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Master of Disguise

Episode Recap #32: Master of Disguise Original Airdate: November 11, 1988

Starring: John D. LeMay as Ryan Dallion Robey as Micki Foster Chris Wiggins as Jack Marshak

Guest cast: John Bolger as William Pratt Hrant Alianak as Sandy Chapelle Jaffe as Tanya Sloane Jason Blicker as Todd Joyce Gordon as Joanne Lindsay Richardson as Teri Susan Kyle as Louise Aaron Schwartz as Geary George Sperdakos as Sig Mark Saunders as Young Man Candee Jennings as Nightgown Lady

Written by Bruce Martin Directed by Tom McLoughlin

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This week we open on the set of a movie. An actress is perturbed that the leading man, Pratt, has kept her waiting six hours. The director tries to placate her, but she is pissed and storms off, snapping at the crew. A gopher tells the director, Sandy, that he cannot find Pratt anywhere. So, the director calls it a day. Some are upset, some don't care, a buck is a buck. Two actresses chat, unaware someone is watching. They part ways and one is followed.

The young actress is startled by noises and a closing door, but she investigates the darkened set. She is startled by a figure in shadows, then the fan turns on and off. A spotlight turns on and as she runs, her foot is caught in a cable that the figure pulls, knocking her down. Then the light crashes on to her, killing her. The figure collects some of her blood in a jar.

At Curious Goods, our trio is working on antiques, packing them for the William Pratt picture in town. Micki checks her reflection and Ryan and Jack playfully tease her about it. She is excited they are working on the film and, by default, with the handsome actor Pratt. Ryan says every woman in the country feels the same way as her. Micki scoffs, but plays along with them.

At the set the next day, the gopher tells Sandy the director that Pratt is on set, in his motor home. Sandy is snapping at everyone, upset that the actress had to die on his set. He is ready to sue Pratt for all the delays. He is confronted with the leading lady, Tanya, and again plays peacemaker. Todd the gopher tells Pratt they are ready on set, he says he will be there in a moment, as he opens an old makeup case.

The crew is filming a scene as Micki and Ryan come in with antiques. They watch the action after being snapped at to be quiet. Micki is enthralled by Pratt as he kisses an actress in the scene. Sandy yells cut, he loves it. Todd leads Micki and Ryan off with the props, but Micki manages to catch Pratt's eye, as her red hair glows from the spotlight.

Pratt approaches them, introducing himself, but all his attention is on Micki. He wants to talk later, she is in awe. Todd calls the actor away and Pratt orders him to get Geary, a reporter, off his set. Ryan tells Micki she is drooling.

In his motor home dressing room, Pratt is surprised to find Geary inside, waiting. The reporter wants to know the man's backstory, since he apparently came from nowhere. Pratt wants him out. Geary pushes, threatening to go on air with what he does know. Pratt calls for security, Geary teases the man with his possible real name. Pratt makes him leave, the reporter gives him until tomorrow to give him more information. Alone, Pratt is angry. But he is momentarily soothed when he looks at a photo. But he panics when he notices a change in the appearance of his hand.

Later, Geary calls his producer and tells him he wants a five minute segment on Pratt ready to go for tomorrow. There is a knock at the door, room service. Geary hangs up and opens the door. Not paying any attention to the waiter, since his interview show is on the television. Geary turns up the volume of the set as he enters the tub. His show is a tabloid journalism type show. He enjoys listening to himself, unaware the waiter is coming into his bathroom. He recognizes the man and is shocked, literally, when the man tosses the television into the bathwater, killing him. The waiter leaves with his room service cart, and a goblet filled with blood.

On set, Pratt and Tanya play a scene. He has to threaten and choke the actress, but he takes it too far, really hurting her. She screams and slaps him as the director has to yell cut. Pratt ignores the man and approaches Micki, flirting with her. He then brings her to the director, telling him to replace Tanya with Micki as the leading lady. Pratt pushes, so the director has no choice but to have Todd send Micki to makeup and wardrobe. Ryan comes up as Micki is whisked off.

Being worked on by the makeup artist, Micki is nervous, but the woman tells her she has the bones and the look for it. And Pratt believes in her, so that is all that counts. She has been on every Pratt film and never saw him so enraptured by one woman. Ryan comes up and is also impressed by how Micki looks. Pratt shows up to take Micki back with him. The woman mentions Pratt needs a touch up himself. He thanks her and heads off. Ryan asks the woman why she didn't touch him up, she says Pratt does his own makeup, has a case he says is his good luck charm, and he keeps it safe. Ryan is intrigued.

Another scene is being shot, this time with Micki in the lead role. Sandy and the crew watch, not hating what they see. But Tonya is less than impressed and goes for the telephone. In character, Pratt and Micki kiss. Sandy yells cut, but it takes them a bit to stop. The crew applauds. Tonya yells at Sandy and stomps off. Sandy then tells Pratt that while Micki was good, Tonya is threatening to sue, so no go with replacing her. He offers to tell Micki, but Pratt says he will do it himself.

At the store, Ryan is going through the manifest. Micki comes in, dressed for dinner with Pratt. Ryan warns her not to go. He thinks Pratt is dangerous, but Micki thinks he is just being paranoid. Ryan can't convince her, as the car horn beeps and she storms out. Jack comes down after all the commotion. Ryan tells him of his suspicions. He mentions the makeup kit, which Jack finds quickly in the book. Seems it was owned by John Wilkes Booth and Lewis sold it to a Jeff Emory. Jack tells Ryan to go and keep an eye on Micki, he will look into the antique.

In her dressing room, Tonya is talking to herself when there is a knock on the door. It is Pratt, he says he needs her. She tells him to go to Hell. He enters anyway. He tells her only she can make him look good and when he approaches, Tonya is shocked by his appearance. He grabs her and her acting award and kills her with it. Then he collects the blood that is spilled and drips some on the makeup case. It bubbles and dissolves into he wood and the latches pop open. Pratt, horribly disfigured, then uses the makeup inside to change his appearance back to his handsome self. After he leaves the trailer, it explodes and burst into flames.

On their date later, Pratt leads Micki to a dinner set up along the waterfront, with the skyline of the city in view. He tells the waiter to take off and pours them both champagne. He apologizes for Tonya, but Micki says the woman does have a contract. Micki is impressed by the treatment. Pratt says he was tired of being lonely, but Micki can't imagine him having a hard time finding a date. Pratt tells her he would like to do the story of Beauty and the Beast, since the Beast had beauty inside. They toast as Micki is grown more smitten by the moment.

Jack goes and sees his old friend, an agent who books all kinds of acts, including magicians. He asks the man about Jeff Amory, and the name rings a bell. His friend looks in his file and tells Jack the man was hunchback type, who could only get roles in horror flicks. He tells Jack about an actress who Emory had a crush on, a red-head. When she went away with a different man, Emory followed and killed the man with an axe. The actress ran off and fell off a cliff. The police found them the next day with Emory cradling her body. He was sent to an asylum. Jack asks to take the file and the two man laugh at old times.

Back at the shop, Jack calls to Ryan and asks about Micki. She left before Ryan woke up. Jack tells Ryan about Emory. Jack says Emory could be Pratt. Ryan tells Jack to wait in case Micki calls and he heads to the movie set.

Pratt and Micki are there, in his convertible. Pratt wants to know why they aren't shooting so he approaches Sandy, who tells him Tonya died when her trailer exploded. Pratt still wants them to film, but Sandy says there have been too many accidents and they are shut down, it's over. He is going back to Europe. Pratt tells him to call the studio and check his contract. This is not over. Ryan, meanwhile, is snooping around Pratt's trailer.

Pratt comes into his trailer and Ryan hides. The actor packs up his stuff and gets the makeup case, as well, as Ryan spies on him. Pratt leaves and heads to his car with Micki waiting. She asks where they are going and he tells her where no one knows they will be. Ryan is too late to stop them.

Alone at night, Pratt and Micki kiss and make love. The next morning, they wake in bed together. Micki kisses him and then spots a horrible boil on his head. He rushes to the bathroom as the boil pulses. Micki bangs on the door to help. When Pratt comes out, he has gotten rid of the disfigurement somehow, laughing it off. He says they should go away, he knows a place by Evergreen Lake. Micki is thrilled with the idea.

Ryan and Jack come back to the store and see that Micki still hasn't come back. Jack checks the answering machine. She left a message about going to the lake. She also says she thinks she is falling in love. Jack tells Ryan Evergreen Lake is where Emory killed the other man. They rush off.

Pratt and Micki, in his convertible, make a stop at a gas station. Micki is worries cause he doesn't appear well. He says it is just allergies and heads to the bathroom. The attendant asks Micki if that is really William Pratt. He'd like his autograph. In the bathroom, Pratt's face is getting worse, but the makeup case isn't helping now. Micki asks the attendant to check on him when he is gone while. Pratt tells him to go away at first, begging the makeup case to not force him. As the attendant steps inside, Pratt grabs him.

More worried, Micki heads to the bathroom herself. Pratt is applying his makeup, blood all over the sink and mirror. Micki knocks and he drops the glass jar, breaking it. He says he is good now. When she asks about the attendant, he says the make took off. They leave as blood seeps out under the door.

They arrive at the lake and Micki wakes up. Pratt is acting weird. Micki goes to check them in under her name. Pratt asks her for room number five and she smiles, but seems concerned. He then writhes in pain as his faces changes. Meanwhile, Ryan and Jack rush to the lake.

Micki comes back out and Pratt is missing. She heads for the cabin and sees the lights inside go out. Inside, Pratt hides. Micki comes in and calls for him, he tells Diana to stay away. She is confused. Pratt goes from shadow to shadow, not making sense to her. He says she doesn't know who he is and keeps calling her Diana. Micki tells him not to be afraid. He says she will leave him when she sees him. She says never. He tells Diana it is him, Jeff Emory. When he turns around, Micki is shocked by his grotesque appearance. Emory/Pratt grabs her saying she promised never to leave him. Jack and Ryan arrive.

Pratt holds Micki confusing her with Diana. He says she never loved him and begins to strangle her. Micki plays along, saying she does love him. He says to prove it by kissing him. Micki does, and Pratt cries, saying she does love him. Ryan and Jack burst in as Micki is cradling the crying, confused man. Ryan picks up the makeup case.

Later, at night, Ryan and Jack go up to Micki's bedroom. She is sitting on her bed, crying. They ask how she's doing. Jack tells her she was brave. Ryan says Pratt is going to be put away. She wants to know why she is crying over a murderer. Jack says she saw more than that in him. She says he was lonely inside, and Ryan says they all have that inside. Jack then tells her about an actor who played monsters but was one of the kindest people he had ever met. The man was Boris Karloff, but his real name was William Pratt. Micki hugs Jack as the show ends on a picture of the disfigured Pratt on her dressing table.

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My thoughts:

This is a great show, with an interesting cursed item and a very sympathetic character. Pratt is truly the Beast to Micki's Beauty, and she does see the loneliness inside the man. She doesn't even completely turn away from him after he is revealed in his hideous form. She kisses him, to save her life, but also comforts him as he descends into madness.

Pratt, too, isn't black and white. Sure, he is evil, killing people just so he can stay handsome and popular. But, in the end, he just wanted some to love him for who he is inside. And when Micki does show him that kindness, he doesn't kill her but merely collapses into himself.

Ryan and Jack are more supporting here, but their relationships are played so well. They tease Micki and she teases back. They worry about her and work to see if Pratt truly is dangerous, but they don't outright try and stop her, at first, knowing she is a grown woman who is free to make her own choices.

I like, too, at the end when Pratt is acting hinky, Micki isn't just completely ignoring the signs in her infatuation with the actor. She rolls her eyes and such to show that, handsome or not, he is acting weird.

The makeup case is interesting as a cursed item. We know they are indestructible, so when Pratt drops the glass jar he is using to apply the cursed makeup, we must assume the jar is something he provided to the case and not original to it at the time it was cursed, or it would not have shattered. Also an interesting tie-in to make it having once been owned by maybe the most infamous actor-turned-killer, John Wilkes Booth.

Also like the idea of the shop renting non-cursed items out to movies and such. A good way for them to make some much needed money.

The story is great, although Pratt's rise to fame and fortune is a little far-fetched. But, who knows how far the curse was extending?

A great episode, well directed by the under-appreciated Tom McLoughlin.

Next week: Wax Magic

#Friday The 13th: The Series #season two #episode recap #master of disguise #jack marshak #chris wiggins #louise robey #robey #micki foster #ryan dallion #john d. lemay #boris karloff #william pratt #makeup kit #tom mcloughlin

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