The Ray Bradbury Theater (TV Series) The Emissary (1988) User Reviews

Creepy Tale of Loyalty and Efficiency

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 1 April 2009]

The lonely Martin (Keram Malicki-Sánchez) is a boy confined to bed because of his illness and his only contact with the outside world is through his loyal dog that brings flowers and objects from the streets to him. When his mother questions the actions of his dog, Martin decides to prove his efficiency to his mother and asks the animal to find a friend for him. The dog brings Miss Haight (Helen Shaver), who would be Martin's teacher if the boy could go to the school, and she becomes her friend, visiting him every day. One day, Martin is informed by his parents that Miss Haight died in a car crash; after her funeral, his dog goes to the cemetery to bring her back.

"The Emissary" is a creepy tale of loyalty and efficiency. The surprising open conclusion, with the dog bringing Miss Haight back from beyond to the bedridden boy, is a totally unexpected twist in the story. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "The Emissary"

The oddest thing about this story...

[tles7 · 6/10 · 3 December 2020]

Apart from this story, a pretty good entry into the series, is that the lead character, a teenage boy, played by a male actor, is for some reason made up like a girl. You first think it is a girl when you view the story....with visible lipstick and eyeshadow, other excessive eye makeup and pancake. Not sure what was going on there with the makeup person other than poor choices, not intentional.

"Dog brings the whole world back to me."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 14 December 2021]

What could have been a real creepy story wound up being only a mildly creepy story when the decaying hand of Miss Haight (Helen Shaver) began opening the door to young Martin Bailey's (Keram Malicki-Sánchez) bedroom at the very end of this episode. Because knowing that she died in a car crash, and Dog's predisposition to bringing his young master a friend for company, what else would one expect? With Dog going missing for a day or two and then suddenly reappearing, I was fearing the worst, namely that Martin had gone over to the other side himself. But instead, Martin got his wish that Dog would come back home NOW. I thought this was a dreary subject for a Ray Bradbury program, and it seemed like something was missing in the telling. Maybe reading the actual story on which it was based would fill in some blanks. Otherwise the 'surprise' at the end of the story is one I wouldn't want to experience myself.

The Emissary

[Prismark10 · 4/10 · 14 February 2024]

Martin (Keram Malicki-Sanchez) is a sick boy laid up in bed. His company is his loyal dog who brings him items from the outside world.

One day Martin is visited by his new schoolteacher. Miss Haight (Helen Shaver) has followed the dog home and has quickly befriended Martin.

Only Martin is back on his own again as Miss Haight died in a car accident. It is up to the dog to bring back things from the outside. Only one evening after going missing. The dog has brought back a skeletal hand.

Has it dug up Miss Haight's hand?

This might had been an interesting and haunting story. I just found it dreary. The creepiness never translated well to the small screen.

The Spirit of Life in Every Leaf, in Every Breath of Air

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 24 March 2015]

I'm very familiar with this story from Bradbury's "The October Country." It involves a boy who has an undisclosed illness. He seems pretty vibrant in general, so we are not privy to the symptoms. While other kids go to school, he remains in an upstairs bedroom. He has a dog named Dog who is his emissary; that is, the dog simply runs around doing dog things, but in the process he brings smells and small items from the neighborhood. He is the connection to the outside. One day the boy puts a metal tag on the collar asking for friends. The teacher he would have had discovers the tag and comes to see him. She develops a loving relationship with him, bringing him books and making them come to life. Unfortunately, one day she is killed in a car accident. Dog has one more task and it brings about quite a conclusion. This episode banks on he images of childhood again with beautiful fall images and a kind of magic.