'Firefall' isn't a bad episode. I don't think the producers could produce a bad episode. But it's not a particularly good one, either. It's middle of the road, when 'Kolchak' could and did produce better episodes.
The main problem is the meandering plot. Why is the doppelganger killing Bond's associates? Why is it killing anyone? Take over Bond's body when he falls asleep, and end of story. I guess... the doppelganger is killing anyone who might realize it's not Bond. It seems like typical Bond mastermind stupidity. Give the hero plenty of time to figure out what's going on, so he can stop you.
Also, how does the doppelganger kill people? It's kind of stated that you have to be asleep for it to kill you. But then it kills its third victim when he's driving a car! And does the doppelganger have to be present in ghostly form. When it kills the third victim, it seems pretty solid getting into the victim's car. And it sets the apartment and the arcade on fire when Kolchak is there, awake. So I guess it can set fires even if the victims aren't asleep? Or does it have some kind of super incineration power that only works on sleeping victims?
It's all very vague. Can the victims identify the "real" bond from Markoff? We never find out enough about any of them to know. How does the doppelganger kill? And why? It rattles a piano lid at one point, which seems more poltergeist-ish than fire-causing.
There are some chilling moments. The doppelganger glaring in through the church windows at Bond and Kolchak is creepy, and its malicious smile as it taps on the windows. The final confrontation at the arcade between Kolchak and Markoff is good.
The guest appearances are... okay. Madlyn Rhue as Maria, and Virginia Vincent as Markoff's widow, are good. Phillip Carey as Sgt. Meyer is probably the least of the authority figures on the show. He pales in comparison to Charles Aidman, Keenan Wynn, John Dehner, and Kathie Browne. David Doyle has a brief part as Cardinale, who does who knows what. He works in a fire analysis lab, somewhere, doing something, and really wants to know if civilians have their hands on military-grade fire chemicals. Why? I don't know, and it's never stated.
So while 'Firefall' is a good episode, and nothing on 'Kolchak' is a total waste. But it's not a keeper, either It's just... average, and 'Kolchak' can and did much better.
But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?
The main problem is the meandering plot. Why is the doppelganger killing Bond's associates? Why is it killing anyone? Take over Bond's body when he falls asleep, and end of story. I guess... the doppelganger is killing anyone who might realize it's not Bond. It seems like typical Bond mastermind stupidity. Give the hero plenty of time to figure out what's going on, so he can stop you.
Also, how does the doppelganger kill people? It's kind of stated that you have to be asleep for it to kill you. But then it kills its third victim when he's driving a car! And does the doppelganger have to be present in ghostly form. When it kills the third victim, it seems pretty solid getting into the victim's car. And it sets the apartment and the arcade on fire when Kolchak is there, awake. So I guess it can set fires even if the victims aren't asleep? Or does it have some kind of super incineration power that only works on sleeping victims?
It's all very vague. Can the victims identify the "real" bond from Markoff? We never find out enough about any of them to know. How does the doppelganger kill? And why? It rattles a piano lid at one point, which seems more poltergeist-ish than fire-causing.
There are some chilling moments. The doppelganger glaring in through the church windows at Bond and Kolchak is creepy, and its malicious smile as it taps on the windows. The final confrontation at the arcade between Kolchak and Markoff is good.
The guest appearances are... okay. Madlyn Rhue as Maria, and Virginia Vincent as Markoff's widow, are good. Phillip Carey as Sgt. Meyer is probably the least of the authority figures on the show. He pales in comparison to Charles Aidman, Keenan Wynn, John Dehner, and Kathie Browne. David Doyle has a brief part as Cardinale, who does who knows what. He works in a fire analysis lab, somewhere, doing something, and really wants to know if civilians have their hands on military-grade fire chemicals. Why? I don't know, and it's never stated.
So while 'Firefall' is a good episode, and nothing on 'Kolchak' is a total waste. But it's not a keeper, either It's just... average, and 'Kolchak' can and did much better.
But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?