Movie: (1960) A betrothed jazz pianist believes he’s escaped his troublesome mistress when he fails to save her from a fall. But then he’s visited by her ghost … and a blackmailer.
First shown: 9/26/92
Opening: The bots have set up housekeeping in a ventilation duct
Invention exchange: J&tB demonstrate the Aunt Catherine wheel, while the Mads show off the drinking jacket
Host segment 1: Joel is stuck in ventilation duct, Crow and Tom are no help
Host segment 2: Joel asks the bots which pop singers they’d like to throw from a lighthouse
Host segment 3: Crow and Tom pretend to be bodyless ghosts, but Joel has the last laugh
End: J&tB are depressed so they think happy thoughts and sing a happy song, and does Frank
Stinger: “Tom Stewart killed me!”
(236 votes, average: 4.31 out of 5)
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• A lot of people say this may be Bert I.’s best, and it may be true. It’s definitely possible to get caught up in this one, as strange as it is. The riffing is good and the host segments are what we’ve come to expect from season four. Definitely a fun episode.
• This episode was included in Rhino’s “The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 11.”
• “This is one dark mama-jama of a movie,” Joel says toward the end, and, wow, is it ever. It’s also kinda dull for the first half, although the weirdness overwhelms the blandness in the second half. The script makes some bold narrative choices: nobody can sympathize with the awful, grasping, brassy Vi, and Tom didn’t actively kill her and yet he is still subjected to blackmail and as nightmarish haunting. It seems like Tom’s biggest mistake (not counting killing the hipster) was not immediately reporting Vi’s death.
• Cambot is leaning WAY over the desk to shoot Joel in the opening.
• That’s definitely Mike as “The Aunt Catherine Wheel” and “Uncle Carl,” and it sounds like the same voice as “Grammy Fisher” and “Aunt Ethel” but who is it? Trace, maybe?
• I have a special fondness for the “drinking jacket” invention — I created my own and wore it in the costume contest at the second convention.
• Sadly the “Spalding, old man!” joke is not so funny now.
• Movie comment: They’re sending the invitations only a week before the wedding?
• I’m no expert on men’s calves but certain people of the female persuasion have expressed agreement with Crow’s assessment. Any thoughts on Joel’s calves?
• This episode’s overused joke: “Sessions presents…” Once or twice, okay, but they really beat it to death.
• After segment 2, Joel is so excited he playfully tosses Tom as they reenter the theater (Kevin is apparently laying on his back waiting to catch him).
• Crow goofs: The snack bar chef is NOT Merritt Stone. That’s Gene Roth. But Stone IS in the movie: he’s the clergyman who marries Tom and his bride.
• Callback: “Charles Moffett…” (Ring of Terror)
• Joel suggests this is more depressing than hanging in a bar talking to Neil Young. Why is talking to Neil Young depressing? He seems like a pretty cheerful guy.
• One highlight of the episode is the hilarious “happy thoughts song,” including Frank’s verse at the end. Great stuff. Note that the Prince Roach from episode 408- HERCULES UNCHAINED is on the floor near Frank.
• I’ve always enjoyed Joel’s use of the phrase “K’nerping for moisture.”
• During the song, Tom Servo’s head falls off. They keep going.
• Cast and crew roundup: Of course, many of the people who worked on this worked on other BIG movies, to wit: scriptwriter George Worthing Yates also wrote “Earth vs. The Spider” and “War of the Colossal Beast.” Cinematographer Ernest Laszlo also worked “The Space Children.” Editor John Bushelman worked “War of the Dinosaurs” and “Village of the Giant. Costumer Marge Corso worked on “Earth Vs. the Spider,” “Teenage Caveman,” “Bloodlust” and “The She-Creature.” And of course Albert Glasser did every movie ever. In front of the camera, in addition to Gene Roth and Merritt Stone, there’s Harry Fleer, who was also in “The Unearthly,” Vera Marshe, who was also in “The Space Children” and George Stanley, who was in “Earth Vs. Spider.”
• CreditsWatch: Host segments directed by Kevin Murphy. Tim Scott replaces Brian Wright as audio guy. Andrea DuCane did hair and makeup (the third of three times this season). And it is with this episode that we say farewell to Alexandra Carr, who was with the show since the KTMA days and did just about every job, including writer and performer. Her departure caused a lot of title shifts, but we’ll deal with that in the next episode. “Ammendment” is still spelled wrong.
• Fave riff: “Honey, I’m ho-o-o-o-oh, yeah, you’re dead.” Honorable mention: “C’mon, we’re going bowling.”
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Ya’know, if it ever comes out that there was something keeping Joel from the set that day and it was Mike’s ankles subbing for Joel’s in the dangling scene — there’s gonna be a severe existential crisis amongst some female MSTies.
Oh, and: “Two words: Get Over It!”
The Drinking Jacket really is the sickest thing they ever did. One dark mammajamma of an invention!
Another steaming pile from Mr. BIG (Bert I. Gordon) was filmed at Malibu and Santa Catalina Island, CA. It stars Richard Carlson (1912-1977) and Bert’s daughter Susan Gordon (1949-2011). Susan’s film debut was quite by accident. Her father was directing Attack of the Puppet People (1958). The young girl who was cast in the role of the little Girl Scout with the broken dolly became ill. Susan filled in and the results of her one day of work had Hollywood agents buzzing. By the time this film came along she was quite the little actress. Despite that, I just don’t care for this episode.
The invention exchange was particularly funny and a little cruel (considering Frank had had a little trouble with Mr. Booze earlier in his life). Dr. Forrester introduces him, “…and here’s Frank now wearing my invention [a dark suit covered with multi-colored insects] for this week’s exchange. Everyone has a smoking jacket and now for the foppish lush there’s my new drinking jacket. Large pockets really hide the booze and it comes with the DT’s of course [a large green snake falls out when Frank opens the jacket, and he freaks out.] Perfect for a naked lunch, or any lost weekend, or take it under the volcano for those days of wine and roses. Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf? Not my little barfly with his new drinking jacket from Old English Botany 500, who reminds you that booze really heals.
Favorite lines from Tormented:
[Tom Stewart’s fiancee’s bathing suit] She’s wearing today’s paper.
Ann B. Davis as Mrs. Longstreet.
Sandy’s back and she’s pissed.
Overall, this one only gets two out of five stars from me. I was a little pressed to find any favorite lines.
Final thought. When I first saw the actress who played the mother, I racked my brain trying to remember where I’d seen her. After about twenty minutes (and no access to IMDB) it hit me—she played Jackie Coogan’s wife in Space Children. The actress is Vera Marshe and she played Frieda Johnson.
# 52 24HourWideAwakeNightmare. Even darker than my personal fave the cholester-do-all from ‘the Painted Hills?’
Were Joel and the Bots really quiet this episode, or are there just no riffs to remember?
This might not be the best film Bert I. did (that would probably be The Magic Sword IMHO, but it’s probably the most ambitious, which is not really the same thing! He starts the movie off as kinda low-budget Hitchcock, but characteristically blows it by slopping on cheeseball special effects, etc. at the end. The first time I watched it, I was a little chilled in spite of myself.
I love the “drinking jacket” invention, especially when Trace reels off all the alcohol-themed movie and books references at the end.
Susan Gordon, R.I.P
Ah, yes, “k’nerping [sic] for moisture”–that line was a bit of a psychic lawn dart for me when seeing this episode for the first time many moons ago. The line “Knirps for moisture” is from the Frank Zappa song “Penguin in Bondage” off the album “Roxy & Elsewhere” (itself referenced, with Roxy Music, in “Eegah”). I also thought for years that “knirps” was a verb (albeit a weird, made-up, Zappa-esque one) until discovering much later that Knirps is a German brand of umbrella. Go figure.
By the way, Sessions never presented Frank Zappa, needless to say.
Always liked this episode. “Oh, like there’s never been a sex scandal in jazz before.”
Since the episode was made, the number of pop singers whom I’d like to see dropped from a lighthouse has increased exponentially…
-Richard
RE: the Neil Young reference… Neil Young himself may have been a cheerful man, but man, his MUSIC was notoriously depressing.
This is definitely one of the best episodes. The guys are on fire! Franks drinking jacket is one of the best inventions, Frank Coniff is usually not that funny to me.
Joels calves are NOT appealing.
>If you think you wouldn’t be bothered by failing to save someone you could have saved, remind me never to go to the top of a lighthouse with you.
What is that supposed to mean? You’re planning to jump off a lighthouse? Don’t do it, Fishbulb! Tormented isn’t worth it!
Still say the best thing Mr. BIG ever produced was his daughter Susan. She was a very good actress, even in her father’s movies.
RIP, Susan.
Cholester-Do All was more cruel than dark, let’s say. The Drinking Jacket dovetails nicely with the mood/subject of the movie, too, don’t you think?
OK, prepare for a bit of a Contact High: 70’s Gold Sessions Record offer.
Leo Sayer!
Robert John!
Harry Chapin!
John Stewart!
30 of the Greatest Hits ever assembled in one album!
Sessions was a record label based in Downer Groves, IL, appropriately enough. Not surprising that Minnesota residents would be familiar with them but I remember these ads from growing up in eastern Oregon too, where we only had 4 channels to pick from, 3 from central Washington and one out of Portland, so they were broadcast in the rest of the nation to some extent.
If you want more of this tacky nostalgia search the uploader of that vid for ‘sessions,’ natch.
Abba!
Blondie!
Nick Gilder!
I’ve seen this one a hundred times at least. I’m gonna say it has the best acting of any MST movie, even Space Travelers. Because the plot is a little goofy, and the second half has the reason why MST chose it, i’m sure: the way cheesy floating head special effects. Yet, Richard Carlson (and the rest, esp. Sandy) pulls off an amazing feat to draw us into his unraveling world of lies and self-deception. He is a genuinely likeable guy, he didn’t kill his ex, she obviously was unhinged and manipulative, he yearns for a normal life with his innocent if naive fiance. His relationship with little sister Sandy is warm and not forced or creepy, in a small-town (or closed island community) way. However, I think Sampo is wrong — he really is morally culpable for VI’s death, and never totally owns up to it, which is his undoing. And that’s why this is a compelling movie: we are rooting for Tom the whole way, but he keeps slipping further into evil to cover up his mistake, all the way to the end, when he turns against Sandy, we see how completely he’s sold his soul.
47 JMaster: I agree, they could have had some good Joe Turkel jokes in there, maybe some Lloyd the bartender jokes from The Shining.
I think I was hooked when Servo wanted to re-kill Kenny Rogers over “Six Pack.” I saw that in the theater, and just the fact that anyone remembered that little nothing turd of a movie made me howl.
Fave riff: Blind woman;”It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything”…Stewart: “I keep forgetting.” Servo:”You KEEP FORGETTING?” One of my best friends is blind, and though we both use visual lingo (‘I saw him last week’) I’ve never forgotten that he’s COMPLETELY WITHOUT SIGHT.
5 out of 5 stars for me, top 10 episode, I watched this episode maybe more than any other back in the day. The watchable movie, great riffs and outstanding host segments all add up to a winner for me. Although this is one of their darker movies (outdone only perhaps by The Girl in Lover’s Lane), I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am old enough to get the “Sessions presents” references and didn’t think there were too many. Helping my love for this episode is that I too can never forgive Kenny Rogers for Six Pack and I hate the Starland Vocal Band with a passion that will never die. I sang variations of the Happy song whenever I got mad for a long time afterwards and bothered roommates, time to start doing it again to annoy the Mrs.
Favorite riffs: Too many to list, this episode keeps me laughing the whole way through. I think this episode gets season 4 back on track after a few so-so outings and the rest of the season is the show’s finest work.
I just realized something: George Worthing Yates, who wrote the screenplay, also wrote “Earth vs. the Spider,” the title of which was stolen from “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers,” which George Worthing Yates also wrote. Weird, man. Weird.
This, like Kitten With a Whip but not as bad, always bothered me with how it handled the blackmailing. Tom just fails entirely upon the man’s return and beefing up the price. He started out well enough saying he paid the man off just to get him to go away, and he could have easily stuck to that. All the man had was a couple of names and the only other evidence that Vi was ever there was the bracelet with her name on it, and Sandy was there when it washed up on shore so there’s evidence that it relatively came from nowhere. For some reason little weak premises like this really bother me when the rest of the movie is relatively strong.
Strange that I absolutely hated the Sessions presents jokes the first time through, but on the rewatch of the episode last weekend, I found myself enjoying them, and even humming along. Movie is good on its own, and it could have made a serviceable entry into any of those thriller anthologies, if they’d edited it down to an hour timeslot.
Fave riff: “Blind lemon pedge!”
Fun episode. Five stars for me, although I agree they should have stopped after three “Sessions Presents” gags. Still, the watchable movie makes this a pretty good newbie episode.
Another fine example of Sampo’s Theorem in action. I’m firmly in the “love this episode” camp. I agree w/those who like the actors, esp. Susan Gordon. And I love the “Sessions” riffs – those brought back so many memories (and bad songs).
For those of you who’ve mentioned that Tom Stewart didn’t kill Vi, so shouldn’t feel guilty: technically, he committed a sin of omission, that is, he failed to save her when he had the chance. By allowing her to fall to her death when he could have (at least) made an effort to pull her up, he became responsible for what happened.
“Host segment 3: Crow and Tom pretend to be headless ghosts, but Joel has the last laugh”
They’re actually bodyless ghosts, not headless.
Honey, I’m Hooo-oh yeah, she’s dead…
That’s what she gets for railing against him.
Great episode! Love this movie. I didn’t care so much for the host segments, but the movie is very watchable.
As to the budding sociopaths who wonder why Tom was tormented — geez, he was responsible for Vi’s death. If you can save someone from dying and you don’t, for your own selfish reasons, it tends to bug. At least if you have a conscience.
Someone mentioned that Carlson was too old. I think that was the point — Tom was much older than Meg, one of his undesirable attributes (along with being a jazz magician :laugh: ).
And that’s Mike doing all the voices on the Aunt Catherine Wheel. Am I the only one who didn’t know the Catherine Wheel was a torture device?
So Sampo’s Theroem is very much in force for the Sessions Presents running riffs. Personally I enjoy them. But I enjoyed the Pod People “Chief McLoed” running riff to the end as well.
What makes it work is that the songs/artists are different each time the runing riff reoccurs. Besides that beach house on stilts just sets up the riff each time. If it was the same everytime then it would get old for me as well.
I recently watched this just prior to Susan passing on. She actually one of the better actors in this film. This episode is just middle of the road for me. The dullness just pulls me down and the riffing struggles to bring me back up. As for six I mean Vi she was a total “B****” dead can you imagine if she stayed alive.
I too must put in a good word for this one. Susan Gordon is great in this, she was a good little actress. And I think the guys recognize this fact, no one is mean to her. They actually seem somewhat kind.
Love it when Joel laughs, it happened rarely. But I count at least 2 chuckles in this one.
And Merrit Stone is the preacher? He seems pretty young, or do you mean the older guy that talks to Tom about the missing ring? Or are these the same guys? I’m confused.
Some favorite moments:
Crow’s creaking bedsprings
“Lolita…”
“Put her down Jerry Lee!”
“why arn’t you wearing any pants?”
“the original dead Milkman”
“I can’t see my house from up here”
“Like there’s never been a sex scandal in jazz before”
And can someone tell me who Michael Franks is? Too lazy to look it up.
Wow, haven’t posted on here in a while, school’s been eating up my time.
Anyway, I’m a big fan of this episode with the Sessions Presents riffs, the greasy boat captain, the riffs on the Vi ghost and the “Joel Robinson killed us!” sketch being my favorite parts of the episode.
I feel that B.I.G.’s best movie was The Amazing Colossal Man, it’s one of the few MST3Ked movies I have on DVD and I think it’s actually an effective Sci-Fi movie. I feel the same way about This Island Earth and The Mole People.
“Spalding, old man” ? Uhhh someone help me out here, I don’t get it. The only Spalding I know is Groucho Marx’s Captain Spalding, and he wasn’t real. Captain Spalding, that is, not Groucho Marx, though Groucho could be pretty unreal, too.
This is one of my top ten episodes. I could go on and on about this one. Joe Turkel rules!
This film is only notable to me because Meg was played by Lugene Sanders, who earlier played the daughter Babs on the old (really old) TV sitcom ‘The Life of Riley’. From what I can determine she retired after “Tormented”, got married and went into hiding. And who could blame the poor, sweet thing?
Am I the only one who likes Mr Big giant bugs movies?
As for the episode, it was okay. I paid more attention to the movie than the riffing itself. The same happened to me with the Killer Shrews.
#76: Apparently, there was a Captain Spaulding, who used to sell drugs to Hollywood celebrities. It is said that Groucho Marx took the name from him. But it’s pure gossip.
Trilaan,
“Spalding, Old man!” is from “Swimming To Cambodia” performance film by Spalding Gray. In search of the perfect moment, Spalding has a friend (It’s been years since I last saw it) who calls him that. “Spalding, old man! You’ve gone out too far!” turns up again in 505.
#74- Michael Franks was a pop/jazz singer who wrote and sang a beautiful tribute to Miles Davis and John Coltrane called “The Lady wants to know.” His name also comes up in Manos- as he does look like the Master a bit. I saw Franks in concert about 30 years ago. Yeah- he was pretty good. But not as good as this movie!
Amen to whoever said Neil Young makes depressing music.
I just wanted to say Neil Young writes all sorts of music so don’t pigeon hole Shakey !! :-)
I liked this one a lot. I agree with much of what has been posted above. Back in the Comedy Central days this episode seemed to get played a lot. Right up to the end of the CC run of the series. At that time I truly got burned out on it. Now I hadn’t seen it in over 10 years and watched it today. It was fresh to me.
4 stars.
76 Trilaan, as Cubby mentioned , it is a Spalding Gray reference; made a little more dark by the fact that he eventually committed suicide. Sad, but the riff is still funny. Again, for the kids: DON’T commit suicide, there’s always hope, and if someone is falling off a precipice, you must grab them and help them back up.
Ugh. I keep coming late to these threads. Curse my 9-to-5 job!
Lisa (#71) is right that Tom is tormented because he has a conscience and he knows he could have saved Vi and didn’t. Plus, there’s the legal aspect… In some jurisdictions, Tom could have been convicted of manslaughter for not helping Vi. Sampo’s right, though, that he could have gotten out of it by reporting the death right away and perhaps changing his story a little bit. (“I was in the lighthouse cleaning up a little bit when I heard her screaming for help. When I ran to the top, all I saw was the broken railing and no Vi.”) Still, that brings up the awkward (for his fiancé) situation of explaining why an old flame was with him alone in the lighthouse right before their wedding. But again, he could just tell the truth: she’s nuts and flipped out when I announced that I was getting married. Now all this legal stuff aside, even if the authorities cleared him, he’d still have the guilty conscience and would still be tormented.
Interestingly enough, in the DVD extras BIG himself says that in the original script, Tom DOES kill Vi. It was Richard Carlson (“Tom Stewart”) who suggested it get changed. I think it was a smart move. The fact that we’re debating Tom’s level of complicity in Vi’s shows that.
Now for my episode rating: one of the best stand-alone MST3K movies. But the episode loses gas because the riffing just isn’t as strong as it often is. 3 stars.
Cubby and Fred Burroughs: To be more clear: “Swimming to Cambodia” is Gray’s tale of his experiences while filming “The Killing Fields.” At one point, while at the beach, in search of a “perfect moment,” he swims out past the waves and keeps on swimming, as his friends call to him to come back.
The reason it’s less funny now is that Gray eventually committed suicide, and did so by drowning himself.
“Open the door, for your mystery date!”
Tormented is definitely in my top 20 MST3K episodes. The riffs are mostly funny and I actually enjoyed following the film’s plot, which isn’t always the case for this show. I’ve always said the best MST episodes are the ones where the plot is actually comprehensible, because then you can get into it much easier than when it’s just Joel/Mike and the bots making fun of random images on the screen (see the Coleman Francis trilogy).
I’ve mentioned before that I’m a lover of running gags, but I definitely agree that they go way too far with the “Sessions presents!” series on this one. By the end, even Joel is sick of it and I even dislike it to the point of groaning when they use it again later in Attack of the The Eye Creatures a few times.
Other than that, not a bad episode and my favorite riff is right at the beginning: “Hold on, I’ve decided to save you!”
Also love it when they crack up at seeing Vi’s ghost’s head.
Even if he wasn’t the best director or filmmaker, I gained a lot of respect for Bert I. after watching the interview with him on the Tormented DVD in Vol. 11. He loved what he did and he had a lot of creative ideas.
#38
I haven’t seen this one unriffed, but I do agree that there are movies out there that are better watched without the riffing treatment. My personal example is First Spaceship to Venus. The riffs on it are good, but can also be distracting; not to mention they slow down the slow parts even more by reminding us how slow they are. It was a more engrossing film otherwise.
Like a lot of people here this one was just a bit ‘meh’ for me. I think it suffers in coming behind “Manhunt in Space” which was a laugh riot for me.
I agree that Vi is pretty roundly unlikable. The movie itself has an interesting hook — it makes me think of something that would have originally appeared in an EC comic book like “Tales from the Crypt” or Warren publishing’s “Eerie” or “Creepy” — but ultimately, to me, it feels like they drag things out a little too long. The film might have worked better with a peppier pace or even, dare I say it, as an episode of a TV series instead of a movie.
Like Sampo, I get a little weary of the “Sessions Presents” jokes — and yes, I’m old enough to have seen some of those commercials too. The host segments, though are a lot of fun. I wasn’t noticing Joel’s calves so much as wondering what he was sitting on or hanging from on the set to dangle his legs like that.
The Season 4 slump is over, thanks to Mr. Bert I. Gordon. This is an old favorite, used to be in heavy rotation but it’s been awhile since I’ve watched it. TORMENTED holds up well, a really great episode, the Invention Exchange and all the Host Segments are great, the riffing is solid, and the movie itself is dark, weird, and jazzy. I like it.
RIFFS AND THINGS:
-from The Aunt Catherine Wheel,
“Aunt Ethel says, “You’re on the goofballs, aren’t ya?””
Joel: “She’s turning into a salad.”
Crow: “Where’s the croutons?”
Crow: “Honey I’m hooooo, oh yeah, you’re dead.”
Joel: “Put her down, Jerry Lee.”
movie: “They lived in that little house down the beach, the last house.”
Joel: “..on the Left?” —-the 1st of 2 references to LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, and not the first time they’ve referenced that sleazy classic.
Joel: “This belonged to V.I. Warshawski.” —Obscure Kathleen Turner movie reference
Joel: “Hey that’s a St. Paulie Girl, put that back.” —-Joel’s got good taste in beer!
Crow: “Now, it’s garbage.”
Joel: “Seems like a really nice guy. Too bad he’s blackmailing me.”
Servo: “Deviled eggs, nooooo!”
Joel (reaction to floating head): “Vi, you lost a lot of weight.”
I like the “Sessions presents..” series of riffs, but agree that they wear thin after a bit.
speaking of running jokes,
Joel: “Jim Henson’s Witness Babies.”
and later,
Servo: “Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo Babies.”
Joel: “This is one dark mamma jamma of a movie, guys.”
Crow: “Sandy has grown up a lot this week.”
Crow: “If you could see what I hear.”
Servo: “I have been acquainted with the night.”
After the experiment, Joel & the Bots quote the infamous tagline for LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, “it’s only a movie, it’s only a movie, it’s only a movie…”
Vi will haunt me if I don’t give this at least a
4/5
.
I think Vi should get an award for most determined stalker. Even the most murderous ones usually quit after they die. She needed to read “He’s just not that into you”, and get an afterlife.
Another surprisingly good movie from Bert I. And I too found him and his daughter to be charming in the DVD interview.
I think depraved indifference is one legal term for failing to save a life. Whether that applied here could be debated.
I don’t understand why having a former girlfriend with old love letters would constitute a scandal or a lawsuit. She wasn’t a minor. That was the creepy subplot.
Very tense movie. Almost a (very) poor man’s Hitchcock.
If anyone is wondering, the mis-identified song was “Indiana Wants Me,” by R. Dean Taylor, not Mark
Lindsay. Why do I know that?
Here’s another goof that falls into the “can’t unsee” category. In the opening, Servo falls out of the ventilation shaft and Joel rushes to help him up. However, you can clearly see the dropped Servo bounce far to the left, while the other Servo comes up immediately from the right-hand side of the desk.
And in the middle of the song, when Servo’s head comes off, you can hear Crow start to scream in horror (as they often did in “Poopie!”), but he quickly covers it up with some la-la-las.
“I don’t understand why having a former girlfriend with old love letters would constitute a scandal or a lawsuit.”
I think the implication is that he was carrying on an affair while engaged to Meg.
Am I the only one who would have chosen Vi over the girl Tom Stewart WAS going to marry?
Wait, did that many people seriously not pick up on the BLATANTLY OBVIOUS plot point that Tom actively recoiled from helping Vi, and straight up let her fall to her death, thereby removing a threat to his marriage to Meg?