The Secret

Sylvia and Harrison Ackroyd share an unhappy, distant marriage. The day after he forgets their marriage, she digs out a ouija board, and contacts someone from her past, someone by the name of Jeremy.

Quite different to all of the previous episodes, this one's a little unusual. The story is a clever one, the characters are unlike those I've seen on the show before.

The 1950's was a very different time, just think of the role of husband and wife, especially when portrayed on TV, wives were often seen as dutiful, as well behaved, the fact that Sylvia is expected to have lovers, it's almost quite shocking for the time, it's good.

An impressive twist at the end, I was totally blindsided and didn't see it coming, it really was unexpected.

Robert Douglas and Maria Palmer are excellent, she puts in a measured performance, never going you for.

8/10.

This one starts as a credible story of a satisfactory marriage between a successful career-man and his glamorous wife in their luxurious London flat - satisfactory but not satisfying.

It is all too obvious that his career comes first and last, leaving her feeling neglected and emotionally vacant, fondly re-living her adventures in wartime Paris. The maid, who could be an understudy for Kathleen Harrison, tells her that it's no use getting stuck in nostalgia, but she can't help overhearing her apparently talking to someone called Jeremy, and mentions this to the husband, who bugs the flat, only to hear the same baffling dialogue.

He decides to place her under surveillance - not so much out of jealousy as out of concern about a possible scandal that could affect his business. This does not turn up any secret lovers, but reveals that she can often be seen talking to herself, clearly living a separate fantasy life. So he has her sectioned... and this is where fantasy may possibly touch hands with reality, but the surprise ending cannot be revealed here.

Maria Palmer stars as a lonely married woman named Sylvia Ackroyd, who has just turned 40, and finds herself longing for her younger days in World War II, where she was paradoxically happier in those adventurous days in France. Despite the peace and security of her marriage, she is unhappy with her husband(played by Robert Douglas) who is well off but indifferent to her needs, and treats her more like his daughter he most support rather than love. When Sylvia seems to make contact with an old "spirit" named Jeremy, her husband plans to have her committed, but a most welcome rescue gives her an unexpected way out... Romantic mystery episode works well, with a nice ending.

After all, after watching such an episode, we can suppose that THE GHOST AND MRS MUIR plot could have been used in this Tv show. This one belongs to this kind of fantasy drama, rather easy to watch, agreeable, again unexpected but smoother than many of others. Destined to some specific audiences, home audiences, it remains interesting because I don't remember having seen such a plot before. It saves good surprises. Fantasy is of course the main element where romance is in second. The atmosphere and music score is, as usual, very important to fully being immerged in this eerie story. Maybe it needs to be seen several times, though.