Recap / Creepshow S 2 E 2 Public Television Of The Dead

Creep: Hello kiddies, and welcome to our newest frightening fable, filled with delightful demons and a book bound in human flesh. To get your own, you just need to read these words... Kanda!!! Estrata!!! Klatuu Barada Nikto!!! Now travel with me to Pittsburgh, as we enter the soundstages for...

Public Television of the Dead

Directed By: Rob Schrab
Written By: Rob Schrab

It’s another day of business as usual at the studios of the WQPS public television network of Pittsburgh. Mrs. Bookberry (Coley Campany), kindhearted hostess of the popular children’s literacy program Mrs. Bookberry’s Magical Library, and her puppet Henrietta the Bear, have just finished a day’s taping. The second the cameras are switched off, Bookberry promptly shows her actual vile, arrogant, and racist off-air personality. She demands that the station's director of network programming, Claudia Aberlan (Marissa Hampton), give her the more favorable time slot she's been wanting, lest she blab to the higher-ups that Claudia isn’t the right choice for the job. With her hands tied, Claudia is forced to cancel The Love of Painting to free up the slot Bookberry wants. Reacting to the bad news, director George (Todd Allen Durkin) reminds Claudia that while artist and host Norm Roberts (Mark Ashworth) is a caring and kindly person, his show is all he has in life. It's also all he has to suppress the trauma of the unspeakable things he had to do to survive on the frontlines of Vietnam.

Meanwhile, in a neighboring studio, Goodman Tapert (Peter Leake) hosts an episode of The Appraiser’s Road Trip. Goodman’s guest happens to be Ted Raimi, who has brought a certain book that he hopes can be appraised. With the help of a special key, Goodman unlocks the book and looks over the ancient ink renderings inside, prompting Goodman to discover that the tome he's holding is actually the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, the infernal book of the dead. Against Ted’s wishes, Goodman decides to read some of the wretched incantations within the book aloud. This causes Ted to become a Deadite, who stabs Goodman in the forehead with the book’s key, then proceeds to go on a bloody, destructive rampage through the studio.

Back on Norm’s stage, Norm records the final episode of his show as Claudia watches. Suddenly, the possessed Ted bursts onto the set and attacks George. Norm stabs Ted in the head with a paintbrush, punches him in the face, and uses paint thinner and a lighter to set his face on fire. Norm and Claudia rescue George before making a beeline for the Magical Library, as it is the quickest way out of the studio, neglecting to witness Ted resurrect as they leave. In her dressing room, Bookberry drinks heavily before she hears her father's voice coming from Henrietta, the puppet having been possessed by Evil, who proceeds to lambast and rebuke her. The burned and possessed Ted then enters the room and gruesomely kills Bookberry, transforming her into a Deadite as well. Norm, Claudia, and George discover several dead crewmembers on the set of The Appraiser’s Road Trip. Making his way to the control room, George discovers what happened when he plays back the footage of Goodman reading from the Necronomicon. Norm and Claudia reason they can reverse the curse if they get their hands on the book. Goodman, also a Deadite, reveals he has the Necronomicon. Before Goodman can kill Norm and Claudia, George subdues him by blaring audio feedback over the studio speakers. While this does manage to slow Goodman down, he unfortunately manages to escape, taking the Necronomicon with him. In the control room, the Chicago affiliate suddenly begins promoting a special live episode of Mrs. Bookberry’s Magical Library, where the possessed Bookberry begins reading from the Necronomicon as Ted and Tapert film her.

Norm, Claudia, and George enter the studio, utilizing weapons from the set of The Appraiser’s Road Trip to subdue the Deadite trio. Claudia uses a broadsword to decapitate Bookberry, but Henrietta, also possessed, continues reading the Necronomicon aloud. Norm rips the book’s key from Goodman’s head, kicks Henrietta off the set, and manages to relock the book, stopping Evil and killing the Deadites. Weeks later, The Love of Painting has gone back on the air. Claudia tells George that she just got off the phone with Chicago, who wanted Norm's show to go national and had viewed Bookberry’s decapitation as a publicity stunt. Meanwhile, a pair of children who have been watching the station at home are shown to have white Deadite eyes, revealing that the Deadites' plan partially succeeded.

A short animated epilogue shows a tiny devil reading the Necronomicon. The Creep emerges from the darkness and closes the book, crushing the devil in the process, before he places it on a shelf full of similar occult books.

This episode contains examples of:

• The '70s: Going by the dress and hairstyles (especially Claudia's afro and bell bottoms), and since Norm is said to be a Vietnam veteran, the story is most likely set in the early to mid 70s.
• Actor Allusion: Ted Raimi is once again transformed into a Deadite. Even before he's possessed, Ted mentions that the Necronomicon has been gathering dust in his fruit cellar, claims that the book's name "sounds familiar" when he hears it, and mentions the book itself has been in his family for many years.
• Affectionate Parody: The three shows featured in the story are pastiches of real PBS programs:
  • Mrs. Bookberry's Magical Library is a cross between Reading Rainbow and Lamb Chop's Play-Along.
  • The Love of Painting is, naturally, one to The Joy of Painting.
  • The Appraiser's Road Trip is one to Antiques Roadshow.
  • In addition to the primary three, the WQPS reception area showcases a pair of posters describing two additional shows: Buster and Pete, a puppet show that resembles Sesame Street, and A Chef's Journey, which is a parody of The French Chef.
  • The very name of the station, WQPS, is one to the real-life TV network WQED, also in Pittsburgh, which launched many of PBS's most famous shows.
• Alien Blood: As is tradition for the Deadites. The possessed Ted produces yellow blood when he is stabbed in the head. Later in the episode, all of the Deadites have traditional red blood.
• Ambiguous Situation: Bookberry's father's voice emanating from Henrietta. It isn't made clear whether it's Evil screwing with her, or if it's the result of mental instability brought about by a lifetime of verbal abuse at the man's hands.
• As Himself: Ted Raimi plays a timid and hapless version of himself who is hoping to have the Necronomicon appraised on TV so he can blow the cash on a Camaro or a hot tub.
• Asshole Victim: Bookberry is a racist jackass who blackmails Claudia into getting a better time slot at the cost of Norm's show. Over the course of the episode, she's mauled by a Deadite, becomes one, gets riddled with antique coins, and Claudia beheads her. The public doesn't even miss her after she's gone, easily chalking up the whole thing as a publicity stunt (while nobody presumably cares that she disappears, either).
• Badass Crew: Norm, Claudia, and George form an alliance to stop the Deadites from reading the Necronomicon's wretched incantations to a national audience of children.
• Badass Normal: Norm, who utilizes his Army training, anything he can grab, and/or his own two hands to go toe-to-toe with the Deadites.
• Big Bad Duumvirate: Ted, Goodman, and Bookberry form their own alliance to stop the heroes before they can put a stop to their plan.
• Bittersweet Ending: Even though the Deadite trio are stopped, the two children from the beginning (and possibly their mother) are shown to have become Deadites themselves.
• Black Boss Lady: Claudia, director of network programming for WQPS' Pittsburgh affiliate. Her position doesn't spare her from the racist jabs of Bookberry, who threatens to tell the higher-ups that she isn't the right person for the job if she doesn't can Norm's show.
• Blackmail: Bookberry threatens to report Claudia to the higher-ups and get her fired if she doesn't give her Norm's time slot.
• Bookends: The first shot of the story has two children watching WQPS on their TV set at home. The last shot has those same two children watching the station again, but the children are shown to have become Deadites.
• Call-Back:
  • Brenner's cane from The Companion is among the antiques that Norm digs through on the wrecked set of The Appraiser's Road Trip.
  • One of the posters in the WQPS reception area advertises JBN World News, which was previously featured in Shapeshifters Anonymous.
• Chekhov's Armory: The items advertised on The Appraiser's Road Trip (a snowblower, a broadsword, and a jar of Civil War dollars) are used to incapacitate the Deadites near the end of the story.
• Crossover: The story serves as a rather unexpected one between PBS and Evil Dead.
• Depraved Kids' Show Host: Bookberry, in spades.
• Determinator: Bookberry is absolutely determined to go on the air for Chicago and please her (long dead) father, so much so that not even demonic possession will stop her from fulfilling her goals.
• The Dog Bites Back: During the final assault on the Deadites, Claudia personally beheads Bookberry, the bigoted prima-donna who never let up on the racist insults and threatened to get her fired.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Norm manages to (mostly) save the viewing audience from Evil's clutches and gets his show back on the air, even going national.
• The End... Or Is It?: The two children watching the station at the beginning of the story are seen again at the end, after Evil has been stopped.... with white Deadite eyes and blank smiles.
• Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Mrs. Bookberry's real name is never revealed.
• Evil Is Hammy: True to their source material, the Deadites are outrageously over the top. Even the most stoic of characters, when possessed, go full on ham in their dialogue and mannerisms.
• Facial Horror: Norm burning Ted with ignited paint thinner leaves him with a charred, eyeless skull where his face once was.
• Fanservice: The huge amount of Evil Dead references has left many a fan overjoyed, to the point where this is currently the highest-rated episode of the series.
• Feedback Rule: George manages to blare audio feedback from some speakers to incapacitate Deadite!Goodman. It doesn't work for long, unfortunately, but Norm still congratulates him for his quick thinking.
• Foreshadowing:
  • The eyes Bookberry gets when she's possessed are the same as the infected people from Meter Reader.
  • During her filming for the pledge drive promo, Mrs. Bookberry tells the network's viewers that "something very special" will be happening that same night. When she and Henrietta are Deadites, they go on air that night to read the Necronomicon to all the children watching.
• Former Child Star: If her imaginary(?) conversation with her father is accurate, Bookberry seems to have been a horribly abused one as a kid.
• Freudian Excuse: While Mrs. Bookberry is a racist, arrogant, and heartless prima-donna when the cameras aren't rolling, she does have a reason for it. Her parents, particularly her father, would verbally thrash her if she didn't do her best as a kid. A conversation with her father through the possessed Henrietta causes her to cower and promise "Daddy" that she'll make him proud.
• Funny Background Event: During Deadite!Bookberry's broadcast, all the happy, smiling, cardboard characters on her set have white Deadite eyes.
• Glasses Pull: George does a weary one when Claudia announces that Love of Painting is being canceled.
• Hate Sink: Mrs. Bookberry. While the cameras are rolling, she's portrayed as a Friend to All Children who shares the wonder of reading. When she's not on set, she's a bitter, racist, mentally unhinged prima-donna. Despite her above mentioned Freudian Excuse providing a valid reason for this behavior, she still goes out of her way to be an absolute bitch to everyone, including threatening to get Claudia fired if she doesn't cancel Norm's show.
• Homage: Alongside the PBS references, this story is a glorious love letter to all things Evil Dead.
• Improvised Weapon User:
  • When Deadite!Ted invades the set of Love of Painting, Norm stabs him in the back of the head with a paintbrush. When that doesn't phase him, he ends up chugging a cup of paint thinner, turns on his army lighter, and spits the thinner into the flame, setting Ted's face on fire.
  • Later in the episode, he drops the jar of Civil War dollars onto the floor and runs the antique snow blower over them, causing them to fly at lethal speeds into the Deadite trio's bodies.
• Inexplicable Language Fluency: Goodman reveals to Ted, out of nowhere, that he can read Sumerian, allowing him to translate the Necronomicon's incantations and let Evil roam free once again.
• Irony: At the very end of the episode of Magical Library featured in the intro, a small disclaimer states "Prevent child abuse". As it just so happens, Mrs. Bookberry herself was raised by a horrifically abusive mother and father, and the abuse she suffered at their hands warped her into the prima-donna she is today.
• It's All About Me: Bookberry, being an absolute prima-donna, only cares about getting what she wants, no matter who she has to blackmail or screw over to do so.
• Karmic Jackpot / Laser-Guided Karma: During a taping of her show, Bookberry teaches Henrietta and her viewers about karma, and about how peoples' actions, bad and good, have their consequences. Both tropes come into effect for the different characters:
  • For trying to get the kind-hearted Norm's show canceled and threatening to get Claudia fired, the bigoted Mrs. Bookberry is killed, demonically possessed, riddled with old coins, decapitated, and her televised death was dismissed by everyone as a publicity stunt.
  • On the other hand, the heroic trio of Norm, Claudia, and George, who manage to stop Evil and relock the Necronomicon, are graciously rewarded for their efforts, the former getting to keep his show and even having it go national, while the other two get to keep their jobs.
  Claudia: (to George, mimicking Bookberry puppeting Henrietta) Maybe it is karma.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Bookberry calls her director "Greg", quite possibly a nod to Greg Nicotero, a producer of the series.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: Before Norm beats up the possessed Ted, he rolls up his sleeves to reveal his army tattoo, and calmly but firmly tells him to leave if he doesn't want to behave himself.
• Made of Iron: The Deadites are just as resilient here as they are in their original franchise. Ted alone is stabbed in the head, has his face burned off, and gets riddled with antique coins.
• Man on Fire: Norm sets the possessed Ted's face on fire with his paint thinner. It doesn't keep him down for long, unfortunately.
• Mood Whiplash: After the concerning scene of Norm apparently experiencing a traumatic flashback to his time in Vietnam, we cut to the slightly goofy scene where Ted and Tapert meet up on The Appraiser's Road Trip. When that scene ends with Ted becoming a Deadite and initiating a bloody rampage, we cut back to Norm calmly filming his final episode, during which Ted bursts onto the set.
• Mythology Gag: Fittingly, there are several Evil Dead references made throughout the story:
  • Norm is introduced painting the central landscape of the first two films, with the cabin and the blown out bridge.
  • Mrs. Bookberry's bear hand puppet is named Henrietta.
  • The Creep utters the phrase "Klaatu Barada Nikto" in his printed narration for the episode.
  • As mentioned above, Ted Raimi, brother of Evil Dead creator Sam Raimi and producer of the original films, appears As Himself, even getting turned into a Deadite. Again.
  • Goodman Tapert's name is a mashup of Robert Tapert, a producer of the movies, and David Goodman, the transportation coordinator of the first two movies.
  • Once again, we get a P.O.V. Cam sequence of Evil as it rampages through the studio.
  • Deadite!Ted fakes being unpossessed to get the drop on George, a common tactic of the Deadites used in the movies.
  • To top it all off, George utters Ash Williams' iconic "Groovy." after watching Norm load the Deadites' bodies with old coins.
  • For an example that doesn't involve Evil Dead, there's the usual appearance of the "Father's Day" ashtray, which now appears on the vanity mirror in Bookberry's dressing room.
• Nice Character, Mean Actor: Mrs. Bookberry. Sweet, caring, and kind as can be while the cameras are rolling, a heartless, racist, mentally unstable prima-donna the second they're switched off.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Thank you, Goodman Tapert, for deciding to read the Necronomicon and unleash Evil once again, despite knowing full well what you were dealing with.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Norm Roberts is a dead-on parody of Bob Ross, down to the hair, gentle voice, and love of painting.
  • His tattoos and military background are allusions to the urban legend that Ross' fellow PBS host Mr. Rogers was a former sniper, and always wore long sleeved sweaters to cover such tattoos.
  • In addition, a poster in the studio's reception area features a chef who looks remarkably similar to Julia Child.
  • Mrs. Bookberry and Henrietta are evil versions of Shari Lewis and Lambchop.
• Nonstandard Character Design: In lieu of the trademark white Deadite eyes, the possessed Bookberry gains eyes with green pupils.
• No One Gets Left Behind: George, still recovering from Deadite!Ted knocking the wind out of him, tells Norm and Claudia to leave him where he is. The pair make it clear that they're not leaving him behind and help him to his feet so they can escape.
• No Sympathy: Bookberry doesn't give a damn about the fact that Norm's show, the only thing he has to work through his trauma from 'Nam, has held the time slot she wants for 10 years, and that the show won't survive on any other station.
• Nothing Is Scarier: What Norm had to do to survive on the frontlines of Vietnam is never revealed. But judging by the sounds we hear as he flashes back to his service, it does not sound pleasant.
• Off with His Head!: Claudia beheads Bookberry after she's converted to a Deadite, though she and Henrietta keep talking afterward.
• Oh, Crap! Claudia's reaction to Deadite!Bookberry and Henrietta preparing to read the Necronomicon to a national audience of children? "I'm so fired."
• Perverse Puppet: Henrietta, who channels Bookberry's abusive father when Evil is unleashed, then becomes possessed alongside her puppeteer. She even continues reading from the Necronomicon after Bookberry's head is chopped off.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Bookberry is unashamedly racist against Claudia, the African-American director of network programming, hurling slurs and insults at her and blackmailing her into canceling Norm's show by threatening to go to the higher-ups and deem her as the "wrong choice" for the job.
• P.O.V. Cam: As is tradition for Evil Dead, there's a scene where Evil scours the wrecked halls of the studio as it resurrects Bookberry.
• Precision F-Strike: Bookberry utters one when she forgets her line during the filming for the station's pledge drive promo:
  Bookberry: [...] It's the WQPS pledge drive! That's when we ask all the mommies and daddies out there to fuck! (Claudia and the crew flinch in shock) Goddamnit! Line?
• Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Just before she decapitates Bookberry, Claudia utters this:
  Claudia: I'm cutting your budget!
  • Norm also has one as he prepares to launch the Civil War coins into the Deadites:
  Norm: We're gonna beat the Devil outta you.
• The Prima Donna: Bookberry, who often asserts her authority as hostess of "the biggest show in QPS history" to get the employees of the "piss-stain" she calls a station to meet her demands. Should they refuse, she swiftly resorts to blackmail.
• Real Men Love Jesus: Norm is a gentle and soft-spoken man (although he served in Vietnam) who calmly trusts that God will care for him when his show gets canceled. However, when the Deadites attack, we quickly learn he was very well trained overseas, taking the possessed bastards down either with his bare hands or with improvised weapons. He ends the episode, like he does on his own show, by telling the audience "Happy Painting and God Bless", seamlessly going back to his painting after the threat passes.
• Retired Badass: Norm served in Vietnam, and when Deadites invade the studio, he dusts off his army training and puts it to very good use.
• Resurrective Immortality: As long as the Necronomicon is unlocked and Evil is out and about, the Deadites are able to pop right back up when they appear to die. Ted manages to withstand a paintbrush stab to the head and having his face burned off, while all three of the Deadites survive having their bodies riddled with antique coins.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: Norm, who fought in the Tet Offensive, is stated by George to use his show as a means to suppress the trauma of the horrible things he had to do to survive. This is illustrated by a shot of Norm staring at his blank canvas as the sounds of war echo through his mind.
• Shout-Out:
  • Continuing the PBS references, Claudia Aberlan is named after Lady Aberlin from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
  • On the set of The Appraiser's Road Trip, Michael Myers' mask, Bubo the Owl, the idol and the headpiece of the Staff of Ra from Raiders of the Lost Ark, a severed monkey head from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Hannibal Lecter's mask from Silence of the Lambs, the "The World is Yours" statue from Scarface, and the Zuni doll from Trilogy of Terror can all be seen on the shelves surrounding Ted and Goodman.
• Signing Off Catchphrase: Norm ends each episode of The Love of Painting by wishing the viewers "Happy Painting and God Bless".
• Tempting Fate: While signing off on his last episode, Norm informs the viewers that if this is what God wishes, then He surely has something better planned for him. Cue Deadite!Ted invading the set.
  • Ted himself, right before Goodman reads the Necronomicon, hears about the potential hundreds of thousands of dollars the book is worth and claims today to be the best day of his life. Minutes later, he's turned into a Deadite.
• This Is Gonna Suck: As Goodman reads the Necronomicon, the lights begin flickering and the sounds coming from the book get louder and louder, Ted uses the little time he has before his possession to compel Goodman to stop reading.
• Tome of Eldritch Lore: The Necronomicon Ex-Mortis itself. This version of the book is outfitted with a lock that only a certain key can open. When Norm manages to use that same key to relock the book, this manages to defeat Evil.
• Too Dumb to Live: Goodman Tapert discovers that the ancient book he's holding is the Necronomicon. Despite knowing full well that the wretched book holds the powers of the dead and all manner of ancient evils, and despite Ted repeatedly telling him not to, he decides to read the damn thing aloud on live TV. This results in Evil being unleashed once again to wreak havoc, with Ted and Goodman turning into Deadites for their trouble.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Goodman should have really thought twice before reading the Necronomicon on a live broadcast of his show.
• The Vietnam Vet: Norm is mentioned to have fought on the frontlines of the Tet Offensive, and uses his painting as a coping mechanism for the trauma.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Mrs. Bookberry is known to children across the country as a sweet and caring woman who says reading is fun and beneficial. Off-camera, she's a loathsome prima-donna who regularly hurls bigoted insults at her superior and blackmails anyone who doesn't meet her demands with being fired.
• Voice of the Legion: As expected, the Deadites have these.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: The Necronomicon disappears after Norm relocks it and stops the Deadite invasion, and we don't know what exactly he and the others did with it, if they did anything to it all. Let's hope that it didn't fall into the wrong hands.
• Whole-Plot Reference: To the Evil Dead franchise, naturally.
• Would Harm a Child: The Deadites plan to read the Necronomicon on a live broadcast so the book can absorb the souls of all the children tuning in to watch. Deadite!Bookberry even tells Claudia that the book specifically "hungers for young souls".

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