John Landis sadly fumbles with this episode. The premise has potential: Excited bride to be Samantha (a perky and appealing portrayal by the attractive Maggie Lawson) receives a note from a mysterious woman informing her that her future husband Carlos (well played by James Roday) is a serial killer. A neat and twisty little romp could have been made out of this plot, but alas Landis' flat direction crucially fails to generate any necessary tension or creepy atmosphere. Moreover, Landis adds only a smidgen of his trademark wacky humor to the scenario. Worse yet, Victor Salva's blah script gets bogged down in too much tedious talk, thereby allowing the meandering narrative to plod towards a lame, obvious, and flat-out ridiculous "surprise" twist ending. Peter Bernstein's clumsy thumping score doesn't help matters any. Fortunately, the zesty acting from the game cast prevents this show from being a complete wash-out: Lawson and Roday make the most out of the lackluster material, Christie Laing and Sonja Bennett are spirited and engaging as Samantha's loyal gal pal bridesmaids, and veteran character actor Marshall Bell has fun as a pair of radically contrasting identical twin brothers. Alwyn Kumst's bright cinematography provides a pleasing sparkling look. A really bland and forgettable outing.
Review of In Sickness and in Health
