Something's going on in Davie Logan's (Clint Kimbrough) mind, and as the show progresses, he becomes more and more aggressive to the point of belligerence. It all stems back to him seeing his father with a blonde girlfriend when he was twelve years old, which led to the old man leaving his family without saying goodbye. His mother (Amy Douglass) seems to be more understanding, and has pretty much reconciled to the fact that her ex-husband was a drunk and a cheat. For whatever reason, Davie becomes fixated with an event that will occur at 11:00 PM on this particular evening which will be something of his own choosing, as he wants to kill his old man.
This entire episode feels really awkward, and gets even more so as the eleven o'clock hour approaches. Whether he was directed in that manner, or simply went berserk on his own, Kimbrough's take on his character is driven completely over the top. Consciously or subconsciously, he must have known that a death sentence awaited his father for murder at the precisely appointed time. When it arrives, a televised report delivers the news that his father died in the electric chair, causing Davie's ballistic reaction, presumably because he couldn't carry out the sentence himself. Now I don't know if this has any bearing on the story or not, but I noticed a fair amount of religious symbolism in the program. There was a crucifix hanging in the Logan apartment outside Davie's room, and there was another quick glimpse of a picture with a young Jesus holding court with elders in The Temple. The closing scene of Davie virtually spread eagled on the bar room counter seemed to suggest his own crucifixion, in a similar manner to Paul Newman's character at the end of "Cool Hand Luke". Alfred Hitchcock was Catholic, so I wouldn't be surprised if these elements of his faith had a subliminal effect on the outcome of the story.
But besides all that, I was impressed with some of the supporting players here. Clu Gulager of "Tall Man" and "Dallas" fame portrayed the rowdy sailor who called out Davie to fight, and then segued to try and calm him down. If you were familiar with Michael J. Pollard, you might have picked up on his exceedingly brief cameo as the shoe shine boy. But the best for me was actress Norma Crane (sounds like a fictional Hitchcock character, doesn't it?). I couldn't help thinking the entire time she was on screen, that if she were alive today, her resemblance to a certain political figure would have made her a prime candidate to play the lead role in the Hilary Clinton story.
This entire episode feels really awkward, and gets even more so as the eleven o'clock hour approaches. Whether he was directed in that manner, or simply went berserk on his own, Kimbrough's take on his character is driven completely over the top. Consciously or subconsciously, he must have known that a death sentence awaited his father for murder at the precisely appointed time. When it arrives, a televised report delivers the news that his father died in the electric chair, causing Davie's ballistic reaction, presumably because he couldn't carry out the sentence himself. Now I don't know if this has any bearing on the story or not, but I noticed a fair amount of religious symbolism in the program. There was a crucifix hanging in the Logan apartment outside Davie's room, and there was another quick glimpse of a picture with a young Jesus holding court with elders in The Temple. The closing scene of Davie virtually spread eagled on the bar room counter seemed to suggest his own crucifixion, in a similar manner to Paul Newman's character at the end of "Cool Hand Luke". Alfred Hitchcock was Catholic, so I wouldn't be surprised if these elements of his faith had a subliminal effect on the outcome of the story.
But besides all that, I was impressed with some of the supporting players here. Clu Gulager of "Tall Man" and "Dallas" fame portrayed the rowdy sailor who called out Davie to fight, and then segued to try and calm him down. If you were familiar with Michael J. Pollard, you might have picked up on his exceedingly brief cameo as the shoe shine boy. But the best for me was actress Norma Crane (sounds like a fictional Hitchcock character, doesn't it?). I couldn't help thinking the entire time she was on screen, that if she were alive today, her resemblance to a certain political figure would have made her a prime candidate to play the lead role in the Hilary Clinton story.