plan at hand. The dogs run away and leave the boys scratching their heads.
As Marshall and Simon wander the town, using Steve as a megaphone for the dogs' thoughts, they soon discover that the dogs have malicious intent for the townsfolk. They plan on escaping from the dog pound and seeking vengeance for being kenneled up. For having to sleep outside in dog houses. No more they say, no more. They destroy the gas chamber where they put the pets down and take out the dogcatcher. They demand freedom. They force Marshall, Steve and Simon to release them from the cages and the boys oblige. Then, the leader, the french poodle thinks the boys have seen enough. She demands the dogs take the boys out, especially Metal-Mouth Steve. The dogs chase Steve away in the night. Marshall and Simon never see him again.
Later, Marshall returns from the dentist and his retainer ain't so bad after all. He sees the dog that initially threatened him and his comrades. It burps and a piece of Steve's retainer comes up. The dog runs away. Marshall picks up the retainer and sticks it in the "evidence-locker" and closes the case ... for now.
I did like this episode as well. It picks up fairly quickly but unfortunately as it rises and rises, it kind of deflates at the end. But the thing being that, it never betrays it's inspired lunacy. And another noteworthy fact, a kid actually dies. Not just gets attacked or saved at the last minute but gets eaten (offscreen of course). For the early 90's, that was crazy. I like the world of Eerie and dogs trying to attack humans just seems right, storywise.
Additional footnotes:
The pre-credits sequence ends with a dog holding a gun. Silly, yes, because if the dogs can't open their doors to wreak havoc, they surely can't fire guns. Right? Ahem, right?
I will never get enough of the dogs sitting in a circle singing, "Dem Bones." They sounded like a barbershop quartet. It is fantastic.
The dog catcher service is called "Canine Assistance Team" or C.A.T
My original intent for the Summer Reading Club was that I would watch two episodes a week. But, this show's fantastic and the girlfriend and I have already watched episodes three and four. I'll just have another review coming later this week for the next two. Unless, I've watched the entire series at that point. Which at this point, is entirely likely.
Coming up, "The ATM with A Heart of Gold" and "The Losers."
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