‘Tales from the Darkside’ Retro Recap: ‘Comet Watch’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Anthony Heald and Sarah Rush as Englebert Ames and Laura Burns in Episode 213 of ‘Tales from the Darkside’ – ‘Comet Watch’. (Photo Courtesy of Laurel Entertainment.)

Sometimes reflecting upon old shows and old stories, allows for quite the immersive and moving experience. The kind that manages to take us right down memory lane in more ways than one. Simply because that story truly encapsulates the zeitgeist of an era, or a very specific moment in time. One we lived through and having that remembrace string plucked upon allows for a wash of memories to flood over us, the kind that are wonderful and warm and oddly enough, this particular truth is top of mind today, all because the next episode of Tales from the Darkside accomplishes just that. For ‘Comet Watch’ is a story that truly captured a unique moment in pop culture, courtesy of an equally unique story. 
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One that introduces us to a man named Engelbert Ames, who is reveling in excitement in this tale. For above in the sky, is the celestial wonder known only as Halley’s Comet and Engelbert wants nothing more on this night than to just observe its majesty, much to the chagrin to his wife Charlene, and well… to the chagrin of an unexpected visitor. For the telescope in his stead also harbors a portal to the comet itself and discovering that secret allowing for a woman named Lara Burns and Sir Edmond Halley to return to our world after spending 76 years in the cosmos. A reality that frustrates both Edmond and Lara since he wants back into space with Lara at his side as his love, and she wants none of that, and their desires will bring about a battle that will change fates on this night. 

Which is a story that immediately reminds anyone that lived in the 1980s of the massive Halley’s Comet craze, that gripped the world. For 1986 did see Halley’s Comet return, and it genuinely captivated the world through and through. For there were news reports about its return, and every science magazine and program offered up some kind of special regarding its long and winding journey through the endless cosmos. But more importantly, it captivated Hollywood as well. In fact, the buzz leading up to its return was so strong that the industry opted to capitalize on it in advance of its arrival, allowing for a trilogy of horror films revolving around the lethal arrival of a comet to play out.  

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Fritz Weaver and Kate McGregor-Stewart as Sir Edmond Halley and Charlene Ames in Episode 213 of ‘Tales from the Darkside’ – ‘Comet Watch’. (Photo Courtesy of Laurel Entertainment.)

All of which immerses one in nostalgia if they lived through the moment, and it gives rise to an opportunity for unfamiliar viewers to explore the craze that accompanied this once in a lifetime moment. And it is something this article is focusing upon simply because… there’s not a lot of great things to discuss when it comes to this episode. Because it truly is one of those random experimental tales that uh… doesn’t deliver. Sure, it has some cool ideas, because the thought of people surviving on the comet is pretty wild and fantastical, but it’s deeply grounded in science fiction and really doesn’t offer anything scary or deep to ponder upon. If anything, the only real draw here is the acting. Since Anthony Heald and Fritz Weaver add gravitas to the story as Englebert and Edmond Halley, respectively. And Sarah Rush and Kate McGregor-Stewart balance out their performances nicely as Lara and Charlene.
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But we’d be remiss to not point out how weird it is that the story sells Halley as less of a scholar and more of a toxic, thirsty, lovelorn nightmare, when the man historically had a family and was not known for such gestures, and it really speaks to a failure of this story. One that sadly, could have been quite amazing. Because if by chance the creative team opted to go the route of Night of the Comet, Lifeforce, and Maximum Overdrive, and add something scary into this… we could have been treated to quite the classic Darkside tale. One that could have featured something truly monstrous, something truly evil, something that would have given us nightmares in the name of a twist to a longtime visitor to our solar system. But alas, we got a weird love story instead.

But that’s okay, because not every story in a season as long as this one can be a winner, and the show deserves some credit for trying something different and new. Because that’s what made Darkside so great and again, we can definitely celebrate the acting in this story and its bold nature to lean into romantic sci-fi over pure terror. But of course, not everyone will be happy with that, and that’s understandable. For this show promised terror and mayhem. But it is nice to know that at least care went into this tale, and that it does indeed invoke a powerful sense of nostalgia in those who grew up watching the series, one that hopefully they spread about via that aforementioned comet trilogy to bring balance to the misplaced sweetness of this tale. Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight. 

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