Uncle Simon

Description: Season 5, Episode 8

Air Date: November 15, 1963

Plot Summary: A miserable bitch longs for the day her trash-talking uncle dies.

Review: This is another of the more bizarre episodes in the series. While I understand what they were striving for, they go about presenting this tale in a most unusual fashion. We have the titular character, an old man and scientist, as he reaches the end of his life. Taking care of Simon is his niece, Barbara, who despises the old man. I'm guessing this episode will not see a lot of mainstream airings anymore considering the amount of insults Simon hurls at Barbara especially in regard to her looks, weight, and lack of femininity. I mean, we can't go offending crybabies now can we? For me, I found the insults hilarious! I'm always looking for new insults, and I would happily add "angular turnip" and "toothpick-licking conniver" to my ever-growing list...right alongside potato pancake. Hell, the old man is full of awesome comebacks. Don't feel bad for dear Barbara, however, as she's a greedy bitch simply biding her time for Simon to die in order for her to have all his money and assets. The episode clearly implies that Simon only acts the way he does since he knows Barbara doesn't really care about him and would have left if it bothered her so much.

Later on, Barbara wants to know what secret experiment Simon is working on when she finally decides to kill the old geezer. Believing herself free of Simon, she is surprised to learn that one of the stipulations of Simon's will is that she must take care of his experiment. This experiment turns out to be a robot, seemingly with AI, that is "played" by Robby the Robot from "Forbidden Planet." Simon's lawyer stops by from time to time to make sure Barbara is taking care of the robot as it slowly gains sentience. Eventually it is revealed that the robot has been programmed to take on Simon's personality and Barbara is back to taking care of him. The episode wants this to be creepier than it is displayed, but I understand the goal. While Barbara simply lived for the day Simon would die, this robot would never die, thus, Barbara is fucked. Since Barbara is also a bitch, she would rather stay and endure the torture, while having her money, than be free of the situation which says a lot about her character. It's a fitting tale, but it lacks a certain emphasis and structure necessary to convey its points.