0701  -  Magnificent Seven


Interesting Bits: The first scene with Zemus and Ida Mae is pure class. In case you didn't know 
Linda Blair was the possessed woman in The Exorcist and Bobcat Goldthwaite is well known from 
Police Academy. Katey Sagal is brilliant playing the mother from hell and, while the kids get 
little to do, what little there is is well worth seeing. We also want to know why Wags the 
Perplexed Pup never made a return appearance and why Al says "trousers" instead of "pants" in one 
scene. Is he turning European? The theme tune is played over the last thirty seconds of the episode 
as a kind of 'full circle' thing which we rather like.

Analytical Bit: Bobcat Goldthwaite (ace name) plays the same kind of character as always but fits 
in here much better than in Police Academy or Burglar. Linda Blair is - criminally - wasted. 
Katey Sagal is superb playing the maternity figure from hell but we do find Al to be curiously 
under-used somehow, apart from one or two odd moments. The tender moment at the end is a total 
surprise and nearly made us cry (joke!). Shane Sweet is actually quite good as Seven in this 
episode, perhaps because the script does not make huge demands upon his talents and hence does not 
try to bite off more than it can chew. This episode seems in many ways to be re-inventing the whole 
show; it is still is a brilliant one to show to newcomers to the show and comes highly recommended 
despite some flaws.

Rating: 7.