Joy Ride is a fast paced, short episode, which works to its advantage - a slower-paced story would have given the viewer too much time to think about the plot's implausibilities. The characters hot-wire a 1950's car in the driveway of its recently-deceased owner, and find themselves cruising streets that look like they did in the car's heyday.
The story elements greatly resemble some of those form the novel Christine (not so much the movie), in which riders in the titular car see scenes from the 1950's out the windows, and the spirit of the old owner (here also a killer) is taking possession of the new "owner".
The final scene, in which a gun has suddenly become old and useless, is reminiscent of the conclusion of a classic twilight zone episode, "A hundred yards over the rim".
"Shelter Skelter" is a real casting coup, which anthology shows in particular can achieve. This episode has both Joan Allen and Joe Mantegna in the leads. It also serves a chilling reminder to the fears of nuclear war which permeated the mid-1980's.
"Private Channel" remains very timely, as it describes the isolating effects of personal technology. That isolation gets completed inverted by the episodes premise, and the episode has a very moving ending.
The story elements greatly resemble some of those form the novel Christine (not so much the movie), in which riders in the titular car see scenes from the 1950's out the windows, and the spirit of the old owner (here also a killer) is taking possession of the new "owner".
The final scene, in which a gun has suddenly become old and useless, is reminiscent of the conclusion of a classic twilight zone episode, "A hundred yards over the rim".
"Shelter Skelter" is a real casting coup, which anthology shows in particular can achieve. This episode has both Joan Allen and Joe Mantegna in the leads. It also serves a chilling reminder to the fears of nuclear war which permeated the mid-1980's.
"Private Channel" remains very timely, as it describes the isolating effects of personal technology. That isolation gets completed inverted by the episodes premise, and the episode has a very moving ending.