User Reviews

Down on his luck yuppie Richard Shepard (a fine and credible performance by Michael O'Keefe) crashes at his buddy Carl's swanky seaside abode after he gets thrown out of his house by his fed-up wife Eleanor (nicely played by fetching blonde Jennifer Cooke). Richard develops a strong bond with a mysterious large white dog who not only becomes his new best friend, but also kills anyone who angers Richard. Director Phillip Noyce, working from an absorbing script by Nevin Schreiner, relates the involving story at a steady pace, builds a considerable amount of tension, and makes the most out of the remote beachside setting. O'Keefe's potent acting really holds this episode together; his character's grim descent into madness and despair is both painful and harrowing to watch. Thomas Burstyn's polished cinematography provides an attractive bright look and boasts lots of fluid mobile prowling camera-work. Michel Rubini's moody score further adds to the edgy suspense. The surprise twist ending is pretty predictable, but still chilling and effective just the same. Worth a watch for fans of this show.

Richard is basically a basket case the moment we see him and this episode of The Hitchhiker details his maddening descent as an off-screen body count (established in news reports, such as the newspaper and radio) results from his befriending a white dog that shows up one night while he is flatting at a pal's apartment. The pal is off to NYC and Richard has plenty of blame to go around in regards to his failed marriage to Eleanor (Jennifer Cooke) with those he considers (through a delusion created by his worsening mental state) at fault victimized by the seemingly blood-thirsty dog. We never see Richard in a psychologically healthy state and as the episode continues he takes on a "canine personality". His buddy, Carl, returns to find his apartment ransacked and in a state of disarray, as if a dog had camped out and had its way. Seeing Jennifer Cooke's tits stunned me as I was expecting her to be afraid to bare them. People will know her from "V" & "Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives", but Cooke's role here is minimal at best. Michael O'Keefe (many will recognize him from "Law & Order: Criminal Intent") is in every scene just about and he's just nuts from the get-go. I never could relate to his plight as I completely understood why Cooke's Eleanor would want to divorce his ass. He's not mentally sound. The whole conclusion is so obvious. Nah, this episode of The Hitchhiker did nothing for me, personally, although Jennifer Cooke is a babe who deserved more time in the episode. When the dog is worked up, and bloody, it is ferocious. O'Keefe's performance is all over the place.