‘Amazing Stories’ (2020) Recap: ‘The Heat’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

When one thinks back upon the 1980s iteration of Amazing Stories, joyous memories flood into one’s mind. Because the tales that this series brought into our living rooms on Sunday night, were lighthearted in nature, filled with wonderful and magical moments that instantly put a smile on people’s faces. But from time to time, the series would get serious and put some genuine drama on the screen and that particular approach is what the newest iteration of the series used for its series premiere, likely to ease everyone back into this universe and everything that it has offer. But while ‘The Cellar’ was a delightful episode through and through, it did leave the audience with a few burning questions.

Because in no way did that particular tale inform the audience what the 2020 version of this series is going to stand for. For the familiar feel of said premiere left one wondering if this saga was going to tread in comfortable territory, or if this series was going to take full advantage of being on a brand-new streaming service and let loose in its storytelling and provide us with tales that truly are amazing in nature. Well as luck would have it, the latest episode in this fascinating series offered us the answers to those all-important questions and as it turns out, the show is indeed going to venture into far bolder territory when all is said and done. But it sure didn’t seem that way at first glance.

For early on in ‘The Heat’, we are led to believe that our urban setting and our contemporary characters are going to provide us with nothing more than a grand reimagining of Ghost. After all, we see the life of our main character, a talented track star named Tuka, come to an unfortunate end at the hands of a criminal, and she’s now seemingly destined to walk the Earth until she can check off a couple of key goals. Specifically, she needs to help her best friend Sterling achieve greatness as a track star, and of course, she needs to solve her own murder. But that’s where the familiar tropes with traditional ghost stories end. Because not only does Tuka fail miserably in all of her endeavors in getting to the afterlife, this story also takes the time to explore some supremely powerful concepts revolving around the majesty of being alive.

Because Tuka has a lot of down time in between the moments where she is helping Sterling try and achieve outright greatness, and thanks to that quiet time she is able to reflect upon her short life on this planet and how much she will miss out upon by leaving it at such an early age and that leads to some poignant moments. Wherein Tuka comes to realize that she could have done more for others on a regular basis and that she also could have enjoyed the moment far more often, and most importantly; she should have opened her eyes to the joy that was at her side every single day by way of Sterling. If anything, it was quite the treat to see this story become so philosophical in nature and it was also quite nice to see a surprise love story come into play, and it was equally as wonderful to see Tuka be given a second chance at life, thanks to her many epiphanies.

If anything, this particular tale deserves some serious credit for going to such bold places storytelling wise. Because this story was emotional and powerful and downright thought provoking. And as an added bonus, it offered up visuals and locations that we honestly don’t see enough of in television these days, much less in a story this fantastical and that made this tale refreshing and progressive in nature and oddly realistic as well. Because there are indeed women like Tuka and Sterling out there, who are working to forge a better path ahead for themselves and are hoping to love freely in this world without judgment. In the end, this magnificent story just goes to show that Amazing Stories has grown up at last and left the fluffy stuff behind and that’s a win for audiences everywhere, since we are clearly going to be treated to some incredible and thoughtful storytelling in the weeks to come. Until next time.

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