Joyce gets a CAT scan at the hospital while Buffy and Dawn wait impatiently for news.

In Glory's luxurious headquarters, a demon named Dreg offers a spell to Glory. Dreg promises that this spell will allow Glory to find the Key.

Riley finds Spike in Buffy's room, sniffing her clothes. Spike declares that Buffy would not care that he was in her room, and that the clothes-sniffing was just normal predator activity. He also reveals that he knows about Buffy's mother going to the hospital – which Buffy had failed to mention to Riley – and was there to comfort her the previous evening. Spike insinuates Riley cannot keep Buffy satisfied, and Riley tells him to stay away from Buffy and throws him out. Riley shows up at the hospital to comfort Buffy. Joyce confesses to Buffy that the doctors have found a "shadow" in her CAT scan, and they need to do an initial operation to evaluate her condition, and to discover whether surgery is an option.

At The Magic Box, the Scoobies continue to search for information that might indicate the origins, purpose, or weaknesses of Glory. Tara suggests that maybe the Beast is something that is too old for the books, which Giles believes may explain the presence of the Dagon Sphere, which is to ward against that "which cannot be named". They discuss the possibility that Glory may predate language itself, when she herself shows up there and buys several items for a spell. The gang is oblivious to her true identity, and she leaves the store without incident. Back at the hospital, the doctor tells Buffy her mother has a brain tumor and presents her with her mother's options. Ben, an intern, gets the doctor away from Buffy, giving her a break from the doctor's constant questions.

Riley takes Dawn to the park, where he tries to comfort her about her mother. Dawn tries to make Riley feel good by positively comparing him to Angel, but unintentionally makes him feel worse: she relates that she thinks Riley is good for Buffy because Buffy was always in tears over her tumultuous relationship with Angel, but she never cries over Riley - she never "gets that worked up" over him.

Back at The Magic Shop, Buffy talks with the gang about the possibility of helping her mother through the use of magics. However, while Willow expresses willingness to help if she can, Tara and Giles both insist that the magical and the medical are not meant to mix, and that any attempts they made to help Joyce would likely only make things worse. As Anya sorts through receipts at The Magic Shop, she realizes Giles had sold items needed for an ancient Sobekian transmogrification spell. The gang describes the Temple of Sobekian as an ancient Egyptian cult who worshipped reptiles and were "heavy into dark magic", but the Sobekian spells were thought to have been lost for centuries. Giles remembers to whom he sold the items and realizes that Glory had been to the shop and that she must have obtained the lost spell. Buffy takes off in search of Glory, despite the concerns of Giles and her friends that Glory will overpower her again. At the Sunnydale Zoo, Glory steals a cobra and performs the spell with Dreg. Buffy arrives to stop her, interrupting the spell, but gets beaten up badly again. The cobra is transformed into a giant cobra monster with arms, and Glory sends the demon on a mission to locate the Key.

Riley arrives at the magic shop in search of Buffy. The gang tells Riley that Buffy went after Glory, and he demands to know why they would let her do something so dangerous. Xander tells Riley that Buffy is so upset about the situation with her mom that she needs something to fight. Buffy calls Giles from the hospital and tells him to take care of Dawn while she stays with her mother. She stays with her mother as the doctor tells her more about Joyce's condition - she has a brain tumor, and they do not know yet if it is operable. Riley returns to Willy's bar to drink away his worries and again encounters the vampire Sandy. He allows her to bite him in the alley, but stakes her.

The cobra demon arrives at the magic shop and goes after Dawn. Dawn screams in fear and the cobra retreats. Realising that the cobra knows Dawn is the Key and is returning to inform Glory, Giles and Buffy go after the demon. Buffy catches up with it near Glory's apartment and kills it, then lets out her pent-up frustration from her time at the hospital by continuing to beat up the lifeless cobra. Glory watches from a window, frustrated that the cobra has failed to return. Joyce tells Dawn the truth about her health. Riley is there to comfort Buffy but she refuses to accept comfort from him, insisting that she needs to stay strong for her family. Joyce calls for Buffy and she turns and walks away, oblivious to his attempt to caress her face. Riley is left standing alone in the hallway, becoming increasingly frustrated with Buffy's unwillingness to develop an emotional closeness with him.

The Summers women are at the hospital when the doctor informs Joyce she will have surgery in two days. The rest of the gang does their best to patrol and rid Sunnydale of a few more un-dead residents, emphatic that they will not bother Buffy while she is dealing with her mom's health. Meanwhile, Riley allows another female vampire to feed from him; he does not stake this one. The next day, Willow brings gifts to Joyce, Buffy, and Dawn in hopes of cheering them up. She brings Joyce a beer helmet, Dawn a book on the history of spells, and Buffy a history book and a yo-yo. With the brain tumor, Joyce has unusual outbursts, and the girls decide to let Joyce rest. On the way out, a mental patient sees Dawn and insists that there is nothing inside her.

While camping out on the roof of a building to watch the stars, Willow and Tara see a large object streaking through the sky and crashing down in Sunnydale. They investigate the crash site and decide to contact the other Scoobies. The crazy man that spoke to Dawn, who has been released from the hospital, is walking through the forest when a creature attacks him and kills him.

At the hospital, the creature climbs along the ceiling, undetected. Buffy and Joyce talk the doctor into letting a highly agitated Joyce go home until her operation much to the non-recommendation of the doctor who warns Buffy that she will probably not get much sleep taking care of her mother.

The gang finds the location of the crash and a hollowed-out shell, which was apparently used as a vehicle by a creature from space. They spread out the search and find the dead body of the mental patient. The Scooby Gang leaves to do research, and Riley stays behind to investigate the scene. He calls Graham for military reinforcements, and advises the soldiers how to deal with the situation when they arrive. They decide to try to track the creature from its residues of trace radiation.

At the hospital, a mental patient is attacked by the demon. Buffy's mom continues to act strangely and say things she does not mean to say. Dawn is hurt when Joyce calls her a "thing", but Buffy comforts her and tells her to ignore the things that people say when they are crazy. She tries to explain that when people are crazy, they think that nothing except themselves is real.

Through research, the gang finds that the creature is a Queller demon, and that it is periodically summoned to rid the world of plagues of crazy people. At the Summers' home, Buffy and Dawn put their mother, whose mental clarity continues to deteriorate, to bed. Dawn listens from her bedroom as Joyce babbles loudly. At first, she appears to be talking to the ceiling; however, it is soon revealed that she is talking to the Queller demon, which is watching her from the ceiling. Dawn tries to ignore the babble, and Buffy, who is downstairs washing dishes, turns on loud music and begins to sob. In Joyce's room, the demon falls from the ceiling and spits a thick layer of slime onto Joyce's face. Dawn hears the commotion and runs to check on her mother. When she sees the demon attacking her mother, she comes to the rescue, knocking it onto the floor with a coat rack. It flees from the room, and Dawn slams all the doors and screams for Buffy. Buffy runs upstairs to check on her mother and sister. They tell her about the demon, and she chases it downstairs where she finds Spike coming out of her basement and offering to help her, but the demon attacks before Buffy has a chance to berate Spike for stalking her. Together, they fight off the demon, and Buffy ultimately kills it with a butcher knife while wrestling with it on the floor. Spike walks over and offers his hand to help her up. He pulls her to her feet, and their hands remain connected as Riley bursts through the door with the soldiers. Spike informs Riley that he missed quite a show, making sure Riley understands that Spike had been there to help.

Back at the hospital, Ben gets into his car to find that Dreg, Glory's demon minion, is waiting in the backseat. It is revealed that Ben is the one who summoned the Queller, in order to reduce the growing number of crazy people left from Glory's "brain sucking". Meanwhile Joyce, because of her brief experience as an insane person, has realized the truth about Dawn, which Buffy confirms for her. Joyce insists that Dawn is nevertheless her daughter and urges Buffy to take care of Dawn in case anything goes wrong during the operation. While her daughters and the rest of the Scooby Gang watch on, Joyce is wheeled off to surgery.

At the hospital, the Scooby Gang awaits news from the doctor about Joyce's surgery, and they are all relieved when the surgery is a success. Dawn spends the night with Xander and Anya so that Buffy and Riley can have some private time. With the house to themselves, Buffy and Riley spend a romantic evening together. In the middle of the night, Riley sneaks out of the house. Spike, having been on his nightly vigil, secretly follows Riley to an old building.

Buffy spends the day with her mother in the hospital discussing Joyce's wig options and Buffy's relationship with Riley. Spike wakes Buffy from sleep that night to show her what Riley has been doing. Buffy is shocked to find him in the arms of a female vampire, being fed upon. Graham has persuaded his commanding officer to seek Riley's help in destroying demons for the military. They offer Riley a position in the military's new anti-demon organization, assuring him that their group is nothing like the Initiative and they exist only to destroy demons, not study them.

Buffy and the gang go after the nest of vampires only to find the building empty. Buffy sets the building on fire, leaving her friends in the dark about what is truly bothering her. Riley is furious that Spike allowed Buffy to see the truth, and, after throwing the vampire around a bit, he stakes him. The stake is plastic and Riley's actions were only a warning. Spike maintains that Riley has no future with Buffy, and the two rivals eventually share a drink, discussing how they both love her, but she does not seem to return the feeling for either of them. Spike tells Riley that he is generally jealous of his position of intimacy with Buffy, although sometimes he wonders if Riley's situation is worse, being so close to Buffy while not actually having her. Riley asks Spike if he really thinks he has a shot with Buffy. Spike responds in the negative, but says she is worth trying for.

Buffy releases her aggressions on a punching bag in the training room until Riley shows up determined to talk to her. He tells her he started his late-night vamp activities because he wanted to know what Buffy felt when she was bitten by Dracula. Riley tells her that the vampires needed him and Buffy did not. After Buffy tells him that she has given him everything she has, Riley says he does not believe her and tells her about the offer to return to the military, and that he is going to leave unless she can convince him not to.

The vampires from the nest surround a distraught Buffy as she is leaving the shop. She stakes all eight of them in record time, including the vampire who had been seen drinking from Riley. Xander witnesses the slaying and confronts Buffy, telling her he thinks that Riley has given her everything, and risked everything for her, and accuses her of treating Riley as a rebound guy and of expecting him to be "convenient" after Angel's departure from Sunnydale. She points out that Xander himself treats Anya as a mere convenience, but Xander pursues his point, telling her that her relationship with Riley is the kind that comes around once in a lifetime, and that she has to decide if she is really willing to lose him for good. After this, Xander works up the courage to finally tell Anya how much he loves her.

Buffy takes off, and, although she runs as fast as she can, is unable to get to the helipad in time to stop Riley from leaving. The helicopter flies away with Buffy on the landing pad, calling after Riley. He stares in the other direction, the helicopter's loud noise drowning out Buffy's cries, leaving without knowing that Buffy had tried to reach him. Still shocked, Buffy returns home while Riley leaves Sunnydale, not looking back.

Buffy trains while talking to Giles about his plans to ask the Watchers' Council for help with Glory. While Giles prepares for a trip to England, he leaves the shop in the hands of Anya and Willow, whose constant bickering worries Giles and places Xander and Tara in uncomfortable positions.

Dawn notices that Buffy has removed all the pictures of Riley from her room. Buffy and Dawn talk about how Buffy is recuperating after Riley's departure. Dawn tries to be supportive, and Buffy appreciates her efforts and discusses her emotions openly with her sister. Dawn expresses sadness that Riley left so suddenly, and Buffy admits that everyone except Buffy had seen it come on gradually. Meanwhile, Spike uses a Buffy mannequin to rehearse a conversation he plans to have with Buffy. He wants to explain his motivations for showing her Riley's extracurricular vampire activities, but his temper gets in the way.

Back at the Magic Shop, Anya protests Willow's use of the shop products for magic spells, calling it stealing. Willow tries to tempt Anya by offering to show her some magic tricks, but Anya decides that Willow is using peer pressure and refuses to participate. Willow starts a spell, but Anya interrupts with questions and the two begin arguing again. Accidentally, the spell calls forth a giant troll. The store and much of Sunnydale is seriously damaged as the troll puts his large war hammer and great strength to good use.

On the university campus, Buffy and Tara talk about their new semester classes and then about the events at the magic shop. Buffy overreacts when Tara mentions possible trouble between Anya and Xander because of Willow and Anya's constant fighting. Buffy cries and buries her head in Tara's shoulder, declaring that Anya and Xander have a "miraculous love".

Anya drives a car for the first time wildly through the streets while Willow, in the passenger seat, searches for a spell to stop the troll, who proceeds to wreak havoc in Sunnydale, bashing trash cans, swinging his hammer, and threatening the townspeople before smelling "ale" and heading toward the Bronze.

Xander mopes at the Bronze and runs into Spike. As Xander seethes hostility at his presence, Spike fishes for information on Buffy, to no avail. The two eventually begin to play pool and talk about women trouble. Back at the Magic Shop, Buffy and Tara fear the worst as they view the destruction left by the troll, and take off to try to track him. The troll arrives at the Bronze, declaring his desire to drink ale and eat babies. When the troll asks Spike and Xander where to find babies to eat, Xander ineffectually attempts to talk sense into the troll, suggesting that he sit down in one of the more sturdy chairs to have a calm talk. However, the troll is unsatisfied with their suggestions of stags, strong grog, and onion blossoms. While the troll drinks beer straight from a keg, the whole gang gathers at the Bronze. When Buffy arrives, Spike cautiously greets her, but she ignores him and he steps back, disappointed.

The troll, Olaf, reveals that he used to date Anya and she turned him into a troll after his unfaithful dalliance with a wench, earning her the job of a Vengeance demon. Buffy attacks Olaf and Spike jumps in a moment later to back her up. Buffy and Spike are unsuccessful, and Olaf uses his hammer to knock down the second floor of the Bronze and injure many innocent people. As Buffy takes stock of the damage, she notices Spike comforting a bleeding victim, and accuses him of preparing to feed on her. He protests that he is only helping, and that he is not feeding because he knows Buffy would not like it, but she does not believe him and calls him disgusting, leaving him disappointed. Buffy sends Willow and Anya back to the Magic Shop to find a spell that would actually be effective against Olaf.

At the shop, Willow and Anya finally address the root of their issues: their fear of each other's potential to hurt Xander and pull him away from the other. Anya makes it clear that she has no intention of hurting Xander in any way, and Willow assures Anya that she has no intention of luring him away. Olaf storms into the shop, intending to hurt the girls, but Xander arrives before two of the most important women in his life are seriously wounded. The troll beats Xander up badly then forces him to choose whether Anya or Willow will die. Xander refuses to choose, proving his loyalty to both girls.

Buffy arrives and fights with the troll while Willow works on a spell and Anya distracts Olaf with insults. When Olaf says that Anya and Xander will not last, Buffy gets incredibly angry and beats the troll into unconsciousness. The troll is sent off into an alternate universe (probably the land of trolls, but possibly the world without shrimp). Giles talks to Buffy about the damage to the shop. Joyce joins them and they discuss the non-existent information about Glory and the Key that Giles received from the council. Dawn overhears part of this discussion and is very concerned.

The Scooby Gang gathers at Buffy's house to discuss the Watchers' Council's plans to come to Sunnydale, which Buffy is very upset about. She recalls that her two previous experiences with the Council put her life in mortal peril, and wishes that they would just give her the information she needs without making the trip to Sunnydale. (Buffy has met Quentin Travers only once before, in "Helpless", but met other Council members in "Who Are You".)

Glory is at her place, panting and in obvious pain. Dreg and another demon rush into the room, bringing a hysterical mailman. They carry her to the crying man and help her put her fingers to his temples to drain away his sanity. She gets up, refreshed, and the disoriented mailman wanders away. The other demon warns her that she has even less time now to use the key, but Glory is not worried, expressing pride that she will eliminate Buffy as the only obstacle between her and the key. Jinx confronts Ben at the hospital and relays a message from Glory, who wants Ben's assistance in gathering useful information about the Slayer. Ben responds by beating up the demon.

Quentin Travers and a large team of Watchers arrive at the Magic Box. They disrupt business, sending paying customers home, and criticize Giles' selection of merchandise. They announce that the Magic Box will be closed for the duration of the Council's stay in Sunnydale. Giles is frustrated and takes an antagonistic position, and then learns that the Council plans on conducting an extensive review of Buffy's methods, skills, and abilities. Quentin announces that they have information on Glory, but will not reveal it until Buffy's skills have been comprehensively tested and she proves she can handle the information; if she fails, the shop will be closed permanently and Giles will be deported. Buffy and Giles realize that they must cooperate with the Council, which is powerful enough to carry out all its threats. Buffy worries that she may fail, placing everyone in even greater danger.

Council members interview the rest of the Scooby Gang, including Spike, for information about the Slayer. Lydia interviews Spike, and she reveals she wrote her thesis on him. With the exception of Spike, who notes Buffy's failure at long-term relationships, they all try not to incriminate Buffy in any way, and each tries to justify their usefulness to her without making it sound like she actually needs help. In the training room, Buffy is blindfolded and her fighting skills are tested against one of the council members. She breaks a rib of her opponent and Quentin abandons that test.

Upon returning home, Buffy finds Glory in her living room. During this confrontation, Glory openly threatens to kill all of Buffy's friends and family and force Buffy to watch her do so. Visibly disturbed by this, Buffy takes Dawn and Joyce to Spike for protection. Although Spike initially protests the sudden increase of "manly responsibilities", he agrees to look after them; after a moment's awkwardness, Joyce and Spike discover their shared addiction to ''Passions'' and sit down to watch it together.

On her way to the shop to meet with the council for a comprehensive review of her plans and strategies, three well-armed men wearing medieval fighting gear attack Buffy. Buffy takes them out and discovers from the last conscious one that they are the Knights of Byzantium and are in town to destroy the Key. They consider her their enemy because she protects the Key.

Buffy returns to the shop and informs Travers that she is not going to deal with the review anymore. She now knows that she holds power against both Glory and the Council because they both need something from her: Glory needs to know where the Key is, and the Council needs her to make their jobs meaningful. She delivers an authoritative speech justifying the participation of each of her friends, and demands that Giles be reinstated as her Watcher, receiving retroactive pay from the month of his dismissal. She finally instructs the Council to give her the information that she needs. Quentin reluctantly agrees to her terms. He then informs Buffy that Glory is not a demon – she is a god.

The story begins on a fine summer's morning, when Sang-woo (Yoo Seung-ho) and his mother board a bus to the country. It is soon clear that the unsophisticated rural passengers annoy the seven-year-old urban boy. His mother is taking him to live with his 78-year-old mute, but not deaf, grandmother (Kim Eul-boon) while she looks for a new job after a business venture failed in Seoul. Eventually they reach their destination, a dusty bus stop in the Korean countryside near an unsophisticated village.

By now Sang-woo, who has arrived with junk food and toys, has no intention of respecting his mute grandmother especially as her house has neither electricity nor running water. His mother apologizes for leaving the boy, telling her own mother it will not be for too long before leaving on the next bus. Alone Sang-woo ignores his grandmother, not even wanting to look at her even calling her a ''byungshin'', or "retard". Next morning, his grandmother starts another day. She goes down the hill to get clean water and washes her clothes at the river. She also tends the melons that she will sell at the market.

One of the Grandmother's neighbors is a hard-working country boy who attempts to become friends with Sang-woo, who declines until the end when he apologizes for making fun of him. The other is a young girl who Sang-Woo falls in love with, but she is more interested in the country boy.

The grandmother, who also cares for her old friends very much, lives a simple and humble life. Eventually, from constant play, Sang-woo's Game Boy runs-out of batteries so he asks his grandmother for money for new ones. But she is poor and has none. Selfishly he teases her, and in an intolerant manner throws away her shoes, breaks one of her vases and draws graffiti on her house walls.

When this fails to get money from his grandmother, Sang-woo steals her ornamental hairpin to trade for batteries. He then goes off to find the shops. When he finally finds the right place he attempts to trade the silver hairpin but instead of getting batteries the shop keeper, who happens to be his grandmother's friend, hits him on the head and sends him home.

One day Sang-woo demands Kentucky Fried Chicken. But as the grandmother only understands "chicken", she takes some of her melons and trudges off to the market to buy a chicken. Bringing back a live one in the rain, she prepares a home-made boiled chicken instead of fried chicken. When Sang-woo wakes up he sees the boiled chicken he gets angry, throwing the food away and cries. Later in the night he finishes the food because he is hungry. The next morning, his grandmother becomes ill. Sang-woo serves her the remaining chicken while caring for her. He also gave back his grandmother’s ornamental hairpin.

Despite the hardships faced by the old grandmother who has osteoporosis, the only thing she needs Sang-woo for is to run thread through her needles. She stitches the shoes and shares her earnings with a friend who ends their meeting with the touching words "Come by again before one of us dies."

Sang-woo who remains angry and confused by the unfamiliar environment repeatedly rejects her attempts to please him. But her unconditional love slowly touches his heart. One day, Sang-woo gets up early and goes with his grandmother to the market where he sees how hard his grandmother persuades passers-by to buy her vegetables. After a long day at the market she takes Sang-woo to a shop and buys him noodles and new shoes. When they are about to board the bus home, Sang-woo asks his grandma to buy him a Choco Pie.

The grandmother goes to a shop that is run by an elderly friend. The shopkeeper, who now has a bad knee, gives her five or six pies but refuses to take any money, so the grandmother gives the shopkeeper a melon. But when the grandmother returns to the bus with the sweets, Sang-Woo says he wants to ride alone as the girl he likes is also on board. The grandmother tries to get Sang-Woo to take the rest of the produce with him but he refuses. The bus then leaves. Sang-Woo then has to wait for his grandmother to return wondering why it is taking her so long. He then realizes that his grandmother has walked back from town carrying all her produce.

Eventually Sang-woo begins to love his grandmother, but because she is unable to read or write he makes some simple greeting cards, so she has some letters from him. Finally Sang-woo's mother returns and he goes back to Seoul. His depth of feeling for his grandmother is revealed when the bus leaves and he leaps to the back window to wave his tearful farewells. The film closes with the grandmother continuing to live alone in the thatched-roof house but with the letters of love from her grandson.

Before the end a credit notes the film is dedicated to all grandmothers around the world.

Buffy rants about her problems with Spike to Giles while pounding away at Xander who is wearing a padded bodysuit. Xander consoles the Slayer about her love life, blaming the Hellmouth for her not being able to find a decent guy. A young woman named April arrives in Sunnydale by car, searching for her true love. Joyce nervously prepares for a date with a man named Brian with the help of her daughters.

Anya and Tara discuss the Internet and Anya's knowledge of online stock trading and websites. April approaches them, asking if they know where Warren is but when the girls cannot help her, April moves on to another person and asks the same question. Buffy and Xander dance at a university party while Anya, Tara, and Willow look on. After dancing, Buffy locates Ben at the party and casually catches his attention. They chat briefly, but awkwardly, and Buffy asks Ben to dance.

Anya admires the Chex Mix with Xander when April arrives at the party, still searching for Warren, who happens to be at the party and escapes with his date before April discovers him. April questions the people at the party, telling them that Warren is her boyfriend and he lost her. Spike approaches Buffy while she is waiting, but she tells him off before Ben returns. Ben offers Buffy his number for a possible coffee date and is not scared off when Buffy warns him of her bad history.

After seeing Buffy with Ben, Spike tries to hit on April, but his suggestive comments only anger her and lead her to throw the vampire through a window. Despite her amusement at Spike's pain, Buffy gets similar treatment when April throws her aside and leaves. They realize that April is a robot that needs stopping before she actually harms someone. Buffy returns home, and Giles suggests he not watch Dawn alone anymore because he cannot take much more exposure to the habits of a young teenager. Joyce returns from her date in an extremely good mood, shocking her daughter with the joke that she left her bra in Brian's car.

April goes door to door searching for Warren's residence. As Willow finds Warren's home address on her computer, the gang talks about Warren and how he made April to fill a void in his life. Buffy finally gets up the nerve to call Ben, but the phone rings at Glory's place. She morphs into Ben right before answering the phone, and a date is made for coffee.

Warren rushes to get packed and move away with his current girlfriend, Katrina, but she does not understand why. Buffy shows up at Warren's in search of answers relating to April, while Katrina finally walks out, upset about being kept in the dark. Warren reveals to Buffy that he made April to love him, but she became boring after a while and he left her, letting her batteries run down. Meanwhile, the Scoobies are discussing the situation at The Magic Box when they receive a visit from Spike, who is forced to leave by an icily furious Giles.

Katrina encounters April at a park, and April uses force to make Katrina admit that Warren is her boyfriend. Warren finally tells April that he cannot love her, then April turns on Buffy, and the two fight. Buffy damages April's circuits, and she is finally stopped. After talking with April in her final moments, Buffy realizes that she doesn't need a man in her life, also admitting that, despite Xander's belief that April was a "crazed robot", Buffy knows she was just trying to do everything she knew how to do to make the one she loved happy, but fails to draw the subtle parallel between April and Spike. Buffy leaves a message for Ben on his answering machine, canceling the date, but Glory listens to the message, not Ben. Meanwhile, Spike approaches a hesitant Warren about making a robot for him, one based completely on Buffy.

When Buffy comes home, she calls out to her mother, then finds her lying on the living room couch. Worried by her mother's awkward appearance, Buffy calls out to her, but Joyce does not move or answer.

An ancient demon, called Jashiin (and self-dubbed as the Emperor of Chaos), emerges from a two-thousand-year-old sleep to unleash his wrath upon the Kingdom of Zeliard. Justifying his actions as a revenge upon the ancient kings of Zeliard, Jashiin does so by causing a sand rain to continue for 115 days, turning the kingdom into desert; as well, he turns King Felishika's only daughter, the beautiful princess Felicia, into stone.

The protagonist and player-controlled character, Duke Garland, is sent by the spirits to aid Zeliard and save Felicia. Duke Garland must recover the Nine Tears of Esmesanti, stolen by Jashiin from Felicia upon turning her to stone, for only these can reverse the stone curse. Subsequently, Duke Garland must also slay Jashiin.

Finally, Garland may find safe haven in various cities and outposts not yet conquered by Jashiin, in order to rest (in so called Inn’s) and purchase weaponry and equipment.

In 1891, Foreign Secretary Lord Redcliff haphazardly receives a document from Queen Victoria; the document is stolen from his safe later that night. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson discuss the case. Deciding to lie low for a while, Holmes informs Watson that he will delegate cases to his younger brother, Sigerson, who has toiled in his brother's shadow without credit for decades. At a railway station, Holmes passes the message to Scotland Yard records clerk Orville Sacker.

Arriving at Sigerson's flat, Sacker finds him practicing his fencing and swordplay. Sigerson expresses bitterness and resentment over being unable to replicate Sherlock's success, mocking his big brother as "Sheer Luck" Holmes. Arriving next is a woman claiming to be Bessie Bellwood, but who is really Jenny Hill, a music hall singer who believes she is being blackmailed by opera singer Eduardo Gambetti over a lewd letter she sent him.

Sigerson attends one of Hill's performances and twice saves her from attempts on her life. The next day, he seduces her in her dressing room. She reveals that she stole the document from Redcliff's safe and claims that Redcliff is her father. When Sigerson meets with Redcliff, he learns that Hill is in fact Redcliff's fianceé.

The trail leads to Gambetti, who has made a deal with criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty to sell him the document, which foreign powers have offered £50,000 to acquire. Moriarty pays, but the distrustful Gambetti proposes that he hand over the document during the debut of his opera so that he has time to deposit the money. Sigerson and Sacker infiltrate the opera, which soon devolves into chaos. Sigerson and Moriarty confront each other backstage and are drawn into a sword fight that corners Sigerson on an outside ledge. Under threat of death, Sigerson agrees to hand over what Moriarty thinks is the document before the chimes of Big Ben cause Moriarty to lose balance and plunge into the water below. Moriarty opens the document to reveal a game of tic-tac-toe: Sigerson had positioned the real document for Sherlock to recover.

The final scene is of Sigerson Holmes running through a park to attend Jenny and Redcliff's wedding. Sitting on a bench in the park, Jenny tells Sigerson that she has called off the wedding, as Sherlock and Watson watch in disguise. Sigerson and Jenny joyfully reconcile and dance.

Lane Bellamy is a carnival dancer stranded in the small town of Boldon City in the Southern United States. She becomes romantically involved with Fielding Carlisle, a deputy sheriff whose career is controlled by Sheriff Titus Semple, a corrupt political boss who runs the town. Semple dislikes Bellamy and mounts a campaign against her. She has difficulty finding work and is arrested on a trumped-up morality charge. Meanwhile, Carlisle is the political machine's choice for state senator, and to portray the perfect political family, he marries his long-time girlfriend, Annabelle Weldon.

Sad that the love of her life has divorced himself from her, Bellamy finds work as a hostess at a roadhouse run by Lute Mae Sanders. There, she meets Dan Reynolds, a businessman who supports the corrupt Semple so long as it is profitable. She charms Reynolds into marrying her and the couple moves to the town's best neighborhood, Flamingo Road.

As a kingmaker in the state, Semple decides to run Carlisle for governor and unseat the incumbent. This is too much even for Reynolds and now he decides to oppose Semple. When Carlisle, who has a weakness for alcohol, also begins to show his limits in cooperating with Semple, Semple flies into a rage and abandons him, destroying Carlisle's career. Then Semple makes himself the candidate. At this, Reynolds grows stronger in his opposition. So Semple arranges to have Reynolds framed.

Later a drunken Carlisle, who knows what's happening but feels the situation is hopeless, visits the mansion on Flamingo Road and commits suicide practically in front of Bellamy. This gives Semple another weapon in his bid to ruin Bellamy and her husband, who has now been indicted for graft. Bellamy confronts Semple with a gun and demands he phone the attorney general and confess everything, but a physical struggle ensues and she shoots him dead. At the end, Bellamy is in prison awaiting a ruling and Reynolds indicates he will stick by her.

In wartime Munich, Sophie Scholl joins members of the White Rose student organization, including Sophie's brother Hans, who are preparing copies of their sixth leaflet. They have mimeographed more than they can distribute through the mail. Hans proposes distributing the extras at university the next day; despite Willi arguing that the risks are unacceptable, Hans says that he will take full responsibility, and Sophie volunteers to assist. The next day, at the main building of Munich University where classes are in session, Hans and Sophie set about putting down stacks of leaflets near the doors of lecture rooms. With only minutes left until the period ends, Sophie runs to the top floor, where she impulsively pushes a stack of leaflets over the edge of the balustrade. A janitor who saw Sophie scatter the leaflets detains the pair until the Gestapo arrive to arrest them.

The siblings are taken to the Munich Stadelheim Prison, where Sophie is interrogated by Gestapo investigator Robert Mohr. Claiming initially to be apolitical, she presents an alibi: she and her brother had nothing to do with the fliers. She noticed them in the hall and pushed a stack off the railing as a prank, and she had an empty suitcase because she was going to visit her parents in Ulm and planned to bring back some clothes. She is dismissed, but as her release form is about to be approved, the order comes not to let her go, as the Gestapo has found incontrovertible evidence that Sophie and Hans were indeed responsible for the distribution of anti-Nazi leaflets. She is placed in a prison cell with fellow dissident Else Gebel, a Communist sympathiser.

Sophie concedes her part, controverting her brother's claim he acted alone. However, determined to protect the others, she steadfastly maintains that the production and distribution of thousands of copies of leaflets in cities throughout the region were entirely the work of the siblings. Mohr, having learned that her father was an imprisoned as a dissident, admonishes her to support the laws that preserve order in a society that has funded her welfare and education. Scholl counters that before 1933 the laws protected freedom of speech and denounces atrocities committed by the Nazis, including against the mentally deficient, that she saw working as a nurse for the regime. Mohr dismisses some of her accusations, such as the extermination of the Jews, as wartime propaganda and tacitly approves of others, such as the euthanasia program, remarking that "the new Europe can only be National Socialist".

Sophie and her brother, as well as a married friend with three young children, Christoph Probst, are charged with treason, troop demoralization and abetting the enemy. In the subsequent show trial, Probst is the first to be examined by President of the People's Court Roland Freisler, whose prosecutorial zeal makes the nominal prosecutor and defense attorneys superfluous. Freisler contemptuously dismisses Probst's appeals to spare his life so that his children can have a father. Hans maintains his composure in the face of Freisler's increasingly impatient questioning. Declining to answer only what he is asked, he highlights German war crimes on the Eastern Front as immoral and proclaims that the defeat of the Nazi state by the Allies have been made all but certain; all Hitler can do is prolong the war. In her own examination, Sophie dismisses the suggestion that she was led by her brother, and declares that many people agree with what she and her group have said and written, but dare not express it. Freisler pronounces the three defendants guilty and calls on each to make a brief final statement. Sophie warns that "where we stand today, you [Freisler] will stand soon." All three are routinely sentenced to death.

Sophie, having been told of the general 99 day delay between conviction and execution, learns that she is to be executed the same day. She breaks down briefly, but regains composure and authors a final statement and receives the blessing of the prison chaplain, who subtly offers his moral support for her silence in face of interrogation. After a visit by her parents, who also express approval of what she has done, Mohr arrives and sadly watches Sophie taken away to death row. Soon after, she is led into a cell where Christoph and Hans await, and they share a final cigarette. Probst remarks, sincerely, that their actions were not in vain. As Sophie is led into a courtyard by the executioners, she remarks, "The sun is still shining". Grace is refused, and she is the first to be beheaded in the guillotine, the blade falling as the picture goes black and Hans' and Christoph's executions follow. Hans exclaims, "Es lebe die Freiheit!" ("Long live Freedom!") before the blade falls in dark, and then again a third time in silence. A caption informs of further dozens of affiliates of the White Rose executed in the following months, and others suffered harsh imprisonment.

In the closing shot, thousands of leaflets fall from the sky over Munich. A title explains that copies of the White Rose manifesto were smuggled to the Allies, who printed millions of copies of the "Manifesto of the Students of Munich" that were subsequently dropped over German cities.

Two rookie FBI agents (Leslie Bibb and Jeffrey D. Sams) are assigned to the bureau's Richmond, Virginia field office, where their story parallels that of a local mob boss, Jonah Malloy (David Paymer). When a fellow agent is murdered in a shootout with the gangsters, the head of the FBI branch (Leslie Hope) declares an all-out war on the criminal underworld. The following episodes weaved intricately between Bibb and Sams' federal agency and Paymer's gang, though the two storylines rarely met head-on, except when occasionally focusing on an undercover agent (Anson Mount).

Mob boss Jonah Malloy's signature line was "That's that with that."

The movie begins on May 14, also known as ''Rock 'n' Roll High School'' day at Ronald Reagan High. The students decide to play a prank on the faculty of the staff, flushing all of the toilets in unison and causing the faulty pipes to burst (yet again), causing for widespread mayhem in the school, as other students leave their classrooms and run rampant down the hall with the perpetrators who organized the entire thing: four members of the band known as The Eradicators. During the confusion, their friend (and the fifth band member) rides through the halls on a dirt bike as well.

Having had enough, the board of trustees tell Principal McGree that he is a failure as a disciplinarian, and that he is incapable of handling the school by himself. They tell him they're going to bring in someone new. The next day, an all black BMW seeping smoke from the insides arrives in the parking lot of the high school, and out steps a figure wearing a suit. Jesse, meanwhile, makes an encounter with Rita, a substitute teacher filling in for Mrs. Poindexter, the music teacher. After being chastised and asked to correct his behavior, Jesse becomes smitten with her.

After viewing the personal ads, they find someone advertising the sale of their refrigerator, and pile into their car to go to the appropriate location, posing as the ''Luthuanian Church of Appliance Worship'', meanwhile Vadar (the new vice principal) makes a new announcement for her entrance to Reagan High. Later that night Jones rigs a device to continually dial the same number over and over again to 1-900-976-ROCK to enter a contest and nominate their band The Eradicators as local heroes, in order to win tickets to go see a concert performed by The Pursuit of Happiness, before they perform a show at Reagan High to both make some money, and get their band better known, before thrashing the show after being insulted by the debutante Whitney and her friend Margaret.

Apprehended by Vadar's hall monitors at the conclusion of the dance, they are chastised by Vadar and their classes are changed to no longer coincide with one another's schedules. Further, their lunch schedules are changed as well, making it impossible for them to practice any longer. In their new lunch period, they encounter a shut-in named Tabatha, the supposed daughter of a witch, who believes that the four basic food groups are Sugar, Salt, Fat, and Booze. This doesn't curb their behavior, however, and they continue with their trouble making in a business as usual fashion, mentally traumatizing Mrs. Grossman in the process (something that enrages Vadar), which leads to Vadar implementing a new operation known as 'Reagan High Super Secret Security Program'.

Mag makes friends with Tabatha at this point, after a misunderstanding and they begin to hang out together. However, in the new RHSSSP program, the school is made into (as Vadar describes it) a school-wide detention hall. Their efforts to get the Pursuit of Happiness tickets are made useless, as Vadar and her monitors assault Screaming Steve and the Rock TV crew. Then, as punishment (for nothing at all it would seem) they are given four days of detention. At this point, Jesse is infuriated by the sentence, and vows revenge on Vadar, spurring The Eradicators to begin fighting back to protest, and they vow to play at the prom.

Enlisting the help of Eaglebauer, a business man who seems to work out of one of the bathrooms in the school to disrupt the school in any way possible, such as selling test answers and other services that clearly violate school policy. He rigs the auditions for the school prom, and they enact his plan, winning the audition in the absence of Vadar. Thinking they're on drugs, Vadar institutes drug tests which provides no solution to dealing with the Eradicators. However, they are set up by Vadar, Whitney and Marget and made unable to participate through vandalism of school property (and planting Evidence in the lockers of the four).

Vowing to get even, they go to even greater lengths than before to get vengeance, and use video cameras this time around, taping numerous embarrassing situations, such as Bob and Margaret cheating on Whitney and Donovan, Whitney projectile vomiting on a teacher, Donovan posing with women's underwear, and Vadar having an intimate moment with a submissive slave in her office. They also trick the band Zillion Kisses, getting them to set up and wait in the school's storage room during the prom. The Eradicators meanwhile make their appearance at the prom. Upon the appearance of the Yupettes, the Eradicators begin playing the video tapes that they've managed to record over the previous week.

Severely embarrassing (and causing infighting among the Yupettes) the Yupettes and Vadar, the situation causes Vadar to go on a homicidal rampage. Driving her car through the school grounds, she has no regard for the safety of anyone on the school grounds. During the aftermath, she tries to kill The Eradicators, as well as Eaglebauer, and even substitute teacher Rita. Not so easily defeated, however, the Eradicators continue to fight back even against the vehicular attempt at manslaughter, and slick a section of the school with chemical extinguishers, which cause Vadar to crash into the school, causing it to explode, and the school catches fire for the second time in 12 years.

During the final sequence, when everyone is witnessing the destruction of the school something emerges from the fire, which quickly turns out to be a flaming tire (which no one attempts to stop, and continues rolling even after the credits finish rolling).

The Federation starship ''Enterprise'', under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, is assigned to transport the beautiful Salia, future ruler of Daled IV, and her governess Anya, from a planet to which she has voluntarily exiled herself. Her parents, rulers of two opposing factions on Daled IV, have died, and Salia represents a chance to bring unification to the two factions. As such, Anya is overly protective of her. On board, Salia meets young Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher, who instantly becomes smitten. Wesley receives courtship advice from the crew members (including from Worf, who explains that with Klingons it consists of "the male grunting and growling, followed by the female bellowing and hurling heavy objects, as the male reads love poetry"). The two young people form a bond. He introduces her to Thalian chocolate mousse, and takes her to the holodeck to show her several other worlds after she expresses an interest in exploring the galaxy.

Anya, touring the ship, first gives advice on warp engine and then discovers a crew member with a virulent disease being in a containment field in sick bay. She demands the crew member be killed to protect Salia. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pulaski refuses and insists the disease is contained, but Anya transforms into a large monstrous form, easily matching Worf's strength when he tries to intervene. When Captain Picard arrives, Anya reverts to her petite humanoid form and defiantly explains her actions. Dr. Pulaski identifies Anya as an allasomorph, a shapeshifter, who could present a danger for the crew. Picard orders Anya to be confined to quarters, and Worf, as head of security, promises Anya he will watch over Salia. Picard, aware of Wesley's attraction to Salia, asks him to stay away from her, to which he agrees. At night however, as Anya is sleeping, Salia slips out of their quarters and visits Wesley, and the two share a kiss. However, they are interrupted when Anya bursts into his quarters in her beast form. To Wesley's horror, Salia also transforms into a similar beast, holding Anya at bay. Both revert to their human forms as security arrives. Later, Salia attempts to apologize to Wesley for her deception, but Wesley, appalled by seeing Salia's appearance was not the real her, is too upset and refuses to listen.

The ''Enterprise'' arrives at Daled IV with no further incidents. As Salia prepares to depart, Anya reveals she will not be going with her, instead returning to her home on an orbiting moon. Anya also warns her that she will likely be unable to leave the planet once she has taken the leadership role. Salia thanks Anya for her upbringing before Anya departs. Just before Salia is to be beamed down to the planet, Wesley arrives to say his goodbyes, bringing her one last taste of chocolate mousse. Salia thanks him, and transforms into her natural form, a luminous figure of energy, before she is beamed down to the planet.

Futaba Shimeru is a normal high-schooler living a normal life, active in his school's wrestling club and slowly getting closer to his awkward love interest, Misaki. This fails to last as he discovers his family's hereditary genetic defect that becomes active at adolescence. Although it will eventually become controllable, either excitement or stress now makes Futaba switch sex. Hilarity ensues. The general status quo of the storyline, tone and atmosphere is maintained until volume 6, at which point Misaki discovers Futaba's secret.

In volume 8, the manga abruptly changes from light comedy to serious science fiction. Futaba, Misaki and Kurin are taken by aliens that explain that the Shimeru family are not merely bizarrely mutated but descendants of a space crash 12 to 13 thousand years ago. They are taken to the star system they originated from to see a structure much like a Dyson sphere, but see that the entire race has been annihilated. Determined to find a less tragic future, they return to Earth. Eight years have passed, all their friends and family have happy lives (Motomura and Nigiri have gotten married and Futana is a celebrity playboy), the Shimeru clan have spread throughout the world, and their condition is now widely known and accepted.

Jacob "Jake" Horner suffers from "cosmopsis"—an inability to choose from among all possible choices he can imagine. Having abandoned his graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University, he becomes completely paralyzed in the Pennsylvania Railroad Station in Baltimore just after his 28th birthday, An unnamed African-American doctor who claims to specialize in such conditions takes him under his care at his private therapy center, the Remobilization Farm.

As part of his schedule of therapies, Jake takes a job teaching at Wicomico State College, where he becomes friends with history teacher Joe Morgan and his wife Rennie. Joe and Jake enjoy intellectual sparring in a "duel of articulations". The philosophical Morgans have a marriage in which everything must be articulated, and in which "the parties involved are able to take each other seriously" —and to Joe "seriously" means sometimes beating his wife. The Doctor prescribes Jake "mythotherapy", in which he is to read Sartre and to assign himself "masks" to abolish the ego, inducing action through the adoption of symbolic roles. Jake seeks out a woman, Peggy Rankin, whom he had earlier picked up; when she rebuffs him, he succeeds in seducing her again by striking her, in imitation of Joe.

While Joe busies himself with his Ph.D. dissertation, he encourages Rennie to teach Jake horseback riding. During their rides, Rennie and Jake talk at length about the Morgans' unusual relationship. After returning from one such outing, Jake encourages a resistant Rennie to spy on her husband. She is convinced that "real people" like Joe are not "any different when they are alone"; such people have " o mask. What you see of them is authentic." What Rennie sees of Joe while spying disorients her and her vision of him—he masturbates, picks his nose, makes faces, and sputters gibberish syllables to himself.

Unmoored from the anchor that Joe has been for her, Rennie commits adultery with Jake; when Joe discovers it, he insists they maintain the affair, in an effort to discover the reasons for his wife's unfaithfulness. Rennie discovers she is pregnant, but cannot be sure whether Joe or Jake is the father. The Morgans visit Jake, Joe with Colt .45 in hand. Rennie insists on having an abortion, or she will commit suicide. Under an assumed name, Jake hunts for an abortionist; when Peggy refuses to help him find one, he strikes her. Unable to find a physician who will agree to the procedure, Jake turns to the Doctor. Rennie dies from the botched abortion. His relativist "cosmopsis" confirmed, Jake reverts to his paralysis. Two years later, as part of his Scriptotherapy on the relocated Remobilization Farm, he writes of his Wicomico experience.

Zandalee Martin is a young boutique store owner living in New Orleans who is sexually frustrated and feeling unfulfilled with her marriage to Thierry Martin, and eventually gets tangled in a passionate, sensual and torrid adulterous affair with her husband's mysterious and free-spirited old friend Johnny Collins. Zandalee and Thierry's marriage has hit a snag and seems to be eroding due to his lack of passion.

Zan needs to explore, while Thierry wants to withdraw, and has become more and more distant and impotent in their relationship. He used to be a poet, but now has taken over the family's communications business after the death of his father. As time goes on, Thierry has to sell the business and become basically a (vice president) figurehead. He is emotionally adrift as his dreams give way to disillusionment.

Johnny, an artist painter by trade, has been working for Thierry's business to help support his paintings. His only religion is self-gratification. Johnny also sells and mules cocaine for a local drug dealer as another source of income for himself. Having not seen each other in a while, the two run into each other at a bachelor's party. After the party, Thierry brings Johnny home to meet Zandalee and his grandmother Tatta (Viveca Lindfors). While talking about old times, Johnny offers to paint a portrait of Thierry at their home.

Later, in another scene, after finishing the painting, Johnny shows it to Thierry, Zandalee and Tatta. While they go off to other rooms and sensing Zandalee's frustration and vulnerability, Johnny makes a pass at her. Johnny continues to pursue Zandalee and when they run into each other during a rain storm, he takes advantage and moves in by seducing her, first in his loft in an angry passionate scene, (Zan's wedding ring is on the table next to the bed) which is followed by him erotically finger painting her. Their sexual liaisons continue to occur in various places including her laundry room atop a washing machine while Thierry and guests are having dinner. Thierry soon suspects the two are having an affair.

As the affair intensifies, Johnny meets Zandalee in a church and asks her to leave her husband. However, Zandalee feels that she must never abandon her true love Thierry, and quickly ends her affair with Johnny after he forces himself on her in the confessional. She and Thierry re-commit themselves to each other, but Johnny, now obsessed with her, will not be brushed off that easily. He tracks them to their vacation spot in the Bayou. All of this puts the three on a destructive collision course with a tragic sequence of events.

When Thierry figures out that Johnny has indeed been having an affair with Zandalee, he becomes drunk and confrontational (he pulls a gun out) leading to him becoming reckless when he takes Zan and Johnny for a speedboat ride on the Bayou, which ends when he falls off the boat and drowns, refusing to be saved by either Zan or Johnny who dive into the water to save him. Both Zandalee and Johnny become distraught by Thierry's death and begin to isolate themselves with Zan jogging for long periods and Johnny trying to work on his paintings, but becoming more self-destructive. In one scene, Johnny, in a rage rips up some of his paintings and pours black paint all over himself. He also consumes some of the cocaine he is supposed to sell, which gets him in trouble with his supplier.

When Johnny meets with Zandalee with the hopes to restart their romance and have a possible future together now that Thierry is out of the picture, she remains emotionally distant and instead goes for a walk along the Old Quarter with Johnny following her. But in the final scene, when Johnny's drug supplier attempts to kill him in a drive-by shooting outside the church that Zandalee frequents, she sees what is about to happen and shields Johnny, getting fatally shot in the process. The drug dealer flees from the scene of the crime (saying "you've got to make accounts payable, man"), leaving behind Johnny, now alone, as he cradles and holds Zandalee's dead body. The movie ends with him walking in front of the church with the lifeless Zandalee in his arms.

Penn is a troublemaker and is generally disliked by all but two of his teachers, especially Mr Marsh (or ‘Soggy’), who has had it in for him for years. Penn has very little faith in himself or those around him. He habitually causes trouble for himself, due largely to his defensiveness and inability to consider the consequences of his actions. He has already had a number of brushes with the law.

Only the games master, Mr Matthews, and his piano teacher, Mr Crocker, see any potential in him. In this book he discovers that his musical ability is much more extraordinary than he had thought and that he may actually enjoy playing the piano. However, his temper and rash behaviour are likely to lead him to jail before he has a chance to see where his talent can take him.

Thirty one years have passed since the Far Eastern Branch of AEGIS and the Invaders waged war in Japan. Big businesses thrived until the eighties (when the Shōwa period ended with the death of Hirohito). The heyday of growth and prosperity have passed, the crime rate has increased, environmental problems have worsened, and the international situation has become increasingly unstable. The bright future that people hoped for is spiraling out of the reach of the common citizen. Coupled with the decline in the values and morals of the Japanese people comes the emergence of a new type of Invader. No longer an alien entity, the Invaders can now absorb ordinary humans into their ranks.

Officially disbanded and discredited, the few remaining remnants of AEGIS have formed a clandestine network of operatives to hunt down and destroy the Invaders. The premier agent of the AEGIS Network is the antisocial Ayane Isuzu who collects the crystal remains of Invader in exchange for money doled out by the mysterious Reiji Kageyama.

''Detective'' is the story of Miami Police detective Malcolm Ainslie, who had previously trained to be a Catholic priest. A serial killer breaks free in Miami. He is a religious freak and he starts killing people feeling that he is the avenger of God. He leaves certain things at the murder scenes that are symbols from the Book of Revelation.

Miami Police Detective Sergeant Malcolm Ainslie and his team start to investigate the murders. They eventually find the killer and arrest him. The murderer is nicknamed The Animal because he kills in such a barbaric manner. Now, when this man is about to be executed for the serial killings he did, he calls for Malcolm. 30 minutes before his execution he confesses to Malcolm that he did all the serial killings he is accused of except one, which was not done by him.

It was the killing of the city commissioner and his wife. Malcolm, at first, refuses to believe him because The Animal has a reputation of being a liar. But as he goes deep into the history of cases and studies all the killings he discovers that there are two killings in separate cities, unsolved murders which were confessed by The Animal.

When he carefully studies all the killings done by him, he finds out that the killings of city commissioner and his wife were attempted by someone else, a copy cat killer, and these murders were made to look as if done by the same killer. Thanks to his priestly training, he notices that the pattern of the symbols left by the Animal at scenes of all the other murders is derived from the Book of Revelation, but that the symbols left at the murder of the Mayor do not fit this pattern.

Malcolm suddenly finds himself facing a situation where a copy cat killer is roaming around free. And when the killings are of a city commissioner and his wife the matter became more complicated. His team starts to investigate and finds important people involved in the killings and a famous novelist is also involved.

The guys settle into their new house after the destruction of their previous abode in the show's pilot episode and allocate the bedrooms. As Rick and Vyvyan argue over one bedroom, Mike discovers Buddy Holly in his, having survived the plane crash on The Day the Music Died by parachuting out and smashing through the roof. He is still tangled in the parachute and hanging upside down from the ceiling, and he proceeds to sing Mike a song about the diet of insects on which he has subsisted since that day in 1959. Mike dreams of getting rich off the song, but his plan ends abruptly when Holly falls loose and hits the floor, breaking his neck. Dragging the body into the cellar, Mike discovers two elderly men lying on their backs under a bare light bulb and hallucinating that they are adrift at sea. Rick and Vyvyan give the room they have been arguing over to Neil after Vyvyan sets its bed on fire, and Mike briefly converts Rick's room into a roller disco and charges him admission to enter.

After a solo match of Murder in the Dark, Vyvyan announces that he has struck oil in the cellar, and instantly forms a coalition with Mike (whom Vyvyan calls "El Presidente") to extract and sell it. They decide to use Rick and Neil as slave labor, with Vyvyan enforcing discipline by beating the two with a cricket bat as they lie on the floor. After Neil inadvertently impales Vyvyan through the head with a pickaxe while digging for the oil, Rick tries to start a workers' revolution and organizes a benefit concert in the house. The effort fails, though, as the band (fronted by Alexei Sayle in his Balowski persona) demands a large fee and Rick has not bothered to sell any tickets.

During the end credits, a disoriented but conscious Vyvyan stumbles around the cellar, swinging a pickaxe at random. He ends by addressing the camera, saying that he lied about finding oil.

The episode featured a performance of "Doctor Martens' Boots" by the fictional electronic band Radical Posture, with Sayle on lead vocals.

The quartet are bored to exasperation, despite the fact that there are roller skating vegetables in the kitchen sink. Several other remarkable and unlikely phenomena occur around them throughout the episode, entirely unnoticed by the characters, as they attempt to find something to relieve their boredom. The song "Good Day Sunshine" by the Beatles is playing as dawn comes up. Even a televised siege parodying the 1980 Iranian Embassy Siege that spills into their living room goes unnoticed.

A visit to the local pub, where Vyvyan meets his long-lost mother, and Rik and Neil both reveal that they don't drink, fails to provide entertainment. Madness make an appearance at the pub, renamed the Kebab and Calculator, and perform their current hit at that time, "House of Fun". At one point Neil suggests they go to lectures, but the idea is met with incredulity by his housemates. The exterior shots of the pub scene were filmed at the Westbury Park Tavern in Henleaze, Bristol.

In reference to the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Goldilocks rejects the lentils that Neil has prepared (she dismisses it as "bloody hippie food"), and the Three Bears also reject the lentils and opt to "go to McDonald's" instead.

As they drift off to sleep for another night, a spaceship lands on their roof, with Neil still obliviously sitting on his windowsill.

Themes

According to the manga, ''Strawberry Marshmallow'' is set in Hamamatsu, Japan. Seasons play an important role throughout ''Strawberry Marshmallow'' as the characters are involved in many normal seasonal activities. The series is speckled with many small, music-related allusions, such as Ana's dog Frusciante being named after John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, while episode eight of the anime sees two goldfish called Richard and James. The title itself was inspired from "Mashimaro", a single by Japanese rock artist Tamio Okuda.

Characters

; : :Nobue is the eldest main character. She is Chika's older sister and usually has final authority on all matters. She often tries to "borrow" money from Chika to buy cigarettes. Nobue is perpetually searching for a part-time job to earn money for more cigarettes to calm her nicotine addiction.

:The story suggests that Nobue derives some kind of sensual pleasure from watching the girls do cute things. In this respect, Nobue appears to appreciate the ''moe'' aesthetic. It is seen during the anime that Nobue prefers Matsuri and Ana over Chika and Miu.

:The Nobue character changed from the manga to the anime. In the manga, she is a sixteen-year-old high school freshman, while in the anime she is a twenty-year-old junior-college student. Her age is presumably changed because of her smoking and drinking habit, both becoming legal in Japan at age twenty. In the first episode of the anime, she initially introduces herself as a sixteen-year-old, intended to be a joke as she quickly states that she is really twenty. She tends to act somewhat less mature in her manga incarnation, doing things such as tricking Matsuri into thinking that Miu is dead. Her appearance changes radically in the early stages of the manga, especially her hair, which goes from blond to dark brown (and is black in the anime).

; : :Chika is one of two twelve-year-olds in the story. Chika is the same age as Miu, and attends the same class as her neighbor Miu. Chika is a cheerful girl who shows more common sense than the other girls, especially Miu. Her main role in the series is that of an average, twelve-year-old girl, which is emphasized in the first manga volume, where Nobue describes Chika as specializing 'in being totally generic'. Her special skill is cooking, especially baking cookies. Chika is Nobue's little sister. She is nicknamed ''Chi-chan'' or just ''Chi''.

; : :Miu is another twelve-year-old girl who is depicted in the story as having a problem-child personality. A childhood friend of Chika, she lives next door to the Ito house and attends the same class as Chika. Miu likes to say random things out of the blue and often plays pranks on Matsuri and Ana, but is most of the time interrupted by Nobue (and sometimes by Chika), ending up lying face-down on the floor. She has the least common sense or manners of the girls, and is rarely taken seriously because of her weird ideas and comments. She seems to harbor some sort of jealousy of Ana and Matsuri, because Nobue finds them cuter. She does not have any delicacy and tends to do things that bother people around her. Miu is nicknamed "Mi-chan". Miu has been described as "Yotsuba Koiwai with fangs". :While she is often causing trouble for the other girls, an interview with the cast that was published in volume 4 of the manga series reveals that Miu is extremely fond of Chika, whom she dubs as her 'one and only'. The interview also goes on to claim that Miu derives satisfaction from amusing Chika, and that she will never go to bed before making sure that Chika's room light is turned off. There are also scenes within the manga which hint at signs of lesbianism from Miu towards Chika; when Miu reveals that the both of them have kissed and rubbed each other's breasts, Chika makes no attempt to deny the claims or defend herself.

; : :Matsuri, nicknamed "Mats" in the manga, is an eleven-year-old glasses-wearing girl with a pet ferret named John, and is depicted as having a very timid personality in the story. She is often the subject of Miu's teasing and can resort to crying and hiding behind Nobue. She is one grade below Chika and Miu, in the same class as Ana, with whom she quickly became friends. Matsuri discovers that Ana can speak Japanese fluently and helps her hide both her Japanese language skills and her lack of English language skills from the rest of their class. While she has gray hair in the anime, her hair is white in the manga.

; : :Ana is an eleven-year-old girl who originally came from Cornwall, England, five years before the series, but seems to have forgotten how to speak English. She first pretends that she speaks only English, but it is not long before she is discovered by Matsuri while speaking very polite Japanese. Matsuri tries to help her re-learn English. Ana is often teased by Miu because of her name, Ana Coppola, which in Japanese sounds like a typical psychomime (a form of onomatopoeic sound). Ana really dislikes her last name for that and becomes angry every time Miu calls her "Coppola-chan". Miu also makes things worse by spelling her name in kanji to mean . Ana's "proper Japanese" personality is reflected by her very traditionally feminine and polite speaking style. And her impressive knowledge of Japanese words, kanji, customs and traditions makes her more "Japanese" than most Japanese people (which she also tries to hide). Later in the series, her ability to speak Japanese is discovered by the other students in her class. Ana owns a pet dog.

Michael Connolly is a 24-year-old with cerebral palsy who is a long-term resident of the Carrigmore Residential Home for the Disabled run by the formidable Eileen. His life, mundane and schedule-driven by the institution's authorities, is transformed when the maverick Rory O'Shea, who suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, suddenly moves in. Michael is stunned to discover that fast talking Rory, prone to lewd and/or overt jokes at unpredictable intervals, and who can move only his right hand, can understand his almost unintelligible speech. Rory's dynamic and rebellious nature soon sparks a flame in Michael, introducing him to the wider world outside of Carrigmore.

On a day out in Dublin led by Carrigmore collecting for "the needs of the disabled", Rory leads Michael astray, sneaking off to a local pub with their donation bucket, charming a group of girls at a corner table at which sits Siobhán; later they see Siobhán again while traversing a neighbouring nightclub, which they get into only by Michael citing Irish and EU Disability Discrimination Law text to the bouncer.

Rory has meanwhile repeatedly failed in his application for the Independent Living Allowance; he is always denied that on the grounds of irresponsibility and poor judgement, but told to reapply in six months. Inspired by his example Michael applies for the allowance himself; with the help of Rory as his interpreter Michael gets the allowance but they struggle to find an apartment that is both wheelchair accessible and affordable. Rory convinces Michael to visit his estranged father who, out of guilt, gives them the money and property they need to set up on their own.

They interview for a care-giver with little success, but later they meet Siobhán working in a local supermarket, and try to convince her to take on the job. Despite not having any professional experience she reluctantly accepts. Seeing that Michael and Siobhán are platonically friendly to each other, Rory becomes jealous – culminating in a joyride with local kids in a stolen car, crashing it, subsequently getting briefly detained by the police.

Siobhán invites Rory and Michael along to a costume party; but after Siobhán rejects Michaels advances she decides to bring in Peter, a qualified Personal Assistant to replace herself. Michael is distraught over Siobhán's departure from their lives, and considering suicide; Rory finds him on the edge of the James Joyce Bridge. Michael jokingly complains the edge is too high for him to throw himself off, and Rory talks him out of it, reminding him he has a future and to enjoy it.

Later, Michael finds Rory in his bed struggling to breathe, and calls for an ambulance. His disease having progressed, Rory is given only a few days to live. Michael visits Siobhán and with her help goes to the review board on behalf of Rory to argue his case, another chance having come up after six months. The board initially refuse, restating the same arguments, however Michael responds that ''"the right must exist independently of its exercising"'' and as a gesture the board approve Rory's independent living allowance in principle – but before they can get to the hospital to tell Rory the news, he has already died.

Michael and Siobhan attend Rory's funeral. Michael hears in his mind Rory's words ''"Well, then, are we going out?"'' and after saying goodbye to Siobhan, Michael heads out on his own.

Shemp is a voice instructor and the object of affection to his unattractive and tone-deaf vocal student Miss Dinkelmeyer, with Larry as his musical accompanist. After an excruciating session, Moe enters his classroom to tell Shemp that his uncle Caleb had died and left him an inheritance of $500,000 (about $6.4 million today). However, Shemp cannot collect the money unless he is married within 48 hours after the reading of the will, leaving him only a few hours to find a bride. Shemp uses his address book to call and propose to any and all women he has ever known in the phone booth, but he is unsuccessful. With time running out, Moe and Larry lead Shemp through a series of disastrous situations including the destruction of a phone booth and Shemp being beaten silly by a woman named Miss Hopkins, who had just moved into the building and mistook Shemp for her cousin Basil. As he gathers his thoughts, Shemp unintentionally proposes to Miss Dinkelmeyer. She happily accepts and the two of them, with Moe and Larry in tow, head over to the Justice of Peace to get married. Shemp pulls out the wedding ring but accidentally loses it in the piano. Moe forces him to look, and Shemp wrecks the piano before finding the ring.

Then, Shemp's landlord calls Moe to tell him that news of Shemp's inheritance was printed in the newspaper and all of Shemp's ex-girlfriends that he called earlier found out about it and are out looking for him. They all arrive at the Justice of Peace's office looking to marry Shemp to get his money, whereupon chaos ensues. The women start fighting, taking out their aggressions not only on each other but also upon Moe and Larry, who are repeatedly kicked in the shins while standing among the crowd of battling women, trying to break them up. Moe also sets a bear trap in a chair awaiting any of the women who are continually pushing one another into it, but the plan backfires as he tries to antagonize a combatant who shoves him backwards into the chair, causing the trap to painfully snap shut on him. Nonetheless, Shemp, in a dazed state, ends up marrying Miss Dinkelmeyer, just in time to collect the money. As Shemp comes to, he is told what has happened, and is frightened beyond reproach.

The programme stars Karl Howman as the mysterious Mulberry, a man who appears at the household of a cantankerous spinster, Rose Farnaby, and applies for a position as her manservant. Miss Farnaby's other staff, Bert and Alice Finch, are immediately suspicious, as the position for which Mulberry applies had not yet been advertised.

Their suspicions are well placed. Mulberry is not all he seems; in fact, he is an apprentice Grim Reaper who has been dispatched to the house to escort Miss Farnaby to the next world. Surprisingly for a Grim Reaper, Mulberry has a sentimental, even comical, side with a love of life and laughter that moves him to dedicate himself to ensuring that the sullen Miss Farnaby's last days on Earth are happy, using his role as servant to put his plans into motion.

Mulberry's sensitivity and interest in Miss Farnaby's well-being do not sit well with Mulberry's father, a fully fledged Grim Reaper with no interest in human emotions. He appears in most episodes as a mysterious figure (billed as "The Stranger") in a black hat and dark clothes, urging Mulberry to get on with the job. This is Mulberry's first assignment as a Grim Reaper, a task which he was told he could ease into. His father is annoyed with his dawdling. Mulberry refuses at first to do the job putting it off constantly much to his father's annoyance, and eventually, we learn the source of Mulberry's love of life: his mother, is actually Springtime. Mulberry's mother is one of the few things able to move his father as he grudgingly lets Miss Farnaby have three extra months of life and allows Mulberry to stay for that time after his mother visits. Mulberry also meets his mother for the first time who says she "does have some influence" on his father.

The device of Mulberry's father being Death and mother being Springtime is loosely borrowed from Greek mythology. Hades, lord of the underworld married a young maiden goddess named Persephone. Demeter was her mother and was heartbroken at the fate of Persephone having to live forever in hell. As the goddess of fertility and agriculture, her grief caused winter to come. As a compromise it was arranged for Persephone to only spend half the year with her husband. Thus we have winter and summer annually. Since springtime comes when Persephone returns to the surface she has become a symbol of youth, rebirth and spring. However, in Greek mythology, Hades and Persephone never have any children.

Ambiguous references are made to where Mulberry and his father 'come from', and what kind of beings they actually are, but these issues are not resolved in the show.

Stroker and Hoop are a pair of private investigators from Los Angeles, who act and dress as if it is still the 1970s. Despite their individual high opinions of themselves, both men are hopelessly inept at their job. Stroker fancies himself a suave ladies' man, but is generally unpopular and perceived by virtually every woman he meets as a repulsive chauvinist; and Hoop considers himself a crime-solving ace and master of disguise, when in fact he is a gullible nerd and all of his disguises are failures. Their only "advantage" over their competition is C.A.R.R., a talking AMC Pacer with its own neurotic personality. Because of their abysmal track record and less-than-stellar capabilities, the two men eke out livings solving crimes for people who cannot afford to hire more competent detectives. Invariably, their attempts to solve a crime result in bloodshed, violence, and thousands of dollars in property damage.

A recurring plot point of the series was to take myths and fantasies (such as mind control and Santa Claus) and make them real in an otherwise ordinary setting. Stroker often doubts the existence of these occurrences.

Rusty is a very lovely and beautiful chorus girl at a Brooklyn nightclub run by her boyfriend Danny McGuire. Fellow showgirl Maurine Martin enters a contest to be on the cover of ''Vanity'' magazine, so Rusty tries out as well. When Maurine is given a lukewarm evaluation by Cornelia Jackson, she sabotages Rusty's chances, giving her terrible advice on how to act toward Cornelia. Cornelia's boss, magazine editor John Coudair, decides to check out Maurine at Danny's nightclub, but his eye is immediately drawn to Rusty. It turns out that 40 years earlier, he had become instantly smitten with showgirl Maribelle Hicks, whom Rusty looks exactly like; he later discovers that Maribelle is Rusty's recently deceased grandmother.

Danny is worried that, with her newfound fame, Rusty will leave him. She is quite willing to stay if only Danny would ask her. John brings along impresario Noel Wheaton to see Rusty perform; Noel is impressed by both her marvelous beauty and talent. Backstage, he offers her a job. Danny does not want to stand in her way, so he picks an argument to send her packing. Rusty becomes a star on Broadway after appearing in a musical produced by Wheaton, and decides to marry him. At the last second, however, she leaves the wedding and reunites with Danny.

Dr. Bill Capa, a New York psychologist, falls into a deep depression after Michelle, an unstable patient, dies by suicide in front of him by jumping from his office window. The sight of the bloody body clad in a bright green dress causes Bill to suffer from psychosomatic color blindness, taking away his ability to see the color red. Bill travels to Los Angeles to stay with a friend, fellow therapist Dr. Bob Moore, who invites him to sit in on a group therapy session. However, Bob is violently murdered in the office and Bill is plunged into the mystery of his friend's death.

Lt. Hector Martinez considers everyone in Moore's therapy group, including Bill, as suspects in the murder. Bill continues to live in Bob's house and begins an affair with Rose, a beautiful but mysterious young woman who comes and goes. Bill takes the therapy group, which includes: Clark, a temperamental OCD sufferer; Sondra, a nymphomaniac and kleptomaniac; Buck, a suicidal ex-cop; Casey, who paints sado-masochist images; and Richie, a 16-year old with gender dysphoria and a history of drug use.

After Casey is found violently murdered, Bill becomes the target of several attempts on his life. He discovers that all but one of his patients have been romantically involved with Rose. He eventually learns that "Richie" is really Rose, and the murders were the work of her deranged brother, Dale. They once had an actual brother named Richie, who was molested by his child psychiatrist along with Dale.

After Richie committed suicide, Dale abused Rose into playing the part of their brother. Rose began to re-emerge during therapy and, under another personality named "Bonnie", started relationships with the other patients. Dale proceeded to kill them, fearing that they would soon link Rose to Richie.

Bill confronts them and is overpowered by Dale, who is about to kill him with a nail gun but is instead killed by Rose. Deeply traumatized, she then tries to commit suicide. Bill is able to stop her, bookending the story with two suicide attempts, one at the beginning, resulting in Bill's loss of color vision, and one at the end, thwarted and resulting in his regaining it.

Janice Emmons is a new friend and classmate of Charlie Brown and Linus, who loves to play on the swings. The special begins with Charlie Brown, Sally, Linus, and Janice waiting for the school bus. As Janice boards the bus, she hits her arm on a railing, causing it to bruise; Linus notices that Janice has been bruising easily lately. When they arrive at school, Janice starts feeling ill. She tells Linus that she is feeling tired and has a fever, so she is sent to the school nurse and is later picked up by her mother. Three days later, the class is told that Janice is in the hospital.

After school, Linus and Charlie Brown decide to visit Janice in the hospital, where she tells them that she has cancer (specifically leukemia). Janice explains what tests the doctors did to discover that she had leukemia (blood test, bone marrow test, and X-ray). She then shows them her IV line and explains her chemotherapy. Despite her illness, Janice is determined to recover and return to school, so she can play on the swings and be with her friends again.

The news of Janice's illness hits Linus especially hard, as he appears to be falling for her. As Charlie Brown and Linus leave the hospital, Linus asks, "Why, Charlie Brown, why?" He then walks home feeling both sad and angry, thinking about Janice's condition. When he arrives home, he challenges the ignorance of his sister Lucy towards Janice's illness and tells her cancer does not spread like the cold or flu. It's not long until Linus tells Lucy that he remembers the part when he touched Janice's forehead (trying to feel how warm she was). Lucy is shocked. However, her initial shock becomes an outrage when she finds out that Linus actually touched Janice. She also says that Janice probably got that disease because she is a creepy kid. Some months later, Janice's health has improved enough for her to return to school, but she has lost her hair because of the chemotherapy, and wears a cap to hide it.

At school, this attracts the attention of a schoolyard bully, who teases Janice for the color of the cap she is wearing. He knocks it off, revealing her bald head. He then makes fun of her for it. Livid, Linus stands up for Janice and confronts the boy, angrily telling him about Janice's illness and asking him if he would like to go through what Janice has gone through. The boy apologizes to Janice and Linus and compliments her on the cap. As Christmas approaches, Linus goes to Janice's house to give her a present, but one of Janice's two sisters informs Linus that she is at the hospital again, receiving treatment. The other sister complains of the attention Janice has been receiving, and later admits she and her other sister feel left out since Janice got sick. Linus gives her the present and leaves.

By the beginning of spring, Janice returns again and tells Linus she has a surprise for him, and she reveals the surprise at the end of the special while playing on the swings. The surprise fills Linus with joy, as Janice's cap falls off revealing that her long blonde hair has grown back even longer than it was before, marking the end of her chemotherapy, and meaning that she has recovered.

During the closing credits, the cap falls to the ground, and Janice laughs one last time (although it is not revealed whether there was the same depiction in the first place).

The special opens with Charlie Brown at home and he takes a book from his shelf titled "My Trip". His younger sister, Sally, approaches and asks him what he's doing. Charlie Brown tells her that he's making a photo album with pictures he took in France when he, Linus, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Snoopy, and Woodstock went there for a student exchange. Sally realizes that Charlie Brown never told her what happened after the fire in the chateau and how he got home and asks if he learned anything. From there, it is shown in a flashback:

As they begin to head back from the chateau to the train station for the return trip to London (where they would return to America by plane), their problematic rental car (a Citroen 2CV) slows their progress, before breaking down entirely in a small French town. Renting another one from a French lady (who immediately accepts their offer after realizing Snoopy ''is'', in fact, a World War I Flying Ace) they soon become lost and camp at a nearby beach for the night. Linus, however, wakes up shortly before daybreak and walks along the beach, realizing they are at Omaha Beach.

Linus then tells of the battle of D-Day, leading the group to the nearby cemetery for all of the American soldiers. The voice of General Dwight D. Eisenhower is also heard, reminiscing about the experiences of the battle. Archival news footage is also used, in some cases with the characters inserted through rotoscoping.

While proceeding up north, they head towards Ypres, which Linus recognized as the site of a series of battles during World War I. They arrive at a field of red poppies, which grew throughout the wastelands of battles fought during the war, and which serves as a marker for the Ypres battle site. Linus then recites John McCrae's famous poem ''In Flanders Fields'', after directing the group to the British field dressing station where McCrae was inspired to write the poem.

They come away realizing what the impact of the wars were, and how important the sacrifice of the soldiers was. Standing among the field of red poppies, Linus then turns and asks, "What have we learned, Charlie Brown?". The scene flashes back to him and Sally. She then tells him that he is pasting the pictures upside down.

While all the kids are happy that they get time off for Christmas vacation, (somehow only) Charlie Brown is made to write a book report on ''War and Peace'' by Leo Tolstoy. There is one major distraction on his mind, the big New Year's party all his friends are attending, with Peppermint Patty continuously convincing him to attend. Charlie tries inviting the object of his desires, the Little Red-Haired Girl, but gets his hand caught in the mail slot. With the party on his mind, he attempts to try to find another way to write the report, even going to a bookstore to find an audiobook and computer game of it, all to no avail. While at the party, he tries to finish the book on the front porch of the house, but falls asleep and misses the clock's striking of midnight but is more devastated to find out that Linus ended up dancing with the Little Red-Haired Girl, who showed up after all. At the end of the special, Charlie hands his book report to the teacher and gets a D minus. Despite the poor grade, Charlie Brown is proud that he made an honest effort and avoided an outright failure. However, the teacher announces that the entire class will be made to read and report on Fyodor Dostoevsky's ''Crime and Punishment'', overwhelming him even more.

Austrian Klaus Schneider, who later comes to be known as Erik Jan Hanussen is wounded during World War I. While recovering in the care of Dr. Emil Bettelheim (Erland Josephson), the Doctor discovers that Schneider possesses empathic powers. After the war, with one friend as his manager and another as his lover, Schneider changes his name and goes to Berlin to perform in halls and theaters as a hypnotist and mind reader. His purported powers bring him to the attention of the Nazis which cause his fame and power – as well as his own troubles – to grow.

Scientist Bruce Banner has spent years in semi-isolation researching a potential cure for an affliction that transforms him into the Hulk when he is angered or stressed. He has created an experimental device intended to modify his subconscious and repair psychological damage inflicted upon him by childhood trauma, thus subduing the Hulk as well as another more menacing personality that is emerging within him. Working alongside psychotherapist Doctor Leonard Samson, Banner nearly completes the device, but military forces led by Emil Blonsky destroy his forest hideout. As Banner escapes in the form of the Hulk, Blonsky takes the device from the hideout's remains and receives a dose of gamma rays. Banner regroups with Samson, who equips Banner with a device that implants post-hypnotic suggestions and artificially induces episodes of rage, allowing them a degree of control over the Hulk. Samson sends the Hulk on various errands into the city and the badlands, either to help construct the machine or to hinder Blonsky's ever-growing presence.

Meanwhile, the mutual animosity between Blonsky and his superior General Thunderbolt Ross grows into open hostility due to Blonsky overstepping his authority to secure a mysterious prisoner, "Mission Directive", in a secret military research facility known as the Vault. After an argument with Ross, Blonsky loses control and transforms into a massive reptilian-like creature known as the Abomination. He goes on a rampage until the Hulk arrives and defeats him. As the Hulk escapes, Blonsky returns to normal and claims to his men that the wreckage is the Hulk's doing. The Hulk is sent to a nuclear power plant to obtain fuel rods, and he confronts Blonsky's bodyguard Mercy. Upon her defeat, Mercy attempts to divulge the true nature of Mission Directive, but is killed when Blonsky orders an air strike on the plant. Although Banner escapes with his life, the stress of the situation takes its toll and his evil alter ego, the Devil Hulk, begins to emerge.

Under the Devil Hulk's influence, the Hulk destroys civilian buildings, killing many innocents, under the illusion that Samson is ordering him to destroy military locations. When Samson sends Hulk on a mission to retrieve a package from a military test site, he is lured into an ambush; Samson has sided with Ross, fearing the threat of an out-of-control Hulk. Ross faces the Hulk in a gigantic Hulkbuster mech, which the Hulk destroys. Having no choice, Samson puts the Hulk to sleep with his hypnotic device. Banner is taken to the Vault, where Blonsky prepares to peel open Banner's mind in search of the secret to controlling gamma-based transformations. The agony of Banner's interrogation draws out the Devil Hulk's power, and the Hulk breaks free. Blonsky transforms into the Abomination when the Hulk corners him, exposing his identity to the military. Blaming the Hulk for ruining his life, the Abomination flees the Vault, as does the Hulk. Banner confronts Samson for betraying him, but forgives him when Samson reveals that he used Banner's captivity as a diversion to secure a vital component of the machine. Before the machine can be completed, however, Ross discovers Samson's base and orders it destroyed. The Hulk defends the base as Samson makes the final adjustments. Using the finished machine to venture into his own psyche, Banner defeats and banishes the Devil Hulk.

Meanwhile, the Abomination breaks into the Vault to retrieve Mission Directive. The Hulk follows him, but discovers that Mission Directive is Blonsky's now-deceased wife Nadia and their unborn child; following Nadia's diagnosis of ovarian cancer, Blonsky exposed her to gamma radiation as part of a government program influenced by Banner's previous research. Blaming Banner for Nadia's death, the Abomination departs from the Vault and heads for the local dam, planning to destroy it and the city below. The Hulk and the military pursue the Abomination, but fail to prevent him from breaking the dam. As the Abomination disappears under the rushing current, the Hulk causes a landslide to stop the water and save the city. Despite this heroic act, Ross publicly blames the Hulk for the dam's destruction. Samson, lamenting this turn of events, offers his help again, but Banner turns him down, believing the world will never trust the Hulk, and he sets off on his own.

In 1978, Kate Melendez (Amy Irving) is a television news reporter who investigates the mysterious deaths of two radical Puerto Rican activists. The government claims they were terrorists while others claim the two were merely student activists. Despite threats to her own life, Melendez investigates the deaths, gradually leading her to conclude that undercover American agents were responsible for framing the activists as terrorists, and then murdering them.

Phoenix Kane is a mobster. His live-in girlfriend, Rebecca, discovers his illegal money laundering and tries to leave him. He half-strangles her to keep her quiet, but is hit by a car as he leaves. While he is taken to the hospital, Rebecca escapes England. For his protection, Kane orders her captured and returned to England and his control, not knowing one of his cohorts has ordered a hit on her if she talks to the police.

Falk has not worked for some time. He meets his former boss, who now is part of Europol leading an organized crime task-force, in a Dutch restaurant and refuses a job offer. When he leaves, Rebecca meets with the former boss, offering information in exchange for protection. Falk returns to the restaurant just as hitmen, disguised as police, kill Falk's ex-boss and try to take out Rebecca.

Falk returns fire and sneaks her to safety. They escape the hitmen, but are overtaken by a security team from Kane with orders to return her to England. They don't believe Rebecca when she insists she'll be killed if she goes back, but when Kane tracks them down and his hitmen shoot some of the security men, they go rogue and help her.

In Munich, Kane has set up a big money deal at a local bank. Falk, his pregnant girlfriend Helen, Rebecca and two uninjured security men head there to stop him. Falk wants to bug Kane's hotel room using cell phones, but because of street rioters, only Helen has credentials that persuade the police to let her in. She bugs the room but can't leave the hotel because rioting has worsened.

The hitmen, who had earlier lost them, see her and deduce where their quarry is. They catch Helen when she sneaks from the hotel and use her to compel Falk to turn over Rebecca. Falk refuses, hoping to find a way to save Helen without getting Rebecca killed. Helen succeeds in escaping her captor, but freezes in the street when she sees a hit man shoot Falk, disabling him.

Meanwhile Rebecca goes to the bank to confront Kane and learns he didn't arrange the hit on her. She shoots and kills the cohort who did. One hit man sees her and, dressed as a riot policeman, forces his way in, killing Kane in the effort to kill Rebecca. The hitman is himself killed.

The second hitman shoots Falk in the head and prepares to kill a distraught Helen, using a dead policeman's gun after his own gun jams. Instead, Falk kills him, saving Helen, still alive since the cop's gun had held only rubber bullets.

Falk attends the funeral for his former boss—wearing a policeman's uniform.

In 1964, important British businessman Sir William Rutland arrives two days early in Tokyo and runs afoul of the housing shortage caused by the 1964 Summer Olympics. While at the British Embassy seeking help, he spots an advertisement for a roommate and decides to check the place out. He finds himself at the residence of Christine Easton, who insists that it would be improper to take him in as a housemate; she had forgotten to advertise that she wanted to sublet to a woman. Easton eventually lets Rutland stay.

Rutland sublets half of his space to American Olympic competitor Steve Davis. While Easton is less than thrilled with the arrangement, she has to put up with it, as she has already spent Rutland's share of the rent. Rutland sets about playing matchmaker for the two young people, in spite of their disparate personalities and Easton's engagement to a boringly dependable British diplomat, Julius P. Haversack.

Davis repeatedly refuses to reveal what sport he is competing in. Rutland meddles in the young couple's romantic troubles. To further his matchmaking, he even strips down to his boxer shorts and a T-shirt so he can pretend to be a competitor and talk to Davis during his event, the 50-kilometre walk, and eventually heals the breach between the young lovers.

The episode opens with footage of a US Air Force B-1 Lancer bomber dropping a payload, revealed to be a huge red atom bomb that lands into the quartet's house unexploded. Neil does not notice the real reason for an enormous hole in the ceiling when he gets out of bed to do the breakfast, if one of his flatmates had put it there somehow. Eventually Vyvyan points out that the atom bomb is perched against the refrigerator. The first panic is diverted by the arrival of a sadistic television licence officer who wants blood, but soon the quartet returns to the emergency at hand.

Mike tries negotiating with Libya to make a profit out of the bomb while Rick uses the bomb with attempts to make threats to the British government (his efforts at sending a threatening telegram through the Post Office fail when it turns out he has mistakenly walked into the DHSS). Neil, ever the pragmatist, sets out his personal survival plan ("I'm going to consult the incredibly helpful [Protect and Survive] manual!") and Vyvyan tries to quicken up the detonation procedure. The final tick of the clock prior to 'explosion' proves to be a little disappointing, with the bomb hatching like an egg and a small aeroplane appearing out of the bomb, flying out of the room and circling outside the house (thus implying the bomb was merely an 'egg' of the bomber).

With none of the quartet noticing a medieval execution in their back garden, there is initial tranquility in the house, with Neil randomly hitting himself in the face with a frying pan, and Vyvyan reading one of Rick's ''"SS Death Camp Battalion go to Monte Cassino for the Massacre"'' war comics, leading to an argument with Rick over the comic's content. Before Neil prepares to go on a shopping trip for "Everything except Green Globules and Super Mousse", Vyvyan mentions that he had concocted a 'homicidal axe-wielding maniac' potion disguised in a Coca-Cola can, that transforms the drinker into said person, under the guise of a "cure for not being a homicidal axe-wielding maniac", to which Vyvyan mentions the potential size of the market for such an invention.

Torrential rain soon traps everyone in the house and a game of hide and seek gets underway to pass the time. The house takes on a Narnia-esque feel, with a lion tamer in Mike's bedroom and Vyvyan finding a witch in a sleigh lurking in a new world at the back of the wardrobe where he was hiding. But all that - plus the sharks at the window and the arson attack on Rick's bedroom caused by Vyvyan - becomes irrelevant as Mr. Balowski arrives, unwittingly drinks Vyvyan's [potion]], and goes on the hunt. As Mike, Rick and Vyvyan prepare to kill Neil for food with an electric hedge trimmer, Mr. Balowski breaks down the door to Neil's room with an axe, leading to the group trying to escape him. After tricking Mr. Balowski into entering Mike's room, which was being rented out to Bobby the Lion Tamer and his man-eating lions, (Bobby coincidentally was Robert Raven from Gerry Cottles Circus), the group notice the floodwaters are subsiding. The episode ends by showing Vyvyan's hamster, SPG, floating on a discarded McEwan's Export can on the floodwaters, showing he had survived Vyvyan's angry outburst which led to him throwing him outside.

An upset Neil bursts into the house, interrupting a story Rick is telling to an uninterested Vyvyan and Mike, and describes an encounter in which a complete stranger called him smelly. Mike realizes that none of the four have washed any laundry for over two years. One of Vyvyan's dirty socks comes to life and tries to escape the house; after they destroy it, Mike insists that they visit the local launderette immediately, but Vyvyan reminds him that they have to wait until it opens the next morning.

After a night's sleep, the four rush downstairs and set out for the launderette, only to find that none of the washing machines will accept their clothing. Vyvyan tricks one machine into opening its door so he can stuff in the load, but the four then discover that they have neither any laundry detergent nor the coins needed to operate the machine. Once they return to their house, Neil suddenly remembers that they have been invited to represent Scumbag College on ''University Challenge'' that evening. Still wearing their dirty clothes, they rush to catch a train as Motörhead perform their song "Ace of Spades" in the living room.

During the train ride, Neil frantically studies some of Rick's old class notes, Rick complains about disparaging comments written in them by his classmates, and Vyvyan has Neil quiz him from a book of bizarre trivia and world records. Ignoring posted warning signs, Vyvyan sticks his head out the window as the train enters a tunnel and accidentally decapitates himself. The four leave the train to chase down Vyvyan's head and end up hitchhiking to the studio. They arrive two weeks later, bedraggled and filthy, and Vyvyan tries and fails to smuggle in a pig. Mike's friend, Bambi, is the host of ''University Challenge'' and a play on host Bamber Gascoigne. He is now walking on two legs, exactly resembling a human, and he declines Rick's request to let Scumbag win.

Scumbag is pitted against the incredibly wealthy Footlights College team from Oxbridge, to whom Bambi shows blatant favouritism by accepting wrong answers and bribes. The teams are arranged physically one above the other, in a parody of the show's split-screen format. The match is complicated by Neil's desperate need to use a toilet. Enraged at not receiving easier questions, Vyvyan kicks the head of the Footlights team member above whom he is seated, then blows up the entire team with a German stick grenade. The questions become much easier, with Vyvyan recognizing them as being from his book of trivia, but Mike and Neil beat him to the buzzer every time. A trick question fools Rick into admitting that he cheated by swapping the question cards, causing the audience to boo and throw things at Scumbag. They are suddenly squashed by a giant éclair, which belongs to a medical doctor who has been observing the events of the episode as a bacterial culture under his microscope. The episode ends when the doctor later feeds it to an elephant, Jumbo, who is supposedly a horribly disfigured man.

The quartet are so poor that they are burning their clothes and belongings just to keep warm. Neil prepares meals of snow passed off as risotto, and Vyvyan goes around the neighbourhood to find winter fuel although the episode is set in September. Eventually they decide that someone needs to get a job to bring money into the house, but when the only vacancy advertised in the local paper is for the Army, Rick and Mike both rule themselves out on medical grounds (perforated eardrum and flat feet, respectively), while Vyvyan declares that he is pregnant, leaving Neil the only one to take the job.

After a poor haircut and a quick loan of Mike's suit, Neil goes to join up, but having been told not to mention it, is rejected for being a pacifist. After spotting a recruitment poster for the police, the other three throw Neil into the police station next door, where he meets Alexei Sayle's character, a Mussolini-lookalike. While the others get lucky when a lorry full of food and expensive furnishings crashes through the front window, Neil takes to his new job - arresting a bunch of his drugged-up hippie friends, where the track Electrick Gypsies by Steve Hillage is playing on the record player until he pulls the plug on it and says - "Oh no, Steve Hillage!"

Arriving home, Neil tries to arrest his flatmates, assuming they have stolen the luxury items. His harsh use of the baton forces Vyvyan into labour. Mike leaves the room, being afraid of the sight of childbirth. Instead, Vyvyan actually ends up passing wind loudly. Having been handcuffed together with Vyvyan, Rick and Neil frantically try to escape the smell but Neil is unable to find the key. Unaware, Mike comes back in, and tries to light a celebratory cigar. The flame reacts with the gas, causing the house to explode.

The main character is a young wandering hero warrior named Desmond (タケル, Takeru). After liberating Strawberry Fields (now called Arcadia) from a demon's curse and saving the girls of city of Phoenix from an evil witch queen in his previous adventures, Desmond finds himself in a situation unworthy of his heroic status: robbers have taken all his possessions, including his legendary armor, his magic sword, and even his clothes. So the first task for the unsuccessful hero is to get some money. Luckily, the mayor has an assignment for him, for which he is also willing to pay. Desmond accepts the assignment without knowing what it will lead to - traveling all over the world, fighting fearsome enemies, encountering beautiful women, and solving a mystery that will also reveal the secret of his own true identity.

In his journeys, Desmond is repeatedly attacked by demons. In the process, his companion Rolf (バーン, Bān) from ''Dragon Knight II'' and the sorceress Luna (ルナ) from ''Dragon Knight'' join him. He dreams of a woman who later turns out to be the goddess of light Althea (メシア, Meshia). She and the god of darkness Deimos (ディード, Dīdo) have made an agreement that they would decide the fate of the world through a duel between their respective children. Desmond is the son of Althea and his friend, the black knight Arstein (アルスティーン, Arusutīn) is the son of Deimos. Since Arstein does not want to kill his friend Desmond, he gets Desmond to kill him. Since Deimos does not stick to the agreement and attacks Althea, the group has to fight against him in the end.

After Deimos is destroyed, Desmond is offered an ascension to the council of gods, but decides to stay in the mortal world. He marries Luna, and Arcadia's ruler Princess Diana（ネイナ, Naina）builds them a great palace. Rolf marries Marie (from ''Dragon Knight II'').

Peter, Joe and Quagmire drag Cleveland to a bar to get him to meet some women, as he's still reeling from him and Loretta getting a divorce. It doesn't work so well, so when ''The Bachelorette'' comes to Quahog, Peter takes Cleveland to audition for the show. Cleveland gets nervous at the audition and in an effort to calm him down, Peter removes Cleveland's clothes and then his own. The producers see this and later on, Brian goes to them and explains that Peter was simply trying to help Cleveland and goes on to explain how Cleveland's been kind of lonely ever since he and his wife got divorced and figures that he's just confused about what he really wants in a relationship.

After meeting Brian, they recruit him to be a contestant. Brian's unsure about this and tries convincing them to recruit Cleveland, but he ultimately decides to join the show, primarily for the free food and drinks (especially the martinis), but ends up falling in love with the reality starlet, Brooke Roberts. Quagmire and Brian are the final two contestants on ''The Bachelorette''. Brooke's visits to the Griffin house is catastrophic, but Brooke admits that it wasn't nearly as bad as the dinner she had with Quagmire and his mom. Brian wins her heart and the final rose, but when the cameras are turned off, Brooke wishes Brian good luck and that it was nice "working with him", revealing the show really is scripted, as Brian initially thought. Brian quickly becomes obsessed with Brooke and leaves several messages on her answering machine, even though she never gets back to him. Brooke gets angry at Brian for stalking her and throws her telephone at him when he attempts to serenade her outside her apartment. In the end, Brian feels upset about becoming the very thing he mocked before.

Meanwhile, Chris has a pimple on his face which he names "Doug". Lois worries about Chris, as Doug, who can talk, tells Chris to make some mischief. He goes to the Swansons' house and sets a bag of feces on fire on their porch, and writes “That’s enough, John Mayer” in spraypaint on the wall of the Quahog Mini-Mart. Lois sees Chris sneaking back into his room and is going to punish him but Chris tells her that Doug said he does not have to listen to her. This outrages Lois, deciding to go to Goldman's Pharmacy the next day and get some astringent to get rid of Doug. However, the next day, as Peter and Lois head to Goldman's, they realize there has been a break-in, and someone has destroyed Mort's entire stock of acne medication. That night, when Brooke comes over for dinner to meet Brian's family, Doug tells Chris to lift up Brooke's shirt, while Stewie asks how long Brooke has been a hooker. He does this, shocking and offending the family. Joe comes in, saying he has proof that it was Chris who vandalized, broke into Goldman's Pharmacy and stole Mort's acne medication. Chris decides he no longer wants to listen to Doug after he made his mom cry, but Doug says he could make Chris punch himself, or even worse, shoot him in the brain. Chris finally winds up at the dermatology clinic, and a struggle ensues as Doug tries to shoot him in the brain, but Chris manages to overpower him and use cortisone on Doug, finally taking him out.

The young Miloš Hrma, who speaks with misplaced pride of his family of misfits and malingerers, is engaged as a newly-trained train dispatcher at a small railway station near the end of the Second World War and the German occupation of Czechoslovakia. He admires himself in his new uniform and looks forward, like his prematurely retired train driver father, to avoiding real work. The sometimes pompous stationmaster is an enthusiastic pigeon-breeder who has a kind wife, but is envious of train dispatcher Hubička's success with women. The idyll of the railway station is periodically disturbed by the arrival of councilor Zedníček, a Nazi collaborator who spouts propaganda at the staff, though he does not influence anyone with it.

Miloš is in a budding relationship with the pretty, young conductor Máša. The experienced Hubička presses for details and realizes that Miloš is still a virgin. At her initiative, Máša spends the night with Miloš, but in his youthful excitability he ejaculates prematurely and is unable to perform sexually. The next day, despairing, he attempts suicide, but is saved. A young doctor at the hospital explains to Miloš that ''ejaculatio praecox'' is normal at his age, recommending that Miloš "think of something else", such as football, and seek out an experienced woman to help him through his first sexual experience.

During the nightshift, Hubička flirts with the young telegraphist, Zdenička, and imprints her thighs and buttocks with the office's rubber stamps. Her mother sees the stamps and complains to Hubička's superiors.

The Germans and their collaborators are on edge, since their trains and railroad tracks are being attacked by partisans. A glamorous resistance agent, code-named Viktoria Freie, delivers a time bomb to Hubička for use in blowing up a large ammunition train. At Hubička's request, the "experienced" Viktoria also helps Miloš to resolve his sexual problem.

The next day, at the crucial moment when the ammunition train is approaching the station, Hubička is caught up in a farcical disciplinary hearing, overseen by Zedníček, over his rubber-stamping of Zdenička's backside. In Hubička's place, Miloš, liberated from his former passivity by his experience with Viktoria, takes the time bomb and drops it onto the train from a semaphore gantry, which extends transversely above the tracks. A machine-gunner on the train, spotting Miloš, sprays him with bullets, and his body falls onto the train.

Zedníček winds up the disciplinary hearing by dismissing the Czech people as "nothing but laughing hyenas" (a phrase actually employed by the senior Nazi official Reinhard HeydrichHames, Peter. ''The Czechoslovak New Wave''. Second Edition, 2005, London and New York, Wallflower Press.). The stationmaster is despondent because the scandal with Hubička and Zdenička seems to have frustrated his ambition of being promoted to inspector. Then a huge series of explosions happens just around a bend in the track as the train is destroyed by the bomb. Hubička, unaware of what has happened to Miloš, laughs to express his joy at this blow to the Nazi occupiers. Máša, who has been waiting to speak with Miloš, picks up his uniform cap, which has wound up at her feet, blown by the huge winds from the blast.

The episode begins with a man playing chess against Death. After losing to the man, Death declares "Bollocks to this!" and attacks the man with his scythe. The horror movie-themed opening credits are followed by Mike, Rick, Vyvyan and Neil carrying a coffin through a local cemetery. The coffin is brought to a freshly-dug grave where a passing woman asks a spade-holding Neil if he digs graves, to which Neil replies, "Yeah, they're all right." After encountering a drunken vicar and two gravediggers, the episode then takes a flashback to events leading up to the burial. It is bath night, and while Neil jumps into the muddy bathwater used in the three others' previous baths (inadvertently finding his long-lost bicycle in the process), Rick locks himself in his room and gets on his bed for a sneaky read of ''Cosmopolitan'' - only to nearly get cut in half by Vyvyan's cleverly placed circular saw. Mike and Vyvyan spend the time trying to set up the new video recorder they have secured, in order to watch a video nasty. A scene-stealing postman then arrives to deliver a human-shaped package from the Transvaal. After falling out of the bathroom window and having his bedroom boarded up, Neil arrives downstairs wearing a dress he found in Rick's room (with Rick's name tagged in the back). Neil briefly gets the video machine to work by plugging it - but suffers a sustained electric shock in the process - and the group is shown a commercial for a women's pain reliever set in Hell.

After the video stops working once again, the package delivered earlier has opened. This turns out to be a vampire, who claims he is really just a driving instructor from Johannesburg. The vampire chases the boys, but stops to use the toilet. Locked in the toilet, the vampire's driving instructor ruse fails when he incorrectly answers Vyvyan's ''Highway Code'' question about what to do when crossing a humpback bridge. When the four realise that vampires only attack virgins, it leads to them all unconvincingly denying their sexual purity. But when the vampire returns downstairs, he is hit by sunlight streaming through the window (as he still has his wristwatch set to South African time) - and he is placed inside a dual-purpose sofa-coffin. The scene flash-forwards back to the graveyard, where Mike realises it is half-past nine. The vampire then comes out from the coffin and reveals himself to be Harry the Bastard, an employee from Rumbelows from whom they rented the video machine. Harry announces that their deadline for returning the machine has just elapsed and they now owe him £500 in late fees. As the closing line of the episode, the entire gang at the grave site turn to the camera and say, "Well, what a complete bastard!" The closing credits play over Death and the man from the chess match (who is now a ghost) arguing at a golf hole.

Georgia Byrd is a shy, unassuming salesperson in the cookware department at Kragen's Department Store in New Orleans and a Baptist choir singer who longs to cook professionally. She privately records her dreams of a better life in a scrapbook labeled "Possibilities" enjoys replicating TV chef Emeril Lagasse's gourmet recipes, serving her creations to a neighbor while denying herself the pleasure of eating them. During the Christmas season, while flirting with a handsome co-worker named Sean Williams, whom she has secretly featured in her scrapbook as her dream husband, Georgia bumps her head on a kitchen cabinet door and is taken to the store's health center for a CT scan. There, she is told by company physician Dr. Rabindranath Gupta that she has several brain tumors resulting from a rare terminal neurological disorder called Lampington's disease. Since her HMO plan cannot cover the high cost of an operation, Georgia resigns herself to having only a few weeks to live, quits her job, liquidates her assets and sets off on a dream vacation at the deluxe Grandhotel Pupp in the Czech Republic's spa city of Karlovy Vary.

Free of inhibitions and determined to enjoy the final weeks of her life, Georgia checks into the Presidential Suite for $4000 per night, buys a designer wardrobe in expensive boutiques, makes extensive use of the hotel's spa facilities, attempts snowboarding and BASE jumping off a dam, enjoys succulent meals prepared by world-renowned Chef Didier, and wins a small fortune playing roulette in the casino.

Georgia impresses the hotel's staff, with the exception of cantankerous guest services manager Ms. Gunther, with her naive manner and forthright kindness, and mingles with some of the other guests, including Matthew Kragen, an arrogant self-help guru and coincidentally the owner of the department store where she worked; Kragen's assistant/mistress Ms. Burns; and Louisiana power brokers Senator Dillings and Congressman Stewart. Kragen is skeptical about Georgia and suspects her of trying to sabotage his business, but the rest are charmed by her free spirit.

When Kragen bribes Ms. Gunther to dig up information about Georgia's background, she goes through her hotel suite and finds a letter Georgia has written providing instructions for the disposition of her remains after her death. Moved by the letter and realizing Georgia's self-confidence and sunny optimism have touched everyone who has met her since her arrival, Ms. Gunther confesses to Georgia she snooped through her belongings and found the letter, urging her to return home and spend her last days with those she loves. Taking Ms. Gunther's advice, Georgia heads for the airport but discovers an avalanche has blocked the road. Unbeknownst to her, Sean, having learned of Georgia's diagnosis and ready to acknowledge his long-standing feelings for her, has flown to Europe and is in a taxi on the other side of the snowdrift, blocked from reaching her at the hotel.

Georgia returns to the hotel, and Sean leaves his taxi to hike across the snow on foot. Chef Didier invites Georgia to assist him in the hotel's kitchen that night preparing an extravagant New Year's Eve feast and thanks her publicly at the party. Later, seated at dinner and incensed by the accolades and affection Georgia has received, Kragen tries to humiliate her to his companions by exposing her as a saleswoman in one of his stores, but Georgia confirms this and reveals her terminal illness. Kragen's companions, disgusted by his insensitivity, embrace her and abandon him. Dejected and embarrassed, Kragen goes to an upper floor of the hotel and sits on the ledge, contemplating suicide. Georgia tries to dissuade this, suggesting if he were nicer and less driven by greed, he would be a happier person.

Sean arrives at the hotel just in time and joins Georgia on the ledge, confessing his affection for her and admitting he'd seen her scrapbook of "Possibilities". In the lobby, Ms. Gunther finds a fax for Georgia from Dr. Gupta stating she was misdiagnosed by a faulty CT scanner and did not have Lampington's disease after all. Ms. Gunther rushes up to the ledge to announce the good news. Georgia and Sean return to New Orleans as a couple where they open a restaurant, Georgia's Joint, which is visited by Chef Didier and Emeril Lagasse.

An epilogue sequence shows that Georgia changed her Book of Possibilities into the Book of Realities, and her friends from the hotel all lived better lives: Ms. Burns went to massage therapy school, Ms. Gunther opened a detective agency, and Dr. Gupta and Matthew Kragen joined a spiritual retreat after Gupta quit his job and Kragen's wife divorced him. And that Georgia and Sean got married while skydiving.

In Vienna, Austria-Hungary, 1889, a magician named Eisenheim is arrested by Chief Inspector Walter Uhl of the Vienna Police during a magic show involving necromancy. Later, Uhl explains the story of Eisenheim's life to Crown Prince Leopold.

Eisenheim was born to a cabinet-maker and became interested in magic. He fell in love with Sophie, the Duchess von Teschen, but the two were forbidden to see each other on account of the former being a peasant. They kept meeting secretly but were caught and separated by force. Eisenheim studied magic by travelling the world, and fifteen years later, returned to Vienna to perform. During one performance, he encounters the adult Sophie and learns that she is expected to marry the Crown Prince Leopold, who, it is rumored, is brutal towards women and even murdered one. Leopold invites Eisenheim to conduct a private performance at the palace. During the performance, Eisenheim humiliates the Crown Prince in front of the royal guests; in response, he is banned from performing again in Vienna. When Sophie comes to offer him help, they make love. Eisenheim asks her to flee with him, but she is afraid that they will be executed. She reveals that the Crown Prince is planning a ''coup d'état'' against his elderly father, the Emperor Franz Joseph I.

At the Mayerling hunting lodge, Sophie tries to end her engagement with Leopold. Her body is discovered the next morning in the Vienna Woods, an unknown man blamed. This throws Eisenheim into depression. He buys a theatre and begins a new series of magic shows, this time focusing on the summoning of dead spirits. Leopold secretly attends one, during which Eisenheim summons the spirit of Sophie, who says that someone in the theater is her murderer. Leopold, unnerved, orders Uhl to arrest Eisenheim for fraud, but Eisenheim avoids jail by confessing to the public that his show is an illusion.

Eisenheim is threatened that if he summons Sophie in his next performance, he will be imprisoned. Uhl attends the performance, and in spite of the warnings, Eisenheim summons Sophie again. Uhl storms the stage with his officers, but to the shock of the audience, Eisenheim is revealed to be a spirit when Uhl's hand passes through him.

Uhl reveals to Leopold that he has found evidence—a jewel from Leopold's sword and Sophie's locket—which could implicate Leopold in Sophie's murder. Uhl has already informed the Emperor and the Austro-Hungarian General Staff of Leopold's conspiracy to seize the throne. As officers of the imperial guard of the Austro-Hungarian Army arrive, Leopold shoots himself in the head. Uhl leaves and places Sophie's locket in his pocket. He is now no longer Chief Inspector of Police.

As a boy approaches him, he is jostled by a bearded man in a long coat. The boy gives him a package containing Eisenheim's notebook about the Orange Tree trick, which Uhl had been unable to figure out. He asks the boy who gave him the notebook, and the boy replies "Herr Eisenheim." He realizes the person who jostled him stole the locket. He chases after the man, but the man boards a train and escapes. Uhl realizes the jostling and the notebook are a message from the illusionist, and begins to rethink recent events. He concludes that Sophie and Eisenheim staged her death so that she could be free of Leopold, with her ghostly apparitions being nothing more than phantasmagoria. Uhl laughs delightedly at the brilliance of their plan. Far away, Sophie and Eisenheim start a new life together in a cabin at a beautiful mountain. Eisenheim places Sophie's locket in her palm.

The episode begins with opening credits and setting which parodies the popular American soap opera ''Dallas''. As a greedy owner of a fictional Texas oil company, Neil signs over oil wells and gives away six billion dollars to the entire public. This philanthropy initially disappoints Rick, who portrays an American client, but he later concurs with Neil's altruism.

Meanwhile, Neil is woken from this beautiful dream by Vyvyan, who angrily yells to the Sunday bellringers outside to be quiet. Rick wakes up next to a young, but unknown woman, fully clothed. His initial shock and confusion is tempered by his realisation that he can boast about a sexual conquest to the others. His housemates are doubtful. Vyvyan is repulsed by the notion of a woman fancying Rick and is also jealous. Neil wants details, which Rick barely manages to make up. Mike is offended as he's "supposed to be the one who gets the girls". Mike attempts to seduce the girl in question, who calls herself Helen Mucus. When she reveals that she merely fell sleep in an empty bed, the others turn on Rick, with Vyvyan accusing him of still being a virgin, sparking hefty denials from Rick. This argument escalates into an increasingly violent confrontation between Vyvyan and Rick, which spreads around the house.

Meanwhile, the radio reveals Helen is an escaped murderess, so she plans to kill the four, beginning with Mike. He mistakes her violence as rough foreplay. The appearance of a medieval knight sends the front door crashing on top of Helen. This confuses the quartet, who soon discover the house has gone through a time warp. Neil is concussed and kidnapped, along with Helen, by the knight who offers them as maidens to some Middle Ages hut-keepers. Having been thrown off the knight's horse, Neil regains consciousness and starts a conversation with the villagers, but their hut blows up from a howitzer, poorly aimed by Vyvyan at Rick.

Neil is chased back to the house after being accused of sorcery, and, with Rick promising to have a T-shirt confirming his virginity printed, the four quickly check the television to see if programming has been altered by their time loop. They watch a fictional programme ''Medieval Torture Hour''. Rick, Neil, and Mike panic about the time warp, asking what they are going to do, to which Vyvyan responds: "Oh, who cares?", which begins when the closing credit roll. During the credits, the boys settle down to a game of cards, while around them, all of the episode's characters enter the house. As a stinger, Neil gets hit on the head with a giant bone by one of the peasants, which only seems to annoy Neil.

After Madea (Tyler Perry) violates the terms of her house arrest (which she was subjected to in the previous film) in order to get Joe (Tyler Perry) some medicine, Judge Mablean Ephriam orders her to take in a rebellious foster child named Nikki (Keke Palmer) in order to avoid jail. At first, Madea and Nikki clash due to the latter's bad attitude and disrespect, stemming from her poor life up to this point including an absent father, a mother in jail, and a slew of uncaring foster homes. However, Madea tells her that the only way to really overcome her poor life is to work to do and be better than the people who have let and put her down. Nikki takes Madea's words to heart and gradually reforms her behavior over the course of the film.

Lisa Breaux (Rochelle Aytes), one of Madea's grand-nieces, is engaged to Carlos Armstrong (Blair Underwood), an abusive and controlling investment banker. While she desperately wants to get out of the engagement, her conniving gold-digging mother Victoria (Lynn Whitfield) urges her to go through with the wedding coordinated by Milay (Jenifer Lewis), telling Lisa to avoid doing things that make Carlos angry. Vanessa (Lisa Arrindell Anderson), Lisa's older sister and the other of Madea's grand-nieces, who lives with her, has two children fathered by two different men, neither of whom are involved in their children's lives; Victoria regularly degrades Vanessa for this, even referring to her grandchildren as "bastards". Vanessa is successfully, though through some struggle, wooed by poetry-spouting bus driver Frankie Henderson (Boris Kodjoe), who is the single father of a young son, and has a passion for painting. As much as Vanessa likes Frankie, she is emotionally closed off and has a difficult time trusting him.

Lisa eventually leaves Carlos with the intention of calling off the wedding, temporarily moving in with Madea. Carlos, eager to move forward with the wedding, dispatches Victoria to bring Lisa back to him. Victoria confronts Carlos about the abuse, suggesting that insecurity about his masculinity is causing him to act out and that he needs counseling. Carlos counters this by suggesting that Victoria is controlling every aspect of her daughter's life because she wants to make up for all of the shortcomings in her own. It is then revealed that Victoria, with Carlos's assistance, has stolen from Lisa's trust fund over the years, leaving virtually no money left, and is now encouraging Lisa to marry Carlos in order to keep up her livelihood. Carlos makes it clear to Victoria that he will not bail her out unless the wedding goes forward.

Victoria goes to Madea's house to fetch Lisa, only to end up in a passionate argument with Vanessa, who has become aware of Carlos's abuse and is eager to protect her sister. During the confrontation, Vanessa reveals a shocking secret to her younger sister: Victoria allowed her second husband, Lisa's father, to rape Vanessa in order to keep him in the marriage. Vanessa states that the sexual abuse occurred on a regular basis after that, which as a result, left her closed off emotionally and unable to trust the men in her life, including Frankie. Even more shockingly, Victoria makes no attempt to deny Vanessa's accusations. Instead, she rationalizes her actions, telling her daughters that they would have been destitute if Lisa's father had left, and that after going through a previous divorce with Vanessa's father and working two jobs to support the family afterwards, she was tired of struggling and felt that she deserved better. She also reveals that her own mother, a prostitute and drug addict, regularly traded her for "ten dollars and a fix", essentially almost mirroring what she'd done with Vanessa and Lisa's father. Victoria then states that she would not allow Vanessa to ruin her happiness, and that she would not apologize for the choices she'd made. She then turns on a horrified Lisa, demanding that Lisa begin taking care of her financially as she made sure that Lisa had the best of everything while she was growing up. Vanessa then derides Victoria for constantly controlling her and Lisa as her punching bag and puppet respectively, and how it has left her a mess; she vows not to let the pain and suffering her mother has subjected her to over the years hold her back any longer, and to break their family's tragic cycle by embracing the true love that she has found with Frankie and being a better mother to her own children. Victoria then leaves and later lies to Lisa, telling her that Carlos has agreed to counseling.

At the family reunion held at the home of 96-year-old Aunt Ruby (Georgia Allen), Vanessa and Victoria get into another verbal confrontation, which eventually turns into a physical fight after Victoria insults Vanessa about her relationship with Frankie in front of the family. The fight is broken up when Ruby, Madea's daughter-in-law Myrtle (Cicely Tyson), and Aunt May (Maya Angelou) gather the family members to an old shack the family's ancestors grew up in. Ruby express disappointment at how the family has turned out and Myrtle gives a long speech persuading them to act better to each other and to themselves.

Lisa eventually returns to Carlos and resumes her wedding plans. On the day of Lisa's wedding, Madea tells her that it is time for her to stand up against Carlos and fight back. When he arrives at Madea's house, he asks that he and Lisa be alone. Madea asks Carlos if he'd like something to eat, and tells Lisa to give him some grits on the stove, noting to her that they're ''hot''. When Madea leaves the house with Nikki and Joe, Carlos brutally slaps Lisa in the face. In retaliation, she throws the pot of hot grits in his face, scalding him badly, and then beats him with a frying pan as Madea listens outside with laughter. She then takes off her engagement ring and throws it at an injured Carlos before leaving.

At the church, Lisa announces to the family members and other guests that Carlos had been beating her every day since they first got engaged and that the wedding is off. Victoria sarcastically states to Lisa that she feels sorry for her, but Madea states that everyone here feels sorry for Victoria and tells her to find her own life instead of continuing to live through Lisa. As Milay expresses disappointment that her work will now be wasted, Frankie then asks Vanessa to marry him. She says yes and they're married at the church instead.

At the reception, Victoria tells Vanessa that she and Frankie are a beautiful couple and they hug, signifying the first steps in a possible reconciliation.

Tyler Perry's outrageous and tough granny character, Madea, is traveling to the Pandora Hotel, the venue for her 50-year class reunion. Running afoul of the law, Madea still manages to teach valuable lessons amidst the comedy and chaos, addressing the importance of forgiveness and the value of friendship. In addition to Madea, the insane bellboy/bartender, "Dr." Willie Leroy Jones (new character played by Perry), is causing ruckus in the already rowdy hotel before she even arrives. Willie is suffering from an unknown number of Mental illnesses claiming at times to be on lithium, Prozac, and Xanax and is likely criminally insane as he mentions a probation officer.

Madea, her daughter Cora, and her colorful crazy neighbor and classmate, Mr. Brown (whose wife from the previous play, Mattie, died from Alzheimer's complications and was cremated) help married couple Corey and Trina Jeffrey (Terrell Carter, Pamela Taylor) come to terms with infidelity. A woman Stephanie (Cheryl "Pepsii" Riley) hurt by years of sexual and chemical torment must give up prostituting herself with her abusive husband (D'Wayne Gardner), and reconcile with her tired elderly mother Emma (Chandra Currelley-Young) who was fired by the evil manager of the Pandora, Anne (Chantel Christopher), who is having an affair with her son's father (Anselmo Gordon) who is married to Cora's friend Diana (Judy Peterson), who is too reliant on her man.

While all of this takes place Madea enters with her usual flair and quickly cuts through all the lies and secrets and forces everyone to see their situations in a new light giving aid and advice to all. They save the Jeffreys’ marriage through the timely interruption of a would be affair with Anne by forcing the woman away and reminding the husband that he stilled loved his wife. Madea convinces Stephanie to break free of her husband and in so doing gain her independence, her self-respect, and a measure of revenge for all the years of abuse. In so doing Stephanie also reconciles with her mother healing their bond. Throughout Madea battles Anne and during a visit to the spa with Diana reveals the relationship between Anne and Diana's husband. Diana confronts Anne and is shocked to learned she has given the man a child and in response she kicks her husband out of her life and turns her life over to God.

In the finale we learn that Emma, a long time employee of the hotel, had spoken to the owner about her previous termination by Anne only to be reminded that her previous purchase of stocks in the company to keep it afloat during a financial crisis had blossomed proving her with an impressive fortune. Citing her cruel treatment of employees and her less than satisfying contact with customers Emma fires Anne much to everyone's delight. Before leaving Madea reveals that Mr. Brown is actually Cora's father much to Cora's then despair. Everyone is shown repairing their relationships as the play ends with a powerful and grateful appeal from the cast to Christ for his aid and his goodness.

All four flatmates have caught colds and are recuperating at their home, with all but Mike complaining and making nuisances of themselves in various ways. Neil develops a severe sneezing fit that causes large amounts of mucus to spew from his nose. Mike visits a local chemist's shop to get some medicine, but is thrown out by a female employee after trying to flirt with her. Neil's sneezes trigger a series of altercations on the street outside the house that grows into a block-wide riot; the band Madness are drawn into the chaos while performing their song "Our House". Meanwhile, Vyvyan tapes Rick's laundry bag over Neil's head to contain the mucus, and later tries to cure him through acupuncture by hammering nails into his body.

During the riot, a criminal named Brian Damage escapes police custody and takes the four hostage at their home, holding them at gunpoint. Brian Damage inadvertently cures Neil's sneezes by head-butting him. The group receive a brief visit from Vyvyan's mother, who proves to be as rude and uncouth as he is. Meanwhile, Neil suddenly remembers that his parents are coming to tea that afternoon. Upon their arrival, Neil's parents are concerned about their son's decision to star on ''The Young Ones''. They suggests that the programme should be more age-appropriate in the manner of ''The Good Life''. However, Vyvyan is outraged by this idea and angrily tears down the show's title card when it appears.

The scene abruptly changes to the backyard, with the four fully recovered and ineptly trying to start a garden. Irritated by Neil's constant talk about seeds and growing things, Rick knocks him out with a shovel blow to the head, and later buries him under a freshly delivered load of manure fertiliser for fear of having killed him. Triplicates of Neil rise from the pile that night. While Rick is asleep in his bed, he has a nightmare about being put on trial by Vyvyan and Mike for killing Neil. As a group of girls in the courtroom offer to strip naked for Rick, his conscience scolds him for ignoring his guilt over Neil's death. As Rick tearfully wishes that he would see Neil again, all three Neils enter the house, which terrifies Rick. Vyvyan and Mike join Rick and Neil in the living room, whereupon the back wall of the house opens up to reveal a variety show stage, on which Brian Damage and Neil's parents wave and blow kisses to the audience as the show's closing credits roll.

After watching an advertisement on television for Duff Gardens, Homer, Bart and Lisa decide to go there. As they prepare to leave, Marge tells them that spinster Great Aunt Gladys died and they will be going to her funeral instead. The Simpsons, along with Marge's sisters Patty and Selma, drive to Littleneck Falls to attend her funeral and the reading of her will. On the video will, Great Aunt Gladys advises Patty and Selma not to die alone, as she did. Selma hears the ticking of her biological clock, and decides she wants a child.

Selma tries video dating, a love potion, and flirting with a bag boy before eventually going on a date with Hans Moleman after revoking his license at the DMV. All goes well until Hans tries to kiss her goodnight; Selma envisions herself as the mother of several ugly, blind children and kicks Hans out of the car. Lisa then suggests to Selma that she try artificial insemination.

When the day comes for Homer to take Bart and Lisa to Duff Gardens, he falls ill from food poisoning after eating a long-since-spoiled hoagie that he brought home from a company picnic. In an attempt to give Selma a taste of motherhood, Marge arranges for her to take the kids to Duff Gardens while she stays home to look after Homer.

At Duff Gardens, Bart and Lisa wear Selma out, especially when they go on the Little Land of Duff ride and Bart dares Lisa to drink the "water". When Lisa takes a sip, she begins hallucinating and wanders away. While Selma is looking for Lisa, Bart gets trapped on a roller coaster. Lisa is found swimming nude in the Fermentarium by some workers and is returned to Selma.

Meanwhile, Homer feels better throughout the day, and he and Marge enjoy their time alone watching ''Yentl'' followed by ''The Erotic Adventures of Hercules''. After returning Bart and Lisa home, Selma wonders how Homer manages to do this every day. She decides she can live without children for now and adopts Jub-Jub, Gladys' pet iguana.

Erin Bruner, an ambitious lawyer seeking to become a senior partner in her law firm, takes the case of Father Richard Moore, a Catholic diocesan priest charged with negligent homicide following an attempted exorcism of 19-year-old student Emily Rose. While the archdiocese wants Moore to plead guilty to minimize the crime's public attention, Moore instead pleads not guilty. During the trial, the statements of the witnesses are visualized via flashbacks. Prosecutor Ethan Thomas interrogates several doctors and neurologists to establish a medical cause for Emily's death, particularly epilepsy and schizophrenia. Emily had dropped out of her college studies after being consistently struck by delusions and muscle spasms at 3:00 AM. She returned to her parents' home and was treated with epilepsy and psychosis medications. Moore was consulted when her condition failed to improve, and his assessment and observations led him to the conclusion that Emily was being possessed by a demon. With the consent of Emily's parents, Moore subjected Emily to an exorcism that ultimately failed. Moore surmised that Emily's medications were to blame for the unsuccessful expulsion, as they paralyzed Emily's brain activity and kept the demon out of reach.

Moore, wanting to tell Emily's story, gives his testimony when he is called to the witness stand. Bruner begins experiencing supernatural phenomena at home, waking up at 3:00 AM to the smell of burning material. Moore warns her she may be a target for the demons, revealing he too has experienced similar phenomena on the night he was preparing the exorcism. Bruner supports Moore by summoning anthropologist Sadira Adani to testify about the beliefs surrounding spiritual possession from various cultures, but Thomas dismisses her claims as nonsense. Graham Cartwright, a medical doctor who attended the exorcism, gives Bruner a cassette tape on which the exorcism was recorded, and Moore presents the recording as evidence. Cartwright's testimony to authenticate the exorcism and refute the prosecution's medical case is prevented when he is suddenly struck and killed by a car. A distraught Bruner retreats to her office, where her boss threatens her with termination if she allows Moore to testify again. Bruner visits Moore in his jail cell, where he convinces her to allow him to tell the rest of Emily's story despite her boss's threat.

The next day, Moore takes the witness stand again and reads a letter that Emily wrote before she died. On the morning after the exorcism, Emily was visited by the Virgin Mary in a field near her house and was permitted the choice of ascending to Heaven. However, Emily chose to endure her suffering and later received stigmata on her hands. Thomas does not interpret the markings as a divine sign, but rather as traces of self-inflicted injuries. The jury ultimately reaches a verdict of guilty but surprises the court by asking Judge Brewster to give a sentence of time served. Although momentarily shocked by the suggestion, Brewster ultimately accepts it, and Moore is free to go. Bruner is offered a partnership in her firm, but declines. Later, Moore and Bruner pay a visit to Emily's grave, and Moore states that the time will come wherein Emily will be declared a saint. The epilogue reveals that Moore never appealed his conviction.

Outside shot of the victimised bank The quartet have taken their final exams and are enjoying the summertime, although Vyvyan is bored and begins to want violence and destruction. Rick suggests Botticelli to relieve the boredom, but his playing style proves too tedious and Vyvyan proposes cricket instead. In the living room, Rick is given the role of stumps and Vyvyan is bowler to Mike's batsman. The first shot knocks out Neil as he enters the room; the second involves Vyvyan not releasing the ball and running straight for Rick, clouting him on the head. Mike suggests that Vyvyan obtain The Ashes for winning, which he promptly tries to do by setting Rick on fire. Neil reveals it is his birthday, much to the indifference of the others. The four decide to watch the television, but the channels are all closing down, infuriating Vyvyan who kicks the TV to pieces. Rick then learns of his parents' sudden death from Mike, who thought it unimportant to mention earlier.

Jerzei Balowski arrives to check on the house and its belongings, but on discovering several destroyed items, including the television, Jerzei evicts them all onto the street. The next morning, the four are seen living on the streets as John Otway performs his song "Body Talk", provoking Vyvyan to comment: "I'll bloody well make his ''body talk'' in a minute!". The four later receive their exam results from the postman, who has already read the letters and tells Rick that he "came bottom in the whole world", followed by Vyvyan, Mike, and Neil coming top out of the four. Mike then hatches a plan to rob a bank, using water pistols and Vyvyan's Ford Anglia as a getaway vehicle. They mess up their own robbery, but unwittingly take the proceeds from a separate ongoing one, and escape to Vyvyan's car, which he had parked in front of a lamppost. Vyvyan promptly crashes it into the lamppost. Inconsolable at crashing his car, he also reveals that his hamster SPG has died, as he was sleeping on the car's radiator when the car crashed.

With the police sirens in the distance, Rick leaves to find a new getaway vehicle, and returns with an AEC Routemaster double-decker bus, which they drive away to freedom. As they sing songs and plan for their future, Rick suddenly shouts: "Look out, Cliff!", as the bus crashes into a Cliff Richard concert billboard and later immediately plunges over a cliff on the other side. The bus lands at the bottom of a quarry, and there is a pause until the lads remark: "Phew, that was close!", which is followed by the bus exploding into flames as the show comes to an end.

The film opens in documentary style, chronicling the work of Michelangelo Buonarroti. It then follows Michelangelo, a renowned sculptor of the Republic of Florence in the early 16th century, and shows him at work on large-scale sculptures near St. Peter's Basilica. When Pope Julius II commissions him to paint the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo resists because he finds the ceiling's paneled layout of the Twelve Apostles uninspiring. Nonetheless, he is forced into taking the job. During the initial attempt, Michelangelo is discontented with the results, and destroys the frescoes. He flees to Carrara, and then into the mountains where he finds inspiration from nature.

Michelangelo returns and is allowed to paint the entire vault in a variety of newly designed biblical scenes. The work proceeds nonstop, even with Mass in session, as months turn to years. Michelangelo's work is threatened when he collapses due to fatigue. He is nursed back to health by Contessina de' Medici, daughter of his old friend Lorenzo de' Medici. After recovering, Michelangelo returns to work after learning he is at risk of being replaced by Raphael.

Meanwhile, the Papal States are threatened during the War of the League of Cambrai. Preparing for battle and having reached the limits of his patience, the Pope terminates Michelangelo's contract. Raphael, impressed with the work in progress, asks Michelangelo to show humility and finish the ceiling. Michelangelo travels to see the injured and weakened Pope, and pleads for him to restore the patronage. Though the Pope believes an invasion of Rome is inevitable, he raises the money needed to resume work on the ceiling.

One night, Michelangelo finds the ailing Pope inspecting the portrait of God in ''The Creation of Adam'', which the Pope declares "a proof of faith." He then collapses and becomes bedridden. Though everyone assumes that the Pope will die, Michelangelo goads him into having the will to live and to finish his work. The tide of war turns in favor of the Papal States, as allies pledge to assist the Pope.

A Mass is held in which the congregation is shown the completed ceiling. After the ceremony, Michelangelo asks to begin carving the Pope's tomb. Realizing he has a short time to live, the Pope agrees. Together, the men admire the masterpiece of the Sistine Chapel, until Pope Julius walks away and Michelangelo turns to look at the space behind the altar where he would later paint his ''Last Judgement''.

Sections

The book is divided into eleven sections, each detailing a distinct period of Michelangelo's life.

• '''The Studio:''' Michelangelo studies under Ghirlandaio at his studio
• '''The Sculpture Garden:''' Michelangelo studies under Bertoldo in the sculpture garden of Lorenzo de' Medici, culminating in his first sculpture, Head of a Faun
• '''The Palace:''' Michelangelo lives in the palace of Lorenzo de' Medici, where he befriends Lorenzo's daughter Contessina, learns from Bertoldo and the Platonic scholars, and produces his first two reliefs, ''Madonna of the Steps'' and ''Battle of the Centaurs''. Savonarola turns Florence against the Medici family, and ultimately Lorenzo passes away from illness.
• '''The Flight:''' Michelangelo returns to his parents' home. He begins dissecting bodies at Santo Spirito to further his understanding of the human form while starting work on a sculpture of Hercules in memory of Lorenzo, as well as a Crucifix for the church. He is invited to live at the Medici palace once more by Piero de' Medici, but when the people of Florence become disenchanted by the lavishness of Contessina's wedding celebrations Savonarola turns the city against the Medici family and the palace is attacked. Michelangelo flees to Bologna, where he stays with Aldovrandi, becomes romantically involved with a woman named Clarissa, and creates the sculptures St. Proclus and St. Petronius. He returns to Florence once the political situation has calmed and is commissioned to create a sculpture of a young St. John the Baptist and a counterfeit Cupid. The fraudulence of the Cupid is discovered by its ultimate owner, Cardinal Raffaele Riario, who is nevertheless impressed and invites Michelangelo to live in Rome for a time to sculpt something new.
• '''The City:''' Michelangelo travels to Rome and stays at the palace of Cardinal Riario.

Characters

• Buonarroti Family ** Michelangelo Buonarroti, the protagonist ** Ludovico, Michelangelo's father who is obsessively focused on money and his family's fortunes ** Bugiardini, Michelangelo's brother who helps manage his money ** Lionardo, Michelangelo's brother who joins the church and follows Savonarola ** Giovansimone, Michelangelo's brother who becomes part of Savonarola's Army of Boys
• Michelangelo's Teachers ** Ghirlandaio, Michelangelo's first master, a fresco painter who runs his own studio ** Bertoldo, Michelangelo's master in sculpture, who lives and works with him in the Medici palace
• Michelangelo's Friends ** Francesco Granacci, Michelangelo's first and closest friend ** Gianfrancesco Aldovrandi, who hosts Michelangelo in Bologna
• Medici Family ** Lorenzo de' Medici, Michelangelo's first patron and surrogate father figure ** Contessa de' Medici, Lorenzo's daughter and a close friend of Michelangelo ** Piero de' Medici, Lorenzo's son and heir
• Church ** Savonarola, a religious reformer who turns Florence against the Medici family ** Nicola Bichiellini, the prior of Santo Spirito who opens the church to Michelangelo

At home in California's High Sierras, Prof. Clifford Groves (Robert Shayne) hears glass breaking and looks up in fear from his book, ''Neanderthal Man and the Stone Age''. He finds his lab window smashed and the room wrecked. The noise awakens his adult daughter Jan (Joyce Terry). Groves sends her back to bed, telling her that he does not like anyone in his workspace and informing her that he has to attend to business.

Meanwhile, Mr. Wheeler (Frank Gerstle) spots a huge tiger while hunting. That night at Webb's Cafe, the locals tease him. "Three times the size of a mountain lion and got the tusks the size of an elephant- it ain't natural," says Danny (Robert Easton). Game Warden George Oakes (Robert Long) comes in. Wheeler leaves, and Charlie Webb (Lee Morgan) tells him Wheeler's story. Driving home, a sabretooth tiger jumps onto Oakes' car. He scares it off by honking the car's horn.

Oakes and Sheriff Andy Andrews (Dick Rich) make plaster casts of the giant tiger's footprints. Oakes takes one to Dr. Ross Harkness (Richard Crane) in Los Angeles. Oakes eventually convinces the incredulous Harkness that the cast is real. Harkness says he will drive up that weekend to investigate.

When Harkness stops at Webb's, waitress Nola Mason (Beverly Garland) introduces him to Ruth Marshall (Doris Merrick), who is on her way to see her fiancé, Groves, but is stranded because her car has broken down. Harkness drives her to Groves's house, where Jan tells them that Groves is in LA speaking before the Naturalist's Club.

Groves lectures the club on his theory that Neanderthal man was more intelligent than "modern man" because Neanderthals had bigger brains. The club members scoff at him and demand proof. Groves responds with insults. The chairman (Marshall Bradford) adjourns the meeting, telling Groves not to return. Groves angrily says to the empty room that he will show them proof if that is what they want.

Jan invites Harkness to stay at their house. A grouchy Groves complains about Harkness being there at breakfast, but Ruth insists that he remain. Oakes arrives, and he and Harkness head out to look for the sabretooth. They find it and kill it, but Harkness says he fears there are others.

Back at the lab, Ruth and Groves quarrel about their deteriorating relationship. He throws her out, then injects himself with the serum he has been using to turn cats into sabretooth tigers. He reverts to the Neanderthal Man. Out in the woods, he kills hunter Jim Newcomb (Robert Bray) and his dog, then returns home and becomes Groves again. He writes in his diary that this most recent regression was the fastest yet, and the recovery was the slowest. "I gloried in my strength and ferocity", he writes, also noting that he was overcome by the "hungry urge to kill." Then he spontaneously turns into the Neanderthal Man and runs off. Harkness sneaks into Groves's lab and finds photos that Groves took as he experimentally regressed Celia (Jeanette Quinn), his deaf-mute maid.

Buck Hastings (Eric Colmar) and Nola go on a picnic, and he snaps some glamour shots of her. But the Neanderthal Man kills him while Nola is behind a bush changing clothes. As she looks at Buck, dead on the ground, the Neanderthal Man carries her off, kicking and screaming.

Oakes phones Jan and says Buck has been murdered. During the call, Celia sees Nola outside. Harkness carries Nola in. She is hysterical and her clothes are torn. Buck, she says, was killed by something "not human." Then she cries, "He tried to pull me by my hair and then he ... then he ..." and collapses into tears, wailing. Jan calls Webb's, tells Webb what happened and asks him to send for the local MD, Dr. Fairchild (William Fawcett).

Harkness shows Jan and Celia the photos of Celia being regressed to a Neanderthal Woman. Celia signs that she has no memory of it. Harkness then notices that one of the lab cats starts to yowl whenever it sees a syringe. When he injects it (off-camera), it turns into a sabretooth (off-camera) and escapes.

Jan and Harkness read Groves' diary. He wrote that the serum works on cats, not dogs, and not fully on women but on men. They set out to find the Neanderthal Man before the State Police and Sheriff's posse can. They stop at Webb's and see that the Neanderthal Man has injured Webb. Jan says that Ruth's door has been smashed in and that she's gone. "I reckon he got her, too," says a dazed Webb.

Dr. Fairchild tells Harkness and Jan that the posse has cornered the Neanderthal Man in a cave, and Ruth is with him. Alone and unarmed, Harkness walks to the cave and tells Ruth to let the Neanderthal Man run away. He does, but a sabretooth tiger jumps him. The posse holds off shooting for a while as the Neanderthal Man is being mauled.

Now at home on his deathbed, the Neanderthal Man changes back to Groves one final time and utters his last words: "Better ... this ...way."

The young Françoise meets Picasso in Nazi-occupied Paris, where Picasso is complaining that people broke into his house and stole his linen, rather than his paintings. It shows Françoise being beaten by her father after telling him she wants to be a painter, rather than a lawyer. Picasso is shown as often not caring about other people's feelings, firing his driver after a long period of service, and as a womanizer, saying that he can sleep with whomever he wants.

The film is seen through the eyes of his lover Françoise Gilot (Natascha McElhone). As the producers were unable to get permission to show the works of Picasso in the film, the film is more about Picasso's personal life rather than his works, and where it does show paintings, they are not his more famous works. When Picasso is shown painting ''Guernica'', the camera sits high above the painting, with the work only slightly visible.

The film depicts several of the women who were important in Picasso's life, such as Olga Khokhlova (played by Jane Lapotaire), Dora Maar (played by Julianne Moore), Marie-Thérèse Walter (played by Susannah Harker), and Jacqueline Roque (played by Diane Venora).

Engineer Dr Stephen Mitchell is part of a British space programme that plans to launch a satellite that will permanently orbit earth. At a cocktail party, it is announced to the programme's staff that the satellite project has been approved by the defence council. Mitchell's wife Vanessa is not enthusiastic about the new project, nor with having to live at its high security base. She sneaks away with Dr Philip Crenshaw, with whom she is having an affair. Dr Mitchell leaves the party with Lisa Frank, a mathematician on the project, who is in love with him. When Mitchell returns home, he has an argument with Vanessa; he had been made aware of her having passionately kissed Crenshaw after she left with him.

The satellite rocket soon launches, but it does not reach its maximum altitude. Afterward, it is discovered that Crenshaw and Vanessa have disappeared. Dr Smith secretly investigates their disappearance and comes to the conclusion that not only were the two murdered, but that they were murdered by Dr Mitchell, after which he hid their bodies in the spacecraft's fuel tanks. Smith approaches Mitchell with the accusation, while also telling him about Crenshaw being a spy, who had concealed having a degree from a German university.

Mitchell decides to go into space on the second rocket being launched, in order to try to prove his innocence. Smith discovers that there was a new team member added just prior to the disappearance, and that a security guard had died in an accident a week earlier. Soon after, Smith and the police discover that Crenshaw and Vanessa are actually at a seaside cottage. Crenshaw has been planning to head to the east instead of going to America, as he previously had said. During a violent scuffle between Crenshaw and Smith, Vanessa is accidentally killed.

After the rocket ship launches into space, Mitchell is surprised to see that Lisa is on board; she had previously convinced Toby to let her go on the flight instead of him. Despite the revelation that the bodies of Crenshaw and Vanessa are not on board, Mitchell and Frank attempt to jettison the spaceship's second stage, resulting in an explosion, causing their spacecraft to go out of control. Steve, however, releases the fail-safe, saving them from destruction and allowing the spaceship to return safely to Earth.

A scientist attempts to shrink all of humanity to reduce our impact on the environment. Biologists Dr. Mary Robinson (Janice Logan) and Dr. Rupert Bulfinch (Charles Halton) are summoned by Dr. Alexander Thorkel (Albert Dekker) to his remote laboratory in the Peruvian jungle. They are accompanied by mineralogist Bill Stockton (Thomas Coley), a last minute substitute for another scientist (and who needs money to pay his IOUs), and Steve Baker (Victor Kilian), who wants to make sure his hired mules are well cared for (and suspects Thorkel may have discovered a rich mine). When they arrive, Thorkel asks the scientists to describe a specimen in his microscope, since his eyesight is too poor for him to do so himself. Bill identifies iron crystal contamination, much to Thorkel's satisfaction. Then, to their astonishment, Thorkel thanks them for their services and wants them to leave.

Insulted that they have traveled thousands of miles for nothing, they set up camp in Thorkel's stockade, insisting that he tell them more about his research. While snooping around, Steve discovers the area is rich with pitchblende, an ore of uranium and radium. When he finds them looking around his laboratory, Thorkel becomes angry, but as he is outnumbered, reveals he is shrinking living creatures, among them a horse, using radiation piped from a radium deposit down a deep shaft. He invites them and his assistant Pedro Caroz (Frank Yaconelli) to examine his apparatus, then locks them inside his radiation chamber. With the information that Bill has provided, he is able to correct the flaw that has killed his prior specimens. When his victims awaken, they find they have shrunk to twelve inches tall.

They flee from Thorkel, and then from Thorkel's cat Satanus, from whom they are saved by Pedro's dog Tipo, who is bewildered by his master now being smaller than him. Bulfinch is eventually coaxed into speaking with Thorkel, but the latter is not interested in negotiating, merely in measuring Bulfinch. When he discovers that Bulfinch is growing, he realizes that the effect is only temporary. He murders Bulfinch in cold blood and sets out to hunt the others down so that they cannot go to the authorities.

The four survivors hack their way through gigantic jungle foliage and do battle with the wildlife. They attempt to launch Pedro's small boat (now enormous in their eyes), but are attacked by a caiman. When Thorkel locates them using Pedro's dog, Pedro leads Thorkel away from the others and is shot dead. The fugitives hide in one of Thorkel’s specimen cases and are brought back undetected to his lab.

While Thorkel goes outside to adjust a machine, Bill, Steve and Mary prepare to kill him with his own shotgun when he lies down on his bed. However, he instead falls asleep at his desk. They hide his spare glasses, then Steve steals the pair Thorkel put on his desk, managing to smash one lens before Thorkel awakes. Thorkel chases the shrunken trio to the mineshaft and precariously hangs by a rope when the plank he was lying on breaks. Steve cuts the rope, causing Thorkel to plunge to his death.

Months later, Bill, Steve and Mary return to civilization, restored to their original size. Bill and Mary are in love.

One winter day, Charlie Brown is trying to pretend to be a musher with Snoopy, but the dog has other ideas and gets Charlie Brown to pull while he has fun riding in the sled. When night comes and they are comfortably indoors, Charlie Brown is indignant that Snoopy is adjusting too well to home life, reminding Snoopy of the facts that Arctic dogs are only fed once a day, their meals largely consisting of cold meat and raw fish (to which Snoopy blanches and gives a look of "it's too bad to be them") and coming to the conclusion that Snoopy is "an overly civilized, underly 'dogified' dog". Snoopy makes a sumptuous dinner of five pizzas and a milkshake, to which Charlie Brown retorts he hopes Snoopy can digest all that food. Snoopy then falls asleep atop his doghouse, but when he wakes up he finds himself in a polar region, to which he is made a sled dog for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska, presumably during the Klondike Gold Rush or the 1925 serum run to Nome.

Snoopy is cruelly mistreated, being run ragged by his owner (who is only seen in shadow or silhouette and only speaks in a much deeper version of the classic ''Peanuts'' adult "waa-waa-waa" language) and his quintet of the larger dogs. They deny Snoopy any food or water and take turns barking loudly at him to let him know he is indeed an outsider. One scene which breaks the snow scenes is where the sled master stops at a honky tonk, and a hungry Snoopy sneaks inside to snatch a sandwich and a mug of root beer sitting near a piano, where he feigns playing John Philip Sousa's "The Washington Post March". Snoopy later tries his hand at a game of poker, where he keeps a poker face until he laughs out loud revealing his improbable winning hand of five aces, which causes a brawl and leaves Snoopy to escape into the next room. He finds himself on stage with a painted backdrop of Paris and is cheered for his dancing. However, when the music changes and he impersonates a can-can dancer, Snoopy is thrown out of the bar and is back with the sled dogs, where he continues to be mistreated.

Unable to take any more, that night Snoopy breaks down crying, then once he's done he goes about converting to his "new life" to survive, baring his fangs and falling to walking on all fours. Snoopy challenges the lead dog to a fight and wins, becoming the "Alpha Male" of the sled dog pack. He also turns the tables on the rest of the dogs by denying them food and water. Eventually, he leads his owner over an ice-covered lake where the ice cracks and causes all the sled dogs and the owner to be swallowed into the water. Snoopy finds himself being pulled into the hole. As he grapples screaming for his life, Snoopy wakes up clinging to the side of his doghouse and is relieved that he was just having a nightmare. Snoopy later wakes Charlie Brown up and recounts his nightmare in pantomime, to which Charlie Brown allows Snoopy to spend the night inside with him, but not before Snoopy helps himself to a large ice cream sundae, reminding himself that his Arctic experience was indeed a nightmare.

Sally Brown returned home from school and told Charlie Brown that she could not open her locker. Charlie Brown promised to help her open her locker every day, and Sally took him in for show and tell.

At school, Charlie Brown saw an election poster for student body president. Linus van Pelt thought that Charlie Brown would make a great president, but Charlie was convinced that nobody would vote for him. Lucy appointed herself his campaign manager and took a student poll, which only confirmed Charlie's belief. When Lucy announced they would need to find another candidate, Sally Brown suggested Linus, and Lucy took another poll, which was almost unanimously favorable toward Linus, so he entered the election.

Linus' campaign, assisted by Lucy and Charlie, was vigorous and enthusiastic, and he took a huge early lead in the opinion poll against his opponent, Russell Anderson. At an assembly, Linus and Russell each made a campaign speech, with Linus receiving a rapturous response from the audience. However, at a subsequent assembly, he committed a major blunder when he went off-script. Linus began talking about the Great Pumpkin, causing Charlie and Lucy to scream in frustration. This got Linus laughed off the stage, much to the anger of Lucy.

When election day finally arrived, it was a back and forth affair with the lead changing hands several times. The votes were tied when the final vote was submitted by Russell himself, who decided that Linus would be a better president, so the final ballot count declared Linus the winner, 84 to 83. Following his victory, Sally prodded Linus to go to the principal and lay down the law, only to have the law laid down to him by the principal. After he sheepishly revealed this to Sally, she accused Linus of selling out like all other politicians. She angrily kicked the locker and walked away, not realizing that she had finally opened the door.

Monarch

Monarch was an oppressive tyrant from a bleak, dystopian Earth 50 years in the future. The people were unhappy with his rule, particularly a scientist named Matthew Ryder, an expert on temporal studies, who was convinced he could use his technology to travel back in time and prevent the maniacal ruler from ever coming to power. He learned that in the late 20th century one of Earth's superheroes had become evil. In the year 2001 this hero had killed all of his comrades, assumed the identity of Monarch, and began his rise to global domination. Because Monarch always appeared in a suit of full body armor his prior identity was unknown.

Chosen by Monarch to take part in a time-travel experiment, Ryder traveled back to 1991, the year in which the series was published, and 10 years before Monarch's massacre of Earth's heroes. Ryder was determined to find out who the Monarch really was and, if possible, kill him before he could rise to power. As he travelled through the rift, his body mutated into a form of living temporal energy, and upon arriving at his destination, he took the name Waverider.

Waverider

Waverider used the superhuman abilities he gained during his transformation to peer into several possible futures of different members of various superheroes in the DC Universe, seeing where they would be in the year 2001, when Monarch's rise to power began, but he was unable to pinpoint exactly who would become Monarch. After several attempts, he began to rethink his approach. However, Waverider accidentally came in physical contact with Captain Atom, unleashing a storm of temporal energy that opened a gate to the future through which Monarch emerged. Monarch, it seems, had been monitoring Waverider's every move in the past ever since he left the future and merely waited for the perfect time to travel back and stop him from erasing his existence.

Hawk and Dove

In ''Hawk and Dove Annual'' #2, Waverider looked into Hank Hall's future to see him fight and die at the hands of Monarch in 2001.''Hawk and Dove Annual'' #2, pg. 9-19 The Dove's power interacts with Waverider's, allowing him to see a multitude of futures to the point Waverider comments "No matter the future they '''fought''' him but never '''became''' him";''Hawk and Dove Annual'' #2, pg. 38, panel 4 Waverider finally touches both Hawk and Dove to see their daughter Unity alter Monarch's mind.

In ''Armageddon 2001'' #2, in a subsequent battle with the Justice League, Monarch retreated, taking Dawn Granger, the current Dove, with him. Hank Hall (the Hawk), who was also a captive, watched as Monarch killed the Dove in front of his own eyes. Being created as two beings whose natures were supposed to be in balance, Hank became enraged when his partner's pacifist nature could no longer contain his warlike spirit. He beat Monarch to death, only to learn the horrible truth: he was the one who would be the Monarch of the future. Upon seeing Monarch's dead body and the device he was building to enslave humanity, he mused that Earth would need someone to keep the balance, so he put on Monarch's armor and continued building his machine.

Eventually, the Justice League found him, and Captain Atom, feeling guilty he let Monarch slip through the timestream in the first place, decided to fight him one-on-one. The battle caused Atom's energy and Monarch's suit to clash, creating a portal that sent both of them back in time to the Age of Dinosaurs.

''The Alien Agenda''

When hostile aliens encounter Monarch and Atom in the past (sometime between 230 and 65 million years ago), they attempted to enlist both (without either's knowledge) to assist them in creating a wormhole. The wormhole's creation would destroy the universe in which the primitive Earth existed, but would allow the aliens to freely travel.

The creation of the wormhole hinged on a sophisticated, bowling ball-shaped "trigger". Captain Atom next causes an explosion on the primitive Earth, which propels both him and the trigger forward in time to Emperor Nero (A.D. 54-68) era Rome. Monarch strikes a bargain to retrieve the trigger if the aliens agree to place him back in his own time. Monarch allows the aliens to place him in stasis with an alien companion and a device that will awaken them when it senses Captain Atom.

Once awake, Monarch follows Atom through Nero's Rome, the "Old West" (approx. late 1890s), and finally into World War II (estimated near 1945 - as they are testing atomic power). In the World War II era, they stumble onto an atomic test (which Atom is aware of, but Monarch is not) and Atom is blasted into the present, while Monarch's fate is left unknown.

A scholar and explorer, Dr. Samuel Fergusson, accompanied by his manservant Joe and his friend professional hunter Richard "Dick" Kennedy, sets out to travel across the African continent — still not fully explored — with the help of a balloon filled with hydrogen. He has invented a mechanism that, by eliminating the need to release gas or throw ballast overboard to control his altitude, allows very long trips to be taken. This voyage is meant to link together the voyages of Sir Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke in East Africa with those of Heinrich Barth in the regions of the Sahara and Chad. The trip begins in Zanzibar on the east coast, and passes across Lake Victoria, Lake Chad, Agadez, Timbuktu, Djenné and Ségou to St Louis in modern-day Senegal on the west coast. The book describes the unknown interior of Africa near modern-day Central African Republic as a desert, when it is actually savanna.

Map of the trip described in the book from the east to the west coast of Africa. A good deal of the initial exploration is focused on finding the source of the Nile, an event that occurs in chapter 18 (out of 43). The second leg is to link up the other explorers. There are numerous scenes of adventure, composed of either a conflict with a native or a conflict with the environment. Some examples include:

• Rescuing a missionary from a tribe that was preparing to sacrifice him.
• Running out of water while stranded without a wind over the Sahara.
• An attack on the balloon by bearded vultures, leading to dramatic developments as Joe leaps out of the balloon.
• The actions taken to rescue Joe later.
• Narrowly escaping the remnants of a militant army as the balloon dwindles to nothingness with the loss of hydrogen.
• The shooting of a bluebuck, now known to be anachronistic since the species was already extinct.

In all these adventures, the protagonists overcome the challenges they face through continued perseverance more than anything else. The novel is filled with coincidental moments where trouble is avoided because wind catches up at just the right time, or the characters look in just the right direction. There are frequent references to a higher power watching out for them.

The balloon itself ultimately gives out before the end, but makes it far enough across to get the protagonists to friendly lands, and eventually back to England, therefore succeeding in the expedition. The story abruptly ends after the African trip, with only a brief synopsis of what follows.

School is out for the summer and Charlie, Linus, Schroeder, and Pig Pen are planning to spend it reading every comic book, watching television, playing baseball, and playing classical music. However, Lucy tells them that she signed them up for camp. The girls are eager to go, but the boys hate the idea. The boys shove each other to get on the bus, while the girls line up in order. At camp, Charlie is chosen as captain of the boys' camp. The boys and girls have a swim race, which the girls win easily. Then they have a softball game, which the boys lose with only one run. Other competitions are just as lopsided.

Charlie and Shermy, disillusioned by their continued defeat, see Snoopy arm-wrestling with the boys. They realize that the boys might get even with an arm wrestling game, with "The Masked Marvel" (Snoopy) as their champion. Snoopy goes into training, eating the camp's awful food, doing exercises, and drinking a nutritious and noxious concoction. In the contest, Snoopy goes up against Lucy. They both get sweaty and tired in the match, which ends when Snoopy kisses Lucy. He pins her hand; but she says that kissing her was a foul, and she is the winner.

Back at school, Charlie only comes up with 13 words on his essay that he and Linus are forced to write on the first day, having been caught playing hangman in class. Linus gets an A but Charlie gets a C−. Linus then says "Oh, well, it was a short summer, Charlie Brown", to which Charlie gloomily replies, "And it looks like it's going to be a long winter".

With summer approaching, Charlie Brown is upset that he cannot enjoy himself like all the others, but when he sees the Little Red-Haired Girl on a passing bus, Linus figures out that Charlie Brown is in love.

Charlie Brown pines for the Little Red-Haired Girl, and during the next-to-last day of school, tries to get her attention. He is called up to read a report to the class but accidentally reads aloud a love note he wrote for her and is laughed at. He then goes to the pencil sharpener and unintentionally sharpens his ball point pen. Lunch hour is no better as he cannot summon the courage to go talk to her, and then panics when the Little Red-Haired Girl approaches him.

After school, Charlie Brown goes to Lucy's psychiatric booth for advice, but she is too busy longing for Schroeder. He later brings the girl up to Peppermint Patty, but before he can mention her red hair, Patty tells him that she will arrange a meeting with her. She then informs Lucy that someone wants to meet her at the ball park that night. Lucy agrees, thinking the "someone" is Schroeder, and Patty then tells Charlie Brown everything is all set. When the two meet at home plate, they both respond with "You!? Bleah!!"

The next day, the last before summer vacation, Charlie Brown plans to get up early to meet the Little Red-Haired Girl at the bus stop, but he falls asleep on the bench and misses the bus. He arrives late at school and is sent to the principal's office right after yelling at the teacher when asked why he was late. Back in class, he is called on to solve a math problem on the blackboard. Thinking he will finally impress the Little Red-Haired Girl, he struts to the blackboard and writes some large formulas on the board, but when the teacher asks what he is doing, he admits he doesn't know and is again laughed at.

School lets out at noon, and Charlie Brown, now determined to meet the Little Red-Haired Girl, is first out to the school bus to wait for her, but he cannot find her in the clamoring crowd of students. They all get on the bus, and it pulls away, again leaving Charlie Brown behind, wallowing in his misery until he notices a sheet of paper put into his hand that reads: "I Like You, Charlie Brown. signed Little Red Haired Girl".

Charlie Brown's anguish quickly turns into delight and hope as he dances up the hill toward home, saying he cannot wait until September during the closing credits. At the end of the credits, Charlie Brown stops and asks himself, "Good grief! How will I ''live'' until September?"

There are three months of school left and all of the Peanuts gang are under pressure from too many tests and homework assignments. They now have to make preparations to write a report on a field trip to an art museum.

Charlie Brown's grades are falling from A to C and he has to receive a big grade on his museum report in order to salvage his grades for the entire term. Simultaneously, he must fight off the distraction of Peppermint Patty and her classmate Marcie (in her animated debut), both of whom have feelings for him. Unfortunately, on the way to the art museum, Charlie Brown, his sister Sally, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, and Snoopy inadvertently arrive in a supermarket and mistake it for the art museum. When Linus shows Charlie Brown and Lucy slides that resemble the works he took pictures of, Charlie Brown's hopes of salvaging his grades are shattered. As he waits for his graded report, he expects the worst of it all. However, everything works out for the best, as his teacher assumes his report is a description of an art museum described through the metaphor of a supermarket and she gives him an A in his report that pass his course.

Peppermint Patty later apologizes to Charlie Brown for saying bad things to him and that it was not easy for a girl to talk like that to a boy. But Peppermint Patty angrily blows Charlie Brown away after Charlie Brown brings up the Little Red-Haired Girl. Marcie, who was watching this and calling her 'sir' throughout the special, reminded Peppermint Patty that she said the wrong thing again like she did in the supermarket. Peppermint Patty then asks Marcie if she knows how annoying it is being called 'sir' a lot when she tells her not to. Marcie responds, "No, ma'am".

After Charlie Brown's baseball team loses their first game of the season, his players quit. Linus meets Charlie Brown with good news: Mr. Hennessey, the operator of the local hardware store, is offering to sponsor Charlie Brown's baseball team, place them in an organized league, and even buy them new uniforms.

The excitement gets the better of Charlie Brown, and he eagerly tells the team the good news. Lucy then states that if Charlie Brown can really get the team uniforms, they will give him another chance and return to the team. Later at home, Charlie Brown receives a phone call from Mr. Hennessey and is told that the league does not allow girls or dogs to play baseball. Charlie Brown tries to reason with him, but Mr. Hennessey replies that they are the league's rules, not his. Unwilling to sacrifice his friends, Charlie Brown has no choice but to decline Mr. Hennessey's offer.

Moments later, Charlie Brown relays the bad news to Linus, who tells him that Lucy and the team will most likely be angry with his decision. However, Charlie Brown has an idea: He will not tell them until after the next game, figuring their lifted spirits will drive them to a great win. Linus says this may not be a good idea, but Charlie Brown feels it will work. The game starts off slowly, but as it picks up, the team begins to play spectacularly. Inspired by Snoopy successfully stealing second, third, and home, Charlie Brown attempts the same thing in the bottom of the ninth inning, successfully stealing second and third. However, Charlie Brown attempts to tie the game by stealing home, only to be thrown out at the plate, ending the game with yet another loss, much to everyone's frustration.

Lucy and several others tell Charlie Brown that if it were not for the uniforms and the league deal, they would quit. Charlie Brown then tells the team (leaving out the reasons why he did it) that he told Mr. Hennessey that the deal was off. This causes the team to yell at Charlie Brown and storm off. As the girls complain about their misfortune and Snoopy is shown sharing their disgust, Linus tells them the real reason why Charlie Brown declined the offer. Both Linus and Schroeder berate the girls for their selfishness, pointing out that Charlie Brown was not willing to sacrifice them for the uniforms. This causes everyone to feel terrible. They are uncertain what to do until Lucy comes up with an idea to make up for the insults. She decides to create a special baseball uniform for Charlie Brown. Linus insists there is no material available. However, Lucy (grinning evilly) says there is. Seeing that Linus's security blanket is the only material available, Lucy forces Linus to give up his blanket. And Lucy, the other girls, and Snoopy use that as the only material. To make things worse, the girls (Lucy, Violet, and Patty) and Snoopy create the uniform out of the blanket while Linus acts as a dress dummy. The dismayed Linus can only watch in horror as his blanket is destroyed and made into a baseball uniform for Charlie Brown.

The team presents the newly made uniform shirt (completed with the words "Our Manager" on the front) to Charlie Brown, who is very happy about it. He is determined that his team will win the next day's baseball game, but it rains, so the game is canceled. Charlie Brown stands in the rain on the pitcher's mound, where Linus finds him and tells him that nobody will be coming to the field. When Charlie Brown asks Linus why he is looking at him nervously, he wails and says to Charlie Brown that his uniform was made from his blanket. Charlie Brown then offers Linus the shirt's tail of his baseball uniform. Linus then stands with it pressed against his cheek, sucking his thumb as he normally does. The two of them stand in the pouring rain during the closing credits.

Snoopy's persistent mischief is angering the other kids in the neighborhood, and they all demand that Charlie Brown do something about it because "He's your dog, Charlie Brown!"

In a letter to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm, Charlie Brown writes that he is going to send Snoopy back for a refresher course in obedience. Snoopy loathes the idea, but Charlie Brown tells him it is for his own good. As it is a two-day trip, Charlie Brown calls Peppermint Patty and asks to let Snoopy stay there for one night en route; Peppermint Patty agrees, but a scheming Snoopy decides to stay on and has her waiting on him hand and foot, which confuses her.

A week later, the Puppy Farm calls and informs Charlie Brown that Snoopy never showed up. When he finds out that he is still at Peppermint Patty's house, Charlie Brown goes over to her house with a leash to take Snoopy home, but the dog escapes and runs back. Peppermint Patty lets Snoopy stay, but instead of returning to the easy life he enjoyed before, she puts him to work doing menial chores.

Later, when Lucy and Linus both start to miss Snoopy, Charlie Brown tries again to bring him home, but Snoopy breaks the leash and sends Charlie Brown away. Devastated by Snoopy's refusal to return home, the kids, along with Charlie Brown, cry, "Snoopy, come home!" That night, while doing dishes, Snoopy becomes infuriated and angrily starts breaking dishes, and Peppermint Patty puts him in the garage as punishment. While there, Snoopy realizes that he had a better life at home and starts to howl incessantly. When Peppermint Patty comes out to check on him, he knocks her down, dashes through the unlocked door, gathers all his belongings from inside the house and runs back home to an overjoyed Charlie Brown, with whom he compromises on promising to behave if his master doesn't send him away. The next day, after taking Linus on a wild blanket ride and picking a fight with Lucy, the gang is also glad that Snoopy is back. Contented, Snoopy goes to nap on his dog house.

Linus is fond of his teacher, Miss Othmar. To show his love, he buys her a huge heart-shaped box of chocolates. When Linus leaves, Sally believes that he bought the candy for her and decides to make him a valentine in return. Later, Lucy goes to a puppet show held by Snoopy. With Charlie Brown narrating the show, Snoopy tells a story about true love. At home, when Sally tries to make a valentine with very little success, Charlie Brown tries to show her how to cut out a heart, only to get upstaged by Snoopy, who makes a music box themed valentine.

Valentine's Day comes and the gang brings valentine cards for everybody. Charlie Brown brings a briefcase hoping to receive many valentines. During the party, everybody gets their cards and candy hearts. After the cards are passed out, it turns out Charlie Brown has received nothing except for one candy heart which says "FORGET IT, KID!". Linus is also upset as he was unable to give the box of chocolates to Miss Othmar (as she left with her boyfriend). Charlie Brown and Linus vent their heartbreak in different ways: Linus throws his chocolates off a bridge (where they are eaten by Snoopy and Woodstock). Charlie Brown slams his briefcase on his mailbox and kicks his mailbox, hurting his foot.

The next day, Charlie Brown checks the mailbox for a belated valentine from the Little Red Haired Girl, Violet gives Charlie Brown a used valentine (having crossed her own name from it) as an apology. Schroeder sees past the attempt and thoroughly reprimands her, Lucy, Sally and the others. He warns Charlie Brown not to accept them because of what happened. Despite his best efforts, Charlie Brown accepts them anyway. As Charlie Brown and Linus meet at the brick wall later, he admits remorse that he let Schroeder down after he defended the latter against the girls' thoughtlessness. However, he expresses hope that Violet's pity valentine will start a trend and he will get more valentines the next year. Linus warns Charlie Brown not to be too optimistic at all.

Snoopy and Woodstock partake in a tennis match while Linus and Sally are unable to play because of the courts being occupied. Sally tries to intimidate those playing by stating "her boyfriend" was going to clobber them, causing Linus to flee. After failing to beat Woodstock, Snoopy destroys his racket in frustration.

Peppermint Patty arrives on a small motorcycle and alerts the kids about an upcoming motocross race, and suggests that Charlie Brown and Snoopy enter. Linus volunteers to be the pit crew and the two pool their limited financial resources to purchase a shabby old bike. Snoopy enters the race under the pseudonym of The Masked Marvel and Marcie is on hand as the announcer. Charlie Brown and Snoopy crash within minutes of the start of the race, and an ambulance shuttles them off for immediate medical care.

In the confusion, Snoopy is admitted to a regular hospital while Charlie Brown ends up at the vet. After regaining consciousness, Charlie Brown escapes from the vet and retrieves Snoopy from the hospital. Upon return, Linus informs Charlie Brown that motocross rules dictate that you must be fitted with a helmet, which was lost in the crash. Linus proceeds to outfit Charlie Brown with a hollowed-out pumpkin as a helmet and Charlie Brown, demoralized with such ridiculous headgear, returns to the race.

As the race continues, every other competitor falls victim to various mishaps (particularly assorted mud-traps) leaving Charlie Brown as the only contender left to cross the finish line (his battered bike proves to have amazing durability, despite its poor speed). Then he discovers that those who sanctioned the race could not obtain the intended grand prize of Pro Bowl tickets. As a consolation prize, Charlie Brown is given: a kiss from Loretta, the unspeakably-plain "Motocross Queen"; and a certificate for five free haircuts, which is a white elephant for him since (1) his dad is a barber and (2) Charlie has very little hair to be cut. Linus consoles Charlie Brown by telling him that the fact that he won against overwhelming odds is more important than receiving a prize, which Charlie Brown finds most uplifting for his spirits.

In the final scene, a confident Charlie Brown is ready to pitch another baseball game, saying to the team that in spite of his 980 straight defeats, has come to understand what winning is, and is certain that he will win this game. Instead, a line drive plows past him, causing his clothes to go flying in all directions.

Linus repairs his Mother's bike with Charlie Brown watching. Linus' Mother leaves with Rerun on the back seat. Rerun goes through all the places they are set to visit, including the Arbor Day meeting. After Sally Brown is humiliated in class for misunderstanding the purpose of Arbor Day (she defines it as "the day when all the ships come sailing into the arbor"), she is told that she has to write a full report on Arbor Day, and Linus goes with her to the library to help her with the report. Linus leaves the library after Sally's repeated attempts to make him fall in love with her. The scene cuts to Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty talking under a tree. Patty asks Charlie Brown to explain love to her, before she cuts him out several times. She switches the topic to baseball, going over the time her team plays his team, confident that she will win over him every time. Sally, Linus, Lucy, Snoopy and Woodstock decides to plant a lush garden—in Charlie Brown's baseball field, despite Linus' protests. Lucy then calls in the whole team to help with the planting. Charlie Brown is unaware on what is actually going on, and stays at home to work on his team's strategy. The gang informs Charlie Brown that they will name the field Charlie Brown Field, to his happiness. He is shocked to find what has happened to the field when they show him. Charlie Brown tries to make the best of the situation by placing baseball gloves and caps on the trees to make them look like scarecrows. The trees catch so many fly outs, Peppermint Patty's team is unable to score, giving Charlie Brown's team the advantage. Schroeder tells Lucy that he will kiss her if she hits a home run. To Schroeder's surprise and Charlie Brown's delight, Lucy hits the home run and scores the first run of the game. Moments later, Charlie Brown's joy turns to anguish as the game is rained out in a huge storm ruining the chance of his team winning their first game. At school the next day, Sally gives a successful report on the true meaning of Arbor Day. Meanwhile, Peppermint Patty speaks kindly to a discouraged Charlie Brown, she compliments the garden in Charlie Brown Field and wishes him "Happy Arbor Day", cheering him up.

The Inspector General of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), Major General "Happy Jack" Kirby (Kevin McCarthy), lands unannounced at an Air Force Base in California, home to an important Strategic Aerospace Wing, and announces there will be an Operational Readiness Inspection at no notice. His team discover many failings, and Kirby reports unfavourably to his superior, General Hewitt (Leif Erickson).

Hewitt decides that the wing commander must be replaced, and offers the prestigious job to his own aide, Colonel Jim Caldwell (Rock Hudson), who accepts gladly, especially as his vice-commander is to be an old and trusted friend Colonel Hollis Farr (Rod Taylor).

Caldwell immediately sees many reasons for the low standards of training and readiness, and institutes a number of harsh policies that bring him into conflict with Farr. Caldwell faces the unwelcome truth that Farr himself is too undisciplined, and gives him notice of dismissal. This causes a rift between Caldwell and his wife Victoria (Mary Peach) who thinks that her rumoured affair with Farr may have cost him his job.

At this point, Caldwell, absent on a hospital visit, is suddenly told of a genuine emergency on the base, as an unidentified aircraft is on final approach with no signal. Unable to return in time to handle the crisis, he orders Farr to assume command, and Farr brings it to a successful conclusion, but only by breaking a key regulation, which could easily cause them to fail their inspection. When Kirby demands an explanation, Caldwell defends Farr, stating that he would have made the same call. To their surprise, Kirby admits that he too would have done the same, and that the wing has passed its all-important test, and it seems clear that Farr will retain his job after all.

In 507, the legendary Geatish warrior Beowulf travels to Denmark with his band of soldiers including his best friend Wiglaf to help King Hrothgar, who needs a hero to slay Grendel, a hideously malformed troll-like creature with appalling strength and cunning who attacked and killed many of Hrothgar's warriors during a celebration in the mead hall Heorot. Upon arriving, Beowulf becomes attracted to Hrothgar's wife Queen Wealtheow.

Beowulf and his men celebrate in Heorot to lure Grendel out. When the beast attacks, Beowulf decides to have an even fight and engages him unarmed and naked. During the fight, Beowulf discovers that Grendel has hypersensitive hearing and ruptures the creature's eardrum. Grendel shrinks in size and manages to escape only after Beowulf severs his arm, mortally wounding him. In thanks for freeing his kingdom from the monster, Hrothgar gives Beowulf his golden drinking horn, which commemorates Hrothgar's victory over the mighty dragon Fafnir.

In his cave, Grendel's mother swears revenge over his corpse. She travels to Heorot and slaughters Beowulf's men in the night. Hrothgar tells both Beowulf and Wiglaf that Grendel's mother is the last of the Demons. Hrothgar's adviser, Unferth, offers Beowulf his sword Hrunting to slay Grendel's mother. Beowulf and Wiglaf then travel to the demon's cave, where Beowulf enters alone and encounters the demon, who takes the form of a beautiful, gold-covered naked woman. He tries to kill her with Hrunting but fails due to her magic; instead, she seduces him with promises to make him king in exchange for the drinking horn and a son to replace Grendel, which Beowulf agrees to when they both kiss.

Afterwards, Beowulf returns to Heorot with Grendel's head and announces he has killed his mother the demon. He recounts embellished stories of a fight, claiming he left the sword impaled in the body of Grendel's mother and lost the golden drinking horn in the battle. Hrothgar speaks to Beowulf privately, and asks if he truly killed Grendel's mother. Despite Beowulf's boasting and calling Grendel's mother a 'hag', Hrothgar is not fooled and indirectly reveals he had been seduced by the demon, and Grendel was the result of their tryst. Hrothgar says all that matters is that Grendel is dead and the curse of Grendel's mother is no longer his to bear. Beowulf then realizes that the curse had been passed unto him after his affair with the demon. Hrothgar declares Beowulf to be king upon his death and he then commits suicide by jumping from the castle parapet onto the beach below. Grendel's mother appears as a gold light in the surf, and drags Hrothgar's corpse into the sea as the crowd kneels to King Beowulf.

Years later, the elderly Beowulf is the estranged husband of Wealtheow, who has converted to Christianity. Beowulf has a mistress, Ursula, but his tryst with Grendel's mother has left him sterile to both his wife and mistress. On the anniversary of Beowulf's victory against Grendel, Unferth returns the golden drinking horn, which his slave had found on the moors. That night, a nearby village is destroyed by a dragon, which then transforms into a golden figure, who orders Unferth to give a message to King Beowulf, the dragon's father: the sins of the father have returned to him (referencing the Faustian bargain curse cycle, which Wealtheow knows about). Afterwards, Beowulf privately confesses to Wealtheow about his affair with Grendel's mother and asks her forgiveness.

Beowulf and Wiglaf go to the cave once again, and Beowulf enters alone. When Grendel's mother appears, Beowulf throws her the golden horn, but she refuses it and the dragon attacks Beowulf's castle, threatening Wealtheow and Ursula. Despite his age, Beowulf goes to great lengths to stop the dragon. Beowulf is mortally wounded in the struggle, but manages to kill the dragon by ripping its heart out, and he and the creature tumble to the rocky beach below the castle. The dragon transforms into its golden humanoid form, before being washed out to sea. Before he dies, Beowulf tries to tell Wiglaf the truth about his affair with Grendel's mother and acknowledge his son, but Wiglaf insists on keeping his legacy intact.

As the new king, Wiglaf gives Beowulf a Norse funeral. Wiglaf finds the golden horn in the sand and sees Grendel's mother give Beowulf a final kiss as his burning ship sinks into the sea. Grendel's mother slowly rises to the water's surface and seductively beckons Wiglaf towards her. He wades into the sea, while holding the golden drinking horn, before pausing halfway in the surf. They both stare at each other, the Demon seductively waiting and Wiglaf clearly tempted.

Lyn Lesley (Anne Bancroft), the bar singer at New York's McKinley Hotel, wonders if airline pilot Jed Towers (Richard Widmark) will show up. She had ended their six-month relationship with a letter. When Jed does register at the hotel, she explains that she sees no future with him because he lacks an understanding heart.

Meanwhile, elevator operator Eddie (Elisha Cook Jr.) introduces his shy niece, Nell Forbes (Marilyn Monroe), to guests Peter and Ruth Jones (Jim Backus and Lurene Tuttle) as a babysitter for their daughter Bunny (Donna Corcoran). The Joneses go down to a function being held in the hotel's banqueting hall. After the child is put to bed, Nell tries on Ruth's lacy negligee, jewellery, perfume and lipstick. Seeing Nell from his room directly opposite, Jed calls her on the telephone, but she is not interested. When Eddie checks up on Nell, he is appalled to find her wearing Ruth's property and orders her to take them off. He tells her she can obtain such luxuries for herself by finding another boyfriend to replace the one who was killed in an aircraft accident. After Eddie leaves, Nell invites Jed over.

Nell lies to keep Jed believing that she herself is a guest. She is startled when Jed reveals that he is a pilot. She confides that her boyfriend Philip died while flying a plane to Hawaii. Bunny comes out and unmasks Nell's charade. Furious, Nell shakes the child and orders her back to bed. Jed comforts the crying Bunny and lets her stay up. When Bunny looks out the open window, however, it appears that Nell is considering pushing her out. Though Jed snatches the girl away, the incident is witnessed by long-term hotel resident Emma Ballew (Verna Felton).

Nell escorts the child to bed, then accuses Bunny of spying on her and implies that something might happen to her favourite toy if she makes any more trouble. Jed has decided to seek Lyn's forgiveness, but Nell begs him not to leave. As he is fending off a kiss from her, Jed sees scars on her wrists. Nell confesses that, after Philip died, she tried to kill herself with a razor.

When Eddie checks up on Nell after his shift is over, Nell makes Jed hide in the bathroom. Eddie is irate that Nell is still wearing Ruth's things. He orders her to change clothes, then harshly rubs off her lipstick. This enrages Nell, who accuses Eddie of being just like her repressive parents. Then, when he suspects there is someone in the bathroom, she hits him over the head with a heavy ashtray. While Jed tends to Eddie, Nell goes into Bunny's room.

A suspicious Emma Ballew (accompanied by her sceptical husband), knocks on the door. Fearing for his job, Eddie persuades Jed to hide, while he slips into the closet. Jed sneaks into Bunny's room. In the dark, he doesn’t notice that the child is now bound and gagged. When the Ballews see him exit from the door of the adjoining room, they assume that Jed had forced his way in and was holding Nell captive. They alert the hotel detective. Nell, who is now so deluded that she believes Jed is Philip, locks Eddie in the closet and goes into Bunny's room.

At the bar, Jed tells Lyn about Nell. She is pleasantly surprised by his concern. Suddenly realising that Bunny was on the wrong bed, Jed rushes back up. Ruth Jones arrives first and screams when she enters Bunny's room. The two women grapple. Jed pulls Nell away, and unties Bunny, but Nell slips away in the confusion when the hotel detective arrives.

Eddie admits that Nell had spent the previous three years in a mental institution following her suicide attempt. In the lobby, Nell steals some razor blades. When she is surrounded, she considers using one. Lyn tries to calm her down. Then Jed persuades Nell to give him the blade, and tries to talk her into realising that he is not Philip. He finally manages to convince her that she should go with the police officers who arrive, telling her that they will get her the help she needs. Seeing that Jed does have empathy after all, Lyn reconciles with him.

Charlie Brown's school has their annual Homecoming parade and football game. He and Linus are on the team, who are the escorts for the Queen and her court. During the parade, Linus mentions that Charlie Brown himself will be escorting the Queen who, to Charlie Brown's shock, is the Little Red-Haired Girl herself (whose name in the special is Heather). But when Linus adds the Homecoming tradition of giving the queen a kiss in front of everyone before the first dance, Charlie Brown hyperventilates and falls off the float.

The game begins with Charlie Brown as kicker and Lucy as his placekick setter. But even in a real football game, Lucy still humiliates Charlie Brown, pulling the ball away four times during the game as he tries to kick it, including a crucial field goal attempt in the last thirty seconds. The team loses by one point, and Charlie Brown is wrongly blamed by team captain Peppermint Patty. Despite the indignity, Charlie Brown remains faithful to his duty and escorts Queen Heather to the middle of the dance floor, and then summons the courage to kiss her on the cheek. From that moment forward Charlie Brown is in a euphoric state until, the first thing he knows, he finds himself falling into his own bed.

Charlie Brown wakes up the next morning with no memory of what happened after the kiss. He meets with Linus, who tells him that he surprised everyone when he kissed Heather, but even more so when he took to the dance floor with her and the other girls in the court doing all of the latest dances. Linus sums it all up saying that though they lost the game, Charlie Brown took the honors at the dance. In disbelief, Charlie Brown replies, "What good is it to do ''anything'', Linus, if you can't remember what you did?" Regardless, Linus reminds him that at least it was his first kiss and the story ends with him smiling with quiet satisfaction.

An Asgard mothership commanded by Thor confronts two Goa'uld pyramid ships over an alien planet under Asgard protection. The Goa'uld commander, Osiris, is defiant and for good reason: when Thor opens fire, his weapons fail to penetrate the Goa'uld ships' shields. At Stargate Command, still grieving Daniel Jackson's recent death, the Asgard Freyr arrives with the news of Thor's defeat and that the Goa'uld have developed advanced technologies that threaten all of the worlds under Asgard protection, including Earth. For the moment, he enlists SG-1 on a mission to save the Asgard scientist Heimdall before he is captured by Osiris' master Anubis.

SG-1 arrives at Heimdall's laboratory in a Goa'uld cargo ship, where they learn that Heimdall is researching ways to reverse the genetic degradation in the Asgard race, caused by repeated cloning. Heimdall informs them that Thor is alive; O'Neill and Teal'c ring onto Osiris' ship, while Carter guides them from the lab. However, Osiris subdues them by pumping poisonous gas onto their deck. Osiris also sends troops to the surface, and eventually breaks into the laboratory and captures Carter. Meanwhile, Anubis arrives and probes Thor's mind with a device that links his brain to the computer. This inadvertently gives Thor access to the ship systems, allowing him to free O'Neill and Teal'c. They disable the shields on Osiris' ship, allowing Heimdall to beam them, Carter, and Thor onto the cargo ship. They are coming under fire when Freyr arrives with three advanced Asgard ships, forcing Anubis to withdraw. Back at the SGC, Carter informs the others that Thor is in a coma, but that the Asgard may have turned the tide in their war with the Replicators. On their way to dinner, they feel an odd breeze inside the base, suggesting that Daniel may not be completely gone after all.

In 1961, senior CIA officer Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) receives a photograph and tape recording after the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion, and obtains a coded signal from "Cardinal.” Then the film flashes back to 1939.

Attending Yale University, Edward is invited to join Skull and Bones. In his initiation, he reveals that he discovered but never read the suicide note left by his father (Timothy Hutton), an admiral who was to be named Secretary of the Navy until his loyalties were questioned. FBI agent Sam Murach (Alec Baldwin) recruits Edward to expose professor Dr. Fredericks (Michael Gambon) as a Nazi spy, leading to Fredericks' resignation. Edward dates a deaf student named Laura (Tammy Blanchard), but is seduced by Margaret “Clover” Russell (Angelina Jolie) in 1940. General Bill Sullivan (Robert De Niro) offers Edward a post in London with the OSS.

Clover's brother John (Gabriel Macht) tells Edward that Clover is pregnant with Edward's child; Laura, reading their lips, leaves. Edward marries Clover and accepts Sullivan’s offer, leaving his new wife for London where he finds Dr. Fredericks, actually a British intelligence operative who recommended Edward for counter-espionage training. Special Operations Executive officer Arch Cummings (Billy Crudup) tells Edward that Fredericks' indiscreet liaisons pose a security risk; Fredericks refuses to retire quietly and is killed.

In post-war Berlin, Edward collaborates with Soviet counterpart "Ulysses" (Oleg Stefan). Learning Clover is having an affair, Edward sleeps with his interpreter Hanna Schiller (Martina Gedeck); he realizes she is a Soviet operative and she is killed. After six years, Edward returns home to a distant Clover, now calling herself Margaret, and helps Sullivan form the CIA with colleague Richard Hayes (Lee Pace) under Phillip Allen (William Hurt).

Monitoring Soviet activity in Central America, Edward recognizes Ulysses, who sends him an agent’s severed finger after the CIA unleashes locusts on a Soviet fronted coffee company. Valentin Mironov (John Sessions) convinces Edward he is a high-ranking KGB defector. Edward encounters Laura and rekindles their romance, until Margaret confronts him with compromising photographs, and he ends the affair. Another Soviet defector claims he is the real Mironov and the imposter is a double-agent. Tortured and administered liquid LSD, he ridicules his interrogators before hurling himself out a window. The first defector, watching with Edward, offers to take LSD to prove his innocence, but Edward declines.

At Yale, his son Edward Jr. also joins Skull and Bones and is approached by the CIA. Despite Margaret’s pleas, Edward Jr. joins the agency. When he overhears Edward and Hayes discuss the upcoming Bay of Pigs invasion, Edward warns him to remain silent. Margaret moves out.

In 1961, the tape recording leads CIA specialists to deduce the photograph may have been taken in Léopoldville. There, Edward realizes the photograph and tape are of his son. He meets Ulysses, who plays the unedited tape of Edward Jr. repeating the conversation he overheard to his lover Miriam (Liya Kebede), a Soviet spy, unknowingly leaking the upcoming invasion. Encouraged to spy for the Soviets in exchange for his son’s protection, Edward confronts his son, who refuses to believe Miriam is a spy.

Edward exposes Mironov as a double-agent and Cummings as a co-conspirator, who flees to Moscow. Ulysses’ aide is revealed to be “Cardinal,” Edward's mole. Edward and Margaret arrive separately in the Congo for Edward Jr.'s wedding to Miriam; flying to the ceremony, Miriam is thrown out of a plane. Edward informs his son of her death and denies responsibility, but is shaken to learn she was pregnant.

Edward meets Hayes at the new CIA headquarters, noting the lobby’s Biblical inscription: "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32)." Allen is resigning in disgrace, and the President has named Hayes the new Director of the CIA, and appoints Edward the first head of counter-intelligence.

Edward finally reads his father’s suicide note, learning that he had betrayed his country but urged his son to live a life of decency and truth. Edward burns the note, and leaves his old office for his new wing in the CIA.

The story involves a widow named Minna Shaw. One evening, a witch falls from her broom when it suddenly loses the ability to fly, causing the witch to crash-land in the garden near Minna Shaw's house. Minna Shaw takes her in until she recovers, and when she does, the witch calls a friend to "drive" her home, leaving her own broom behind. Minna Shaw discovers the broom is still in her house and leaves it alone but is startled, and more than a little afraid, when it comes to life later that evening. She discovers that the broom is harmless, as all it does is sweep, but she teaches it how to feed the chickens, chop wood, and play the piano. While most of the neighbor women and children are comfortable with the broom, the men are concerned that it had been a witch's broom. Shortly afterwards, two boys begin to harass it. The broom, apparently angered, beats them and flings their dog over the forest. The boys' parents demand that the broom be burned at the stake. Minna Shaw surprisingly agrees, and the broom is burned. Things appear normal until the broom's phantom-white ghost begins stalking the Spiveys' house. The Spiveys are so terrified that they pack up and leave the house. Minna Shaw can now be alone and listen to the broom play the piano; she'd given the Spiveys her own ordinary household broom to burn and cooked up the plan for the magical broom (which was just painted white), to scare her neighbors away. She painted it white to make it look like the "ghost" broom.

While the first eight books are largely continuous, the first four form a complete story arc (being continuous works by Stackpole), and the next three form another complete arc (being continuous works of Allston). ''Isard's Revenge'' mostly refers back to characters and situations created in Stackpole's first four novels. ''Starfighters of Adumar'' focuses on a few major characters (including, several officers from Rogue Squadron, namely: Antilles, Tycho Celchu, Wes Janson, and Hobbie Klivian).

The first seven novels take place 6.5–7.5 years after the events of the original ''Star Wars'' film. ''Isard's Revenge'' takes place about two years later, and ''Starfighters of Adumar'' takes place 3–4 years after that.

''Rogue Squadron'' (1996)

''Rogue Squadron'' (1996) is the first novel in the ''Star Wars: X-wing'' series. It is set at the beginning of the New Republic era of the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe and centers on the creation of a new Rogue Squadron by legendary Rebel Alliance pilot Wedge Antilles. As the first novel in the series, it introduces the primary character, Corran Horn, as well as a host of other characters, including Mirax Terrik, Erisi Dlarit, and Tycho Celchu. The novel focuses on the training and early development of the squadron, as well as the characters and their relationships (primarily Erisi's romantic interest in Corran, and Mirax and Corran's mutual romantic interest). The novel culminates in a daring attack on the Imperial stronghold of Borleias, the first step in an invasion of the capital world Coruscant.

''Wedge's Gamble'' (1996)

''Wedge's Gamble'' (1996) is the second novel in the series. It is set at the beginning of the New Republic era of the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe. Following the conquest of Borleias, the Rebels and Rogue Squadron must handle Imperial espionage ordered by the rogue imperial Warlord Zsinj. The apparent death of member Bror Jace, the subsequent recruiting by the squadron introduces new, hot-shot members, Aril Nunb and Pash Cracken. With worries of attacks by Zsinj's forces, the Provisional Council convenes and decide that the invasion of Coruscant (capital of the old republic and currently imperial center) must proceed. A decision is handed down that criminals from the Black Sun, a criminal organization, who have been imprisoned in the Spice Mines of Kessel, would be released on Coruscant as saboteurs and to weaken resistance against for the coming invasion, the Rogues are first sent to Kessel. Rogue Squadron must use their undercover skills to help the Alliance to take Coruscant. The Squadron uses the orbital mirrors to reflect sunlight onto the reservoirs of Coruscant, disabling the planetary shields, and allowing the Alliance fleet a fighting chance at taking the planet.

''The Krytos Trap'' (1996)

''The Krytos Trap'' (1996) is the third novel in the series. It is set at the beginning of the New Republic era in the Star Wars universe and focuses on the problems the New Republic has in occupying Coruscant. The plot focuses on three key events. The first is the occupation of Coruscant and the trouble the Empire left behind with its crippling bio-attack on the planet. The virus used in the attack being the Krytos virus, ordered by Imperial leader Ysanne Isard and developed by General Evir Derricote. Humans are apparently immune, while all other species are vulnerable. This, combined with Imperial Intelligence officer Kirtan Loor's terrorist activities while taking orders from the Palpatine Counterinsurgency Front, leaves Coruscant and the New Republic in a state of emergency.

''The Bacta War'' (1997)

''The Bacta War'' (1997) is the fourth installment in the series. It is set at the beginning of the New Republic era in the Star Wars universe and focuses on the conflict known as the Bacta War. While the Alliance fleet mounts a major campaign against a deadly warlord, former director of imperial intelligence, Ysanne Isard has taken control of Thyferra, intending to control production of medicinal bacta, the only cure for the deadly krytos virus Isard has released into the population of Coruscant and of Rogue Squadron Itself. Undermanned and deprived of Alliance support, Rogue Squadron resigns and goes rogue. They must oppose Isard's plans, defeat her Star Destroyer fleet, and free Thyferra from her rule in a winner-take-all battle against a seemingly superior force.

''Wraith Squadron'' (1998)

''Wraith Squadron'' (1998) is the fifth book in the series. After returning to Coruscant with Rogue Squadron following the Bacta War, Wedge Antilles, with his experiences of insurgency with the Rogues during the war, decided to create a new starfighter unit which would take only pilots with commando-type skills. When pitching the idea to Admiral Ackbar, the Mon Calamari raised the issue of the cost to assemble such an elite unit. Antilles countered by saying he'd only take pilots who were on the verge of being discharged from Starfighter Command, reasoning that while many would be irredeemable, there would be a few pilots who had just made one mistake too many.

''Iron Fist'' (1998)

''Iron Fist'' (1998) is the sixth novel in the series. It continues the exploits of Wraith Squadron begun by Allston in Wraith Squadron. Against all odds, the controversial Wraith Squadron has survived its first covert mission. But now they are called upon to cheat death twice. This time Wedge Antilles sends them in to stop the warlord Zsinj and his Super Star Destroyer, Iron Fist. If Zsinj joins the Empire, it could turn the tide of war against the Rebels. The Wraith Squadron's mission: infiltrate the warlord's fleet and uncover his carefully guarded plans. To do so, they must pose as ruthless pirates seeking to join Zsinj's forces. And that means first becoming pirates in space lanes teeming with Imperial Navy patrols. If that isn't enough to get them killed, they'll have to pass one last test—a suicide mission for Zsinj.

''Solo Command'' (1999)

''Solo Command'' (1999) is the seventh novel in the series, and the final book to detail the adventures of Wraith Squadron. Their covert mission has been a success. The enemy has been vanquished. Or so they thought. The Super Star Destroyer Iron Fist somehow escaped destruction and with it the New Republic's greatest threat, the infamous warlord Zsinj. To defeat him, Wraith Squadron must join a combat task force led by the only man crafty enough to beat Zsinj at his own game: Han Solo. But Zsinj knows the X-wing pilots' indomitable courage is both their greatest strength—and their greatest weakness. For even against the most overwhelming odds, the Rebels will fight to the death. And that will leave Zsinj the galaxy's unchallenged master!

''Isard's Revenge'' (1999)

''Isard's Revenge'' (1999) is the eighth novel in the series. In returning to the series, Stackpole brought back a number of elements that made the original four books popular: General Wedge Antilles has returned as commander of the New Republic X-wing unit Rogue Squadron, and former Imperial leader Ysanne Isard is once again the villain. It's the kind of mission only Wedge Antilles and the Rogue Squadron would dare to undertake. Against impossible odds they will stage a daring raid into an enemy stronghold—only to be rescued from certain destruction by an unexpected ally. Ysanne Isard, the ruthless Imperial commander, has appeared on the scene seemingly from out of nowhere. Now she proposes a most unusual alliance, offering to help Wedge rescue his captured comrades from Imperial Warlord Admiral Krennel's sadistic prison camp. But her offer is not without a price. Wedge must lead Rogue Squadron in Isard's deadly struggle against an enemy made in her own image. It's an offer Wedge would love to refuse, for Isard is certain to betray them. But how can they leave their comrades at Krennel's mercy? The answer is: they can't—even if it means being caught between Krennel's ruthlessness and Isard's treachery.

''Starfighters of Adumar'' (1999)

''Starfighters of Adumar'' (1999) is the ninth book in the series. It was written by Allston. The neutral world of Adumar has decided to pick a side in the war to control the galaxy. Delegates from both the New Republic and the Empire have been invited to Adumar, and each camp will be given a chance to plead its government's case. But there is one small catch: since the Adumari prize military skill above all else, they insist that both delegations be composed exclusively of fighter pilots. For pilot Wedge Antilles and his company, it's an unfamiliar exercise in diplomacy—and one that's filled with unexpected peril. For once they arrive, the X-wing pilots are challenged by Adumar's fierce warriors and attacked by Imperial assassins bent on eliminating all competition. But these challenges pale in comparison to the threat posed by a rogue Republic agent... one who is determined to win Adumar's allegiance once and for all—even if it costs the X-wing pilots their lives.

''Mercy Kill'' (2012)

At ''Star Wars'' Celebration V in 2010 a tenth novel in the series, ''Mercy Kill'', was announced. It was written by Allston and released on August 7, 2012. It takes place over three decades after the previous volume.

In 1979, NASA scientist Dylan Hunt is working on "Project Ganymede", a suspended animation system for astronauts on long-duration spaceflights. As chief of the project he volunteers for the first multi-day test. He places himself in chemically induced hibernation deep inside Carlsbad Caverns; while there, his laboratory is buried in an earthquake. The monitoring equipment is damaged and fails to wake him at the intended end of the test. He awakens instead in 2133, emerging into a chaotic post-apocalyptic world. An event called "the Great Conflict" — a third and final World War — destroyed the civilization of Hunt's time. Various new civilizations have emerged in a struggle for control of available resources. Those with the greatest military might and the will to use it have the greatest advantage.

Hunt is accidentally found and rescued by an organization calling themselves "PAX" (the Latin word for "peace"). PAX members are the descendants of the NASA personnel who worked and lived at the Carlsbad installation in Dylan's time. They are explorers and scientists who preserve what little information and technology survived from before the conflict, and who seek to learn and acquire more in an effort to build a new civilization. Members of PAX find Hunt still sealed in the hibernation chamber. They revive him and are thrilled to meet a survivor from before the conflict.

An elaborate "subshuttle" subterranean rapid transit system was constructed during the 1970s, due to the vulnerability of air transportation to attack. The subshuttles utilize a magnetic levitation rail system, and operate inside vactrain tunnels and travel at hundreds of miles per hour. The tunnel network is comprehensive enough to cover the entire globe. The PAX organization inherited the still-working system and uses it to dispatch their teams of troubleshooters.

A totalitarian regime known as the Tyranians rule the area once known as Arizona and New Mexico. The Tyranians are mutants who possess greater physical prowess than non-mutated humans; they can be identified by their dual navels. Their leader discovers that Hunt has knowledge of nuclear power systems, and they offer him great rewards if he can repair their failing nuclear power generator. However, once he is in their power, they attempt to force him to reactivate a nuclear missile system in their possession, with which they intend to destroy their enemies and dominate the region. Hunt is appalled by this small-scale replay of the events which must have led to the Great Conflict. He leads a revolt of the enslaved citizenry, sabotages the nuclear device, and destroys the reactor in a nuclear explosion. Destroyed as well is the entire Tyranian base complex.

To Hunt's dismay, the PAX leaders assert their pacifist nature and intentions. They are attempting to rebuild an idealistic society using all which was deemed "good" from Earth's past, and they regard Hunt's interference with a rival civilization and his destructive tactics as antithetical to this end. They also see great good in him and value his knowledge of the past. They ask Hunt to join PAX permanently, but only if he can agree to never take human lives again. Hunt half-heartedly agrees. Security chief Yuloff states that the rationale of taking lives to justify the saving of lives was what allowed the Great Conflict to happen in the first place.

is a seventeen-year-old high-school student (voiced by Ayako Kawasumi) with a secret which has not been revealed to anyone: she is already married. Her husband, (voiced by Mitsuaki Madono), is a physics teacher in the same high school as her. However, even though they are officially a married couple, Asami's father forbids them to have any sexual contact until after Asami has graduated. Asami has to hide the fact that she is married to Kyosuke while trying desperately to further their relationship, and it does not help when there are so many obstacles from her father and other third parties.

While working an undercover prostitute sting operation in a nightclub to arrest a pimp named Neptune, Miami-Dade Police detectives James "Sonny" Crockett and Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs receive a frantic phone call from their former informant Alonzo Stevens. Stevens reveals that he's leaving town, and, believing his wife Leonetta to be in immediate danger, asks Rico to check on her. Crockett learns that Stevens was working as an informant for the FBI but has been compromised.

Crockett and Tubbs quickly contact FBI Special Agent in Charge John Fujima and warn him about Stevens' safety. Tracking down Stevens through a vehicle transponder and aerial surveillance, Crockett and Tubbs stop him along I-95. Stevens reveals that a Colombian cartel had become aware that Russian undercovers (now dead) were working with the FBI, and had threatened to murder Leonetta via a C-4 necklace bomb if he didn't confess. Rico, learning of Leonetta's death by telephone call, tells Alonzo that he doesn't have to go home. Hearing this, the grief-stricken Stevens commits suicide by walking in front of an oncoming semi truck.

En route to the murder scene, Sonny and Rico receive a call from Lt. Martin Castillo and are instructed to stay away. He tells them to meet him downtown, where they are introduced in person to Fujima, head of the Florida Joint Inter-Agency Task Force between the FBI, the DEA, and ICE. Crockett and Tubbs berate Fujima for the errors committed and inquire as to why the MDPD wasn't involved. Fujima reveals that the Colombian group part of the A.U.C. is highly sophisticated and run by José Yero, initially thought to be the cartel's leader. Fujima enlists Crockett and Tubbs, making them Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force deputies, to lead a deep undercover operation. They continue the investigation by looking into go-fast boats coming from the Caribbean, delivering loads of narcotics from the Colombians. They then coerce their Miami informant contact Nicholas into setting up a meet-and-greet with the cartel.

Posing as highly skilled drug smugglers, Sonny and Rico offer their services to Yero, the cartel's security and intelligence man. After a high-tension meeting, they pass screening and are introduced to Arcángel de Jesús Montoya, transnational drug trafficking kingpin. In the course of their investigation, Crockett and Tubbs learn that the cartel is using the Aryan Brotherhood to distribute drugs, and is supplying them with state-of-the-art weaponry (which they had used to kill the Russian undercovers). Meanwhile, Crockett tries to gather further evidence from Montoya's financial adviser and lover, Isabella, but ends up starting a secret romance with her while on a trip by speedboat to Cuba. At a club, the two dance closely, observed by Yero. Afterwards, Crockett and Isabella discuss the possibility and impossibility of running away together. Tubbs begins to fear for the team's safety with Crockett's fling. Those fears are soon realized as Trudy, the unit's intelligence agent and Rico's girlfriend, is kidnapped by the Aryan Brotherhood on Yero's order, who never trusted Crockett and Tubbs. The Aryan Brotherhood demand for Crockett and Tubbs to deliver the cartel's load directly to them. With Lt. Castillo's help and clues given by Trudy, the unit triangulates Trudy's location to a mobile home in a trailer park and perform a rescue, but she is critically injured when Tubbs fails to evacuate her before a bomb is remotely detonated by Yero. Soon afterwards, Yero reveals Isabella's betrayal to Montoya and captures her. In the showdown, Crockett and Tubbs face off against Yero, his men, and the Aryan Brotherhood in a shipyard at the port of Miami.

During the firefight, Crockett begins to call in backup. When Isabella sees his police shield and radio, she realizes that he's a cop. Betrayed, Isabella wrestles with Crockett until he subdues her. Tubbs guns down Yero as he attempts to shoot his way to safety. After the gunfight, Crockett takes Isabella to a police safehouse and insists she will have to leave without him. Isabella tells him "time is luck," holding out hope the fling can continue, but he tells her they "have run out of time."

Crockett arranges for Isabella to leave the country and return home in Cuba, thus avoiding arrest. Meanwhile, Tubbs is keeping watch on Trudy in hospital as she begins to awaken from her coma.

Set in the dawning of the 25th century, the earth has undergone changes and technology improved in leaps and bounds, with humanity now colonizing Mars. However, unknown to humanity, there is an ancient race of aliens known as 'The Gods' which have been patiently waiting and watching humanity's progress. They take action and try to halt man's progress into space with extreme force. Although humanity has some very advanced weaponry at their disposal such as highly advanced aircraft, orbital fighters and gigantic desert battleships full of the most amazing array of weapons, will it be enough to stop them? The aliens have impressive weapons of their own, including an unstoppable stealth carrier. Humanity's hope rests on the shoulders of Captain Akuh and the crew of the Battleship Aoba. They are to carry out a top-secret mission against the aliens which, if successful, could mean the end to the war.

Nyaako, the older sister of Nyata, lies very ill in her room. By accident, Nyata drowns in the bathtub and, whilst being clinically dead, sees his sister leaving the house holding hands with the psychopomp Jizō and follows them. He tries to take his sister back from Jizō but it holds on to her, refusing to let go. Nyaako splits in two, leaving Jizō with half of her soul while her brother runs away with the other half. Jizō sends a clue about a flower they must seek to retrieve the lost half-soul, then walks away with it.

Meanwhile, Nyata's father finds him in the bathtub and revives him. The whole family gathers in Nyaako's room to discover she is spiritually dead. Nyata approaches carrying the half-soul and replaces it in her body through her nose. She awakens, now despondent and semi-catatonic. The siblings are sent by their mother to retrieve fried tofu. On the way, they attend the Big Whale Circus in time for the final act, in which a giant flightless bird containing various weathers causes an all-encompassing flood. The two find refuge on a sampan with a pig, whom they consensually and partially eat by unzipping his abdomen and pulling out pre-cut slabs. God holds the world above his head to drain its water down his arm, leaving the three lost in a desert. As the cats beat the pig to death, he bites off Nyata's arm. A local dollmaker soon appears to sew on a replacement salvaged from another cat.

Traveling across the desert, they are brought to a house by the smell of food, and are invited inside by a man. They are fed, and when full the man attempts to turn them into soup, attacking them with a pair of scissors. He ends up falling into the cauldron, Nyata cuts him into pieces with the scissors and the cats escape. Wandering further across the desert dehydrated, Nyata digs and finds an elephant made of water, which cools them off and travels with them, though the elephant eventually evaporates from the heat. God accidentally stops the flow of time and disrupts space, and the cats play with the time-frozen scenes. Father Time turns time back on, shooting it forward and reversing it, showing various scenes of random events either rapidly going forth in time or back. Eventually the cats find themselves back on their boat in the ocean. After dusk, they drift into a shallow marsh filled with tin sculptures of plants and mechanical animals. There they chance upon the flower they were seeking. Nyata places the flower on Nyaako's face, which restores her to normal. Together, they go back home.

The entire family of cats are gathered in their house leisurely watching TV. Nyata leaves them to visit the toilet, and while he is gone, the other family members disappear one by one into thin air. The show on the TV also disappears, leaving only a flashing screen behind. Nyata returns to find everyone gone. Outside the nearby lamppost extinguishes, leaving the house in darkness. The film also "turns off", leaving behind a flashing screen of static.

Graham Merrill (Bill Travers) passes a pet shop on his daily walks about London, and takes an interest in an otter (specifically, a male river otter) he sees in its window; eventually, he buys the animal and names him Mijbil or "Mij" for short. The otter wreaks havoc in his small apartment, and together they leave London for a rustic cottage overlooking the sea on the west coast of Scotland. There they live as beachcombers, and make the acquaintance of Dr. Mary (Virginia McKenna) from the nearby village, and her dog Johnny. Mij and Johnny play in the water and bound across the fields together.

One episode involves Graham, trying to find live eels for Mij, which is very difficult, because during the winter, the eels swim in deeper waters, making it tough to fish them out. Also, no fish place on town carried live eels either.

Mij's inquisitive and adventurous nature leads him some distance from the cottage to a female otter with whom he spends the day. Ignorant of danger, he is caught in a net and nearly killed. The humans find him and help him recover. Graham spends a significant amount of time drawing Mij, but realises that to show the true agility of the otter he must draw it underwater. He builds a large tank out of old windows so that he can do this.

Not long after, Merrill goes to London to look after some affairs and leaves Mary in charge of Mij. While being exercised afield, Mij is killed by a ditchdigger, who did not realize he was a pet. Merrill returns and is crushed to discover the death of his beloved otter. Some time later, Merrill and Mary are surprised by a trio of otter youngsters, accompanied by their mother otter, approaching the cottage. He happily realizes they are Mij's mate and their children who have come to play in their father's swimming pool.

Graham has been trying for years to write a novel about the Marsh Arabs; however, after seeing the baby otters playing, he takes pen and paper and begins to write about Mij and what the otter has taught him about himself.

Andy and Pam meet after Andy places a singles ad in his college newspaper. Pam sees his ad and sends Andy a letter. In that letter she advises him to put a response to her letter in the "Who's Next" album at a local record store. He does and they meet. They are instantly attracted to each other and in the next scene they are living together. Andy has to overcome the objections of his father and brother (his mother having died a year earlier) and he and Pam get jobs and live in her studio apartment.

They are happy until Andy discovers a lump in Pam's neck. They go for tests and find out Pam has Hodgkin's Disease. They are devastated and Pam goes to a therapist to help cope with the sad news. Pam considers suicide, but Andy talks her out of it by convincing her that they will fight. They find a doctor who gives Pam experimental treatments that almost kill her. They travel to San Francisco to meet with another doctor. At first, he won't take Pam's case but eventually he is swayed by Andy's tearful appeal. He turns out to be the doctor who gets Pam's disease into remission.

As the young lovers run throughout the streets of San Francisco celebrating the news they come upon a group of girls playing hopscotch. Andy borrows the chalk from one of them and the girl tells him, "Okay, but don't break it." He responds, "I will never break anything as long as I live." He writes She Lives! in chalk and runs through the streets shouting it. He turns and there is Pam, the girl he loves. As the movie ends, Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle" plays over the credits.

A prudish couple, Dudley (Kris Marshall) and Lola (Sarah Smart), arrive in Blackpool by bus from Stoke-on-Trent, and find themselves in a seedy boarding house run by the sinister Leo Finch (Philip Jackson). At the same time Carter Krantz (Daniel Mays) arrives from London, thrown out of a car naked and carrying only a key and a piece of paper with the name "Ambrose Chapel". He thinks that this is a man responsible for his mother's murder, but after roughing up an innocent taxidermist, Ambrose ''Chapfel'', (Mark Gatiss), he discovers it is actually a disused church, now a nightclub called "Sins" which is run by Shirley Woolf (Ian Puleston-Davies). Shirley and his second wife Connie (Frances Barber) are in conflict with Shirley's mother Mercy (Judy Parfitt), a wheelchair user and owner of a lapdancing club. Meanwhile, the mayor of Blackpool, Onan Van Kneck (Roy Barraclough) has launched a campaign to clean up the town, but is constantly harangued by journalist Ken Cryer (Simon Greenall), who accuses Van Kneck himself of corruption.

On his first night in Blackpool, Dudley is inveigled by Finch into joining a game of poker, where he loses £3,000. When he says that he is penniless, Finch tells him that his wife will have to earn the money for him. Lola is forced to become a stripper at Mercy's club. Initially terrified, she discovers both that she is good at it and that she enjoys it. Later, Shirley Woolf offers her £1,000 pounds for sex. Dudley encourages her to do it, and stays to watch in case she needs him to intervene, but is upset when he sees that she enjoys it more than she ever enjoyed sex with him. Krantz links up with Cryer, who says he can get information on Ambrose Chapel. When he goes to meet Cryer, however, he finds his things strewn over the beach and, under a bucket, his head. His only clue, once again, is a scrap of paper that says "Malcolm Carpet". Mercy holds a birthday party, which Shirley and Connie are obliged to attend. While another son, Willie (Brian Hibbard) is performing a magic trick, Mercy tortures Shirley by reminding him that it was while he was watching this, his favourite trick, that his father drowned in the bath. After Connie tells her she is pregnant, she puts on a "party mix" tape that is actually a recording of Shirley having sex with one of the lapdancers. Krantz sees "Malcolm Carpet" on one of Willie's old posters, and Willie tells him that that was the stage name of Leo Finch.

Mercy, who has engaged Krantz to offer his services to Shirley in order to spy on him, calls him into her office to demand a report. During their conversation, she tells him that his mother had lived with her in Blackpool, that her name was not Frannie Krantz but Frannie Poole (she had taken her pseudonym from a conductor named Otto Krantz) and that she had left following a rape. Kranz goes to Finch and accuses him of the rape, but Finch says that it was his brother, Van Kneck, and that Krantz is the product of that rape. Krantz goes to Van Kneck and holds him at gunpoint, but Van Kneck tells him that he cannot be his father, because he has had prosthetic testicles from the age of ten. Meanwhile, Van Kneck and Shirley have teamed up to deal with Mercy, and Van Kneck has employed the services of two Finnish brothers. The first brother (Ewan Bailey) arrives and is treated to a cabaret and drinks, but makes extravagant demands, including a girl. He picks Lola out of a brochure of Mercy's girls. Lola at first agrees to have sex with him, but once in the room changes her mind. When he tries to rape her, she takes up his gun and shoots him in the head, chest and foot. In a panic, because the second brother is due, Shirley and Kranz decide they have to allow him to be seen, apparently alive, and then fake his death in a drowning accident. This is a problem because he has two bullet wounds in the head and half his foot is blown off, but the taxidermist Ambrose Chapfel comes to the rescue, and they are able to carry off the deception.

Shirley asks Dudley if Lola is likely to go to the police and Dudley, in a funk, says that she might. Shirley then takes her off with the intention of killing her, but at the last moment decides to spare her. When he gets home, he finds that there has been an explosion. It was caused by his son Liam (Kenny Doughty), but Connie tells him that it was Mercy, and that he has to kill her. When he goes to her office, it is revealed that he had sex with his mother as a teenager, and has never got over her. Lola goes back to the boarding house to confront Dudley, and leaves with Krantz, who happens to be at the front door. Together they investigate another of Cryer's possible leads, the mysterious Bridewell Holdings. On going to the company's office, Krantz receives a message to be in a certain hotel suite at a certain hour. He and Lola go, but are abducted by two men and brought to the beach where the older of the two questions Krantz about "the relic", which apparently refers to the key that his mother gave him, and about the "little fellow", which Krantz does not understand, but which is apparently a reference to Bridewell. The two gunmen get into a row which results in the older one killing the younger one, and Krantz gets the drop on the older one and asks him who he is working for. He tells him it is Mercy, and that it was Mercy that killed his mother. He takes the killer at gunpoint to Mercy's office. Mercy tells him that she had not ordered the man to kill him, only to fetch him. She then tells him that she is his real mother, and that Shirley is his father. Frannie had found them once in the crypt of Ambrose Chapel. After Mercy had tried to drown her three-month-old baby, Frannie had taken him and vanished, taking as well something very precious: a key to the chapel, where she had placed something of great value. Mercy had burned down the chapel, bought it up and, using Finch as a middle-man, sold it to Shirley.

Krantz goes to the boarding house looking for Lola and, failing to find her there, goes to Shirley's office and finds him with Lola, trying to persuade her to make a life with him. He confronts Shirley with the fact that he is his son, and produces the key, asking where the crypt is. Shirley smashes the wood panelling in his office to reveal the crypt, and inside is a safe. Just as they unlock the safe, the lights go out and Lola and the contents of the safe are snatched. Shirley and Krantz head for Blackpool Tower, where a ball organized by Mercy is in full swing. They are refused entry because all male guests have to wear gorilla costumes. Eventually, having put on costumes, they find Lola and Mercy on the top platform of the tower, with the bag from the safe. Mercy holds them all at gunpoint. The bag contains a teddy-bear hot water bottle, which Mercy's father gave to Frannie as a child, and whose name is Bridewell. In Bridewell's neck is the title deed to Blackpool Beach. With this in her possession, Mercy expects to become very rich. Lola grabs the document from her, but loses it to the wind, which blows it high into the tower's framework. Both men, in their gorilla costumes, begin to climb the tower. Mercy stands up from her wheelchair and struggles with Lola, then shoots one of the "gorillas", who falls to his death on the road below. It is revealed to be Shirley. Krantz has Mercy locked up in Chapfel's basement, then goes walking on the beach with Lola, carrying the deed. Lola asks him what he is going to do, but he does not answer.

The three-part series examined the effects of an outbreak of rabies in the United Kingdom and was noted for its occasionally chilling content.

Newly elected to Congress, former local television news reporter Evan Baxter leaves his hometown of Buffalo, New York from the original ''Bruce Almighty'', and later moves to the community of Prestige Crest, located in the fictional town of Huntsville, Virginia, where his congressional campaign officially declares that he will change the world. Evan prays to God to give him this opportunity. His wife, Joan, also prays that she, Evan, and their three sons will be closer together as a family. On his first day at Congress, Evan receives a letter from his greedy boss, Congressman Chuck Long, who provides him with a prime office and gives the opportunity to join him as the junior co-sponsor to his Citizens' Integration of Public Lands Act (CINPLAN) bill. Over the next several days, strange events in Evan's life occur:

• Eight vacant lots in Prestige Crest are purchased under his name, and ancient tools and gopher wood are delivered there
• Pairs of animals start following him around everywhere he goes, with birds flying into his office through the window
• He begins to grow a beard uncontrollably
• His clothes are all replaced with robes.
• The number 614 starts appearing in various forms throughout his daily routines

Evan comes to realize that 614 actually refers to verse 14 in chapter 6 of the Book of Genesis, where God instructs Noah to build an ark in preparation for a coming flood. Although Evan initially rejects this idea, God Himself starts appearing to Evan and assures him that a flood will come and the only way he can change the world will be through building the ark. Evan decides to start building the ark with the tools and materials provided, giving him an opportunity to get closer to his sons, although Joan sees this as a midlife crisis.

Although Evan still maintains his career in Congress, his appearance alienates his three staffers and the animals that follow him everywhere become disruptive. God reappears to Evan and provides him a robe, and later warns him the flood will likely come mid-day on September 22. When God indefinitely exposes Evan's robe, Long fires him from Congress and has his name removed from the Public Land Act bill. Believing that Evan has gone insane, Joan leaves him, causing Evan to continue building the ark alone. Meanwhile, God disguises Himself as a waiter in a restaurant and later speaks to Joan. God assures Joan that she should see this as an opportunity for the entire family to get closer to each other. Joan is inspired and finally returns to help Evan finish building the ark together to prepare for the flood.

On September 22, Evan's three staffers show him evidence that Long had planned to build Prestige Crest after damming off a nearby water source, but Long had cut many corners in building the dam. They suspect Long would do the same with the Public Land Act Bill. With the ark finally complete, and the police threaten to destroy it with a wrecking ball as it violates land codes, the animals board the ark and rain falls. Evan realizes that the flood will be a result of Long's dam failing, and warns the onlookers to get aboard the ark. The dam indeed fails, destroying all the homes of Prestige Crest. The ark rides the flood down the streets of Washington, D.C. and comes to a halt in front of the Capitol, interrupting the vote for the Public Land Act Bill. The flood results in Evan accusing Long of being responsible for cost-cutting leading to the dam's failure, leading to several other members of Congress voting against the bill.

Congress investigates Long for profiteering and all the animals returning to their natural habitats. Evan is reinstated to Congress after the flood, and the changes imposed onto him by God no longer remain again. Evan re-encounters God during a family hike. God states that Evan had changed his world as he prayed for and being closer to his family through his one Act of Random Kindness (ARK). God issues a new commandment to the outgoing audience: "Thou shalt do the dance", followed by the film's cast and crew dance to the C+C Music Factory song "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" during the closing credits.

Part I: Rohana Ardais, ''Comynara''

Lady Rohana Ardais, a Comyn woman of middle-age who possesses psychic ''laran'' abilities, specifically telepathy, travels with a band of Renunciates to the city of Shainsa. She hopes to free her kinswoman, Melora, who was kidnapped ten years earlier by a Dry Town raider. In the desert Dry Towns, women are literally owned by men and kept in chains as property.

While the women manage to free the heavily pregnant Melora and her twelve-year-old daughter Jaelle, Melora dies giving birth to a son, leaving Jaelle in the care of Rohana. Jaelle rejects the Comyn life, rather choosing to stay with the Renunciates. The section ends with the Jaelle's request of her new foster-mother, Kindra: "Foster-mother, will you cut my hair?"

Rohana's experiences with the Renunciates and in the Dry Towns profoundly change her self-perception as a woman, and of the relationship between the sexes.

Part II: Magda Lorne, Terran Agent

Twelve years later, Terran agent Magda Lorne assumes Renunciate disguise under the direction of Rohana, in order to save her ex-husband, Peter Haldane, from kidnappers (who believe he is Rohana's son). Just as Rohana's journey to rescue Melora was prompted by her male kin's refusal to jeopardize the Domains' political relationship with the Dry Towns, Magda's Terran employers refuse to rescue Peter for similar reasons.

Magda travels alone, hoping to escape notice. She comes across a group of genuine Renunciates led by the now-adult Jaelle. Magda's deceit is uncovered, and she is forced to take the Renunciate oath, the traditional punishment for a woman who takes the guise of a Renunciate without actually being one. Magda agrees to enter Nevarsin Guild House to begin training as a Renunciate, but secretly intends to escape and continue with the original rescue plan. Shortly after parting from the other Renunciates, Magda and Jaelle are attacked by bandits. Jaelle is seriously injured. Magda must choose whether to abandon Jaelle and hold true to her responsibility to her ex-husband, or to uphold her oath to the Renunciates and to the injured Jaelle. Magda chooses to do both, taking Jaelle with her into the mountains, rescuing Peter, and then traveling with both to the Ardais estate.

Magda's conflict and eventual decision to abide by her oath to Jaelle and to the Renunciates echoes Rohana's earlier inner conflict in choosing whether to leave her life for the Renunciates or to continue in her life as ''Comyn'' nobility. Rohana chooses to continue as a noblewoman, but uses her position as head of a domain for good, taking her epileptic husband's place in the ''Comyn'' council and running her estate. Magda eventually chooses to pursue the life of a Renunciate.

Part III: Jaelle n'ha Melora, Free Amazon

Jaelle, Magda and Peter shelter for the winter at the mountain estate of Ardais, with Rohana, her husband and children. Peter meets the aggressive and intimidating Kyril Ardais, his doppelganger twin, the man the bandits has intended to kidnap. Jaelle learns that Rohana has chosen to remain a traditional ''Comyn'' woman to protect her children from her husband's enraged outbursts, and protect her epileptic husband from himself. Her experiences with the Renunciates have freed her, even if she has chosen a traditional path.

Jaelle chooses to become freemate to Peter, and questions both her choice to become a Renunciate at a young age, along with the decision to ignore her developing ''laran''.

In the spring, Jaelle, Magda, and Peter return to Thendara, where Jaelle must face her responsibility as an heir to a ''Comyn'' domain with powerful and untrained ''laran''. Magda must decide whether to honors her oath to the Renunciates and to her now-dear friend Jaelle, or returns to the Terran zone to continue her work as translator and agent.

Jaelle seeks a third choice, choosing to live with Peter as freemates in the Terran zone in Thendara, undertaking Magda's role as translator. Magda chooses to comply with her Renunciate oath, agreeing to train at Thendara Guildhouse.

The women's stories are completed in the sequel novel, Thendara House.

The series is set in the world of TS Sports – a sports public relations firm, run by Trevor Heslop and his partner, the lascivious Sammy Dobbs (Paul Reynolds). Trevor is portrayed as an essentially decent, honest man in the corrupt money-obsessed industry of sporting celebrity, who is still deeply in love with his estranged wife Meryl (Claire Skinner). The other TS Sports office staff are the cool German receptionist Heidrun (Cosima Shaw), whose lesbianism obsesses Sammy; the young black trainee Barry (Abdul Salis); and strongly Christian office manager Theresa (Rosalind Ayres).

Andy Hamilton also appears in a minor role within the show, and several actors who have worked in his other comedy shows for television and radio appear. Neil Pearson was in Hamilton's ''Drop the Dead Donkey'', as (briefly) was Michael Fenton Stevens who plays TS Sports' only regular client, fading celebrity Ralph Renton.

As Ansel progresses in life, he gets weaker, and begins to use a wheelchair, but stays much fitter than most with Duchenne. He later goes to Columbia University. After 23 years of living with this disability, Ansel still lives a healthy and productive life.

''To Have and to Hold'' is the story of an English soldier, Ralph Percy, turned Virginian explorer in colonial Jamestown. Ralph buys a wife for himself a girl named Jocelyn Leigh little knowing that she is the escaping ward of King James I, fleeing a forced marriage to Lord Carnal. Jocelyn hardly loves Ralph and, indeed, she seems to abhor him. Carnal, Jocelyn's husband-to-be, eventually comes to Jamestown, unaware that Ralph Percy and Jocelyn Leigh are man and wife.

Lord Carnal attempts to kidnap Jocelyn several times and eventually follows Ralph, Jocelyn, and their two companions Jeremy Sparrow, the Separatist minister, and Diccon, Ralph's servant as they escape from the King's orders to arrest Ralph and carry Jocelyn back to England. The boat they are in, however, crashes on a desert island, but they are accosted by pirates, who, after a short struggle, agree to take Ralph as their captain, after he pretends to be the pirate "Kirby". The pirates gleefully play on with Ralph's masquerade, until he refuses to allow them to rape and pillage those aboard Spanish ships.

The play is up when the pirates see an English ship off the coast of Florida. Ralph refuses to fire upon it, knowing it carries the new Virginian governor, Sir Francis Wyatt, but the pirates open fire, and Jeremy Sparrow, before the English ship can be destroyed, purposefully crashes the ship into a reef. The pirates are all killed, but the Englishmen (and women) are rescued by the Governor's ship.

Aboard the ship, Ralph is tried for piracy after Lord Carnal tells the Governor that he ordered the destruction of the ship, but Jocelyn, having come to love Ralph, speaks for him. Her words are so persuasive that the Governor believes her and frees Ralph. They return to Virginia, though Ralph is forced to remain in a jail per the King's orders.

Ralph is lured into a trap, though, by Lord Carnal and is subsequently captured by Indians, but not before putting up a fight and seeing Lord Carnal terribly wounded. The brother of Pocahontas, the Indian Nantauquas, rescues him and Diccon, but only to inform them that all the Virginian Indians plan to massacre the Jamestown settlers. As they are on their way back to Jamestown, Diccon is shot and killed by a hostile Indian, and Ralph is left alone to brave his way back. Returning to the colony, he gives his information, only to be told that Jocelyn had made her way to the forest in search of him after his absence was noticed, with Jeremy Sparrow, and that they had not been found. It is also discovered that Lord Carnal has taken poison and will die within a week.

Jamestown is saved, thanks to Ralph's almost-too-late warning, and after things are stabilized, Ralph goes in search of Jocelyn and the minister. After a long and seemingly fruitless search, Nantauquas himself, though he had turned traitor, leads Ralph to where Jocelyn is staying. The two are reunited, and at the end of the story intend to go to England, where Jocelyn's lands have been restored to her and they can finally live in peace.

''The Historian'' interweaves the history and folklore of Vlad Țepeș, a 15th-century prince of Wallachia known as "Vlad the Impaler", and his fictional equivalent Count Dracula together with the story of Paul, a professor; his 16-year-old daughter; and their quest for Vlad's tomb. The novel ties together three separate narratives using letters and oral accounts: that of Paul's mentor in the 1930s, that of Paul in the 1950s, and that of the narrator herself in the 1970s. The tale is told primarily from the perspective of Paul's daughter, who is never named.

Part I

Part I opens in 1972 Amsterdam. The narrator finds an old vellum-bound book with a woodcut of a dragon in the center associated with Dracula. When she asks her father Paul about it, he tells her how he found the handmade book in his study carrel when he was a graduate student in the 1950s. Paul took the book to his mentor, Professor Bartholomew Rossi, and was shocked to find that Rossi had found a similar handmade book when he was a graduate student in the 1930s. As a result, Rossi researched Țepeș, the Dracula myth surrounding him, and the mysterious book. Rossi traveled as far as Istanbul; however, the appearance of curious characters and unexplained events caused him to drop his investigation and return to his graduate work. Rossi gives Paul his research notes and informs him that he believes Dracula is still alive.

The bulk of the novel focuses on the 1950s timeline, which follows Paul's adventures. After meeting with Paul, Rossi disappears; smears of blood on his desk and the ceiling of his office are the only traces that remain. Certain that something unfortunate has befallen his advisor, Paul begins to investigate Dracula. While in the university library he meets a young, dark-haired woman reading a copy of Bram Stoker's ''Dracula''. She is Helen Rossi, the daughter of Bartholomew Rossi, and she has become an expert on Dracula. Paul attempts to convince her that one of the librarians is trying to prevent their research into Dracula, but she is unpersuaded. Later, the librarian attacks and bites Helen. Paul intervenes and overpowers him, but he wriggles free. The librarian is then run over by a car in front of the library and apparently killed.

Upon hearing her father's story, the narrator becomes interested in the mystery and begins researching Dracula as she and her father travel across Europe during the 1970s. Although he eventually sends her home, she does not remain there. After finding letters addressed to her that reveal he has left on a quest to find her mother (previously believed to be dead), she sets out to find him. As is slowly made clear in the novel, Helen is the narrator's mother. The letters continue the story her father has been telling her. The narrator decides to travel to a monastery where she believes her father might be.

Part II

Part II begins as the narrator reads descriptions of her father and Helen's travels through Eastern Europe during the 1950s. While on their travels, Helen and Paul conclude that Rossi might have been taken by Dracula to his tomb. They travel to Istanbul to find the archives of Sultan Mehmed II, which Paul believes contain information regarding the location of the tomb. They fortuitously meet Professor Turgut Bora from Istanbul University, who has also discovered a book similar to Paul's and Rossi's. He has access to Mehmed's archive, and together they unearth several important documents. They also see the librarian who was supposedly killed in the United States – he has survived because he is a vampire and he has continued following Helen and Paul. Helen shoots the vampire librarian but misses his heart and consequently, he does not die.

From Istanbul, Paul and Helen travel to Budapest, Hungary, to further investigate the location of Dracula's tomb and to meet with Helen's mother, who they believe may have knowledge of Rossi – the two had met during his travels to Romania in the 1930s. For the first time Helen hears of her mother and Rossi's torrid love affair. Paul and Helen learn much, for example that Helen's mother, and therefore Helen herself and the narrator, are descendants of Vlad Țepeș.

Part III

Part III begins with a revelation by Turgut Bora that leads the search for Dracula's tomb to Bulgaria. He also reveals that he is part of an organization formed by Sultan Mehmed II from the elite of the Janissaries to fight the Order of the Dragon, an evil consortium later associated with Dracula. In Bulgaria, Helen and Paul seek the assistance of a scholar named Anton Stoichev. Through information gained from Stoichev, Helen and Paul discover that Dracula is most likely buried in the Bulgarian monastery of Sveti Georgi.

After many difficulties Paul and Helen discover the whereabouts of Sveti Georgi. Upon reaching the monastery they find Rossi's interred body in the crypt and are forced to drive a silver dagger through his heart to prevent his full transformation into a vampire. Before he dies, he reveals that Dracula is a scholar and has a secret library. Rossi has written an account of his imprisonment in this library and hidden it there. Paul and Helen are pursued to the monastery by political officials and by the vampire librarian – all of them are seeking Dracula's tomb, but it is empty when they arrive.

Paul and Helen move to the United States, marry, and Helen gives birth to the narrator. However, she becomes depressed a few months afterwards. She later confesses that she feared the taint of the vampiric bite that she acquired earlier would infect her child. The family travels to Europe in an attempt to cheer her up. When they visit the monastery Saint-Matthieu-des-Pyrénées-Orientales, Helen feels Dracula's presence and is compelled to jump off a cliff. Landing on grass, she survives and decides to hunt him down and kill him in order to rid herself of his threat and her fears.

When the narrator arrives at Saint-Matthieu-des-Pyrénées-Orientales, she finds her father. Individuals mentioned throughout the 1970s timeline converge in a final attempt to defeat Dracula. He is seemingly killed by a silver bullet fired into his heart by Helen.

In the epilogue, which takes place in 2008, the narrator attends a conference of medievalists in Philadelphia, and stops at a library with an extensive collection of material related to Dracula. She accidentally leaves her notes and the attendant rushes out and returns them to her, as well as a book with a dragon printed in the center, revealing that either Dracula is still alive or one of his minions is imitating the master.

Soe Hok Gie grew up in a lower-middle class Chinese Indonesian family in Jakarta. In his early teens, young Gie had developed a fascination in concepts and idealisms advocated by world class intellectuals. Combined with a fighter's passion, faithfulness to friends, and a heart filled with genuine care for others and for his country, young Gie grew to become intolerant with injustice, and dreamt of an Indonesia that is truly founded on justice, equality, and righteousness. This passion was frequently misunderstood by others. Even Soe's best friends, Tan Tjin Han and Herman Lantang posed the question "What is all this fighting for?" which Soe would calmly respond with his awareness that freedom has a price tag that must be paid. Soe's motto, as written on the movie poster, is translated as "It is better to be singled out than to surrender to hypocrisy".

Soe's teen and college years was spent under the regime of Indonesia's founding father Sukarno, which was characterised with conflict between the military and the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). Soe and his friends insisted that they were politically neutral; and as much as Soe has respect for Sukarno as Indonesia's founding father, Soe detested Sukarno's dictatorship which caused the poor and the oppressed to suffer. Soe was well aware of the social inequality, power abuse, and corruption under the government of Sukarno, and courageously spoke out against it in discussion groups, student unions, and wrote sharp criticisms in the media. Soe also abhorred the fact that too many students appeared to others as advocates of positive change, who in fact were just taking advantage of the political situation to make personal gain. This attracted much sympathy as well as opposition. Many interest groups sought Soe to support their campaigns, while many enemies of Soe jump at any opportunity to intimidate him.

Tan, Soe's childhood friend, had always deeply admired Soe's prudence and courage but lacked that fighter's spirit himself. In their twenties, the boys were reunited again for a short time. Soe finds out that Tan had become seduced and deeply involved with the PKI but was ignorant as to what this implied or what consequences awaited. Soe urges Tan to relinquish his ties with the PKI and hide out, but Tan did not listen.

Soe and his friends spend their leisure time hiking and enjoy nature with the Nature-Loving Students of the University of Indonesia (Mapala UI). Other things they enjoyed doing included watching and analysing movies, attending traditional Indonesian performing arts, and hanging out at parties.

Apu sells Homer a beer keg for the American Civil War reenactment of the Battle of Springfield. At the reenactment, Principal Skinner watches as Springfielders disobey him and hold a rather inaccurate battle (featuring an orange plaid clad "East" faction, a roller skating Stonewall Jackson portrayed by Disco Stu, and a giant steam-powered super spider made by Professor Frink). After the battle, Homer brings the empty, dented keg back to Apu at the Kwik-E-Mart in an attempt to get the deposit. There, he hears a giggle coming from a closet and finds Apu making love with the woman who delivers Squishees to Kwik-E-Mart, Annette. He then walks backwards in shock all the way home to his bed and then relives the encounter in his dreams when he falls asleep.

Marge figures out what Homer saw from the movements of his pupil. They decide not to tell Manjula but while they are playing badminton, Homer and Marge act awkwardly with Manjula and Apu looking at them, trying not to give out hints Apu cheated on Manjula. They then confront Apu and he says he will break up with Annette. However, he breaks his promise. Later, Manjula watches the surveillance footage of Apu cheating and kicks him out. To help get them together, Homer and Marge invite them both to dinner, but do not tell them that the other one is coming. After a failed attempt with Bart and Lisa, Apu tries to promise to Manjula that he will change, but Manjula refuses to listen and demands a divorce.

Homeless, Apu moves into the apartment complex where Kirk Van Houten lives. The octuplets then speak their first words, which put together, say "Mommy, will you let daddy come back...cookie!" Marge and Manjula go to Apu's and arrive in time to prevent him from committing suicide by hanging. Apu is then subjected to several tasks to redeem himself, including breaking up with Annette, though Manjula says it will take time for everything to get back to normal. In bed, Manjula, finally satisfied with what he has done, kisses Apu while Homer watches from the window, on a ladder. The couple continues and Homer, traumatized, hops backwards on the ladder all the way home, without falling, mimicking what he did earlier.

Cinta (Dian Sastrowardoyo) is a popular teenage girl living a comfortable lifestyle. She is gifted and accomplished, surrounded by a group of faithful friends consisting of the wise Alya (Ladya Cheryl), the tomboyish Karmen (Adinia Wirasti), the sassy Maura (Titi Kamal), and the ditzy Milly (Sissy Priscillia). She also has caring and supportive parents. The story begins with Cinta and her four best friends crying on each other's shoulders for Alya, who was the victim of domestic abuse by her father. Cinta recites the group's pledge to the ''buku curhat'', a diary or scrapbook shared by the girls, that a problem one of them is going through is to be shared with all of them.

Cinta is a school poet who has been honored for her work, and, in her final year of high school, she submits a beautiful poem to the yearly poetry contest. However, much to the students' surprise, Cinta does not win. The grand prize in the contest is awarded to a boy named Rangga (Nicholas Saputra), whose name is not well known in the school. However, Rangga, rather than going to the podium to receive his prize, takes offence and retreats to a hiding spot. Cinta is somewhat jealous of Rangga's unexpected victory, but is careful not to show it. This leads Cinta to search for Rangga and request an interview for the school bulletin. However, Rangga immediately detects insincerity in Cinta's congratulations and walks away, leaving Cinta to be irritated by his perceived arrogance. As it turns out, Rangga never entered his poem for the contest; it was submitted on his behalf by his only best friend, the school janitor Mr. Wardiman (Mang Diman).

Cinta and Rangga start to dislike each other, and so do her friends. They briefly warm up to each other after Rangga thanks Cinta for returning his book. It doesn't last long since Rangga offends Cinta in a bookstore. When Rangga tries to apologize to Cinta the next day, he is beaten up by Borné (Febian Ricardo), a guy who had been trying to start a relationship with Cinta. Rangga and Cinta start to become friends when Cinta visits Rangga in his house, where she discovers that Rangga lives in a lower-middle-class neighbourhood with his father Yusrizal, whose outspokenness has led to bomb threats from pro-government thugs. Moreover, his parents divorced because of his father's dismissal from a government office for exposing government corruption. Alya, who regularly tells Cinta her broken home problems, is the only one Cinta tells of her budding closeness with Rangga.

The secret friendship causes changes in Cinta's behaviour, resulting in problems with Cinta's group of girlfriends. She starts to regularly lie to her friends in order to spend more time with Rangga. The problem reaches its climax when Cinta ignores Alya's desperate request to talk with her because she is going on a date with Rangga. When she comes home, she is told that Alya is in the hospital because she attempted suicide. At the hospital, the friends realize that Cinta has been lying all along, straining their friendship. Thinking it was all her fault, Cinta then shuts Rangga out, hurting him. When Alya recovers, she discusses Rangga with Cinta, which Karmen, Maura, and Milly overhear and finally discovers the formerly budding relationship between Cinta and Rangga. Cinta apologizes to them and Maura advises her to forget Rangga.

Cinta does so, and she goes on with her life. Meanwhile, Karmen sees Rangga give Mr. Wardiman a goodbye hug. Noticing that Cinta turns quiet and uncommunicative, her friends realize the error of their ways and Cinta confesses that she is in love with Rangga, but is not ready to admit it. Karmen tells her she doesn't have much time since she saw Rangga leave. Mr. Wardiman tells the girls that Rangga is heading to the airport. In a rush, they force their nerdy schoolmate Mamet (Dennis Adhiswara), whom they ridicule throughout the film, to lend his car so they can go to the airport. Cinta manages to catch Rangga, as he and his father are moving to New York City. They profess their love for each other and share a kiss, but Rangga has to go, leaving Cinta heartbroken. Before departing, Rangga gives Cinta a book and tells her to read the last page. They bid each other one last farewell, and he boards the plane.

In the car, Cinta reads the last page, which contains a poem Rangga wrote about her. The last line says that he will return before the full moon. Suddenly, the girls freak out when they realize they have left Mamet at the airport.

The central plot of the film revolves around the titular spider invasion, which occurs when what appears to be a meteorite crashes down in rural Wisconsin, and spawns spiders of varying sizes.

Subplots include Dan Kester and his love/hate relationship with his wife Ev, Dan's adulterous affair with local barmaid Helga, Dave Perkins' attempts to make out with Ev's underaged sister Terry, a fundamentalist preacher leading a revival meeting, and Drs. Vance and Langer becoming romantically involved. The townspeople eventually panic when confronted with the spider.

The invasion is deduced to be the result of some sort of interdimensional gateway, and is ultimately thwarted when Drs. Vance and Langer manage to close off the gateway, draining the spiders of their energy and causing them to melt into puddles of sludge.

Five high school seniors and friends from fictional East Great Falls, Michigan: Jim Levenstein, an awkward and sexually naïve nerd whose dad offers him pornography and awkward sexual advice; Chris "Oz" Ostreicher, overconfident star of the lacrosse team; Kevin Meyers, the calm leader of the group seeking to lose his virginity to his girlfriend Vicky; Paul Finch, a mochaccino-drinking sophisticate; and Steven Stifler, a popular but raucous jock who often throws wild parties and is the only one of the five who is not a virgin. When dorky classmate Sherman claims that he lost his virginity at a party hosted by Stifler, Kevin prompts Oz, Finch, and Jim to join him in pledging that they will no longer be virgins by their high school graduation.

Vicky accuses Kevin of wanting her only for sex and he has to repair their relationship before the senior prom, now the target day the four plan to lose their virginity. Kevin discovers an old book in the library that has been compiled by students sharing sexual tips; he shares the information with his friends and gives Vicky cunnilingus after studying tips in the book. Oz joins the school choir to find a girlfriend and learn about sensitivity. He soon gains the attention of choir girl Heather, who learns about Oz's reputation and breaks up with him. Jim pursues Nadia, a foreign exchange student from Czechoslovakia.

When Oz tells Jim that third base feels like "warm apple pie", his dad discovers him having sex with a freshly baked pie in the kitchen. At school, Nadia asks Jim to help her study, and Stifler persuades Jim to set up a webcam in his room so that they can all watch Nadia changing clothes after coming over to study following her ballet class. Nadia discovers Jim's pornography collection and while sitting half-naked on his bed, masturbates to it. Jim is persuaded to return to his room, where he joins Nadia, unaware that he has sent the webcam link to everyone on the school list. He fails to cover the webcam and he experiences premature ejaculation twice. Nadia's sponsors see the video and send her back home, leaving Jim dateless for the prom and the laughing stock of the school.

Jim, believing school band geek Michelle is unaware of the webcam incident, asks her to the prom. Finch pays Vicky's friend, Jessica, $200 to spread the rumor of his sexual prowess, hoping that it will increase his chances of success. Stifler is turned down by a girl because she wants Finch to ask her, so he spikes Finch's mochaccino with a laxative. Stifler plays to Finch's school restroom germaphobia and has loud diarrhea in the girls' bathroom. He is humiliated by Stifler and a crowd of students. Oz makes the decision to leave his lacrosse championship game to join Heather for a duet performance and the two reconcile.

At prom, Sherman's virginity conquest is revealed to be a lie and he urinates on himself in front of everyone in attendance. Jim becomes annoyed by Kevin's obsession to have them fulfill their pledge. At Stifler's post-prom party, Kevin and Vicky have sex in an upstairs bedroom. Vicky breaks up with Kevin afterwards on the belief that they will drift apart when they go to college. Oz confesses the pact to Heather and renounces it. They share a romantic night together by the lake. Jim learns that Michelle accepted his offer because she saw the "Nadia incident" and thought he was a "sure thing". Michelle then has aggressive sex with Jim. Finch meets and seduces Stifler's mom and they have sex on the pool table. Stifler later walks in on them and faints. The morning after the prom, the group discuss their successful pledge while eating at their favorite restaurant. Honoring his newfound sensitivity, Oz does not divulge to his friends whether or not he and Heather had sex. The friends then toast to the "next step".

Later, Jim watches Nadia stripping via webcam. He is oblivious to his father walking in, who then walks out of the room and starts dancing, getting in the mood.

American former soldier Frank Prior arrives in London to visit a wartime girlfriend, whom he has not seen in six years. His plane's landing at the airport coincides with a fellow passenger being killed by a sniper.

Scotland Yard inspector Braddock and detective Cameron are assigned to investigate. The dead man, identified as Kendal Brown, is carrying forged documents as well as a photograph that leads them to Pauline French, an actress.

Pauline is the woman Frank has come to see. She also happens to be an expert marksman with a rifle. After they kiss, Pauline tells Frank that she had tried unsuccessfully to notify him to delay his visit.

An autographed picture of another actress, Helene Castle, is found in Kendal Brown's flat. The detectives learn that Helene is the victim's ex-wife. In the meantime, Frank spends a few hours with Pauline on her boat. When they later go to a pub, a limping man seems to menace and unnerve Pauline, who runs away.

Pauline confesses to Frank that she once let Kendal Brown use her boat for a smuggling operation. He began blackmailing her with letters she wrote, which Helene now possesses. At the theatre, the limping man turns out to be George, the stage manager. But to everyone's shock, the late Kendal Brown turns up very much alive. The victim on the plane was a man bringing documents to Brown who saw his own apparent death as convenient.

After knocking the limping man unconscious, Kendal Brown ends up in a fistfight with Frank in the theatre's balcony. But as these events reach their climax, a huge surprise is revealed, one involving Frank and his fellow passengers from the plane.

One spring, Yogi and Boo Boo awake from hibernation to discover three orphaned bear cubs named Bopper, Buzzy, and Bitsy left at the front door of their cave. Despite their initial reservations, Yogi and Boo Boo take the bear cubs into their home and take care of them.

Meanwhile, Jellystone Park has gone over budget and the park commissioner orders Ranger Smith to close it down. This means that Yogi, along with the other bears at the park, must be sent to a zoo. Because Yogi can't stand the thought of being cooped up in a zoo for the rest of his life, he hatches an elaborate escape plan. Salvaging car parts from a failed fishing expedition, he constructs a getaway "Supercar," complete with a picnic basket rumble seat for the three orphaned cubs. Together they make their escape from the park to find a new home.

After Ranger Smith initially fails to capture Yogi, he hires a professional trapper named Trapper and his hound Yapper. However, it turns out that Trapper and Yapper are more of a hindrance to Ranger Smith's efforts rather than a help. Yogi and his friends go through several adventures along their journey. Their first stop is at a watermelon patch. After eating their fill of watermelons, the bears retire to a seemingly abandoned tree house. It turns out to be the secret clubhouse of the Bike Brigade, three boys who ride bicycles and operate a shortwave radio. When the boys return, they believe the bears are alien invaders and attack them with their squirt guns. After Yogi surrenders, they recognize him and decide to help him in his escape. Using their radio, the boys call ahead to their cohorts in other clubs around the country to watch for Yogi and help him in his getaway.

Next they find themselves in a western ghost town. Apparently the only remaining resident is the sheriff, Quick Draw McGraw, who mistakes Yogi and Boo Boo for bank robbers Bandit Bear and Li'l Brother Bear and throws them in jail along with the three cubs. The Lone Raiders, another club in league with the Bike Brigade, help spring Yogi from jail and capture the real robbers, who turn out to be close look-alikes to Yogi and Boo Boo.

Yogi and his friends then find themselves on the bayou. Wally Gator, another zoo fugitive, inhabits a spooky steamboat, complete with ghostly illusions intended to scare away zookeepers. He takes in Yogi and his friends and serves them a fabulous dinner. When Ranger Smith, Trapper, and Yapper show up, Wally and the bears attempt to scare them away. However, the sudden appearance of a real ghost makes everyone run for their lives. While the anonymous ghost pursues the hunters, Yogi and his friends are rescued by another club, the Swamp Foxes.

The Supercar next stops at a carnival where the bears meet up with Yogi's old friend Snagglepuss. Snagglepuss hides the bears from Ranger Smith by disguising them in his stage show of Egyptian dancers. When Ranger Smith sees through the disguises, the bears escape to a hot air balloon and take off.

As the balloon floats across the country, Ranger Smith and his cohorts follow in hot pursuit. After the Trapper and Yapper attempt to grapple the balloon from the top of Mount Rushmore, they fall and are not seen again. The balloon finally snags on the antenna of the Empire State Building in a dense fog. Ranger Smith approaches the balloon in a helicopter and hands Yogi a telephone; the President of the United States tells Yogi that he is not going to let Jellystone Park close after all, and that Yogi and his friends may return to their home.

It is February 1931, some weeks after the failed Jaca uprising and the likewise failed . Spain is on the verge of the proclamation of the Second Republic. Fernando, a deserted private with Republican leanings and former seminarist, is on the run from his assignment at the Cuatro Vientos base. After escaping from two Guardia Civil officers, he reaches the outskirts of a village, befriending Manolo, an old man with a semblance of a "Dickensian observer of life". Manolo owns a large house in the countryside, where Fernando stays for a while. Upon the arrival of Manolo's four daughters in a train, Fernando is enchanted by them all. As he meets each of the first three one by one, he falls in love and has sex with each of them, determining to marry. With each one, however, a complication arises: Clara, a widow who only recently lost her husband and who seeks solace with Fernando; Violeta, a lesbian who is attracted to Fernando only when he is dressed as a woman for a costume ball and Rocío, a social climber who is about to marry to Juanito into the village's richest family (with Carlist leanings) for the security it would provide and who only momentarily succumbs to Fernando's charms. Heartbroken each time, the father of the girls encourages Fernando to have patience. Each of the daughters is beautiful and represents a different aspect of feminine sexuality. The youngest of the family, Luz, represents naïveté. While Fernando is pursuing her sisters, Luz gets progressively angry and jealous. Eventually Fernando realizes, however, that Luz is the best one of the four to marry.

Two centuries ago, the great dog-demon Tōga denies his elder son Sesshomaru's request for ownership of two of his swords, Tessaiga and So'unga. Afterwards, Tōga heads to a mansion guarded by an army of samurai where his human wife, Lady Izayoi, is giving birth. The army's leader, Takemaru of Setsuna, who is in love with Izayoi, attempts to kill her by stabbing her and setting the mansion aflame. Tōga defeats the army and cuts off one of Takemaru's arms to enter the mansion, and uses his third sword, Tenseiga, to revive Izayoi. Tōga forces her to flee the burning mansion with their newborn, whom he names Inuyasha, then fights Takemaru. At a safe distance, Izayoi witness the mansion collapses on both men and Toga's spirit wishes her to live a long life with Inuyasha.

In the present day, Inuyasha travels through the Bone-Eater's Well from the Feudal era to visit Kagome Higurashi in the modern era. Unbeknownst to them, Kagome's family uncover an ancient sword as part of their shrine's treasures, which turns out to be So'unga. The spirit of So'unga's sheath, Saya, emerges before the sword finds its way to Inuyasha and Kagome. Saya tells Inuyasha that he must master the sword before it can destroy the modern world, but once he holds it, it possesses his arm and reverts him to his demon form, forcing him to return to the Feudal era. Inuyasha's friends, monk Miroku, demon slayer Sango, fox demon Shippo, and Sango's nekomata companion Kirara attempt to stop him, only to escape once Inuyasha uses the sword's deadly Dragon Twister attack. Kagome takes Saya with her to the Feudal era and reunites with everyone including Inuyasha's mentor Myoga, who knows Saya. They are eventually accompanied by blacksmith Totosai, the creator of Tōga's swords.

The possessed Inuyasha runs into his older brother, Sesshomaru, who battles Inuyasha for having taken up So’unga. So’unga orders Inuyasha to attack Sesshomaru's company, Jaken and Rin, until Kagome intervenes and uses the Beads of Subjugation necklace command on Inuyasha to release him from So’unga's possession. After So’unga flies off to find a new host, Sesshomaru leaves Jaken and Rin behind, while Inuyasha leaves an unconscious Kagome with them, vowing to destroy So’unga himself. After being joined by her friends, Totosai reveals that So’unga is possessed by an ancient evil demon, following its sealing since there were no instructions given by Tōga as to what to do with it following his death. Meanwhile, So’unga retrieves Sesshomaru’s severed arm from the past and revives Takemaru, who, equipped with the sword and a new body, vows revenge on Tōga by killing his sons. Takemaru takes over a nearby castle and slays its army, resurrecting the approximately two-thousand soldiers as an army of the undead, as well as opening a portal to the netherworld.

Kagome and the rest of the group, including Jaken and Rin, join Inuyasha and Sesshomaru in a battle against Takemaru’s army. Despite inflicting heavy casualties on the soldiers, Miroku uses his Wind Tunnel to eliminate the rest. Kagome informs Inuyasha that, according to Totosai, the only way to defeat Takemaru and So’unga is to combine the forces of Tessaiga's Backlash Wave and the Dragon Strike of Sesshomaru's Tōkijin; Inuyasha initially refuses, noting that he and Sesshomaru could never fight side-by-side. Inuyasha kills Takemaru, forcing So’unga to form a physical body of its own. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru continuously fail to destroy Takemaru individually; the brothers eventually give in and use the powers of their swords to destroy So’unga's body and send the sword into the netherworld. Tōga’s spirit appears, remarking that he's proud of his sons before the portal to the netherworld closes. Sesshomaru departs with Jaken and Rin as Inuyasha and his allies look over the surrounding environment turning back to normal.

Cliff Starkey (Paul Kaye), is a rebellious young bowls player, brought up on "the Lynx Estate", with his friend Trevor (Johnny Vegas), and grandfather Mutley (Bernard Cribbins) as a painter and decorator. He dreams of playing for his country but always preferring to play by his own rules, was always disapproved by the local Torquay bowls club. He learns of Australian brothers Carl and Mark Doohan's forthcoming tour of England, and plans to get selected for the national team. Starkey would play through the tournament undefeated, defeating veteran player (and thirteen times champion) Ray Speight (James Cromwell). After winning the competition, and becoming eligible to play for England, Speight, the head of the local lawn bowls association, bans Starkey for fifteen years for writing an expletive on an opponent's scorecard. Angry about the ban, Starkey gatecrashes the celebration party for Speight, who was declared champion; launching a wood across the dinner table at Speight.

Starkey is then picked up by sports agent Rick Schwartz (Vince Vaughn), where Starkey is re branded as the "bad boy of bowls", turning the normally sedate sport into a glitzy, in your face competition. Having defeated many lower key players in unofficial matches, using his variety of trick shots Starkey develops a romance with Kerry Speight (Alice Evans), Ray's daughter. Schwartz proposes a way to get the ban on Starkey lifted, by using this relationship, where the two are spotted by national press, setting Ray Speight to swear at a public address, causing the ban to be removed.

With the sport's popularity at an all-time high, both Speight and Starkey become media celebrities. Schwartzs organises both Starkey and Speight take on Australia's unbeaten Doohan brothers in "The Ashes", a one-off tournament in a custom made bowls arena in Torquay. Schwartz; afraid that the relationship with Kerry is affecting Starkey's game; ends his relationship without his consent causing Starkey to fire Schwartz.

Both players have a wide disdain for each other, and are made to use custom bowls for the game. After failing with his woods, and the pressure of the game getting to him, Starkey throws his own woods in a carrier bag into a canal. With both players failing at half time, Trevor and Kerry talk to the pair, and get them to work as a team to make a comeback. Starkey would dive into the canal, followed by Ray Speight, who thought Starkey was trying to drown himself, but was in fact rescuing his own bowls. The two return to the arena, wet and make a comeback thanks to Speight's experience and Starkey's extravagance, to force the game into an extra name (humorously titled the "golden bowl"), much to the disbelief of Carl and Mark Doohan.

The final end, a one bowl play-off, sees a perfect front toucher from Mark Doohan. Speight gives the bowl to Starkey, but stops him from playing his intended fire shot, and instead instructs him to play his own signature large inswinging bowl. The shot works, and the two celebrate having defeated the Australian team, and make amends with Trevor and Mutley.

At a football match between France and China, France coach Yves Gluant arrives wearing the priceless Pink Panther diamond ring and embraces his girlfriend, pop star Xania. After France wins in sudden death, Gluant is killed by a poison dart, with the Pink Panther nowhere to be found.

Eager to win the ''Légion d'honneur'', Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus promotes clumsy policeman and village idiot Jacques Clouseau to the rank of inspector and assigns him to the case. While Clouseau draws the media's attention, Dreyfus assembles a secret team to actually crack the case and assigns Gendarme Gilbert Ponton to keep an eye on Clouseau. Clouseau befriends Ponton and falls in love with secretary Nicole Durant.

Although Clouseau makes poorly little progress in the case, he still discovers that many people hated Gluant and even wanted to kill him. Bizu, a France player who blamed Gluant for "stealing away" Xania, is the prime murder suspect until he is shot in the head in the team's locker room. While gathering information at a casino, Clouseau meets MI6 agent Nigel Boswell, who foils a robbery while wearing Clouseau's trench coat; Clouseau mistakenly receives credit and is nominated for the ''Légion d'honneur''.

After following Xania to New York City, Ponton insists she is a suspect because Gluant cheated on her, but Clouseau believes she is innocent, though her actions cause him to believe she knows more than she's letting on. The poison that killed Gluant is found to have been derived from Chinese herbs, leading Dreyfus to conclude that the killer is a Chinese envoy named Dr. Pang, whom Gluant had several dealings with. Dreyfus has Clouseau's bag swapped for one full of weapons at the airport, and Clouseau is arrested (primarily due to his inability to say "hamburger" correctly, having attempted to smuggle some onto the flight back) and vilified by the press on his return to France. Dreyfus demotes Clouseau and plots to publicly arrest Dr. Pang at the Presidential Ball, where Xania will perform.

Clouseau sees an article online about his arrest and deduces that Gluant and Bizu were killed by the same person. Realizing that Xania will be the killer's next target, Clouseau, Ponton and Nicole hurry to the Élysée Palace and sneak into the Presidential Ball. While Dreyfus errantly arrests Dr. Pang, Clouseau and Ponton save Xania's life by capturing her would-be assassin: Yuri, the France team's trainer. Jealous and feeling overlooked for the team's success, Yuri used his mandated knowledge of Chinese herbs to kill Gluant by jabbing the poison dart into his neck during their celebration. He later killed Bizu, who long suspected that Yuri might try to kill Gluant and attempted to blackmail him, by using his Russian army training to target the player's occipital lobe, and then targeted Xania for ignoring him and dating Gluant.

Clouseau reveals that the Pink Panther was not stolen but instead sewn into the lining of Xania's purse; the photograph of Clouseau's arrest showed an X-ray of the purse at airport security. Xania confesses that Gluant gave her the diamond as an engagement ring just before the France-China match, but after his murder, she was worried everyone would think she did it if she came forward with the ring. Clouseau concludes that Xania is the ring's rightful owner, and Yuri is taken into custody.

Clouseau wins the ''Légion d'honneur''. Dreyfus' suit gets caught in Clouseau's car door, causing Dreyfus to be dragged down the street as an oblivious Clouseau drives away. While visiting Dreyfus in the hospital, Clouseau accidentally releases the brake on Dreyfus' bed, which rolls through the hospital and throws the irate chief inspector into the Seine as he screams Clouseau's name.

Severian, an apprentice in the Torturers' Guild, barely survives a swim in the River Gyoll. On his way back to the Citadel, Severian and several other apprentices sneak into a necropolis where Severian encounters Vodalus, a legendary revolutionary. Vodalus, along with two others, including a woman named Thea, are robbing a grave. Vodalus and his companions are confronted by volunteer guards. Severian saves Vodalus's life, earning his trust and the reward of a single coin.

Shortly before Severian is elevated to journeyman he encounters and falls in love with Thecla, a beautiful aristocratic prisoner. Thecla's crime is never made clear, though it is implied that she is imprisoned for political reasons since Thecla's half-sister is Thea, Vodalus's lover. The Autarch (ruler of the Commonwealth) wishes to use Thecla to capture Vodalus. When finally Thecla is put to torture, Severian takes pity on her and helps her commit suicide by smuggling a knife into her cell, thus breaking his oath to the guild.

Though Severian expects to be tortured and executed, instead the head of the guild dispatches Severian to Thrax, a distant city which has need of an executioner. Master Palaemon gives Severian a letter of introduction to the archon of the city and Terminus Est, a magnificent executioner's sword. He departs the guild headquarters, traveling through the decaying city of Nessus. He finally comes upon an inn, where he forces the innkeeper to take him in despite being full and is asked to share a room with other boarders. His roommates are the giant Baldanders and Dr. Talos, travelling as mountebanks, who invite Severian to join them in a play to be performed the same day. During breakfast, Dr. Talos manages to recruit the waitress, Jolenta, for his play and they set out into the streets.

Not intending to participate, Severian parts with the group and stops at a rag shop to purchase a mantle to hide his fuligin cloak (the uniform of his guild, which inspires terror in common folk). The shop is owned by a twin brother and sister, and the brother immediately takes interest in Terminus Est, but Severian refuses to sell the sword. Shortly after, a masked and armoured hipparch enters the shop and challenges Severian to a duel. Severian, who believes this is an indirect means for the Autarch to execute him for his crime, is forced to accept, and he departs with the sister, Agia, to secure an avern, a deadly plant used for dueling. While on their way, urged by Agia's bet to a passing fiacre, their driver crashes into and destroys the altar of a religious order, where Agia is accused of stealing a precious artifact. After Agia is searched and released, they continue their journey to the Botanic Gardens, a large landmark of Nessus created by the mysterious Father Inire, right hand to the Autarch, where they encounter strange hypnotic illusions and at one point appear to be transported to present-day Earth without realizing it.

Inside the gardens, Severian falls into a lake used to inter the dead, and while pulling himself out he finds a young woman named Dorcas to have come up from the lake as well. Dazed and confused, the woman follows Severian and Agia. Severian secures the avern with the help of a man named Hildegrin, who he recognizes as a companion of Vodalus from the night they met in the necropolis. Agia, Severian and Dorcas proceed to an inn near the dueling grounds. While eating dinner, Severian receives a mysterious note warning about one of the women. After dinner, Severian fights in the duel, and though stabbed by the avern he miraculously survives. When Severian wakes again, he finds himself to be in a lazaret. After finding Dorcas and identifying himself, he is requested to perform an execution. The prisoner turns out to be his opponent, Agia's brother, whom he executes after learning that Agia had challenged him in disguise, while her brother fought him with the avern, as part of a scheme to kill him and steal Terminus Est.

Severian continues his travels toward Thrax, and Dorcas accompanies him. While searching his belongings, Severian finds the Claw of the Conciliator. Apparently Agia stole the Claw from the altar they destroyed and placed it in Severian's belongings knowing that she would be searched. Eventually Severian and Dorcas encounter Dr. Talos, Baldanders and Jolenta, who are almost ready to perform the play they had invited Severian to the morning before. Severian assists in the play, and the next day the group sets out toward the great gate leading out of Nessus, where they meet a man named Jonas. As they are passing through the gate, there is suddenly a commotion and the narration abruptly ends.

The book continues shortly after the previous installment left off, skipping Severian's journey from the gate of Nessus to the nearby town of Saltus. Having been separated from the rest of the group he was traveling with, Severian pauses his search for them here as he is given an opportunity to practice his art (in this case, execution) on two people. The first was accused of being a servant of Vodalus, a revolutionary leader. As the man is dragged out of his home by a mob, Severian glimpses Agia amidst the crowd, a woman who with her twin brother had formerly tried to swindle and then kill Severian to gain his valuable executioner's sword. (Severian executed the brother at the request of the local authorities.) Realizing she has been sighted, Agia flees and Severian, still in love with her, follows, searching for her at the town fair. Unable to find her, he ends up at a tent containing a man whose skin is green. The green man is held as a slave, and his master makes money off of him, claiming he can answer any question. In answer to Severian's queries as to how he could know everything, the green man tells Severian he is from the future. The green man does not know where Agia can be found, but Severian takes pity on him and gives him a piece of his whetstone so that he can free himself by grinding through his chains, thus recalling his mercy to Thecla, another prisoner, in the first book. Unable to find Agia, Severian returns to town where he later executes a woman accused of being a witch.

Eating dinner with his friend Jonas (whom he met at the gate at Nessus) that evening, he finds a letter he first thinks is from Thecla (but is actually from Agia) asking him to meet her at a nearby cave. In the cave, Severian encounters and barely escapes a group of man-apes. The light from the Claw (a relic he accidentally came into possession of, which had previously been held by a religious order) stops the man-apes' attack, but it also seems to wake a gargantuan unknown creature deep below in the cave, who is only heard and not seen. Severian has little time to ponder this as he escapes, only to be attacked by Agia and her assassins outside the cave. One of the attackers is killed by one of the man-apes, who had its hand cut off by Severian in the battle in the cave. The ape gestures its stump at Severian, wanting him to do something with it, but Severian does not know what. Severian prepares to execute Agia, but, still unable to hate her, lets her go and returns to Saltus, where he and Jonas are kidnapped by Vodalus' gang for having agreed to execute one of its members.

Severian recalls to Vodalus that he saved his life some years past, so Vodalus allows Severian to enter his service. Severian and Jonas attend a midnight dinner with Vodalus, where they consume Thecla's roasted flesh, which, when combined with an alien substance, allows Thecla's memories to live within Severian. Given the task to deliver a message to a servant in the House Absolute, the Autarch's seat of power, Severian and Jonas set off to the north. They are attacked by a flying creature who feeds on the heat and life force of living beings, and escape only by tricking the creature into attacking and killing a nearby soldier instead. Severian feels guilty and, having a suspicion of the healing powers of the Claw, uses it to bring the soldier back to life. They are then captured by guards of the House Absolute and thrown into an antechamber designed to hold prisoners indefinitely. Severian's Claw heals a wound Jonas receives during the night they spend there; then the pair escape some unknown horror using a pass phrase to open a secret door — Severian remembers the phrase using Thecla's memory. Walking the corridors of the House Absolute, Jonas is revealed to be a robot who once crash-landed on earth and is now partly covered by human flesh, and steps into a mirror and disappears, promising to return for Jolenta when he is healed. Severian is lost and eventually encounters the Autarch himself, to whom he swears service, upon being shown a portal to another universe.

Stumbling into the gardens of the House Absolute, Severian is reunited with Dorcas, Dr. Talos, and Baldanders, who are preparing to once again perform the play they put on in the first book. Severian participates again, but the play is cut short when Baldanders flies into a rage and attacks the audience, revealing that aliens are among them. The band is scattered and Severian finds them a distance away the next morning, heading north. Talos and Baldanders part ways with Severian and Dorcas at a crossroad, Severian heading toward Thrax, and the giant and his physician headed toward Lake Diuturna. The waitress Jolenta tries to have Talos take her with him, but he has no more use for her now that the plays are no longer necessary, and Severian is forced to take her. As they head north, Jolenta is attacked by a "blood bat" and becomes ill. It is revealed that she had been scientifically altered by Dr. Talos to be gorgeous and desirable, but is quickly becoming sickly and unattractive. Soon the trio meets an old farmer who tells them they must pass through an enigmatic stone city to get to Thrax. Upon arriving at the ruinous city, Severian sees a pair of witches initiate a dream-like event in which ghostly dancers of the stone town's past fill the area and engage with the witch's servant, who is actually Vodalus's lieutenant Hildegrin. The book ends with Dorcas and Severian emerging from a stupor in the stone town, Jolenta dead, and the witches and Hildegrin gone.

Severian finds himself wandering around when he first happens upon a dead soldier whom he revives with the Claw. The soldier remains unable to speak as they make their way to the Pelerines camp. In the camp, Severian suffers a fever and is treated along with others injured in the war. While recovering, Severian judges a story telling contest. Before leaving he returns the Claw by putting it in an altar. Outside the church Severian is tasked to visit a friend of the Pelerines in the mountain, to bring him back from the danger of the war to the safety of the camp. Severian arrives to the man's house but, due to time-travel related phenomena, the man disappears as he is led away. Upon returning to the camp, Severian discovers it has been attacked and abandoned. Severian soon finds the new camp where most of those he met during his stay are dead or dying.

Eventually, Severian is drawn into war against armies of the North composed of people known as Ascians. Severian nearly perishes but is rescued by the androgynous spy he met in the House Absolute, the Autarch of the Commonwealth. Severian is nursed back to health and converses with the Autarch about his role in the Commonwealth. They board a flier and while heading out over the war zone, they are shot down. The Autarch is dying and tells Severian to consume the alzabo vial around his neck and consume his flesh, as Severian is to be the next Autarch. Severian does so and thus he acquires hundreds of consciousnesses that the Autarch once had.

Before the Autarch died, he messaged Vodalus that the Autarch was aboard the flier. Thea and a group of Vodalus' men ascend on the crash site and rescue Severian from the Ascians. Severian is held prisoner and is visited by Agia who attempts to kill him once again. He survives and is rescued by the green time traveler whom he rescued earlier in The Claw of the Conciliator. The green man opens a passage through time in which Severian is then visited by an alien who takes the form of Master Malrubius and Triskele. Malrubius tells him that he must one day face a challenge that will either allow man to return to the stars (if he succeeds) or strip him of his manhood, leaving him infertile, and unable to produce an heir (if he fails). Severian realizes that the last Autarch must have failed which feminized him and gave him his androgynous looks.

After the meeting, Severian is left on a beach. He discovers a bush covered in thorns. He claims the single black one, grown from a species of bush that grow exclusively white Claw shapes, and ponders the meaning of the Claw in relationship to higher beings, time-travel and the New Sun.

Severian makes his way back to Nessus aboard a ship whose crew revere him on sight. He visits with people of his past and assumes the role of Autarch. He returns to the waiter who slipped him the note in the ''Shadow of the Torturer'' saying that Agia had been there before. The note was meant for Dorcas who reminded the waiter of his mother. A picture of Dorcas in a locket around the waiter's neck confirms this suspicion. Severian also notes that the waiter very much resembles himself and it is implied that the waiter is Severian's father.

The book ends with Severian exploring the citadel and retracing Triskele's steps through an underground building. Seeing the dog's footsteps and his own he follows the latter, returning to the Atrium of Time.

Having completed the journey he was sent upon when he was exiled from the Citadel, Severian takes up his position as the Lictor (or Master of Chains) of the city of Thrax. His lover Dorcas falls into depression, in part because of her position as the partner of a reviled and feared figure in a strange city. She is also becoming increasingly upset by her mysterious past, and convinced that she must unravel its secrets, however disturbing they may turn out to be.

Escaping an exotic creature that incinerates things, which seems to have come to Thrax to find him, Severian finds himself again showing mercy to a condemned prisoner and is forced to flee the city. He and Dorcas separate, and he journeys alone into the mountains in search of the Pelerines, whom he believes to be the rightful keepers of the priceless relic which he carries, the Claw of the Conciliator.

On the road, he battles his enemy Agia, and the Alzabo—a beast which acquires the memories of those it consumes, as well as a gang of men who have opted to become as animals. In the wake of this violence, he takes an orphaned boy, little Severian, into his care. They encounter a village of men who claim to be sorcerers, and who possess more power than Severian at first believes. Escaping amidst the threat that yet another dangerous creature has been set upon his trail, Severian discovers a monarch from the past, Typhon, in an ancient city. Typhon tries to manipulate Severian during a complex confrontation. Little Severian is killed.

Continuing his journey, Severian is drawn into a local conflict on the side of a group of islanders being enslaved. He then discovers that his old companions Dr. Talos and Baldanders are the enslavers, and is forced to battle the giant Baldanders.

In the wake of this battle, in which his sword and the Claw are both (at least apparently, in the latter case) destroyed, Severian seeks to digest a series of revelations: about the nature of Baldanders, the nature of the aliens who manipulate events on Urth yet profess to be his friends, and the nature of the Claw which he carried for so long. As he does so, he finds himself approaching the edge of the war in the North.

Myrtle Gordon is a famous but troubled middle-aged actress performing out-of-town previews in New Haven, Connecticut of a new play called ''The Second Woman'' before its Broadway run. While leaving the theatre after a performance, Myrtle signs autographs and encounters an obsessive teenaged fan, Nancy, who runs after Myrtle into the street and is struck by a car. Myrtle is unsettled by the incident, and even goes to the girl's shiva, though her family greets her coolly.

Myrtle struggles to connect with the character she is playing in ''The Second Woman'', finding her to have no motivation beyond her age. Over the course of numerous performances, Myrtle departs from the play's script in myriad ways, including changing her lines, throwing props around the set, breaking the fourth wall, and collapsing on stage. This frustrates others involved with the play. The writer, Sarah Goode, attempts to force Myrtle into facing her age. Myrtle admits to her that she has been seeing the apparition of Nancy—the teenager killed in the car accident—which Myrtle believes is a projection of her youth.

Myrtle's state of mind continues to deteriorate, and she begins to drink heavily. She imagines Nancy attacking her, and later she throws herself against the walls of Sarah's hotel room, breaking her sunglasses and slashing her face. The incident disturbs Sarah, who expresses her wish to have Myrtle replaced in the play, feeling she is psychologically unable to perform. After storming out of a rehearsal, Myrtle visits Sarah's spiritual medium for help and has another violent encounter with her vision of Nancy, this time fighting back and “killing” Nancy's ghost. Myrtle attempts to seduce Maurice Aarons—her leading man and a former lover—but he refuses.

Myrtle fails to show up on time for her call on opening night. When she finally arrives, Myrtle is so drunk that she can barely stand. With the audience growing restless, director Manny Victor demands the show go on. Myrtle struggles through the show's opening scenes, collapsing before her entrance and again on stage. As the show continues, Myrtle finds something of a rhythm. By the end, she and Maurice go off script and improvise the play's final act, to the producers’ chagrin and the audience's rapturous applause.

The islanders were chiefly represented by the respected local doctor, Philip Martel (Bernard Horsfall), who struggled to maintain the peace while the Germans were led by Major Dieter Richter (Alfred Burke), a peacetime academic who was inclined to be lenient on the Guernsey populace but whose approach was challenged by his more conventionally nasty SS counterpart Hauptsturmführer Klaus Reinicke (Simon Cadell). Rounding out the principal German characters were Major Freidel and Oberleutnant Kluge, a former policeman still more inclined to act as a policeman rather than a soldier.

Many episodes portrayed the balance of power and fragile harmony between the islanders and the German occupying forces, and how it was threatened by either resistance action or over-zealous clamping down by the Germans.

A precursor to his role as Bergerac in the detective series set on Jersey, John Nettles played a police detective ordered to work for the Germans and anguished by the conflict between his duty and collaborating with the enemy.

The series' narrative ended in 1943 with the Germans still occupying the island.

A century prior to the start of the game, the Kushan, humanoid inhabitants of the desert planet Kharak, discovered a spaceship buried in the sands, which holds a stone map marking Kharak and another planet across the galaxy labelled "Hiigara", meaning "home". The discovery united the clans of Kharak, who had previously determined that they were not indigenous to the planet. Together, they spent the next century developing and building a giant mothership that would carry 600,000 people to Hiigara, with neuroscientist Karan S'jet neurally wired into the ship as Fleet Command to replace an unsustainably large crew. The game opens with the maiden voyage of the mothership, testing the hyperspace drive which brings the fleet to a new destination by faster than light travel. Instead of the support ship that was expected to be there, the mothership finds a hostile alien carrier. After driving them off, the mothership returns to Kharak, to discover that the planet has been razed by another alien fleet, and that only the 600,000 migrants in suspended animation have survived. A captured enemy captain claims that the Kharak genocide was the consequence of their violation of a 4,000-year-old treaty between the interstellar Taiidan Empire and the Kushan, which forbade the latter from developing hyperspace technology.

After destroying the remnants of both alien fleets, the nascent Kushan fleet sets out for Hiigara, intent on reclaiming their ancient homeworld. Their multi-stage journey across the galaxy takes them through asteroid fields, a giant nebula, a ship graveyard and several imperial outposts. Along the way, they fight other descendants of their Hiigaran ancestors who have started worshipping a nebula which conceals them as a holy place, and who do not allow outsiders to leave due to fear of discovery. They also meet the Bentusi, a race of traders, who sell them advanced technology. After discovering that the Bentusi have given aid to the exiles, the empire attempts to destroy them, but are stopped by the Kushan fleet. The Bentusi then reveal that the Kushan had once ruled their own empire, before being destroyed by the Taiidan, and were exiled from Hiigara. In gratitude for the Kushan's intervention, they promise to summon the Galactic Council to recognize their claim to Hiigara.

As their journey continues, the Kushan fleet gives sanctuary to the rebel imperial captain Elson. After helping him access a rebel communication network, he provides information on the defenses around Hiigara. In a final battle above Hiigara, he arrives with a rebel fleet to help fight the Imperial fleet led by the emperor himself. The emperor manages to knock Karan into a coma via her neural connection with the mothership, but the combined Kushan and rebel fleets defeat the emperor regardless. The Galactic Council arrives shortly thereafter and confirms the Kushan's claim to Hiigara, a lush world in contrast to the desert planet of Kharak. When the Kushan make landfall, Karan insists that she be the last one to set foot on the planet.

The story involves Chaplin and Chester Conklin working as waiters at a restaurant. Charlie is especially inept and his comic carelessness enrages the customers. The workers in the restaurant's bakery go on strike for more pay, but are fired by the unsympathetic proprietor. Charlie is put to work in the bakery where his lack of skills upsets his boss and co-worker Chester Conklin. Meanwhile, the vengeful strikers have arranged to smuggle a loaf of bread concealing a stick of dynamite into the bakery. During a free-for-all involving Charlie, Chester, and their boss, the dynamite dramatically explodes. At the end of the film, Charlie emerges groggily from a pile of sticky dough.

The central characters were a married couple, Erik (Ian Hendry) and Ann Shepherd (Wanda Ventham), who ran a tavern called "Shepherd's Bar".

Ann is revealed in the first episode to be a sleeper agent of British Intelligence, Erik having been a broken-down drunk whom she was made to marry as part of her cover story. Other episodes dealt with the other expats who frequented the bar. The most intriguing character in both series is the Greek police captain, Michael Krasakis (Stefan Gryff). In the second series the British Intelligence aspect is developed, until a clash with Soviet and Chinese agents results in both Ann and Erik having to leave Crete. In the final scene, about to board a plane leaving Heraklion airport, they have a partial reconciliation, since each is the only person the other can trust.

Series 1

Episode 1 opens with Liz Grainger, codename Celeste (Buffery) apparently undergoing violent German interrogation.
It transpires that this is part of her training for 'The Outfit', a secret organisation run by Colonel James 'Cad' Cadogan (Glover) and Faith Ashley (Asher), who are now recruiting civilians to boost their numbers. The rest of the episode combines scenes of Liz's training to go to France as an undercover agent - and that of fellow recruit Mathilde (Matty) Firman, codename Aimee (Hamilton) - with flashbacks showing how they came to be recruited. Matty is a factory worker from Stepney, who escaped to London from France with her French mother early in the war and is steered to The Outfit by an officer who witnesses her at a dance slapping a man for calling the French collaborators. She is desperate to contribute more effectively to the war effort because of her French and Jewish heritage. Liz, whose husband is serving overseas and whose brother Jack has recently been killed in the war, has moved to Devon with her daughter Vicky to escape the Blitz. She is recruited almost by accident, following her response to a radio appeal for French holiday snaps to help the war effort (in circumstances resembling those of the recruitment of real life agent Odette Hallowes). Liz initially refuses to undertake work which would entail leaving her daughter but is persuaded by Cad to undergo training, in which she does well, and becomes determined to volunteer. Cad overrides the reservations of some of his colleagues about sending civilian women (particularly a mother) to France and recommends her as a courier. Also to be sent is former actor, Colin Beale, codename Cyrano (Northam) whom Liz and Matty have befriended during training. In contrast Matty, despite excelling in her training as a wireless operator, is rejected for undercover work: her talkative nature makes her a security risk.

In Episode 2, Matty has returned to Stepney and the factory, but Cad is regretting rejecting her since their recruitment pool is dwindling. He relents and calls Matty back, initially for wireless receiving ("godfather") work in England, where she makes friends with fellow-trainee Lois Mountjoy (Abigail McKern). Liz is now at the final stage of training, and Matty makes the most of her second chance by being top of the class. Meanwhile, Cad, Faith and their colleagues discuss the worsening situation in 'Area 3', around Brague. Kit Vanston, codename Gregoire (Jackson), the resident agent out there, is convinced that the Germans are planning a major operation in the dock area but can do nothing without back-up. There are doubts about the local Communists and resistance and messages coming through are virtually unreadable because Kit doesn't have a wireless operator. Liz and Colin are to be rushed out there to help - Liz has a childhood friend, Claudine De Valois, as a contact in the area. News from the training school is that Matty is the only wireless trainee at the standard required to go into the field and she is added to the team. Lois is to act as her "godmother" at home. The three are briefed, say their goodbyes and prepare to leave immediately.

At the outset of Episode 3, Liz, Matty and Colin have arrived by plane in Area 3 where they are met by members of the communist resistance, headed by Maurice (Vincenzo Nicoli), and to their astonishment, local villagers, revealing worryingly lax security arrangements. Maurice directs Colin to the docks and Liz and Matty to Kit Vanston's hideout. Liz engineers things so that she meets Kit first; she has met him before as he was a friend of her brother's. He is abrasive and contemptuous that the new courier and wireless operator are women. After some difficulty finding an appropriate billet, Matty establishes herself in her cover identity as a district nurse. However, she has trouble getting a transmission through and ends up staying on air long enough for her radio location to be pinpointed by a German detector van. German troops burst into her billet and begin to search.

In episode 4, Matty prepares to face the German raid, while Liz connects with her friend Claudine (Shelagh McLeod), whose chateau home has been taken over by the Germans, headed by Colonel Krieger (Clarke). Claudine is running a makeshift library and making herself as pleasant as she can to Krieger. Liz arrives while Claudine is entertaining the Colonel but they manage to stage a reasonably convincing impromptu reunion in front of him; Claudine eventually agrees to help Liz, who gets acclimatised to her new life as a courier. Liz and Kit bond over their respective recent bereavements (Kit's wife and children have been killed in the Blitz). Meanwhile, Colin is spying successfully at the docks and Matty is called in for routine questioning by the Germans. She apparently puts on a convincing display for Krieger but after she has gone he gives orders for her to be watched.

By Episode 5, the strain of being behind enemy lines is starting to tell. Cad is informed of a British operation planned for Brague which his operatives will be expected to support. Colin is exhausted. Liz has to flee from a German spot-check; she and Kit grow closer. Matty, bored and frustrated, recklessly dyes her hair a conspicuous red. When Liz is taken ill Claudine takes her place passing information to Matty. Cad plans for Liz to go back to London to brief in person, as Matty's transmissions are troubled by poor reception. Kit orders Matty to ask Cad to send a replacement for Liz so Liz need not come back to France, and later confesses to Liz it is because he has fallen for her. Claudine pumps Krieger's mistress, Therese, for information and discovers that Krieger has found out about the plane coming to get Liz - his men will be waiting. She rushes to Matty who transmits it in the nick of time for Cad to cancel the operation so Liz is not caught. However Krieger realises that it must have been Claudine who passed the information to the British and offers her a deal: either she turns double agent or he will hand her over to the Gestapo.

Episode 6 sees Liz arrive back safely in London after a rescheduled pick-up to find that her husband, Laurence (Le Vaillant), is also due home at any minute. Cad offers her a job in London since she will not be going back to France and asks her to brief Nigel Piggott, codename Alain, the sabotage expert who is to replace her in Area 3. Matty's mother (who appears to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder) realises Matty is in France when Liz visits her, bringing a gift of French perfume from Matty. Liz and Laurence's reunion proves to be rather stilted; back home in Devon, Liz puts an injured rabbit out of its misery by killing it with a rock, prompting Laurence to question what her war work is. He is aghast when she tells him the truth. Unknown to the remaining team in France, Claudine has yielded to Krieger's threats and in return for a promise of safety for herself and Liz, gives information about Matty, including drawing a sketch of her, which Krieger immediately recognises as the district nurse. Colin and Matty jump into bed together as a ruse when the Germans raid just after Matty has been transmitting, and end up sleeping together for real. The following morning, the Germans come back, having recognised Matty from Claudine's sketch. Matty puts up a spirited fight but is captured.

In Episode 7, Matty is imprisoned and brought before Krieger for interrogation. Krieger knows about her codename, role, and even about Cad. Matty refuses to cooperate, avoiding Krieger's attempts to trap her into giving information about the other agents. However, she can't resist gloating that Celeste is safe in England, belying Claudine's continued attempts to convince Krieger that Liz is innocent. Krieger forces Claudine to collect messages by threatening to reveal her betrayal of Matty to the resistance (who would kill her) and puts one of his men to undertake Matty's transmissions. Lois, receiving the messages, attempts to convince her superiors that it is not Matty's 'touch' but her warning is ignored. Eventually she persuades Cad to attempt a trap which turns out to be inconclusive. He decides he has to send an agent in to find out if their arrangements are still secure before the planned operation. Liz, whose marriage has become strained because Laurence cannot handle the fact that his wife's war work has been more active than his own, agrees to go back to France, much to the horror of both Faith and Laurence. She has a passionate reunion with Kit, who has just found out via Claudine that Matty is in German hands. Matty is taken from her cell by the Gestapo.

Episode 8 opens with scenes of Matty being tortured. Krieger intervenes, knowing that he can only save his own career by getting Matty's confession himself. Later, Krieger's commanding officer makes it clear that Krieger must deliver from Matty the name of the leading British agent in the area... or else. Liz arrives back at Claudine's and quickly realises Claudine betrayed Matty. Kit gets a message to London to confirm Matty's capture, and plans to break Matty out of Gestapo headquarters, with the help of Maurice and the resistance. Claudine agrees to try to distract Krieger while the rescue is taking place. However, Cad has realised there could be more to be gained by feeding the Germans false information - but the price of that is leaving Matty imprisoned. Matty's mother, convinced that Matty has been captured, commits suicide. Faith is forced to admit to Matty's grandfather that Matty is a prisoner. Kit, Liz, Colin and Nigel finalise their rescue plan but at the last moment orders come from London that they must not attempt rescue. Kit decides to go ahead anyway. Kit and Liz admit their feelings for each other while Colin and Nigel break into Matty's cell. Colin gets Matty out but Nigel is killed as they escape. In the aftermath, Krieger arrests Claudine - but is then himself led away in handcuffs for his own failure. Cad is castigated by his superiors. The series ends with Matty's arrival home to the delight of her grandfather, while Liz heads back to Devon.

Series 2

Series 2 opens in Autumn 1943 with the execution by firing squad of three members of 'The Outfit' in South-Western France. Liz is now working alongside Cad and Faith in London, and has the task of contacting the bereaved relatives, including John Ashton's widow, Vivien (Farleigh), while Faith interviews potential young recruit Emily Whitbread (Snowden). Cad receives direct approval from the Prime Minister for the work they are doing, and also gets a visit from Vivien, offering to volunteer herself. Colin has been on a leaders' course, and is to be sent out to head up Area 7. Kit Vanston, for whom Liz clearly still has feelings, is being brought home. Liz helps train the new recruits, but admits to Faith that since hearing Matty has gone back into the field, she is missing being in France herself. Vivien (codename Solange) and Emily (codename Zoe) pass their training and prepare to leave for France with Colin. Emily sleeps with her boyfriend as a final fling. Kit arrives back, after more than a year leading Area 3, and is met by Liz.

In Episode 2, Colin, Vivien and Emily parachute into Area 7, and are met by brusque Outfit agent Gordon, codename Gaspard (McGugan) and local resistance leader Josef (William Simons), but Colin fractures his ankle in the drop. Emily quickly settles into her billet, posing as a relative of widowed shopkeeper Marie Ferrier (Gillian Raine), whose son Luc (Anstee) has just gone off to join the Maquis, and her father, Leon (John Boswell). Their neighbour Annette (Carmel McSharry) is revealed to be short of money and seems suspicious of Emily. Vivien's cover is as nanny to her wealthy friend Juliet (Bobbie Brown), who lives in a nearby chateau. Liz and Kit's relationship blooms when she helps him settle back home. He updates her on the news from Area 3: Maurice was captured and tortured to death by the Gestapo after she left. Liz's mother guesses Liz is having an affair and warns her not to risk her marriage; Liz tries to break it off with Kit who asks her to marry him. She refuses. Meanwhile, in France, Emily fears she is pregnant, Vivien seems to have a hidden agenda, and Colin rouses the suspicions of a young milice officer. He later finds her searching his rooms and has to shoot her.

Colin is in shock at the beginning of Episode 3. Vivien and Gordon hastily get rid of the milicienne's body. Emily's pregnancy is confirmed, much to Cad's fury, but she decides to have an abortion so as to continue her work. Vivien's secret is revealed: 19 years ago she had a baby in France and released her for adoption; she seeks the help of a priest in trying to trace her - but he appears to be a collaborator. Colin is having a breakdown - much to the contempt of Gordon, who takes temporary charge - and Cad and Faith worry about who can be sent to replace him. Returning home unexpectedly one night, Liz finds Laurence in bed with another woman. He blames her for being a bad wife and mother, which Liz takes to heart, despite her anger that she gave Kit up needlessly to save her marriage; she agrees to Laurence's demand for a divorce and custody of Vicky and volunteers to lead Area 7 herself. Faith summons Kit to talk Liz out of it, but Kit's chauvinist attitude enrages Liz - they row and part on bad terms. Colin escapes to Spain on foot as Liz (with a new codename of Collette) sets off for France.

Episode 4 see Liz arrive in Area 7 where she immediately sets about tightening security. She briefs Gordon that they must disable a U-boat transmitter; they have a resistance contact, Jeanne, working at the base, who arranges for Vivien, under a new identity, to work there as well. Vivien hears from the priest with news of her daughter, Yvette, and disobeys orders to go to Toulouse in search of her. She meets Yvette's adoptive mother but Yvette left home some time ago. Gordon confides his distrust of Vivien to Liz, who finds out about her unauthorised absence and other lapses of security, and takes her to task. Colin has finally got back to England. Cad and Faith visit him in hospital, and then go on to meet their new liaison with the Free French Forces, Paul Daubert. Liz and Gordon finalise their plans to attack the transmitter base unaware that they are walking into a trap: Jeanne has been caught out by the Germans and revealed the raid plans to Sturmbannführer Voller (Donald Gee) of the SD (Sicherheitsdienst) to protect her son. In the resulting shoot-out, Jeanne shouts a last-minute warning and is killed, and Gordon is shot. Liz and Vivien get him out. Josef saves Emily.

Episode 5 reveals the aftermath of the failed raid: Vivien and Liz rush the critically injured Gordon to Marie's for makeshift surgery by a doctor friend of Leon's; Annette's suspicions increase; Liz worries who could have betrayed them while showing her increased mettle as leader. The Germans find Emily's transmitter in a barn, and Liz decides she must move to a new safe house, to the dismay of Marie and Leon who have become very attached to her. Vivien finally gets an address for Yvette (Trevyn McDowell) and goes to visit her without revealing who she is; they get on well, but Vivien is shocked to meet Yvette's boyfriend: a German Wehrmacht lieutenant. Cad gets a visit from his son, about to leave on active service, and then agrees with Paul Daubert that they must send an overall co-ordinator to France. Kit accepts the job with enthusiasm; he has admitted to Colin his frustration at being inactive. First, however, Cad wants Kit to go to Area 7 to help Liz destroy a vital factory, but warns him not to let his feelings for Liz cloud his judgment. Gordon recovers sufficiently to be sent home - hidden in a coffin. Emily lingers too long at Marie's while Leon tries to fix her radio; the Germans raid. Emily escapes but Leon is killed and Marie arrested. She is brought before Voller and faces torture, as Emily and Liz meet to regroup.

By Episode 6, the situation is perilous. Liz gets a message to London via Area 6. Vivien lunches with Yvette - and finds herself socialising with Voller. Emily, now radio-less, and in a new identity, witnesses a badly beaten Marie being forced on a transporter train. She finds Luc in his hideaway to break the news, and also discovers the informer was Annette. Haunted by the sacrifice Marie and Leon have made for her she asks to carry out the reprisal execution of Annette, but finds someone has beaten her to it. Josef tells Liz Vivien has been seen dining out with German officers; Liz orders Emily to message London to request Vivien's immediate removal but unknown to her, Vivien reads the message. Colin has recovered, and Cad tells him Gordon is safe and Liz is doing well. Cad's son is killed in action, and he is grief-stricken; Faith has to take the decision to recall Vivien. Kit arrives in Area 7. Initially shocked, Liz is relieved to have back-up she can trust but is determined to keep things professional; she has become a clear-sighted and capable leader, somewhat to Kit's dismay. Meanwhile, Vivien's continued recklessness catches up with her: Voller has recognised her from a photograph of when she worked at the transmitter base. Vivien confesses to Yvette that she is her mother; Yvette angrily rejects her. As she storms out, Voller and his men arrest them both.

The series climax sees Liz, Kit, Emily and Josef finalising their plans to bomb the factory unaware that Vivien is being questioned by Voller, and about to be handed over to the Gestapo. A German officer, while arranging the necessary transport with a local man, Felix, reveals Vivien is to be sent by car to Bordeaux - but Felix turns out to be part of the resistance. Luc gets his message and rushes to warn Liz that Vivien has been arrested. Liz immediately decides they must ambush the car, and demands a plane from London to get Vivien and Yvette out. Cad organises the plane, but it can only take one person. Liz and Kit break into the factory and set up a booby trap with a grenade. The factory is spectacularly destroyed and they all escape. Now they must rescue Vivien. During the ambush of the car, Voller accidentally kills Yvette when Vivien lunges at him, and is himself killed by Luc. With only seconds to get away, Vivien hysterically refuses to leave Yvette's body. Vivien is risking all their lives; Liz warns her she will shoot her if she has to - and then does. Kit persuades a shaken Liz to take the available place on the plane since the Area 7 unit is finished. Emily prepares to go with Luc into the mountains. Liz and Kit say their goodbyes and Liz flies away.

Series 3

The third and final series is based on the actions of the Maquis du Vercors and the events in Vassieux-en-Vercors, though the locations used are given fictional names, such as the village being named Couermont and the plateau "Le Crest".

Jane Snowden, Michael J Jackson, Jane Asher, Stuart McGugan and Mark Anstee all reprise their roles, with agents "Dominique" (Catherine Schell) and "Antoine" (Jeremy Nicholas) joining the cast. The series focuses on the build-up to a planned uprising by the resistance in Le Crest, led to by Renard (Trevor Peacock), with the belief that supplies will soon arrive from Great Britain. However Nicole (Felicity Montagu), a woman who had befriended Emily in the opening moments of the series is feeding all this information to the Nazis and General Stuckler (Terence Hardiman) orders the resistance to be quashed and troops are parachuted in, leading to a bloody finale. Other notables appearances in this series are Shirley Henderson who plays a young Jewish girl named Sylvie and Glyn Grain who plays Bonnard, the estranged husband of Dominique.

The ''Enterprise'' is sent to investigate the shutdown of the Argus Array, a deep-space telescope and radio antenna. Geordi La Forge and Lt. Reginald Barclay take a shuttlecraft to examine the array closely, discovering the presence of an alien probe nearby; the probe fires a pulse as they near it, disabling the shuttlecraft and knocking out Barclay. The ''Enterprise'' crew recovers the shuttle and are forced to destroy the probe when it follows the ship, believing the Argus Array was affected by a similar pulse. Barclay recovers, but the crew finds him to be much more intelligent than before, his IQ steadily rising.

The Array starts to undergo a series of catastrophic failures. Barclay, with his newfound intelligence, casually explains how they can use the ''Enterprise'' computers to prevent the failures, a task that will only take them two days to complete, much to La Forge's disbelief. Though Barclay's solution works temporarily, the rate of failure drastically increases, and Barclay finds the ''Enterprise'' computer too slow to keep up with it. He goes to the holodeck and creates a device that allows him to interact directly with the ''Enterprise'' and array computer systems, putting an end to the Array's failures. The crew finds that Barclay has become too integrated with the computer, and when they try to shut down the computer, Barclay sends the ship into a "subspace inversion," jumping the ship across a great distance at a velocity significantly faster than conventional warp drive.

They arrive at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, and are met by a representative of a race of beings called the Cytherians, who are far more advanced than humans and find amusement in their "bipedal locomotion" and "hierarchical collective command structure". Barclay, who was removed from the computer by the Cytherians and has lost his heightened intelligence, arrives on the bridge to help explain what has transpired. The Cytherians are friendly explorers like the Federation, but instead of traveling themselves to meet other races, they instead have launched probes that instill the necessary knowledge into beings to make them come to the Cytherians. The probe was unable to reprogram the Argus Array or shuttlecraft, as technology isn't always compatible, and thus caused the failures in their systems. The Cytherians were, however, able to reprogram Barclay giving him the powers to accomplish his tasks. The ''Enterprise'' stays with the Cytherians for ten days, exchanging knowledge that will take decades to fully recognize. The Cytherians then return the ''Enterprise'' to the Argus Array. Barclay finds himself back to normal, although he keeps vivid memories of his temporary transformation and is able to play chess well even though he has never played chess.

Tom Ludlow is a disillusioned, alcoholic LAPD detective working undercover for a unit known as Vice Special. He meets in a parking lot with Korean gangsters who are looking to buy a machine gun from him and who he also believes have kidnapped two teenage girls. After a vicious beatdown, the gangsters steal his car. This was planned, however, and he has the cops locate the vehicle via GPS.

Upon arrival at their hideout, Ludlow storms in and kills the four gangsters, he then puts on gloves, takes a shot of vodka and alters the scene to make the shootings look justified. He then finds the two schoolgirls locked in a closet. While the other officers in his unit congratulate him, he is confronted by his former partner, Detective Terrence Washington, who no longer approves of the corruption as well as the deception and has gone straight, reporting the problems to Captain James Biggs, of Internal Affairs, who apparently starts an investigation against Ludlow.

Believing that Washington was snitching on him, Ludlow follows him to a convenience store to beat him up. But Washington is executed by two gangbangers under the pretense of a robbery. Though the two were working together to fight back, the surveillance video of the shootout shows Ludlow to have accidentally shot Washington while trying to protect him with his .38 revolver.

The DNA of two criminals known as Fremont and Coates is found at the scene, as well as a large amount of cash in Washington's possession. It is assumed that Washington was corrupt and stealing drugs from the department's evidence room and selling them to Fremont and Coates. Ludlow teams up with Detective Paul Diskant, who has been assigned to the official case to join him in his personal investigation.

Their search for the two involves gang members and drug dealers that eventually lead them to a house in the hills where they discover the bodies of the real Fremont and Coates buried in a shallow grave. The condition of the bodies makes it apparent that they were killed well before Washington's murder.

Ludlow and Diskant, posing as dirty cops who are willing to take over Washington's supposed activity of stealing and selling drugs, are able to set up a meeting with two criminals masquerading as Fremont and Coates. Ludlow questions who "Freemont and Coates" really are and when Diskant recognizes the two, he is shot and killed. Ludlow manages to kill both men and escapes back to his girlfriend's house, where a news report reveals the killers were undercover Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies.

Shortly afterward, Ludlow is subdued by Detective Cosmo Santos and Detective Dante Demille — two fellow officers from his unit. Taking Ludlow with them, the two admit that they planted Fremont and Coates' DNA and the money at the scene of Washington's murder. This causes Ludlow to learn that Washington was surrendering their captain, Jack Wander, up to Biggs, as they were the ones who were stealing drugs from the department's evidence room.

The two cops take Ludlow out to the house where the two bodies of the real Fremont and Coates were found earlier, for execution. But Ludlow manages to kill both of them. He then heads to Washington's house where their supervisor, Sergeant Mike Clady, is about to kill Washington's widow. He captures Clady and places him in the trunk of his car.

Ludlow confronts Wander at his house and apprehends him after a brawl between them. He then discovers that Wander has incriminating evidence against almost all the brass in the department, along with judges, council members and politicians. Wander planned to use the information to become LAPD chief and eventually Los Angeles mayor. Wander, asserting that he is Ludlow's best friend and mentor, attempts to buy off his silence by bribing him with a large amount of stolen money and incriminating documents — which Ludlow had uncovered from the wall moments ago. But Ludlow refuses and executes Wander.

Captain Biggs and Sergeant Green arrive, Biggs reveals to Ludlow that they used him to bring down Wander and get access to his files by opening his eyes to the real corruption going on within his unit. As he leaves, Biggs tells Ludlow that the department does need him.

Set in 1978 Chicago, ''Roll Bounce'' tells the story of a 16-year-old named Xavier Curtis "X" Smith and his friends Junior, Boo, Naps and Mixed Mike from the south side of Chicago who share a passion for roller skating. After the local roller rink the Palisade Garden closes down, Xavier and his friends, along with his new neighbor Tori, are forced to spend their summer skating in the ritzy uptown rink "Sweetwater" where they are disrespected by the five-year roller disco contest champions, Sweetness and his crew, the Sweetwater Rollers. They decide to enter the contest themselves to earn their place at the rink. During this time, Xavier reconnects with an old crush Naomi.

Xavier's home life is strained following the passing of his mother, leaving his father Curtis struggling to take care of both Xavier and his sister Sonya while also struggling to restore his late wife's car. Curtis finds Xavier's interest in skating a waste of time and prefers him to be around the house to take care of chores. Unbeknownst to Xavier and Sonya, Curtis had lost his job as an aerospace engineer and has been struggling to find employment, eventually having to settle taking a job as a janitor. Curtis strikes up a connection with Tori's mother Vivian, who was initially hostile toward Curtis for taking Tori to the roller rink with Xavier without Vivian's permission, but warmed up to him after learning of his wife's passing. Xavier eventually learns about his father's unemployment when he finds his car for sale and confronts him. In a rage, Xavier's smashed the windows of his late mother's car before both he and Curtis break down in tears, realizing neither of them have moved on from his mother's death. Xavier's home life troubles also cause him to wrongfully lash out at Naomi. Following numerous days of not paying attention to his father, Xavier opens a package sent to Curtis, which are a pair of new skates for Xavier, as his current skates, a gift from his mother, had begun to break down. Curtis explains that he was hurting from the death of Xavier's mother so much that he neglected Xavier and Sonya's pain and he promises to be a more attentive father. Xavier decides to make amends with Naomi as well.

During the skating competition, Xavier and his friends, with the team name the Garden Boys, are set to go last so the Sweetwater Rollers can steal their original song choice "Le Freak" by Chic, but Naps finds a suitable replacement song with "Hollywood Swinging" by Kool & the Gang. For the first time in the history of the competition, the Sweetwater Rollers end up tying for first place with another team, the Garden Boys. Believing he is the only true champion, Sweetness challenges Xavier to a one-on-one skate-off with no falls. Xavier throws out every move he knows and is set to win when he attempts a triple Lutz jump, inspired by a team of artistic roller skaters, but ends up falling and losing the competition. He does, however, earn the respect of Sweetness and receives applause from the audience. Xavier and Naomi share a kiss, while Junior shares one with Tori, after he had previously made fun of her for having braces but became attracted to her after she had them removed. The film ends with everyone enjoying skating together.

The storyline is told through a series of flashbacks. The movie opens with Winston regaining consciousness in an alley in the middle of the night with no idea of how he got there.

Through a series of flashbacks, he remembers that he was waylaid on his way to the prom the night before. In the meantime, he has to figure out what happened to his wallet, his car keys, his prom date, and why a pimp named "Tito" wants him dead.

After losing a bet on a football game, Tara has to go to prom with the flattered but clueless nerd Winston. In the hijinks that follow, Winston manages to get them lost in the ghetto, befriend a hooker named Rhonda (Theresa Saldana), and accidentally sell Tara to a diminutive pimp named Tito (Trinidad Silva). Winston spends the remainder of the evening searching for Tara in the seedy underworld of Los Angeles whilst seeking to avoid Tito's wrath after Tito discovers the identity of Tara's father. In the end, Winston gets the girl, escapes from the pimp and even recovers his dad's car from a car thief named "Danny Boy".

Half-demon Inuyasha, schoolgirl Kagome, monk Miroku, demon slayer Sango, and fox demon Shippo battle and defeat their archenemy Naraku. As a result, Miroku's Wind Tunnel that Naraku cursed his family with disappears from his hand, while elsewhere, Sango's brother Kohaku is freed from Naraku's grasp as a human puppet. With Naraku apparently defeated, Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo part ways with Miroku and Sango to continue searching for the shards of the Shikon Jewel. Miroku returns to his master, Mushin, and Sango returns to her village and finds the amnesiac Kohaku there. Mushin presents Miroku with a task that is to be given to the surviving descendant of his family who defeats Naraku: to destroy a yōkai who threatens to cast the world into eternal night.

Kagura and Kanna, two of Naraku's incarnations, come across a mirror in a hidden shrine and awaken a maiden who declares herself to be Kaguya, Princess of the Heavens. In exchange for freeing her, Kaguya promises to give Kagura her true heart's desire; freedom. Kagura and Kanna set out to recover five items that will free Kaguya from her mirror completely.

Inuyasha travels to the modern era looking for Kagome, alongside her brother Sota. In town, Kagome angrily hides Inuyasha from the public in a photo booth which Sota jokingly puts coins into, taking photos of the two as they are arguing. Back in the Feudal era, Kagome takes their faces from one of the photos and places them in a heart-shaped necklace locket that she offers to Inuaysha, who seemingly rejects it. Later, they run into Kagura, Kanna, and Kaguya, the former of which rips off a sleeve of Inuyasha's Robe of the Fire-Rat as it is one of the five items. Kagome forces the demons to flee after the battle, with Kaguya noticing the strange aura surrounding her that does not match the time of the Feudal era. Afterwards, Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippo meet Akitoki Hōjō, the ancestor of Kagome's classmate Hōjō, who plans to dispose a celestial robe into Mount Fuji.

Miroku and his tanuki servant Hachi learn, while searching for the yōkai he is meant to destroy, that his grandfather defeated Kaguya, leading to her celestial robe being entrusted to the Hōjō family. With Kaguya and Kanna having found the remaining items, Kaguya goes to find the robe alone, fighting Inuyasha for it. She restrains him to a tree, and Kagome sacrifices herself to protect him from a sacred arrow that Kaguya deflected from her. Kaguya takes Kagome captive, offering to release her alive in exchange for Inuyasha to become her servant.

Kaguya has begun to freeze time into eternal night. Kagura suspects that Kaguya is not who she says she is and tries to attack her, but Kaguya teleports Kagura and Kanna elsewhere. Following his escape, Inuyasha, Hōjō, and Shippo join with Miroku, Hachi, Sango, Kohaku, and Sango's nekomata companion Kirara to infiltrate Kaguya's mountain castle in Lake Motosu. Excluding Hachi and Hōjō, they use items from Kagome's first aid kit from the modern era to survive the time freeze, while Inuyasha remains unaffected having worn Kagome's locket. They battle Kaguya to no avail, and she transforms Inuyasha into a full-fledged demon. A restrained Kagome pleads Inuyasha to stop, but upon being freed by Shippo, she ends up sharing a kiss with Inuyasha to revert him back to his normal self; he promises to remain a half-demon longer for her sake.

After Kaguya reveals that she is a demon who absorbed the real Kaguya, Naraku appears, having faked his death by hiding in Kohaku's back, waiting for Kaguya to come out of hiding to absorb her power and gain his own immortality. The heroes defeat Kaguya before Naraku can absorb her, and she is killed by Miroku's restored Wind Tunnel. Everyone flees the collapsing castle through Kanna's mirror with Naraku taking Kohaku with him. The heroes return to safety with time being reverted to normal. Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara resume their mission to find the Shinkon Jewel shards, and Hōjō disposes the robe at Mount Fuji.

The black-and-white scenario shows the forest of the tale.

An anthropomorphized black wolf tries to trick Little Red Riding Hood. Little Red is seen watching the wolf through the trees as he is dancing within a clearing. He notices her watching, and as Little Red walks away, he rushes up to her, asks her where is she going and what path will she take. Upon knowing her path, he gracefully runs and jumps to get to the grandmother's house before Little Red does. He successfully eats her grandmother, and then tries to eat her. However, she tricks him and survives. She does not "rescue" the eaten grandmother at all; she in fact eats her grandmother's flesh as well, even after being warned by a cat.

Hercules is called upon to fight seven golden giants summoned by the Dagger of Jae, sister of Juno (Hera), who dislikes Hercules "for certain family reasons." Hercules also fights to protect his princess love, but matters are complicated by her evil relative Milo, who has murdered her father the king but has tricked her into thinking it was someone else because she trusts him too much. Milo tricks Hercules into killing his friend, for which he is punished by his father Jove (Jupiter/Zeus) who takes away his enormous strength, because he has misused it. Milo is conspiring with his sorceress mother to take the throne for himself.

Now only as strong as a mortal man, Hercules is overpowered when he tries to rescue the princess Ate (pronounced Ah-tay) from Milo and is then accused of being a fraud. Milo tries to kill both Hercules and Ate by chaining them to a giant wooden lever with spikes, complete with a cage over Hercules which he must support while rocks are piled on him: if he can hold it up, then he will prove himself the true Hercules (which he is) but if not, then he will be guilty and he and Ate will die together for conspiring to steal the throne and give it to an imposter.

As the weight of the stones and rocks drive the de-powered Hercules to his knees, he sincerely begs his father Jove to let him die if it is his destiny but to spare Ate who is innocent. Jove resolves this by restoring Hercules's demi-god strength, allowing him to overpower the soldiers, save Ate, and thwart Milo along with his seven golden giants and evil mother. The two bumbling thieves also prove useful in the climax.

In the end, Hercules marries Ate and becomes king of her city.

Peter Brackett and Sabrina Peterson are two rival Chicago newspaper reporters. Sabrina is young and ambitious, whereas Peter is a fading star and has just published his first novel. They reluctantly join forces to unravel the mystery behind a train derailment. They argue over almost everything but discover a conspiracy involving genetically altered milk.

Set during the Tudor period of English history, ''When Knighthood Was in Flower'' tells the tribulations of Mary Tudor, a younger sister of Henry VIII of England who has fallen in love with a commoner. However, for political reasons, King Henry has arranged for her to wed King Louis XII of France and demands his sister put the House of Tudor first, threatening, "''You will marry France and I will give you a wedding present – Charles Brandon's head!''"

In ancient Greece, a race of evil aliens from the Moon land on Earth. For years they have terrorized the nearby city of Samar. Hercules (Maciste in the original version) (Alan Steel) attempts to free the people of the kingdom of Samar from the rule of their evil queen (Jany Clair). She is under the spell of invading Moon Men who demand children for sacrifice in hopes their spilled blood can revive their own dead queen.

The Queen of Samar has made a pact with the Moon Men to conquer the world and become the most powerful woman alive. The downtrodden residents of Samar cheer the arrival of the mighty Hercules, who on their behalf faces deadly obstacles, battles the Moon monsters and eventually confronts the leader of the Moon Men, Redolphis (Roberto Ceccacci), a metal-headed giant.

The term ''The Moon Men'' and the plot element of such beings seeking to conquer the Earth appeared earlier in the novel of that name by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, though the details of the conquest in Burroughs' book are very different from the film.

When Ichigo and his allies entered the Soul Society, Mayuri aided in the search for the Ryoka and found Orihime Inoue and Uryū. Orihime escaped and Mayuri reluctantly fights Uryū, seeing no need to study Quincies any further. Uryu is initially too weak to fight Mayuri until the Soul Reaper revealed that he experimented on Soken Ishida which his opponent unlocking his full Quincy powers prior to escaping. Mayuri remained on the sidelines for the duration of the search out of disinterest, even after he learns of Sosuke Aizen's betrayal.

Later, Mayuri joins Byakuya Kuchiki, Kenpachi Zaraki, Retsu Unohana, and their subordinates in Hueco Mundo. He saves Uryū and Renji Abarai from Szayel Aporro Granz, having an advantage against the Espada due to a bacterium he implanted in Uryū during their last fight that analyzed Szayelaporro's abilities. After defeating his controlled Zanpakuto while his opponent uses Nemu's body to reconstitute himself, Mayuri felt disappointed by the Arrancar's claims to have become a perfect being. As Szayelaporro's new body is paralyzed from exposure to one of the serums in Nemu's body dubbed the Superhuman Drug, Mayuri very slowly kills him while giving him a lecture on why scientists shouldn't claim or even want perfection. Soon after, Mayuri investigates Szayelaporro's laboratory to take what he can for his research before healing Uryū and Renji, followed by sending Ichigo Kurosaki and Unohana through the Garganta to the Fake Karakura Town. While explaining to Byakuya that he is more interested in seeing what specimens Hueco Mundo offers to him, Mayuri notes that he does have faith in Ichigo's ability to end the war. Once the fight against Aizen is settled, Mayuri attempts to seal off the Fake Karakura Town with their allies still inside but is stopped by his subordinates.

Almost a year later, Mayuri appears at a captain's meeting where he and Akon explain what they know about the Quincy group known as the Wandereich. Furthermore, Mayuri confirms that he ordered his squad to slaughter the 28,000 people in the Rukon to stabilize the Wandereich slaughtering Hollows while getting into a debate with Head Captain Yamamoto Genryusai over whose fault that such a deed needed to be carried out. Mayuri is further livid during the Wandereich's attack on the Soul Society when his fellow captains' lost their Bankai as a result of deciding to act on their own before he could completed his analysis on the enemy. Following the first invasion, meeting with Ichigo to discuss his broken Zangetsu, Mayuri locked himself away to continue his research on the Wandereich's Bankai stealing abilities with Urahara offering his assistance on the matter to develop a countermeasure to give the Soul Reaper captains who lost their Bankai an advantage. During the second Wandenreich invasion, Mayuri personally gets involved once interested in the abilities of Giselle Gewelle to turn living Soul Reapers into her zombie slaves while unveiling his own personal fighting team in the revived Arrancars Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio, Cirucci Sanderwicci, Luppi Antenor, and Charlotte Chuhlhourne. When Toshiro Hitsugaya appears as Giselle's zombie slave, Mayuri takes on the fellow Soul Reaper captain with the intent to test some of his serums on the youth. But by the time the zombified Rose, Kensei, and Rangiku arrive after Hitsugaya's defeat, Mayuri revealed that he devised a serum to alter the blood of the zombified Soul Reapers so they can only obey him. After having Giselle killed, while restoring Hitsugaya and Rangiku to normal, Mayuri takes Rose and Kensei to aid Byakuya in his fight against PePe Waccabrada.

When Yhwach absorbed the Soul King's power, Mayuri and Kenpachi come across Pernida Parnkgjas in the transformed Royal Realm. After Pernida defeats Kenpachi, deeming the mysterious Wandenreich to be creepy for even him, Mayuri finds himself in a battle for his life after Perinda reveals himself to be the left arm of the Soul King. After his attempt to defeat Perinda with a variation of his Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō failed, realizing the arm is constantly evolving, Mayuri finds himself being protected by Nemu before she throws him over to a nearby building to watch her fight with the arm unfold. Though Nemu dies while having visions of being taunted by Szayelaporro, Mayuri saves his creation's brain from being eaten by Perinda so the Quincy would die an antagonizing death from her cellular makeup. In the series epilogue, Mayuri created a new Nemu.

Daniel Dillon is an Irish immigrant who settles in the high mountains of California during the Gold Rush of 1849. It is now 1867, and Dillon has a vault filled with gold and a town of his own, named Kingdom Come. Dillon owns nearly every business of consequence in the town; if someone digs for gold, rents a hotel room, opens a bank account, or commits a crime, they will have to deal with Dillon.

Donald Dalglish is a surveyor with the Central Pacific Railroad, which wants to put a train either through Kingdom Come, or somewhere in the vicinity. He is here to decide the route. Dillon is anxious to ensure that the railway line is routed through "his" town, as this will bring more business.

Among the travelers who arrive in town with Dalglish are two women, the beautiful but ailing Elena Burn and her lovely teenage daughter Hope. The presence of these women is deeply troubling for Dillon, for they are the keys to a dark secret Dillon has kept from the people of Kingdom Come for nearly twenty years. Dillon had come to these mountains with his Polish wife Elena and their months-old baby, Hope. On a cold and snowy night they happen upon a shack named Kingdom Come, owned by a disillusioned '49er named Burn. Like Hardy's Mayor of Casterbridge, Dillon sells Elena and Hope to the prospector in exchange for the small gold claim that would later flourish and make Dillon so wealthy. Burn has died, and Elena has come to find Dillon because Burn left her with nothing, she is dying, and she wants Dillon to give her $200 per year so that she can "do right by Hope".

Dillon tells Lucia that they have to end their relationship and gives her some gold bricks and the deeds to her home, the saloon/brothel, and the tobacco house. Lucia is heartbroken, wanting Dillon and not his money. Dillon tells Elena that he never married anyone else because he was always married to her. The two renew their marriage but their time together is short, filled with Dillon's efforts to find a cure for her illness and ending with her death.

Elena's death coincides with the decision to route the railway some distance from the town for easier passage and construction. Lucia moves the girls, the booze and the tobacco house to the valley, effectively moving the entire population of Kingdom Come to her new town of Lisboa, named for her father's home in Portugal, to be near the railroad. Following Elena's funeral, Hope tells Dillon that she is leaving to find Dalglish and start a life with him. Dillon takes her up to the original shack Kingdom Come, showing her a picture of their family when she was a baby, and revealing the deal made right on that spot between him and Burn. Hope leaves him and goes to the new Lisboa.

Dillon is thus faced with the loss of both Elena and Hope, and his town. He sets fire to all the buildings in Kingdom Come. The smoke attracts the people of Lisboa, who find Dillon's frozen body in the snow near his original shack. Lucia is devastated, crying over the frozen body as it is brought back to the ruins of Kingdom Come. While many of the 'former' townspeople rush to find Dillon's stockpile of gold in the burned out vault, Hope and Dalglish choose instead to follow Dillon's body as Lucia and others continue with it down the mountain.

The series concerns the day-to-day life of a family of benign monsters, with married couple Herman Munster and vampire Lily Munster. Lily's Father Grandpa, who is also a vampire, lives with the family. Herman and Lily have a son named Eddie, who is a werewolf, and their niece, Marilyn, whom the family deems as strange, but is the only “normal” member of the family, also lives with them.

This sequel series starts with Grandpa creates "Sleeping Chambers," coffins which make the user fall asleep for a selected amount of time, and insists the entire family try them out. After Grandpa sets the dial for 30 minutes and shuts the door, a flash of light and a falling beam change the dial to "Forever." 22 years later, a man named Mr. Prescott and his assistant explore the Munsters' house with plans to turn it into a parking lot when they unknowingly awaken the Munsters from their Sleeping Chambers. Finding themselves in the 1980s, the Munsters work to adjust themselves to the current time period.

Setting

''ZanZarah: The Hidden Portal'' features a detailed fantasy world called ZanZarah. The ''Shadow Realm'' is a place of great evil in the depths of ZanZarah, even deeper than the lava caves of the dwarves. There are a few entrances into it: one is in the pixie-hunter Lucius' cellar where he keeps captured pixies. Another is in the catacombs beneath Tiralin. But the main entrance leading to the shadow realm is hidden deep in the southeastern swamps of ZanZarah.

Story

Long ago, our world and ZanZarah were one. Magical creatures like fairies, elves, dwarves, and goblins lived in peace with humans for a long time; and magic was an important part of our world. But then came the dark times, the times of inquisition and a great magic purge. The magical creatures had to flee from our world to save themselves, and the human Druids, the last wielders of white magic, helped them by creating a world suitable for their existence and closing the way there for the human race.

For centuries, the two worlds were separated and prospering. The creatures of ZanZarah sometimes visited their former home but generally preferred to stay in the new one. For humans, the way to ZanZarah was forever sealed by a mysterious machine called the Guardian. However, as time passed, the magic world became more and more a prison rather than a paradise for the magic folk. It became harder to cross the border between the worlds, even for the inhabitants of ZanZarah. Wild fairies started attacking the travelers for no apparent reason. Strange creatures calling themselves ''dark elves'' appeared on the roads. And the White Druid, the last of the mighty creators of ZanZarah, seemed helpless against them.

Not only ZanZarah is affected by this strange plague. The ancient, and by that time half-forgotten, world of humans also suffered from a loss of something very important—magic. A prophecy as old as ZanZarah itself tells that when the time comes, a savior will come from the world of humans to restore the balance between the two universes and peace will once again reign between the magic folk and humans. Until then, however, fairies, elves, dwarves, and goblins have to wait and hope.

The game follows the story of Amy, a young girl from London who on her eighteenth birthday receives the strangest present in her life—a magic rune—from an even stranger creature, a goblin who appears out of nowhere and disappears without saying anything. The rune is one of the teleportation runes that the inhabitants of the magic parallel world ZanZarah employ to travel across their lands.

Upon her arrival in ZanZarah, Amy discovers that she is the one the ancient prophecy tells of and that it is her destiny to become the greatest fairy trainer of all time, and to save both her world and ZanZarah from impending destruction. Of course, to accomplish that she must undertake a long journey; but being an inquisitive and optimistic person, Amy readily accepts her destiny. After all, this world of ZanZarah looks so much more beautiful and safe than hers.

Homer gets into trouble with the local mob over football gambling debts. As compensation, Fat Tony wants to use the Simpson home for shooting the adult film ''Lemony Lick-It's A Series of Horny Events'', with the participation of Carl and Lenny. Homer gets Marge and the kids to leave the house by sending them off to "Santa's Village". Marge and the kids return home to find the production is still underway. Marge, outraged by Homer's latest bit of idiocy, leaves. Homer, home alone with the kids, tries to figure out what to do next.

Just as Marge is about ready to reconcile with Homer (though she flatly expresses that she is not interested in his gift of Kwik-E-Mart chocolates, half of which have test bites), she encounters Dr. Caleb Thorn, a good-looking scientist with a passion for saving the endangered manatee. Homer and the kids go on a quest to find Marge and they stop and stay with their "country cousins" (their dog is Santa's Little Helper's brother). Meanwhile, Marge is finding herself while helping to save manatees. Caleb helps Marge realize that Homer is still the man she fell in love with and the problem is that she still expects him to change.

Homer decides to win Marge back by saving a herd of manatees from a gang of abusing jet skiers. The gang initially agreed to leave, but return after hearing Homer calling them 'rubes'. He attempts to organize the manatees to battle the gang, but they all flee. However, the gang is dispersed when Homer's country cousin shows up with a notarized court order to have all jet skiers vacate the waters at once. Despite Homer's failure, Marge is impressed by his efforts to save the manatees and declares she is taking home "the real endangered species": "a devoted husband". The family decides to take a mini-vacation and Homer gets a manatee sent to the power plant to fill in for his job for the next few days. When the manatee is about to die of dehydration, Mr. Burns and Smithers help him by washing him like a car, which the manatee actually enjoys.

The story takes place in 1962 in Kolkata. As the credits roll, scenes from erstwhile Calcutta are displayed along with the narrator's (Amitabh Bachchan) introduction of the era.

On the night of his arranged marriage to Gayatri Tantiya, (the daughter of one of his father's business connections), Shekhar has images of his childhood friend, Lalita, calling him by his name flashing through his mind.

Meanwhile, downstairs, musical celebrations begin as Shekhar meets Vasundhara, a widow from his neighbourhood, who is thankful to her son-in-law, Girish (Sanjay Dutt), for supporting their family after the death of her husband, Gurcharan. Lalita, who is present there, playfully confronts Shekhar as to why he is being indifferent to her. Shekhar admonishes her for speaking so in spite of being married.

An angry Shekhar comes back home to play a favourite tune from the past on his piano. The flashback shows a young Shekhar playing Rabindranath Tagore’s tune on his piano while young Lalita and Koel are around. Lalita, with her parents having died in a car accident, lives with Gurcharan’s family. Koel is her cousin whereas Charu is her neighbour. As this scene flashes across Shekhar’s mind, he sings a song full of sadness and loss. As time flies, they grow up to become close friends. The rebellious and musically inclined Shekhar spends his days playing the music of Rabindranath Tagore or Elvis Presley and composing his own songs with Lalita rather than becoming part of his shrewd father's business. Part of this rebellion involves resistance to meeting Gayatri Tantiya, the beautiful but devious daughter of a wealthy industrialist, whom his father would like Shekhar to marry. Meanwhile, Girish, a steel tycoon from London, makes a dramatic entry into Charu’s house. Girish seems smitten by Lalita while Koel is by Girish. Shekhar is visibly jealous of Lalita’s close friendship with Girish.

One day, a shocked Lalita, who is employed at the Roy’s office, remembers a hotel project from Gurcharan’s ancestral ''haveli'' (palatial house). On an earlier occasion, Gurcharan had borrowed money from Naveen Roy after putting his ''haveli'' on mortgage. She understands that if the money is not repaid in a few months, Naveen Roy would take over the property. She immediately thinks of asking Shekhar for monetary help. Unforeseen circumstances prevent this, and Girish, upon realising this, alleviates their problem by making Gurcharan his business partner. Gurcharan repays the debt and the turn of events prompts Shekhar to think why Lalita chose to ask Girish for money instead of him. On one auspicious night, Shekhar and Lalita exchange garlands and consummate their "marriage" unbeknownst to anyone else.

While Shekhar is off to Darjeeling on a business trip, Naveen Roy violently thunders at Lalita about the loss of his hotel project, embarrassing and humiliating her. Roy gets a wall built between his and Gurcharan's house symbolising the end of their association. Gurcharan, unable to digest this, suffers a heart attack. Upon Shekhar's return, Roy informs him of the ill-health of his mother and Gurcharan viciously adds a note of Lalita and Girish's marriage. Shekhar is disgusted to hear of the marriage and in his anger he scowls at Lalita, humiliating her like his father. Meanwhile, Girish assists Gurcharan's family and takes them to London for the heart treatment. Misunderstandings follow and upon the family's return from London, Shekhar assumes that Girish and Lalita are married and agrees to marry Gayatri. The film returns to the night of Shekhar's marriage when Girish hands him the ownership papers of Gurcharan's ''haveli''. He shocks Shekhar by telling him that he married Koel because Lalita denied his marriage proposal. As a conclusion, Shekhar confronts his father and symbolically breaks down the wall separating the two families. He then brings Lalita to his home as his bride much to the delight of his mother.

This special begins when Linus calls the Brown house, and Sally picks up. She gets very excited that her Sweet Babboo is on the other line. He declines that he is that, and tries to ask if Charlie Brown is home, but while he is doing so, she asks if he called to ask her to a movie. He gets furious, and yells at her, saying, he won't be taking her to a movie, and wants to talk to her brother. She misinterprets that, and tells him she will be waiting outside for him to pick her up. She gives the phone to Charlie Brown.

Linus tells Charlie Brown he has something important to tell him and that he will be over right away. When he arrives, he tells Charlie Brown they will have to move, due to his father's job transfer. He is shocked to hear this.

Lucy then goes to Schroeder to tell him the same thing Linus told Charlie Brown, and gives him a picture of her so he will always remember her. He says "But what if I want to forget you, and turn it around?" She does this, and Schroeder panics that it is double-sided.

Charlie Brown then sadly watches the "Sam's Moving" movers take the Van Pelts' things, and load it into their trucks. He then goes to Lucy's psychiatry booth, and tells her he will be miserable without Linus. She yells at him, and reminds him that she is also leaving. She shows him the booth's new owner Snoopy, who has changed its cost on the sign from 5 cents to 50 cents (presumably more than Charlie Brown's allowance). Linus tells Charlie Brown that he is playing his last baseball game with him later on.

Lucy then walks over to the Brown house, and finds Sally waiting out in front, saying she is waiting for Linus to take her to the movie. Lucy tells her that they are moving, so he won't pick her up, but she doesn't believe this.

Linus then invites Charlie Brown to his and Lucy's going away party. He asks Sally if she wants to come, but she insists that Linus is going to pick her up and take her to a movie. The van Pelts' going away party is catered by Snoopy, who feeds everyone dog biscuits, and dog food with water causing everyone to leave disgusted.

The next day, Linus and Lucy say their sad goodbyes to Charlie Brown. As they are pulling out, Linus throws Snoopy his security blanket, as a way to remember him. After the van Pelts leave, Charlie Brown sadly walks home. When Charlie Brown gets home, Sally is sitting on the porch, still waiting for Linus to take her to a movie. Charlie Brown tells her that he and his family moved away. She angrily walks inside. Then, Schroeder comes by to ask where Lucy is, and Charlie Brown tells him that she and her family moved away. He says that he thought she was kidding, then grows upset and says, "I never got to say goodbye." In a later scene, Schroeder is playing the piano with the musical staff above him, and her head appears between the treble and bass staff. When he notices, he stops playing and says to the camera: "Don't tell me I've grown accustomed to that face."

The next day, Charlie Brown tells Peppermint Patty, that he is upset over Linus' moving away. She tells Marcie that they have to help him get over his sadness. Marcie asks her if she likes him, and she naturally declines it. She walks home trying to convince herself that she couldn't like a loser like him.

That night while Patty is trying to sleep, she thinks Charlie Brown is probably feeling bad for himself, and decides to call him to make him feel better. When she calls him, Charlie Brown is so tired that he doesn't seem to be listening to what Peppermint Patty is saying. She invites him on a date to the movies, but makes it seem as if Charlie Brown is asking her instead. She says she would go with him to a movie, then hangs up, and goes to sleep feeling good about herself. Charlie Brown then suddenly wakes up and wonders what he was doing by the phone, thinking he just dreamt he was talking to Peppermint Patty.

The next day, Peppermint Patty is waiting for Charlie Brown to pick her up for their date. Marcie goes to him at the wall, and asks why he looks so tired. He tells her that for some strange reason, he woke up at midnight by the phone, after dreaming he spoke to Peppermint Patty. She realizes what is happening, and tells Peppermint Patty that he's not coming. She doesn't believe her and continues to wait.

Later that day, Peppermint Patty calls Charlie Brown because she is angry that he didn't show up for their date. She continues to bother him, but says she won't take revenge on him, and when they hang up, he says, "I never know what's going on." Sally expects a phone call from Linus, and Charlie Brown reminds her that Linus moved, and that even if he was still here, he wouldn't be calling her. Charlie Brown then shows her a postcard from him which only reads about her: "Have you seen any good movies lately?"

Charlie Brown notices moving trucks in front of the van Pelt house again. He looks to see what is going on, and he is excited to find Linus. He tells him his father didn't like his new job and they are moving back. Just then, Lucy gets out of the car and says, "What kind of a neighborhood is this? It didn't change a bit while we were gone," to which Linus says, "Oh yeah. She's back too," before Snoopy throws Linus his security blanket back ending the film.

In 17th century Paris, Mouseketeers Jerry and his friend Nibbles decide to help themselves to a lavish royal banquet. Tom, in the service of the cardinal, has been ordered to guard the spread from the King's Mouseketeers with his life, under threat of execution by guillotine. Jerry and Nibbles enter the castle hall through a stained-glass window. Jerry releases the rear-end cover on a suit of armor, making a small drawbridge to the windowsill; they sneak into the armor, emerge from the helmet's visor and then parachute onto the table. Jerry lands first, followed by Nibbles who lands on a roasted warthog's mouth, causing him to get stuck. Jerry pulls Nibbles out of its mouth. Afterwards, Nibbles goes inside a big block of cheese, pretending it is a tower with only a few floors. Nibbles waves to Jerry on the top-floor but loses his balance and he falls on an unopened banana, which opens and shoots into Jerry's mouth, causing the brown mouse's body to become banana-shaped. They then unwittingly catch Tom's attention by showering him with champagne after trying to open the cork with the roasted pig's tail.

After hiding from Tom by wearing white paper decorations from the standing rib roast to look like two ribs, Jerry runs off, but little Nibbles begins making a ham sandwich while singing “Alouette” to himself. Tom sneaks up behind him and pokes him with his rapier, and the angry Nibbles yells in protest: “''Hé! Attention là! Vous pourriez faire mal à quelqu'un, Monsieur Pussycat! Pussycat? Au secours! Au secours! Le pussycat! Le pussycat! Au secours du pussycat!''” (Hey! Watch it! You could hurt someone like that, Mister Pussycat! Pussycat? Help! Help! The pussycat! The pussycat! Save me from the pussycat!). But before he can get away, Tom captures him by putting his rapier through Nibbles' tabard. Failing to escape, Nibbles greets him (“''Bonjour, Monsieur Pussycat.''”). Jerry manages to stab Tom in the rear-end to rescue Nibbles, and throws a custard in Tom's face for good measure. A sword fight then ensues, ending with Tom catching Jerry. Nibbles tips a halberd toward Tom and it shaves the tabard and all the fur off the cat's back from head to hind end, revealing a ruffled white underwear.

Nibbles runs away, but is sent flying by Tom into a full wine glass – but Jerry saves him by hurling a tomato at Tom, followed by multiple vegetables and meat chunks. After impaling them all on his rapier, Tom then heats and eats them like a shish kebab. Nibbles, now drunk, climbs out of the glass. He pokes Tom in the rear-end, making him yowl and jump up in pain, as Nibbles waves his sword, yelling: “''Touché, pussycat!''” But as he runs away, Tom catches him. Jerry makes the save by hitting Tom on the head with a mace so hard that the cat falls through the table, before having another swordfight between Tom and Jerry. While this goes on, Nibbles brings along a cannon and stuffs it with everything on the banquet table. Just as Tom catches Jerry, Nibbles lights the cannon and it violently explodes.

As the smoke disappears, Jerry and Nibbles are seen walking triumphantly down the street with some of the stolen banquet food. Suddenly, they look up and see a guillotine in the distance, and with a drumroll the blade comes down, strongly suggesting that Tom was executed to death (although off-screen, in order to comply with the Hays Code). Both mice gulp, and Nibbles sighs: “''Pauvre, pauvre pussycat.''” (“Poor, poor pussycat.”). Then he shrugs, saying: “''C’est la guerre!''” (“That’s war!”). After that, the two Mouseketeers continue their victory march.

Snoopy is performing guard duty for Peppermint Patty, but gets sidetracked when he meets a beautiful poodle named Fifi (called Genevieve in this special). Soon after, Snoopy decides to get married, and wants his brother Spike to be the Best Beagle at his wedding, resulting in Spike traveling a long way from Needles, California and trying to earn money by competing in a dog race, only to be disqualified for being a beagle and not a greyhound.

Snoopy is at first excited, but soon grows nervous at the prospect of marriage, acting miserable at his own bachelor party, and even breaking down into tears hours before the wedding. At the ceremony, everything is in order, until it seems Genevieve is late. Lucy soon arrives with news that Genevieve fell in love with a golden retriever and ran off with him, meaning that the wedding is off. Snoopy is heartbroken at first, but soon lightens up at the prospect of remaining a bachelor, and enjoys salad with Woodstock. Spike returns home to his residence, a gigantic hollowed-out cactus with electricity and modern amenities, and the show ends by Spike enjoying part of the wedding cake by himself.

Spike waves to a young woman driving an old red Chevrolet pickup truck through the desert of Needles, California every day; it is the highlight of his day. In this combined animated and live-action special, we meet her, aerobics instructor Jenny, who wants to be a big city jazz dancer. She and Spike drive around, looking at the desert scenery and spending some time at a roller rink. However, when Spike is accidentally thrown out of the rink, he runs off, and is pursued by people on a nighttime coyote hunt.

A sub-plot sees Jenny's boyfriend, Jeff, set up an audition for her, which she is angry about because he did it without consulting her.

Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, Captain America, the Hulk, and Wolverine have been selected by Iron Man to command large robotic suits of armor to fight evil when a threat for a single superhero becomes too large. Doctor Octopus stole Iron Man's designs and made his own Mega Morph, and was out to create a device that would sap the world's superhumans of all their powers, and would allow Octavius and Doctor Doom to take over the Earth until the original Mega Morphs stopped him.

Boris, an apprentice film director, meets Marilyne, a young senior executive, during an evening in Paris and they declare their love for one another, despite their barely knowing each other. Five years later, during a business trip to the Balearic Islands, with Boris and their children, Marilyne runs away at the very moment when Boris is going to leave her. Five years down the road, Marilyne reappears at the other end of the Pyrenees mountains, with a group of Americans. The man who will be their guide is none other than Boris, who is unrecognisable.

The book is divided into three sections, written in completely different styles of prose, and follows James T. "Joker" Davis through his enlistment in the United States Marine Corps and deployment to Vietnam.

Joker and his fellow Marines refer to military personnel in various ways. A "short" service-member, or "short-timer", is one who is approaching the end of his tour of duty in Vietnam, described in the novel as 385 days for Marines and 365 days for members of other armed services. "Lifers" are distinguished not necessarily by their length of time served, but rather by their attitude toward the lower ranks. (Joker describes the distinction as follows: "A lifer is anybody who abuses authority he doesn't deserve to have. There are plenty of civilian lifers.") Finally, the term "poges" (an alternative spelling for the slang term "pogues") is short for "Persons Other than Grunts"—Marines who fill non-combat roles such as cooks, clerks, and mechanics. Poges are a favorite target of the front-line troops' derision, and vice versa.

"The Spirit of the Bayonet"

During Joker's days in recruit training at Parris Island, a drill instructor, Gunnery Sergeant Gerheim, breaks the men's spirits and then rebuilds them as brutal killers. Here, Joker befriends two recruits nicknamed "Cowboy" and "Gomer Pyle". The latter, whose real name is Leonard Pratt, earns the wrath of both Gerheim and the rest of the platoon through his ineptitude and weak character. Though he eventually shows great improvement and wins honors at graduation, the constant abuse unbalances his mind. In a final act of madness, he kills Gerheim and then himself in front of the whole platoon.

"Body Count"

In 1968, during a tour of duty in Vietnam, Joker runs across Cowboy in Da Nang. The two are now, respectively, a war correspondent for the Marines and the assistant leader of the Lusthog Squad. As the Tet Offensive begins, Joker is dispatched to Phu Bai with his photographer, Rafter Man. Here, Joker unwillingly accepts a promotion from corporal to sergeant, and the two journalists travel to Huế to cover the enemy's wartime atrocities and meet Cowboy again. During a battle, Joker is knocked unconscious by a concussion blast and experiences a psychedelic dream sequence. When he comes to several hours later, he learns that the platoon commander was killed by a friendly grenade, and the squad leader went insane and was killed by North Vietnamese Army troops while attacking one of their positions with a BB gun. Later, Joker and Rafter Man battle a sniper who killed another Lusthog Marine and an entire second squad; the battle ends with Rafter Man's first confirmed kill and Cowboy being wounded slightly. As Joker and Rafter Man start back to Phu Bai, Rafter Man panics and dashes into the path of an oncoming tank, which fatally crushes him. Joker is reassigned to Cowboy's squad as a rifleman, as punishment for wearing an unauthorized peace button on his uniform.

"Grunts"

Now stationed at Khe Sanh with Cowboy's squad, Joker accompanies them on a patrol through the surrounding jungle. They encounter another sniper here, who wounds three of the men multiple times. After the company commander goes insane and starts babbling nonsense over the radio, Cowboy decides to pull the squad back and retreat, rather than sacrifice everyone trying to save the wounded men. Animal Mother, the squad's M60 machine gunner, threatens Cowboy's life and refuses to retreat. Promoting Joker to squad leader, Cowboy runs in with his pistol and kills each victim with a shot to the head. However, he is mortally wounded in the process, and before he can kill himself, the sniper shoots him through the hand. Realizing his duty to Cowboy and the squad, Joker kills Cowboy and leads the rest of the men away.

Dorothy has decided to return to Oz with Toto using the ruby slippers that showed up on her doorstep. Upon arriving there, she reunites with Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion. Dorothy learns from Glinda that the Wicked Witch of the West has been resurrected by Truckle and his fellow winged monkeys. With the Wicked Witch of the West back from the dead, the Emerald City has been taken over by her and she has stolen the gifts that were given to Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion. The Wizard is in his hot air balloon, which is under a spell that causes it to be constantly blown around by an evil wind. Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion set out to rescue him and defeat the Wicked Witch once and for all.

Phil is an extraterrestrial with shape-shifting ability and telekinetic powers. After crash-landing in Northern Ontario, Phil befriends a red neck child, his father, and a talking beaver as he wanders the Canadian wilderness. Phil is soon introduced to the trappings of small town northern Ontario and adopts the persona and mannerisms of a stereotypical Canadian small town alcoholic while hiding from the ineffectual and mentally traumatized military general who is trying to capture him. Hilarity ensues as his telekinetic powers convince some that he is the Christian messiah and soon joins a local rock band as a singer. A cold hearted assassin from Quebec attempts to end his existence as he and the band go out on tour. The ending consists of suspense, treachery, and dolphins.

Robin Turner is an inept hairdresser. He does hair and makeup for the local drag shows but longs to get up on stage himself. His best friend Liza is schizophrenic; she had been institutionalized but decided to leave the facility and be Robin's roommate.

Liza has a delusional episode in which she believes that "The Bonecrusher" from "The Other Place" is lying on top of her. Robin helps her push the Bonecrusher off and Liza tells him about the Other Place and her friend from there, Zara. Zara protects her from the Bonecrusher, who tells Liza that she is "the one born dead" and wants to take her to live in the Other Place forever.

A social worker visits Liza and they review Liza's lengthy list of medications. The social worker stresses that it would be very dangerous for Liza to become pregnant. When Robin comes home from work, Liza is excited that she was able to function with the social worker. Robin, however, is upset: a client had urged him to be adventurous with her hairstyle but then reacted badly when Robin styled her like Elizabeth Taylor in ''Cleopatra''.

Robin and Liza meet Robin's friend Perry and Liza's friend from the institution, Martin. Martin seems to suffer from some form of paranoid delusions, believing that his eyes are turning Chinese and ranting about Mao Zedong. Perry and Robin discuss their costumes for an upcoming Halloween party. Perry decides to go as Karen Black as the flight attendant from ''Airport 1975''. Liza suggests that Robin go as Tallulah Bankhead and agrees to make his dress.

Robin is a smash at the Halloween party, winning first prize in the costume contest, and offered the chance to perform regularly. His boss at the hair salon, a closet case who thinks women won't want to have their hair done by "fags", is at first reluctant to give Robin the time off to shop for fabric for new dresses but finally relents. Robin debuts at the club as Bette Davis, doing a routine mocking Joan Crawford's performances in ''Mildred Pierce'', ''Autumn Leaves'', and ''What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' while singing live rather than lip synching.

Meanwhile, Liza is continuing therapy. She keeps a journal of her thoughts and dreams and reads them for her psychiatrist, who suggests that she return to the institution. She adamantly refuses. Her doctor again cautions her to avoid pregnancy. Liza's lesbian editor friend Anne reads through Liza's journal and tells her that she might be able to sell some of her stories.

Robin continues to make appearances at the club, including a turn as Barbra Streisand, but loses his day job after a client complains to the salon owner. Liza, who is somewhat sexually promiscuous, has become pregnant. With bills piling up, Robin leaves Canada for New York City seeking success as a female impersonator. On his way to his first gig at the Jackrabbit Club, he meets Bob, a cab driver who was formerly a talent agent and agrees to allow Bob to represent him.

Robin performs "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" while rapidly changing drag personas, starting off as Carol Channing then transforming into Marlene Dietrich, Ethel Merman, Ella Fitzgerald, Pearl Bailey, and Bette Midler before concluding as Carol again. As an encore he performs "Give My Regards to Broadway" as Judy Garland. Robin is a triumph and books a regular slot at the club.

Liza enters the hospital to give birth; tragically, the baby is stillborn. She goes into a deep depression, calling Robin to tell him about the stillbirth and that she believes now that she is "the one born dead." Robin has Bob drive him to Canada to retrieve Liza. Together at his New York apartment, Liza remains completely withdrawn; Robin instructs Bob to get Liza ready for that night's show at the Jackrabbit.

At the club Robin performs as Peggy Lee, singing "It Ain't Easy" in this crazy world. Liza slowly begins to respond to her surroundings. Following the number, back in Robin's dressing room, Liza expresses how depressed and dead she feels. Robin assures her that she's alive, just crazy, and so is he, and that they need to embrace their madness. At first reluctant, she begins to smile and agree; Robin then pulls her out to the dancefloor where they join the rest of the performers and patrons.

Destiny Astray focuses on war photo-journalist Jess Rabble and his ZGMF-X12 Astray Out Frame. The Astray Out Frame was built by Lowe (using the incomplete frame of a ZAFT ZGMF-X12A Testament), and later given to Jess. Jess is often accompanied by Kaite Madigan, a mercenary and former ZAFT mobile suit pilot who serves as his bodyguard and owns several customized mobile suits of his own. Both are currently employees of a mysterious industrialist named Matias, who claims to have "no grasp of history", therefore he wishes for Jess to record history as it unfolds. Lowe is effectively removed from the story in the first chapter of Destiny Astray where he begins a long journey to Mars. He returns in later chapters that are set two years later. Many other Astray characters, including Gai, Canard, and Rondo Mina, also continue to appear in supporting roles. The story provides the reader with background information not shown in the TV series.

A piglet named Gordy lives a happy life on Meadow Brook Farm somewhere near Hope, Arkansas. However, after the farm's farmer goes bankrupt, he is forced to sell everything, starting with Gordy's family. Two men arrive in a truck to take Gordy's father, but Gordy is alerted of this by the farm's rooster. Gordy tries to stop his father from leaving by following the truck taking his father, but his father tells him to go home and look after the family. When Gordy returns he finds that his mother and siblings were taken in another truck while he pursued his father. Determined to locate his family and return to the farm, Gordy sets out alone to find them. He eventually ends up in the care of Jinnie Sue MacAllister, a young country singer who lives in a camper van with her also country singer father, Luke, and their "manager", Cousin Jake. Jinnie Sue, not knowing Gordy's name, calls him Pinky.

They travel to a dinner party, where Luke performs for the governor of Arkansas. Also there is rich businessman, Henry R. Royce; his daughter Jessica; her rather dull but scheming fiancé, Gilbert Sipes; and her lonely young son Hanky. Hanky wanders off on his own and meets Gordy and Jinnie Sue. Hanky falls into a swimming pool, but cannot swim. Just as Jinnie Sue rushes off to get help, Gordy dives into the pool with an inflatable pool toy, and saves Hanky. Due to his bravery, Gordy is given to Hanky as a pet, and Gordy also becomes suddenly famous.

Royce and Sipes have alternate decisions on who the new mascot of the Royce Company should be: Gordy or Jessica. In the end, Gordy wins, due to a switched camera lens used on Jessica's promotion. Sipes is determined to remove Gordy and then take control of the company. Sipes sends his two guards, Dietz and Krugman, to kidnap Gordy, but Gordy and Hanky escape by boarding a school bus, which Dietz and Krugman pursue. On the way, the two men are distracted briefly by a cross-dressing thief, and discover that Gordy and Hanky have escaped onto a feeding truck. Gordy and Hanky unexpectedly meet up with the MacAllisters, who learn from the radio that Hanky has apparently run away. Another bulletin follows, revealing Henry Royce has died of a heart attack. The MacAllisters return Hanky and Gordy to the Royce building in St. Louis, Missouri where an attorney reveals Henry has left his company to Hanky and Gordy.

Cousin Jake, upon learning Gordy's family is missing, organizes a giant country-wide search to locate them and also a country music concert in Branson, Missouri in Gordy's name. A host of country singers (Jim Stafford, Moe Bandy, Boxcar Willie, Cristy Lane, Buck Trent, and Mickey Gilley) perform, as well as a surprise speech from President Bill Clinton (voiced by Jim Meskimen), who unveils a new stamp of Gordy. Sipes sends his men to kidnap Gordy, tie him in a sack, and toss him in a river, but the pig is saved by Cousin Jake. Jake returns Gordy to Hanky and Jinnie Sue. Everyone learns from someone who calls into the telethon that Gordy's family is going to be slaughtered at an unidentified slaughterhouse in Nebraska. Sipes tries to hide the fact that the very same slaughterhouse is owned by the Royce family. However, a battle ensues between Sipes and Luke, with Jessica and Luke knocking Sipes out with the suitcase of Brinks, the family attorney. Gordy, Hanky, Jinnie Sue, Jessica, Luke, Cousin Jake, and Brinks race to stop the slaughterhouse from killing Gordy's family, but a train slows them down. Hanky successfully rings the lovestruck supervisor, and the slaughterhouse is shut down just in time. To Gordy's happiness, his family has survived, and he is reunited with his father, who was also about to be killed at the slaughterhouse. The pigs are moved back to the farm, which Luke and Jessica decide to buy with most of the Royce Company profits; the two marry and Hanky, Jinnie Sue, and Cousin Jake move in too. Gordy and his family are finally reunited.

The story focuses on two families, the Jewish Blitzteins and the Cockney Lockes. Mrs Blitztein and Alfie Locke have adjacent stalls on Petticoat Lane: she sells herring, he sells fruit; they do not like each other. Their children, Georgie Locke and Carol Blitztein, are in love with one another.

Act 1

The action opens on Bank underground station where the residents of Petticoat Lane are sheltering from yet another air raid ("Our Hotel"). Amongst them are the two prominent families of the street, the Blitzteins, led by their patriarchal mother, and the Lockes, led by father Alfred. The two welcome home their respective sons Georgie Locke and Harry Blitztein who are home on embarkation leave for a week before shipping out to fight in the army. Harry has a new (older) girlfriend in tow, Joyce, who is not only not Jewish but married, much to his mother's horror. Georgie, meanwhile, has caught sight of Mrs Blitztein's daughter Carol, who has grown into a beautiful young woman during his absence and is instantly smitten.

Carol likewise is rather struck by the young soldier and they quickly hit it off, before their parents interfere, resulting in their usual round of bickering which never involves them directly speaking to each other but rather through other people ("Tell Him, Tell Her"). As the argument settles down, Georgie pulls Harry to one side to inform him that he is in love with Carol. Whilst Harry is not against such a relationship, he advises against it as he knows there could be trouble ("I Wanna Whisper Something"). The wireless is put on so the residents can listen to the news, which includes a speech by Winston Churchill, and a song by Vera Lynn ("The Day After Tomorrow"). Ernie Nearmiss, Alf's best friend and fellow air raid warden, arrives to inform those in the shelter that the Blackwell's house has been destroyed by a bomb and that Mr and Mrs Blackwell were still inside at the time, having refused to go down to the shelter.

Their son Tommy, who is in the shelter with the Blitzteins, is thankfully asleep and doesn't hear, but Mrs Blitztein decides that she will send Tommy with her own son Siddy into the country for safety. Mrs Blitztein then sings Siddy to sleep ("Our Hotel Lullaby"). The next day, the children of the street, apart from Georgie's sister Franie, are assembled to be evacuated and are waved goodbye by their mothers ("We're Going to The Country"). No sooner have the children gone than the bombings get worse; the firemen and air raid patrol are kept very busy and every morning the residents of Petticoat Lane emerge from the shelter not knowing what to expect but determined not to let it get them down ("Another Morning"). On this particular day, they emerge to find the gas mains has been hit and they are not allowed into their homes. Princelet Street has also been completely destroyed leaving several families homeless, including the Murphys and Sens. Alf takes the Murphys in whilst Mrs Blitztein accommodates the Sens. Mrs Blitztein is very frustrated and begins to have a long rant about Hitler, soon joined by the others ("Who's This Geezer Hitler?"). Harry re-appears after a week's disappearance and he is immediately put to work by his mother as punishment for not telling her where he was.

Carol and Georgie manage to get a minute to themselves and it is revealed that they have been spending a lot of time together over the last week. Georgie, prior to leaving for duty the next day, asks Carol if she'll wait for him, but before she can answer their parents appear once again. Mrs Blitztein is in full flow about her children and how they have disappointed her Carol by breaking off her relationship with a Jewish boy because of Georgie, and now Harry for having relations with a married woman ("Be What You Wanna Be"). An official appears on the scene to conduct a census of all the people in the area who have foreign-sounding names to find out how many there are and how long they've been in the area. Whilst this is going on, Alf and Ernie engage in a patriotic rant ("As Long As This Is England"). That night, Carol and Georgie sneak out together to spend one last night together before Georgie goes abroad.

Their parents look for them but in vain. Carol and Georgie have a laugh at both their parents and their stubborn ways, and reflect on how the fact they are from such different backgrounds actually make them more suited ("Opposites"). They are interrupted by the air raid siren but, rather than go down to the shelter, they take cover in a doorway ("Magic Doorway"). Mrs Blitztein, searching for Harry, discovers them and is not less than impressed. Georgie volunteers to pay Joyce a visit and see if Harry is there. Carol meanwhile goes to find Harry herself, leaving Mrs Blitztein alone with her cake tin ("Bake a Cake"). She then overhears Buddyboy and Bird in the process of stealing lead pipes and is shocked to discover Harry amongst them. Harry announces to his mother he is not going back to the army as he's had enough. Mrs Blitztein is about to go after him when a bomb goes off nearby, followed by a scream from Carol.

The next day at Victoria Station, Georgie is waiting for Carol to see him off and for Harry to report for duty. When Harry doesn't show, Elsie, his former girlfriend who is still rather taken with him, tries to buy him time by distracting the Sergeant Major ("Leave It To The Ladies"). Mrs Blitztein arrives after having been at the hospital with Carol all night and is upset that Harry has not turned up. She informs Georgie that Carol was unable to come and see him off. Georgie informs Mrs Blitztein of his love for Carol and his intention to marry her when he returns, and is surprised when she agrees and seems more gentle towards him than before. The soldiers depart and Mrs Blitztein is left alone.

Act 2

Act Two opens six months later with Carol (now blind after the bomb blast) alone on Petticoat Lane, thinking of Georgie, who she has not seen at all in that time ("Far Away"). The Sunday market is slowly beginning to set up and people are discussing Carol and how the bombing seems to have calmed down at last. Alf is pleased as he's had a letter from Georgie to say he's coming home for good after losing a kidney, and, even better, he doesn't want Carol or her mother to know he's coming, which Alf believes means he's going to finish with Carol.

The market is soon in full swing ("Petticoat Lane") and the children return from the country ("We've Been To See The Country"). The market starts its usual business, with Elsie commenting on the variety of people one meets at the Petticoat Lane market ("Down The Lane"). Carol, who is helping out on her Mum's pickled herring stall, asks Mrs Blitztein if what Franie has told her about Georgie coming home is true. Mrs Blitztein is forced to admit it is. Carol is confused as to why Georgie did not tell her he was coming home and worries that he has gone off her because she is blind. Mrs Blitztein tries to reassure her daughter but is secretly thinking the same thing. The Military Police arrive to enquire about Harry's whereabouts as he is still on the run from the army. They are followed by Joyce who has not seen Harry herself in a long time. Mrs Blitztein is in despair her daughter is blind and unhappy and her son is a crook on the run. In a moment of desperation, she offers up a prayer to her late husband Jack, pleading for guidance ("So Tell Me Jack").

That evening, the adults are assembling in the pub, leaving the children outside to amuse themselves with a game of Mums and Dads ("Mums and Dads"). After the other children are scared off by Tommy Blackwell and his horror book, Georgie emerges from the pub very drunk and depressed. Feeling a failure as a soldier, a son and a boyfriend, he is drowning his sorrows. He is approached by Harry, who reveals that he has spent the last six months working on the black market and hiding from the military but has come back to see Carol having only just heard about what happened in the explosion. Georgie confesses that he too is yet to see Carol and it's clear that whilst he wants to see her, he's too scared to do so. He makes out that Harry had the right idea running away, missing out on the fighting and death. Harry, on the other hand, seems to be fed up with life on the run and is clearly beginning to wish he had just faced his duty. The two agree to meet up later in the evening due to the area where they are being too public.

Georgie, now alone, goes into a drunken rant ("Who Wants To Settle Down"). Mrs Blitztein is next to discover him and she welcomes him home while trying to sound him out about Carol. Georgie admits the army was too much for him as all the killing and violence has altered his view on life and Carol probably wouldn't like the new him. Mrs Blitztein rubbishes the whole thing, telling Georgie that everyone has had to put up with the same thing at home and it hasn't changed any of them. She tells Georgie that she's very proud of him for going to fight for them and facing up to his responsibilities, unlike Harry of whom she is very ashamed. She admits she misjudged Georgie because of her dislike of his father but tells him that she would be proud to have Georgie in her family. Georgie admits he still loves Carol as much as he ever did, if not more, but he doesn't think he's good enough for her. Mrs Blitztein informs him that in Carol's eyes no one else apart from Georgie would be good enough. She goes to fetch Carol, whilst Georgie is reunited with his father and Franie.

Carol is brought to Georgie and the two enjoy an emotional reunion, during which Georgie proposes ("Is This Gonna Be A Wedding!"). Whilst preparations are made, Harry encounters Mrs Smith, who informs him of the impending marriage. Harry then breaks off his agreement with Buddyboy and Bird. At the wedding ("Is This Gonna Be a Wedding! (Reprise)"), Alf is still not happy about his son marrying a Blitztein but resigns himself to it, although not without a few snide remarks, particularly towards Mrs Blitztein. Georgie and Carol share their first dance ("Far Away (Waltz Reprise)"). Harry then appears to congratulate Georgie and Carol and announce he is going to fulfil his rightful duty by returning to the army ("Duty Calls"). The wedding party depart and Mrs Blitztein is left alone when a bomb hits. She is rescued from the rubble by Alf but neither are very gracious either in thanking or receiving that thanks and they leave still arguing, although in a huge step forward they are conversing directly rather than through other people. The crowd once again come together in union ("Who's This Geezer Hitler? Reprise").

Pepi, a young independent woman living in Madrid, is filling up her Superman sticker album when she receives an unexpected visit from a neighbour policeman who has spotted her marijuana plants whilst spying on her via binoculars from across the street. Pepi tries to buy his silence with an offer of anal sex, but instead the policeman rapes her. Thirsty for revenge, Pepi arranges for her friend Bom, a teenage punk singer, and her band, Bomitoni (Bom and Toni and also a pun of ''vomitoni'', or "big puke"), to beat up the policeman. Wearing Madrilenian costumes and singing a ''zarzuela'', Pepi's friends give the man a merciless beating one night. However, the next day Pepi realises that they had attacked the policeman's innocent twin brother by mistake.

Undaunted, Pepi decides on a more complex form of revenge. She befriends the policeman's docile wife, Luci, from Murcia, with the excuse of receiving knitting lessons. Pepi's idea is to corrupt Luci and take her away from the wife-beating policeman. During the first knitting class, Pepi's friend, Bom, arrives at the apartment heading for the restroom in order to pee. This leads to the suggestion that, since Luci feels hot, Bom should stand on a chair and urinate over Luci's face. Bom's aggressive behaviour satisfies Luci's masochism and the two women become lovers. Back home, Luci has an argument with her husband in which she complains about what he had done to Pepi. When he threatens to whip and kick her out, with a renewed sense of liberation Luci leaves her husband and her home, moving in with Bom.

The three friends, Pepi, Luci and Bom are immersed in Madrid's youth scene, attending parties, clubs, concerts and meeting outrageous characters. In one of the concerts, Bom sings with her band, the Bomitonis, a song called ''Murciana marrana'' ("The slut from Murcia"). Luci becomes a proud groupie. The highlight of one of the parties is a penis size contest called ''Erecciones Generales'' (General Erections), a competition looking for the biggest, most svelte, most inordinate penis. The winner receives the opportunity to do what he wants, how he wants, with whomever he wants. He selects Luci to give him oral sex, which makes her the most envied woman at the party.

Eventually Pepi is forced to find work as her father decides to stop her income. She becomes a creative writer for advertising spots designing ads for sweating, menstruating dolls and multipurpose panties that absorb urine and can double as a dildo. Pepi also begins to write a script which will be the story of lesbian lovers Luci and Bom. The chauvinist policeman is desperately looking for his wife. Meanwhile, he takes advantage of naive neighbour Charito, who is in love with Juan, his twin brother. Pretending to be Juan, the policeman slaps, then sexually assaults Charito.

Finally, the policeman finds Luci coming out of a disco and kidnaps her from her two friends. He gives Luci a terrible beating that sends her to the hospital, where Pepi and Bom visit her. They quickly realise that they have lost Luci. She has decided to return to the person who mistreats her best – her sadistic and tyrannical husband. His brutality is what Luci has always wanted or became accustomed to. Bruised and bandaged in her hospital bed, Luci tells Bom she is returning to him for a life of abuse. Bom is lost without Luci and laments that pop is also out of fashion. Pepi has the solution to both problems. Bom should move in with Pepi as her bodyguard and start singing boleros.

The protagonist, a boy called Paul Crabbe, is taught piano by his teacher (or maestro), Eduard Keller. Paul dislikes his teacher at first, but by the end of the book has grown to appreciate him dearly. Paul learns the limits of his own musical ability through Keller, but he also grows to understand himself and Keller enough to write the novel. He also has a loving relationship with his sweetheart, Rosie.

This book has an ongoing theme of contrasts, including the difference's between Paul's mother and father; Vienna and Darwin; high culture vs. low culture; and the contrast of Paul as an adolescent and Paul as an adult. Throughout the narration, Paul slowly comes to realisation that he is now learning from the maestro, and his talent starts growing day by day.

The maestro, Eduard Keller, lost his family during The Holocaust, despite performing private concerts for Adolf Hitler in the belief that he would spare Keller's Jewish family.

For Keller, the grand piano is his sanctity and security, helping him deal with the horrors of the world "safe beneath that grand piano", and likewise offering him a way of deconstructing life. As Paul matures, Keller's phrasings, which seemed absurd in adolescence, ossify into a "musical bible whose texts I knew by heart"..

Keller originates from Vienna, where he was a renowned musician "becoming so visible so that nothing can touch him", therefore believing he is exempt from the effects of war. Eventually he lost his wife and son, leading him to disappear from the country and leaving everyone believing he was dead. Filled with remorse and regret, Keller transforms and evolves to become a completely different man, "if we are discussing the same man how different our two versions". Keller understands the frivolities and foolish nature of human society, passed onto Paul in the form of clippings from newspapers, Keller's "textbooks". "The thousands of stories of human foolishness and greed and cruelty that he had tried to patch together into some kind of understanding of his fellow beings" depicts Keller's knowledge.

When Paul initially began lessons with Keller, his first impressions were misleading, as Keller has "a boozers incandescent glow" and "I'd seen nothing like him before." As Paul matures, his attitudes towards the Maestro become warmer and they develop an unexpressed bond. "I slipped my arm beneath his head and kissed him" represent Paul's final realisation of his connection with Keller in death. Throughout his life, Paul took the Maestro for granted, believing his advice was "irritating – and also contradictory". After Keller's death, Paul realises the opportunities Keller had presented him. "Mourning for a great man, yes, but also mourning for myself – for times and possibilities that will never come again." Throughout the novella the tone shifts from egotism and selfishness to regret and wisdom depicting Paul's growth.

''Maestro'' has themes of adolescence and growing up. Paul is educated about life through music and Keller's experiences in Vienna and understanding of human nature. The book tracks Paul as he develops into a responsible, mature man from an obnoxious, egotistical teenager.

Battle Athletes

''Battle Athletes'' is a six-episode OVA set in the distant future where, after many years of war with an extraterrestrial race, a contest of physical strength between one representative from each race is agreed. Although the alien race is far superior to the humans, the human champion prevailed, marking an era of peace for humanity. A University Satellite is created where the greatest athletes of the age train with women competing for the title of Cosmic Beauty.

Akari Kanzaki, daughter of a former Cosmic Beauty, arrives at the University Satellite excited and ready to compete. After watching defending Cosmic Beauty Lahrri run faster than she ever has despite the artificial gravity being turned up, Akari realizes just how far she needs to go. Helping her are her fellow team members and roommates Kris Christopher, a soon-to-be priestess from the moon, and Anna Respighi, a shy girl with a secret so hidden even she is unaware of it. Kris is marked as a standout athlete and competes on a level near Lahrri drawing the wrath of another top competitor Mylandah onto the team as they prepare for the final competition.

Battle Athletes Victory

The television series is not a sequel to the OVA, but a complete retelling of the story. The basic premise of the series remain intact, as Akari still strives for the title of Cosmic Beauty, but the plot line and characterizations are often radically different. The characters and stories of this series tend to be more outrageous in tone than the first series.

The story begins with Akari Kanzaki at a school on Antarctica in the year 4999. There are a series of tests that she and her classmates must go through to determine who'll be the representatives to go to University Satellite, a satellite training facility. Living under the shadow of her mother, the legendary Cosmic Beauty Tomoe Midou, Akari, emotionally fragile in this version, struggles as the worst athlete at the training school. Eventually, with the help of her best friend Ichan, Akari succeeds in making it to the University Satellite where she competes for the title of Cosmic Beauty and trains for a mission that will decide the fate of the human race.

Battle Athletes Victory ReSTART!

In the year 5100, elite athletes from around the solar system compete to become Cosmic Beauty, the champion of a huge athletic tournament.

The young man Knight lives with his fairy friend Nehani in the town of Orgo. The Mayor of Orgo gives Knight a task of taking a letter to the nearby town of San Claria. During his return journey, Knight is gifted the creature named Baby in a blinding flash of light. A mysterious voice tells the boy to take this Baby to the God's Tower, his home. Knight takes the creature to the mayor who tells him to dispose of it in a local cave. Later, Knight has remorse for abandoning the infant, and decides to rescue him and deliver him to God's Tower. After a harrowing escape from monsters in the cave, the trio head out toward God's Tower. They eventually meet a man named Darkbeat, and his sister Ibkee. Ibkee has been cursed by a man named Karmine, and Darkbeat has been seeking him for vengeance.

Furthering their adventure with a water-bug named Chester, the group eventually meet a knight named Kalkanor, his sorceress companion Ramal and a mysterious wizard Gwinladin. Kalkanor believes he is on a divine mission to defeat several evil monsters, he and Knight cross paths many times assisting one another. Knight also meets the mysterious Artemia Cult, who revel in manipulating the populace. Eventually the group arrives at God's Tower, where they encounter a man named Karmine. Karmine is revealed to be the leader of the Artemia Cult, and is planning to resurrect the evil god Xizan. Kalkanor arrives, and Gwinladin reveals he has been working for Karmine the whole time. Karmine had manipulated Kalkanor into killing the Divine Beasts to weaken the seal on Xizan. Karmine betrays Gwinladin, and transform him into a dragon before beginning his ascent of the tower. Kalkanor is not strong enough to defeat it, thus it falls to Knight. After the battle, Kalkanor asks Knight to face Karmine and save the world. Knight and Baby begin to climb the tower. Upon arriving at the top, they meet Karmine as well as Darkbeat and Ibkee. Karmine had just finished killing the final beast, Baby's mother. Darkbeat attempts to fight Karmine, but he is too powerful. Karmine faces off against Knight, intent on killing Baby and summoning Xizan. Killing Baby, Karmine receives a crystal and summons Xizan. Knight battles Karmine and wins. Celestia, Baby's mother revives Baby and the God's Tower begins to collapse. Baby has Knight ride him and Baby begins to fly from the Tower. In a flash of light the group is blown off course.

Awakening in Picard, the group meet Darkbeat and Ibkee again. They are told of a legendary warrior who will do battle with Xizan. Knight is given the location of several pieces of legendary armor. Upon retrieval, Knight is told that he is the legendary hero, and he faces off against Darwin the ancient legendary hero. Upon his victory Knight is blessed with the legendary armor and the power to defeat Xizan. The group head for the final confrontation. However they are accosted by Karmine once again. However he is distracted by Darkbeat, who successfully seeks his vengeance.

Xizan towers over the group, but after a fierce battle, Baby begins to reseal Xizan. However, Xizan uses a powerful attack that severely weakens the group. Nehani confesses her love for Knight before sacrificing herself to weaken Xizan. Attacking his weakened form, the duo are able to defeat Xizan. Afterwards, Nehani has been revived as a normal person. She and Knight settle down in Orgo with Baby. The game ends with a sepia tone picture of the three of them, happy.

Setting

In ''Martian Gothic'', the player is able to assume the role of three characters sent from Earth to a Martian base called Vita-01. The base was the first human settlement on Mars. The team has been sent to examine why it has been silent for ten months. The last broadcast from the base simply stated: “Stay alone, stay alive.” Upon arrival the player finds that all the residents are apparently dead and must gradually uncover the secrets and nature the last undertaking by Vita-01's crew; the discovery of ancient Martian "Pandora's Box" which, when opened, started a chain of chaotic events that led to the base's downfall, and death of almost all of its inhabitants. However, during the player's progress of uncovering the truth, searching for any possible survivors, and solving Vita-01's many mounting problems, the player finds that the dead crew has become re-animated and begin attacking the player. When the player enters the base each character states that the decontamination process felt wrong. The three characters must not meet due to a threatening alien presence that would cause them to mutate into a “trimorph” if they did.

The Vita-01 base was constructed in 2009 by the Allenby Corporation, implied to be Earth's most powerful megacorporation, to research potential alien life from microfossils on Mars, after discovering in 1996 that a Martian meteorite found in 1984 contains ancient bacteria which had crashed in Antarctica in 11,000 BC. Vita-01 is situated very close to Olympus Mons which can be partially visited by the player upon access to the underground "Necropolis" zone, the human-excavated ruins of an old Martian city of Vita-01.

Conrad Veidt plays Dr. Warren (the Dr. Jekyll character) who changes into Mr. O'Connor (Mr. Hyde). This transformation is brought about, not by experimentation with chemicals as in Stevenson's novel, but through the supernatural agency of a bust of Janus (the Roman God of the Doorway), which Warren purchases in the opening sequence as a gift for his sweetheart, Jane Lanyon (Margarete Schlegel). When she refuses the gift, horrified, Warren is forced to keep the statuette himself.

It is at this point Dr. Warren first transforms into the gruesome Mr. O'Connor, and returns to Jane's house in a rage, kidnapping her and taking her back to his laboratory. Upon recovery, Warren is horrified by what he has done and tries to sell the bust at auction, but the hold it has over him forces him to buy it right back again.

A second transformation proves to be his ruin, causing him to commit random acts of violence in the streets. Ultimately, the fiend is forced to take poison after locking himself in his laboratory. He dies as Mr. O'Connor, clutching the statue to his chest.

Tomba – having grown into a young man since his previous adventure – receives an envelope containing his insect friend Zippo, who reports that the Evil Pigs have invaded a neighboring land and that Tomba's girlfriend Tabby has disappeared. Tomba leaps into the sea in search of her and winds up in a fisherman village where he meets an old man named Kainen. From there he moves on to the Coal-Mining Town where Tabby's house is, but discovers that she is absent. Gran, a denizen of the Coal-Mining Town, mentions seeing Tabby travel to the Kujara Ranch by trolley, but the trolley she used to travel there returns empty. A panicking trolley worker reveals that the Evil Pigs kidnapped Tabby when she tried to protect a pendant that was given to her by Tomba as a gift. Gran explains that the Evil Pigs have cursed the entire continent, and gives Tomba a red Pig Bag that is capable of capturing the Flame Pig that has cast his spell on the mines. Tomba ventures throughout the continent gathering the rest of the Pig Bags. After Tomba captures the five Evil Pigs and lifts their spells over the land, their leader, the Last Evil Pig, reveals himself to Tomba and tempts him to find his lair. Tomba locates the Last Evil Pig in an underground area underneath the Coal-Mining Town, where the Last Evil Pig freezes time in a last-ditch effort to stop Tomba. A final battle against the Last Evil Pig ends with his capture, but he promises his eventual return. Tomba finds Tabby in the Last Evil Pig's lair and they escape the collapsing area on the back of the flying dog Baron. Following a feast at Tabby's home, Kainen may appear and reward Tomba with a tuxedo if all the events were completed. Tomba is allowed to pilot the local windmill owner's new boat to return home, but he crashes it soon after departing.

Birdy Cephon Altera is a Federation agent chasing interplanetary criminals to the planet Earth. While in pursuit of one such criminal, she accidentally kills a high school boy named Tsutomu Senkawa. However, there is a way to keep him alive. He ends up being merged into Birdy's body and must remain so until the repair of his body is complete.

So, Tsutomu is stuck sharing a body with an attractive, strong, and impulsive space police agent while trying to keep his family and friends from finding out about Birdy. In the meantime, Birdy continues her investigation. Together, they take on a secretive group of evil aliens planning to perform experiments on the unsuspecting inhabitants of Earth.

Doug Ireland is a concierge at the Bradbury, a luxurious hotel in New York City. Doug is very well-connected and is very good at his job, giving personal attention to guests like Gene Salvatore while occasionally pocketing a big tip. He also helps people who don’t tip as well, such as Harry Wegman. Doug's dream is to open his own hotel on Roosevelt Island. He has saved every cent and obtained an option on an old hotel. But he only has a few weeks to begin development and needs at least $3 million immediately to start or the development goes back to the city.

Doug's best chance is Christian Hanover, a somewhat unscrupulous billionaire. Christian considers the proposal and asks Doug to "take care" of his mistress, Andy Hart, a perfume saleswoman. Christian has been leading Andy on, making her believe that he was divorcing his wife. Doug had been flirting with Andy before he knew she was seeing Christian, and had asked her out multiple times. However, she always stated that she had a boyfriend. Doug spends time with Andy when Christian neglects her, (as a “favor” for Christian) and he saves Andy and Christian from an embarrassing scene at a party in Christian's house with his wife, Elenor.

Doug learns that Christian is deceiving Andy about getting a divorce, stating, “you don’t divorce your third wife”. But because his hotel proposal is urgent and Andy is old enough to make her own decisions, he doesn't intervene. However, as he and Andy spend time together, he develops feelings for her, going to an elegant restaurant with her after Christian is late due to a date with his wife. He simultaneously helps Wegman with his failing marriage, helping him get his wife to love him again.

Andy learns that a document Christian has asked Doug to sign was intended to permit the billionaire to take over the hotel project and force Doug out. Christian reveals that an IRS agent who was tailing Doug about the real estate property he (Doug) bought until he (Christian) and his lawyers took care of it was actually working with Christian to get the property. Christian smugly tells Andy that the project was going to make a fortune and he wasn't going to share it with a mere concierge. Andy abandons him to warn Doug, who is chasing after her to tell her Christian isn’t divorcing his wife. After the two reunite at the Queensboro Bridge and reveal to each other about the deception, Doug says he never signed the document due to leaving to warn Andy, so Christian can't take over the property.

In the end, after Doug and Andy marry, he gets a call from Wegman, who despite his frugalness is a successful financier, has accidentally been sent Doug's business plan by a senile member of the hotel staff Doug refused to fire and has decided to put up the $3 million that Doug needs.

At the dawn of Japan's Azuchi-Momoyama period (the late 16th century) two rival ninja clans, the Iga Tsubagakure and Kouga Manjidani, are engaged in a bitter blood feud that has spanned for centuries. The fighting finally ends when Hattori Hanzō the 1st succeeds in forging a cease fire between the two clans by conscripting both into the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu (the man who seized power to become Shogun and form Japan's first truly stable form of centralized government). Regardless, hostilities and bad blood remain between Kouga and Iga, ensuring a tenuous co-existence at best.

Fast forward to the year 1614; Ieyasu has retired from power (although he still wields considerable influence within the government) and passed the torch to his son Hidetada. Unfortunately, a succession dispute has risen concerning which of Ieyasu's grandsons are destined to take up the reins of power when their father finally decides to step down. The various government retainers are beginning to take sides and the Tokugawa Shogunate is on the verge of tearing itself apart.

In order to solve the problem before it spirals out of control, Ieyasu orders the no hostilities pact between Kouga and Iga canceled and promptly commands each clan to send 10 of their best ninja to enter a ruthless and bloody competition of kill or be killed. Each clan will represent one of the two factions supporting Ieyasu's grandsons; the names of their selected fighters recorded on two identical scrolls to be marked out in blood upon their death. The clan that slays the chosen ten of the other will be given favor for a thousand years while the grandson they represent will be pronounced the undisputed heir to the Shogunate.

Prior to the conflicts renewal, Kouga and Iga's two young heirs (Gennosuke and Oboro respectively) were betrothed to each other in the hopes that their union would finally dispel their clan's long-seated animosity toward each other. Forced headlong onto separate sides of a conflict they want no part of, Gennosuke and Oboro must now choose whether to kill the person they love or lead their entire clan to annihilation.

A disaster of some type has occurred, of which the audience only knows that uncontaminated water is scarce, and livestock has to be burned. Having fled Paris, the Laurent family arrives at their country home, hoping to find refuge and security, only to discover that it is already occupied by strangers.

The family is assaulted by the strangers and forced to leave, with no supplies or transport. As they seek help from people they have known in the village, they are repeatedly turned away. The family makes its way to a train station where they wait with other survivors, in the hope that a train will stop for them and take them back to the city.

''Colour Me Kubrick'' begins with a direct homage to ''A Clockwork Orange'' in the aftermath of one of Alan Conway's (Malkovich) minor cons: two thugs are sent to collect a bar bill that Conway has generated by impersonating Kubrick. Unbeknown to them, Conway has provided the address of an elderly couple as Kubrick's home address. Conway is nowhere to be seen and after the thugs cause a ruckus outside the house, the police are called and they are arrested.

Following these events, the audience is taken through several of Conway's scams, including tricking a fashion designer, members of a heavy metal band, and a popular bar owner. All of the victims are deceived into giving "Kubrick" sums of money, free food and drinks, and even sexual favours. Conway actually knows little about Kubrick or his films, so he simply puts on a different persona—from reserved English gentleman to flamboyant Jewish stereotype—with each victim. Conway deceives just about everyone he meets into believing he is the reclusive director, except for a rent boy at a bar, who tests Conway by saying that his favourite Kubrick film is ''Judgment at Nuremberg''; when Conway begins an anecdote about directing the film, the young man tells him casually that ''Judgment at Nuremberg'' was in fact directed by Stanley Kramer, and Conway walks away.

Conway also has a run-in with Frank Rich (William Hootkins), a journalist from ''The New York Times''. He meets Rich and his wife in a restaurant and confronts him about an article ''The New York Times'' ran on the real Kubrick. He is personally offended that the paper called Kubrick a recluse, and wants them to know that he shaved off his beard. After this chance meeting, Rich investigates Kubrick and finds a picture of him, learning that the real Kubrick looks nothing like the man he met in the restaurant. Rich then instigates Kubrick to look further into the identity of the con man.

One of the biggest scams is when Conway promises to help establish Lee Pratt (Jim Davidson) as a headliner act in Las Vegas. Pratt is a British entertainer who's had limited success as a flamboyant dancer and stage singer. Pratt is described as a "low-rent Liberace with an Elvis gleam in his eye." Conway makes huge promises to get Pratt a permanent seat in the spotlight in Las Vegas.

While Pratt, Conway, and Pratt's manager try to decide how to conquer America, Conway lives a life of luxury at Pratt's expense. He sleeps in a high class hotel consuming vodka and cigarettes until a cleaning woman, possibly under the direction of Pratt's manager, discovers a passport with his real moniker printed inside. Conway is thrown out of Pratt's life and off of a pier in a visual and musical homage to ''A Clockwork Orange''.

From there, Rich exposes Alan's lies, and Conway is sent to a hospital after an apparent nervous breakdown which (of course) is just another one of Conway's elaborate ruses. His case is published by his doctor in the medical literature and, courtesy of the British government, he is sent to the Rimini Clinic, a centre where celebrities go for rehabilitation.

Conway is shown to be living the good life, and the film ends with him relaxing in a giant, luxurious hot tub whilst the Ray Noble Orchestra plays the Al Bowlly version of "Midnight, the Stars and You" on the soundtrack, harking back to the finale of ''The Shining''.

Kyle is cast as Saint Joseph in South Park Elementary's Christmas play, but is forced to withdraw when his mother expresses anger that her Jewish son is participating in a Nativity play. In response to Mr. Garrison's question, Kyle suggests that he could sing "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" as a secular substitute, but is rejected because no one else believes in its eponymous subject, a living piece of feces. Kyle leaves the school feeling lonely and excluded because he cannot celebrate Christmas with everyone else.

Mayor McDaniels decides that anything offensive to anyone will be removed from the Christmas celebrations. Kyle again suggests that the town use Mr. Hankey, since he does not discriminate against anyone. At home, Kyle is scolded by his parents for believing in Mr. Hankey. While Kyle is brushing his teeth, Mr. Hankey emerges from the toilet and spreads feces stains around the bathroom, for which Kyle is blamed. Kyle decides to take Mr. Hankey to school to prove his existence, but he does not come alive when in the presence of people who do not believe in him. After Cartman sings an insulting song about Kyle's mother, Mr. Hankey lunges at him in retaliation, which everyone perceives as Kyle throwing Mr. Hankey at Cartman. Kyle is sent to Mr. Mackey, the guidance counselor, but gets into further trouble when Mr. Hankey bathes in Mackey's coffee. Cartman, Stan, and Kenny believe Kyle is insane and have him committed to a mental institution.

The night of the play arrives, and with the performance stripped of all Christmas symbols, the children instead present a minimalist song and dance by Philip Glass. The parents, unentertained by the secular play, begin scapegoating one another for "ruining" Christmas and a fight ensues. When Chef is informed of the situation, he reveals that he too believes in Mr. Hankey. When everyone else starts believing, Mr. Hankey reveals himself and scolds them for losing sight of the true meaning of Christmas. With Mr. Hankey's existence confirmed, Kyle is released from the asylum and joins the townspeople in caroling as Mr. Hankey departs with Santa Claus. Cartman, Stan, and Kyle realize that something is amiss. As ''The End'' appears, Kenny cheers, indicating excitement and relief that he has survived the entire episode.

During the end credits, Jesus dejectedly sings "Happy Birthday" to himself alone in his television studio.

The Seventh Doctor and Ace arrive on Heritage in the year 6048 to visit the Heyworths, who are old friends of the Doctor's. Nobody seems to want them on the planet, and certainly not poking their noses in. But they are stuck there until the next day. The Doctor doesn't want to get involved, but Ace can't help herself: by talking to Lee Marks she finds out that the Heyworths were murdered by the townsfolk, because they threatened to disrupt Professor Wakeling's experiments into cloning. Without the cloning technology, Heritage would have nothing going for it at all.

The Doctor suspects all this, and also that the Heyworth's surviving daughter Sweetness is a clone of her mother created by Professor Wakeling. What he doesn't tell Ace is that Sweetness's mother is his old companion Melanie Bush.

The Doctor confronts Wakeling and ruins his chances of announcing his discoveries to the universe. As Wakeling tries to take revenge on the Doctor, he is caught in a landslide and probably killed.

Everyone on staff at Tottney Castle knows that the lovely Lady Alyce Marshmorton (Joan Fontaine) must marry soon, so a wager is proposed as to the identity of the lucky man. With all the likely candidates already claimed, young footman Albert (Harry Watson) places a bet on a "Mr. X," someone totally out of the blue.

Lady Alyce secretly has a romantic interest in an American no one from her family has yet met. She leaves the castle one day to venture into London, where by chance she encounters Jerry Halliday (Fred Astaire). He is an American entertainer, accompanied by press agent George (George Burns) and secretary Gracie (Gracie Allen), but he is not well enough known to be recognized by Lady Alyce.

Jerry is incorrectly led to believe that he is the American that Lady Alyce is in love with. He goes to the castle, encouraged by Albert but discouraged by Keggs (Reginald Gardiner), a scheming butler whose money is on another beau. The closest Jerry can get to Lady Alyce is a castle tour, at least until Albert can sneak him upstairs.

False impressions abound, as Jerry also fails to recognize Lady Alyce's father (Montagu Love), the lord of the manor. He is slapped in the face in a Tunnel of Love, misunderstanding the young lady's intentions entirely. In the end, however, he and Lady Alyce do find romance.

Lee Winters (Fonda) is the widow of the Chairman and primary stockholder of Winterchem Enterprises, a chemical company, who is attempting to obtain financing of the purchase of a processing plant in Spain, while trying to determine why her husband was murdered.

Apparently, her late husband discovered some damning information about an Account Number 21214, a secret slush fund involving asset transfers.

Respected financier Hubbell Smith (Kristofferson) takes over as president of Borough National Bank at the request of First New York Bank chairman Maxwell Emery (Cronyn), in an attempt to have Smith discover the financial status of Borough National.

Smith discovers that the bank isn't just in trouble, it's essentially so insolvent that it can't even pay its next dividend. It needs to find a customer who needs to borrow a lot of money and either loan the money or act as broker in the deal in order to raise some quick cash and stave off intervention by the Federal Reserve.

One of the largest customers of Borough National is Winterchem, but because of federal lending limits, the bank "can't loan them a dime" but conceivably could be involved in brokering a deal between Winterchem and some other lender capable of loaning the approximately $500 million needed to buy the plant, and the bank would receive a 1% finder's fee for making the arrangement. Later there are tense moments when Borough National are waiting for Arab oil money deposits to be renewed in a "roll over". The bank would be unable to refund the deposits, but at the last minute the roll over occurs, except for some money diverted to account 21214.

Smith becomes involved, both financially and romantically, with Winters in her attempts to finance the purchase of the petrochemical plant and in the discovery of the mystery of account 21214. They finally do so by brokering a deal with some Arab investors who take control of her stock as security for the transaction.

Smith later discovers that account 21214 is actually a slush fund where Emery is moving money belonging to the Arabs into gold as a safe haven against potential losses if the dollar collapses. The Arabs are extremely worried that if anyone finds out, their assets will vanish in a public panic as American currency becomes worthless.

Winters also discovers the Arabs are behind account 21214, and wants her stock back in exchange for her silence; she has overheard part of Smith's conversation with Emery and mistakenly believes he was double-crossing her. A fake limo driver who is actually working for the Arab investors tries to kidnap her with the intent of killing her—as it turns out they did to her husband—to prevent her from disclosing what she knows, and when the attempt on her life fails, the Arabs panic and pull all of their money out of every bank in America, and possibly the entire world.

The globe is gripped by panic and rioting as people discover all of their money is now worthless. Emery is shown in his office - dead, an apparent suicide. The economic crisis paralyzes the world, but by spilling over boundaries between east and west blocs, and between developing and industrialized nations, it also unites the world in common cause. In the penultimate scene, workers at Borough National stand idle while listening to a report of the growing economic crisis. As the camera pans across the trading floor of the bank, the viewer sees that it's now empty of workers, the lights off, the desks and machines covered - completely inactive. Only Smith remains. Winters joins him in the final scene. Smith tells her that he's looking for a way to start anew. Winters offers to become his partner.

The player takes on the role of a cyborg (''Experimental Unit AP-127'') who awakens in a cell on Daedalus with no prior memories. After escaping the cell, the protagonist finds himself one of the few survivors of an incident that has devastated the station. The player must unravel the truth about himself, the research station, the Mondites that control it, and the mysterious alien race that once inhabited the moon.

The game ends after the player escapes Daedalus in an experimental Mondite spacecraft in the wake of the moon's destruction, along with several Phyxx ships.

At the beginning of the story, Jimmy's mother and father are murdered by their best friend, who is also the youngster's godfather and appointed guardian as well as the inventors' trustee. It leaves the protagonist—who has had the plans of his parents' invention eidetically and indelibly imprinted in his mind—to destroy the physical copies of these plans before his "uncle" can finish ''him'' off as well.

Jimmy must survive his guardian's efforts to squeeze the secret of the invention out of him (whereupon his death will most certainly be arranged, just as his parents' were), and then escape into hiding until he can grow into a physical stature commensurate with his mental age.

In the process, the character must make for himself a living and a safe place of residence, and Smith uses his protagonist's situation and capabilities to examine the nature of childhood and the "protections" (including incapacitations) imposed upon legal infants in American civil society at the time of writing.

A man known only as Rennie (Jim Caviezel) is motivated by revenge to track down and kill the man who ran over his wife, a serial killer (Colm Feore) immobilized by the man himself. The killer uses a wheelchair. He drives a 1972 Cadillac Eldorado to stalk and kill his victims in car accidents. When the serial killer makes a young woman (Rhona Mitra) his next target, the man has to stop the killer once and for all.

During a battle in the Aragonese town of Saragossa (Zaragoza) during the Napoleonic Wars, an officer retreats to the second floor of an inn. He finds a large book with drawings of two men hanging on a gallows and two women in a bed. An enemy officer tries to arrest him but ends up translating the book for him; the second officer recognizes its author as his own grandfather, who was a captain in the Walloon Guard.

A flashback then recounts the tale of the ancestor, Alfonso van Worden (Zbigniew Cybulski), who appears with two servants, seeking the shortest route through the Sierra Morena Mountains. The two men warn him against taking his chosen route because it leads through haunted territory. At an apparently deserted inn, the Venta Quemada, he is invited to dine with two Moorish princesses, Emina (Iga Cembrzyńska) and Zibelda (Joanna Jędryka) in a secret inner room. They inform the captain that they are his cousins and, as the last of the Gomelez line, he must marry them both to provide heirs. However, he must convert to Islam. He jokingly calls them ghosts (despite having told his servants with great bravado that ghosts do not exist). Then they seduce him and give him a skull goblet to drink.

He wakes and finds himself back in the desolate countryside, lying next to a heap of skulls under a gallows. He meets a hermit priest who is trying to cure a possessed man; the latter tells his story, which also involves two sisters and a different kind of forbidden love. Alfonso sleeps in the hermitage's chapel, hearing strange voices at night.

When he wakes and rides off, he is captured by the Spanish Inquisition. But he is rescued by the two princesses, aided by the gang of the Zoto brothers (two of whom had appeared dead on the ground near the gallows). Back in the inner room, the two princesses become amorous with Alfonso but they are interrupted by Sheikh Gomelez, who forces the captain to drink the skull goblet at sword point.

Again Alfonso awakens at the gallows, but this time a cabalist is lying next to him. As they ride to the Cabalist's castle, they are joined by a skeptical mathematician, who remarks, "The human mind is ready to accept anything, if it is used knowingly." Thus ends part 1 of the film.

Part 2 is primarily filled with the nested tales told by the leader of a band of gypsies who visit the castle. Frame story or tale-within-a-tale-within-a-tale only begins to describe the complexity, because some of the inner tales intertwine, so that later tales shed new light on earlier experiences recounted by other characters. Multiple viewings of the film are recommended in order to comprehend the plot, as well as identify the appearance of certain characters before they are "introduced" by the gypsy raconteur to tell their own tales.

Finally, Alfonso is told to return to the Venta Quemada, where he meets the two princesses. They bid him farewell and the Sheikh gives him the large book so that he can write the end of his own story. The Sheikh explains that the whole adventure was a "game" designed to test Alfonso's character.

Alfonso wakes under the gallows again, but his two servants are nearby – it is as if they are about to begin the journey that he has just "dreamed". At the small inn in Saragossa, he writes in the large book until someone tells him that the two princesses are waiting for him. He flings the book aside and it lands on the table where his descendant's enemy found it at the beginning of the film.

''Under Illefarn'' is a Forgotten Realms adventure scenario designed for beginning players in which the player characters are residents of Daggerford, and as members of the town militia and required to deal with lizardmen marauders, saving a kidnapped noblewoman, and protecting a caravan.

The Simpsons visit the local multiplex: Bart and Lisa see ''Space Mutants VI'', while Homer, Marge, and Maggie see ''The Stockholm Affair''. After Homer makes distracting sounds and loudly reveals the film's ending to the audience, Marge berates him and the other patrons heckle and pelt him with refreshments. Marge tries to apologize on the way home, but Homer is so angry that he drops Marge and the children at home and drives into the night.

Homer stops at a redneck bar, where an attractive waitress and singer-songwriter named Lurleen performs country songs on stage. After she sings a song that perfectly matches Homer's predicament, he drives to her mobile home several days later to beg a copy. When Lurleen reveals she has not recorded the song, Homer persuades her to join him at a recording studio. Lurleen's songs are instant hits on local radio stations.

Marge disapproves of Homer seeing Lurleen because she fears they will form a romantic relationship. Her fears increase after Homer becomes Lurleen's manager and she buys him an expensive white cowboy suit which he wears at home. Homer denies having an affair with Lurleen but insists he will manage her career with or without Marge's approval. Lurleen's new single, a suggestive love metaphor called "Bagged Me a Homer", angers Marge.

Homer gets Lurleen a gig on ''Ya-Hoo!'', a country western television show modeled on ''Hee Haw''. Homer and Lurleen spend the night before her performance in her mobile home. When she sings a new song asking Homer to "bunk" with her, he realizes that would violate his marital vows and leaves.

During Lurleen's performance, Homer is approached by a business agent who asks to buy Lurleen's contract, but he refuses. When Homer becomes locked in an embrace with Lurleen in her dressing room, his love life flashes before his eyes and he remembers Marge saying she will always love him. Homer tells Lurleen that he only wanted to share her voice with the world and leaves to avoid committing adultery. He sees the agent again outside the dressing room and sells him Lurleen's contract for $50.

Marge is watching ''Ya-Hoo!'' at home when Homer returns. Lurleen's bluesy song reveals what Homer did – and did ''not'' — do with her, saying she knows how lucky Marge is. Marge forgives Homer and they kiss passionately.

Grampa falls in love with Beatrice "Bea" Simmons, a new resident at the Springfield Retirement Castle. Homer insists Grampa join the rest of the Simpsons at a cheap lion safari for their "fun day with Grandpa" and mocks Grandpa's (truthful) protests that he's getting ready for a date with Bea. The safari trips goes wrong when Homer goes onto an unauthorized pathway that leaves the family surrounded by lions and trapped overnight until a local warden rescues them. When he finally returns to the home, Jasper tells him that Bea has died of a burst ventricle, though a devastated Grampa believes she died of a broken heart. Deeply distressed by her death, Grampa attends her funeral, where he furiously tells a despondent Homer that it's his fault that he missed his last chance to be with Bea and disowns him.

Grampa inherits $106,000 from Bea's estate and initially plans to spend it on himself, making sure to call Homer and tell him that he's not forgiven and won't get a penny of the inheritance. After Bea's ghost visits him on an amusement park roller coaster, he instead decides to give the money to people in need, and while he heeds Bea's plea to forgive Homer he also tells Homer he still won't get the money. Several of the townspeople visit Grampa with frivolous, greedy, and destructive proposals, disgusting him so much that he goes for a walk to clear his mind. Seeing the plight of Springfield's homeless residents during his walk, he realizes he does not have enough money to solve the city's problems.

Grampa goes on a gambling junket at Jasper's suggestion, hoping to win so much money that he can help everybody. Homer finds him on a winning streak at a casino's roulette tables and pleads for him to stop while he is ahead. The two struggle over the bet, and Homer manages to drag Grampa's chips off the table just before the wheel stops on a number he had not covered. After Grampa thanks Homer for saving him from losing the inheritance, they finally have a sincere reconciliation. Grampa uses the money to renovate the retirement home and has the dining room renamed in Bea's honor.

The film is set in the 1950s in a large country residence as a family and its servants are preparing for Christmas. When the master of the house is discovered dead in his bed with a dagger in his back, it is presumed that the murderer must be one of the eight women in the house. Over the course of the investigation, each woman has a tale to tell and secrets to hide.

The film opens with Suzon returning from school for Christmas break, finding her mother Gaby, her younger sister Catherine, and her wheelchair-bound grandmother Mamy in the living room, where most of the action of the film takes place. Their conversation drifts to the subject of the patriarch of the family, Marcel, and Catherine leads the first song of the film, "Papa t'es plus dans le coup" (roughly, "Dad, you're out of touch"). The singing wakes up Suzon and Catherine's aunt Augustine, who initiates arguments with the rest of the family and the two servants (Madame Chanel and Louise), eventually returning upstairs and threatening to commit suicide. Mamy jumps out of her wheelchair trying to stop her, haphazardly explaining her ability to walk as a "Christmas miracle." Augustine is eventually calmed down, and she sings her song of longing, "Message personnel" (Personal Message).

The maid takes a tray upstairs, finds Marcel's stabbed body, and screams. Catherine goes up to see what has happened and locks the door. The others finally go up to Marcel's room to see him stabbed in the back. Catherine tells the others that they should not disturb the room until the police arrive, so they re-lock the door. Realizing that the dogs did not bark the night before the incident, it becomes clear that the murderer was known to the dogs and therefore must be one of the women in the house. Attempting to call the authorities, they find that the telephone line has been cut, so they will have to go in person to the police station. Before they can do so, the women are distracted by the announcement that someone is roaming the garden, someone whom the guard dogs are not chasing. The person turns out to be Marcel's sister Pierrette, a nightclub singer who is also rumored to be a prostitute, and who has not been allowed into the house before due to Gaby's dislike for her. When questioned, she claims that she received a mysterious telephone call in which she was informed that her brother was dead. She sings "A quoi sert de vivre libre" (What's the point of living free?), commenting on her sexual freedom.

It is realized that she has been to the house before, as the dogs did not bark and she knew immediately which room belonged to her brother, making her the eighth potential killer. The women try to start the car, and find that it has been sabotaged, cutting them off from help until the storm subsides and they can hitchhike to town. The women spend their time trying to identify the murderer amongst them. It is learned that Suzon returned the night before to tell her father in secret that she was pregnant. She sings a song to Catherine, "Mon amour, mon ami" ("My Lover, My Friend"), about her lover; however, she was sexually abused by her father. We later learn that Suzon is not Marcel's child but is the child of Gaby's first great love who was killed not long after the child was conceived; every time Gaby looks at Suzon she is reminded of her love for him.

Suspicion then swings to Madame Chanel, the housekeeper, whose actions the night before seem suspicious. It is revealed that she had been having an affair with Pierrette, who went to see her brother that night to ask for money to pay off her debts. When some members of the family react in outrage to the fact that she is a lesbian, Madame Chanel retreats to the kitchen, and sings "Pour ne pas vivre seul" (So as to not live alone).

In the meantime we find out that Mamy, Suzon and Catherine's "old and sick" grandmother, not only can walk but also possesses some valuable stock shares that could have saved Marcel from his bankruptcy. Out of greed, she lied that her shares had been stolen by someone who knew where she was hiding them. The spotlight moves to Louise, the new maid, who is found out to be Marcel's mistress. She declares affection for Gaby, but also expresses disappointment in her for her weakness and indecision. She sings "Pile ou face" (literally "Heads or Tails", but referring to the ups and downs of life), and removes the symbols of her servitude, her maid's cap and apron, asserting herself as an equal to the other women. Gaby sings "Toi Jamais" (Never You), about Marcel, saying that he never paid enough attention to her, while other men did. It is revealed that she had an affair with Marcel's business partner, Jacques Farneaux, the same man who has been having an affair with Pierrette. The two women get into a fight that turns into a passionate make-out session on the living room floor, a scene which the others walk in on and are stunned by.

Eventually, Madame Chanel discovers the solution to the mystery, but she is silenced by a gunshot. While not struck by the bullet, she becomes mute out of shock. Catherine takes the lead, revealing that she hid in her father's closet from where she saw all the other women talk to Marcel the night before. She explains the mystery: Marcel faked his own death, with her help, to see what was really going on in his house. She says that he is now free of the other women's clutches and rushes to his bedroom only to witness Marcel shoot himself in the head. Mamy closes the film with the song "Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux" (There is no happy love) as the women clasp hands and face the audience.

Bigwiz the wizard has left the castle in a hurry and has been a bit forgetful. He forgot to pack his spare wand, he forgot to lock his laboratory door and forgot to take his nephew Slightly with him. To make matters worse, a sunburnt dragon has run off with the Princess Croak and the spell cabinet has been knocked over spreading the spells everywhere.

In a modern-day prologue, a group of hikers caught in a storm seek shelter in a cave. They encounter an anthropologist (Conrad Nagel) who interprets prehistoric carvings that introduce the story of a young caveman.

Akhoba, head of the Rock Tribe, leads a hunting party. His son Tumak begs the right to his first kill, a small Triceratops which he wrestles to death. An elderly man in the party falls from a cliff and is left to die. The party arrives at the Rock Tribe's cave with their prey. The beast is cooked on a fire. When it is done, the strongest feed first, next the women and children, then the few elderly pick the scraps. Tumak defends his portion from demands by Akhoba. They fight and Akhoba knocks Tumak over a cliff as his mother watches. Tumak recovers to find a Woolly Mammoth attacking him. He runs and climbs a tree. The Mammoth rams the tree and knocks it into a river.

Tumak floats downstream unconscious and is found by Loana of the Shell Tribe. Her tribesmen answer her shell horn call and take Tumak to their cave. The tribe gathers for a meal of vegetables, shared orderly with the children, women and elderly served first. Tumak awakes and Loana gives him food, which he guards as he eats, perplexing the tribe who share and do not fight. Tumak looks on, confused by the customs of the Shell Tribe.

Meanwhile, Akhoba leads a hunting party into the hills but is injured trying to take down a Muskox. As Akhoba lies injured, a younger hunter asserts authority over the others and takes Akhoba's place as leader, leaving Akhoba to die. Later, Akhoba, crippled, shows up at the cave but is treated with contempt.

Tumak adjusts slowly to life with the Shell Tribe. He helps the children gather food by shaking fruit out of a tree and they teach him how to laugh. He tries to fish with Loana but grows frustrated, as spearfishing is not like land hunting. While he is fishing, an Allosaurus traps a child in a tree. Tumak uses a borrowed spear to kill the dinosaur and save the child, but does not want to return the spear to its owner. Later that night, Tumak steals the spear and a hammer from their maker, and attacks him when he tries to reclaim them. The tribal leader, Loana's father, banishes Tumak.

As Tumak departs, Loana, who has fallen in love with him, leaves her tribe to follow him, much to his dismay. Tumak pulls apples from a tree for himself, ignoring Loana. Seeing that she has trouble reaching apples herself, he relents and helps her. Along the way, they spot an Glyptodont which chases them up a tree. Later, as Tumak and Loana reach Rock Tribe territory, they are trapped in a fissure during a fight between a Dimetrodon and a lizard-like dinosaur. Loana escapes, but is menaced by the leader who previously displaced Akhoba. She blows her shell horn, leading Tumak to her rescue. He saves her by defeating the leader and becomes the new leader.

Tumak has Loana handle the meals, which confuses the Rock Tribe, since she feeds the women and children first, then Akhoba whom she has sat on his former throne, and then the other elders. Lastly, Tumak and the able-bodied men are fed. The next day, Akhoba comes outside to see his tribe learning to gather fruits and vegetables, with Loana showing them which are good to eat and which are not. Loana and Tumak sit and talk, but Tumak is called away to help hunt a deer while Loana helps search for a missing child.

A nearby volcano erupts, scattering the Rock Tribe and destroying their cave. A child's mother is engulfed by a lava flow to death; Loana saves the child but is cut off from the others by the lava flow. She and the child head to the Shell Tribe. Many animals fall into the crevasses opened by the eruption. Tumak searches for Loana but finds only a scrap of her clothing near the lava flow and presumes her to be dead.

Later, a Shell tribesman seeks out Tumak and tells him that Loana is still alive, but the Shell Tribe is trapped in their cave by a large Monitor lizard-like dinosaur. Tumak leads his men to attack and kill the animal. Akohba and the women with the children follow. The Shell Tribe hold off the beast with torches. Tumak's direct spear attack is futile. Akhoba advises Tumak to distract the dinosaur while the rest of the men climb to higher ground. They start a rockslide that kills the beast. The formerly despised Akhoba becomes recognized for his experience and wisdom. The two tribes unite as one. Tumak, Loana, and the rescued child are framed in the dawn of a new day.

Many of Springfield's residents are persuaded by an advertisement to buy juicers made in Osaka and shipped from there. One of the packers has the flu and every package contains some of his germs. Osaka Flu spreads through Springfield. Every member of the Simpson family is affected, except Marge. Exhausted by caring for them all, she omits paying for Grampa's bottle of bourbon at the Kwik-E-Mart and is soon charged with shoplifting. Mayor Quimby dramatically reveals this to everyone in a public address. Marge's reputation is damaged and the townspeople no longer trust her. The family hires Lionel Hutz to defend her, but she is convicted and sentenced to 30 days' imprisonment.

Marge's absence is felt by the family and the house falls into disarray. The annual bake sale also suffers – without Marge's marshmallow squares, the Springfield Park Commission fails to raise enough money to pay for a statue of Abraham Lincoln; they instead purchase a statue of Jimmy Carter. The townspeople are enraged by this, and riot. When Marge is released, she is given a hero's welcome. They unveil a statue for her, though it is just the Carter statue with Marge's hair added. The last scene shows Bart and Lisa playing on the statue, which has been converted into a tether ball post.

Set in the South Florida cities of West Palm Beach and Miami, ''Rum Punch'' follows Jackie Burke, a forty-four-year-old stewardess for a bottom-rung airline, who has been smuggling illegal cash into the U.S. from Jamaica for small-time gunrunner and aspiring crime boss Ordell Robbie. When U.S. agents arrest Jackie after catching her smuggling this "dirty money", they use the threat of prison and job loss to pressure her into acting as bait in their plan to catch Ordell. Upon learning of this, Ordell pressures Jackie into intentionally misleading and stalling the police long enough for her to smuggle the remainder of his "retirement score" money into the U.S. Hopelessly caught between two no-win scenarios, both dooming her to lifelong poverty as she's too old to start over again, a desperate Jackie devises a secret, risky plan of her own to double-cross Ordell and the police, save herself, and secure her future. To execute this plan, Jackie must enlist the help of Max Cherry—the same bail bondsman Ordell hired to get Jackie out of jail. Louis Gara, Ordell's longtime criminal associate works for Cherry and becomes involved in the gun running.

After donating money to public television, Marge receives complimentary ballet tickets. Marge guilts Homer into accompanying her by reminding him of how he once volunteered as a human guinea pig in a United States Army experiment (which likely gave him his baldness) to avoid visiting Patty and Selma with her. However, Homer gets both of his arms stuck in vending machines at work. Disappointed and doubting Homer's story, Marge invites her neighbor, Ruth Powers, to go with her instead. They enjoy themselves and continue spending time together visiting bars and clubs in Springfield. Ruth demonstrates how to use a pistol to Marge, and they use a forlorn farmer's "precious antique cans" for target practice.

To show he can have a good time without Marge, Homer hires Lionel Hutz to babysit Bart, Lisa and Maggie. Finding Moe's Tavern more depressing than usual, Homer visits the hilltop where he and Marge used to spend time before they got married. Homer tries bashing a weather station — which he used to do on their dates — but finds it is no fun without Marge.

While tending his moonshine still on the hill, Chief Wiggum spots Homer and offers him a ride. At one point, Wiggum tries to make a routine traffic stop, but Ruth leads him on a high-speed chase instead. Ruth reveals that she is driving her ex-husband's stolen car as revenge for his failure to pay child support. Still in Wiggum's backseat, Homer realizes Marge is in Ruth's car and suspects she is leaving him after discovering that she can have a better time without him. Ruth successfully evades Wiggum by turning off her headlights, making him think he is chasing a "ghost car".

Hutz starts burning his personal papers and starts using the alias of Miguel Sanchez. After seeing Marge and Ruth again the next morning, Wiggum continues his chase, joined by other police cars. Homer sees a cliff ahead and mistakenly thinks Marge and Ruth are attempting suicide. He uses a megaphone to apologize to Marge for all of his shortcomings and urges them not to drive into the Grand Chasm. Ruth, suddenly aware of the cliff, slams on the brakes and stops near its edge. Homer and Wiggum fail to stop in time, fly off the cliff's edge, and land in a mountain of landfill debris. They emerge slightly soiled from the garbage but otherwise unscathed.

A narrator then describes the fates of the characters in the style of ''Dragnet'':

• Ruth is accused of auto-theft by her ex-husband, who is forced to pay all back child support due to Hutz botching the case.
• Hutz glady receives $8 for his 32 hours of babysitting the Simpson children.
• Marge is charged with violating penal code Section 618A: "wanton destruction of precious antique cans", and is ordered to pay 50 cents to replace the farmer's cans and $2000 in "punitive damages and mental anguish".
• Homer is remanded to the US Army's Neurological Research Center at Fort Meade, Maryland for further testing.

Liz Reynolds is a young woman whose psychic bond to Mike Pearson and the Tall Man manifests in the form of prophetic nightmares. Liz pleads for Mike to find her, as she fears that when her grandfather dies, the Tall Man will take him. The scene then transitions where the first film left off, the Tall Man and his minions attempt to kidnap Mike but Reggie manages to save him by blowing up the house.

In 1986, after being institutionalized for seven years, Mike, now 19, has faked his recovery to get released. That night he returns to Morningside Cemetery where he proceeds to dig up graves. Reggie interrupts him and explains that what happened in 1978 and the Tall Man were not real. In response, Mike reveals all the coffins he exhumed are empty and urges Reggie to help him hunt down the Tall Man. En route to Reggie's house, Mike has a premonition and frantically tries to warn Reggie seconds before an explosion kills Reggie's entire family. Convinced by Mike's precognition, Reggie agrees to accompany Mike. They break into a hardware store and stock up on supplies and weapons. Traveling north-western country roads, they encounter abandoned towns, pillaged graveyards, and a few of the Tall Man's traps; one is the apparition of a young woman's naked corpse. A gruesome encounter with a creature resembling Liz leads them to travel east towards the town of Perigord, Oregon.

Meanwhile, Liz's grandfather dies, and her sister Jeri disappears during the funeral; while searching for Jeri, Liz finds the Tall Man and flees. The presiding priest, Father Meyers, maddened with fear and alcoholism, desecrates the grandfather's body with a knife in a desperate attempt to thwart its reanimation, but the corpse rises and kidnaps Liz's grandmother. In the morning, Liz finds a funeral pin in her grandmother's empty bed, and the Tall Man psychically tells Liz to return at night if she wants to rescue her grandmother. Prior to their arrival in Perigord, Mike awakens to find that Reggie has picked up a hitchhiker named Alchemy who eerily resembles the nude apparition. They find Perigord deserted and dilapidated. When Liz arrives at the mortuary, she is confronted by Father Meyers, who tries to convince her to escape with him, but he is killed by a flying sphere. She encounters the Tall Man and discovers that her grandmother is now one of his Lurkers; she flees and runs into Mike in the cemetery. Later that night, the Tall Man captures Liz and drives away in his hearse; Mike and Reggie chase after him. After the Tall Man runs them off the road, their car explodes.

At the crematorium, Liz is taken to the furnace room by the Tall Man's mortician assistants, but she escapes and sends one into the furnace. Mike and Reggie break into the mortuary and find the embalming room. While Reggie pours acid into the embalming fluid, Mike discovers a dimensional portal that requires a sphere to open. They then split up to find Liz. Reggie searches the basement, where he fights off a Graver and several Lurkers with a chainsaw and quadruple shotgun. After a vicious fight Reggie castrates the Graver to death and guns down the Lurkers. Mike saves Liz from a silver sphere which drills itself through the other mortician's hand, embedding him to the wall. A larger, gold sphere emerges and begins to chase Mike and Liz. Meanwhile, the other mortician's assistant chops his own hand off to escape the wall. Dodging the gold sphere's upgraded arsenal such as a scanner and lasers, Mike and Liz manage to hold off the attack by barricading themselves in the parlor after the sentinel rammed through multiple doors. The mortician assistant surprisingly returns and almost kills Liz before the gold sphere blasts through the door and drills its way into his back and up his throat with a spinning blade. Liz, Mike, and Reggie reunite and use the still embedded silver sphere to access the portal. Before they can destroy the building, the Tall Man surprises them, but they fight him off and pump him full of the acid-contaminated embalming fluid, which causes him to melt. They set the building on fire, escape, and are greeted by Alchemy, who has procured an abandoned hearse.

As they ride off, Alchemy reveals herself to not be human, and the hearse swerves wildly, then stops. Reggie, bloody and battered, falls to the ground; Mike and Liz, trapped in the hearse, try to convince themselves that this is all just a dream, but the slot to the driver's cabin opens and reveals the Tall Man, who tells them, "No, it's not." Hands break the rear window and pull Mike and Liz through it, mirroring the ending of the first film.

This novel covers the time from Merlin's sixth year until he becomes a young man. The Romans have recently left Britain, which is now divided into a number of kingdoms loosely united under a High King. Merlin is the illegitimate son of a Welsh princess, who refuses to name his father. Small for his age and often abused or neglected, Merlin occasionally has clairvoyant visions. These visions and his unknown parentage cause him to be referred to as "the son of a devil" and "bastard child". Educated by a hermit, Galapas, who teaches him to use his psychic powers as well as his earthly gifts, Merlin eventually finds his way to the court of Ambrosius Aurelianus in Brittany. There, he assists in Ambrosius's preparations to invade and unify Britain, defeat Vortigern and his Saxon allies, and become its High King. Also exiled in Brittany is Uther, Ambrosius's brother, heir and supporter.

It is revealed that Merlin is Ambrosius's son, the result of a brief relationship between Ambrosius and Merlin's mother. Merlin returns to Britain but finds Galapas killed. He is captured by Vortigern who is attempting to build a fortress at Dinas Emrys - but each night the newly built walls collapse. The king's mystics say the fort will only be built when a child with no father is sacrificed and his blood spilt on the ground. Vortigern plans to use Merlin as the sacrifice. Merlin realises that the fort's foundation is unstable due to the caves below ground, but he plays to their superstition and pretends to attribute the problems to dragons beneath the ground. (The dragon is Ambrosius's emblem.) As a result of this, Merlin briefly becomes known as Vortigern's prophet. Days later, Ambrosius invades and defeats Vortigern.

Merlin uses his engineering skills to rebuild Stonehenge, but has visions of Ambrosius's death, which are fulfilled when a comet appears in the sky and Ambrosius dies. Uther, Ambrosius's younger brother, becomes King Uther Pendragon. However, Britain is thrown into chaos when Uther, besotted with Duchess Ygraine, goes to war with her husband, Gorlois, the Duke of Cornwall. Merlin helps Uther to enter Tintagel Castle by stealth, knowing the tryst will lead to the birth of King Arthur.

The story starts on Earth in the future. Global warming and overpopulation has caused an imminent apocalypse. The hope for the survival of the human race is a spaceship called the ''Willflower'', which will take a small number of the world's best minds on a journey to colonize another planet. Eddie O'Hare, the protagonist, is not one of them. He is deep in debt due to his computer having mysteriously stolen several million dollars online, then sending it to an unknown location. He decides to gamble what money he has left in the hope of getting enough to pay back the debts. On his way to the casino, he meets a pink-socked assassin whom he fears may have been sent to kill him. Fortunately, it seems Eddie is not the man's current target.

When gambling the last of his money, Eddie wins — thanks to mimicking the gambling decisions of a man who looks uncannily like himself — but the casino closes down after losing all its money to the other man. Eddie discovers that this man, Charles Perry Gordon, is due to leave on the ''Willflower'' but doesn't want to go now that he was won such a vast fortune. Ramifications for the rest of his family mean Gordon cannot refuse to leave, so he offers Eddie his onboard credentials to go in his place. Eddie successfully smuggles himself onto the ship. As Gordon's job is the community planner, Eddie reads the plans to learn more about his job and discovers that the man he is replacing has enforced a fascist, totalitarian system: crew members are paired for life before they are even born, and jobs — even unpleasant ones such as prostitution — are inherited. However, shortly after the ship sets off he is murdered by an unknown assailant.

The story then jumps forward several generations. Eddie is revived as a cyborg with only his head and spinal column remaining of his original body, and trapped forever in a jar of green slime. (Even worse, the nerve endings are incorrectly wired, so that, for example, he moves his right arm when trying to move his left foot.) He finds himself on a ship full of idiots and that is something wrong with the ship; all but one of its engines are gone and it has only 20% of its maneuvering thrusters. The ship needs to land soon, but only three planets are available: Thrrrppp, which is the most habitable but with no way for the ship to enter orbit; Penis, which the ship has a 50% chance of docking with but is covered in volcanoes; and Panties, which is totally hostile but has a 90% chance of docking. As the only intelligent life form on board it is up to him to find out what is happening.

As he explores the ship, he meets more of the ship's mentally diminished crew, none of whom have even the slightest ability to perform their jobs. He is puzzled by this as well as the fact that the ship, which has been shown to be able to self-repair if it takes damage, has not done so. The ship is also on a collision course with a massive gas giant that does not appear on the radar system. Eddie decides to cause the nuclear-powered escape pod to self-destruct in the hope that the explosion will force the ship towards planet Thrrrppp. This fails when the less-than-moral priest steals the pod — accompanied by some of the ship's prostitutes to help him 'rebuild' human society — and destroys the remaining engines in the process.

Eddie encounters the assassin from the beginning of the novel, who was revived in another survival suit but driven completely insane by the process, and is now a homicidal maniac. Before he can harm Eddie, however, the ship kills him. It then talks to Eddie and reveals what has been happening. Its internal self-repair systems, it transpires, were also capable of self-modification, eventually becoming self-aware. Realizing the madness that the original community plans had instigated, it allowed the crew members to become illiterate to erase all memory of the old system. It has also gained the ability to time travel into the past, where it can affect electronics, but not take a physical form. The ship had selected Eddie to take charge of the crew as he was the only person with sufficiently low self-esteem to survive the cybernetic revival system; the sheer horror of the suit would have driven anyone else insane, but Eddie expected so little out of life that he actually came through the process as a better person. The ship caused Eddie's computer to steal the money (prompting the series of events that caused Eddie to arrive on the ship). The ''Willflower'' then repairs itself and flies to the planet Thrrrppp.

''Bloodstone Pass'' is an adventure with both a role-playing scenario and Battlesystem combat, in which the town of Bloodstone Pass hires the player characters to organize a defense against an army of evil humanoid monsters. The army also included human renegades led by a powerful assassin.

The module's action focuses on leading the armies rather than having the battle occur in the background while the players adventure to find a MacGuffin.

A brown bear roams the streets of Springfield, frightening the townspeople (despite the fact that it seems very sweet). After Homer ignores official advice to remain indoors in order to buy beer, he comes face-to-face with the bear after failing to get into his car via the power line, whereupon the police subdue the bear (and Barney Gumble, accidentally) with a tranquilizer dart. Despite bears being a rare sight in Springfield, Homer leads a march of angry citizens to city hall, where they demand Mayor Quimby do something to protect them from bears. After Quimby deploys a bear patrol, which involves the use of high tech vehicles, including B2 Spirit aircraft, Homer is angry to learn his taxes have increased by $5 to maintain it. Another crowd of angry citizens marches to the mayor's office demanding lower taxes. To appease them, Quimby blames the higher taxes on illegal immigrants. He creates Proposition 24, which will force all illegal immigrants in Springfield to be deported.

Springfield residents start to harass local immigrants, regardless of status. At the Kwik-E-Mart, Apu confides in Homer that he is in fact, an illegal immigrant. Apu fears that if Proposition 24 passes, he will be forced to leave the United States, since his visa originally issued for his computer science studies expired many years ago. After blackmailing Kearney when he attempts to buy beer using a fake ID, Apu visits Fat Tony to obtain false citizenship. Feeling guilty about committing fraud and abandoning his Indian heritage, he destroys the fake passport.

After seeing how distraught Apu is at the prospect of being deported, Homer vows that he and his family will help him. Selma refuses to marry Apu for citizenship purposes, chiefly on the grounds of wanting to marry for love or money, and not wanting an (even more so) unwieldy multibarrelled surname. Lisa discovers that Apu, as a long-term resident in the U.S., will not have to leave if he passes a citizenship test. Homer agrees to tutor Apu, but is unable to teach him accurate facts regarding U.S. history or political science needed to pass the exam. After falling asleep whilst studying and subsequently forgetting everything Homer taught him, Apu passes the test and becomes a US citizen. At a congratulatory party, Homer tells his guests deporting immigrants is awful because they help the country thrive. He inspires them to vote no on Proposition 24, but it still passes with 95% of the vote. When Proposition 24 is enacted, Groundskeeper Willie is the only resident deported.

Marge is reading ''The Bridges of Madison County'' one night and wakes up Homer to ask if he thinks the romance has gone out of their marriage. Homer ignores her and tosses the book into the fireplace.

The next morning, Marge gets the family together to discuss romance, but they can only come up with vignettes from their failed relationships in the form of clips from previous episodes. Homer, however, saves the day when he brings up how he and Marge got together. Ultimately, the kids do not care for this one and wind up watching ''Itchy & Scratchy'', while Homer and Marge share a moment together.

The story begins in 1986 when Coelho undertakes his initiation into the order Regnus Agnus Mundi (RAM), which he subsequently fails. He is then told that he must embark on a pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago to find the sword that is the symbol of his acceptance into the ranks of RAM. He must do this to gain insight into the simplicity of life. The journey transforms him as he learns to understand the nature of truth through the simplicity of life.

He begins his journey with a guide, also a member of RAM, who goes by the alias Petrus. During the journey Petrus shows him meditation exercises and introduces him to some of the more down-to-earth elements of Western mystical thought and philosophy, and teaches him about love and its forms: agape, philia and eros.

An unnamed narrator tells the following story: Chu-Bu is the accustomed resident in a temple where he is worshipped. Sheemish is a freshly carved idol added to the same temple one day—and from that moment the two deities become jealous, taunt each other and attempt to outdo the other in achieving miracles. Eventually their combined efforts result in a minor earthquake which destroys the temple. Their worshippers each claim their preferred god has caused the earthquake, but all of them stay away and do not rebuild the temple out of fear of such powerful gods. The narrator remarks that he found the demolished, abandoned temple one day and that Sheemish had been smashed but Chu-bu was intact, found on his back with his hands and feet in the air. The narrator brought Chu-bu home, keeps him in that same position on his mantle, and every so often will offer token worship to Chu-bu to keep the god's spirits up.

In 1975, Duncan's, a fast-food restaurant owned by Norm Duncan in the tiny hamlet of Scotland, Pennsylvania, hosts a variety of workers. Joe “Mac” McBeth is passed over for a promotion to manager by Douglas McKenna, who has been embezzling the restaurant's money. Three stoned hippies, one a fortune teller, inform Mac that they see a bank drive-thru style restaurant in his future as management. Mac and his wife Pat then play informants on McKenna, and Duncan recognizes the value of Mac's efforts on behalf of the restaurant. Duncan shares with the McBeths his plans to turn his failing burger joint into a drive-through, and Mac realizes how profitable the drive-through could be, after which Duncan is hit in the head with a refrigerator door and passes out briefly. Pat then decides to murder Duncan in a staged robbery. Mac and Pat attack Duncan to acquire the combination to the restaurant's safe, and Mac assaults Duncan, but is distracted by a vision of the three hippies, allowing Duncan to fall head first into a deep fryer that splatters and burns Pat's hand. Investigator McDuff arrests a local homeless man, to whom Pat has given Duncan's jewelry, and the restaurant is willed to Duncan's eldest son, Malcolm. Malcolm sells the restaurant to the McBeths who immediately realize Mac's ideas, and the restaurant's business takes off.

Investigator McDuff returns to Scotland, where the homeless man is cleared, and the McBeths focus their attention on Malcolm. Banko, Mac's friend, questions why Mac had never mentioned the drive-thru concept. Mac grows withdrawn and paranoid and on a hunting trip contemplates killing off Banko, but a vision of the three hippies dressed as deer distracts him. Pat becomes obsessed with her burn injury and accuses people of staring at her repulsive-looking hand, though no scar is visible. Mac then kills Banko with the homeless man's gun, and the body is discovered while new celebrity Mac gives a press conference. Mac calls on an hallucination of Banko to ask a question at the press conference and loses his sanity as the town watches on TV. He then returns to the woods to look for the hippies while Pat becomes deluded into thinking her hand is falling off. Mac then completely loses his sanity, answering and talking on the phone when no one is on the other end. In one conversation, the hippies suggest he kill McDuff's family. Mac grabs the sheriff's gun and orders the officer to call McDuff to the restaurant, where he then shoots McDuff, but the gun proves to be empty. They then wrestle for the inspector's gun on the roof of the restaurant and both fall off. Mac is impaled on the horns of his car. Pat self-medicates with alcohol, but then cuts her hand off and bleeds to death. McDuff takes over the restaurant, fulfilling his dream of working with food.

The story alternates between the experiences of Conan and Lanna. A New Order ship discovers the island where Conan has been surviving for five years since the helicopter crash and captures him, taking him back to the city of Industria as a worker. Meanwhile, Lanna and her parents at High Harbor have to deal with Dyce, who wants her people to supply lumber faster than they can with the tools they have and is desperate for knowledge of the whereabouts of Briac Roa.

The New Order seems to be resurrecting only the worst of the fallen civilization's qualities, putting together a military-industrial complex without a culture or conscience. Without telling him what it will mean, they mark his forehead with a tattoo that designates him as an "apprentice citizen," meaning that he will have to work to pay off the "debt" that he owes in gratitude for having "rescued" him. Enraged, he seizes the tattooing device and marks several self-important officials before he is subdued, and they assign him to work for a crazy old man named Patch, who turns out to be Teacher. Teacher has been hiding in Industria since the cataclysm, since it's the last place where the New Order would ever look for him, hiding his identity by acting like an insane, crippled old man.

At High Harbor, Lanna and her parents are continuing to deal with Dyce and his demands—now he wants some wrecked aircraft that are on the island and some sassafras roots. Teacher has said that the New Order should by no means have those aircraft or the roots (the trees haven't yet multiplied to populations where there are enough to trade). Lanna finds out that they also have to deal with Orlo, who has been leading a rebellious tribe of children and teenagers that has broken away from the rest of High Harbor.

Teacher, in the guise of Patch, is still an apprentice citizen despite having been in Industria for years, because he likes where he is: in a boat shop, building boats. No one else in Industria knows how to build them—the city wasn't even on the coast before the Change. But Teacher has been planning to leave, and now that Conan is here, Teacher can put those plans into motion.

Sickness breaks out at High Harbor, and Dyce is the only one who has any medicines. Lanna discovers that not only is Orlo trying to take over High Harbor, he's making deals with Dyce. Teacher discovers that there's going to be another earthquake, and this one will drop half of what remains of Industria into the sea. His humanitarian nature forces him to go to the Council and tell them who he really is so he can warn them, but he wants Conan to take the boat he's been building and wait for him at a designated rendezvous point.

Meanwhile, a child has died from the illness at High Harbor, and Shann and Mazal agree to let Dyce have the aircraft in exchange for the medicine they need, although Shann thinks Dyce deliberately started the sickness as a bargaining chip.

Conan waits for Teacher, but Teacher doesn't come. Realizing that Teacher is in trouble, he returns to Industria and rescues him, and they set sail for High Harbor, hoping that the searchers from Industria don't find them. They run deliberately into a storm as the only way to escape pursuit, but Teacher nearly drowns. Conan manages to get them to the island where he had survived for five years, and with Teacher's help he modifies their ship for the voyage to High Harbor—but they will have to hurry, because they know that with the coming earthquake will also come a tsunami. To their surprise, they discover that Dr. Manski has also washed up on this island, because her survey ship was ordered to search for Briac Roa and went down in the same storm. They can't just leave her there with a tsunami on the way, and she has no choice but to go with them, but she still can't believe that he is Briac Roa or that such things as telepathy—or God—exist.

Lanna despairs when Dyce entices more and more of the High Harbor people onto his trading vessel to show them the goods he has to trade—things that people don't need but that he can entice them into believing they want. She wishes she could see the ship for herself, because it might give her a better idea what to do, but she doesn't dare go there for fear of looking as if she were herself endorsing Dyce and his goods. So she tries something that has worked for her in the past; she sends her tern Tikki to fly over the ship and attempts to see through his eyes. But this fails. Instead, she climbs to the highest point on the island and tells Tikki to find Conan and bring him safely to High Harbor.

Teacher tells Dr. Manski about how Dyce had traded for the flying machines and their power cells for medicine to stop the sickness that had killed one child at High Harbor, and how he may in fact have spread the sickness in the first place. Manski thinks he's lying, because she doesn't trust how he gets his information and because he's an enemy of the New Order. But she begins to believe that he really is Briac Roa. Tikki makes it to their ship, but the fog has closed in, and they can't follow him because they can't see what direction he flies in.

Lanna and her parents learn that Orlo and Dyce have a plan to take over their house and move in, throwing Shann and Mazal out but keeping Lanna around, presumably as a plaything for Orlo. They resolve that this will not happen without a fight and arm themselves. Teacher has warned Mazal about the coming tsunami, and she has warned Dyce to take his ship out to sea, but he doesn't believe her. Lanna tries once more to put her psyche into Tikki and help him lead Conan and Teacher home, and this time she succeeds.

Conan, Teacher and Dr. Manski arrive at High Harbor right in the middle of the strife. Orlo and Dyce's faction immediately moves to seize Conan and Teacher, but Conan fights back and tells them to take shelter because there's a tsunami coming. Neither Dyce nor Orlo believe either Conan or Dr. Manski. Orlo captures Lanna, but lets her go when Conan challenges him directly, and Conan easily defeats him, awing his followers. Conan then uses the situation to get them all to seek higher ground, carrying the semi-conscious Orlo himself as the tsunami waters start to rush in. The story ends rather abruptly as it appears they will all make it to safety by working together.

Homer invests in pumpkins, but loses his entire investment. Late on a mortgage payment, he tries to borrow money, to no avail. After Patty and Selma receive promotions at the DMV, Homer realizes they are his last resort. They agree to lend him money on the condition that he become their humble servant. Homer begs Patty and Selma to help conceal his money woes from Marge, who soon finds out after seeing his IOU note to her sisters.

Homer becomes a chauffeur to earn more money, but is stopped by Chief Wiggum for not having a chauffeur's license. Homer visits the DMV with Marge to apply for one; Patty and Selma are his evaluators. The two mercilessly fail his driving and written test. To celebrate Homer's failure, they light up cigarettes but are caught by their supervisor, who threatens to demote them for smoking on the job. After seeing Marge's dismay at the situation, Homer reluctantly covers for them by claiming the lit cigarettes are his. To thank Homer for helping them avoid demotion, Patty and Selma forgive the loan.

In the subplot, Bart is late for school on the day students choose their physical education classes. When he arrives, ballet is the only class that is available. Despite his initial reluctance, Bart soon discovers he is a talented dancer and is invited to star in a school ballet. After his performance, school bullies chase Bart, intending to beat him. He tries to escape by jumping over a trench but injures himself after failing the leap. Seeing that Bart is hurt from the fall, the bullies leave without pummeling him. Lisa tells Bart she is proud of him for showing his sensitive side.

Victor Norman (Clark Gable) is a radio advertising executive just returned from serving in World War II and looking for a job in his old field. He literally throws a few loose dollars out the hotel window, telling the hotel valet that being down to his last even $50 "will help me seem sincere about not needing a job." On his way to his interview, he stops and spends 35 of them on a "sincere" hand-painted necktie.

His appointment is at the Kimberly Advertising Agency, with Mr. Kimberly himself (Adolphe Menjou). As the two size each other up, they are interrupted by a phone call from Evan Llewellyn Evans (Sydney Greenstreet), the tyrannical, high-volume chief of the Beautee Soap company, the agency's largest account. The call throws the staff into turmoil and derails Vic's interview, so he offers to perform an unpleasant task for Kimberly: recruit Mrs. Kay Dorrance (Deborah Kerr), widow of a WWII U.S. general and of noble British birth, for a Beautee soap campaign featuring Manhattan socialites.

A phone call to the Dorrance home misrepresenting himself as being from the "Charity League" gets him an appointment. At the elegant Sutton Place townhouse, he rapidly charms Kay into agreeing, learning in the process she is not so well-heeled as the home and address suggest, but when they later arrive at the photo shoot, the Beautee art director produces a layout featuring "a loose and flouncy" negligee. Vic overrules the concept and directs a dignified portrait of Kay, in an evening gown, flanked by her children.

In the next day's maelstrom, Vic and "Kim" are summoned to Beautee's offices, where they are confronted by Mr. Evans, whose first action is to expectorate heartily onto his conference table. He summarizes his philosophy on advertising: "You have just seen me do a disgusting thing, but you will always remember it!" He confronts Vic about the change to his Dorrance ad, and Vic tells him, "Beautee soap is a clean product—and your advertisement is not clean." When Vic plays the radio commercial he produced overnight—"Love That Soap"—Evans likes it and directs Kim to hire Vic. "You have your teeth in our problems," he says, removing and brandishing his own dentures.

Vic finds himself attracted to Kay. When the two double-date with Mr. and Mrs. Kimberly, a belligerently drunken Kim confesses that he started his agency by informing on his mentor to government authorities and stealing the Beautee soap account. The featured performer at the nightclub the couples attend is an apparent old flame of Vic's, Jean Ogilvie (Ava Gardner), a torch singer he had run into and chatted up at his first visit to the Kimberly agency just days earlier. She acts very familiar with Vic in front of his date, unsettling Kay. In the wake of an evening spoiled by Kimberly's behavior, Vic persuades Kay to watch the sunset together at the beach, where they grow close. In the morning glow, he arranges a purportedly above-board weekend getaway for the couple at a seaside haunt in Connecticut he had used for prewar trysting. When Kay arrives and finds that the place has slipped under its new owner and that the pair have been booked into adjoining rooms with a connecting door, she leaves, disgusted at the circumstances and profoundly disappointed in Vic.

Evans summons Vic and Kim to an abrupt Sunday-morning "chat-chat" and reveals he wants a new radio variety show built around C-list ex-burlesque comedian Buddy Hare (Keenan Wynn). Chastising the ad men for his having to do their work for them, Evans informs them that Hare's agent Dave Lash (Edward Arnold) will be leaving for the coast on that evening's train. Vic promises to ink a deal on board, before word of Evans's interest leaks out and boosts Hare's price. On the way to the station, he stops at Kay's house, but she is remote: "You'll make any promise to make your point," and he replies, "That's the kind of guy I am." Their parting is unsettling for each.

On the train, Vic bumps again into Jean Ogilvie, whom he recruits for his plan to sign Hare; with her shilling, he gets Lash to offer Hare at a bargain basement price. They shake on the deal, and when Lash realizes he has been had, he graciously agrees to honor it.

Once in Hollywood, Vic and his writers set about creating the radio show for Hare; early on, they ban him from the proceedings because he is so obnoxious and his jokes are both off-key and threadbare. Vic accepts an invitation from Jean for dinner at her place, where both ruefully discover Vic is still in love with Kay. He is surprised to find Kay in the shadows outside his bungalow when he returns, there to try to patch things up. She is successful—Vic starts talking marriage, and seeing himself as a breadwinner for Kay and her children.

Trouble intervenes when a legal technicality threatens the contract with Buddy Hare. Though it appears to be based on an honest mistake by Lash, Vic uses cruel innuendo about Lash's childhood and implied blackmail to get the agent to agree to absorb the large loss he will face making good. Vic immediately regrets the tactic, and Lash's wounded demeanor makes him feel even shabbier.

Back in New York with a recording of the proposed show in hand, Vic and Kim are summoned to a 2:00 am meeting with Evans immediately upon Vic's arrival. The newly compliant Vic—now with thoughts of a family to feed—finds himself groveling like everyone else in the room, and realizes it is not for him. Though Evans liked the show, Vic gets up, tells Evans off for his imperious and belittling behavior, and strides out of the room.

Outside in Kay's car, Vic announces their marriage will have to wait until he can regain his earning power. She replies that the kind of money he thinks he needs and believes she would both desire and deserve is not important—that he "can sell things with dignity and taste." He reaches in his pocket, fetches out his last pocket money, and hurls it up the street. "Now we're starting with exactly nothing," he says, "it's neater that way."

Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman visit the ''Booktastic Bus'', a mobile library. They are initially intrigued, but become uninterested in reading after meeting the strange driver. Word spreads that a pervert is molesting chickens in town. When Officer Barbrady starts the investigation, he is confronted with his illiteracy, which is depicted as a medical condition where a person literally sees strange symbols in place of letters. He resigns in shame and anarchy immediately breaks out. Later, he is put into the boys' class to learn to read.

Barbrady recruits the boys to help him with his task, showing his knowledge of the police code. From then on, Cartman patrols the town on his Big Wheel, enforcing his own brand of justice. The molester is finally caught in the petting zoo and turns out to be the bookmobile driver. He plotted this all along to encourage Barbrady to learn to read. After being given a copy of Ayn Rand's ''Atlas Shrugged'', Barbrady kills the man with a club to the head to teach Cartman how to properly deal with criminals. The town holds a parade for Barbrady, and when he is asked to give a speech, he reveals how ''Atlas Shrugged'' convinced him to never read again.

A learned man's shadow becomes self-aware and takes on a life of its own. The shadow gains insight into the dark side of human behaviour, then returns to the man and enslaves him. Fearful of being discovered, the shadow has the man killed.[http://www.victorianweb.org/genre/childlit/fairytales4.html Jacqueline Banerjee, The Impact of Hans Christian Andersen on Victorian Fiction], The Victorian Web, 12 December 2008.

The initial stages of the novel are told in the first person, from the narrative voice of a woman who travels to India, to find out more about her step-grandmother, Olivia. She has various letters written by Olivia, and through reading these, and learning from her own experiences in India, she uncovers the truth about Olivia and her life during the British Raj in the 1920s.

Through the use of flashbacks the reader experiences the story from Olivia's point of view. We discover that Olivia, although at first glance she seems simply to be a proper Englishwoman, is actually smothered by British social restrictions, and longs for excitement. She meets the Nawab, who instantly charms her, and gradually lets her into his life. Olivia is drawn to the charm and charisma of the Nawab, and he slowly gains control over her, as he does with other characters such as Harry. Harry is portrayed as weak due to his homosexuality and inability to withstand the Indian climate and food.

Olivia eventually becomes pregnant with the Nawab's baby, and out of fear decides to abort the child. This causes scandal in the town of Satipur. She then resides in an unnamed town ("Town X") for her remaining years. The novel ends with the present-day narrator (whose name is not mentioned) also becoming pregnant, deciding to spend her years in Town X, just as Olivia did.

Sultan Mangogul of Congo is bored with life at court and suspects his mistress Mirzoza of infidelity. A genie presents him with a magical ring that has unique properties. When the ring is rubbed and pointed at the vagina of any woman the vagina begins speaking about its amorous experiences, to the confusion and consternation of its owner. } } The Sultan uses the ring about thirty times, usually at a dinner or other social gathering, and on these occasions the Sultan is typically visible to the woman. However, since the ring has the additional property of making its owner invisible when required, a few of the sexual experiences are recounted through direct observation, as the Sultan makes himself invisible in the unsuspecting woman's boudoir.

Philip Waring, the head of a listening agency in Washington D.C., is dedicated to breaking up a foreign radio-spy ring. He enlists his naval-officer brother and tangles with beautiful spies.

The story begins with the romance between Amor de Jesús (Eula Valdez) and Eduardo Buenavista (Tonton Gutierrez). Eduardo's mother, Doña Benita (Liza Lorena), opposes the relationship since Amor was a housemaid and because she wanted Eduardo to marry Claudia Zalameda (Jean Garcia) for political reasons. Doña Benita asked Eduardo's older brother, Diego (Jestoni Alarcon), who was also attracted to Amor, to separate them. Upon seeing Diego trying to rape Amor, Eduardo mistook it as them having a relationship, breaking his heart and prompts him to marry Claudia. The now-pregnant Amor was banished from the Buenavista ''hacienda'' and she returns to her mother in Manila, who was living at the Payatas dumpsite. She vows revenge on the Buenavista family when she learns that Eduardo has married Claudia.

After giving birth to her daughter, María Amor (Kristine Hermosa), Amor and her friend, Lourdes (Amy Austria-Ventura), survived by working in clubs. Amor caught the eye of a rich American named James Powers (James Cooper), who brings her to the United States. She leaves María Amor and her mother, Chayong (Perla Bautista), behind at the dumpsite and sends money to them from time to time. James Powers proves abusive towards Amor, forbidding her from returning home when a landslide hit the dumpsite. Amor, thinking that her mother and daughter had died, and in retaliation for all his abuses towards her, does not get her husband medical help when he suffered a stroke. James Powers dies and Amor inherits his fortune.

Eduardo and Claudia have two children: Angelo (Jericho Rosales) and Lia (Jodi Sta. Maria). Eduardo is the governor of the province of Punta Verde while Claudia has become the ever-elusive queen of illegal gambling in Punta Verde. Angelo is a rebel who dislikes his father while Lia is a sweet, devout Catholic teenager who cares for the feelings of her loved ones.

Amor's daughter survives the landslide and is adopted by Isko (Cris Daluz) and Belen Macaspac (Eva Darren). The couple found drawings Eduardo made for Amor, signed "Ynamorata" near the abandoned child, so they decided to call the little girl they found Ynamorata. Isko and Belen have their own children: Caloy, who hates Yna, and teenager Flerida (Hazel Ann Mendoza).

Doña Benita regretted forcing Eduardo to marry Claudia, as her daughter-in-law turned out to be cruel. On her deathbed, she tried to explain that she was the one who broke Eduardo's relationship with Amor, but died before being able to do so. To atone for her sins, Doña Benita's spirit haunts the dreams of the grown Yna.

Twenty years later, Yna and Eduardo accidentally meet, and Yna dreams of Doña Benita showing her that her past lies in the Buenavista family. Intrigued, she gets a job working as a housemaid in Eduardo's household. Yna and Angelo fall in love, much to Claudia's chagrin. She looks down on housemaids and servants, and actively makes Yna's life a living hell.

Amor Powers returns to the Philippines after making a name for herself in the business world in the United States. Amor had been planning her revenge on the Buenavistas, whom she blames for her past sufferings, as well as the assumed death of María Amor. The dilemma was that, after finding out that Yna's true father was Eduardo, Angelo and Yna were therefore thought to be half-siblings. It was later revealed that Angelo's biological father was not Eduardo, nor was it Simon Barcial (John Arcilla), Claudia's former, impoverished lover. Angelo's biological father was later revealed to be Eduardo's brother, Diego (who was also revealed to be adopted), who sired Angelo with a poor woman named Thelma, who had later died.

It also turns out that Claudia had a daughter with Simon. Claudia's father switched the babies after Doña Benita demanded a male heir (the boy that replaced the girl was revealed to be Angelo). The daughter was Clarissa (Dianne dela Fuente) and she was raised by an old woman named Puríng (Anita Linda) as María Amor. Puring had Clarissa believe she was Maria Amor de Jesús, the daughter of Amor.

To exact revenge on Amor, Claudia kills María Amor/Clarissa, but was deeply crushed when she later learned the girl's true identity. Her heart filled with more anger towards Amor, as well as regret. Claudia, together with Coring (Minnie Aguilar) and her henchmen, planned to kill the entire Buenavista family at Yna and Angelo's wedding. Thus, confronting them while holding a gun. But everyone especially Angelo and Lia made her realize how important she is to them and how she should bring out the goodness in her heart that was once filled with evil, hatred, greed and revenge. She realizes everything after Lia and Angelo gave her a hug and reconciles with everyone at the wedding. People from the wedding especially Amor and Angelo also asked forgiveness from Claudia, which she immediately accepted. While she was kneeling in front of everyone, she sees Clarissa's spirit at the altar and begs forgiveness. Claudia was forgiven by everyone but because of her past crimes, she was sentenced to lifelong imprisonment. And a little while later, Amor gave her Clarissa's ashes.

Five years later, each of the major characters are happy and reunited with their true loves: Yna becomes pregnant and marries Angelo, Claudia meets her granddaughter from her now-deceased daughter, Lia. Afterwards, she and Simon married each other inside prison. Meanwhile, Amor and Eduardo decided to live happily as a couple and married each other after 27 years of their unbreakable love for each other.

Steven Davis comes home one day to find a letter from his wife, Diane, coldly stating she has left him and intends to get a divorce. He finds himself baffled as to what led her to do this, and over time becomes increasingly depressed.

Diane's departure prompts him to give up cigarettes, and he begins to suffer nicotine withdrawal. Diane's lawyer, William Humboldt, calls Steve with plans to meet with the two of them for lunch. He decides on the Gotham Café, and sets a date. Steve's lawyer is unable to attend due to a family crisis. Despite his lawyer's warnings, however, Steve is determined to keep the date and see Diane again.

While waiting he impulsively buys an umbrella, despite the weather being clear and sunny. Upon entering, he finds the maître d', eventually revealed to be named Guy, apparently in the beginnings of a psychotic break, talking senselessly about a non-existent dog. Convening with Diane and Humboldt at a table near the kitchen, Steve pleads with his estranged wife for an explanation. Much to Steve's consternation, she refuses to go into details and regards him with a mixture of apprehension and contempt. They immediately fall into petty squabbling as Humboldt attempts to get the meeting back on track.

Suddenly, Guy the maître d' makes a surprise reappearance, homicidally insane, screaming "Eeeee!", ranting in word salad, and brandishing a chef's knife. Going berserk, Guy brutally kills Humboldt. Steve briefly fends off the lunatic with his umbrella, then drags the helplessly terrified Diane into the kitchen. Guy gives chase and leaves the café's cook with a grisly injury. Desperately struggling to hold off the lunatic, Steve implores Diane to unbolt the rear entrance door so they can both escape, but she remains in a state of gaping shock. Steve is able to incapacitate Guy by dousing him with scalding water, and hitting him with a metal frying pan.

After finally escaping both the Café and Guy, Steve attempts to make sure Diane is all right. Diane recoils from his touch, and rants at him venomously. Devoid of any shred of gratitude for his protection, the events of the last few minutes have only reinforced her perception of Steve as a bullying control freak, and she's decided it is time to stand up to him. When Steve tries to point out that he just saved her life, Diane flatly denies that he did. Incredulous and overwhelmed with fury, he loses interest in reconciliation; Diane's self-empowering harangue is sharply interrupted by Steve slapping her across the face. After attempting to wound him with claims of extramarital lovers, Diane leaves him for good.

As Steve sits on the curb watching an ambulance haul away both victims and the heavily-restrained Guy, he is left wondering about Guy's private life, and the nature of insanity. He imagines Guy living in a similar situation to his own, driven insane by the irrationality of his wife, whom he may have murdered before coming to work this day, and the constant barking of the neighbor's dog. Under his breath, he starts to say, "Eeeee," perhaps wondering what appeal going insane might hold...

A small Castilian town, Villar del Río is alerted to an upcoming visit of American diplomats; the town begins preparations to impress the American visitors, in the hopes of benefiting under the Marshall Plan. Hoping to demonstrate the side of Spanish culture with which the visiting American officials will be most accustomed, the citizens don unfamiliar Andalusian costumes, hire a renowned flamenco performer, and re-decorate their town in Andalusian style. A flamenco impresario (Manolo Morán) who spent time in Boston advises the locals to think of what they will ask from the Americans.

On the eve of the Americans' visit, three of the central characters dream of stereotypical American culture and history, based uniquely on their lives and experiences. The mayor dreams of a Western-like bar brawl, the hidalgo dreams of the arrival of a conquistador on New World shores, and the priest sees the hoods of a Holy Week procession turn into Klansmen dragging him before the Committee on Un-American Activities accompanied by jazz music. Also, a poorer man dreams that the Americans, shown as the Three Kings, fly over his field and parachute a new tractor into his field.

The day of the Americans' visit arrives and the whole town is prepared to put on a show. However, the American motorcade speeds through the village without stopping. The locals are left to remove the decorations and pay for the expenses with their personal belongings, including the flamenco impresario who gives up a gold ring given to him by the Americans in Boston.

Two angels, Hong Luanxing (Jacelyn Tay, the Love Star) and Gu Guaxing (Wong Li-Lin, the Lonesome Star), are sent to Earth as a punishment for breaking a rule in heaven. On Earth, they take on new identities as Song Xingxing, a lawyer, and Song Jingjing, a matchmaker from the Social Development Board. Their punishment is to complete conflicting tasks: Hong Luanxing, the Love Star, now is a lawyer and has to break couples up. Gu Guaxing, the Lonesome Star, now has to pair singles up. Each of them has to break up/pair up 100 couples before their punishment is considered complete. Xingxing and Jingjing fell in love with Ziyan and Yiqin respectively later on in the show. In the end, both of the angels went back to heaven after completing their punishments and Xingxing broke another rule on purpose again in order to be sent back to Earth, so that she can be with Ziyan again. Yiqin was hit by a coconut on his head and died, thus went to heaven and Jingjing can be with him once again with a happy ending.

Laurent Chevalier is a nearly 15-year-old boy living in Dijon in 1954 who loves jazz, always receives the highest grades in his class and who opposes the First Indochina War. He has an unloving father Charles, who is a gynecologist, an affectionate Italian mother, Clara, and two older brothers, Thomas and Marc. Thomas and Marc are notorious pranksters, while Laurent engages in taboos such as shoplifting and masturbation. Laurent also witnesses Clara meeting with a lover, and upset with the adultery, runs to tell Charles. Charles, busy with his practice, angrily turns him away.

One night, Thomas and Marc take Laurent to a brothel, where Laurent loses his virginity to a prostitute, Freda, before they are disrupted by his drunken brothers. Upset, Laurent leaves on a scouting trip, where he catches scarlet fever and is left with a heart murmur. Laurent is bedridden and cared for and entertained by Clara and their maid Augusta. Laurent's teacher at his Catholic school suggests that Laurent's illness has matured him, so that he has made progress in his studies, and urges Clara to treat him more like an adult.

As Laurent requires treatment at a sanatorium, he and Clara check into a hotel. Due to an error by Charles' secretary Solange, the hotel books both Clara and Laurent into a single room, and given that the hotel is completely full, no additional room is available. Laurent takes interest in two young girls at the hotel, Hélène and Daphne, and also spies on his mother in the bathtub. Though Laurent pursues Hélène, Hélène says she is not ready for sex; Laurent accuses her of being a lesbian. Clara temporarily leaves with her lover, but comes back distraught after their breakup, and is comforted by her son. After a night of heavy drinking on Bastille Day, Laurent and Clara have sex. Clara tells him afterwards that this incest will not be repeated, but that they should not look back on it with remorse. Afterwards, Laurent leaves their room, and after unsuccessfully trying to seduce Hélène, spends the night with Daphne.

The plot centers around a young ex-prisoner who takes up boxing (''tekken'' is Japanese for "clenched fist").

The story opens with a brief first-person account of the funeral of Emily Grierson, an elderly Southern woman whose funeral is the obligation of the town. It then proceeds in a non-linear fashion to the narrator's recollections of Emily's archaic, and increasingly strange, behavior throughout the years. Emily is a member of a family of the antebellum Southern aristocracy. After the Civil War, the family falls into hard times. She and her father were the last two survivors of that branch of the family. Emily's father refused to allow her to marry. Her father dies when Emily is about the age of 30, which takes her by surprise. For several days, she refuses to give up his corpse, insisting he is not dead. The townspeople write it off as her grieving process. They pity Emily for losing her father but also for his not having allowed her to marry. Emily depended heavily on her father, believing he would never leave her; he was all she had.

After her father's death, the only person seen moving about Emily's home is Tobe, a black man serving as Emily's butler. He is frequently seen entering and exiting the house for groceries. Although the reclusive Emily did not have a strong relationship with the town she did give art lessons to young children until she was 40. She did so as she was running out of money. With the acceptance of her father's death Emily somewhat revives, even changing the style of her hair, and becomes friendly with Homer Barron, a laborer from the North who comes to town shortly after Mr. Grierson's death. The connection surprises some of the community while others are glad she is taking an interest. However, it is stated that Homer "liked men, and it was known that he drank with younger men at the Elk's Club — that he was not a marrying man", which draws attention to Homer's sexuality but an exact conclusion cannot be drawn. Emily buys arsenic from the town's druggist but refuses to give a reason so he assumes it is to kill rats. Some townspeople are convinced that she will use it to poison herself. Emily's distant cousins are called into town by the minister's wife to supervise Miss Emily and Homer Barron. Emily is seen in town buying wedding presents for Homer, including a monogrammed toilet set. Homer leaves town for some time reputedly to give Emily a chance to get rid of her cousins, and returns three days later after the cousins have left. After he is observed entering Miss Emily's home one evening, Homer is never seen again, leading the townsfolk to believe he ran off.

Despite these turnabouts in her social status, Emily continues to behave mysteriously as she had before her father died. Her reputation is such that the city council finds itself unable to confront her about a strong smell that has begun to emanate from the house. They believed Tobe was unable to maintain the house and something was rotting. Instead, the council decides to send men to her house under the cover of darkness to sprinkle lime around the house, after which the smell dissipates. The mayor of the town, Colonel Sartoris, makes a gentleman's agreement to overlook her taxes as an act of charity, though it is done under a pretense of repayment towards her father, to assuage Emily's pride after her father's death. Years later, when the next generation has come to power, Emily insists on maintaining this informal arrangement, flatly denying she owes any taxes, stating "I have no taxes in Jefferson." After this, the council declines to press the issue due to her obduracy. Emily has become a recluse: she is never seen outside of the house, and only rarely accepts people into it. The community eventually comes to view her as a "hereditary obligation" on the town, who must be humored and tolerated.

The funeral is a large affair: Emily had become an institution, so her death sparks a great deal of curiosity about her reclusive nature and what remains of her house. After she is buried, a group of townsfolk enters her house to see what remains of her life there. Tobe walked out of the house and was never seen again, giving the townspeople access to Miss Emily's home. The door to her upstairs bedroom is locked. Some of the townsfolk break down the door to see what has been hidden for so long. Inside, among the gifts that Emily had bought for Homer, lies the decomposed corpse of Homer Barron on the bed. On the pillow beside him is the indentation of a head and a single strand of gray hair, indicating that Emily had slept with Homer's corpse. The house is an indicator revealing how Emily struggled to keep everything the same, in a frozen time period, avoiding change.

When ''Storm Warning'' begins, Emperor Charliss, the Eastern Emperor (first mentioned in ''Winds of Fury'') knows he is dying and must name a successor. Grand Duke Tremane, a Commander in the Army, is currently his favorite choice. Tremane is sent to Hardorn, a country the Imperial Army recently invaded after the Hardornen King, Ancar, was killed by a group of assassins from Valdemar. Tremane understands that he must succeed in this mission or he will be killed.

Meanwhile, in Haven, the capital city of Valdemar, An'desha shena Jor'ethan, a young Shin'a'in Adept, is feeling lonely. While Adept Firesong k'Treva, his lover, is perfectly at home in Haven, An'desha feels left out and alien. He spends almost all of his time in Firesong's ''ekele'', an environment something like a cross between a sukkah and a treehouse and something like the ''flets'' of the elves in Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings'', where he meditates and tends the plants in the garden. However, he has been having premonitions of approaching doom. Neither he nor Firesong can explain these premonitions. Also, An'desha has an Adept-class (the highest level of ability of magic) potential, but refuses to be trained, believing his powers to be tainted by Falconsbane, by whom An'desha was earlier possessed.

Ambassador Ulrich of Karse has been sent with his assistant, Karal Austreben, a novice Sun-priest, to negotiate peace between Karse and Valdemar. At the border, a single escort arrives, who seems to Karal to be some sort of Court official dressed in white and mounted on a white stallion; he later discovers this man is a Herald. As they ride north, Karal examines himself and his attitudes towards the people of Valdemar and the Heralds. Karsites are taught to fear the Heralds and Mages, who are said to have "witch powers".

On their arrival in Haven they are greeted by the Seneschal, Lord Palinor, Kyril, the Seneschal's Herald, and Prince-Consort Daren. Karel is glad of the rest, but as the weeks pass, begins to feel lonely. Talia, the Queen's Own Herald, introduces him to An'desha. Karal and Ulrich, much to Firesong's chagrin and jealousy, help An'desha to become less afraid of his power, as well as to become more independent.

The Springfield Investorettes — Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Agnes Skinner, Luann Van Houten and Edna Krabappel — expel Marge from their investment group because she is wary of high-risk ventures. The group returns Marge's $500 initial investment and Lisa convinces her to use the money to buy her own franchise. To compete with the Investorettes' Fleet-A-Pita franchise, Marge buys a Pretzel Wagon, franchised by its owner, Frank Ormand.

Marge parks her Pretzel Wagon outside the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and Homer persuades his coworkers to patronize it. The Investorettes' Fleet-A-Pita van parks nearby and lures away Marge's customers. To drum up business, the Pretzel Wagon sponsors Free Pretzel Day at the Springfield Isotopes baseball stadium. Before fans can consume their pretzels, they learn that Mr. Burns has won a 1997 Pontiac Astro Wagon when an announcement blares from a loudspeaker. The fans react angrily to the news and bombard the field with pretzels, knocking out Whitey Ford who tried to quell the crowd's anger. Marge's efforts end in vain again and she becomes deeply depressed, so Homer searches for someone who can help her.

After discovering that Frank Ormand has died in a car accident along with the executor of his estate, Homer asks Fat Tony, the Springfield Mafia don, to help Marge with her business by establishing a secret business agreement with him. The next day, Marge receives a large order of 300 pretzels, reinvigorating the Pretzel Wagon. The mob drives several of Marge's competitors out of business through intimidation, eventually destroying the Investorettes' Fleet-A-Pita van with a car bomb.

Soon, Marge receives an order to be delivered to a remote location on the outskirts of town, where she is approached by Fat Tony and his gang. He informs her of the deal he made with Homer and claims that he is entitled to a 100% stake of Marge's profits. Marge confronts Homer and he explains that he was only trying to help. She then refuses to pay Fat Tony and continues making pretzels.

As the mob advances on Marge, the Investorettes arrive with the Japanese ''yakuza'' to counter Marge's alliance with Fat Tony. The rival gangs get into a brutal fight and the Simpsons retreat into their house. Marge forgives Homer for meddling and making the situation worse, and instructs the kids to go back to bed when they overhear the racket caused by the gangs.