The Tale of the Silent Servant

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Air Date: Saturday, November 12, 1994
Storyteller: Betty Ann (Raine Pare-Coull)

Frame: Frank (Jason Alisharan) and Kiki (Jodie Resther) arrive at the clearing, claiming to be upset with Betty Ann because she wouldn't theatre hop with them based on her morals, and in the process, got them all thrown out. Despite the other two being upset at her, Betty Ann still stands up for herself, stating that she had a choice and that sometimes staying silent doesn't necessarily lead to good things. In my opinion, this makes Betty Ann a bit of a buzzkill, but since this is for kids, we can let things slide. Support your local theatres, kids.

Story: A kid named Jarred Conner (Jesse Tendler) is visiting his cousin Anne (Kimberly Warnat) at her farm home. The pair play a game of catch in the front yard, which leads to the ball going through the front door window, resulting in Jarred's Uncle Pete (Brian Dooley) and older cousin, Mark (Tyler Labine), making them do some chores. While making a delivery, they find an old scarecrow that Jarred believes might work on keeping away deer for some reason. Upon propping it up, they discover that this scarecrow can perform tasks for them, making chores significantly easier. Still, they also find that one has to be careful what they wish for.

Review: Some may recognize this as a basic retelling of the Jewish folktale of the Golem, a being made of clay that would do its creator's bidding and eventually spins out of control. In some ways, it reminds me of 'Twisted Claw' in that it's a 90s-modern, child-friendly retelling of a classic tale with the same basic lessons in place. This one even comes with its own harbinger of doom, "Crazy George" (Sam Malkin), who does a great job at being genuinely off-putting and creepy. The episode, as a whole, is quite solid and does a good job of creating an overall atmosphere, making it one of Betty Ann's better stories.

Final Rating: Scared

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