kelvin@ut-sally.UUCP (Kelvin Thompson) (02/28/86)
In article <120@factron.uucp>, bruce@factron.uucp (Bruce Barnett) writes: > > A Great episode of TZ on Feb 14. > > Title: Personal Demons > Synopsis: > Opens up with the camera panning over the cover sheet of > some old TV scripts. Shows like _The Mod Squad: "Fink on Ice"_ > etc. Camera pans to writer typing. Friend comes in and chats. > Acutally, this story starts out a *lot* like a story by Harlan Ellison (sorry, can't remember the title or collection). In Ellison's story a TV and SF writer afflicted by terrible writer's block is approached by demons that give him a lot of trouble, but ultimately help him. In Ellison's story, the demons tell the writer parts of the history of their parallel universe and he sells it as fantastic fiction. Also had some funny twist at the end that I can't remember. About TZ in general: Is it my imagination, or has the show gone downhill since Christmas? I was quite excited when I heard about the show's return last fall, and I *loved* the shows at the beginning of the season. But I've been pretty unimpressed by most of the shows aired since Christmas. Too many of the shows don't seem to have anything to say, and too many are repeats of old themes (how many outwitting-the-Devil and three-wishes-that-don't-turn-out-quite- right shows have there been this season?). Hmmm -- I wonder if anything happened behind the scenes around midseason. -- Kelvin Thompson
ins_avrd@jhunix.UUCP (Victoria Rosly D'ull) (03/04/86)
> In article <120@factron.uucp>, bruce@factron.uucp (Bruce Barnett) writes: > > > > A Great episode of TZ on Feb 14. > > > > Title: Personal Demons > > Synopsis: > > Opens up with the camera panning over the cover sheet of > > some old TV scripts. Shows like _The Mod Squad: "Fink on Ice"_ > > etc. Camera pans to writer typing. Friend comes in and chats. > > > > Acutally, this story starts out a *lot* like a story by Harlan Ellison > (sorry, can't remember the title or collection). In Ellison's story > a TV and SF writer afflicted by terrible writer's block is approached > by demons that give him a lot of trouble, but ultimately help him. In > Ellison's story, the demons tell the writer parts of the history of > their parallel universe and he sells it as fantastic fiction. Also > had some funny twist at the end that I can't remember. > "Working With the Little People", from _Strange_Wine_ (an Ellison collection dealing largely with the evils of mass entertainment). The gremlins come only to help him, since before his writer's block he had been very effective in keeping belief and interest in the gremlins' sort of world alive. They write new stories in his name, and then at the end, he starts writing about them... Ellison has always been a fanatic about keeping firm control on any project designated as "his" (note what happened to his involvement with TZ), so it doesn't seem too surprising that the episodes made while he was still around bear a distinctly Ellisonian touch..... --the littlest orc