Main cast: Philip Casnoff (William Cobb), Céline Bonnier (Helma), Leonardo Cimino (Nero), and Terence Stamp (The Host)
Director: Russell Mulcahy
No, this is not an episode about people that shag corpses. Well, not in a way, as Necros in this episode is described as “dead things that feed on the living, sucks the marrow clean out of the bones”. So, does sleeping with one count as necrophilia? Dating in the present day can be so confusing.
William Cobb is in New Orleans to drown his sorrows after finding his girlfriend in bed with another woman. Fortunately, it’s Mardi Gras, a time for dangerous passions, and soon enough he finds himself intrigued by the alluring Helma… that happens to be married to an old coot called Nero.
You’d think a fellow that is still reeling from an ex’s infidelity may not want to tempt karma by hooking up with someone already in a relationship with another, but the little head does what it wants to do.
Since this is The Hunger and not The Red Shoe Diaries, however, poor William will soon find out for himself whether there is any truth to the locals calling of Nero as the devil himself…
This is another well-produced episode that looks top notch and expensive despite its soft porn overtones. For those that like this kind of thing, Céline Bonnier shows off almost everything, and I do mean almost everything, while Philip Casnoff gets to keep his secrets for another day.
The twist is telegraphed early on, and people that are familiar with the tropes will know what will happen to William from the very moment he sets eyes on Helma. To be fair, Helma does send off strong come-hither signals and invitations that a smarmy, horny toad like William can’t resist.
Therefore, it is pretty remarkable how watchable the episode is nonetheless. Sure, the twist is obvious and the episode is in many ways a very predictable one, but Helma is a compelling femme fatale that is so much fun to follow. The rest of the guys in the cast do a pretty good job complementing her presence, although unfortunately they don’t have much to work on with their thankless roles.
Even if the twist is predictable and well telegraphed, I have a lot of fun watching this one. It doesn’t jump straight to the sexy stuff, taking its time to set up the mood and atmosphere with some snappy dialogues and solid performances.
They say third time is the charm, so perhaps it’s not so surprising that the third episode of this show is the strongest one to date. Let’s see if the show gets to keep up the momentum in the next few episodes!
