"TOYS IN BABELAND"


Do you remember those "Twilight Zone" plots where innocent parents were menanced by their childrens' toys? Well, "TOYS From HELL" or "The STEPFORD TOYS" might be a more appropriate episode title here. With their glazed eyes and plastic smiles, it's no wonder Darrin feels nervous with "those things running around!" They may not scar Tabitha's little psyche but I'm still looking under my bed at night!

Following an "impossibly endearing" opening scene the show gets off to a good start with the arrival of the Warlock Mailman (an inventive idea!) and Tabitha subsequently running amok with her newfound talent of turning all of her cute little toys into "Children of the Corn." L'il Tabitha's drunk with power! Did someone say "Drunk?!"

The booze flows fast and furious as Dick Wilson makes his fourth of 15 appearances as --surprise!-- a drunk and even Larry Tate gets downright SLOSHED, wonderfully acting like a jealous lover when he learns he wasn't invited to dinner. Dick York is priceless in the final scene ("He-llo? This-is-Dad-dy-speaking-who-is-this?") and La Liz is breathtakingly gorgeous in this with her "Queevy Quavy, English Navy" incantation a highlight. Little Erin Murphy does an adorable job (turning the Barbie doll into human form by actually raising her arms up and performing the incantation!), proving why she is by far the cutest doll of them all!

LOOK FOR: Tabitha's voice is dubbed when she says "Juice! Drink!" and sounds like a woman pretending to be a little girl.

MELODY WATCH: Melody can be seen playing a secretary. There's a great shot of both her and Liz together when Sam uses the telephone on the secretary's desk.

© Review Copyright 1997 by SCOTT VIETS

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