Sunday, January 15, 2012

Adventures of Brisco County Jr. 25 - Bad Luck Betty

Plot: It's Socrates' birthday, and the celebration's being held at the Horseshoe Club. Whip Morgan (having returned quite quickly from Arizona, where he said he was going at the end of the previous episode) has even finagled Soc a giant cake. With a girl inside, naturally. The lights go off, and when they come back on, the cake is there, and so is the girl, but Soc is not.

The trail leads to Midnightville (Population: Strange). Unfortunately, Sheriff Hyde's in a full body cast, which means the only help from local law enforcement the guys can expect is Deputy Betty O'Donnell (Annabella Price). "Bad Luck" Betty, as she's known. With the hotel burned down, the guys seek lodging in a funeral parlor-turned- boarding house run by a Diana Grayson (Jane Sibbett). Diana is young and pretty (which means Whip's head get turned), but she's also a bit strange herself, setting a place at the table for her deceased father, discussing his theories on people returning from the dead. And wouldn't you know it? That's just what seems to have happened. Donald Grayson, dead for 10 years, is back and taking revenge on those he feels executed him unjustly, including Socrates.

Does Brisco use his gun? He fired repeatedly at the ghostly hearse, and he shot through some hangin' ropes.

Stuff Comet does: Know when to take cover.

Kiss Count: 0 (22 overall)

Is Pete Hutter in this episode? No.

Pete Hutter Quote: N/A

Non-Pete Quote: Betty - 'Oh, it was an accident.'

Coming Things: Hot showers, battery-powered horseless carriages, girls jumping out of cakes!

Other: I wrote in my notes, 'Does everyone on this show have 2 dead parents?' Diana, Bowler, Brisco, Whip's mother and the man who was like a father to him are dead, though his biological father isn't. No idea about Soc's parents, though.

The episode is pretty clearly doing a Psycho homage, between the ominous boarding house set on the hill, the truth about the killer, and they even do a gag based on the shower scene. And it is a pretty grim episode, with at least two murders, and several other close calls for Brisco, Bowler, Whip, Soc, a Mrs. Van Allen, and so on. But when you incorporate Betty into the mix, plus the general humorous tone of the series, it feels like a Scooby-Doo episode.

'I'd have gotten away with it, too, if not for those meddling bounty hunters and their horse!'

Next week, we start the two-part season (and series) finale.

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