The Wild Wild West: "The Night of the Lord of Limbo."

Thought I was going to mention the movie, right?

By now, we have all but forgotten about the recent attempt to make a blockbuster with ideas from the past.  Oh, yes.  Apparently, this was going to make it.  But the premise was so tantalizing:  a science fiction western.  Not like those Full Moon blathers like "Oblivion" and something that just had the label put on it, like the atrocious "Outland."  Hell, even "Space Rage" tried to come close to our experiment today by hiring the famed stuntman Richard Farnsworth.   But no one.....not even if you add uncomfortable and not-really-needed element of racism....could possibly mimic the "Wild Wild West."

So, for the record....

"The Wild Wild West" was a show created for the 1964-65 season as a hybrid of both the popular James Bond series and the Western genre.  The show circled around two of President U.S. Grant's best Secret Service men, James West (played by Robert Conrad) and his friend and con man/master of disguise/trickster in general, Artemus Gordon (the late Ross Martin).  Both men adventured around the West the 1870s in the Wanderer, a tricked-out train full of gadgets and advanced-for-the-time weapons.   Unfortunately, thanks to the 'violent' content of the show, it only lasted until the end of the 1969 season before it was shitcanned.  Sad, really.  For it's time, it wasn't that violent.

Of course, this could be my bias.  I mean, I was practically breastfed on "Friday the 13th."   But I still have theories that the show was canceled because of it's repeated use of "The Night of."   That was a true staple of some '60s shows.  Another case is "The Man From UNCLE" and it's sister show, "The Girl from UNCLE" where they constantly put "Affair" at the end of their episode titles.  "The Man from THRUSH Affair,"  "The King of Diamonds Affair,"  Etc, etc.  And how ironic that I bring up the "King of Diamonds Affair," because both that and this experiment have Ricardo Montalban as a guest star!!  WOW!

[/fakeenthusiasm]

Now, back to the experiment....

West and Gordon are attending a magic show ran by a mysterious magician "The Great Some-Fancy-Italian-Name" (now referred to as "The Lord of Limbo") when suddenly the magician's assistant is asked to pick an audience member for the old disappearing gag.  The assistant fingers West....then decides on Gordon, to West's disapproval.  After a variation on the old "Don't Wait Up" saying, Artemus takes his place on the chair, and audience 'watermelon, watermelons' as all three people disappear.  The stagemaster closes the show, and West grows suspicious.   He goes backstage, only to find a bewildered stagemaster, the Lord of Limbo's saber, and the disbodieded voice of Gordon crying out to West.

West traces the name on the saber to a town in Vicksburg, Mississippi.  After some uncooperation from the locals concerning the saber, we cut to a fight scene that is famous for the series.  When I said this show wasn't violent, it wasn't: aside from a few fight scenes, this is very tame.  Anyway, West is handed the saber and a secret note by the bartender which leads him to a rundown old Southern mansion that hasn't aged well in the wake of the war.  Inside is the Magician's assistant and the Magician himself, an old Confederate General by the name of Vautrain.  Vautrain is confined to a wheelchair thanks to the war injuries that took both his legs from the knees down.  In fact, he reveals that it was West himself who was responsible, who found him injured and applied tourniquets.  West admits that he didn't think the man would live.  Oh, well, it happens.  Vautrain asks West to stay for dinner, at the cost of Gordon's life.

Now here comes the plot....no, wait.  Vautrain tells West the way to save Gordon's life is to go upstairs and take the door on the right.  West does so......then the show cuts to an image of him, standing like he's being cruifixfied in a fog.  After a cut to commercial, West awakens back in the 1700s where he finds Gordon.  But, this is where the plot takes a holiday as Gordon doesn't recognize West, introduces himself as someone else, and proceeds to challenge him to a duel where at the end Gordon is shot.  Why?  I have no idea.  I'm not sure if this is a TNT edit (where I taped it from) or if the plot here is very slim.  Why is Gordon acting funny?  And if he is in disguise, why and why is he attacking West with no real reason?  But, it doesn't matter.

Vautrain brings both men back to their present time to explain the plot.  Sadly, we're already half way through this episode.  Apparently this jaunt back to the 1700s and Gordon's little skit into "The Land of What-The-Hell?" was just filler for the real meat of this story:  Vautrain has harnessed the power of time.  This allows him to travel back and forth in time, make things disappear into the fourth dimension, and whatever else the plot requires.   And the plot requires Vautrain to have West and Gordon accompany him back to the Battle of Vicksburg to regain his legs.  Okay, but why West and Gordon?  Because, as Vautrain explains, he might need the help if his theory is wrong.  If he goes back and can't regain his legs, he will need their help presumably to get back.

This makes no sense.  We're dealing with a man with God-like power.  He could possibly zap people out of his way, travel in time, whatever and he needs West and Gordon's help?  Why?  Anyway.....

Vautrain teleports the three back to Vicksburg just as Grant is attacking it.  He finds himself younger and two-legged again, much to West and Gordon's shock.  Apparently the trip to the 1700s they didn't really believe.   But here is where the plot REALLY goes into fairy-land: Vautrain suddenly reveals his MASTER PLAN!  Yes, the MASTER PLAN!!   He is going to change history so the South can win!  How?  Well, after Vautrain's mansion was captured in the Battle of Vicksburg, it was used as a headquarters for the Union Army, which Grant was leading.  If he blows up the mansion, he would kill Grant and change the war to the South's advantage.  But, one flaw: there has to be soldier who lights the explosives and it's going to be Vautrain.  Apparently he never heard of timers or had thought to go forward in time to find out a little more about his plan of his...

And, why does he bother?  He has the power to go through TIME, a truly remarkable power.  Why doesn't he simply go further back and just kill Grant's mother?  Why bother with the mansion?  But, no, these questions are for truly thoughtful shows/episodes.  Needless to say, West and Gordon have their bacon saved when Vautrain and his gang (?) are killed when an artillery shells take out the mansion.  Vautrain has his 'new' legs crushed underneath a piece of debris.  His 'well-thought' plans ruined, he sends West and Gordon back to their present.  Both men rematerialize only to watch as the mansion burns to the ground.  Vautrain, apparently, is killed.  Even through he could ESCAPE and come back and such.

But, of course, this didn't happen.  And after watching this episode, I find that easy to figure out.  The loopholes of logic in this episode are terrific:  why can't Vautrain simply go back himself?  Did he want revenge on West for 'saving his life?'  And if so, why did he let the agent escape at the end?  Plus, if Vautrain had troops why didn't he simply go back himself?  Why bother the interference of West and Gordon?  Revenge?  I doubt it, because then Vautrain would have simply just let West die in the fire or left stranded ten years in the past.....oh, forget it.

Needless to say, this show will keep you guessing...guessing why it wasn't better scripted or shown some ideas.  But maybe it wasn't supposed to.   The Western Genre was created for sheer entertainment: it wasn't until the very late '60s and the '70s before the 'ideas' and 'relevance' trends started.  This is the last remains of such a form of entertainment.  It was about action, and on that level it succeeds.  But since it is Sci-Fi, you simply can't ignore the 'Why' part.  And the drama of it simply shows Vautrain as a man who wants his legs back and his world reinstated.  A story in which the Lord of Limbo would have revenge and his way simply becomes a man who took great means to showcase his power, try to make his world back the way he wanted it, and chose someone who just happened to be the man who ruined his life.  Not that fulfilling.  It could have been so much more.

RATING:  Could have been much more dramatic but fails thanks to not drawing Vautrain's intentions clear.  Why West and Gordon are in this is a mystery, except to introduce a new villain with fantastic power.  Or not.  Either way, it's not boring and it's an easy way to kill an hour, which might have been the only reason why it was written.  Can't fail them for entertainment:  Two and a Half Stars, and hybrid shows really work when BOTH sides of the hybrid are given due.  This time, the Western beat the Sci-Fi element to a draw.