Chocky's Challenge (1986)

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 very little to offer the others as they continue to work toward Chocky’s goal.

That leaves young Albertine 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. Neither of the new additions are much good at acting.

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. Nevertheless, it's still better than most of the crap they show on kid's TV today.

6 episodes, approx 25 mins each.

2½ gestalt children out of 5

Chocky's Children (1985)

The second series picks up one year after the events of the first (see HERE). Young Matthew Gore is again the main focus but, like the title suggests, he’s not alone. Chocky has other children to whom she's been communicating. There was no John Wyndham source material to draw from this time, but the Wyndham estate did give its permission for the episodes to be made.

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, leaving the majority of the adults to be either straightforward bad guys or single-minded, 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 descends into the realms of the ridiculous in the final episode. Ultimately, it's not as good as the first series but should still be enough to please fans who hold fond memories.

The methods 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?

6 episodes, approx 25 mins each.

2½ brain fevers out of 5

Chocky (1984)

Chocky is adapted from the novel of the same name by John Wyndham. I've not read the book, so can’t comment on how accurate or faithful the adaptation is. It features a young boy, Matthew, who is contacted by the titular Chocky. 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’d not seen the TV series since I was ten or eleven-years-old. Since then, I've assimilated so much sci-fi that the concept no longer seems 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. It intrigued me as a child and was somewhat frightening. I'm now aware that it touches on a number of deep concepts I'd little opinion about back then: science, religion, family and cognitive development. It doesn't delve too deeply or get too preachy because it is a kid’s show after all, but the themes are there and they're important to the narrative.

Thematically, it takes a dramatic turn in the final episode, cranking up the drama but still manages to keep 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.

If you have fond memories of the show from way back (don’t count the years, you’ll get depressed) I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with a reunion. It’s dated visually but the important parts hold up well under scrutiny.

If you’re new to it you may have certain preconceptions of what a TV show should deliver that may not be met. Shame on you.

6 episodes, approx 25 mins each.

3½ swirly things in the corner of your room out of 5