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December 8, 2006: Apocalypse Wow
I am so relieved. Last week, Dario Argento's Pelts provided a pivotal turning point in what I was starting to lament to be a disappointing Masters of Horror Season 2. After finding great satisfaction in maestro Argento's masterpiece, the big question for me was: Could the remaining masters keep this new momentum going, and would the second half of the season redeem the first? I had hoped so.
Well, Joe Dante's The Screwfly Solution is now my second favorite episode of this season, stepping up pretty closely in line next to Pelts. Furthermore, Pelts and Screwfly Solution have now taken their places in my Top 5 favorite episodes of both seasons combined, and Screwfly is definitely the best sci-fi/horror gene-splicing of the lot. Actually, The Screwfly Solution is a far more sophisticated and significant work than many of the feature-length science fiction films I've seen over the years.
Last season, Joe Dante had opted for politically challenging, sardonic horror with the zombie election-apocalypse, Homecoming. Along with Lucky McKee's sci-fi entry, Sick Girl and John Landis' Deer Woman, Homecoming remains one of the funniest MoH episodes to date. Since returning director John Landis kept a tongue firmly planted in cheek with this season's Family, I'd wondered if Dante would stick to humor, too.
Well, what did get a huge laugh out of me was a jab that only serious MoH fans would catch: A shot from the torture scene that got last season's Takashi Miike episode, Imprint, banned. Ha! Take that, censorship! The scene is shown on one of the televisions as Elliott Gould's and Jason Priestley's characters conduct aggression testing in the labs with various forms of... entertainment. Although it wasn't blatantly written as comedy, that moment was a great wink to the audience.
Besides a few intelligently written lines of character banter, The Screwfly Solution is serious as an apocalypse, and a very creative one, too. I've watched a lot of science fiction in my life, and I've never seen anything like this. From the type of chemical warfare that becomes a ball-busting (literally) menace to the globe, to the twist that reveals how it got unleashed, this story kept me on my toes and kept me guessing.
At first, the metaphors of the science behind the fiction seemed to address male and female stereotypes, as well as fundamentalism and puritanism. But as the story unfolds, it becomes so much more than that. If there is somebody "up there," perhaps the most effective way to conquer the world would be to use our own advances in science and chemical warfare against us while we weren't looking. Forget laser beams and fireballs — how about something as teeny-tiny as the genetics of a fly? Wow. Suddenly, I feel so small.
See, I knew that all we needed were some good stories. Finally, we're getting epic story arcs and thought-provoking messages in some really great horror and science fiction. If the rest of the season turns out to be as great as these past two episodes, we're in for a treat once MoH starts back up after the holidays. And once again, I'm optimistic and hopeful for a Masters of Horror Season 3.
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Dec 10, 2006 9:38 PM
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Hey Jeannine, great write-up and I totally agree. Pelts and The Screwfly Solution are definitely amongst my favorites now (and I don't have that many).
Actually, the more I think about it, this eppy might just be my favorite. Based on the way it started I had a feeling it was going to be good (mainly because I thought it was going to be about insects) but, then it went in a totally different direction than I anticipated. I may be biased because I am a woman, but, this was indeed horrifying.
Couple of things that bugged me, but, no biggies:
1) Why on earth did the main female character think it was okay to just walk down the street with her daughter when they were coming from the store as if everything was okay? After they had just come from the "women's shelter" mind you.
2) OMG, I wanted to smack their daughter (and the mother actually)! What was her problem? I was like screaming at the TV, "listen to your mother, she knows what she's talking about!" But, I also thought that the girl was old enough for the mother to tell her exactly what was going on, especially after they witnessed those women getting mowed down in the street.
3) At the very end, when the mother was on the move again and she realized that those two men were behind her on the road, why oh why did she get out and leave the car when she had a gun?! I would have got out, hid somewhere, shot them and then got back in the car and kept on driving. I'm sorry, but, I'm assuming that she was the last woman left at that point, put up a fight!!
When the government was discussing who would want to release a virus that would destroy mankind, I was like "aliens, duh!". So, when we got that confirmation at the end I was really pleased and the alien looked cool too.
Wow, I didn't mean for my post to be so long. I really enjoyed this one. 
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Dec 11, 2006 10:13 AM
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Hey Blueree, I'm all for as much as you'd like to write in the comments, especially with such good points that you've brought up. 
Those aliens were some of the COOLEST I've ever seen, period. They did a GREAT job with the SFX!
I'm glad you concur that they're finally starting to do a good job on MoH now. I hope that we'll have a lot to talk about in the new year as the show continues its final episodes. 
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Dec 11, 2006 11:22 AM
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I pretty much agree with every point blueree made - especially the one about ambushing the hunters - who certainly wouldn't have known she had a gun.
Of course, if she had done that, who would the alien have zapped? [Besides, if she'd done that, it might have alerted the aliens to her presence...]
Yes, things are definitely looking up for season 2, now. Prior to "Pelts" and "Screwfly Solution," the best ep was the more Twilight Zone-ish George Wendt ep, and it was merely good, not great.
I can't wait to see what they come up with next - and whether it's going to be as good as these last two eps.
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Dec 15, 2006 3:05 PM
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I'm right with you Captain Average, I can't wait to see what the rest of the season has in store for us also.
I totally agree about the eppy with George Wendt. While I did enjoy watching him in that role, it was not as good as the last two and I was disappointed with the way it ended.
But, the fact that the last two weeks have been great concerns me just a tad. Is it possible that we're actually going to get three really good episodes in a row? It has yet to happen (and that includes Season 1 for me) but we shall see tonight!
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Dec 15, 2006 4:53 PM
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I agree with you both about "Family." It was probably the "best" so far, but still, pretty mediocre.
Blueree, you've probably figured out by now that they're torturing us this week. They're making us wait two weeks for a new episode. I remember they did that last year too. That's quite naughty. Nothing from Santa for them!
I really hope that when the new episodes return, we'll continue to be knocked off our horror loving socks.
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Dec 18, 2006 12:23 AM
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Yes, I was so bummed when I got home on Friday evening and realized it wasn't coming on. 
Ditto on your last comment!
Happy Holidays!
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Dec 18, 2006 9:41 AM
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