Ryan at ten years of age loved his kid brother. One day as they played ball, Ryan tossed it clumsily, so his brother in struggling to catch it, ran into the street where he was fatally struck by a car. Their mother witnessed the whole thing. Blaming Ryan, she abandoned him, and he did not hear from her until several decades later. An awkward reunion, Ryan tried to be polite but was confused by his memories. Could they forgive each other?
During 1987-90 I watched every TV episode of Friday the 13th the Series. The two cousins, Ryan and Micki, had inherited their wicked uncle's antique shop. They discovered that most sold objects were cursed by the devil and the duo had to recapture the objects as they were used for murder and mayhem.
The show had many powerful elements: mystery, adventure, moral conflicts. The horrible deeds were filmed in such a way that the focus was on the evil intent, not on the gory result. Most important was the acting of the two leads. They were young and physically healthy, and needed to remind themselves that they deserved moments of rest and relaxation. But even here, the writers handled it just right. Ryan was understandably attracted to his beautiful cousin, but she steadfastly said no. They were close friends and close cousins, and those boundaries were never to be crossed. Respectful of each other, Ryan and Micki became emotionally closer than many couples.
Fascinated by this pair, you were often on the edge of your seat in concern for any predicament they were in, notwithstanding your confidence that somehow they'd escape the dilemma. Unfortunately, as the second season neared completion, word grew that the actor portraying Ryan was leaving the series to move on to other projects. Initially, his character's fate was to be the climax of the season, but it was brilliantly decided to place this feature as the premiere of the third season. As a ratings technique, it clearly worked. You waited impatiently throughout the summer for the opening episode, fearing that Ryan would not survive this installment. The tension was overbearing. When the show aired, you were in tears the whole time.
Micki and Ryan are called to France on an urgent mission, and at the airport, Ryan says goodbye to his mother, assuring her that he will return. You sensed this was the last time they would see each other, but you were not quite correct, as demonstrated by the amazing twist ending. As this riveting story progresses, Ryan gets taken over by a demon, kills a nun, and after escaping the police momentarily regains his free will, sobbing profusely over what he has done. You the viewer sob even harder over his agony. In an incredible depiction, as Ryan is about to be turned into a child so his body can be occupied by Satan himself, Ryan relives the death of his brother and asks for forgiveness. Ultimately, the Virgin Mary removes the demon from Ryan, leaving him as a child the same age as when his brother had died.
Ryan does not remember any of his adulthood. Taken back to America, he recognizes his mother, despite looking older to him. She is stunned to find him as a child, but realizes that a miracle has occurred. She and he are reunited to make up for their missing years. Micki witnesses this reunion and we are reduced to even more tears.
The season attempted to carry on. Micki had a friend helping her collect the cursed objects. There were two problems proving fatal for the series. First, without Ryan the show stumbled along no matter how clever the scripts, since ultimately the anchor had been the unique relationship of Ryan and Micki. Second, with direct Divine intervention having deterred the devil, a weekly pursuit of cursed objects became pale by comparison. Thus the season's end was the series' end, with an especially fine final performance by the actress playing Micki. You have the advantage of hindsight, recognizing that Ryan's transformation should have been the series finale. Then ask yourself some questions: would you really want to revert to childhood, and without memories of your adulthood, would you do anything differently? At least Ryan's mother knew his adult history and she'd try furnishing him with a reconciling path towards his new future.
The Series provided so much of value that its absence is a palpable sense of loss. To reduce our sense of loss, we recall its past and practice the lessons it imparts.
During 1987-90 I watched every TV episode of Friday the 13th the Series. The two cousins, Ryan and Micki, had inherited their wicked uncle's antique shop. They discovered that most sold objects were cursed by the devil and the duo had to recapture the objects as they were used for murder and mayhem.
The show had many powerful elements: mystery, adventure, moral conflicts. The horrible deeds were filmed in such a way that the focus was on the evil intent, not on the gory result. Most important was the acting of the two leads. They were young and physically healthy, and needed to remind themselves that they deserved moments of rest and relaxation. But even here, the writers handled it just right. Ryan was understandably attracted to his beautiful cousin, but she steadfastly said no. They were close friends and close cousins, and those boundaries were never to be crossed. Respectful of each other, Ryan and Micki became emotionally closer than many couples.
Fascinated by this pair, you were often on the edge of your seat in concern for any predicament they were in, notwithstanding your confidence that somehow they'd escape the dilemma. Unfortunately, as the second season neared completion, word grew that the actor portraying Ryan was leaving the series to move on to other projects. Initially, his character's fate was to be the climax of the season, but it was brilliantly decided to place this feature as the premiere of the third season. As a ratings technique, it clearly worked. You waited impatiently throughout the summer for the opening episode, fearing that Ryan would not survive this installment. The tension was overbearing. When the show aired, you were in tears the whole time.
Micki and Ryan are called to France on an urgent mission, and at the airport, Ryan says goodbye to his mother, assuring her that he will return. You sensed this was the last time they would see each other, but you were not quite correct, as demonstrated by the amazing twist ending. As this riveting story progresses, Ryan gets taken over by a demon, kills a nun, and after escaping the police momentarily regains his free will, sobbing profusely over what he has done. You the viewer sob even harder over his agony. In an incredible depiction, as Ryan is about to be turned into a child so his body can be occupied by Satan himself, Ryan relives the death of his brother and asks for forgiveness. Ultimately, the Virgin Mary removes the demon from Ryan, leaving him as a child the same age as when his brother had died.
Ryan does not remember any of his adulthood. Taken back to America, he recognizes his mother, despite looking older to him. She is stunned to find him as a child, but realizes that a miracle has occurred. She and he are reunited to make up for their missing years. Micki witnesses this reunion and we are reduced to even more tears.
The season attempted to carry on. Micki had a friend helping her collect the cursed objects. There were two problems proving fatal for the series. First, without Ryan the show stumbled along no matter how clever the scripts, since ultimately the anchor had been the unique relationship of Ryan and Micki. Second, with direct Divine intervention having deterred the devil, a weekly pursuit of cursed objects became pale by comparison. Thus the season's end was the series' end, with an especially fine final performance by the actress playing Micki. You have the advantage of hindsight, recognizing that Ryan's transformation should have been the series finale. Then ask yourself some questions: would you really want to revert to childhood, and without memories of your adulthood, would you do anything differently? At least Ryan's mother knew his adult history and she'd try furnishing him with a reconciling path towards his new future.
The Series provided so much of value that its absence is a palpable sense of loss. To reduce our sense of loss, we recall its past and practice the lessons it imparts.