Cavender Is Coming

This light-hearted TZ episode is not only an early career part for Carol Burnett, but it is funny and (as always with Serling's Twilight Zone) contains a great moral. People who hated this episode must be some of the greatest self-loathers on the planet.

I know you can't please everyone, nor should you try. That said, I'm surprised by the depth of loathing by some reviews of this episode. I grew up on twilight zone. The Carroll Burnett show was a staple in our weekly fair as well.

Back when this show aired, Carroll was a young, budding comedian. All these shows were competing for the same audiences in a small market compared to today. There were only 3 channels available. Likewise, the actors and writers all knew each other and often worked in the same complex of buildings. In context of the era, this show makes complete sense to me. It was a breath of fresh air to see the Zone not take itself so seriously, and as a result, strengthened my appreciation for the show. Puzzlement aside, this is a brilliant episode from this time period in television history. As said in other reviews, this episode is a tip of the hat to "It's a wonderful life", and is a cleaver tribute to it at that.

I suppose your attitude toward certain episodes depends on how much of a purist you are, how much humor you have towards yourself, and how old you are. I don't know anyone my age who dislikes this episode with the venom I see here.

As far as likes and dislikes. I am under the impression those buttons are a poll as to how helpful a review is to me personally. If I find a critical review that I feel is way off the mark, I tend to mark it unhelpful. For my purposes, a review that misses the point IS unhelpful to me. If a criticism of a show is warranted, then it is helpful to me and i mark it as such. Getting bent out of shape over how your review polls may have a lot to do with why you may find this particular episode so distasteful. (wicked grin)

In New York, the clumsy Agnes Grep is a simple and nice woman that loves her neighbors, but is not capable to hold an employment. The unskillful guardian angel Harmon Cavender has not earned his wings yet, and his master gives him a last chance provided he helps Agnes. But the solution Cavender to the case makes Agnes Crep unhappy, until he learns that money is not the synonym to happiness.

"Cavender Is Coming" is a silly episode of "The Twilight Zone". The jokes do not work and the episode is unfunny. The conclusion is also brainless. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Um Anjo Atrapalhado" ("An Unskillful Angel")

This is my favourite episode. Miss Grep is adorable as the clumsy, unemployed woman who is sent an angel to improve her lot.

This is quite different from the "usual" (for want of a better word) TZ, I love The Twilight Zone but as different as this is I love it. The main character is hilarious and likeable. This episode is more funny than out-there but is definitely my favourite.

Not sure why the previous viewer didn't like this, but I found it both funny and charming, and well performed by both Carol Burnette and Jesse White. If you were expecting a creepy or scary TZ episode, this would definitely stick in your craw, but as a comedy from a writer normally not associated with the genre, it seems quite skillful.

Jesse White, forever associated with the Maytag Repairman role, is a kind of angel who's not quite certain how to be angelic. He's read the books but never walked the walk, and his attempts to redeem Carol Burnette's life don't quite make her as happy as he thinks she ought to be. Burnette is consistently excellent in this episode.

A good atypical episode from this series, from the same direction (the worth of conscience) but employing different means. Watch it and judge for yourself.