'The Ray Bradbury Theater' Retro Recap: 'The Crowd'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

I've always found stories that explore the unknown to be outright fascinating, simply because when it is done right...these are stories that let our imaginations run wild, provided they don't try to answer all of life's mysteries. 

After all, we simply don't have the answers to the biggest questions in life, and while I respect and understand a writer's need to find said answers, it makes it extremely difficult for the audience to dig in and enjoy the possibilities when a story is being spoon fed to them. Which is why I found myself enjoying the third episode of The Ray Bradbury Theater so much, because 'The Crowd' dug deep into the notion of the afterlife and what it means or could be...and offered us zero answers in the process.

Joe Spelliner is having himself a wonderful night full of drinks, laughter and good times with good friends. But in a hurry to get home, Joe finds himself making one quick mistake and crashing his car and as he tries to pull himself from the wreck, he is surprised to find a crowd of people appear from seemingly out of nowhere on this deserted road to hover over him. The sheer act of them being there and outright smothering him with their close proximity makes him uncomfortable and nervous, and he is relieved when an ambulance arrives to take him off to the hospital. As he recovers, he inquires about the creepy crowd and his concerns are dismissed since he did take a pretty nasty hit to the head. But days later, when drinking with his buddy, he notices a similar crowd rushing toward an accident, compelling him to take a look and confirm his worst fears...the crowd that greeted him in the middle of the night, is present for this accident as well. It leads Joe down a rabbit hole to uncover who these people are and what they want and unfortunately for Joe...what he will uncover will change his life forever...

Of the few episodes I've been able to enjoy of this show, this is the first one that starts off like it is a horror story. There's the creepy nature of the crowd, and the fact that we are indeed dealing with ghosts in this episode, but that's really where the horror genre comparisons come to an end. This is at its core, a story that tries to make sense of death and destiny to a certain degree, and one that leaves the answers to those questions up to the audience to decide. It's clear the crowd has a purpose, and it's interesting that they can be confronted and interacted with, but beyond that...we never get any answers as to what they are doing back on earth after they've passed on and it's never quite clear if Joe's meddling in their affairs is what leads to his best friend dying or not, and quite frankly, I love the mystery this episode puts forth.

Clearly, this is another 'put your thinking cap on' episode, and that's just fine by me because if I had to guess, I would wager that this story is about the cruelness of the world and the sometimes random nature of death. Since all of these people died in violent and sudden acts, car accidents when it comes to this story, they are doomed to roam the earth, and observe the same type of trauma they suffered through to try and understand why it happened to them and how others made it out alive when they didn't. It's a sorrowful and sobering thought since clearly, there is no escape for these spirits if that's their line of thinking, and it's a bold move for the show to present such a potentially bleak future for these tortured souls. But the fact that this story once again challenges us to make our own conclusions, combined with the fact it offers up one fascinating idea only adds to my love of this rediscovered series and I can't to see what other wonders await us in future episodes. Until next time.

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