Wait, you mean Herve Villechez isn't in this episode? I wanted to see Mr. Rourke used a cursed Tiki statue to run his fantasy island. And Tattoo as Rourke's Greta-like demonic familiar.
The episode we do get is... okay. It does feature "big" star Keye Luke, and he gets a lot to say. Not so much to do, but he was 84 at the time. Luke pretty much outclasses everyone else in the episode, talent-wise. So it's nice to see him have an easy chemistry with Chris Wiggins as the "old men" among the young 'uns.
Other than feature some outdated Chinese tropes, the episode doesn't much dwell on the setting much. The tropish focus on Chinese honor and family is a little over the top, but the rest of the episode is pretty standard "Young punk gets in over his head, and a mobster forces him to play for his life and it backfires." "Year of the Monkey" in season 3 will do the Asian background better, while "The Mephisto Ring" in season 2 will do the "compulsive gambler with a cursed antique" angle in a superior fashion.
So "Tattoo" isn't bad, but it's nothing special. Compared to some of the season one losers early on (hi, "Cupid's Quiver"!), "Tattoo" is a good example of the show. It's not one of the great ones, but it's above-average, which helps. The regulars don't get much to do: Micki is pretty much a non-presence and Ryan gets kicked around a bit but otherwise doesn't do much. As noted, Jack bonding with Luke's character Lum is okay, even if it presents Jack in a tropish "Old American man understands Chinese customs and bonds with the old Chinese guy, and bows a bit" manner.
Also the special effects aren't bad, and aren't overused. The first victim's death by insect poison is effectively horrific, and the sight of the demon claw pushing out of one guy's chest and choking him to death is impressive.
Overall, "Tattoo" is as noted an above-average episode, and gives Keye Luke a good showcase for his talents. But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?
The episode we do get is... okay. It does feature "big" star Keye Luke, and he gets a lot to say. Not so much to do, but he was 84 at the time. Luke pretty much outclasses everyone else in the episode, talent-wise. So it's nice to see him have an easy chemistry with Chris Wiggins as the "old men" among the young 'uns.
Other than feature some outdated Chinese tropes, the episode doesn't much dwell on the setting much. The tropish focus on Chinese honor and family is a little over the top, but the rest of the episode is pretty standard "Young punk gets in over his head, and a mobster forces him to play for his life and it backfires." "Year of the Monkey" in season 3 will do the Asian background better, while "The Mephisto Ring" in season 2 will do the "compulsive gambler with a cursed antique" angle in a superior fashion.
So "Tattoo" isn't bad, but it's nothing special. Compared to some of the season one losers early on (hi, "Cupid's Quiver"!), "Tattoo" is a good example of the show. It's not one of the great ones, but it's above-average, which helps. The regulars don't get much to do: Micki is pretty much a non-presence and Ryan gets kicked around a bit but otherwise doesn't do much. As noted, Jack bonding with Luke's character Lum is okay, even if it presents Jack in a tropish "Old American man understands Chinese customs and bonds with the old Chinese guy, and bows a bit" manner.
Also the special effects aren't bad, and aren't overused. The first victim's death by insect poison is effectively horrific, and the sight of the demon claw pushing out of one guy's chest and choking him to death is impressive.
Overall, "Tattoo" is as noted an above-average episode, and gives Keye Luke a good showcase for his talents. But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?