Safe cracker Chuck Spillers (a fine performance by Brian Cox) gets released from prison and gets a job working at a pet shop owned by Martin Blueck (marvelously played by Peter Cushing), an old man who visited Chuck in jail and gave him some money to start a new life. However, Blueck turns out to be anything but a nice old man with a nasty penchant for sadistic behavioral experiments on both animals and people alike.
Director Alan Gibson relates the engrossing story at a snappy pace, builds a substantial amount of nerve-wracking claustrophobic tension, and grounds the gripping premise in a believable everyday reality. Francis Essex's meaty script makes a powerful and provocative central point on man's need to control and dominate over other animals and fellow human beings as well as offers a few sharp insights on the psychological and emotional damage wrought by being caged and confined. The excellent acting by the bang-up cast keeps this episode humming: Cox shines in an early lead role, Elaine Donnelly lends sterling support as Chuck's loyal, yet fed-up wife Annie, and the always reliable Cushing excels in his chilling portrayal of a seemingly gentle and fragile elderly gent whose benign exterior serves as a deceptive front for his genuinely cruel and evil nature. The surprise grim ending packs a devastating punch. One of this show's strongest hours.
Director Alan Gibson relates the engrossing story at a snappy pace, builds a substantial amount of nerve-wracking claustrophobic tension, and grounds the gripping premise in a believable everyday reality. Francis Essex's meaty script makes a powerful and provocative central point on man's need to control and dominate over other animals and fellow human beings as well as offers a few sharp insights on the psychological and emotional damage wrought by being caged and confined. The excellent acting by the bang-up cast keeps this episode humming: Cox shines in an early lead role, Elaine Donnelly lends sterling support as Chuck's loyal, yet fed-up wife Annie, and the always reliable Cushing excels in his chilling portrayal of a seemingly gentle and fragile elderly gent whose benign exterior serves as a deceptive front for his genuinely cruel and evil nature. The surprise grim ending packs a devastating punch. One of this show's strongest hours.