Safe & Sane Halloween: Tabitha conjures up a goblin, gremlin, and a Jack o'lantern spook from a Halloween book to play with and accompany her trick-or-treating. However, Kravitz's nephew is wearing the same costume as jack, so he gets confused when switched, terrifying Kravitz upon levitating and head floating around the room! Cousin Itt {Felix Silla} plays the goblin!
Out of Synch Out of Mind: One of Aunt Clara's fail spells knocks Sam's voice out of synch requiring a call to Dr. Bombay. She also temporarily gets green stripes until Clara remembers the original incantation.
A Warlock is trying to figure out what Sam sees in the muggle, so he covertly attends one of his office meetings, and decides to help dunkin out by transforming himself into a strange looking dog they describe to impress a client {shorthair in front, long in back, with a long goatee, one eye black, the other white!}, he plays a bit with a disrespectful Kravitz, transforming himself into a giant canine at first, then back to make her panic and think she's going out of her little mind; but in the end, he becomes instrumental in landing the deal with this dogfood company tycoon.
Blow Me A Kiss On The Wind! Lasciviously luscious Serena visits The Stevens and catches up with a boy group to sing her groovy tune! They actually perform for a Witch club! But then they are made to forget and return to their touring.
Tabitha turns the toy salesman into his 9 year old self! Dr. Bombay makes a poignant observation that the reason he doesn't transform back is because she desires a playmate!
Sam takes to sculpting, and sculpts a head of Darvin, then Endora zaps one up of Larry, then proceeds to make the heads talk to eachother in the presence of a drunken client.
Endora cast a spell on derwood that he utter nothing but cliche's, and duffle's mother comes for a visit and acquires a maid for the house! Then another spell is cast that Dobbin be excessively polite to nauseating degrees, but which seems to have charmed a lady client, all of whom have to charmed away back to regular commiseration.
Sam contracts voracious ravenousitis from a spell placed on Tabitha's milk to get her to eat her meals, requiring a call to Dr. Bombay whose been entertaining a buxom blonde nurse for his own "sexual practice", as it were. I'd get on that too! The treatment carries a sideffect of narcolepsy. They come up with the idea to remove Bombay's cure so the potion may work, and all is well in Hell! Esmerelda is also pursued by an alchemist for a cure.
Continuing the artistic theme, an art dealer becomes obsessed with Derwood's painting via Magical intervention, which again speaks to the idea of merit verses cheating, and may furthermore insulting that such methods would have to be resorted to rather than actual accomplishment.
There's a mirror episode in The Addams Family entitled Morticia the Painter, but in which she is allowed to evolve according to her effort and talents, even though Gomez ends up funding much of the interest, but only because her art proves to be much too strange for the common plebeians, and even the limited sensibilities of the purported artistic experts!
After mentioning misgivings in his lack of memory, Endora puts a spell on Dobbin's watch that he become a know-it-all by improving his memory 1000%, making him an insufferable boor, where he demonstrates his newfound comprehension to annoying levels to another know-it-all client. Sam eventually figures out what's going on, and Endora takes the spell off, but only after the watch temporarily switches hands, teaching a lesson to that other boor in the process.
Sam makes some pretty good points here while countering the fundamentalists' accusatory, hypocritical, and guilt-ridden mentality. No mention of American Indian genocide or the Satanic Panic 'witchtryals' perpetrated by the Pilgrims, Quakers, Puritans, Amish, and others, which perhaps may have proven too heavy a subject for the series; as the overall media has routinely displayed crude caricatures of pseudo-Witches and American Natives which may provide some Halloween fun, so long as the actual history is recognized.
But Darren a "Witch"?* This is what happens when given a semblance of Power; he really makes a mess of things, what with mortals' petty & imbalanced dualistic psyches seemingly unable to perceive The Third Side, grows pretentious.
_____________
* Amusingly, there is an episode wherein Endora turns Darren into a crone {To Trick-Or-Treat Or Not To Trick-Or-Treat [S6/E7]}.
All this talk of Paris reminded Me of this BEWITCHED episode, featuring the fantabulous Maurice. An obstinate Dobin is zapped up onto the Eiffel Tower for the amusement of the Warlocks & Witches.
...And her French Pastry is delectable. Another French-themed episode wherein Napoleon is summoned, who perhaps should be again, along with the 'spirit' of Vlad Tepes, for diabolic justice. The always jovially pranky Warlock Uncle Arthur pays a visit, but is typically treated rudely by Derwood, resulting in amusement when mortals are left to their own devices.
Really, no self-respecting Witch or Warlock would take muggles seriously for anything other than servitude and/or entertainment for whatever personally gratifying purpose. For any serious contemplation, to each their own kind.
Of note, features the acting talents of Henry Gibson as Napoleon, whom Knerds will recognize as Donald Crane from Voodoo Knight [S4/E22], as well as Nazi Nikolas from Wonder Woman {premiere episode "The New Original Wonder Woman" [S1/E1]}, & Villain Marion Mariposa {WW "Screaming Javelins" [S2/E14]}.
Interestingly, the plot actually holds some validity. I never understood why a Witch or Warlock would actually marry a 'mortal' - that's not what they're for!* Distilled in a hypothetical sense, I have long held the opinion that a Witch or Warlock should only marry another Witch or Warlock, if at all. 'Mortals', or shall we say. the 'herd' are there for pure selfish gratification, no more. Otherwise, frustration and disappointment ensue. I have seen this on a couple of occasions, even with those who 'pretend' they are a Witch or Warlock to be with an 'actual' Witch or Warlock. The true Witch or Warlock would see this as amusing, and have fun with it, whether for selfish acquisition and/or sexual indulgence.
As to the plot, Serena should have remained with the Warlock there, both counting their lucky stars they found each other, as it were, where the possibility of utilizing 'mortals' for mutual pleasure may occur. Plus, Serena is quite the stunning looker! My personal all-time favorite character in this series is Samantha's father, Maurice.
__________________
* Especially if 'disallowed' from naturally using Magic by a mortal like Dolphin does with Samantha - still, it makes for an entertaining, if not irrelevant story line.
[Back to SPECHTREUM]
Never Put a Jeannie on a Budget: When Mjr. Nelson complains about the expenses as Jeanie familiarizes herself with finances, she decides to do everything on the cheap, which makes a bad impression on a visiting Russian general. But after being thrown a russian party of his life, all is excused.
Imagine a Gothic, Satanic Jeannie! With a bit of Lily, Morticia, & Elvira mixed in! Also learned she's from Babylon!
A splendid episode about a medium who divines for Nelson and Major Hardon with a crystal ball and invites them to a seance. The environment here really reminds me of Iggy's walls, with ornately framed paintings and photos so as to be uncanny. Unfortunately, turns out she's a fraud. There's certainly something to be said about fleecing the rubes, but there is also certainly such a thing as a serious Occult practitioner pursuing the mysteries of nature and accessing the Powers of Darkness. These would be among The Black Arts & Sciences of Satan, traditions which are assuredly legitimate and real. In The Realm of Magic & The Occult, I have accessed these abilities by serious study & practice, mastering techniques and achieving desirable results, which are writ in The Black Book of Shadows and related in Tales From The Shadowside. I even wrote a book of rituals & ceremonies in DRACOMEROTH from My own experimentations and successful rites of Darkness.
So genie plays with the fake medium using her real Magic, which goes to exemplify that if some of these posers actually at some point in time actually make contact, they become usually spooked and quit, or acknowledge the connection and work from there. In otherwords, touched by Hellfire! Where they're either burned and consumed - touched by Hellfire! This is what separates the occultnik and the real thing. A faker, insecure clinger, or a mere "dabbler", and a true Magician, Warlock, Sorcerer! Stratification takes precedence!
An inventor enterprises Jeannie's rocket that was originally the product if a scientist working for NASA! This also beings the attention of the inventor's son.
Major Nelson mentions that he wishes he were as good an artist as Rembrandt, so Jeannie zaps a genuine Rembrandt painting as his, causing problems with art dealers who are confounded about it, and end up accusing Nelson of stealing a painting, with the very same one in the Louvre being a fake! To correct her mistake, Jeannie has to pose as a world-famous French art expert in order to get him off the hook! To the usual consternation of Bellows, of course! Overall, this was an episode about merit, and who should be able to grow upon one's own innate talents and skills, instead of essentially cheating oneself and others of one's unique evolution!
Jeannie & Major Nelson have an argument in which she leaves to be with her Uncle "Suleiman" {played by Uncle Fester actor Jackie Coogan!; there's also 2 points of separation in the odd trivia that the large guard "Habib" appears to be none other than Lurch / Ted Cassidy!}
Jeannie helps Nelson cheat on a poolgame, after being challenged by a general, but what's more important are all the amazing positions she gets in while quite literally under the table! They are plausible! She dresses from her usual sexy little outfit into a formfitting velvet number with plunging neckline and bellsleeves!
