THE SECRETS OF ISIS:
THE COMPLETE SERIES (1975-76)
Directed by Various
BCI DVD
THE FILM
Turns out those secrets are pretty loopy.
It's the mid-70s and high school (I think) teacher Andrea Thomas finds an amulet on an archeological dig that gives her the powers of Isis! And, a snappy costume with cool boots that imply Isis didn't have to chase auto thieves much back in the day. Throughout the 22 episodes of this half-hour series (matched up with Shazam!), she thwarts the occasional criminal but, mainly, teaches random people at the school a lesson. And, I sit and watch the show all the way through...and then I plan on doing it again...and I clearly enjoy it very much. I know why but I'm not 100% sure in what way.
I'd thought this was going to be a regular Hero-type TV show...The first episode is about folks seeing UFOs (a few episodes later there is one called "Bigfoot"). I anxiously waited for Isis to encounter aliens of some sort. But, in the end, it's a hoax. I was surprised that the main thing Isis does in the episode is cause the bad guy's car to break down so he will get caught. I'd been kind of hoping that something bigger would have occurred. Some sort of adversary or problem worthy of Isis's powers.
The big thing never quite happens, throughout the entire series. Andrea stands around being a little vaguely sketched out but charming. Then, she becomes Isis and turns rather patronizing but, with all her power, it's understandable. She has two great friends: Rick Mason, man with a mustache and a boat, and Cindy Lee, a student who seems like she might be the main character focus for a time but that vanishes after a few episodes and then...then I saw the layout of the program.
(Quick Note: In Season 2, Cindy is gone. She is replaced by Rennie. Rennie seems game for the whole thing but, at that point, I expected no character development and got none.)
Isis is an anthology program. The majority of the episodes begin with people we've never seen before getting sketched in very quickly. We spot their problem. They get in trouble. Isis saves them. We never see those characters again. It's nice to have the regular characters grounding us but sometimes they seem kind of superfluous. After a time, the show becomes a weird mix of Saturday Morning Hero show combined with grade school educational film, all wrapped up in the look of a 70s Sunn Classics documentary.
And, yes, the look and feel can carry you but the true magic is in the details: Do I prefer Isis's hair in Season 1 or 2? (I go for 2.) Why is the Class Clown in "The Class Clown" episode in his 30s? What exactly are Isis's powers? At first, they are animal-related and element-related. By the second season, she can stop time and roll it back. She does that in "The Hitchhikers". Two minutes earlier, she made a large vehicle intangible so a car could go through it. By the end of the series, her powers go really mental. And, it's awesome...I would have loved if there had been a Mr. T/ Isis Hour.
As the show progresses, some of the plotting becomes so gloriously perfunctory, plotting by throwing bricks through your story to get to the next plot point, that I sit with a big, big smile on my face. It culminates in the final three episodes:
"Year of The Dragon". Possibly my favorite. I won't ruin it but, if you've watched the whole series from beginning to end, at least one very large confused question will strike your mind...and when a girl falls down a well, you can close your eyes and wish for either Isis or Lassie to save her.
"Now You See It…"/"…And Now You Don't". The concluding two-parter is a backdoor pilot for a show called The SuperSlueths! And, it features Captain Marvel! And when Isis calls Captain Marvel, he's in the desert whacking a stick against the ground. In a show where almost every episode involves new people that we never see again, I love the fact that the last two episodes do that but...this time...it's a potential pilot. (Doing this is not unknown but this is one of the stranger examples. My least favorite instance of this might be what Jay Sommers did to the last two episodes of Green Acres.)
I am very happy that I found a brand-new copy of this DVD set a few months ago at Eddie Brandt's. This show is so, so...it's odd. I enjoy it.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
It still looks exactly like a mid-70s Afterschool Special. Perfect.
EXTRAS
The DVD set is loaded. A commentary, tons of interviews, a pile of rare footage (including the Morals), galleries and an episode of The Freedom Force!!! I miss these BCI sets.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I still don't quite know how I'm watching this show. Some of it is appreciation at what they accomplished. Some is amazement at the strange, strange writing in many of these episodes. Some of it is the joy of the look of the whole thing. So, I tried to think whether or not I would have watched this as a kid. I do remember this show but...Apart from Starcade, I always stopped my Saturday morning viewing when the live-action stuff began. As a kid, those shows bored me, especially after the insanity of the cartoons. I wanted to love them but I got restless easily when watching. So, as a kid, no...I wouldn't have watched this. As a man, yeah, I can't stop watching it. And, I don't know why.
Hey, I could have written a full article on Isis but I decided to make it a review. Trust me, you may get occasionally bored, but this show is something special.
So much calm craziness brings great joy.
— Dan Budnik, 06.02.11 |
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