Janice is an 17-year-old girl who wants to be older, able to drink, and move out of her aunt’s house.  Her boyfriend Stan is a pretty conserv-ative guy her own age.  They are at a local roadhouse, The Wooly Bear, but only able to drink lemonade because they are too young.

Stan wants to leave, but she wants to dance, and spins her way alone across the dance-floor.  At the end, she gets a call for a round of applause from tough guy Tex sitting at the bar.  Janice goes to him, and Stan fights for his woman by walking out — the ultimate passive resistance.  Tex gives her a cigarette because they are both cool.

This is the wild roadhouse Aunt Mae wants to keep her out of?

It takes about 2 minutes for Janice to ask Tex to take her out of this town and her humdrum life.  Tex knows trouble when he sees it and declines her offer.  Or maybe he is turned off by the huge fly that lands on her while they are talking (left shoulder, about 6:20 in).

The very forgiving sap Stan is waiting for her outside and walks her back to Aunt Mae’s house.  After an argument with her Aunt Mae, she goes back to the bar to see Tex.  A coppish friend of the family shoos her away and says he’ll check on her later at home, but when Tex leaves, he finds Janice waiting for him.

He walks her back to Aunt Mae’s house.  Really, the amount of walking in this episode would make my Fitbit explode.  They enter quietly with the lights off so as to not attract Aunt Mae’s attention.  Janice goes to get them some drinks and comes back with two milks.  WTH?

When they hear a police car pull up, Janice throws a glass of milk at Tex, rips her dress and runs outside screaming.  The cop naturally thinks Tex assaulted her.  Not only that, with the lights on, we can see Tex standing right beside Aunt Mae who has been pushed down the stairs and killed.  Doesn’t look good for Tex.

Janice makes up a story of Tex following her home, attacking her and killing Aunt Mae. Too bad for her, Stan strolls in and says he had stopped by the house while she was at the bar with Tex and saw Aunt Mae already dead.  A lot of guys might have called the police upon first finding the dead body.

A good story, but a so-so episode.

Post-Post:

• AHP Deathwatch:  Carol Lynley (Janice) and Stephen Joyce (Stan) are still with us.
• Carol Lynley aged very well, looking much sexier in The Poseiden Adventure than here.
• A big point is made that Tex is much older than Janice, and the actor is 14 years older.  But even Stan is 11 years older than Janice, playing 18.  A little more effort in casting, please.
• Directed by Robert Altman.