Jessica are babes in the woods, REM has seen it all and is re- signed to being mystified but never trumped by human behav- ior. He’s like Spock with a sense of humor. He declares that he was made in his creator’s image, and someone remarks that his creator was obviously cynical. This highlights a difference between film and series. In the movie, the Domies have a naïve, childlike trust in the powers that be, yet they aren’t sexually inno- cent. They dial up prostitutes like sending out for pizza, which is how Michael York’s Logan meets the character played by Farrah Fawcett-Majors. In the series, Logan and Jessica run around like brother and sister under the paternal chaperonage of REM. That Logan and Jessica may be sexual creatures is only men- tioned in the late episode “Car- ousel,” when they return to the City. It’s a mythic reversal, as they escape a false paradise of sexual pleasure for a new Eden of rela- tive innocence where they have no native knowledge.
There are ambiguous vibes between Logan and his petulant ex-buddy Francis, who’s always more concerned with bagging Logan (who dumped him to split with the chick) than Jessica. And there’s plenty of eye candy. Al- though the Sandmen wear a dark jumpsuit, most of the Dome people, including Jessica, wear togas to emphasize the notion of a stagnant or declining civilization (and, of course, everybody has puffy hair), and just about every female on the outside seems to be wearing some sort of nightie. That includes cult star Mary Woronov, whose regalia has a tigress motif in the episode where she and Horst Buchholz play a rich, decadent, vaguely kinky couple who hunt humans for sport. Yes, it’s the thousandth recycling of Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous
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Game” (recently resurfaced as an inspiration behind THE HUNGER GAMES). This version is scripted by Michael Richards and helmed by Irving J. Moore, primary director of THE WILD WILD WEST. Innocence and desire are nicely muddled in “The Innocent” by script editor D.C. Fontana (be- tween STAR TREK’s) and Ray Brenner, directed by Michael Preece. Our travelers are con- stantly finding people who live in luxury and safety—cared for by robots, or in underground shel- ters—and never staying there because it just isn’t the right Sanctuary. In this one, they find a clueless 19-year-old orphan (Lisa Eilbacher) and her two serv- ing robots, and the lass falls hard for the first man she ever meets— Logan. First she’s amazed that Jessica’s hand is warm, and tells her “I like you. You and Logan are such pretty people. Is he warm too?” This series’ tendency for blunt or naïve dialogue achieves such moments. She happens to have psycho-kinetic powers like Billy Mumy in THE TWILIGHT ZONE’s “It’s a Good Life,” and she’s ready to put people “away” in limbo (her ver- sion of “the cornfield”) if she doesn’t get her way. This touches on several ideas, from her emo- tional crisis—unresolvable except through the maturity of getting hurt—to the eternal dilemma between staying in comfort or leaving for the “exciting” world. It must be stated that, despite childlike qualities, Jessica is more than a damsel to be rescued, and Logan is more than a dumb cop with a stun-gun. Having been raised in the City of Domes gave them a sense of entitlement that brings confidence. They confront each situation directly and re- sourcefully, as though they have the run of the place. Of course, this is a quality of all TV heroes, but it hits the right balance.
In “Fear Factor,” scripted by John Sherlock and directed with quiet style by Gerald Mayer, Jes- sica calmly and forcefully chal- lenges male technocrats (who feel threatened by her) about a woman being brainwashed in their facility. The boss (Ed Nelson) diagnoses: “She was a woman of strange ideas, a mili- tant independent. She had a to- tal disregard for authority. She had a restless inquiring mind. In every way, she was different.” Logan tells REM, “That sounds like a description of Jessica”— and, by now, we’ve seen enough of Jessica to realize she’s more than a pink toga.
“Man Out of Time,” scripted by Noah Ward and directed by Nicholas Colasanto (Coach in CHEERS), has moments worthy of Rod Serling. As usual, imagina- tion outstrips budget, although that helps the poverty of this episode’s Sanctuary. The show is forever teasing us with the thought that now our heroes might have found it, and in this case they really might have. A scientist (Paul Shenar) from 200 years ago has tripped into the future to gather info that may prevent the holocaust that his computers have predicted for Christmas. In perfect TV style of portentous irony, he gazes inward and quips, “Only twelve more shopping days till Armageddon.” Much of the episode is devoted to discussing the paradoxes of time travel and possibly un-cre- ating Logan’s world, a topic on which REM is more insightful than anyone. The execution may suffer, but conceptually the ending is excellent.
“Crypt,” scripted by Alfred Hayes from a story by Harlan Ellison and directed by Michael Caffey, finds cryogenically frozen scientists from 200 years ago and a limited amount of plague serum to cure them. The story combines
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