Brimstone (TV series)

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Brimstone
Genre Supernatural Drama
Creator(s) Ethan Reiff
Cyrus Voris
Starring Peter Horton
John Glover
Country of origin Flag of United States United States
No. of episodes 13
Broadcast
Original channel FOX
Original run October 23, 1998February 12, 1999

Brimstone (1998-1999) is a short-lived Fox television series, featuring a dead detective whose mission (assigned by the Devil) is to return 113 spirits who have escaped from Hell to Earth.

Contents

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In 1983, Ezekiel "Zeke" Stone (played by Peter Horton) was a New York City Police detective whose wife was raped. He tracked down and arrested the offender, named Gilbert Jax, but he was cleared of the charges. Furious, Stone then murdered Jax in cold blood. Two months later, Stone was killed in an unrelated event and went to Hell for Jax's death. He died one of the most decorated cops in NYC history.

Fifteen years later, a breakout from Hell occurs, and 113 spirits escape. Because the Devil (played to much fan acclaim by John Glover) is powerless on Earth, he makes a deal with Stone: Stone will be returned to Earth to track down these 113 escapees, and if he can return all 113 to Hell (before one of them gets him) he will earn a second chance at life on Earth, and therefore, Heaven. The Devil seems to hinder Stone's work almost as much as he helps it, however, giving some information but withholding crucial facts, or giving only cryptic clues to where Stone will find the next of the escapees, apparently delighting in watching him become more irritable with his interference. Stone wears the name and pictographs of these souls as tattoos over his body; as each soul is sent back, his or her corresponding tattoo burns itself off.

Both Stone and the escapees have powers that would qualify as superhuman. Because they are in fact dead and immortal souls, they cannot be killed or injured or even caused pain, except by themselves or by other escapees and they do not bleed. Stone wears the clothing he was killed in, and carries his service issue pistol-which he has no need to load or reload- and his detective's gold shield (in one episode he jokes; "Badge number 666"), neither of which sustain any damage including police bullets. At the time of death, Detective Stone was carrying $36.27 in cash, the amount being a reference to the Book of Ezekiel, 36:27: "And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." Every day, Stone begins with this amount in his pocket to cover the day's expenses; the only practical advantage other than his hell-spawned abilities. The eyes being traditionally the "windows to the soul", Stone is informed that if the eyes of Hells' missing are pierced--his own included--then the soul will be returned to Hell. Should he be returned, his mission would be considered a failure and therefore he would remain in Hell, and another person would be chosen to return the fugitive souls. Some escapees have powers such as the ability to generate extreme heat or electricity; the Devil explains that the longer you spend in Hell, the more it becomes a part of you, literally. Even though Stone himself describes them (in the opening narration) as "the most vile creatures", some of the escapees seem to be no more evil than Stone himself.

Brimstone ran for only one partial season. Fox canceled the show after just thirteen episodes, Stone having returned only eleven spirits to Hell.

[edit] DVD

As of 2007, the series remains unreleased on DVD, although TVShowsOnDvd.com listed it as the 63rd most request TV-DVD set.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Main cast

  • Peter Horton - Ezekiel Stone
  • John Glover - The Devil
  • Felix Alcala - Director
  • Horacio Rodriguez - Director's assistant

[edit] Regular guests

[edit] Episode list

  1. Altar Boys (Pilot) 23 October 1998
  2. Heat 30 October 1998
  3. Encore 3 November 1998
  4. Repentance 13 November 1998
  5. Poems 20 November 1998
  6. Executioner 4 December 1998
  7. Slayer 11 December 1998
  8. Ashes 18 December 1998
  9. Lovers 8 January 1999
  10. Carrier 15 January 1999
  11. Faces 25 January 1999
  12. It's a Helluva Life 5 February 1999
  13. Mourning After 12 February 1999

[edit] External links

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