Review of Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) by Edith N — 04 Mar 2007

There's so much darkness inside people. Sometimes, it's unleashed. The results have ripples beyond what we expect. We can't stop them; it's the way it works. Life is beyond our control.

They killed one man. That one man's son had saved another's life, and that other felt the need to repay a debt. The repaying of the debt made the dark secret come forward.

I shouldn't watch this kind of thing in my current mood. I know that. The meds aren't working, and my nurse practitioner has been sick, so I can't get in to have them adjusted. I'm kind of spiralling down, and this is the place I've reached in my library requests. [i]Bad Day at Black Rock[/i]. Spencer Tracy fighting for justice--and probably keeping himself alive while he's at it.

He doesn't want to live. He just wants to die. However, before he does, he must repay his debt. He has to take the medal to his saviour's father, and he has to do it now. Then, he can die. He can just let go.

I'm watching [i]Six Feet Under[/i], and that doesn't hurt even though it's about nothing but death. Even in that death, there is so often such great joy. I'll get to that; the last couple of episodes should be here Wednesday, and I'll do the full rundown then. But there is no joy in [i]Bad Day at Black Rock[/i]. No one gets out of it okay. There is no happy ending, just an ending.

I don't think I can write about this any more. I'll watch [i]Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House[/i] next; that's nice and funny.