Guillotine

France, around 1790: by nature Monsieur de Paris (Michael Constantine) is a kind, warm-hearted, albeit a very lonely man, who cares for nothing more than his flower garden. At the same time he's a very diligent man, who takes his job serious. And there is plenty of work for the executioner of Paris in these days. Which brings us to Pierre LaRouche (Frank M. Benard), a handsome but ruthless young criminal, convicted for the murder of several women, who not-so-eagerly awaits his final meeting with the Monsieur. His girlfriend Babette (Patti D'Arbanville) remains loyal to the scoundrel, finds out the exact date of execution and hatches a cunning plan: a loophole in the French justice-system would have it that if the executioner dies before the convict, the convict's live will be spared. Disguised as a maiden selling flowers, Babette cons her way into the house of the lonely henchman and manages to poison his morning porridge. From now on it's only a question of time, whether Monsieur will still be in time (and shape) to complete his job, or whether Pierre might yet miss his appointment with Le Monsieur and the "grand equalizer" (as the French have lovingly nicknamed the guillotine)….

From the few "Dark Room"-episodes, this is the most opulent one, taking place in a historic setting. Obviously, due to financial restraints, don't expect a period epos of the grand scale, but the episode conveys the time and place rather nicely. As (almost) always, the story is simple and rather predictable, but once again the show has found actors that are more than capable, primarily Michael Constantine (younger viewers might remember him from the "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"-movies) and Patti D'Arbanville, known for her work in Andy Warhol's "Flesh" (still under aged but with the permission of her mother) and in more recent days playing Lorraine Calluzzo in "The Sopranos". It's not the strongest of the episodes, as said, mainly to the predictable ending (that comes without any gore, however), but can still convince with actors, timing and period-setting. 7/10

After Paul LaRouche (Bernard) is sentenced to death by guillotine, he learns that, if the executioner dies before the appointed date and time of the execution and there is no time to replace him before that date and time, the condemned man will be pardoned. To that end, LaRouche enlists his lover Babette (d'Arbanville) to ensure that Monsieur de Paris (Constantine) never carries out his duty.

Cornell Woolrich was one of those writers whose material naturally suited shows like "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "Thriller," and this story was previously done on "Thriller" with Robert Middleton and Alejandro Rey. Fields' script does the story real justice, fleshing out the de Paris and Babette characters which, in turn, lends more gravity to the story, and making the twist ending more satisfying. The script is also well served by fine work from d'Arbanville and Bernard (who fortunately doesn't try to make his character sympathetic), and a wonderfully nuanced turn from Constantine, contrasting the grisliness of his livelihood with the sadness and emptiness of much of his life. Rosenthal's direction is also strong, building the tension effectively for the most part (though he does drag out the finale just a tad), up to Woolrich's twist ending.

All in all, a strong addition to this (sadly) short-lived series.