EARLY EDITION: HALLOWEEN (TV)
Summary
One in this series of fantasy dramas about a Chicago man, Gary Hobson, who mysteriously receives the following day's newspaper and must decide whether or not to intervene in upcoming events.
In this episode, Gary saves a billionaire from death by strawberries and then finds that Cat, appropriately for Halloween, has mysteriously turned black. He then sees that several local children, possibly including Henry, will die that night after eating poisoned Halloween treats; his desperate attempts to have the mayor's office officially "cancel" the holiday are unsuccessful. Distracted by a second story about a house fire, he visits an abandoned mansion and is "captured" by two women, Gwyneth and Toby, who claim that they are witches and require his warlock help to find their long-dead sister. Exasperated, Gary douses their would-be destructive cauldron fire and hurries off to visit several candy vendors, begging them to remove their stocks, though they dismiss his strange warnings.
After passing an elderly woman buying fresh apples, he arrives at McGinty's and finds Gwyneth and Toby waiting for him, again telling him that they require his assistance. Frustrated at his lack of leads, he kicks them out of the bar, but they take Cat with them as they go. Marissa tries to make excuses for Gary when Erica questions her about his odd behavior and frequent absences, claiming he is simply bad at "delegating." Henry is unimpressed with Patrick's Halloween costume ideas. As Gary agonizes over the predicted poison deaths, the paper hints that the culprit will be apples, not candy. Elsewhere, the elderly woman bakes candied apples for trick-or-treaters. Patrick contacts an old girlfriend – whom he deeply offended – and sweet-talks her into returning a certain costume. When Gary visits the produce plant, he learns that the apples, accidentally sprayed with poison, were recalled before being sold to vendors. An employee reveals that a single crate may have slipped through, however, and Gary finally remembers witnessing the sale earlier in the day and rushes to find the old woman.
Marissa, aware that Gary has not yet solved the mystery, tries to delay Henry's Halloween outing with Patrick and Spike. When Gary is unmoved by Cat's predicament, Gwyneth and Toby mace him and tie him up to complete their "spell." At the bar, Erica laments to Marissa that Henry is now old enough to be embarrassed by her presence during trick-or-treating. Gary, desperate to escape the women, manages to "prove" his legitimate warlock status when Cat transforms back into a ginger before the shocked eyes of the "witches." He races to find the elderly woman and stops several children from taking her poisoned apples. However, he learns that one boy has already departed with his treat and realizes that it is Henry. Arriving on the scene, Gary discovers that Spike has saved Henry's life by eating the apple. Everyone – including Gwyneth and Toby – hurries to the vet's office and waits anxiously for news of the dog's fate. The women conclude that Gary is not a warlock, but when Spike makes a miraculous recovery from the deadly poison, Gary is forced to wonder if their magical powers were genuine. When he visits the abandoned house, he learns that the sisters truly did live there many years ago. Gary opts not to hear the rest of the strange story as he reunites with Cat and departs. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: October 31, 1998 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:45:57
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:83356
- GENRE: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1996-2000
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Bob Brush … Executive Producer, Developed by, Writer
- Lillah McCarthy … Executive Producer
- Michael Dinner … Executive Producer
- Jeff Melvoin … Executive Producer
- Gary Nelson … Co-Executive Producer, Director
- Ian Abrams … Co-Executive Producer, Created by
- Sean Clark … Supervising Producer
- Alex Taub … Supervising Producer
- Randy Roberts … Supervising Producer
- Julia Rask … Producer
- Carla Kettner … Producer
- Loucas George … Producer
- Kathryn Riordan … Associate Producer
- Lisa I. Vinnecour … Associate Producer
- Rob Montgomery … Associate Producer
- Patrick Q. Page … Created by
- Vik Rubenfeld … Created by
- Bennett Salvay … Music by
- W.G. Snuffy Walden … Theme Music by
- Kyle Chandler … Cast, Gary Hobson
- Shanesia Davis … Cast, Marissa Clark
- Kristy Swanson … Cast, Erica Paget
- Billie Worley … Cast, Patrick Quinn
- Myles Jeffrey … Cast, Henry Paget
- Jennifer Blanc … Cast, Gwyneth
- Nöelle Parker … Cast, Toby
- Felicia P. Fields … Cast, Jenkins
- Jack Walsh … Cast, Charlie
- Roslyn Alexander … Cast, Kindly Old Lady
- Norm Woodel … Cast, Wholesale Manager
- Brent Shaphren … Cast, Fruit Seller
- Jeffrey Michael Parker … Cast, Veterinarian