Episode #7 - Innervisions
Original Airdate April 4th 1998

In order to save a planet from destruction, the Silver Surfer must first destroy the very foundation of its existence

Credits
Written By: Larry Brody, Andrea Lawrence
Directed By: Norm Spencer
Music Composed By: Shuki Levy and Kussa Mahchi

Review: Beta Ray Bill guest stars in this episode, but �Innervisions� is all about Thanos.

Thanos is a fascinating character. He�s all id. He wants what he wants and he wants it now; but he was born and bred that way. The creators try to convince us that Thanos was dealt a bad hand in life and that he never had a chance to be anything but a megalomaniac.

Also, �Innervisions� gets credit for finding a clever way of having Silver Surfer and Beta Ray Bill dispatch Thanos. Instead of fisticuffs, they use his own insecurities against him. It�s admittedly cool to watch these guys do something besides shoot multicolored beams at each other.

However, the episode is not a complete success. The audience never empathizes with Thanos. He still comes off as a jerk instead of the tragic character the creators would have you be.

The writers try to make you care about Thanos by having him tell a story about his childhood during the prologue. OK, fair enough. It�s an obvious tactic but not a bad one. Thanos talks about how a childhood vacation was ruined because everything he touched wilted in his hands. But instead of showing us a young disappointed child, we watch an adult Thanos hold a holographic flower while he complains out loud.

The number one rule of storytelling is �show, don�t tell.� If a character is cold, don�t have her say �I�m cold.� Make her shiver or cinch her jacket tighter. The audience will understand.

This rule is all the more important in a visual medium like television. Why have Thanos spout another monologue when you could quietly watch a young child realize he will never be allowed to appreciate life or creation? Wouldn�t that be a more powerful moment?

There is one wonderfully understated moment. Surfer looks puzzled and Bill asks him what his wrong. Surfer replies, �I�m thinking of a loved one. I have not seen her for some time.�

Then instead of going into a soliloquy, there is a poignant moment of silence. For once, the writers understand that you can tell more by saying less. Unfortunately, they fail to show the same restraint with Thanos.

�Innervisions� has some good ideas and a clever ending, but they story is still poorly executed at times so the audience might lose interest.

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