Jess-Belle

Description: Season 4, Episode 7

Air Date: February 14, 1963

Plot Summary: A woman makes a pact with a witch in order to win the love of a man about to be married to another woman.

Review: I guess this was supposed to be TZ's equivalent of a Valentine's Day episode, but it's far too similar to "The Chaser;" they simply swapped the genders. It's supposed to be the 1800s or whatever, and the titular character, Jess-Belle, is completely smitten with some fool named Billy-boy. Jess-Belle is played by Anne Francis, who we last saw in "The After Hours" (minus her blonde hair), but she still has the chocolate chip on her lip. Anyway, Billy-boy is about to marry a little flower named Elly, and, needless to say, Jess-Belle is jealous and angry. This episode subtly implies a lot of banging went on between the characters so I'll give them credit in that regard. Jess-Belle decides she will try and get a love potion from a local witch who happily obliges as long as her price is met; unbeknownst to Jess-Belle, that price would be her soul.

Without fail, Billy-boy can't help but be madly in love with Jess-Belle after he becomes bewitched. For some reason, Elly realizes this truth but doesn't act out; I guess it wouldn't be lady-like or something. Jess-Belle's happiness is short-lived, however, since she feels an emptiness due to her soul being taken as well as transforming into a leopard (or whatever) at midnight each night. Since season 4 episodes must be dragged out, we get a lot of Jess-Belle mulling over the situation at hand before she is killed by the townspeople in her wildcat form. Instead of dying normally, Jess-Belle's spirit takes new forms since she has been turned into a witch too. As the spell-broken Billy-boy reunites and marries Elly, the two are tormented by Jess-Belle. After paying money to the first witch, Billy-boy learns he must stab an effigy of Jess-Belle with silver in order to permanently kill her. With Jess-Belle possessing Elly's body, Billy-boy does manage to kill Jess-Belle's spirit for good as he and Elly seemingly live happily ever after. This isn't necessarily a bad episode, but it felt all too familiar. It's worth noting that there were interesting ideas and a whimsical feel to everything. I just wish they had a cool twist or revelation to leave an impression on the viewer. I'd simply rate this among the average episodes--okay ideas but nothing special.