The orphans enjoy a feast in front of a tree full of gifts as Purity and Patch cheer them on.Plot synopsis: An old widow, Miss Williby, who is bitter around the holidays refuses to allow her orphan charges to enjoy Christmas. Long John, Purity and Jim Hawkins conspire to give the kids a good yule.
Thoughts:
I always find holiday episodes of this type of adventure series rather amusing. They seem to be trying too hard to shoehorn the commercial or sentimental interests of the networks or audience into a place where such things just don't belong. I also find it interesting because there are unabashed touches of Christian culture that you find less and less common in entertainment these days because of a sense that we should be nondenominational.
In the opening sequence, there are Christmas bells shown ringing which are obviously miniature fakes. This is the sort of thing that I get a strange kick out of when watching old movies and television. I think audiences at the time these shows were made didn't even notice this because they weren't accustomed to better quality sets and effects.
There's a preacher in this episode who is supposed to have a foreign accent of some sort. The character takes on the burden of providing back story as to why the children can't enjoy Christmas at the orphanage and playing the role of Santa (which I'm sure Long John would have been doing had he had two legs) . His audio portion is very badly dubbed over for reasons that are lost in the sands of time. It's so badly tracked that it's like watching a Godzilla movie with the Japanese voices dubbed in English.
Miss Williby looks through letters from the man who jilted her so long ago.Favorite moments:
Purity mocks Miss Williby's snooty accent and demeanor while sitting right across a table from her. Miss Williby responds by saying she won't allow interference from a "tavern keeper" (an occupation she regards with disdain). It's an old battle axe cat fight and it feels so right.
Long John's face when he's talking to Miss Williby seems to be afflicted with some sort of tic-inducing disorder as he seems to be squinting and contorting his face more than usual, which is saying something.
Favorite quotes:
Jim Hawkins to Purity and Long John: "I can't enjoy Christmas. I'm an orphan."
Miss Williby to Purity and the Reverend: "If I consider it proper to use Christmas as an excuse for pagan revelry, I shall do so without your assistance."
Long John to Miss Williby: "Your present for Christmas be golden silence."
Stray notions:
Night-time looks a lot like day when the kids are sneaking out a window. This is in contrast to the fact that it looks nearly pitch black outside from Miss Williby's study window.
The actress who plays Miss Williby reminds me of Bette Davis in both her look and general demeanor.
A Christmas wish made by an orphan always comes true. It helps that the wishes are always humble and related to the behavior of adults who oppress them.
Mold to Gold Rating:
The whole notion of a pirate-based Christmas episode is just a bit too mawkish and the pirates working so hard to do up a proper holiday for the kids lacks verisimilitude. It also is just a tremendous cliche that the mistress of the orphanage is bitter because of a love who deserted her around the holidays in the distant past. That being said, I love the twist on the present-day disposition of her former love that comes at the end. Still, these types of stories are a penny a dozen and it's a long road to the worthwhile ending.
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