One thing I forgot to mention and should definitely have gone in the “tropes” spot is that there are a large number of single season stories from the 70s. A lot of serials told their story in six to eight episodes and then were done, complete, finished. In these days of endlessly rolling series (Supernatural is hitting its fifteenth series next year) or the far more common example of series cancelled mid-cliffhanger, it’s quite refreshing to watch things that simply stop once their story is done.
So What Is It? The Owl Service, an eight episode single serial; aired in 1969/1970.
What’s It About? This is the sort of series where answering that could take up whole essays… It follows Alison and her stepbrother Roger as they stay for the summer with their recently married parents in a house owned by Alison’s uncle. Alison discovers a dinnerware set in the attic with an owl pattern (the titular Owl Service) which begins to have strange effects on her. Soon, Alison, Roger and local boy Gwyn find themselves beginning to re-enact the local legend of the tragedy that befell the flower woman, the king and the magician…
Why’s It Good? It’s pretty densely layered stuff, particularly for a show which has been ostensibly commissioned under the banner of children’s TV. In fact, ITV had second thoughts about it appearing in their regular weekday kids slot and moved it to the slightly later family slot on a Sunday. They were clearly also concerned about viewers following the plot as each episode opens with a narrated recap of the previous one which actually explicitly states some things that weren't immediately obvious before! It starts with an ominously creepy title sequence - a blend of music and disturbing sound effects - and builds a fairly unsettled atmosphere. It’s a complex story about the cyclical nature of myth and legend as well as people being trapped by the past into repeating mistakes and also tackles the fairly heavy theme of teenage sexual awakening- definitely not the sort of stuff you find on CBBC!
70s Tropes:- Dead/Missing Mothers (Alison’s mother is there and often impacts the plot but is never shown on screen which makes it seem as if she might be a figment of their imaginations…); Creepy Theme Music (as mentioned above); May Contain Adult Themes (basically the whole thing)
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