Earth, Wind, Fire and Water

Ah - Earth, Air, Fire and Water (1973) happens to be my all-time favorite episode from this series!


It was my understanding that the artists were selected based on suitable gender and temperament; they weren't physically related to the beings whose personalities inhabited the jars, but perhaps spiritually so. Each artist was inexplicably drawn to his or her corresponding jar. The jars chose them.

They weren't a perfect match, but the longer they spent with each jar, doing artwork under its malign influence, the more their own personalities morphed into those of the spirits inhabiting the jars. The process of absorbing their souls corresponded to the work each of them was doing; when the work was done, they were each absorbed into the jars.

It struck me as though the personality of the blue jar, Frank Converse's, had always been the odd one out of the group, even as a "god," and that Converse was simply acting out that individual spirit's non-conformity within the group.

I didn't see what became of Sam Richards as being "revenge," per se, but simply the result of not having completed the artwork. He was transformed anyway - the "head" of his sculpture was the only part left unfinished, and it was completed on him.

I don't recall a "Kristen" - I guess I need to drag it out and watch it again. I'll get back to you on that.

§« The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters. »§

In the opening scenes, the building that will become the "New Life Market" is still abandoned. As we see our way through the gloomy, dusty, abandoned building, we hear disembodied voices. A woman speaks first:

"The time goes slowly."
A male answers:
"Is that you, Krysta?"
"Yes."
"We can wait."
"I'm restless, Yng."
A third voice, another woman, joins in:
"Do not dwell on it."
A fourth, male:
"Remember the days of plenty. They were good days. There will be good days again."
(laughter from all)

It would seem that the entities in the jars, regardless of who they absorb, retain their original names and identities. Sam, the metalsmith, asks Paul the woodworker about his little figurines:

Sam: "Who are they?"
Paul: "Gods..."
Sam: "Aztec? Inca?"
Paul: "Older... more powerful... Yng... Ixys... Krysta... Sheh... Ath... Sekah -"
Disembodied voices break in: "He knows us! He knows us! Knows us! Knows us!"

Watching this again, it occurred to me that the opening scenes, with the plotting and scheming disembodied voices, are very much like Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973), which was released some nine months after Earth, Air, Fire and Water (1973). Same type of voices, same laughter. The jars even have a speech about being set free, like the little raisin-headed homunculi from Don't.

"We are free."
"We are free."
"Free as before. It is well."
"All will be well now."
"But how long? How long this time?"
"Forever... we are free now, forever!"

Some of the music for this episode resembles Don't as well, which is not surprising, seeing as how they were both scored by Billy Goldenberg.  On a superficial level, the themes are the same; the homunculi want to make Sally one of them, and the six "gods" want to absorb the six artists.

As far as what entity goes with what jar, that's difficult to make out. The only ones that can be reliably identified are the two named at the beginning, Krysta and Yng, the brown jar with pebbles kept by Holly, the jewelry-maker, and the red jar kept by the wood-worker, Paul, respectively. Listening to the other four names mentioned by Paul, I am honestly unable to distinguish them by gender, and cannot hazard a guess as to whose is whose.

§« The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters. »§

This is a creepy, very original episode. I could easily see it expanded, updated and made into a modern horror film.

Been hoping to come across this episode. It's actually the only one I remember from this series. That ending shot is ingrained in my brain. Just saw it today again for the first time in 40 years.