February 29, 2004 - 751114 - The Money Makers

[vgarci]

This week's program is presented for your review by a random selection.

For those who do not have the program, you can download it (with or without a Streamload account) at: www.streamload.com/vgarci (http://www.streamload.com/vgarci)

[UNTIL NEXT TIME]

I must say- I hated this episode. A dull ghost falls in love with a Bimbo who is married to an idiot who befreinds a mindless crook. I could care less what happens in the episode because each character is useless. I set my criteria of the value of a show based on relevency..this one was irrelevant....Until Next Time

[dnagle]

I found this show interesting for the combination of horror, crime drama, romance and a little comedy at first. The juxtaposition didn't quite gel, but I enjoyed it because of the attempt. So while Roy and Steve weren't entirely believable as crooks, the notion of setting up a crooks' den in a haunted house has been used many times in different media, ranging from Charlie Chan to the Hardy Boys, and I never get tired of it. And while Ralph Bell's Noah didn't menace or evoke sympathy, his voice is perfectly suited to a ghostly role and I'm glad he got one! In fact, the ghostly narrator angle was interesting because it is a ghostly narrator within another, EG Marshall and the squeaking door. And at the end, when Noah warns Steve of eternal damnation, to me it sounded exactly like The Shadow warning a hoodlum that his "trail of murder and mayhem will end in the death-house" -- I got a real hoot out of that. So although this show didn't entirely work (I can't believe Roy would be so casual about the idea of his wife being "wasted", for one), I got a kick out of it just because of all the traditional elements being pulled together into one story, and I enjoyed this show quite a bit.

[Fizzlestix]

The most appealing episodes for me are the ones that combine either horror and psychology, mystery and murder, or even some kind of spiritual depth that gets me thinking about my own existence.

This particular episode, I think, is more of a light-hearted tale which might appeal to a more general audience. My taste aside, it was interesting how the characters reacted as typically they do in so often a many ghost tale: they stay in the house.

I'm sorry, but I've posted this before in another SotW, but if I were in a house that had even the nicest ghost, I'd be out of there before you could say "Ghostbusters!"

Why do these people stay? Please... someone tell me! :wink:

Anyhow, coming back to my personal taste, I found this to be a predictably weak episode. The characters were flat and uninspiring, especially the ghost, despite being fairly well performed.

I blame the writer on this one. No character development, no depth of emotion from anyone, and a plot that had about as many twists as a new yard stick. It surprised me how light this was for RMT. I was also a bit shocked at the husband actually slapping his wife. Even for RMT, that was a bit harsh. What was worse was her lame reaction! Again, the writer is to blame.

It seems like the episode wanted to be crime, drama, comedy, love story, horror and mystery all in the same breath. But, as I've come to find, too many ingredients in the soup make only for unsavory broth.

One thing that I did get from this show, was in one of the commercials. It was a commercial for Chock Full O' Nuts Coffee. It began with that hysterical song, "Chock Full O' Nuts is that Flaaaaaavorful Coffee, that Flaaaaaavorful Coffee..." and then went into a narrative. The man says something like, "Chock Full O' Nuts is full of the most expensive beans money can buy, and by spending a lot of money on good beans, YOU get the best flavor." How's that for marketing! Yikes!

I gave this episode a 2.6 rating.

I'll be curious to read other's thoughts on this one.

Thanks for choosing this episode and best wishes to all,

~ Fizz

[tcraw]

I couldn't get the voice of Julie out of my head-rather, I couldn't recall what was so familiar about it. She reminded me of actress Dorothy Comingore's portrayal of Susan Alexander Kane in Orson Welle's "Citizen Kane."

I didn't care much for either character. Julie is a hapless boob like so many others in horror who always "go down in the basement" or "open that door" after the audience has begged them not to.

Why doesn't Noah let them "waste" her? Seems like maybe he would have been happier that way, but of course there's the possibilty that he would have felt guilty about stealing another man's woman the way his was...

Hey, can't win 'em all, I guess. The actors did a good job, but I have to wonder if the characters came to life the way the writer intended. This is my first time participating in SOTW and The Money Makers left me with the same feeling I get after a bowl of plain oatmeal. Give it a 3.0.