The Tale of the Dream Girl

<<

Midnight Society

>>

Air Date: Saturday, March 26, 1994
Storyteller: Sam (Joanna Garcia)

Frame: As the episode opens, we have some fun with Kiki (Jodie Resther) and Tucker (Daniel DeSanto) engaging in an arm wrestling match, and things are set up to look like a pretty typical episode. Things even begin to come off as particularly cheesy once the arm wrestling finishes and Sam begins her story. She engages her audience by telling them about how her story is about something truly terrifying: true love. This intro is a corny-sounding one, sure, but what follows is likely one of the most pleasant surprises of an episode in the series.

Story: Close-knit siblings Johnny (Fab Filippo) and Erica Angelli (Andrea Nemeth) work at a bowling alley together; she as a waitress, and he as a repairman. One night, while closing, Johnny finds a girl's ring in his locker and curiously puts it on his finger, where it gets stuck. Suddenly, he starts having dreams of a beautiful girl named Donna Maitland (Shanya Vaughan) who seems to be drawn to Johnny. Confused as to how or why this mysterious girl has appeared in his dreams, he's soon quite literally haunted by her, and in the meantime, Erica seems to know more about his situation than she's letting on.

Review: Without revealing too much, there is a famous movie that ends in a very similar way, often said to have drawn inspiration from this episode, which came years before. But aside from a fantastic twist to the episode, much like 'Shiny Red Bicycle,' this episode earns bonus points for the heart involved, not just between the love interests, but also among the siblings. It all ends on a note that's surprisingly emotional and unexpected for a show that seems to wear its cheesiness with pride. It could be debated that this could be the best episode of the series, and if not, it's certainly among them.

Final Rating: Afraid

---