Mr. Horton n Dudley
I shudder to think about what happened to poor Dudley during his second visit to Mr. Horton's home.
The entire atmosphere of the two-parter, The Bicycle Man, was very dreary and dismal. There was quite a since of dread over it. It seems the the early 1980s were quite dreary themselves (I wasn't around, I didn't come until the mid-1980s), as the movies I see from around that time always have this sort of strange bleak atmosphere about them. It's hard to explain. If you want specific examples, please let me know in your response and I will be glad to provide.
I first saw this episode on syndication back in the early 1990s as a kid. It really didn't scare me because my five year old brain couldn't comprehend what was going on. I just thought Dudley and Arnold were talking to a very bad stranger who lured them in with candy and toys.
I recently rewatched the episode this past weekend. My thirty year old mind immediately picked up on the fact that Mr. Horton was manipulating the hell out Dudley and Arnold. However, he was doing it in such a subtle way that he can maintain "plausible deniability" if Arnold or Dudley ever went home and told Mr. D that Mr. Horton let them drink wine and look at flicks.
Mr. Horton was a sick bastard. He drove around in a 1979 Mercury Colony Park, he played "Tarzan and the Wild Lion" with the boys, he made them take their shirts off, he tried to get them drunk on Jesus Juice. Mr. Horton then made Arnold take pics of him and a shirtless Dudley. If Dudley was a little older, and Mr. Horton was a little younger and more fit, he probably would have tried to leap into Dudley's arms to take the pics. Sick ass. That was the first day. The kids narrowly escaped the wrath of Mr. Horton only because Mr. D showed up at the bike shop and inadvertently interfered in Mr. Horton's exploitation of the children.
The kids come back the next day for absolutely no reason at all, and Mr. Horton kinda makes snide comments about them dipping out on him. He lures the boys back into his web of lies and lair of unsavoriness. As soon as the boys sit down on his floral pattern couch, Mr. Horton serves them up two big pieces of pie and starts trying to work on them again.
Mr. Horton pops in a flick (since this is the early 1980s, it was probably a scene with Jonathon Younger and Sue Nero). The kids are in awe. Arnold makes a comment about people being naked and Mr. Horton makes a rebuttal to his statement by saying: "Naked is natural, especially around adults. We are adults here, aren't we?!" No, Mr. Horton, you sick bastard, you're the adult! You shouldn't show that kind of sh!t to 10 year old kids. Arnold eventually stormed out of the apartment, refusing to watch anymore porno. Dudley, however, stayed. Mr. Horton suggested after they watch the flick, they should play "Neptune: King of the Sea" in the bathtub (shudders). Dudley seemed to be in good spirits about it.
Okay, there is so much wrong with this episode that it's insane. Willis and Kim don't really react to their ten year old little brother smelling of wine. Then Arnold leaves Dudley BEHIND!! Who the hell thought of that crap!? When I was younger I was in a wanna be gang, where they PREACHED not to leave your homies behind. Hell, I never left my normal friends behind somewhere when I was ten unless they specifically asked me to. Then I joined this thing called the US Army, where again, they PREACHED not to leave anyone behind. I just can't believe Arnold would be that selfish to leave his friend behind.
Secondly, what the hell is "Neptune: King of the Sea"? What kind of sick mind thinks like that?! Then I think he had his hand on Dudley's knee when he was explaining it. If I was a kid and some crazy, old stranger suggested playing anywhere around a bathtub, I would cheesed it out of there with my arms flailing.
I can only pray that Dudley didn't get in that bathtub. I can only pray that he made it out of that licentious dwelling before Mr. Horton had a chance to hurt him in the bathtub.
Also, is it just me or did Dudley look and seem "out of it" at the end of the episode when they were at the Drummond's penthouse? It seemed as if Mr. Horton drugged him!!! That would push the envelope even more and become more disturbing than it already is.
I do hope he kinda bounced back in future episodes.
Thanks for the nightmares, Mr. Horton. Prison is too good for you!
Knock it off, Hudson.