Chocky Trilogy: TV Miniseries (1984-86)
01. Chocky (1984) | 6 eps, approx 25 mins each is a children's TV drama adapted from the 1968 novel of the same name by John Wyndham.
The series is set in 1980s Britain, and features a young boy named Matthew Gore (Andrew Ellams) who's contacted by the titular Chocky, a highly intelligent extra-terrestrial being.
Chocky speaks only to Matthew, using him to ask unusual questions of the adults. The change in his behaviour soon draws attention to the boy.
I first watched it as a child myself, of about ten or eleven-years-old. It was intriguing and somewhat frightening, and because of that combination it stayed in my memory as I grew older. Since then I've assimilated so much sci-fi that the basic concept no longer seems particularly fresh, but viewing it from an adult perspective, sympathising for the first time with the parents of young Matthew as well as Matthew himself, gave me a whole different insight into what the series was actually about.
I'm now aware that it touches on a number of deep concepts that I'd little opinion on back then, due to a lack of direct experience, including science, religion, family, and cognitive development. It doesn't delve too deeply or get too preachy about either subject because it's a kid's show, after all, but the themes are there and they're important to the narrative.
- Matthew + Father in a scene that captures the book perfectly. -
Thematically, it takes a dramatic turn in the final episode, cranking up the drama but in a manner that keeps it within kid-friendly levels. Adults will understand the terror that's implied, but kids (hopefully?) won't. It occurred to me during those moments that the same drama was present all along in a slightly different form, but was underplayed so as not to frighten a young audience.
Speaking directly to anyone who has similarly fond memories of the series from way back, I feel it's worth a revisit. It's dated visually, but the important parts hold up well under scrutiny.
02. Chocky's Children (1985) | 6 eps, approx 25 mins each. The second series picks up the story one year after the events of the first. Young Matthew is again the main focus, but, like the title suggests, he's not alone, because Chocky has other children to whom she's been communicating.
There was no actual Wyndham-penned sequel to draw from, but his estate gave permission for the episodes to be made, and it's respectful to the original novel, in many ways.
The story expands upon something that was mentioned but remained underdeveloped in the first series. It retains the mood and basic structures of before; however, the deep psychology of the previous work is absent, leaving an occasionally melodramatic tale of children from very different backgrounds forging an intimate friendship based on unusual foundations.
The protective father figure is also absent this time. The majority of the adults are either routine bad guys or single-minded individuals who are lacking faith or imagination. For a while things are good; the first four episodes are well-paced, the dramatic tension and contrasts show potential, and the young stars once again out-act the adults, but it gets somewhat ridiculous in the final episode. Ultimately, while not as good as the first series, I do still enjoy most of it.
Interestingly, the methods that Chocky employs to contact the hosts are glossed over; perhaps the writers feared they wouldn't get away with that kind of implication a second time?
Interestingly, the methods that Chocky employs to contact the hosts are glossed over; perhaps the writers feared they wouldn't get away with that kind of implication a second time?
- Albertine in a scene from Chocky's Challenge -
03. Chocky's Challenge (1986) | 6 eps, approx 25 mins each. The title of the final part of the Trilogy raises an intriguing question: is it Chocky setting a challenge, or is it Chocky being challenged? The answer is satisfying to a degree, but except for one other instance of inference the writing is more concerned with answering such questions than offering up food for thought.
The biggest fault is that the first of Chocky's children, Matthew, who was the glue that held the whole thing together, is absent most of the time. His notoriety has forced him away from the project, meaning he's little to offer the others as they continue to work toward Chocky's goal.
That leaves young Albertine (Anabel Worrell) as the main protagonist. She's joined by some new children pulled from an (unintentional?) ethnically racist roster; a clever Asian that plays the piano, and a black kid from Boston who looks like he just stepped out of an 80's pop music video.
The cynical adults aren't the only villains. There are others watching the children, others with a deeper agenda than to simply recover from hurt pride. It mimics events of the previous series but they no longer feel fresh, nor do they carry the same sense of surprise. Despite its failings, it's arguably still more inspiring than most of what I've seen referred to as 'Children's TV' today.
