The Others: Theta (1.10)

It's become clearer over the course of the season that Marian Kitt isn't the most interesting character around. Ten episodes in, and she's still very much depicted as a catalyst for spooky mysteries, and she hasn't yet had the opportunity to drive the action of her own accord. Of course, this is a problem that could have been fixed if the show had ran for longer than it did, but the fact that they were never given that opportunity is another lingering disappointment.

There's also the annoying inconsistency over Marian's allegiances with the Others. Some weeks she's fully wrapped up in the group, then other times she is written as distant and even a little dismissive of some of the kookier characters in the ensemble. I had initially pegged all of this as a problem caused by NBC's erratic scheduling of the episodes in 2000, but even watching them in the correct order provokes problems with her as a person. It's a little frustrating, since she's the only character on the show that still feels a little vacant at this point.

Nevertheless, Theta is an absorbing ghost story. Don't get me wrong, absolutely everything here is derivative, but it all sort of works in spite of that. I've always enjoyed the archetypal sorority house as a horror movie location, and Fred Golan's script amusingly plays around with the genre traditions. There are the sisterly feuds, the divisive allegiances formed when something scary occurs, the lonely outsider sister. There's also an enjoyable 1980's sensibility to the episode, fueled by the chilly scenery, subtlety in the 'boo!' moments and the sorority stereotypes on offer.

At the heart of the story is Jeanette Brox's wounded loner Jenny, who is tormented in her bedroom by a terrifying presence that creates tension and fighting between the girl and her fellow sorority sisters. The script cribs from all the best sorority horror movies (The House on Sorority Row, Black Christmas), as well as throwing in some neat throwbacks to Barbara Hershey's 'assaulted by a phantom' schlock classic The Entity. Of course, with all the clichés, it's not exactly surprising when Jenny turns out to be a victim of repressed sexual abuse, with a reliably menacing father haunting her psyche.

But, generally, Theta remains mostly successful. There are some gorgeous visual touches that are distinctly The Others (like the smoke appearing through the keyhole, and a shivering Jenny hovering over her bed), while Jeanette Brox gives her role a lot of actorly conviction, never caving to the temptation of Lifetime movie hysterics during some of Jenny's shriekier moments. I should also give the episode credit for resisting love triangle angst, especially with Marian, Mark and Satori working together for so much of the hour. B+

Credits
Guest stars Jeanette Brox (Jenny Purdy); Jill Bennett (Lisa); Gabrielle Union (Lindsay); Jude Ciccolela (Lewis Purdy)
Writer Fred Golan Director Tom McLoughlin