#Gema Zamprogna | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fridaythe13ththeseries · 2 years

Text

The Playhouse

Episode Recap #38: The Playhouse Original Airdate: January 28, 1989

Starring:

John D. LeMay as Ryan Dallion Louise Robey as Micki Foster Chris Wiggins as Jack Marshak

Guest cast:

Robert Oliveri as Mike Carlson Lisa Jakub as Janine Carlson Belinda Metz as Sylvia Carlson Wayne Best as Brad Farrell Denise McLeod as Crystal Winchell (as Denise McCleod) Illya Woloshyn as Danny Green Gail Kerbel as Mrs. Green (as Gayle Kerbel) Richard Sali as Lt. Reitano Alex Carter as Police Officer Brian Furlong as Rookie Cop Gema Zamprogna as Girl #1 Christina Trivett as Girl #2

Written by Tom McLoughlin

Directed by Tom McLoughlin

Open on a random house with a mom inside verbally abusing, then physically abusing, her children. She tells them to get out of her sight, and then we see the boy and girl, Mike an Janine, walking hand in hand together. They find a boy playing in a sandbox and approach. They tell the boy they are heading to their amazing playhouse and offer to let him see it. He goes after his mom asks what's going on. Mike looks enviously at this boy's doting mother.

At the big Victorian playhouse in their yard, the kid asks about their dad, Janine says he's dead, Mike says he just left them. Mike leads the boy into the playhouse, Janine is more reluctant, but eventually they both enter. The kids sit inside and wait, the boy wondering what they do here. Janine says the house will give you anything you want. White light appears and the boy can't get free and panics. Soon they all vanish. The boy's mom is searching the neighborhood for him.

At night at Curious Goods, Micki is watching to the news and hears about another missing child. Seems he is the fifth missing child lately. Ryan and Jack come in and also watch. Mike and Janine are interviewed and say they gave the kid money to get snacks but he never returned. Jack is frustrated that the news would exploit kids. Micki is upset, Ryan hopes the cops are on it. They talk about plans for tomorrow. Seems Micki is on the trail of a cursed top hat. Jack is headed to a museum to look into an Indian sacrificial knife, and Ryan is looking into a playhouse. Jack hopes they can at least get one item tomorrow, and they head off to have supper.

At the kids' house, Mike is making dinner for them both via the microwave. They break a glass and their mom yells at them. Mike takes responsibility, snaps at his mother. Janine asks when she's coming home, she says she isn't. She basically hates them both. Mike tosses the meals in the sink and tells Janine the playhouse will feed them. They head off to it.

Next day, Micki returns have successfully retrieved the top hat. Jack hasn't made much progress with the knife. Ryan talks with someone about the playhouse and gets an address. The trio heads out.

Mike and Janine find that playhouse won't let them in unless they find another kid for it. Janine wants to stop, but Mike wants to give it what it wants. He says it is all they have. Janine reluctantly goes along.

The Curious Goods group arrives, Micki recognizes the area from the news. Ryan wonders if the playhouse is connected to the missing kids. Jack gets upset thinking about the idea.

Mike and Janine are trying to convince two girls to join them, and get them to follow. The playhouse doors open on their own and all four kids enter. Inside is a repeat of anxiety and white light. This time we see where the kids go to, a huge room inside the playhouse filled with toys and decorated like Rod Serling meets Salvador Dali. Mike is dressed as Dracula, Janine as a princess. They tell the girls they can have anything they want here. One wants a pony, the other a Barbie playset. The pony and toys magically appear. Janine wants to play, but the house has other ideas. Mike asks the girls if they want to stay here forever, to which they agree. He then starts saying he hates them, and begs Janine to join, saying its them or us. She joins in, the house changes, toys vanishing and eventually the girls are pulled into the walls. Mike and Janine are left together, sad. But Mike changes to Peter Pan, Janine to Wendy and they fly off.

Ryan goes to the apartment of the dude he called about the playhouse. Guy says it isn't here, he gave it to an old girlfriend. The guy offers to lead them to it if they give him $5000. Ryan balks, but the guy isn't taking no. Ryan tells the others, Jack says maybe they can do it without paying him. He sends Ryan and Micki to talk to the parents of the missing kids, he'll keep an eye on this dude.

At night, Mike and Janine's mother is making food for her boyfriend when the kids come in. She wants to know where they were, cause she checked the playhouse twice. She says they could get kidnapped as well, Mike says she wouldn't care. She gave their dinner to her boyfriend and slaps Mike when he gets mad. She gets a call asking about the playhouse and tells the guy he can come and get it whenever, knowing this will really hurt Mike. The kids head back inside the cursed item.

Micki and Ryan visit the mother of the missing boy. They tell her they are just concerned citizens and ask about a playhouse. She has no idea, but tells them where Mike and Janine live. They leave and the suspicious lady calls someone.

In the playhouse, Mike and Janine try and brainstorm how to keep the playhouse. They wonder if the item itself will help them.

Micki and Ryan go into the backyard and spot the playhouse. As the kids' mother comes outside, they quickly go in the playhouse to hide. Ryan is amazed at how big it is. They try taking it apart from the inside. Mike and Janine spy them. The house traps Micki and Ryan and transports them to the play space. Mike says they can have some fun with them.

Jack is watching the dude borrow a pick up truck to transport the house, but the guy spots Jack and tells him he won't following, then slugs Jack and takes off.

Ryan and Micki wake up and are tied up. Mike is there, saying they can't leave and reveals the room is made up for a party with people (?) dressed as clowns and in costumes. Circus music is playing. Janine brings out a huge cake with a demon inside. Then things turn horror-movie dark. Ryan and Micki struggle, but then the noise of a hammer stops them. Brad is there trying to take the playhouse apart. Mike tries to lead Brad inside, but he pushes him away. Mike and Janine then both attack the guy who fights with them.

The missing boy's mom is talking with a cop when they hear the fighting and the cop pulls his gun on Brad. Mike and Janine play innocent, more cops arrive an arrest Brad.

Jack is talking to the cops about his assault when they hear about Brad's arrest. Jack overhears a lot of their conversation. They all head off.

At the house, Jack approaches the seemingly innocent playhouse. He enters it and shuts the doors. In the play room deep inside, Ryan and Micki are tied to a pole and the kids are dressed as druids. They try to convince them of the house's true intentions, but the kids don't want to believe them. The missing children's' faces appear behind the walls. Janine senses Jack inside the house and warns Mike. They go to deal with him. Jack is then transported.

Mike, using power given by the house, threatens Jack for answers. Jack tells him they are just antique dealers, but Mike knows better. Mike says no one but the playhouse cares for them. Mike tells Janine the house needs to be fed. Their mom is making excuses to the cops and says her kids are fine, just in the playhouse. Cops said they already looked, but she insists. Mike unties Micki and Ryan and then begins saying he hates them, getting Janine to join in. The house is not taking them because they aren't kids, and Mike and Janine lose their fantastical costumes.

Their mom is still arguing with the cops as they approach the playhouse. The cops are calling her out on her neglect. They find Jack's discarded coat.

Mike asks what the house wants and the wall opens up. It wants Janine. Mike says no. Jack goads Mike, using his love of his sister to try and sway the boy to do the right thing. Mike does, saying he loves Janine. This causes the house to get really upset. Jack says the kids need to tell the house they care and love the kids. Janine goes first, then gets her brother to join her. The cursed house doesn't like this and eventually the missing kids all start appearing.

Outside, their mom is threatening to sue the cops when Mike and Janine come out of the playhouse. She yells at them, but then Jack appears, and then all of the missing children join him. Jack tells the cop he has some happy calls to make tonight, as Micki and Ryan join the group.

At Curious Goods, the group is worn out from police questioning. Jack doesn't think the cops believe they were involved. But they will have to wait awhile to get the playhouse from police evidence. Micki says it is fortunate none of the missing kids remember what happened. Jack says he is going to make sure Mike and Janine make it to good foster homes. He then says a child's imagination is a powerful thing, but mix in an unloved child to that, and the results can be truly terrifying.

My thoughts:

Wow. What an episode. So much of the normal episode tropes are turned on their head here.

First, our "villains'" are just a couple of abused and neglected kids. The playhouse plays on their sadness and fear to make them do what it wants, but their age and situation keeps them from becoming true villians. They are just more victims of life and the curse.

Second, the victims are all children. The house feeds on them and gives Mike and Janine hits of happiness in return. True, the kids are never killed, just absorbed and then freed, alive, at the end. This might be because multiple child deaths are a dark story, but also might be because the late 80s television wasn't ready for such a morose end.

Third, the sheer size of this cursed antique. It is huge! Jack mentions at the end that the cops will be taking it apart and putting it back together for awhile trying to figure it out before they can get it and add it to the vault. I guess this line is there to help explain how they will get it into the vault. Since the curse items can't be destroyed, taking it apart is the only way they can make that happen. Makes you wonder what they would have done had Lewis cursed a car or even a house!

The end, with Jack and then Micki and Ryan appearing from the playhouse with ALL the missing children… I don't know how Jack was able to explain all that away. It helps I guess that the cops already had Brad and suspected him of being the kidnapper, but wow. What a scene that would have been.

And Brad and the kids' mom are portrayed as quite horrible people, and I guess our trio lets the cops run with that theory? They are bad people, so I guess their idea of justice is letting them take the fall for what they helped lead Janine and Mike into? Iffy territory.

All in all, and interesting episode that doesn't follow the tried and true formula.

Next week: Eye of Death

#friday the 13th: the series #80s tv #micki foster #ryan dallion #louise robey #john d. lemay #jack marshak #robey #chris wiggins #curious goods #the playhouse #season two #episode recap

0 notes