1122 I Left a Little Piece of Myself on the Farm, Part I

I Left a Little Piece of Myself on the Farm, Part I ?
Hospitality
June 6, 1960

The Mulhill farm near Carlisle, South Carolina


After leaping into Martin Adler, a drifter who was trespassing on a farm and is discovered by the land's owners, Sam Beckett is surprised to find himself being welcomed into their home. With no help from Al on why he has leaped there, Sam strikes out to find out what this family's problems could be. (Part one of three)


Written by: Mike Bloxam, Erin Bauer & Ruth Merry


Thanks,
TVS Team

Our rating system this season consists of five raters and three back-up raters! We took the average of six raters and came up with an average for that episode. Based on ratings of 10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest, the average of this episode was: 7.8


Please be aware that some reviews may contain spoilers! Some of the comments given were:

Valery S. Gemini said:
How I miss the previous seasons' "free rating" system, in which we could use decimals! I'd really like to rate this eppy 8.5 but I can't... Well, the authors will read my comments and know my "virtual rating", that's what counts. It's a pretty spooky story: if I was in Sam's boots I'd have left the Mulhill property immediately and jumped on a bus to the next county! The way the brothers' attitude suddenly changes from downright attack to that warm hospitality makes me want to say to our time traveller (who of course has no other choice but to stay!) to leave that place within the next minute and never come back!

Every detail in this story is carefully crafted to keep us -as often, that's what we like so much don't we?- on the edge of our seats, the cherry on the cake being the lack of info from Al, and his rare appearances giving Sam a good old scare, as if the leap situation wasn't frightening enough! No wonder Sam thought he'd landed in a real-life remake of "Deliverance" - that was my first impression as well.

I've enjoyed this very promising start, and I definitely smell something fishy (or should I say "horsey"?) next week, when Tom returns and confronts Sam about the phone call. Ziggy, can you leap me to next week please?

RATING: 8

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Sporty said:
A great beginning. I have a feeling Tom has a dark secret. But it seems to me that he would be the obvious one to do it from the way his behavior is. But he might not have done anything. Have to wait and see. I can hardly wait to see what the next part will bring. Keep up the great work, you three!

RATING: 8

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Morris J. Finkle said:
I enjoy stories that have Mike's name attached to them, so this first chapter has me intrigued so far. I, too, had thoughts of "Deliverance" in my head upon "seeing" the image of the portly hillbillies with rotting teeth. I could just hear the banjo playing in the background. Creeeeepy...

Since this is Part 1 of 3, I don't feel comfortable giving a more in-depth review until it is over. What I can say so far is that this story definitely seems... different...

Erin, Mike, and Ruth... you're all off to a good start. Keep up the good work!

RATING: 8

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Seeker said:
This was a great story. The description was sharp and so real, that as I read along, I could almost hear the characters speaking. Having grown up in the South during certain times of my life, the accents I 'heard' were spot on. Though I, too, have followed this story a great deal from its inception as a RP game, it is an entertaining and attention holding read. Good work!

RATING: 8

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Allie Cat said:
I think it's interesting but it would have been better if who did it wasn't given away before the body was found. Finding out who did it got rid of some of the suspense and even some of the plotline.

RATING: 7

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Tom Jarret said:
This story really came alive for me. I could see the farm, the crops, smell the corn. I liked how each of the brothers stood out as individuals. Their way of speaking was right on. The murder mystery that we have going on is great giving a really spooky feel to the story. It has a kind of southern gothic atmosphere to the story. With this said, I do wish I knew more about Marty. I would have liked to know more about him to get kind of a feel for him. We know only two things about him. His name and where he was from. I really like where this was going and the feeling of impending dread you get at the end.

RATING: 8

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Now, it's your opportunity to rate this particular story. Let the author(s) know how you rate this story. If you'd like to give feedback, please go ahead and leave a reply!

Thanks!
The Virtual Seasons Team

(Originally posted by leaper1 at: 3/11/05 6:56 am)

Having dipped into the RPG on which this story is based, I already know quite a bit about what is to come, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment at all.
You weave the story well, guys and gals, and keep the reader as on edge as Sam himself.
Looking forward to next week's installment.

My only niggle is that I think Al would have been more reluctant to go out and get the fingerprint. He'd still have done it, of course, he'd do anything for Sam, but with more complaint at having to be in proximity to the corpse.

That said, well done on a good first part.

Helen

Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.
(Leo Buscaglia)

Leap and the net will appear. (Anon)

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.
(Charles Dickens)

(Originally posted by Dman176 at: 3/14/05 7:54 pm)

Well, seeing as how I've edited this story and also had some input in the plot, there's not much I can say that I haven't already told Mike (and Erin). Not your standard run-of-the-mill leap story, to be sure, but it's still pretty interesting nonetheless. Looking forward to seeing readers' reactions for Part II, since it contains a surprise that many readers probably won't expect...

Damon

"Holographic observers! What a brilliant idea!" ? Professor Arturo, "In Dino Veritas"

(Originally posted by MikeKraken at: 3/22/05 9:50 pm)

Well, thank you all for your comments. Seeker: you're on the RPG? I hope it didn't sway your thoughts of the episode or anything...

Helen: Al checking out the fingerprint was done "off stage", but our figuring was that he would still be reluctant, but seeing Sam in such a state wouldn't do the leaper much good to hear complaints from Al. It's quite possible that he let Ziggy go and do it for him!

I'm glad that this first installment went over well with many of the readers. I hope that, like the other multi-part episodes, you will enjoy the entire trilogy as a whole and that it will improve your thoughts on the first episode.

... Mike. ^_^

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