Are You Afraid of the Dark? (The Tale of the Dead Man’s Float)
I’m willing to bet this episode and “The Tale of the Crimson Clown” are the first episodes that come to mind among adults who watched these shows when they first aired, but while the outstanding designs of the antagonistic forces of both episodes ensured no child could ever forget them, “Float” is so much better. It channels a universally understood fear of drowning, the two leads contrast well with each other and have ample chemistry, and the overall story is efficient with no sacrifices to clarity or power. I’d go as far as to compare it favorably to “Dream Girl”.
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