I first had a glimpse of this excellent series in Spain, when I was a boy, although I didn't follow it at the time because science-fiction didn't appeal to me then. After I came to England, I learnt that here it was a big success in its day and has become a cult classic ever since. A couple of years ago, I bought the John Wydham novel -I was quite surprised to learn that he was also the author of the book on which "Village of the Dammed", a favourite film of mine, is based- and read it, and quite enjoyed it because the story is engaging and easy to follow and the scientific jargon is not unintelligible and boring like it happens very often with this kind of stories. So I decided to take a gamble, and bought the DVD of the first season, discovering by the way that is what the novel is about and the two sequels were completely created by the screenwriters. I found the adaptation a very good one and surprisingly faithful to the book, and both James Hazeldine -a very fine actor, sadly gone- and the boy Andrew Ellams are excellent in their parts. I saw all six episodes in one afternoon and I enjoyed them as much as I had hoped. Now, those were the days when British TV was making good quality children's shows with good story lines and aimed to teach some moral and human values to young audiences. Nowadays it is all about fancy special effects and absurd stories that insult children's intelligence instead of stimulating it. However, I guess that to very young audiences "Chocky" can be very hard to follow and even less to understand, sounding rather like mambo-jumbo and resulting tedious, but I would recommend it to youngsters from twelve or so onwards.
The second season is decently good, providing a more satisfactory explanation to Matthew's abduction in the previous one and developing the plot line in that direction, although the Albertine character is rather pompous and becomes quite irritating at times.
But the third season is DREADFUL, TERRIBLE and a complete waste of everything. Fortunately,I began to watch it only in YouTube because it wasn't available on DVD, and I couldn't get beyond the third episode. It has nothing to do with the original idea any more, the whole thing rests now on Albertine shoulders and she has become more childish and arrogant than before, in other words: a spoilt brat and a total pain in the arse. And the new kids are even worse! I wonder what Chocky saw in those half-wits as to want to educate them. Please!! The idea is so silly that it is insulting. The whole thing should be flushed down the drains.
But what matters is the brilliant first season, and I will always regard it as one of the most intelligent and worthy shows for children ever made.
The second season is decently good, providing a more satisfactory explanation to Matthew's abduction in the previous one and developing the plot line in that direction, although the Albertine character is rather pompous and becomes quite irritating at times.
But the third season is DREADFUL, TERRIBLE and a complete waste of everything. Fortunately,I began to watch it only in YouTube because it wasn't available on DVD, and I couldn't get beyond the third episode. It has nothing to do with the original idea any more, the whole thing rests now on Albertine shoulders and she has become more childish and arrogant than before, in other words: a spoilt brat and a total pain in the arse. And the new kids are even worse! I wonder what Chocky saw in those half-wits as to want to educate them. Please!! The idea is so silly that it is insulting. The whole thing should be flushed down the drains.
But what matters is the brilliant first season, and I will always regard it as one of the most intelligent and worthy shows for children ever made.