I loved this episode. Unlike the other reviewer, I thought having Susan underplay everything was not only appropriate, but very creepy. At one point, I even thought the police investigator was the attacker! And was that Ryan O'Neal in the police lineup in an uncredited cameo!? (He would have been either 19 or 20, just about the right age at this time.)
8 Reviews
Teen Years Are Tough
Hitchcoc30 May 2021
A girl who is pretty much ignored by her peers decides to bring attention to herself by pretending to be assaulted. The thing is that she must up her game because her story gets less and less interesting (like all old news). I agree that the ending was obvious and lacked creativity.
"I'll make myself important."
classicsoncall18 February 2022
Warning: Spoilers
An insecure high school student comes up with a novel plan to get recognition, she pretends to be assaulted and goes running to the police with her phony story. For a short time she becomes the center of attention, but when another local story involving a pair of teens who die in an accident hits the news, it knocks Susan (Susan Harrison) and her story off the front pages. At first, this girl appeared to lack self confidence, but obviously there was something seriously deranged with her character, since her next step to gain notoriety involved strangling the prom queen! What some kids will do to get a date!
I have to agree with a couple other reviewers here, the ending was very weak and took no effort for the writers to arrive at. It might have sounded clever in the screenplay, but the execution fell flat. The bigger and better treat here was Hitchcock in his opening and closing monolog making with a ten-scoop ice cream sundae and all the trimmings. It could have fed the whole set!
I have to agree with a couple other reviewers here, the ending was very weak and took no effort for the writers to arrive at. It might have sounded clever in the screenplay, but the execution fell flat. The bigger and better treat here was Hitchcock in his opening and closing monolog making with a ten-scoop ice cream sundae and all the trimmings. It could have fed the whole set!
Another excellent episode, try not to die before prom
glitterrose11 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Our lead character is Susan and she's a high schooler. I'm kinda divided about Susan. As you can see in the pictures shown for this episode, Susan is a beautiful girl. You can't tell me she wouldn't have attention being paid to her just from walking into the room. So there's a part of me that feels like it's a bit of a failure casting a beautiful girl in this role versus somebody that's actually plain looking or even unattractive. That might be a failure but I absolutely adore the way Susan talks. I don't even think it's supposed to be a shy, soft spoken voice. I think it's something done by the actress to let the viewer that Susan's got some problems. And she does have problems.
Her peers say that Susan likes to be alone. Susan goes off to a spot she likes to go to and she talks to her reflection in the water. She tells herself she hates being alone. Again, this might be where the pretty looks backfire. This pretty girl can go up to any guy and ask him out on a date or chime in with some girlfriends, "Let's go get a milkshake or go to a movie." It's just different if you're truly ignored by your peers. Anyway, Susan comes up with an idea. She'll make herself important. She tears her clothes a bit and musses her hair up a bit. She runs out screaming and claims a man attacked her. Susan's getting a lot of mileage from this story. She got her picture in the paper and she's on the front page. You can tell the cop becomes suspicious of Susan by a certain point. He's giving her a very strange look as she wants to talk to the reporters. She also is facing men in a police line up and the story she's told is getting all jumbled in her head. The cop is quick to remind her that she could ruin somebody's life if she's not sure. Good thing he said that because she was absolutely ready to send a guy to the slammer that's never even seen her in his life before.
Susan might've gotten attention when this attack first happened but things are slipping now. She's no longer on the front page and it's just a small column about her failing to identify an attacker. Susan's too hooked on the attention. She decides to impersonate the attacker (wearing white gloves) and she goes after one of her classmates and kills her. This might be a tidbit that requires suspension of disbelief. The actress playing Susan looks like she weighs about 100 pounds while being dripping wet. Although the girl she killed also is pretty small so perhaps it's a detail easier to swallow than I think. Anyway, Susan successfully kills Marjorie and she's pleased she's got the spotlight back on her again. After all, this attacker managed to kill Marjorie while Susan got away. But it won't be for long. Susan's out at her favorite spot again and she's gloating about her success when somebody sneaks up behind her and is gonna kill her next.
I thought it was a strong ending tbh. I liked what Susan's mother said about all the attention of these crimes gives people ideas. I honestly feel like some of that might happen in modern times tbh. I'm not saying a person can't be sick for doing the bad things they're doing. But I also think there might be plenty of Susans out there that want to make a name for themselves, even if they're dead and can't see the attention for themselves.
There's one other tidbit I want to point out that kinda cracked me up. A couple of Susan's classmates were killed in an accident and their story was what pushed Susan's story off the front page. Another classmate is sadly commenting on the death and how close it was to prom. I guess it's okay to get killed, just don't do it near prom.
Her peers say that Susan likes to be alone. Susan goes off to a spot she likes to go to and she talks to her reflection in the water. She tells herself she hates being alone. Again, this might be where the pretty looks backfire. This pretty girl can go up to any guy and ask him out on a date or chime in with some girlfriends, "Let's go get a milkshake or go to a movie." It's just different if you're truly ignored by your peers. Anyway, Susan comes up with an idea. She'll make herself important. She tears her clothes a bit and musses her hair up a bit. She runs out screaming and claims a man attacked her. Susan's getting a lot of mileage from this story. She got her picture in the paper and she's on the front page. You can tell the cop becomes suspicious of Susan by a certain point. He's giving her a very strange look as she wants to talk to the reporters. She also is facing men in a police line up and the story she's told is getting all jumbled in her head. The cop is quick to remind her that she could ruin somebody's life if she's not sure. Good thing he said that because she was absolutely ready to send a guy to the slammer that's never even seen her in his life before.
Susan might've gotten attention when this attack first happened but things are slipping now. She's no longer on the front page and it's just a small column about her failing to identify an attacker. Susan's too hooked on the attention. She decides to impersonate the attacker (wearing white gloves) and she goes after one of her classmates and kills her. This might be a tidbit that requires suspension of disbelief. The actress playing Susan looks like she weighs about 100 pounds while being dripping wet. Although the girl she killed also is pretty small so perhaps it's a detail easier to swallow than I think. Anyway, Susan successfully kills Marjorie and she's pleased she's got the spotlight back on her again. After all, this attacker managed to kill Marjorie while Susan got away. But it won't be for long. Susan's out at her favorite spot again and she's gloating about her success when somebody sneaks up behind her and is gonna kill her next.
I thought it was a strong ending tbh. I liked what Susan's mother said about all the attention of these crimes gives people ideas. I honestly feel like some of that might happen in modern times tbh. I'm not saying a person can't be sick for doing the bad things they're doing. But I also think there might be plenty of Susans out there that want to make a name for themselves, even if they're dead and can't see the attention for themselves.
There's one other tidbit I want to point out that kinda cracked me up. A couple of Susan's classmates were killed in an accident and their story was what pushed Susan's story off the front page. Another classmate is sadly commenting on the death and how close it was to prom. I guess it's okay to get killed, just don't do it near prom.
Magnificent late AHP ep with great beautiful performance by beauties Susan Harrison and Marta Kristen
bnelso-2379319 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of the greatest eps of the entire show. Vastly underrated.
Contains spoilers.
Beautiful but ignored and upset High School student, Susan Harper, strives to get attention.She fakes an assault by a make believe assailant wearing white gloves and mask. It works and she makes the papers and starts getting boy attention. She is jealous of a fellow possibly even more beautiful blonde lady student. This blonde is to be prom queen. Susan plots to corner the blonde and to have her killed by someone wearing white gloves. Did Susan herself kill the blonde? At first it seems so but then Susan is killed herself by an assailant actually wearing white gloves and mask. Apparently Susan had a henchman who turns on her.
This very great episode does not seem that much like a typical AHP ep. Feels more like a short movie. Harrison and Lost in Space's Kristen again are so brilliant and utterly 100 percent drop-dead beautiful just to look at.
Beautiful but ignored and upset High School student, Susan Harper, strives to get attention.She fakes an assault by a make believe assailant wearing white gloves and mask. It works and she makes the papers and starts getting boy attention. She is jealous of a fellow possibly even more beautiful blonde lady student. This blonde is to be prom queen. Susan plots to corner the blonde and to have her killed by someone wearing white gloves. Did Susan herself kill the blonde? At first it seems so but then Susan is killed herself by an assailant actually wearing white gloves and mask. Apparently Susan had a henchman who turns on her.
This very great episode does not seem that much like a typical AHP ep. Feels more like a short movie. Harrison and Lost in Space's Kristen again are so brilliant and utterly 100 percent drop-dead beautiful just to look at.
i think it was good all the way..
stluke11283 April 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I disagree with those who say the ending was not good. I think the episode was good all the way. The line up i think was good because.. well.. you just didn't know whether one of those (innocent as far as this 'crime') guys was going to be chosen by her.. even though she pretty much did choose the one guy.. but the officer pressed her on it.. (or something).. and he didn't end up being chosen.
I watched it a couple days ago. I'm thinking i'd seen it before. But i don't know if i watched the whole thing before. I'm sure i'd seen it before. Again.. i don't know if i'd watched the whole thing.
And after a couple of days.. it came into my mind.. that perhaps the person doing to killing of susan at the end was tom. I mean.. susan had killed his girlfriend.. the hot babe.. the queen.. right?
And did he not know that? Did he not realize that?
It's not certain that it was tom.. but it's an interesting thought.
We think of the characters as two dimensional.. and when what they are doing or thinking is not graphic in the production.. we think they have no part.
That's all wrong. Tom was a person. How do we know what he was thinking or planning.
I don't know if others thought of this. It doesn't appear on any of the other reviews.
If we are supposed to think it was tom at the end.. and the person was tall.. after all.. that is kind of a twist.. in a way. And hitchcock is known for these end twistings.
Sorry about focusing on one part so much.. but i just disagree with the thought that the end.. 'lacked creativity.' sometimes.. some turn of action that seems to be easy to predict.. has a depth to it that those who are looking for things to criticize don't see.
I watched it a couple days ago. I'm thinking i'd seen it before. But i don't know if i watched the whole thing before. I'm sure i'd seen it before. Again.. i don't know if i'd watched the whole thing.
And after a couple of days.. it came into my mind.. that perhaps the person doing to killing of susan at the end was tom. I mean.. susan had killed his girlfriend.. the hot babe.. the queen.. right?
And did he not know that? Did he not realize that?
It's not certain that it was tom.. but it's an interesting thought.
We think of the characters as two dimensional.. and when what they are doing or thinking is not graphic in the production.. we think they have no part.
That's all wrong. Tom was a person. How do we know what he was thinking or planning.
I don't know if others thought of this. It doesn't appear on any of the other reviews.
If we are supposed to think it was tom at the end.. and the person was tall.. after all.. that is kind of a twist.. in a way. And hitchcock is known for these end twistings.
Sorry about focusing on one part so much.. but i just disagree with the thought that the end.. 'lacked creativity.' sometimes.. some turn of action that seems to be easy to predict.. has a depth to it that those who are looking for things to criticize don't see.
Interesting story, but needed a better ending
talonjensen20 April 2018
The writing was a little weak in this story, the ending was not surprising, and the story/acting didn't generate any tension leading up to it. I think the story idea is good enough that the outcome should have been better.
I found the way the main protagonist, Susan, was portrayed as soft-spoken and unfeeling annoying, but, perhaps that is the whole point, to match her evil actions. And, I have certainly met people in real life who acted like that.
I know that reviewers often cite the short format, but, I think there was plenty of time to introduce more suspense and a surprising ending.
I found the way the main protagonist, Susan, was portrayed as soft-spoken and unfeeling annoying, but, perhaps that is the whole point, to match her evil actions. And, I have certainly met people in real life who acted like that.
I know that reviewers often cite the short format, but, I think there was plenty of time to introduce more suspense and a surprising ending.
I agree with talonjensen....it's an interesting story but the ending was very, very weak.
planktonrules17 April 2021
Susan is a high school student who isn't very popular. But she wants to be popular and noticed, so she decides to stage a fake attack on her...and reports it to the police following her tearing her clothing. In her story, a masked man with white gloves tried to abduct her....and soon she has reporters clamoring for the story. When she goes to school the next day, all the kids are talking about her and her harrowing encounter. However, soon another event happens and people aren't talking about Susan...so she decides to up the ante. What she does and what happens next, you can see for yourself...though I wouldn't bother.
The story has a lot of problems. Much of it is because the ending simply makes no sense at all and leaves you baffled. I have no idea why the story wasn't edited or re-written...all I know is that it definitely wasn't ready for television and was an incredibly weak story. Most disappointing, actually.
By the way, there is a cute inside joke. The girl goes to Shamley High School. Shamley is also the name of the production company which made this show.
The story has a lot of problems. Much of it is because the ending simply makes no sense at all and leaves you baffled. I have no idea why the story wasn't edited or re-written...all I know is that it definitely wasn't ready for television and was an incredibly weak story. Most disappointing, actually.
By the way, there is a cute inside joke. The girl goes to Shamley High School. Shamley is also the name of the production company which made this show.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
