Midnight Never Ends/Brenda

Rod Serling was fascinated by those plots where a character or group of characters seemed unable to explain their existences and motivations. They seemed to be trapped in some loop, repeating only slightly what they do. Two questions seemed to surface: how did they get here and why? A hitchhiking soldier gets a ride from a woman. They are uncomfortable with each other because when questions are asked, they see unable to supply the answers: "Where are you going? Do you live in L.A.? and so on. They find themselves in a closed diner, forcing the proprietor to give them coffee, but soon are able to predict the next event. At some point, a policeman appears. The conclusion is pretty campy and a little unsatisfying. As were most of those Twilight Zone episodes following similar courses.

In "Brenda" we have a rather unbalanced little girl. She is a pain in the side to everyone on the island where she and her family vacation. She deliberately annoys both adults and other children on the island. She seems to have little conscience and ignores the pleas of her parents as much as possible. Her facial expressions display a kind of conniving humor. Let's face it. She's seems diabolical. Her parents know that when odd things happen on the island she is probably a part of it. One day she finds a strange creature that looks like a pile of leaves and debris. It walks slowly but seems to always be a few feet behind her. She tricks him into falling into a pit where he is unable to escape. She toys with him and talks to him. He does not respond verbally, but does react to her commentary. One day she lets him out. I'm not sure where the writers wanted this to go. Decide for yourself what the the thing's place is in the psyche of this bad seed.

'Midnight Never Ends'. A Rod Serling original, directed by prolific 'Night Gallery' director Jeannot Szwarc. Robert F. Lyons ("The Todd Killings") and Susan Strasberg ("The Manitou") star as Vincent Riley, a hitchhiking Marine, and Ruth Asquith, the motorist who picks him up. They're puzzled because they don't really seem to be in control of their own destinies. They inform us that they're performing the same routine so frequently that they can easily predict each others' dialogue. Things don't change when they drive up to a diner and forcefully order coffee. Still, they and two other characters can feel themselves being manipulated as if they are puppets. Overall, the script is good stuff (it's Serling, so you expect a degree of quality), with some sharp dialogue, but when we get to the conclusion / revelation, it doesn't come as any Earth-shattering surprise. Still, this is at the least well-directed and well-acted.

'Brenda'. Scripted by Douglas Heyes, based on a story by Margaret St. Clair. Laurie Prange ("Looking for Mr. Goodbar") plays the title character, a rather devilish kid who doesn't seem to care for making friends in any conventional way. Therefore, she's a lonely soul, albeit one who doesn't take her fathers' (Glenn Corbett, "Homicidal") lectures seriously. One day, she encounters a truly bizarre creature; although roughly humanoid, it seems to be made of mud and vegetation. Fear turns into intrigue soon enough, and once she's managed to trap it in a quarry, she finds herself making a connection with the beast, which does seem to respond to her words. Billed as an "unusual love story", 'Brenda' is by turns creepy, humourous, and just plain sad. It does go fairly far on the strength of young Pranges' affecting performance. The rest of the cast is fine (Barbara Babcock ('Hill Street Blues') and Pamelyn Ferdin ("The Beguiled") co-star), but the segment rests largely on Pranges' shoulders. Some viewers may feel some dissatisfaction with the rather open ending, but overall this segment IS fairly memorable, staying with you after it's over.

Seven out of 10.

S02-E07 gives us a creepy pair of stories, but with a distinct problem: the first tale is too brief to really catch fire and the second is hurt by overlength. The opener, "Midnight Never Ends", written by series host Rod Serling, has Susan Strasberg picking up hitchhiking Marine Robert E. Lyons on a lonesome highway--a scenario both know well. Is this a case of déjà vu or is something else going on? "Midnight" is an intriguing piece that begs to be expanded upon; Serling cuts too quickly to the reveal, which director Jeannot Szwarc delivers matter-of-factly. "Brenda", written by Douglas Heyes from Margaret St. Clair's short story, has a dynamic set-up which is unfortunately tempered by too much detail. Laurie Prang is a trouble-causing youngster on an island vacation spot who befriends a boggy monster in the woods. Director Allen Reisner isn't very talented with his actors (everyone is hyped up for no particular purpose), although he delivers a boldly serious finale which, while not scary, is certainly admirable.

Midnight Never Ends 7.5 stars

Brenda 9.3 stars

My opinion of these two episodes.

Now that these are up on Hulu I'm getting to see episodes I'd missed. This one, Brenda, if from a short story I happened to read a few years ago. The story doesn't explain much more than the Night Gallery version... except that the girl just finds the creature trapped in the quarry. She's an odd girl... has no friends... and the creature probably would do her in if it got a chance. In a way Brenda is more frightening because of her strange, dreamy malevolence... whereas the creature is just a wild thing, an animal. The 80's horror film 'The Pit' seems like it might have been based on the same story... though 'The Pit' is much more gruesome... and silly.