#559834
Nuclear Family
Original Air Date: May 15, 1991
Written by: Paul Brown
Directed by: James Whitmore, Jr.
Leap date: October 26, 1962
This time: Sam leaps into a fallout shelter during an air raid. They are given the all clear as Sam realizes he has leaped into Eddie Ellory, staying with his brother Mac and family. Eddie sells underground shelters and has one in the family yard for demonstration purposes as well as utilitarian. Eddie has Sam try and sell one to Burt, their neighbor, but the sales pitch (primarily Sam reading the brochure) does not result in a sale.
Al arrives and says that Burt will shortly be shot by Mac with a gun from their shelter. Being in the southern panhandle, the family is aware of how near danger they are as the Cuban Missile Crisis begins. Sam tries to talk to Mac about how things will settle but Mac remembers problems during the dust bowl that traumatized their father.
Sam gives a pitch to Mrs. Klingman, the children’s piano teacher, but she eventually is convinced that she should not buy a shelter, her being on limited income and being a holocaust survivor. Mac is furious with Sam frightening customers and his kids. One more slip up and Sam is gone.
A hysteric Burt approaches Sam for a purchase. The lack of food at the store plus long lines of traffic are discouraging, and he hands Sam a check. Mac finds out that Sam is being disruptive and sends Sam away. The two argue just as Kennedy addresses the nation. The power goes out, the air raid sirens sound, and the family is out to the shelter.
The family is safe, but Burt tries to make his way in. Mac grabs a shotgun and gives a warning shot. Mac’s son leaves out the back exit to protect the family and in all the confusion, sees Burt as an enemy. Mac did not shoot Burt; his son did, and Mac took the fault! Sam deescalates the situation and Burt survives.
The missiles are dismantled, and things calm down. Burt (and five others) cancel their orders but Sam gets them to go into the pool business, resulting in a successful family industry. Sam leaps …
… into being prepared for electroshock therapy. An orderly, Butch, is doing it as retribution for getting hit. Nurse Chatham is concerned about the situation in general and about the voltage in particular, especially since it should only be administered by a doctor, but Butch pulls the switch regardless just as a lightning bolt hits the area.
Stop talking to yourself: You would think that someone who made a time machine powered by a nuclear accelerator would not mind being around an atomic bomb. You would be wrong.
Only Sam can see and hear: Al knows firsthand the issue with the Cuban Missile Crisis having flown near that area when things were escalating.
Mirror images that were not his own: While taking off his gear, Sam sees Eddie in the mirror.
Brush with history: Sam very effectively tells Mac’s son, Stevie, about time travel as a coping mechanism. Stevie is not good at explaining it to his younger sister, Kimberly.
It’s a science project: With a weeks supply of food, two bedrooms, a radio and Geiger counter, this fallout shelter is pretty well stocked. There is even fallout gear for the family pet! If you want to splurge on a fallout shelter (or panic room as the modern-day equivalent) this might be the way to go.
Let’s up the rating: A protective suit is held up to Burt which is declared stylish.
One more time: “This whole Cuba thing could be a scare. What if it’s over in a few days?” “What if it’s not!”
Burt and Mac arguing about the uncertain times.
The Rainbow Treknection: Timothy Carhart is charismatic as all heck in this episode. He was pretty opposite in Redemption Part II as Christopher Hobson.
Trivial Matters: On leap in, young Kimberly Ellroy calls for Sam. She is referring to the family dog, but it is a nice bit of foreshadowing for next week.
Speaking of the family dog, Sam is amazing. Apparently, she can climb a ladder as seen when the family leaves the underground shelter.
Character actor Kurt Fuller guest stars as Burt. He has made a career out of playing quirky guys though he does dial it back a bit here.
Burt’s last name? Rosencratz.
There are some excellent uses of stock footage in this. The first is Mister Ed with Wilbur being happy he is the only person Ed talks to and Woody Woodpecker with a foreign guy welcoming someone to his house. These are fantastic metaphors for the series in general and time in particular.
The Deluxe Model costs $3,000. The Super Saver V.I.P. Discount is $2,400 of which Sam pockets one hundred and twenty.
Put right what once went wrong: “They just lobbed a bomb at New York City! It’s World War Three!” It is not often that I get to be insulting to this show. Reviews take a certain amount of reverence and respect and even a bad episode of an excellent series is better than the best episode of a mediocre one. I would not be reviewing this show if I were not a fan, but I have a profound disagreement with the stance Sam takes.
Yes, there were no nuclear missiles that landed on American soil post World War II, or at any point, but there was a danger, especially with Pearl Harbor and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Sam, who is the audience surrogate, is shocked that the lengths families would go to, but these were reasonable precautions at the time. ‘Duck and cover’ was a thing even though a picnic blanket would not protect you at ground zero but they would at least provide hope. Hope was something in short supply and even if there was no attack, the danger was real, and people were allowed to be fearful. Al gives a logical retort, but Sam is beside himself, insisting on the ridiculousness of the community.
This an absolute shame because if you get rid of that, this is a fantastic episode. We think that M ac shoots Burt in all the chaos of the night, but it is Stevie. Paul Brown’s script gives Sam time to bond with the kids, Stevie in particular. Sam goes out of his way to put him at ease about everything. They have a conversation about looking back and realizing that there was no reason to be scared. This is juxtaposed with Stevie having his cap guns constantly at the ready, even when he is about to go to bed. Him picking up the rifle at the climax fits perfectly with his character because we saw him talking about beating the enemies and fighting to defend his family. Robert Hy Gorman carried a lot of narrative weight and is a joy to watch.
The acting is great all around. Fuller is controlled when he needs to be and manic when that is called for, but we saw both sides of the argument and had a good picture painted of both the family and the situation. Everyone is scared, even Mac. ‘Tell don’t show’ is a dangerous game in television, but this show can get away with it and they sold it here. Whitmore has solid direction even in the confined spaces of the shelter. The climatic sequence in the end is strong but so is the scene where Sam tries to sell to Mrs. Klingman. We see the numbers on her arm and Vernon Ray Bunch brings in the string instruments to give you the atmosphere.
There is a lot of good stuff in this hour but a lot to detract from it as well.
Original Air Date: May 15, 1991
Written by: Paul Brown
Directed by: James Whitmore, Jr.
Leap date: October 26, 1962
This time: Sam leaps into a fallout shelter during an air raid. They are given the all clear as Sam realizes he has leaped into Eddie Ellory, staying with his brother Mac and family. Eddie sells underground shelters and has one in the family yard for demonstration purposes as well as utilitarian. Eddie has Sam try and sell one to Burt, their neighbor, but the sales pitch (primarily Sam reading the brochure) does not result in a sale.
Al arrives and says that Burt will shortly be shot by Mac with a gun from their shelter. Being in the southern panhandle, the family is aware of how near danger they are as the Cuban Missile Crisis begins. Sam tries to talk to Mac about how things will settle but Mac remembers problems during the dust bowl that traumatized their father.
Sam gives a pitch to Mrs. Klingman, the children’s piano teacher, but she eventually is convinced that she should not buy a shelter, her being on limited income and being a holocaust survivor. Mac is furious with Sam frightening customers and his kids. One more slip up and Sam is gone.
A hysteric Burt approaches Sam for a purchase. The lack of food at the store plus long lines of traffic are discouraging, and he hands Sam a check. Mac finds out that Sam is being disruptive and sends Sam away. The two argue just as Kennedy addresses the nation. The power goes out, the air raid sirens sound, and the family is out to the shelter.
The family is safe, but Burt tries to make his way in. Mac grabs a shotgun and gives a warning shot. Mac’s son leaves out the back exit to protect the family and in all the confusion, sees Burt as an enemy. Mac did not shoot Burt; his son did, and Mac took the fault! Sam deescalates the situation and Burt survives.
The missiles are dismantled, and things calm down. Burt (and five others) cancel their orders but Sam gets them to go into the pool business, resulting in a successful family industry. Sam leaps …
… into being prepared for electroshock therapy. An orderly, Butch, is doing it as retribution for getting hit. Nurse Chatham is concerned about the situation in general and about the voltage in particular, especially since it should only be administered by a doctor, but Butch pulls the switch regardless just as a lightning bolt hits the area.
Stop talking to yourself: You would think that someone who made a time machine powered by a nuclear accelerator would not mind being around an atomic bomb. You would be wrong.
Only Sam can see and hear: Al knows firsthand the issue with the Cuban Missile Crisis having flown near that area when things were escalating.
Mirror images that were not his own: While taking off his gear, Sam sees Eddie in the mirror.
Brush with history: Sam very effectively tells Mac’s son, Stevie, about time travel as a coping mechanism. Stevie is not good at explaining it to his younger sister, Kimberly.
It’s a science project: With a weeks supply of food, two bedrooms, a radio and Geiger counter, this fallout shelter is pretty well stocked. There is even fallout gear for the family pet! If you want to splurge on a fallout shelter (or panic room as the modern-day equivalent) this might be the way to go.
Let’s up the rating: A protective suit is held up to Burt which is declared stylish.
One more time: “This whole Cuba thing could be a scare. What if it’s over in a few days?” “What if it’s not!”
Burt and Mac arguing about the uncertain times.
The Rainbow Treknection: Timothy Carhart is charismatic as all heck in this episode. He was pretty opposite in Redemption Part II as Christopher Hobson.
Trivial Matters: On leap in, young Kimberly Ellroy calls for Sam. She is referring to the family dog, but it is a nice bit of foreshadowing for next week.
Speaking of the family dog, Sam is amazing. Apparently, she can climb a ladder as seen when the family leaves the underground shelter.
Character actor Kurt Fuller guest stars as Burt. He has made a career out of playing quirky guys though he does dial it back a bit here.
Burt’s last name? Rosencratz.
There are some excellent uses of stock footage in this. The first is Mister Ed with Wilbur being happy he is the only person Ed talks to and Woody Woodpecker with a foreign guy welcoming someone to his house. These are fantastic metaphors for the series in general and time in particular.
The Deluxe Model costs $3,000. The Super Saver V.I.P. Discount is $2,400 of which Sam pockets one hundred and twenty.
Put right what once went wrong: “They just lobbed a bomb at New York City! It’s World War Three!” It is not often that I get to be insulting to this show. Reviews take a certain amount of reverence and respect and even a bad episode of an excellent series is better than the best episode of a mediocre one. I would not be reviewing this show if I were not a fan, but I have a profound disagreement with the stance Sam takes.
Yes, there were no nuclear missiles that landed on American soil post World War II, or at any point, but there was a danger, especially with Pearl Harbor and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Sam, who is the audience surrogate, is shocked that the lengths families would go to, but these were reasonable precautions at the time. ‘Duck and cover’ was a thing even though a picnic blanket would not protect you at ground zero but they would at least provide hope. Hope was something in short supply and even if there was no attack, the danger was real, and people were allowed to be fearful. Al gives a logical retort, but Sam is beside himself, insisting on the ridiculousness of the community.
This an absolute shame because if you get rid of that, this is a fantastic episode. We think that M ac shoots Burt in all the chaos of the night, but it is Stevie. Paul Brown’s script gives Sam time to bond with the kids, Stevie in particular. Sam goes out of his way to put him at ease about everything. They have a conversation about looking back and realizing that there was no reason to be scared. This is juxtaposed with Stevie having his cap guns constantly at the ready, even when he is about to go to bed. Him picking up the rifle at the climax fits perfectly with his character because we saw him talking about beating the enemies and fighting to defend his family. Robert Hy Gorman carried a lot of narrative weight and is a joy to watch.
The acting is great all around. Fuller is controlled when he needs to be and manic when that is called for, but we saw both sides of the argument and had a good picture painted of both the family and the situation. Everyone is scared, even Mac. ‘Tell don’t show’ is a dangerous game in television, but this show can get away with it and they sold it here. Whitmore has solid direction even in the confined spaces of the shelter. The climatic sequence in the end is strong but so is the scene where Sam tries to sell to Mrs. Klingman. We see the numbers on her arm and Vernon Ray Bunch brings in the string instruments to give you the atmosphere.
There is a lot of good stuff in this hour but a lot to detract from it as well.
New places for old(er) keywords: Continuing Mission
Cardassians and Federation posturing it out: Showdown: Four Lights
Cardassians and Federation posturing it out: Showdown: Four Lights