"Levitation" is the very definition of the phrase, "Be careful what you wish for
" as a magic enthusiast, Frank brings his pal many miles to see a reputed magician, The Great Kharma, performing cheap acts any "two bit hack" does. Frank knows of Kharma's levitation act, supposedly told to him by the spirit of Houdini from beyond the grave, and wants to see it performed live. After insults at a second performance, a verbal assault that tells how the tricks are done, Kharma agrees to perform the levitation act—with Frank as the one being levitated! Let's just say, Frank's heckling and burdening, worrisome, dogged demands for the act lead to devastating consequences. Sometimes it is best to leave ancient magic in the past where it belongs. A revelation involving Kharma's daughter still isn't enough to dissuade Frank from angrily urging the magician to give him what he so yearns for.
The entire episode takes place at a grimy, no-budget, barely-attended carnival, this setting, where the tedium of same-old, same-old repetitious acts, tents featuring exploited freaks, and the same games with the typical prizes are the norm, really evokes life for those employed here, in the form of Kharma and his tired elder assistant, (Cynthia Frost), probably a beauty when starting out with her magician, as hopeless and bleak, the past just a sad reminder of potential lost thanks to tragedy involving an act that amazes but endangers due to what it entails (the body of the one levitated is under the hypnotic control of the magician and thus great responsibility must be taken to release this spell once the act is over, also one false move on the part of the magician could lead to catastrophe as the body must be safely lowered without interference). Frank's dilemma derives from the fact that Kharma is no spring chicken, taken to the booze, and has never fully recovered from the grief of his daughter's death. The actor playing Kharma will be most recognized by fans of The Shining as the creepy Lloyd the Bartender and Dr. Eldon Tyrell in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. Here he is a pitiable relic, living off meager profits, a minor reputation as a once-great magician, and borrowed time. Brad Cowgill, as Frank, displays the right mixture of frustration, hunger for knowledge, eagerness to experience an act of unparalleled power, and a stubborness in pushing/provoking Kharma into action. His persistence pays off, but the way he does so costs him so much more.
The entire episode takes place at a grimy, no-budget, barely-attended carnival, this setting, where the tedium of same-old, same-old repetitious acts, tents featuring exploited freaks, and the same games with the typical prizes are the norm, really evokes life for those employed here, in the form of Kharma and his tired elder assistant, (Cynthia Frost), probably a beauty when starting out with her magician, as hopeless and bleak, the past just a sad reminder of potential lost thanks to tragedy involving an act that amazes but endangers due to what it entails (the body of the one levitated is under the hypnotic control of the magician and thus great responsibility must be taken to release this spell once the act is over, also one false move on the part of the magician could lead to catastrophe as the body must be safely lowered without interference). Frank's dilemma derives from the fact that Kharma is no spring chicken, taken to the booze, and has never fully recovered from the grief of his daughter's death. The actor playing Kharma will be most recognized by fans of The Shining as the creepy Lloyd the Bartender and Dr. Eldon Tyrell in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. Here he is a pitiable relic, living off meager profits, a minor reputation as a once-great magician, and borrowed time. Brad Cowgill, as Frank, displays the right mixture of frustration, hunger for knowledge, eagerness to experience an act of unparalleled power, and a stubborness in pushing/provoking Kharma into action. His persistence pays off, but the way he does so costs him so much more.
