Faded playwright Arthur Brown (well played by Edward Albert) uses state-of-the-art electronic equipment to record the private conversations of other people and uses the material gleaned from said intimate conversations for his own work. Brown gets in over his head when his latest unsuspecting subject Diane Hampton (a fine and touching performance by Penelope Milford) turns out to be having an extramarital affair with compassionate lesbian photographer Carla Magnuson (a warm and appealing turn by Belinda Montgomery). When Diane's abusive and possessive cop husband John (an appropriately intense and menacing portrayal by Michael Madsen) finds out what's going on, everyone including Brown is placed in great danger. Offering a more complex and tricky story than usual thanks to Michael Janover's absorbing and challenging script, with across the board excellent acting from the entire cast, able direction by Christopher Leitch, a steady pace, slick'n'shadowy noir-style cinematography by Thomas Burstyn, startling outbursts of brutal violence (the moments with John beating Diane are genuinely upsetting), an effectively shivery and ominous score by Michel Rubini, a good deal of slowly building and nerve-wracking suspense, a smidgen of the show's trademark tasty gratuitous female nudity courtesy of the lovely Ms. Milford, several creepy voyeuristic scenes depicting Brown spying on his subjects, and a deliciously ironic climax in which Brown gets his just harsh comeuppance, this episode delivers a potent and valid point about the considerable peril to be found in eavesdropping on and even manipulating the personal lives of others for one's own selfish purposes. Fans of this often dark and grim cable anthology program should enjoy this pleasingly twisted and perverse episode.
2 Reviews
Playing people like instruments till someone comes along who doesn't like your music. Great episode.
b_kite17 April 2022
Arthur Brown (Edward Albert) is a faded playwriter who has lost his touch, apparently because of drugs as where told. He travels around the city and uses a special audio recorder too ease drop on people's conversations. He becomes intrigued by Diane Hampton (Penelope Milford) who is having a lesbian affair with artist Carla Magnuson (Belinda Montgomery) on her brutish cop husband John Hampton (A very young Michael Madsen). Arthur takes his story back to his boss who loves it, but wants an ending where John finds out about the affair. Arthur then begins to manipulate the lives of both Diane and John to get his ending which he'll learn the hard way and tragically become a part of. Another great episode with a great message of minding your own business and the horrors of manipulating people's lives. Albert and Michael Madsen who is so young here carry the episode pretty well. The twist is fitting and plays out about how you figure it would. Madsen even shows off some rear nudity as this may be our first from a male in this series so far.
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