The Tale of the Dollmaker

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Midnight Society

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Air Date: Saturday, February 5, 1994
Storyteller: Betty Ann (Raine Pare-Coull)

Frame: While the Midnight Society gathers, Tucker (Daniel DeSanto) races into the scene. When Sam (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) grabs hold of him, asking what the rush is, he mentions excitedly that Betty Ann was up for storytelling; the excitement comes from Gary (Ross Hull) telling him how weird and spooky her stories are. With the pressure on, Betty Ann brings out a doll, much to Tucker's disappointment, so he rudely sets up for a nap during her story. However, Betty Ann's intro holds Tucker's attention, and he remains secretly engaged with it.

Story: A girl named Melissa (Maia Filar) heads to her Aunt Sally's (Eve Crawford) and Uncle Pete's (Sam Stone) house for a weekend visit, where she would typically hang out with the neighbour girl, Susan Henderson (Amanda Walsh). However, since Susan's family has moved, Melissa is now stuck being bored, which eventually leads her to explore the now-abandoned Henderson house. There, she finds a dollhouse in the attic, along with a mysterious door. Upon opening that door, Melissa sees another world, and Susan is wandering around, seemingly lost. Melissa takes it upon herself to try to rescue her, despite people not believing her.

Review: Conceptually, I wouldn't count this episode among those in my wheelhouse. The whole doll thing doesn't bother me, and the episode contains so much sweetness that it's tough to be creeped out by anything, even the idea that Susan is slowly turning into an actual doll. The aunt and uncle overact a bit too much, and Melissa can get on one's nerves every so often. Still, it's Susan, evidently being directed to act stiff due to her transformation, that really hurts the episode. With no emotion, it just doesn't feel like a real threat. This episode will likely be decent for some, but I'm pretty far removed from it in terms of personal taste.

Final Rating: Calm

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