The Others
"Souls On Board"

Miles books a disastrous flight... no gremlins, though.

Airdate: February 26, 2000

When the words "supernatural" and "plane" fuse together, one thing comes to my mind. And no, I'm not talking about executive producers Morgan and Wong's upcoming film, Final Destination (which you should see anyway, regardless). I'm talking about Bill Shatner, baby!

The classic Twilight Zone episode, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" has been lauded for almost 40 years because of Shatner's beautiful (over) acting and Richard Matheson's intense, but fun script. Its legacy shall continue, because I assure you that this episode of The Others ain't gonna take its place. Not that it was ever trying to do that in the first place (though Warren does make a reference to it), or that it doesn't have its own memorable moments. In fact, the strengths of this Others outing comes from the other end of the spectrum with things like mood, style, and subtle scares.

When the Others need to fly to Sedona, Arizona for a psychic conference, Miles purposely books them on the same flight path previously occupied by an aircraft that recently crashed, in hopes of having his own little supernatural experience. He doesn't even tell this to his colleagues until they are all buckled in, because he doesn't want their pre-knowledge "to influence their reactors." Before they know it, the plane starts rattling in exactly the same ways that the crashed one did. Poor Marian starts channeling dead Spartan Air employees. Elmer starts drinking. And Warren... well, Warren behaves as he normally would... like a schizophrenic on a lot of drugs. (I'm waiting with bated breath for an episode where Warren isn't just used for comic relief.) Add to the mix the tough-as-nails pilot, Ken 'Boo' Radley (played by bad-ass military guru, Dale Dye) and a horrible, bitchy flight attendant who wears her hair like a school marm, and you've got yourself the worst flight you'll have ever taken in your life.

Guest director, Tobe Hooper (Poltergeist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre) is no stranger to scaring audiences, and Souls On Board has many highlights, especially in its bizarre little hints that something is not quite right. Like when the plane makes its ascent into the air, and a food cart slides up the aisle. Like in the sound quality of Marian's voice when she says, "Yes, I'm okay" in the bathroom stall, then later in her seat (when she is anything but okay). Kudos also go to music composer Shirley Walker for not smashing a cymbal at the moment when Marian wipes condensation from the bathroom mirror. These are fantastic, beautifully shot scenes where subtlety is key.

Marian ends up channeling the dead flight crew instead of eating complimentary peanuts.

I'm definitely picking up on a distinct visual style being attached to Marian's little 'episodes', as shown in this episode every time the camera swoops down the passenger aisles. I had previously described it as "TV car-commercial-style" in a previous review. I say that because you see the technique everywhere now, just for the sake of eye-candy. In the case of The Others, at least it's used for a purpose and with consistency.

The plot starts off with a lot of promise, when the distressing activities they witness are believed to be linked to parts salvaged from other plane wrecks, then recycled onto their jetliner. Is it just me, or is that not the scariest thing you've ever heard? Makes me think twice about boarding a plane, and just as disturbing as any ghost playing patty-cakes on my window. But for some reason, writer Daniel Arkin decides to toss out this disturbing theory for another that is much more mundane, and the method of uncovering it, absolutely preposterous.

His reasoning for this? I can think of a couple. One is so that the Others could have one more big "team work" scene together. The chemistry between the actors is actually starting to shine through -- this isn't the problem. It's just that the premise around their actions just doesn't call for it. They literally all unbuckle from their seats and hover in the aisle to have a group seance/pow-wow around Marian while she channels dead pilot, Steve Garcia. Let's not forget that all the while, this plane is supposedly taking a nose-dive into the ground! Seeing these people lounging around and standing in the aisles undermines their danger. I don't care how loud and desperate Miles' pleas are to that wretched flight attendant -- I was never left in suspense for a second thinking that plane was ever going to crash. As soon as my suspension of disbelief is broken, it's hard to invest my emotions into the story.

The primary weak link however, lies in centering the plot around the very neurotic, excitable Miles. John Billingsley is a bit over-the-top in his performance. Perhaps that was his intent, since he is supposed to be a pain in the ass to his friends, the flight attendant and other passengers on board. But quite frankly, he's equally aggravating to the television audience watching him. The pay-off for this suffering is just way more convoluted than it has to be. If a dead pilot can take over Marian's body to scribble flight instructions onto paper towels, then why the hell would he use, of all things, "Joe" (as the slang for coffee, no less) as an obscure clue for the professor to decipher? The only reason I can come up with is so Miles can be the hero, and solve the mystery. Gimme a break. Might as well be a gremlin dancing on the wing trying to sabotage the engines from outside. Man, where's William Shatner when you need him?

-- Julie Ng

The Others airs at 10pm EST/9pm MNT, Saturdays on NBC.

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