Bewitched is a comedy show from the 1960s about the daughter of a witch, Samantha Stephens (played by Elizabeth Montgomery) who just wants to live a simple and mundane life with her non-supernatural husband Darrin Stephens (played by Dick York). In the season three episode Twitch or Treat Darrin is angry about his mother-in laws constant public magic use. Upon hearing that she will be hosting a witches party at the ever disappearing and reappearing house across the street, Darrin requests that Samantha convince her mother to cancel. Samantha wanting to keep her marriage decides to talk to her mother Endora (played by Agnes Moorehead). As one would presume Endora is unwilling to cancel the festivities. Samantha then proposes that her mother simply have the party somewhere else. Endora agrees with the compromise and decides to have the party at Samantha’s house. Many shenanigans ensue as Darrin reluctantly agrees to attend the magical party, Samantha’s favourite uncle Arthur (played by Paul Lynde) appears, and the neighbourhood councilmen comes to investigate the party after a phone call from local neighbour Gladys Kravitz.
The overall script of this episode of Bewitched proves to be just like most shows of that 60s time period. Very dialogue centric and more focused on telling a story through characters words than through visual imagery. Bewitched differs from other shows from that time for the way their characters personalities shine through in their dialogue. Their words are not one dimensional sentences that any character could have said. The way Darrin talks throughout the episode you can tell that as much as he claims to “dislike” magic, he is also willing to put himself in supernatural situations to please Samantha because he loves her. Samantha is very ingrained in her upbringing as a witch and with her dialogue throughout the episode you can see that as much as she doesnt want to do magic anymore, she still enjoys being around it. Samantha is simultaneously not afraid to stand up for what she wants while also wanting to be able to please her husband Darrin. Even Samantha’s mother Endora and her uncle Arthur feel like fleshed out characters. Endora being the ever eccentric and independent witch while also being willing to sympathize with her daughters wishes of a mundane life. And the boisterous and lovable personality of uncle Arthur is ever present in every scene he is in from his pranks on Endora to his side escapades with Samantha. In this particular episode the characters are the main drivers of the plot and it makes it overall very enjoyable to see that they are much more than one dimensional beings. The flow of the episode is very easy to follow because of its simplicity and nothing feels out of place in the script. Every scene in the episode connects together to provide an enjoyable television episode.
As a teenager living in the 21st century watching a Tv episode from the 60s seems daunting from a “progressive” standpoint. One would assume that any TV show from the 60s would be riddled with sexism, racism, and homophobia regardless of the genre. I was pleasantly surprised while watching this episode of Bewitched that it seemed more “progressive” than what I was originally thinking. Although Darrin seems to be the “Man of the House” Samantha is still allowed to be her own person. Endora seems like a very independent woman who is not focused on finding a husband. It is also very clear that uncle Arthur falls close to a stereotype of the “fun, gay uncle” even though it is not explicitly stated. In this episode there was even an appearance of a person of colour playing a famous baseball player. When analyzing all of these factors it is not that surprising to see the progressiveness because this show was created in the mid 60s. A time in which every aspect of social life was being revolutionized and people were becoming more and more progressive. So of course a comedy show about magic would choose to aim for a more liberal tone. Despite any “problematic” appearances that could be in this show, I found the episode very enjoyable and was never focused on any factors of the show being in a stereotypical “60s social viewpoint”.
The actors did a fantastic job at creating a tone of whimsy and comedy throughout the episode. Bewitched is a comedy show about magic so I would say it would be unrealistic to expect the actors to “act” realistic in any capacity. They were all believable while also being comical at the same time. The character Endora is an excellent example of this. She is a powerful witch more concerned with magic than modern realism and that can be seen in her eccentric mannerisms, the way she speaks, and by the way the character perceives the world as so much more than a mundane person would. As for the lead character Samantha, I would say the actress does an excellent job at portraying Samantha’s visual social differences between how she interacts with the magical world and with the mundane world. She really wants to live a mundane life but also knows when to put her foot down and appreciate the wonders of being a witch. Specifically when she chastises Darrin for being uncomfortable with magical things. She simply states that he should be more open minded. Samantha is quirky and fun but not obnoxiously so. Elizabeth’s portrayal of Samantha really does make her the center of the show.
The appeal of Bewitched and what separates it from other shows from its time is that it is simply fun to watch. The whimsical tone of the show accompanied by its creativity and innovation to portray that whimsy go hand in hand to really immerse the viewer into the shows world. At the time they did not have advanced editing techniques to create a “magical world” as we would think of today. They did manage to compensate however. They are able to show a person teleporting from one spot to another by cutting clips to appear this way. A stable shot of a person sitting in a tree and then a cut to the same shot but without the person sitting in the tree followed by another blank shot of the ground, and lastly that same shot but with that person appearing there. That editing adjoined with a sound effect does a good job at showing the viewer what is happening. That being said I did think that the repetitive use of one sound effect for every magic spell did get a bit annoying. The overall flow of the show was not confusing because the editing was precise and not excessive. Aside from all of that I think my favourite part is the creativity to create magic on screen without editing. In the episode at the party there is a floating tray with drinks on it that seemingly no one is holding. This would be achieved by having the tray being held up by “invisible” wires that were controlled by someone in the rafters. This type of ingenuity is what helps bring a world to life for a viewer. Even though the editing is outdated and cheesy from a future perspective I still believe that it holds up and does not dampen the experience of watching the show.
Bewitched is a good show plain and simple. Having said that though I should also have you understand that just like every good show, it has its flaws. It is outdated in both its production quality and the stories it tells. However these factors do not make the show unenjoyable to watch nor do they make it any less valid of future viewings from others. It is a whimsical and fun show that is interesting to view and appreciate from different perspectives. The writing is probably the best part of the whole show and still holds up today. Even though it would not typically be a show I would watch on my own time I still enjoyed watching the episode Twitch or Treat and I wouldn’t say no to watching any more of the show. My final rating of Bewitched is an 8/10 for an innovative quality and magical tone that even holds up today in the 21st century.
TV Critic 