This "Monsters" episode from season one called "All in a Day's Work" is one that's interesting with a good story with drama and it twist with suspense as it was good work from Allen Coulter("The Sopranos"). It is set in New York City in an apartment building with a modern day witch Fiona(Adrienne Barbeau from "Creepshow" and "The Fog") who does love potions to make a living with her son. Now things get complex when a guy named Steven enters who is being terrorized by a double and this old wise witch has a plan in the form of a demon to get rid of the double. The episode gets a little strange and far out still it's entertaining and a good one from season one due to Adrienne Barbeau. The effects are also eye catching from this episode.
6 Reviews
Cool episode
Woodyanders26 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Distraught Steven Rose (nicely played by James Morrison) seeks the assistance of white witch and single mother Fina Flynn (a sound and engaging performance by Adrienne Barbeau) to summon up a demon so Rose can get rid of his meddlesome doppelganger.
Director Allen Coulter relates the enjoyable and engrossing story at a constant pace, generates a good deal of tension, crafts a reasonable amount of creepy atmosphere, and further tops things off with a sly sense of humor. Jule Selbo's clever script offers a neat subtext on skeptics versus true believers. Moreover, Barbeau brings a winning perky charm to her likeable character, Brandon Bluhm provides sturdy support as Fiona's imperiled son Ian, and Eddie Velez contributes an amusing turn as untrustworthy hipster demon Belphamelech. An on the money show.
Director Allen Coulter relates the enjoyable and engrossing story at a constant pace, generates a good deal of tension, crafts a reasonable amount of creepy atmosphere, and further tops things off with a sly sense of humor. Jule Selbo's clever script offers a neat subtext on skeptics versus true believers. Moreover, Barbeau brings a winning perky charm to her likeable character, Brandon Bluhm provides sturdy support as Fiona's imperiled son Ian, and Eddie Velez contributes an amusing turn as untrustworthy hipster demon Belphamelech. An on the money show.
I guess I should have known they couldn't keep the momentum going.
b_kite27 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
All in a Day's Work has a white witch, Fiona Flynn, who is consulted by Steven Rose, a professor of ancient history who has unwittingly summoned a doppelgänger from an ancient text. The doppelgänger is trying to take over Rose's life, and Flynn summons a demon named Belphamelech to deal with the doppelgänger. But with Fiona's son, Ian, in the apartment while the conjuring goes on and Rose unlearned in the magical arts, things start to go wrong.
I guess I should have known that after four good stories, two of which I found among the shows best so far, that we would finally have to weather threw another stinker. The sad part here is that said stinker stars the great Adrienne Barbeau who really should have been in a better episode. She is the only saving grace in this highly cheap episode were she is definitely the only one trying. I find it rather funny that the director Allen Coulter would go on to direct several high profile HBO series, all of which known for there really good production value to have to be saddled early in his career with this. His directing does the episode no favors as does the creature in this one, which happens to be a cheap looking demon puppet that looks awful and is used pretty badly to. Eddie Velez provides some OK comedic moments, but, everything else just comes off as a goofy mess. Our sole location is an apartment living room, and as for a twist forget it there isn't one. Barbeau's strong effort with the horrible script lifts this up to 3, but, its definitely a waste.
I guess I should have known that after four good stories, two of which I found among the shows best so far, that we would finally have to weather threw another stinker. The sad part here is that said stinker stars the great Adrienne Barbeau who really should have been in a better episode. She is the only saving grace in this highly cheap episode were she is definitely the only one trying. I find it rather funny that the director Allen Coulter would go on to direct several high profile HBO series, all of which known for there really good production value to have to be saddled early in his career with this. His directing does the episode no favors as does the creature in this one, which happens to be a cheap looking demon puppet that looks awful and is used pretty badly to. Eddie Velez provides some OK comedic moments, but, everything else just comes off as a goofy mess. Our sole location is an apartment living room, and as for a twist forget it there isn't one. Barbeau's strong effort with the horrible script lifts this up to 3, but, its definitely a waste.
One of the weaker Monsters episodes.
poolandrews12 May 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Monsters: All in a Day's Work is set in New York City where white witch Fiona Flynn (Adrienne Barneau) works & lives with her young son. Fiona is contacted by a man named Steve Rose (James Morrison) who is very scared, he has seen his evil doppleganger who is following him around interfering with his life. Steve know's the only way to defeat a doppleganger is to conjure up a demon to destroy it, Steve ask's Fiona to help in this way. At first Fiona refuses but when Steve's evil doppleganger starts to target her son she has no choice but to conjure up another demon in the hope of getting rid of Steve's doppleganger once & for all...
Episode twenty one for season one of Monsters this originally aired in the US during May 1989, directed by Allen Coulter one has to say that All in a Day's Work is a pretty poor episode of Monsters & is pretty poor stuff as far as horror anthology show's go in general. The story isn't very good, it's silly, it takes itself too seriously, there's not enough back-story with Steve & his doppleganger to make the episode satisfying & there's no twist's or turns in a fairly predictable twenty minute waste of time. There's nothing clever here, it's forgettable, it has various horror film clichés & just feels bland like no-one really put much effort into it.
There are two monsters in this episode, or demons to be precise. At first one looks like a half frog half man in a shirt while the other one is a small red beady eyed thing that is surely one of the worst looking special effects the series has yet had. There's no horror, there's no gore & there's even a silly ending that has a happily ever after feel about it. Genre favourite Adrienne Barbeau is wasted in a rubbish episode, why couldn't the makers have cast her in one of the better ones?
All in a Day's Work is right down there with the very worst Monsters has to offer, it's just a bad episode from start to finish with a poor story, rubbish monster & a wasted cast.
Episode twenty one for season one of Monsters this originally aired in the US during May 1989, directed by Allen Coulter one has to say that All in a Day's Work is a pretty poor episode of Monsters & is pretty poor stuff as far as horror anthology show's go in general. The story isn't very good, it's silly, it takes itself too seriously, there's not enough back-story with Steve & his doppleganger to make the episode satisfying & there's no twist's or turns in a fairly predictable twenty minute waste of time. There's nothing clever here, it's forgettable, it has various horror film clichés & just feels bland like no-one really put much effort into it.
There are two monsters in this episode, or demons to be precise. At first one looks like a half frog half man in a shirt while the other one is a small red beady eyed thing that is surely one of the worst looking special effects the series has yet had. There's no horror, there's no gore & there's even a silly ending that has a happily ever after feel about it. Genre favourite Adrienne Barbeau is wasted in a rubbish episode, why couldn't the makers have cast her in one of the better ones?
All in a Day's Work is right down there with the very worst Monsters has to offer, it's just a bad episode from start to finish with a poor story, rubbish monster & a wasted cast.
Rare bad episode
amandanw-7313120 April 2023
This series is usually good, but this episode is just plain boring.
Nothing else to say about it, but this thing requires more characters, so I guess I will have to say more. The episode has some magic stuff and they do some spells and stuff, and it just is not very interesting. The story is never explained, like why is the guy following him and why does he want the boy and why did he follow a stranger to get to the boy who he did not even know and other stuff that does not make sense if I think about it but I really do not care because the episode is so boring. Just boring, that is all, so the end.
Nothing else to say about it, but this thing requires more characters, so I guess I will have to say more. The episode has some magic stuff and they do some spells and stuff, and it just is not very interesting. The story is never explained, like why is the guy following him and why does he want the boy and why did he follow a stranger to get to the boy who he did not even know and other stuff that does not make sense if I think about it but I really do not care because the episode is so boring. Just boring, that is all, so the end.
Failed promise
Leofwine_draca4 April 2015
Adrienne Barbeau (SWAMP THING) headlines the cast in this 1989 episode of the TV show MONSTERS. The storyline, a little more complex than most, sees a man being haunted by his own doppelganger. Driven to desperation, he visits a witch who tells him that the only way she can defeat the doppelganger is to summon up a demon of her own, but she'll take some persuading...
This is another pseduo-serious episode of the TV show which is let down by cheap production values and some very rubbery special effects which modern viewers just won't be able to take seriously. The best thing about it is the presence of Adrienne Barbeau, who at least seems to be trying hard in everything she appears in; everything else is just cheap-looking and rather silly, despite the attempts at seriousness.
This is another pseduo-serious episode of the TV show which is let down by cheap production values and some very rubbery special effects which modern viewers just won't be able to take seriously. The best thing about it is the presence of Adrienne Barbeau, who at least seems to be trying hard in everything she appears in; everything else is just cheap-looking and rather silly, despite the attempts at seriousness.
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