Ripper

The central character played by Cary Elwes is a doctor who has lost his way in Victorian England. He hangs around a brothel, drinking absinthe, and wasting his time. Apparently, he has been blamed for the death of a girl, the daughter of a rich and powerful duke. He wants to marry a rich young woman but is so conflicted and so depressed, he can't move. This is the time when Jack the Ripper has made his presence known, and the doctor is thrust into the middle of this mystery when he comes to realize that it is an alien entity that is actually entering the bodies of young girls. He becomes the whipping boy for this entity and sets out to regain his standing by putting an end the reign of terror. He, himself. has "killed" because he has attacked the women infested with the entity. The thing talks to him like a latter day Regan from "The Exorcist." It is a slick episode that works quite well and keeps us in suspense.

I am a great fan of this whole series, David warner shows some marvelous acting skills as the detective trying to capture Jack the Ripper in London, 1888. Suffice it to say, all is not as it seems and the Ripper may not be a normal person.

The story is well written, even if the plot is a little cheesy, but cheesy plots are half the fun of The Outer Limits. Sadly the episode is somewhat tainted by terrible accents. While, most of the main characters are played by British actors, most of the bit parts are played by Americans sounding like chimney sweeps who would make Bart Simpson's English accent seem convincing.

An altogether enjoyable episode, otherwise. But I feel I must also point out some quite obvious anachronisms, such as electric street lights, UV lamps on a camera and modern make-up