Description: Season 5, Episode 21
Air Date: February 21, 1964
Plot Summary: The bizarre tale of a love triangle and a mysterious woman in black.
Review: Okay, I think I'm starting to realize why season 5 did lead to TZ's cancellation--this episode is terrible. In theory, the ideas could have worked, but, like "Black Leather Jackets," there is no resolution to the plot. Almost immediately after the story starts rolling we are shown shenanigans of the highest caliber; a woman in black appears and chases after a girl out for a ride with her horse. This mysterious woman in black could have been quite cool if they never did a closeup on her face. Unfortunately, we realize that the woman in black is an older version of the main girl, Anne, far too early. So we know we're dealing with time travel right out the gate despite TZ acting like the audience couldn't figure this out until we are told. Maybe the TVs were grainy as fuck in '64, but it seems plain as day to me.
The dilemma at hand is that this Anne girl is torn between marrying a guy her family approves of or marrying the guy her family hates. I'll give you one guess which one she picked. Surprise, the future version of Anne regrets this decision years later as that douche her family hated has ruined their family financially among other things. Anne is such an unlikable bitch too as she blames her father for all this! Yes, it's totally his fault you're an idiot. The episode ends with the future Anne, or the woman in black, chasing after her past self again in order to change time. Well, hun, you're the one with advanced knowledge--you might want to change things up a bit. The idea of a time loop, a woman in black, and a love triangle could have worked wondrously but, instead, falls apart magnificently. I'm just really pissed that they ruined this horseman of the apocalypse-looking character too quickly. What the hell were they thinking?
I agree. They needed to wait until the end to show that the older woman was her older self. I did notice how changed they all were in their older scenes, much more bitter, Anne and her mother. In the early scenes, they both seemed more refined in their natures, since they both were spoiled by their rich Daddy, who was revealed to be passed on in the older scenes. That's what happens when the one who spoiled you your whole life passes away when you failed to respect his wishes and marry the wrong guy. He was a loser, the way he acted, in both his younger and older scenes. Also, Anne's rich father reminded me of Daddy Warbucks from "Annie" (similar named daughters too).
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