BROADCAST: 1 September 1976
STARRING: John Sanderson, Julia Lewis, Murray Brown
WRITER: Ewart Alexander
DIRECTOR: Neville Green
Shadows: The Eye Review
George (Lewis) is entranced by a wall of pictures she has in her bedroom, of historical figures. She also has an attachment to an imitation Grecian urn placed at the bottom of the stairs.
Both obsessions baffle George’s brother, Steve (Sanderson) who tries to pull her out of her trance-like state long enough to help him clean the place up before their father gets home. “I’ll be down,” she says and when Steve asks when, she simply states, cryptically, “when the time comes…”
It’s an enigmatic opening to a puzzling episode of Shadows, for The Eye is difficult to pin down, veering between the kind of strangeness one would encounter in one of Doctor Who’s more eerie outings of the period and pure absurdism.
The Eye was the second Shadows episode to be penned by Ewart Alexander and (like his series one contribution After School) it’s a very insular piece with a small cast, focusing on two child protagonists and the interplay between them carries the bulk of the episode, as unexplained noises and apparitions manifest themselves while the urn turns itself to reveal a painting of Stratus, another of George’s obsessions from mythology who was said to have stared too long at the sun and was left to wander the earth without sight for eternity.
Further compounding George’s odd behaviour is her penchant for smashing crockery and using the pieces to create oblique pieces of art, working through the night. All the while, George and Steve seem to be under the watchful gaze of a strange presence – a scarred figure clad in motorcycle leathers and helmet…
The Eye is certainly intriguing and has plenty going for it, but the story isn’t quite developed enough to really hit the mark and this is one case where a bit more running time might have helped. Still, whilst not a series classic it is certainly a bold attempt to throw something different in the mix.
Whatever its flaws along the way, the second run of Shadows should at least be applauded for its eclecticism and The Eye brought it to a respectably creepy finale after the misfire of previous episode Peronik. The show would take a break the following year but would return for a final batch of episodes – I’ll see you there next time, in 1978.
TRIVIA POINTS: Julia Lewis would star in the BBC’s Katy (1976) and Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm (1978) but, following a series of roles through the 1980’s subsequently disappeared from screens.
John Sanderson’s screen career was even shorter lived, with no recorded credits after 1977. As ever, any info on what became of The Eye’s two young stars is welcome.
Tell us your thoughts about Shadows: The Eye in the comments section!
Read more about Shadows TV series here.
Read David Saunderson’s original review: Shadows: The Eye TV REVIEW.
