'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' "The Kind Waitress" (1959)
Opening thoughts: "The Kind Waitress" was one of those episodes where this reviewer had a really strong feeling it would be at least very good. The premise is a great one and had real potential to be very suspenseful if done well, and 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' has proven many times that it could do suspenseful sounding premises incredibly well. Anybody who has read my reviews for other episodes of the series will know of good premises being a big factor in seeing any film, show etc. Paul Henreid's output of the series has wildly varied, with almost all ranging between average and very good with few exceptional and no real misfires.
One of the truly great, and nearly exceptional, ones is "The Kind Waitress". As far as the generally solid if inconsistent Season 4 episodes go, it is one of the better ones and certainly of the second half of it. It is every bit as delicious as the premise promises and some and sees the whole cast at the top of their game in roles that played to their strengths and even stretched them. When it comes to talking about Henreid's work for the series, "The Kind Waitress" is one of his best.
Bad things: It is agreed that it is slightly anti-climactic at the end, but there is very little that is wrong here.
Good things: Everything else in "The Kind Waitress" is great. It is very well made, not lavish but very rich in atmosphere (especially some suitably moody shots) and slick. Henreid's direction ensures that the tension does not slip and it is some of his most assured and most inspired, after seeing episodes of his where his direction was undistinguished. There are no faults with the acting, particularly from an unsettling and remarkably nuanced Olive Deering. Rick Jason has the right amount of brooding intensity.
Hitchcock's bookending is still wildly entertaining and full of his usual droll humour. The main theme has never gotten old and fits the tone of the series beautifully.
Furthermore, the script s intelligent and as lean as beautifully cooked steak. The story is darkly suspenseful and with some neat turns in the plotting that never comes over as obvious, simplistic or convoluted. The twist is a very clever one that to me was very unpredictable.
Concluding thoughts: Great episode overall.
9/10.