Dramedy Stars Elevate ‘Fear Itself’: The Family Man
Eureka Actor Hits the Chiller Lode
I had intended to review Fear Itself‘s June 19 episode “The Family Man,” which features Eureka star Colin Ferguson, after I caught the premiere. However, when the preview for the next episode, “In Sickness and In Health,” aired at the end and I recognized James Roday and Maggie Lawson of USA’s Psych, I chose to postpone everything until I watched the sleuths at work off of their normal beat. That was a good decision because, as the title of this post states, all three dramedy actors delivered big time.
In addition to capable headliners from popular comedy-infused shows, both installments of NBC’s horror-anthology series share something else: a greater sense of chilling suspense than in any of the preceding episodes. “The Family Man,” directed by Ronny Yu (Freddie Vs. Jason, The Bride of Chucky) and penned by Dan Knauf (Supernatural), is a typical body-swap tale on paper, but the cast makes it so much more on the small screen.
Married father of two Dennis Mahoney (Ferguson) becomes the victim of a tragic car crash that lands him in the hospital, near death. Shortly after arriving, we suddenly see him walking the hall near the visitors’ waiting room in an increasingly agitated state. He has a legitimate reason, too, since it turns out viewers are the only people who see him at that point; his young daughter Courtney (Nicole Leduc) doesn’t even acknowledge his presence as she plays from the other side of a window.
Dennis is quickly confronted by another man, Richard Brautigan (Thief‘s Clifton Collins Jr.), who caused the car accident, and he informs Dennis they’re both dead. But Richard is proven wrong when, in an instant, Dennis suddenly wakes up and discovers to his horror that he now looks exactly like Richard. To compound his terror, he also learns Richard is a suspected serial killer being held in jail while the state builds its case against him, the most hated individual in the area due to his sadistic crimes torturing and killing entire families and then refusing to identify where their remains are.
Bad only goes to worse subsequently since there’s yet another shock in store for Dennis, who has to eventually face the fact that the serial killer is now inhabiting his body and home, complete with his beautiful wife and two children. I imagine that’s a special kind of horror for a family man, and Ferguson’s dual performance as first devout and upright citizen Dennis and then wicked evil and gleefully deceitful murderer Richard is what makes “The Family Man” work as a piece of gripping, albeit somewhat predictable, entertainment. Collins does an equally outstanding job and deserves no less praise for the episode’s success making audiences cringe in disgust, if not necessarily fear.
The Verdict: B+
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Fear Itself currently airs Thursdays on NBC at 10pm EST
Colin Ferguson/Fear Itself photo courtesy of Chris Large/NBC
