The 21-Inch Sun

Robert Townsend stars as Billy, a young guy who wants to be a screenwriter. However, he's finding it hard to break into the business. Finally, he gets a small chance--small because he has to complete a script in one evening!! He tries but fails and yet the next day, he finds a wonderful script sitting by his typewriter! Later, he discovers that his spider plant is typing it...seriously. The idea is ludicrous AND a bit of a rip-off of "Little Shop of Horrors"...without all the horrors! The bottom line is that this episode is cute...if you are 12 or younger. Otherwise, it's actually pretty embarrassing to watch a very talented guy like Townsend wasting his time with a script that comes off like a bad 60s sit-com, such as "My Mother the Car" or "Mr. Ed" when it comes to ludicrous ideas!

In one of the silliest episodes, it's hard not to root for the main character. He has a good soul and he is talented (we know this because his hilarious script is rejected by the chicken man). Unfortunately, when his break comes along, he is stifled by the demands of time. He calls the producer to tell him that he can't manage, but while on the phone, he sees a fully written, extremely funny script. He brings it in, but now he is seen as the guy who can do an entire episode in 24 hours. But where did that first script come from. It turns out that a variegated spider plant is responsible. She (we are assured it's a she and he names her Lucy) actually covers the portable typewriter, and writes scripts. They begin a kind of cottage industry. Unfortunately, he gets in with the TV crowd and leaves the plant on a window sill. She falls and is picked up by a garbage truck. That would be a sad ending, but I won't spoil it for you.