silverpilgrim-56896 Reviews

Frasier: The Gift Horse (1997) Season 5, Episode 2

Poison Pill Bimbo

[3 August 2023]

Debates abound on the issue of shark-jumping. There can be no question where Frasier is concerned. The moment Marsha Mason oozed onto the set, this show became borderline unwatchable. It's actually amazing how one talentless actress/nauseatingly-written character can poison a wonderful show.

We continue to get the massively entertaining Frasier, the amusing Daphne and perhaps the funniest and best-written character ever, Niles Crane. Mostly interesting stories and good supporting characters; it could still be a great show.

But then Marty and the scuzzy bimbo show up and ruin everything. Whoever created Sherry should be shot.

Frasier: Chess Pains (1996) Season 3, Episode 18

Ridiculous Premise

[2/10 · 23 July 2023]

Okay, let's review: lifelong chess player who knows the game well enough to name obscure strategies cannot beat a halfwit excop who has never played the game. I cant get past the stupidity of the premise. The rest of the father-son baloney is boring, as usual. This would be a much better show without the John Mahoney character; he's an ungrateful, smartass creep and he degrades every episode in which he plays a major role. More Daphne, please, and put the nasty old crock in assisted living.

Nevertheless, the Niles interactions with Frasier (particularly the unboxing of the chess set ) and the bit with the dog rescue the episode.

Night Sky (2022)

Spacek ruins a potentially great show

[5/10 · 28 May 2022]

Sissy Spacek has always been a lousy actress. To pair her up with J. K Simmons, one of the best actors of his generation, is a crime. This show has a fascinating premise, interesting story and solid visuals. Spacek's typical overwrought performance ruins the whole thing.

Gunsmoke: Blood Money (1957) Season 3, Episode 3

Chester's big mouth strikes again

[3/10 · 25 January 2022]

Matt Dillon never seemed to learn that it was foolish and dangerous to share law enforcement information and responsibility with the village idiot. Time and time again Chester put people, including Matt, at risk with his stupidity. To me, this was a long-term flaw in scriptwriting and story development.

Gunsmoke: Us Haggens (1962) Season 8, Episode 13

The Once and Future Festus

[8/10 · 2 December 2021]

Ken Curtis created many interesting and entertaining characters across his career. Festus was his crowning achievement, and this episode is a first-rate introduction.

The story is serviceable, holding up reasonably well under the burden of Denver Pyle's irritating presence. Pyle's one-trick pony acting is no more entertaining here than in TAGS or anywhere else he turns up. Elizabeth Macrae's character is also bizarre; the change in her attitude and character from here to later in the series is not believable. She's also way too hot for Festus; the relationship was never credible.

Matt isn't particularly competent in this episode. He gets shot, beaten up a bit, and lets the bad guy get the drop on him late in the story.

In the final analysis the episode complied with Dave's Rule Number One for Film and TV: the bad guy got what was coming to him. And forevermore, we had Festus.

Gunsmoke: Abe Blocker (1962) Season 8, Episode 11

Loudmouth old psychopath

[3/10 · 30 November 2021]

Chill Wills was always a one-note mediocrity. Here he adds homicidal loon to his repertoire. There is nothing poignant about his violent inability/unwillingness to adjust to progress and the advent of law-abiding society. As usual, John Meston portrays murderous, selfish evil as worthy of admiration. And some of the dialog is ridiculous: "quintessential" isn't even the worst of it.

The worst part of this episode is Matt's humoring of the old goon and his failure to help the people who came to him for protection.

Redeeming features; another solid appearance by Burt Reynolds. As much as I like Festus, Quint was the best supporting character to ever appear on Gunsmoke, all the Chester fanboys notwithstanding. Nice to see Harry Carey, Jr in a small part as well, and for once Lane Bradford doesn't get stuck playing a thug.

Gunsmoke: The Boots (1959) Season 5, Episode 10

Anticlimax

[6/10 · 5 August 2021]

Another reviewer pointed out that the Meston scripts usually provide unsatisfying endings. This is true, and this episode was no exception.

The Andy Griffith Show: The County Clerk (1966) Season 6, Episode 26

The precise moment TAGS jumped the shark

[1/10 · 1 July 2021]

This will be the shortest TAGS review on record. Howard Sprague and his mother; over the shark it went.