A retiring spy who is enlisted one last time to protect a Russian scientist who is trying to escape her country (cause this was during the cold war or very close to the end of it) has to face demonic agents from hell while trying to hide out from the KGB who are after the girl. Bogus episode, doesn't even feature a monster just two dudes in red makeup and contacts with light bulbs in there fingertips in a story that's pretty dang dull. There's a number of twists and turns here as usual including one at the end. I'm not sure if I got it or if I even really care.
4 Reviews
Defunct defectors
Leofwine_draca17 July 2015
REFUGEE is a rather dull MONSTERS episode set in the dying days of the Cold War. The main character is a Russian scientist desperate to defect to the West. An American spy meets up with her and the two travel to a safe house, but they soon find themselves pursued by the minions of Satan...
What follows is a dull, talky, one-room story featuring some very bad make-up effects and an almost entire lack of incident. The main interesting thing was, for me, the presence of former starlet Judy Geeson (TO SIR, WITH LOVE) who has aged somewhat considerably since her glory days in the 1960s. Still, it's a pleasure to see what she was doing later on in her career, even if the end result is less than appealing...
What follows is a dull, talky, one-room story featuring some very bad make-up effects and an almost entire lack of incident. The main interesting thing was, for me, the presence of former starlet Judy Geeson (TO SIR, WITH LOVE) who has aged somewhat considerably since her glory days in the 1960s. Still, it's a pleasure to see what she was doing later on in her career, even if the end result is less than appealing...
Another bad episode in a season which has taken a nosedive.
poolandrews12 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Monsters: Refugee starts as American secret service agent Paul is called into action, he is assigned to escort Russian physicist Anna (Judy Geeson) across the border & to safety. Being an experience field operative Paul knows something is wrong, they are being followed but he doesn't know by whom until they get a visit from two men who claim they work for Satan & have to collect Anna's soul. Paul faces his toughest assignment yet as he tries to save Anna...
Episode twenty one from season two of Monsters this originally aired in the US during May 1990, directed by Scott Vickrey one has to say that Refugee is a pretty terrible episode of Monsters from the second season which had begun fairly strongly but is taking a real nosedive in terms of quality. I think the stories are getting more & more obscure & offbeat, the show should be about horror & monsters not a low budget spy drama like Refugee which doesn't even feature a Monster. Imagine a really boring & clichéd James Bond without the action, the wit, the sly humour or the character's mixed with a low budget supernatural horror film & you have this episode. This is bad, the broad stereotypical spy clichés comes out in abundance, men in long trench-coats, people talking to each other behind locked doors, a sinister man in charge with ulterior motives & there's even a safe-house here as well. The horror elements are virtually zero, the spy elements suck & the twists are just poor. One of the worst episodes of Monsters & another disappointment in what was shaping up to be a good second season.
As usual there are only a couple of sets & a small cast with British actress Judy Geeson trying to sound like a Russian but failing. There are no monsters, well unless you count two blokes with light-bulbs in their fingertips. No scares, no blood or gore & zero special effects makes Refugee just as forgettable as it sounds.
Refugee is not a Monsters episode that I liked, in fact it doesn't even really feel like a Monsters episode at all & the obscure plot & limited doesn't help. One of the worst episodes.
Episode twenty one from season two of Monsters this originally aired in the US during May 1990, directed by Scott Vickrey one has to say that Refugee is a pretty terrible episode of Monsters from the second season which had begun fairly strongly but is taking a real nosedive in terms of quality. I think the stories are getting more & more obscure & offbeat, the show should be about horror & monsters not a low budget spy drama like Refugee which doesn't even feature a Monster. Imagine a really boring & clichéd James Bond without the action, the wit, the sly humour or the character's mixed with a low budget supernatural horror film & you have this episode. This is bad, the broad stereotypical spy clichés comes out in abundance, men in long trench-coats, people talking to each other behind locked doors, a sinister man in charge with ulterior motives & there's even a safe-house here as well. The horror elements are virtually zero, the spy elements suck & the twists are just poor. One of the worst episodes of Monsters & another disappointment in what was shaping up to be a good second season.
As usual there are only a couple of sets & a small cast with British actress Judy Geeson trying to sound like a Russian but failing. There are no monsters, well unless you count two blokes with light-bulbs in their fingertips. No scares, no blood or gore & zero special effects makes Refugee just as forgettable as it sounds.
Refugee is not a Monsters episode that I liked, in fact it doesn't even really feel like a Monsters episode at all & the obscure plot & limited doesn't help. One of the worst episodes.
Nifty episode
Woodyanders7 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Burnt-out top spy Paul (well played with weary conviction by Peter White) comes out of retirement to retrieve defecting Soviet physicist Anna (a fine and credible performance by Judy Geeson) only to have the situation complicated when agents from Hell show up at the safehouse demanding Anna's soul.
Director Scott Vickery keeps the engrossing story moving along at a steady pace, maintains an appropriately somber tome throughout, and builds a good deal of tension. Haskell Barkin's smart script not only makes a poignant point about the heavy toll doing thankless spy work takes on a person's soul, but also delivers a neat dark twist at the end. White and Geeson both do praiseworthy work in their roles; they receive sturdy support from J.A. Griffin as one of Satan's sinister minions and Philip Abbott as slippery superior Oliver. A cool show.
Director Scott Vickery keeps the engrossing story moving along at a steady pace, maintains an appropriately somber tome throughout, and builds a good deal of tension. Haskell Barkin's smart script not only makes a poignant point about the heavy toll doing thankless spy work takes on a person's soul, but also delivers a neat dark twist at the end. White and Geeson both do praiseworthy work in their roles; they receive sturdy support from J.A. Griffin as one of Satan's sinister minions and Philip Abbott as slippery superior Oliver. A cool show.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews