ORBzine - Night Stalker (2005) TV Review
Season 1
Night Stalker (2005) [Season 1, Episode 1]
Pilot
Shown 29 Sep 05
This is the remake of the 1970s show that inspired X-Files . As such it's a redundant show, filmed with a much higher budget - in other words, a lot more expensive. Small wonder it got cancelled half-way through the Season.
Perri Reed [ Gabrielle Union ], LA's top crime reporter, turns up at a crime scene. Unfortunately her new partner has arrived unannounced - Kolchak, a pushy type who claims to have secret sources and inside info.
Gabby discovers that Kolchak has a mysterious past. He used to be a top reporter in Las Vegas, but he is being harrassed by an FBI Man in Black. Worse, he's obsessed with a series of mysterious deaths, and wven has his own Wall of Weird.
Night Stalker (2005) [Season 1, Episode 2]
The Five People You Meet in Hell
Shown 6 Oct 05
A man murders his wife for no apparent reason.
Kolchak suspects that a cult leader [Tony Curran - League of Extraordinary Gentlemen ] is using psychic powers to get revenge on the people who sent him to jail.
Perri is on the hit-list ...
Night Stalker (2005) [Season 1, Episode 3]
Three
Shown 13 Oct 05
People are killed when their worst fears come to life.
Kolchak suspects that a College Frat somehow summoned an evil spirit.
Perri plays the role of Scully to Kolchak's Mulder. Surprisingly, the editor and the photographer are the ones who solve the mystery!
Night Stalker (2005) [Season 1, Episode 4]
Burning Man
Shown 20 Oct 05
Someone is causing people to spontaneously combust. The main suspect is the Terror-Maker, a Unabomber type who sent wax voodoo dolls to his victims. Unfortunately, the FBI killed their main suspect a year ago, and closed the case!
The paper's top reporter follows the FBI's official line. Kolchak and the retired FBI investigator try to catch the killer themselves.
Strangely, the killer's identity is disturbingly obvious. And the final twist is a coverup of sorts, but exceedingly tame for this kind of show.
Night Stalker (2005) [Season 1, Episode 5]
Malum
Shown 27 Oct 05
District Attourney Tony Todd [ Candyman ] interviews Kolchak about a case.
Anyone who gets between a creepy middle-aged man and his young son ends up dead in a freak accident. Kolchak and his team investigate.
The father of the boy's best friend is a cop. Will the cop believe Kolchak, or just blame him when the inevitable bad things happen?
Night Stalker (2005) [Season 1, Episode 6]
The Source (1)
Shown 10 Nov 05
Kolchak's informant lets him know about an organised crime meeting. Unfortunately, a biker gang gets there first.
An undercover DEA Agent is involved. Kolchak's FBI nemesis leads the investigation.
Night Stalker (2005) [Season 1, Episode 7]
The Sea (2)
Shown th October 2006 [Wednesday]
Kolchak and Perri must get to the witness before the undead bikers do.
Night Stalker (2005) [Season 1, Episode 8]
Into Night
Shown 1st January 2006 [Monday]
Kolchak investigates some mysterious deaths. Turns out that people are getting murdered in Los Angeles!
The victims are office workers who decided to work late. Combined with footage of the Los Angeles skyscrapers at night, this is a wonderful reversal of the current Horror cliche of rural seclusion.
The CSI team are unimpressive. They contaminate the crime scene by drawing chalk outlines around the bodies, and leave a dangerous corrosive gel lying about. In contrast, Perri's power as an investigator seems to be her ability to Date contacts.
The killer is a vampiric entity who uses bodily chemicals to live. X-Files Season 1 did this SO much better in Squeeze ...
Night Stalker (2005) [Season 1, Episode 9]
Timeless
Shown th October 2006 [Wednesday]
Kolchak and Perri investigate a series of murders that happen regularly every 35 years. Like in the original Night Strangler movie, or the Squeeze episode of X-Files .
Mira Furlan guest-stars, and excells as a mysterious youth-sucker. Her relationship with her son is very well portrayed.
This ep seems like a bunch of X-Files eps thrown into a blender, and served up in a humourless maner reminiscent of Millennium .
Night Stalker (2005) [Season 1, Episode 10]
What's the Frequency, Kolchak?
Shown th October 2006 [Saturday]
Kolchak is kidnapped by a mentally ill man who claims to be controlled by an evil entity that he names the old man.
Perry is surprised that Kolchak doesn't make it to her birthday party. Can she locate and rescue him?
