They Came from Somewhere Else: Episode 2
Next in my series of posts about the 1984 sitcom They Came from Somewhere Else. If you are confused by this sentence and are wondering where the previous post in this series has gone, don't worry. I am continuing from my post about the first episode, which I see was in July 2017, so is even on a different blog and you can read both posts about this series on my previous blog here: https://culttvblog.blogspot.com/search/label/They%20Came%20From%20Somewhere%20Else?m=1 If I continue at this current dizzying pace I will blog about the final of the show's six episodes in 2057, and I will be 84. Of course the reason I've picked up the thread where I left it off is that I recently looked up the show online and found this really good blog post about it, but I'm not going to tell you who I discovered wrote it, because it would be conceited of me.
Just to recap if you don't know it: They Came from Somewhere Else was a sitcom which in the manner of the time came out of the alternative comedy circuit. It was therefore developed by the Cliffhanger Theatre Company, and was made by the doomed station TVS. This is the station which has come up now and then on the blog because it was a prolific, excellent producer of imaginative television, but since its assets have been repeatedly sold there is a legal mess about who owns things and so none of their output it likely to be released commercially. To look at it positively, nobody is going to come after you for uploading VHS records of their shows online, which is the only way to view their shows. It's a pity, because I honestly think They Came from Somewhere Else, which not such a classic, is easily comparable to The Young Ones, and probably exceeds The Comic Strip in quality.
It's about the new town of Middleford, and a series of strange events taking place there, which parody, well, pretty much every horror film ever made (I just regret that I probably don't know enough horror films to be able to identify which ones are being parodied). This post will, however, be more descriptive than I normally am because that just seems to suit the show.
In the first episode we have been introduced to the cast and attended a party and an Anti-American Action Group meeting (run by character Martin who works in a local lab). The party is interrupted by strange pieces of flesh appearing all over the town and the visiting police officers having to leave to investigate. Heroine Wendy dumps her boyfriend Colin after the party and he storms out. The doorbell rings and an American stranger is there whose car had broken down and Wendy lets him in to call a garage. Wendy falls head over heels in love on the spot. He has two hours to wait (although in fact the garage was never going to arrive because, suspiciously, he made the call with his finger on the thingy) so Wendy invites him to stay and wait. WHen Wendy goes to make a cup of tea he takes off his coat and reveals that he is absolutely covered in blood. He screams. Wendy asks him how many sugars he wants and he replies, 'Whatever's normal.'
In episode 2 the strange events start really ramping up. The strange American manages to find somewhere to hide his clothes and spends the night at Wendy's: she is head over heels. The scene cuts to Martin's flat, where Wendy's ex Colin turns up but Martin has to leave to go to the lab because the strange pieces of meat all over the town have turned out to be an exploding butcher. Martin suspects that the strange events in the town are related to a colourful briefcase in his flat.
The stranger also admits to Wendy that he has lost his memory completely, has no idea who he is, and just remembers roaming the streets of Middleford, convinced there was something wrong with the town, before he realised that there are no children in Middleford. He has found Wendy's name and address in his coat and came there because of it. He was hoping that Wendy would recognise him and tell him who he is. She has to tell him that she's never seen him before. The stranger tells Wendy that the situation reminds him of a book he once wrote and she points out that he's getting his memory back.
The next morning Colin feeds Martin's gold fish, which bites him.
The next strange event is that an old man is sucked into a drain through a grating in the pavement. Wendy is called to this and locks up his wife.
Next we see Martin examining samples from the butcher's apron under the microscope and looking puzzled before conferring with a book on radiation. He then gets a saw to cut open the briefcase.
Colin's friend tells him that we are being invaded by monsters from outer space, and a man approaches Wendy in the street to tell her that 'they're coming' before he staggers away.
The mysterious stranger leaves Wendy's house, leaving a note. She finds his bloody clothing hidden under the sofa.
The episode culminates with the stranger coming back to Wendy's flat to say that it has been impossible for him to leave the town, as one of the many strange things about Middleford.
All of this is told with a wry gallows humour, such as the police sergeant telling Martin all the various places the body is found, when he asks where the exploded butcher is. My only sorrow with this post is that I am not in a position to recognise all the horror films that are referenced; perhaps readers may know.
I don't have any real criticisms of this show: I just think you will either like it or you won't. It is deliberately made in a rather amateurish way, so that's a possible criticism, but even if you don't like science fiction you can still enjoy it I think.
They Came from Somewhere Else is one of my favourite shows and if you want to know who it ends without waiting for me to finish this series of posts in 2057, you can find out what is actually happening on the show's Wikipedia page. And if you want to watch the show it is on both YouTube and the Internet Archive, both copies look like they've come from the same home recording. There is no hope that this show will ever have a commercial release so enjoy it as it is. This has been a more descriptive post because I have found it very difficult to blog about, like with so many funny shows and this format seems to work.
I love this show so much and definitely think you should watch it, even if you don't like science fiction!
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