The Head
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Head began as an ongoing series which originally ran under the title MTV's Oddities, on MTV.
| The Head | |
|---|---|
| Format | Animated series |
| Created by | Eric Fogel |
| Starring | Jason Candler Maia Danziger Eric Fogel Dick Rodstein |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | MTV (USA) |
| Original run | September 1, 1994 – March 1, 1996 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Created by Eric Fogel, The Head or 'El Cabezón' as subheading in Spanish, is the story of Jim, a trade-school student, who awakens one morning to find that his cranium has enlarged to mammoth proportions. A week later, out bursts Roy, a little purple alien with an odd sense of humor, who has taken up residence in Jim's head. Roy needed a place to stay to adapt to the Earth's environment while on a mission to save the world from a power-hungry alien named Gork. Aiding Jim and Roy are his girlfriend, Madelyn, his personal physician, Dr. Richard Axel, and a group of "human abnomalies". The group consists of Ray, a landscaper who has a lawnmower blade lodged in his skull; Mona, a normal looking woman with a tail; Ivan, who has a mouth in his chest; Raquel, who has an enormous nose and buckteeth; Earl, who has a fishbowl in his mouth; Chin, a long-limbed former-freak show performer; and the annoyingly normal head of the group, Shane Blackman.
[edit] Characters
Jim - A trade-school student who seems to be an average joe before Roy entered his head. He had a crush on Madelyn whom he described as the most beautiful girl in his class, but it took a while to gather the gall to even ask her name. Since Roy entered his head Jim's confidence and self-image has escalated.
Roy - A purple alien from outer space. Roy is his nickname, but his birthname is only pronouncable in an alien language that sounds suspiciously like reverse English. Because of a race of parasitic aliens, his species are few in number. And he wants to save Earth from an even worse fate. To do so, he must reassemble his Anti-Invasion Machine, which he accidentally broke into five pieces scattered around the world. Roy has telepathic powers which he can use to communicate with Jim from far away and call visions.
Dr. Richard Axel - Jim's physician, a head specialist. Before Jim found out about Roy, Dr. Axel took an x-ray of his head and found only a black mass. He urged Jim to continue his appointments which Jim refused. Soon afterwards Dr. Axel was taken by Dr. Elliot and his imbecilic cohorts. Jim rescued him and he agrees to help Jim and Roy assemble the Anti-Invasion Machine.
Madelyn - Jim's girlfriend. At first, she is merely his crush. She is a faithful woman who admits her love to Jim rather early in the relationship. She comes to his apartment for dinner the night he found out about Roy and is later attacked by Gork. Gork enters into her head, causing it to grow to the size of Jim's, and is eventually forced out by Jim. Jim and Gork brawl about for a few minutes before Dr. Elliot arrives and seizes Gork. Afterwards, Madelyn's head seems to return to normal size and she decides to help Jim and Roy.
Gork - A member of the evil alien race that destroyed Roy's planet and now wants Earth. He speaks alternately in two different voices. One voice is very sinister and is obviously his own, while the other sounds more like a human with a posh British accent. The first voice is most commonly used; the second rarely, except when persuading Dr. Elliot (who would have been less likely to be assuaged by a sinister alien voice). Gork's special powers include the ability to control the mind he has inhabited, telekinesis, and he can emit painful energy from his head.
Dr. Lucas Elliot - A member of a government agency. He is very paranoid and firmly believes in the existence of aliens, Sasquatch, and other farfetched urban legends. Because of this, he was a major figure of ridicule at the institute where he was taught. It seems Gork is the reason for this. As a child, Dr. Elliot saw Gork inhabit and kill a farmer. The only reason he let Elliot live is because he was too young and thus his mind was not advanced enough. He always travels with two doltish secret agents.
[edit] Notes
After the initial 13 episodes had aired, MTV's Oddities began airing another serial, entitled The Maxx. When The Maxx had finished airing, "The Head" returned with a new batch of episodes, but the focus often shifted from Jim and Roy to the other "human anomalies" they'd befriended - and the new episodes lacked the serial structure that had made the initial run so successful. Shortly after the second season finished airing, The Head (along with "MTV's Oddities") vanished from the airwaves.
The first 13 episodes were released on video under the title The Head Saves the Earth. Snippets from the original airings were left off the video version (a similar edit was made to The Maxx video) to keep the running time under two hours. The second batch of episodes were never released on video.
[edit] Graphic novel
In 1996, Pocket Books released a graphic novel entitled The Head: A Legend Is Born, which was based on an episode that was never filmed. The cover shows a picture of Jim and folds out with a pop-up of what's in his head - namely Roy. The story included the return of Dr. Elliot, who was last seen being probed on a UFO in The Invasion.
