ROBERT CULP, DOGGIE-STYLE

It's not what you think.....

Clarke's Third Law
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

'Conan' was one of many TV series over the years that just slipped past my notice. As big a fan of fantasy literature as I am, I was never that interested in the sword and sorcery, thud and blunder, variant made most popular by this hulking He-Man creation of Robert E. Howard. (I think the closest I came to the style would be Fritz Lieber's stories about Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser and the comic book series about Cerebus the Earth-Pig.)

As a TV series, 'Conan' seems to hold more to the spirit of the Schwarzenegger films than to Howard's stories, which would be even more of a reason for me to skip the show.

But via Hulu, I just watched an episode which featured the distaff version of Conan, "Red Sonja". And that's only because the guest villain that episode was Robert Culp as King Vog of Harta.*
Vog kidnapped a young but powerful wizard named Lutai so that he could produce a magic spell that would make the aged king young again. The evil Vog wanted his reign over the Hartans to continue far longer than a normal man's life span, and that would only mean decades more of death and destruction for the Hartan people; perhaps even an eternity if the spell could be perpetuated.

Eventually Lutai agreed to do what Vog requested. Using strangely named plants, he concocted a paste which Vog only had to taste and he would be made young again. Suspecting it might be poison, the king tested it on a dog (on the suggestion of Lutai). The dog transformed into a smaller, younger, version of its former self. Vog then dipped two fingers into the mixture and tasted it. The results were almost instantaneous as Vog clutched at his chest and fell to his knees; with a golden flash of light, he was transformed into... a puppy.
"I never promised I would turn him into a young man," Lutai smirked. (That must have been some magic, to make his robes and crown disappear like that!)

In a way, that felt like an episode of 'The Twilight Zone', especially "What You Need". And even back then, in the age between the fall of Atlantis and the first recording of History (as mentioned in the opening narration), ages before the birth of Rod Serling even, the Twilight Zone would hold sway over Toobworld.

I believe that had Vog tasted the paste first, without letting the dog contaminate the mixture with its slobber, then he may have transformed into a much younger man, even a child. And then had the dog tasted the paste, then it too would have transformed into a young human. I think the paste needed DNA as its catalyst; and whichever DNA first made contact, that would be the form taken by any who tasted it.

So Vog became a dog - but in body only, I'm thinking. I believe his human intelligence would remain intact and perhaps it might even have been handed down to future generations of his new breed. Toobworld Central believes the same thing happened to Red the red squirrel, mistakenly transformed into a human by Martian technology in 'My Favorite Martian'. When he became a squirrel again, he retained that intelligence to be passed down through his lineage. (And even crossed over to the population of grey squirrels through cross-breeding.)

Lutai's transformation paste, although looked upon as a "magic potion", would be nothing more than an application of chemistry and biology. The technology that duplicated these efforts, used by the Martian Exigius 12 1/2 (aka "Uncle Martin O'Hara") was just an energy variant of the compound.

Even though I believe that Vog retained his human intelligence and passed it down to his doggy descendents, this doesn't mean I think all dogs who can think and/or talk are related to Vog. Too many specific species involved when he was transformed into a cute little mutt.

With those other dogs, we look to the unsold pilot of 'Poochinski' for inspiration: when a human dies, their first reincarnationi is into dogs - unless the cosmic powers that be dictate special circumstances, like into an antique car or a toaster or a shopping cart. (Connecticut readers may understand that one....)BCnU!

*I'm still not convinced that 'Conan' should be considered part of Earth Prime-Time. Oh, it belongs in the main TV dimension, but over on Earth's twin, Mondas, on the far side of Earth's orbit around the sun. Just because the narration says that it takes place in the time between the fall of Atlantis and the recording of History, that could just be a Terran frame of reference for us about when it was taking place on that other planet.

One other note, a rare critique: as much a fan of Robert Culp as I am, this was one of his lesser acting jobs. No matter how old he was in real life when he made this, I think he was incapable of acting old. This was almost an exaggerated shadow of how Dick Van Dyke might have played the role.......

PARENTHOOD, PARENTHOOD

The new version of 'Parenthood' that's currently struggling on NBC is one of those rare examples where a remake can remain in the same TV dimension as the original. (And neither one is affected by the presence of the original movie which is in its own universe.)

This is because the families, while sharing the same structural dynamic, have different last names; many of the characters have different first names as well.. They are not the same people. In 1989, Ed Begley, Jr. was the de facto head of the Buchman family (just like in the movie). Today, the family in the Toobworld spotlight is named Braverman. (I can't be certain of this, but I wonder if the powers that be wanted to avoid any connection made to Paul and Jamie Buchman of 'Mad About You'.) I'm not sure if the same plots have resurfaced in the new series, recycled from the 1989 version, but that wouldn't matter either. Characters from one show reliving events that happened in other shows happens all the time in Toobworld. The American version of 'The Office' followed the same plots of the British original until they finally ran out and found their own voice. It even happens within the same show - Captain Amos Burke twice had a murder case in which a magician was shot dead while in a coffin that had been at the bottom of a pool. And that crime was even committed on another series, 'Blacke's Magic'. (The reason why Captain Burke couldn't remember the first case when it happened again was because he was in the early stages of Alzheimer's.....)

So the two versions of 'Parenthood' can remain in Earth Prime-Time, in much the same way as all the variants of 'Ugly Betty' can share the same world....

BCnU!

Γειά σου νοσοκόμα (HELLOOOOO, NURSE!)

There should be an alternate TV dimension out there which is home to the televised adaptations of theatrical plays and musicals, but only those that look to be stage-bound. For instance, the 1990's version of "Bye Bye Birdie" can remain in Toobworld because it inserted itself into the "television reality". On the other hand, the adaptation of "Into The Woods" would belong in that theatrical TV dimension because it remained in the artifice of the stage.

This TV dimension would have entries dating back to the ancient plays of Greece, which were also produced on TV. One of these was Eurypides' "Medea", from 431 BC, and another would be "Antigone", one of Sophocles' most famous plays, which was completed around 442 BC.

In the timeline of this TV Theater World, those two plays are in the same order, but "Antigone" was a few more years later than "Medea". I'm basing that claim on two specific performances - "Medea" produced in 1959 on 'The Play Of The Week', and "Antigone" which was shown as part of 'Great Performances' in 1974.

Why did I choose these two productions from any others of the same plays? Because they can be linked by a single performance.

Aline McMahon, perhaps most famous nowadays as Trixie Lorraine in "Gold-Diggers of 1933", played the character of "Nurse" in both productions. So Toobworld Central is making the claim that both roles were the same woman, and that after the tragedy in the household of Jason and Medea, she sought new employment in the royal household of Creon.

Not that it was any better there......

The picture here of Aline McMahon is from "Gold-Diggers Of 1933", but 'twill serve.....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: AMBASSADOR HOUGHTON

AMBASSADOR ALANSON HOUGHTON

AS SEEN IN:
'The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries'
("Clouds Of Witness")

AS PLAYED BY:
Stuart Nichol

From Wikipedia:
Alanson Bigelow Houghton (October 10, 1863– September 15, 1941) was an American businessman, politician, and diplomat who served as a Congressman and Ambassador. He was a member of the Republican Party.

On February 24, 1925, President Calvin Coolidge appointed Houghton as the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain. Houghton assumed the post on April 6, 1925 and served until April 27, 1929. Houghton’s service in both Germany and England gave him a unique ability to address the issue of the war reparations Germany owed to its World War I opponents, England being one of them. Houghton laid some of the ground work for the Dawes Plan, named after then U.S. Vice President Charles G. Dawes, who would be Houghton’s successor as Ambassador to Great Britain.

Houghton became the American Ambassador to Great Britain 85 years ago yesterday. He was not identified by name in the Wimsey mystery......

BCnU!

BIG SCREEN CHARLIE

It's because of John Forsythe that Toobworld Central feels comfortable about bringing the movies "Charlie's Angels" and "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" into the TV Universe, like other movies before them. ("Maverick", "Batman 1966", the "Star Trek" franchise) Without his participation as the voice of Charlie Townsend over that intercom, those films would have just been remakes with no connection to Earth Prime-Time. (Like "The Addams Family" and "Sgt. Bilko")

As such, Charles Townsed could conceivably gain entry to the TV Crossover Hall of Fame on the Birthday Honors list. (Plus there's that 'Angels '89' spin-off as well as those crossover episodes with 'The Love Boat' and 'Vega$'. If Charlie was heard on those as well......?) BCnU!

ROBERT CULP IN "THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES"

It's amazing how much one can find about the characters played by Robert Culp in Toobworld over his lifetime. There's a forum page out there that declared him the King of the Movies of the Week, and presented plenty of evidence to back that up. So I may not run out of new Toobworld theories and missing links about his characters for some time yet..... These pictures are from the adaptation of "The House Of The Seven Gables" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was presented as an episode in the children's anthology series 'Shirley Temple's Storybook' and it stands at the official televersion of that early American classic in the TV Universe. The presentation starred Shirley Temple, Agnes Moorehead, Martin Landau, Jonathan Harris, John Abbott, and Robert Culp as the mysterious Mr. Holgrave. (I believe that it was originally presented in black and white and later colorized for the DVD release.) BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: GEORGE V

There's a new book out about the three cousins who basically controlled Europe in the years leading up to World War I:

GEORGE, NICHOLAS AND WILHELM
Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I
By Miranda Carter
Illustrated. 498 pages. Alfred A. Knopf. $30.

'KING GEORGE V

AS SEEN IN:
'Edward & Mrs. Simpson'

AS PLAYED BY:
Marius Goering

and....

AS SEEN IN:
"Clouds Of Witness" - a 'Lord Peter Wimsey' mystery

AS PLAYED BY:
George Cormack

From the New York Times review of that book, by Dwight Garner:

George was a dull mediocrity — he feared clever people and intellectuals, calling them “eyebrows” — who spent much of his time as an adult collecting stamps and shooting. He didn’t mix with interesting people, spoke no foreign languages and had what Ms. Carter calls a “barking temper.” He sulked if he was not allowed to win at tennis.

He remained standing far enough in the background in his "Clouds Of Witness" cameo so that we could claim that he was the same man seen in 'Edward & Mrs. Simpson'.

In the Wimsey mystery he was only identified as "The Royal Personage", but who else could he be?
Two for Tuesday!

BCnU!

TVXOHOF, APRIL, 2010: RADAR O'REILLY

Usually, the month of April is traditionally a time when we honor the Fool with the induction into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame. But that doesn't apply this year as we bring Corporal Walter Eugene "Radar" O'Reilly into the fold. Anybody who judged him to be foolish when they met him usually learned to their detriment how wrong they were. In many ways, he was the most clever member of the 4077 M*A*S*H unit in Korea.

For his qualifications you can't argue with the following tally:

181 episodes of "M*A*S*H" (with mentions in three more)

"After MASH"

- It Had to Be You (1984)

- Yours Truly, Max Klinger (1984)

W*A*L*T*E*R (1984)

From Wikipedia:
Corporal “Radar” O’Reilly is a fictional character in the M*A*S*H novels, the film, the television series, the television pilot, W*A*L*T*E*R, and two episodes of the series, After MASH. The character was portrayed by Gary Burghoff in both the film and on television — the only actor from the film to reprise his role on television, aside from G. Wood as General Hammond.

While Radar's full name is never given in the original novel or film, on the TV series it is Walter Eugene O'Reilly. The later novels by Richard Hooker and W.E.B. Griffin give his full name as J. Robespierre O'Reilly.

On television, Radar's character started off worldly and sneaky, a clerk who carried with him at all times a pocketful of passes for any potential scam that might arise. At one point, he tried to mail home a Jeep, piece by piece. (Hawkeye commented that once Radar's mailman found out, he'd have a retroactive hernia.) He was known for his tremendous appetite for heaping portions of food. He was also not averse to drinking Col. Blake's brandy and smoking his cigars when the colonel was off-duty, and he occasionally drank the moonshine liquor that Hawkeye and Capt. Trapper John McIntyre made in their still.

As the series progresses, this worldly version of Radar was apparently not wholly to the writers' liking, and Radar evolved into a naïve farm boy. Cigars and strong liquor made him ill or dizzy (despite him frequently drinking and smoking cigars previously), and despite numerous references to him losing his virginity in earlier episodes, he appeared to have regained it later in the series. His favorite beverage was Grape Nehi. In "The Novocaine Mutiny," it is revealed that Radar won $300 from Sgt. Zale in a poker game. A minor change was that he lost the ability to speak fluent Korean which should have been a blow to the camp as he was the only person who spoke it, even if in later episodes it was only a few halting sentences.

The producers originally planned to end season 7 with Radar leaving, but CBS didn't want to do that. Instead they persuaded Burghoff to come back during season 8 to do a special two-part farewell episode titled "Good-Bye, Radar".

In the episode, Radar was given a hardship discharge after his Uncle Ed died so that he could go home and help out on the farm. When the unit is in dire straits because they have no working generators, Radar decides that the 4077th needs him more than his mother does. Potter unsuccessfully tries to talk him out of staying, and Pierce becomes verbally abusive when he can't convince Radar to leave (he did everything from calling him a jackass to saying he didn't care about his mother). But it takes Corporal Klinger's swindling a generator from supply to convince him that the 4077th will survive without him. Just as a farewell party for Radar is about to start, a helicopter of wounded soldiers arrives, immediately cancelling the party. The unit has no time to waste, but they manage to say their goodbyes to Radar. Among the sendoffs, Colonel Potter wishes him a choked-up "Godspeed, son," and Charles addresses him by his given name, Walter. The only principal colleague he does not get to say goodbye to in person is Hawkeye, who was caught up in the flurry of triaged patients. As Radar looks inside the OR from the window, Hawkeye looks up at him and gives him a farewell salute (a rare military formality from Hawkeye). Radar salutes back, then boards a jeep and leaves the M*A*S*H 4077th for the last time.

As a way of saying that Radar came to Korea as a boy and went home a man, he leaves his teddy bear behind, (as Dr. Sidney Freedman predicted he would in the episode "War of Nerves"), leaving it with Hawkeye. Radar would be mentioned after his departure from the camp in three later episodes. In "Period of Adjustment" (the first episode to air after "Good-Bye, Radar"), it is revealed that Radar met B.J. Hunnicutt's wife and young daughter in San Francisco on his way back home, and that the youngster had mistaken Radar for her father (a revelation that sends Hunnicutt into a bitter depression).

In "The Foresight Saga", the camp gets a letter from Radar describing how well things are going on his Iowa farm; when his mother admits, during a subsequent phone call, that they are suffering hard times and are shorthanded, Col. Potter arranges for an abandoned Korean farm boy to be sent to the States, where Radar and his family will sponsor him as a farmhand.

In the penultimate episode of the series, "As Time Goes By", the 4077th staff includes Radar's teddy bear in a time capsule they're burying, to symbolize those who came of age during the war. Gary Burghoff reprised the Radar character in two 1984 episodes of the M*A*S*H spinoff series, AfterMASH. In the first, he responds to a letter from Klinger concerning the latter's experiences at a stateside VA hospital; in the second, two-part episode, Radar is due to be married but develops cold feet when he suspects his intended of infidelity. In the 1984 television movie W*A*L*T*E*R, which was intended as a pilot for another prospective spinoff show, Radar - having sold the family farm and sent his mother to live with an aunt - moves to St. Louis, Missouri, leaving Iowa and the "Radar" nickname behind (now just being known as Walter O'Reilly), and joins the police department. In St. Louis, his gentle manner and resourcefulness make him good at dealing with the public. W*A*L*T*E*R was never picked up as a series, however, and the movie proved to be the character's final appearance.

Welcome aboard, Radar!
BCnU!

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SPOOK

We haven't learned much about the private life of Harry Pearce, who's in charge of the 'Spooks' at 'MI-5', save that he's divorced and that he has a grown daughter from whom he's estranged.

But what if we look back along his family lineage? Who was his father?

I think it just may be pozz'ble that his biological father also worked in the British intelligence community. It could be that his father was named Villiers and he worked for Sir Charles Portland. His code name was PR-12. (That bit of information was supplied by 'The Prisoner' while in the body of the Colonel.) Just an idea....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: ARISTOPHANES

ARISTOPHANES

AS SEEN IN:
'You Are There' - "The Death Of Socrates, 399 B.C."

AS PLAYED BY:
EG Marshall

From Wikipedia:
Aristophanes (ca. 446 – ca. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a prolific and much acclaimed comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete. These, together with fragments of some of his other plays, provide the only real examples of a genre of comic drama known as Old Comedy, and they are in fact used to define the genre.

Also known as the Father of Comedy and the Prince of Ancient Comedy, Aristophanes has been said to recreate the life of ancient Athens more convincingly than any other author.

His powers of ridicule were feared and acknowledged by influential contemporaries - Plato singled out Aristophanes' play The Clouds as slander contributing to the trial and execution of Socrates although other satirical playwrights had caricatured the philosopher. It is not clear that they were instrumental in the trial and execution of Socrates, whose death probably resulted from public animosity towards the philosopher's disgraced associates (such as Alcibiades), exacerbated of course by his own intransigence during the trial.

"I'm a playwright; I'm not an executioner."
Aristophanes

BCnU!

NOT SEEN ON TV: A POTUS IMPOSTER

In that second "From Sea To Shining Sea" special from 1974, Robert Culp's character John Freeborn was trying to escape New England secessionists when he found an old man sitting in a field. Hoping that John would provide him with stimulating conversation ("I think intelligent conversation is the highest entertainment." he said), the old man invited him back to his house. And there John found out that the elderly couple who resided there were former President and First Lady John and Abigail Adams.

At least, that's the original intention of the special. But for Toobworld, this cannot be.

Burgess Meredith is one of my top ten favorite actors. And his characterization of Adams was fantastic. The only trouble was that he looked nothing like the second President of the United States - even with the episode taking place in 1814, which could have accounted for a difference in appearance.

The problem was that no special allowances were made with regard to his makeup. Meredith's naturally coarse thatch of white hair crowned his entire head, whereas the real Adams, even as a younger man, had a fast receding hairline and could be considered bald for the most part. If they didn't want to bother with make-up, they should have gone with John Houseman in the role; he would have come closer to the look as is. (This portrait of Adams by Gilbert Stuart puts me in mind of another actor, but I can't put my finger on it....)

But that would have robbed us of a spirited performance by Burgess Meredith.

Because of the character of John Freeborn, I'm reluctant to cast this into an alternate TV dimension. So I've come up with a splainin:

Burgess Meredith and Kate Wilkerson were not playing John and Abigail Adams. Oh, they were in the Adams' home, though - the letter from Thomas Jefferson which Abigail showed to John Freeborn was the real article.

I think they were actually the butler and the cook for the Adams family. But when their master and mistress were not at home, the two of them liked to pretend that they were the President and First Lady. And with the arrival of John Freeborn, they continued the charade. When John took his leave of them to make his way down to New Orleans, President Adams asked him to relay his regards to Andrew Jackson should he meet him. John did so and neither he nor Jackson ever knew that the message didn't come from the real John Adams.

The ad for "Land Of The Free" shown above is the only example I could find of Burgess Meredith as John Adams. But this picture to the left comes close to how he appeared in the special. And the hair is pretty much as was seen in the show.

BCnU!

DEEP SIX: PRODUCT UNBECOMING

This past week's episode of 'Modern Family' was a half-hour long plug for the new iPad, which came out Saturday. (I know that drove my blogging buddy Joe Bua crazy!)

Also this week, Toyota made its push to regain the public's acceptance by getting plugs for their vehicles into a couple of FOX TV shows. 'Human Target' at least did it right. No obvious dialogue about the virtues of the new Carolla; just a short scene of Christopher Chance enjoying the drive to the target area, with the music from the car's new sound system. Lots of imagery of how the car handled the back roads.

On 'Bones', however, the product placement couldn't be clunkier as Angela Montenegro talked about the Sienna.

Daisy: Why do you drive a minivan? Do you have kids that we don't know about?
Angela: I'm an artist, Daisy, and this Sienna has plenty of room. Plus I stink at parallel parking, and that back-up camera thing is like the invention of the century.

Ugh.

But it gave me an idea for a Deep Six list....

THE DEEP SIX
SIX MAJOR PRODUCT PLACEMENTS IN TV SERIES

1] 'MARTIN KANE'
Might as well go with a golden oldie first. The show ran commercial free, because the blipverts from the U.S. Tobacco Company were integrated right into the show. The cops brought fragile evidence into Happy's tobacco shop to discuss the case, rather than to the police station, just so everybody could see the many products offered by the company: Old Briar pipe tobacco, Dill's Best, Sano cigarettes, and Encore cigarettes.
2] 'FRIENDS' - "The One With The Apothecary Table"
When this aired in 2000, it seemed to signal the arrival of the product placement overdose - with whole episodes geared towards a particular product. In this case, it was the company Pottery Barn, as Phoebe was finally won over by the items available in the store. There was a lot of criticism at the time about it, but Peter Roth of Warner Bros. played down the criticism by stating that the deal struck with Pottery Barn "offset the high cost of production."
3] 'EUREKA' - "Here Come The Suns" (but the third season in total)
When Eva Thorne took command of the town of Eureka and Global Dynamics, she instituted the concept of being underwritten by outside companies. And so the devil's pact with Degree deodorant began. The anti-perspirant was seen over and over again when Sheriff Carter suffered a "Groundhog Day" crisis; Zane was experimenting with the stuff; "Degree" decals were seen all over equipment. But the worst was this episode where it was Degree that ended up saving the day!

TV Guide wasn't too happy either:
Jeer to Eureka, one of my favorite shows, for indulging in product placement. This season, the producers apparently came to an agreement with the makers of Degree deodorant to display their logo at every opportunity. Not only is it disappointing, but it is annoying, and distracting to deal with in an otherwise quality show.
4] 'THE OFFICE' - "Benihana Christmas"
Andy took Michael to Benihana, which Michael called an Asian Hooters, to help him forget his recent troubles. Dwight and Jim also came along at Michael's request, and Dwight tried to impress the chef with his knowledge of Japanese knives. It wasn't the first time Benihana showed up in a TV sitcom - 'Soap' and 'Friends' took place in the restaurant as well, although I think it was only implied that they were Benihana restaurants. (And since both of those shows took place in the general NYC area, it might be possible that it was the same one in both.)
5] 'BONES' - "The Gamer In The Grease"
This aired the night before the movie opened. Here's a description from zap2it.com: Fisher the Aggressively Melancholic Intern (FAMI for short) scores tickets to "Avatar," and invites Sweets and Hodgins. First, there's an ad for "Avatar" during the commercials. Back on the show, commence actual "Avatar" footage being shown, complete with reverent comments about the CGI, and phrases like "this is so much more than a movie." Yeah. And they basically keep talking about the amazing significance of "Avatar" throughout the episode, as they camp out in shifts to get good seats.

The in-joke was that Joel David Moore plays Colin Fisher, and he's also a supporting actor in "Avatar". By the time the line starts moving to get into the theater, Fisher stays behind in the tent he brought along to make out with some tattooed chick. It would have been interesting to see Fisher's reaction upon seeing an actor on the movie screen who looked exactly like him.
6] 'MODERN FAMILY' - "Game Changer"
Might as well conclude with the episode that sparked this Deep Six list. Phil's birthday coincided with the release of the iPad, and his wife Claire scrambled to find him one as a present after she failed to get in line in time to buy it that morning.

This is a brilliant show, but such product placement did it a disservice. The other plots proved to be funnier because they weren't so tainted with such schilling. But at least we did get one Toobworld-worthy nugget out of the episode - because Phil Dunphy's birthday was on the same day as the iPad's release, we now know that he was born on April 3rd.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: THE RISEN CHRIST

JESUS CHRIST

AS SEEN IN:
'The Book Of Daniel'

AS PLAYED BY:
Garret Dillahunt

From Wikipedia:
Set in the fictional town of Newbury in Westchester County, New York, the main character is the Reverend Daniel Webster (Aidan Quinn), an unconventional Episcopal priest who is addicted to narcotic painkillers while his wife Judith (Susanna Thompson) fights her dependence on mid-day martinis.

Struggling to be a good husband, father, and minister, Webster regularly sees and talks with a classic-looking, white-skinned, white-robed and bearded Jesus (Garret Dillahunt), who nonetheless is rather unconventional. Daniel's Jesus appears only to him and openly questions modern interpretations of church teachings, reminding Daniel of his own strengths and weaknesses.

I think the basic assumption by the audience was that Jesus was just a figment of Daniel's imagination, spurred on by the stress and addiction. But I think to automatically question the reality of His presence in Daniel's company goes against basic belief. Shouldn't he be capable of returning? He's done it before and everybody seems okay with that, because it was chronicled in the New Testament. But faith shouldn't be a static thing in which God's works no longer happen.

People have no problem it seems in accepting TV shows about God's messengers coming back to Earth to help people - 'Highway To Heaven' and 'Touched By An Angel' enjoyed healthy runs. So why couldn't He have come back Himself in the person of His Son to get involved?

And that's just not Toobworld - why not in the real world too? Lapsed Catholic I may be, But I still have my faith and I think it's possible. So I'm treating the appearance of Jesus Christ in 'The Book of Daniel' as a real televersion and not just a figment of Daniel's imagination.

Happy Easter, everyone!

BCnU.......

LOST LEMURIA?

Harlan Ellison has created a deep background for the alien race known as the Kyben, as seen in "Demon With A Glass Hand". But all we know of them is limited to just that episode of 'The Outer Limits'.

So, looking at it only from the TV point of view, without the graphic novels and short stories, I'd like to provide a little more for the Toobworld background.....

As established in "The Chase", an episode of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation', the Preservers seeded many planets with the building blocks to create humanoid races throughout the universe. They didn't all look human, but they did share the same basic structure. This would include Vulcans/Romulans, Klingons, Cardassians, Minbari, perhaps the Centaurans, and Orkans.

And to this list we can include the Kyben of Kyba.

The Kyben may have developed along an evolutionary path with primate origins, as Darwin suggested in regards to the human race. But on Kyba, that path may have originated with a different species, perhaps something similar to our own lemurs. And since we never got to see any proof otherwise, it could be the Kyben still had some vestigial remnant of their own ancestors' striped tail.

Just a suggestion, Mr. Ellison. Please don't sue me......

BCnU!