[AYAOTD Recap with Erin Callahan] 2.4 “The Tale of the Thirteenth Floor”

RECAP

Kristin, David, and Betty Ann arrive late to entertain/scare Gary, Kiki, and Frank with some melodrama, asking, "Do you really know anyone?" Betty Ann then tells a story about a girl who doesn’t even know her true self.

Billy and his adopted sister Karin fritter away hours playing floor hockey in the vacant thirteenth floor of their apartment building, but their fun is nipped in the bud when a toy company moves in. Karin gets a special invite to test out some new toys and brings Billy along. They find the thirteenth floor transformed into a surreal wonderland and are tasked with playing a Simon-esque coordination game. Klutzy Karin expects to lose, but does better and better as the “atmosphere” of the thirteenth floor is gradually changed. Billy starts to pass out as Karin is challenged with more tasks, including telekinesis. The toy company “employees” ultimately reveal that they are aliens who accidentally left Karin on Earth ten years ago. Not sure what to believe, Karin runs from them and escapes with Billy. In the final scene, she reveals her true alien form to a terrified Billy. 

Gary closes the meeting with the line, “Until next time, whoever you are.”

REVIEW

T: I’ll admit when I’m wrong – David hands Betty Ann the sand bag like he does with Kirsten, so maybe it’s not an issue of Kirsten using him, but David happily playing the submissive to the girls. And obviously I mean submissive in a non-sexual manner. They’re tweens. He just likes helping out.

E: David’s just dying to be some badass bitch’s bottom. LOLOLOLOL, kidding. Sort of. He obviously has a thing for Kristen, but is also trying to be an overall nice guy.

T: Aliens! I’m surprised they didn’t use aliens more in the series. They’re the great unknown, and unknown equals scary.

E: Didn’t the Midnight Society in the revival get into a debate over whether aliens were sci-fi or horror? Maybe that has something to do with it, but I’m solidly in the “aliens can be horror” camp. I love the absurd late-80s Euro-queer fashion of the aliens in this episode. Think I could pull off Olga’s angular bob? Also, the synth music in this episode is beyond perfect.

T: Yes, we both should rock that angular bob next Halloween. Aaron flippin’ Ashmore! Such a pleasant surprise. Of course, if you recognize him from the X-Men films, Conviction, The Rookie, The Following, or Animorphs, you’re dead wrong! That’s Aaron’s twin, fellow Canadian actor Shawn Ashmore. They’re both steadily working actors who pop up in movies and television all the time. You may recognize Aaron from 1-800-Missing, In Plain Sight, Warehouse 13, Killjoys, and a little show Erin might remember, called Veronica Mars.

E: This is another episode we watched together and I said, “Oh my god, is that Iceman?” And Troy said, “It’s either Iceman or his twin brother.” And of course I remember when he played Troy Vandergraff on Veronica Mars. Veronica thought she was falling for a funny-nice rich guy and then he revealed himself to be a thieving sociopath, so she served up some ice-cold revenge. As you do.

T: Let’s get the clunky bits out of the way. Yes, Canadian tweens all play hockey, but does the adoption dialogue have to feel so exposition-y? At least Billy casually mentioning Karin’s recurring dream where she’s flying through outer space is nice foreshadowing.

E: I didn’t even catch that! Amazing. The conversation is definitely a bit awkward but, in my opinion, is totally worth it for Karin’s classic line, “Not your blue jeans, you zipperhead. Your biological genes.” I’ll note two things: 1) They are actually wearing white jeans in this scene. 2) This line would’ve been even better if she’d called Billy a zeeb instead of a zipperhead.

T: It’s sweet how protective Billy is of his sister, insisting that they’re family even though she’s adopted. Clearly these kids never had safety drills. The rafters are shaking, so they call the elevator? Stairs, kids, stairs!

E: I mean, it’s Canada. *shrugs*

T: The aliens’ fashion is fantastic, but not their creativity. “The Toy Factory” is so generic, but it manages to creep out the viewer while still enticing the kid characters. That’s a great balance which isn’t easy to achieve.

E: Yes, it’s immersive enough to be intriguing but there’s immediately something sterile and off about it. Props to art director Real Proulx. 

T: Speaking of the art direction, I love that Karin’s bedroom is space themed. It’s very obvious Karin’s really an alien, but the story is so action-jammed that you don’t have time to stop and think, so the reveal mostly works. Karin’s a creepy alien and Billy’s terrified of her. That sure is a Betty Ann ending I can appreciate.

E: I have a little bit of a bone to pick with this. At one point the aliens are revealed to be wearing rubbery “people masks.” Does this mean Karin has had on a people mask for the last ten years? One that changed as she grew?

T: Yeah, there’s a lot of questions left dangling. I do like the reveal of one alien being a robot, which hints at a rich alien culture we’ll never learn about. The alien design itself is so simple, but it works for me. It’s very evocative of otherness.

QUEER OR NOT?

T: I’m sure feeling alien can feel like struggling with sexual identity issues, but it’s kind of a stretch. As the episode stands, nothing really jumped out at me. Erin?E: Other than the artsy Euro-queer fashion of the aliens, I’ve got nothing. But the elevator attendant’s black and white suit and fashion mullet are a perfect ten.

T: There’s also a fun bit with the Midnight Society. Kiki joins the boys in firebuilding while they’re waiting for Betty Ann’s weirdo theater crew which further cements her preferring to work with the guys.

TRIVIA, USELESS TRIVIA

T: The original elevator attendant is the 100-year-old mailman from “Nightly Neighbors.” He only looks 90 here.

E: LOL. Can’t wait until he pops up again.

T: Christopher Heyerdahl, the vampire from “Midnight Madness,” plays the creepy replacement elevator attendant. As mentioned before, he’s gone on to have a long career in genre film and television.

E: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again -- his creep factor is ON POINT.

MODERNIZE ’90s CANADIAN KIDS

T: This story feels too cute to even touch. The gaming would have to be more technological (and of course there’s the special effects), but story wise, I’m not sure what would be needed.

E: I feel like today’s savvy kids would demand some sort of explanation for how Karin was disguised as a human for ten years, but other than that the bones of this story are solid.

JUST GIVE IT A NUMERICAL RATING ALREADY

T: This one’s a little cheesy and doesn’t quite hit it out of the ball park. I’m tempted to give it a lower grade, but the acting’s fine and I appreciate that they tackled aliens for once. I guess it’s creepy in an unexpected way, which earns it 6.7 CAMPFIRES OUT OF 10.

E: There are many things I like--the alien fashion, the production design, and the themes of identity. But I didn’t find this episode nearly as scary as some of the others and there are some plot holes I have trouble overlooking. 6.5 CAMPFIRES OUT OF 10.