The Others: Don't Dream It's Over (1.8)

Don't Dream It's Over is all about the accidental folding over of two time periods, dreams blurring into one another and people from two radically different worlds finding common ground and falling in love. It's the first episode that really puts Mark center stage, and it makes sense that his story is more romantic and tragic than any other so far. Mick Garris does a great job in setting up Mark and Mary Jane's romance, all the while providing that tonal undercurrent of menace, the audience keenly aware that something is a little 'off' and that rapid doom is right around the corner.

I also thought the show depicted the time period really well, not that I'm an expert or anything. But scenes set in old-timey England can sometimes lead to embarrassment, something even the greatest Buffy episodes sometimes stumbled into. But there was a believable sleaziness to the scenes in the 1800's, and while Tushka Bergen is obviously way too gorgeous and ethereal to convince as a Victorian era street ho, she doesn't exactly rank up there with Heather Graham in the miscasting stakes.

Parts of the episode also blur into the ongoing Mark/Marian/Satori triangle, but I thought that only certain elements actually worked this time around. I loved the kiss that Mark and Marian shared while Marian was taken over by Mary Jane's spirit, but Satori's initial jealousy felt a little overblown. It's natural that you'd feel a little bitter over Mark's obvious attraction to somebody else, but this is the same woman that didn't seem all that bothered by his chemistry with Marian just a couple of episodes back, and now she's angsty about a woman stalking his dreams. Then again, maybe it's a way to depict how seriously Satori takes the spirit world, in that she's more jealous of a angelic presence than of an actual living, breathing person... but I think I'm reaching here.

Even with all the misery, this is an interesting episode that tumbles down some unusual alley-ways. I loved Elmer's final explanation of what occurred, and how everything Mark and Mary Jane experienced was intentionally random and accidental. It creates something pretty profound and sweet, in spite of Mary Jane's eventual fate. I liked this one a lot. B+

Credits
Guest stars Tushka Bergen (Mary Jane Kelly); John Vickery (Jack the Ripper); Aubrey Morris (Jimmy); John Aylward (Albert McGonagle)
Writer Mick Garris Director Mick Garris