Fear Itself (1.2)

Thursday, June 12th, 2008 @ 10 PM

NBC

Fear Itself, Season 1 - Episode #2 - "Spooked"

"Why are you so bad, Fear Itself? Why are you so bad?"

While on a stakeout in a haunted house, a private eye is revisited by restless spirits of those he wronged in the past and now those spirits are set on deadly revenge. (NBC.com)

Stars: Eric Roberts, Jack Noseworthy, Cynthia Watros, Larry Gilliard Jr.

Marmot: Let me see if I understand the plot of this episode: Eric Roberts is a PI. Libby from LOST hires him to spy on her non-existent husband so that an evil house can make him feel guilty for killing her brother? And somewhere along the line, he remembers accidently shooting his brother and him and his father burying the corpse?

Manatee: Basically, yes. That sounds "right." Though I'm not sure I get why/how Libby knew about that house and why/how she thought it would make Eric Roberts go crazy.

Marmot: Maybe she saw it on Craigslist? What I don't get is, what was the deal with the Satan worshippers? Was she a Satan worshipper too?

Manatee: Hmmm... maybe. Did she go to the house with her brother and worship and graffiti self portraits on the walls? Did she put a spell or curse on the house? It wasn't really haunted. It was just Eric Roberts going crazy or being delusional/drunk and remembering his own ghosts. How would she know that would happen?

Marmot: I also don't understand why the dad didn't just tell the truth about the son being shot. Seems like it would be a lot easier to explain "my boys found my gun and were playing with it and it was an accident" than "my child mysteriously disappeared and no, I'm not really all that worried about it"

Manatee: It does seem like that would be the logical choice. Not much about this show makes sense, even though it is so unoriginal and full of clichés: They meet at a diner, he's a PI with a drinking problem, the radio in the haunted house turns on by itself (so Tales from the Crypt-esque) - what's the point of this anthology? Horror is such a great genre to be original in because it's based in fantasy. What's wrong with these writers?

Marmot: Lazy? Next week's episode promised to be mind-blowing. The TV said so, and I'm inclined to believe it, because it's TV and it never lies.

Manatee: I'll give it one more chance, if it still stinks, I'm canceling my DVR recording.

Marmot: Yep. It's taking up valuable space where Under One Roof could go.

Fear Itself (1.1)

Thursday, June 5th, 2008 @ 10 PM

NBC

Fear Itself, Season 1 - Episode #1 - "The Sacrifice"

"Here he is, Mr. Uninventive of the Year." (NBC.com)

Taking refuge in an isolated snow-covered fort, four criminals find secrets, dangers and three alluring sirens.

*Starring: Jeffrey Pierce, Rachel Miner, Stephen Martines, Mircea Monroe, Jesse Plemons

Manatee: I'm just going to say it: Fear Itself will be pulled off NBC before it airs all 13 of its episodes.

Marmot: I hope there are better episodes than this vampire thing, otherwise it will.

Manatee: Last night's episode was such regurgitated junk: Texas Chainsaw meets any vampire anything (Moonlight on steroids?). There was nothing new. It was just a condensed version of a 90 minute horror film without any original thought, idea, or design.

Marmot: It did feel like it was missing about 30 minutes or so from being a complete story, yet I didn't want to watch any more than I did.

Manatee: I think they got their point (?) across in the hour time frame. But if you're going to do horror at least make it imaginative and unique. Something other than what we would predict. Also, this show belongs on Friday or Saturday night at 10 PM. It doesn't exactly attract the same viewers as ER.

Marmot: There was absolutely nothing imaginative about this story. The sisters were somewhat interesting, but I've the mouth sewn shut before - in a student film (not to knock that student). The story's logic doesn't work, though. These sisters could kill dozens of people to keep feeding this vampire, but couldn't find a way to kill the vampire itself? It seems like they would have.

Manatee: Well, they did, sort of. In the end, they burned him down. Maybe it would have been better if Point and Chelsea had actually walked out of the fort together unharmed, and the vampire and her sacrificing sister rose from the ashes unharmed (unless you count vampire-ism) and are ready to leave the fort and take on the world. I guess even that sucks, now that I see it written down. Why couldn't these writers have similar self editing skills?

Marmot: No, that's a much better ending. I just don't understand why they couldn't trap the vampire in the barn and set it on fire before. Also, they said they've never been beyond those walls, but someone set the trap for their car. Who was it? Just big, big logic problems in this story. And while it was technically sound, it really lacked in the story department.

Manatee: I have a feeling next week will only get worse - it stars Eric Roberts.

Marmot: It looks terrible. Ghosts and a private eye?