The Tale of Jake and the Leprechaun

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Midnight Society

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Air Date: Saturday, October 24, 1992
Storyteller: Eric (Jacob Tierney)

Frame: One night of the Midnight Society meeting, Frank (Jason Alisharan) passes on telling his story out of respect for Eric, who has just lost his grandfather. As a treat for the group, the story Eric tells is one his grandfather, who was of Irish descent, used to share with him. What follows is a little more of a bedtime story than the typical spooky campfire tale. Still, to the episode's credit, I appreciate that they took this route, showing younger viewers a thing or two about not just death, but also ancestry and how storytelling gets passed down.

Story: A kid named Jake (Benjamin Plener) takes part in a presentation of the Irish play, 'Will-o'-the-Wisp,' with his mentor, Erin (John Dunn-Hill). Erin drinks a special tea to help him perform, and one day, he sends Jake out to purchase the ingredients for the tea for himself. For this, he visits an herbal gardener named Sean O'Shaney (David J. Steinberg), who denies Jake the herbs, sending him on his way. But after strange things start happening to Jake, he goes back to Sean for help, who soon realizes Jake's play is not what it seems, and he's actually in over his head.

Review: While this doesn't entirely fit the category of scary storytelling, I still enjoy it. I'm not Jake's biggest fan, but everyone else was pretty good, and seeing David J. Steinberg in something other than 'Willow' is nice. He's the highlight of the story. Irish stories and folklore are fascinating, and this collection offers a good mix. Once again, I also fully credit it for taking a slightly more serious approach to things, just for a change of pace. Speaking for myself, I'd say it's one of the best episodes of the first season. Even if it doesn't meet everything I look for in one of these episodes, it still has a lot of heart.

Final Rating: Scared

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