User Reviews

I basically just watched 20 minutes in the life of a deeply unwell woman. I get what they were going for with the ending, though. Her social anxiety made her so alienated from the world that she was literally locked up inside herself.

Tales from the Darkside: Mary, Mary starts as a woman named Mary Jones (Margaret Whitton) arrives home at her apartment, that's where she spends most of her time hiding away from the world outside & all face to face social contact. Then Mary gets a call from her new neighbour David (A.C. Weary), the phone call shocks her & is unsure what to do. David ask's her out to a baseball game & says he will pick her up at seven but is Mary ready?

Episode 2 from season 4 this Tales from the Darkside story originally aired in the US during October 1987, directed by Katarina Wittich one has to say that after a reasonable if unspectacular horror themed opener to the fourth season with Beetles things take a nose dive with the seemingly pointless Mary, Mary. The script by Jule Selbo takes a relatively simple premise of a split personality like that seen in Psycho (1960) which in itself has possibilities but doesn't do anything with the idea & the story goes nowhere ending on a strange twist which is at odds with the rest of the episode & just feels out of place slightly. I have to say I really didn't like this one at all.

Like most Tales from the Darkside episodes Mary, Mary takes place in one single simple location, in this case an apartment. There are no special effects, no scares, no tension or suspense & Mary, Mary is one of those episodes where I don't have a clue what the makers were aiming for or who it's meant to appeal to. The cast are alright.

Mary, Mary is another poor Tales from the Darkside episode that isn't horror, that isn't sci-fi, that isn't suspense or mystery orientated & one has to ask what was the point of it? I couldn't really see one to be honest.

Yawner that keeps us bogged down in an apartment with lonelyheart Margaret Whitton (notable actress in the 80s: Nine ½ Weeks, Major League, and Little Monsters were three films you watched her in) who talks to toy pets and a mannequin she dresses and makes up in various modeling VHS taped (audio recorded by her own voice) sessions. A neighbor in an apartment across from her named David (AC Weary) has seen her from his window into her own abode and expresses romantic interest in her. How Whitton's gradually psychologically declining Mary addresses his interest in her through a lot of isolated dwelling on if it would work out or not perhaps defines the weird conclusion. Whitton, to me, is a talent, but seeing her talking to herself, to toy pets, and a dolled up mannequin was kind of just strange for strange sake, although I kind of get the point that her character was wrought with insecurities and doubts regarding how dateable she truly is and if someone out there really exists. When a man goes out of his way to ask her out on a date and she continues to avoid that possibility, those insecurities amplify until she "fades" leaving behind a faint reminder of who she was. The twist at the end didn't exactly shock the senses as much as leave me rather meh with a final feeling of "so that's what I waited for through all the odd behavior of the episode's protagonist?" I do agree, though, that too much time shut off from others could lead to someone down such a deteriorating path.

Lonely single woman Mary Jones (a strong and affecting performance by Margaret Whitton) lives by herself in an underground apartment. The extremely timid and repressed Mary develops an unhealthy fixation on a female mannequin.

Director Katarina Wittich nicely captures a melancholy tone and keeps the involving story moving along at a steady pace. June Selbo's thoughtful script makes a poignant point on how being constantly alone can drive someone insane. Whitton nails the sad desperation of her painfully shy character while A.C. Weary contributes a solid and likable turn as smitten new neighbor David. The slick cinematography by Steven Ross provides a pleasing polished look. The smooth jazz score further adds to the brooding mood. A moving show.