White Light Fever

I think I'm going to have to look into William Hickey's filmography to find out if he was always this old, and always played self-centred old curmudgeons. He was certainly good at the role, especially here and in Mouse Hunt. As good as he is, though, he's wasted here in a script that wants to have things both ways at the end.

Also wasted here is Bruce Davison as the doctor employed by Hickey's cantankerous billionaire to help him cheat death permanently by building a pacemaker-like cage for his heart, and threatening to pull all the funding AND destroy all records concerning this life-saving work.

If only they'd committed to an actual ending...

Harlan Hawkes (the always recognizable, always enjoyable late great William Hickey) is an obscenely old man who's so afraid of death that he keeps a highly trained medical team on call around the clock in order to cheat death as long as possible, to the detriment and neglect of all of the other hospital's patients. Over the course of the 44 minutes, you'll be privy to his deepest, darkest secrets. I found this episode to be very enjoyable, thanks, in no small part, to the quality of acting b y Hickey and Bruce Davidson (the doctor who's most involved in his case). All of the others involved give serviceable to kinda poor acting jobs. But those two carry this. Also it doesn't hurt that i find the theme of attempting to cheat death usually always fascinating.

My Grade: B+

Over a hundred years old billionaire covers all costs of experimental cardiological research for having doctors keeping him alive in return... forever? Cleverly using wealth and regulations, he manages to put himself in front of all, and even blackmails doctors to neglect other patients if needed. I suppose the episode aimed to condemn the selfishness and cowardice, but it did not cause this effect in me, and I think it has perfectly demonstrated the relativity of ethics and morality. William Hickey is excellent in the role of an old man who refuses to die, the effects are quite satisfactory, and the episode has a great atmosphere. After five episodes, I can say that this is the best series of this type I've seen so far.

7/10

An ornery billionaire has his own suite at a hospital where research is being done on a modified heart. The old guy is about as nasty as one can get. He has the bad ticker and is pretty much holding the hospital and its principle researcher hostage. His money is talking as loudly as he is. People who are eligible for heart transplants are overlooked so the old guy can supersede their moral rights. Now throw in the old light in the tunnel thing that has been bandied around forever and a few close trips for our patient, and we have the moral dilemma to the nth degree. But there is a force out there that seems to be attacking the old man. It is lightning-like and it travels through electric cords, computers, and even elevator cables. The researcher must make a decision to save a nineteen-year- old patient or give the donor heart to the insufferable man. He chooses the latter and then the forces get stronger in retaliation. Unfortunately, there are the usual heaven and hell clichés and it's hard to take it very seriously.