The Village in the title refers to Greenwich Village in New York City—a hangout for artists and Bohemians during this era. The show begins with a corpse being discovered on one of its streets. The trail takes the police to an artist (David Niven—one of the four stars of the series). It seems she was one of his models and it's obvious he cared about her. So, he decides to play detective himself and solve the crime. Along the way, he meets some interesting local characters as well as a nice police woman. Unfortunately , this is a very dopey episode—and the solution to this mystery was pretty lame. As a result, I felt as if I'd wasted my time watching—and it's obviously too silly a plot for David Niven or anyone to salvage. It's a shame, really, as the previous episode on the DVD ("Interlude") was brilliant and among the best of the shows in this series.
2 Reviews
Could Use A Rewrite
dougdoepke26 October 2020
Certainly not among the best of the series, but does generate some suspense. Niven does a good job as the troubled Greenwich Village artist, whose long-time model turns up murdered in his studio. Cops suspect him but his prestigious reputation keeps them at bay. Being impressed with his own ability, Niven decides to track down the killer himself. A few suspects turn up but not conclusively. But who's the mysterious woman who suddenly turns up to save him from a savage street beating. Clearly, they're attracted to one another, yet his recurring memory lapses follow the beating, keeping her somewhat confused. So what's going on here and who's the murderer.
The rather loose narrative stretches at times, such as in the placement of the dead girl's ring. Also Camden is a little too bland in her ambivalent role that doesn't help. Nonetheless, Niven carries the 30-minutes in compelling fashion, along with a rather surprise ending. All in all, the episode shows the series' generally high quality even with a lesser entry such as this.
The rather loose narrative stretches at times, such as in the placement of the dead girl's ring. Also Camden is a little too bland in her ambivalent role that doesn't help. Nonetheless, Niven carries the 30-minutes in compelling fashion, along with a rather surprise ending. All in all, the episode shows the series' generally high quality even with a lesser entry such as this.
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