There’s a lot of hatred churning in Monday’s episode of “7th Heaven,” the WB network’s warm and fuzzy family drama. And even though the poignant episode’s title, “I Hate You” is taken from a secondary plotline, echoes of that harmful emotion reverberate throughout.
First, Ruthie Camden (cute Mackenzie Rosman), the youngest of the five Camden kids, hurls the word “hate” at her mother Annie (Catherine Hicks) after receiving punishment for drawing an elaborate crayon mural on her wall.
Annie is rocked: “I know that she didn’t mean what she said,” Annie tells her oldest son Matt (Barry Watson). “But that word coming out of that sweet little face . . . how can she even say the word `hate,’ much less that she hates me?”
Then, Matt’s new girlfriend (Ashley Cafagna) thinks she’s hated by his sisters Mary and Lucy (Jessica Biel and Beverley Mitchell), after she hears them suggest she’s a phony.
But the significance of hatred becomes clearest in the third subplot that finds young Simon Camden (David Gallagher) searching for a topic for an oral history presentation for school. The idea is given to him by Mrs. Kerjesz, a neighbor who is “always giving stuff I don’t want. Last time we were here, she gave me a ball of string,” he tells his minister father (Stephen Collins).
It turns out that Mrs. Kerjesz (Rita Zohar) is a Holocaust survivor, which Simon realizes after seeing the tatooed numbers on her forearm. His curiosity is heightened when his father shows him a book about that tragedy, and he wants to hear more from Mrs. Kerjesz herself, who is insistent about not reliving the past.
But the elderly woman does more than relive those dark days, and the telling of her tale is all the more potent thanks to Israeli actress Zohar, who was born in one of Adolf Hitler’s death camps.
“If only we could stop hating each other,” Mrs. Kerjesz says at the end of her story. “If only . . .”
The words are spoken with the power and fury that could only come from someone who has lived through the pain and degradation of such a horrible experience. It may still be a little early in the season, but one hopes Zohar is remembered when Emmy nominations are revealed next summer.
Indeed, in its own low-key way, this episode of “7th Heaven” has the sheen of an Emmy-quality production. It certainly isn’t something you would expect from one of the lowest-rated shows on television (last week’s Nielsen figures had the show ranked 96 out of 118).
– Mark the spot: “X-Files” fans can vote for their favorite episodes, as FX is planning a festival of reruns of the hit sci-fi series it airs five nights a week at 7 p.m.
The winning shows will be revealed Thanksgiving Day in a 12-hour marathon starting at 11 a.m. Viewers can vote on 89 episodes from now until 11 a.m. Nov. 26, either through the Internet (at www.FXnetworks.com), or by calling 1-900-TVGUIDE (884-8433), which costs 99 cents a minute. Current issues of TV Guide provide a list of episodes.
Befitting a great Chicago tradition, here is a little plug for a few episodes that should be among those popular 12:
“Squeeze/Tooms”–These two episodes should be counted together because they deal with an adversary rivaling the mysterious Cigarette Smoking Man: compelling Eugene Tooms, a mutant with a taste for human liver and the power to squeeze himself through small objects.
“The Host”–Starring the Flukeman, a freak of radioactive nature who is part worm, part humanoid, this one is by far the creepiest “X-Files” ever.
“Duane Barry/Ascension”–The fateful episode where Scully is supposedly abducted by aliens (Gillian Anderson took time off to have a baby). It’s especially telling in that it shows just how much Scully means to Mulder.
“Colony/End Game”–The debut of the so-called alien bounty-hunter (Brian Thompson) and a grownup Samantha Mulder (Megan Leitch), Mulder’s long-lost sister, fueled this kinetic outing.
“Humbug”–One of the funniest, most bizarre episodes has the agents investigating murders at a traveling sideshow. An edgy performance by a real-life circus freak known as the Enigma.
“Anasazi/The Blessing Way/Paper Clip”–A wonderful three-parter, featuring a boxcar-full of aliens, spaceships, and a cool gun-wielding standoff between Scully, Mulder and assistant FBI director Skinner (Mitch Pileggi).
“Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose”–Peter Boyle won an Emmy for his role as a reluctant psychic helping the agents search for a killer.
“Jose Chung’s `From Outer Space’ “–Charles Nelson Reilly guests as an author investigating UFO encounters in this romp spoofing Men in Black, alien abductions and Mulder himself.
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What are some of your favorites? Mail them to us and we’ll try to print a few in advance of the FX marathon. Send them to “X Marks the Spot,” c/o Allan Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave.–5th Floor, Chicago, Ill. 60611.
