Main cast: Elliott Gould (Augie Benson), Olivier Rabourdin (Denis LeBreaux), and Page Fletcher (The Hitchhiker)
Director: Patricia Mazuy
Many recognizable actors these days paid their dues by appearing in genre shows during the infancy of their careers. There’s no shame in that, as I’m sure Brad Pitt and Ewan McGregor are proud of their efforts in elevating the artistry of the genre. A quick glance at IMDB reveals that Elliott Gould wasn’t spoiled for choices when he landed a place on A Whole New You. Ah, the things one does for love and money.
He is really camping it up, though. From yelling like a maniac to leering like a horny buffalo, Mr Gould seems to be high throughout the whole episode. Maybe the shame of being on this show is killing him, the poor darling.
Mr Gould plays Augie Benson, a criminal that is willing to testify against his boss. This causes him to be at the receiving end of assassination attempts, so he demands to be given plastic surgery to change his appearance.
There is a cutting edge cosmetic surgery that is still under some fine-tuning, and the surgeon in charge, Dr Renaud, is repulsed at the idea of working on a psychopath like Augie. However, Augie’s handler Denis LeBreaux threatens to pull strings and get her government funding cut off, so she reluctantly agrees to perform the surgery on Augie.
Gee, an irate surgeon being forced to operate on someone she loathes… I’m sure things will turn out fine for Augie!
This one is a super predictable episode of The Twilight Zone, right down to The Hitchhiker’s lines in the bookend segments, so much so that I wonder whether this episode is made from a rejected script meant for that other show. It is more heavy-handed in delivering a message than other episodes in this show, and the twist is actual a feel good one for everyone aside from Augie. Even then, one can argue that it’s also a good twist for Augie, considering what he has become.
However, this episode is a tough one to watch, due to Mr Gould’s incessant mugging that becomes increasingly over the top and even grating on the nerves. Seriously, that guy is manic. Then there is Olivier Rabourdin’s thickly accented English that also becomes distracting after a while. I don’t know why they just didn’t let him speak in French and have subtitles for his lines, as that may make this episode seem more natural rather than forced.
At any rate, this one has an okay story but also acting from the cast that range from cocaine overload to “I just learned English yesterday!” I guess I can’t have it all.
