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(More customer reviews)As previous reviewers have noted, this is a remarkable drama series from an earlier, more idealistic time. It's a pity we don't have a bit more of such earnestness & idealism today, because I'm not sure that the edgy, dark "realism" of some contemporary entertainment will age as well as this show has, for all that it's clearly rooted in its time. But what a time! TV was still open to literate, questioning, even experimental drama; and even with the network restrictions then, it pushed for truly adult entertainment. Indeed, it's quite possible that those network restrictions made the writers more creative & inventive.
Each episode is almost a small movie, with a distinctive look & vivid characters. Strict realism is often eschewed for intense characterization, sometimes a little larger than life, in order to illuminate one facet of the human soul. We get symbolic drama, absurdist farce, whimsy, elegy, regret ... all depending on the story being told.
Just to pick a few of the episodes:
"Today the Man Who Kills the Ants is Coming" shows us a decent, hardworking man, driven by gnawing demons both within & without, crumbling before our eyes. It's an early depiction of the toll exacted by life, when even doing your best isn't enough. John Larch gives a performance that's almost too painful to watch in its naked honesty.
"The Multiplicity of Herbert Konish" is more in the whimsical vein, although with a serious point. Here we have a man living several lives at once, because he sees no reason why he shouldn't try & experience life on as many levels as possible. A paean to non-conformity, Herbert Konish puzzles & bemuses the police attempting to track him down, because he isn't actually committing any crimes. He isn't in it for the money or any scams, he simply wants to sample as many possibilities as he can.
"Idylls of a Running Back" is probably one of the earliest depictions of the deluded celebrity stalker, with Sandy Dennis chilling as a young woman living in her own fantasy world. It's telling that even when the truth is revealed, the life of the innocent football star she claimed as her lover is still tainted, and it's clear that things will never be the same for him again. Aldo Ray is excellent as the man who's physically capable of overcoming any obstacle, but helpless in the face of this very different threat.
"Daughter Am I in My Father's House" is a truly fascinating, sexually twisted tale of an overprotective father, whose attempts to maintain his daughter's honor are gradually revealed as his own warped drive for control, for sexual release through violence, and an almost incestuous compulsion.
"And by the Sweat of Thy Brow" is practically a fairytale with a twist. Richard Jordan portrays a scarred young man who lives by night, almost in another world. Barbara Barrie is the somewhat too prim & self-denying young woman whose life he saves. It's rather like Beauty & the Beast, except that the story goes even deeper, revealing Barbara Barrie's own inner scars, even as Richard Jordan is eased into the daylight by a sympathetic but firm Detective Flint.
And let me comment here on the overall fine performances of the cast regulars, who serve as our guides into this complex & compelling New York. Even when they seem to take a back seat to the week's guest stars, they all have revealing lines & quirks which flesh them out fully over the course of the series' run. And the commercials are an extra treat, a real time capsule!
All in all, an exemplar of superior television, most highly recommended!
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