Living Doll

Description: Season 5, Episode 6

Air Date: November 1, 1963

Plot Summary: A little girl's new doll does not take kindly to the rude antics of the girl's stepfather.

Review: Not only is this one of the best episodes, I consider this to be the scariest episode in the entire series. Sure, the story is tame by today's standards, but this would have been incredibly freaky back in '63 especially if you were a kid. Actually, even today, wouldn't you be unnerved--to say the least--if a doll was telling you how she was going to kill you? I'd throw that bitch right into the fire alongside Chucky! Even though we have accounts of haunted dolls over the centuries, like "Robert" for example, is Talky Tina the first depicted in TV/movies? I am excluding dummies by the way. If anyone knows the answer, let me know.

The story focuses on, what I would consider, a dysfunctional family for the era. The little girl, Christie, is bought a doll, called Talky Tina, by her mom. It is never explained how Talky Tina is alive, but I guess that keeps things creepier. By the way, Talky Tina is voiced by the legendary voice actress, June Foray, who has an extensive history of famous roles. The mom, Annabelle, tries to hide the purchase from her husband, Erich, who is actually Christie's stepfather. Wait...Annabelle...killer doll...this can't be a coincidence. Maybe the demon allegedly haunting the Annabelle doll was a fan of the episode! Anyway, Erich, played by Telly Savalas, is such an insufferable asshole definitely deserving of his comeuppance. He's always saying something uncalled for and is in dire need of a roundhouse kick to the face. With that said, I have to blame Annabelle here since she chose to marry this bitch-boy knowing how he was. Plus, where is Christie's real father? Hmm...

The episode doesn't waste any time as Talky Tina starts making her threats early on when no one is around except Erich. She starts off with explaining how she hates Erich, but she eventually escalates into saying that she will kill him. Erich thinks this is some kind of gag with microphones or whatever. Come on, son. The thing that really gets to him is when Talky Tina calls him on the phone. Now that's a great scene! Erich tries to destroy Talky Tina, but she is somehow impervious to damage...or at least the lame shit Erich tries. Douche, just start a fire and throw her in it! If all else fails, call Sam and Dean. So after running around displaying the intolerable combo of asshole and idiot, Erich gives Talky Tina back to Christie before going to bed. Big mistake. Waking up to a weird sound, Erich seeks to find Talky Tina who has disappeared from Christie's room. When he goes down the stairs he trips on the doll and, seemingly, breaks his neck. Wow, dude, you lived as a bitch and you went out like one too! The ending is a bit of misstep as Talky Tina reveals to Annabelle that she's alive and makes another passive threat. I think, given the context of the episode, it should have been left ambiguous as to whether Talky Tina was really alive or if she was some kind of manifestation of Christie. This could work since there are minor hints about Christie seeing a psychiatrist and perhaps having psychological problems. Oh well, it's not a deal breaker.

I have always enjoyed this episode over the years as it nails that ominous and disturbing atmosphere; it has that right blend of scary and intrigue, and it works so perfectly. TZ doesn't have a lot of legitimately scary episodes, and this would have premiered right after Halloween to delight the kiddies. Talky Tina as a concept also stands the test of time and could still be relevant and frightening to today's audiences. I know this episode is often considered amongst the classics, but it should be higher up in the ranking. This is definitely a contender for my top 10 list that's for sure.