Synopsis of Saturday Morning Show

Magic, time travel, evil spirits, alien invaders and other assorted spooky elements combined to form The Third Eye, a compilation program aired during Nickelodeon’s formative years. The series was composed of four parts—“Into the Labyrinth,” “Children of the Stones,” “The Haunting of Cassie Palmer” and “Under the Mountain”—each a short-run series from either New Zealand or the United Kingdom.

“Into the Labyrinth” took a group of three children on a quest through time and space. Young Helen, Terry and Phil were out exploring one day when they accidentally released an imprisoned sorcerer named Rothgo. The mage recruited the kids for his quest to recover a stolen artifact called the Nidus, a talisman of great power. The Nidus had been pilfered by the wicked witch Belor, and Rothgo was forced to take his charges on a trip into the past to recover it. Three seasons of the show were filmed and aired in its native land, introducing the sorcerer and his apprentices to such real and fictional figures as Robin Hood, King James I, Long John Silver, Kublai Khan and Davy Crockett. Only the first season of seven episodes made it to The Third Eye, however, as the rest of the program was filled out with other tales.

“Children of the Stones” centered around a mysterious circle of stones in the quiet English hamlet of Milbury. When scientist Adam Brake and his son Matthew arrived in town, they discovered that the entire population was under the influence of an unseen power, somehow connected to the stones. Over the course of the show’s seven episodes, the Brakes began to realize that town squire Raphael Hendrick was somehow involved, and father and son were forced to find a way to break his spell.

“The Haunting of Cassie Palmer” was a classic ghost story whose title said it all. Cassie Palmer was the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, a lineage that came with a degree of supernatural power. With her inborn abilities, young Cassie summoned the spirit of Deverill, a name which sounded suspiciously like “Devil.” It only took six episodes for the Palmer family to realize what was going down and to put their haunted home back in order.

The fourth series, “Under the Mountain,” focused on a pair of fraternal twins, Rachel and Theo Matheson. While staying with their Aunt and Uncle in Auckland, New Zealand, the teen siblings were contacted by a mysterious man named Mr. Jones, who had met them briefly eight years earlier. This time, Mr. Jones revealed his true identity and mission. He was an alien, sent from a far off world to recruit the twins in a battle against another race of aliens. These latter creatures were a family of slimy, slug-like beasts who could take on human form. Led by the evil Mr. Wilberforce, the green meanies were now bent on destroying Earth, and only the twins’ emerging psychic abilities could turn them back.

The eight episodes of “Under the Mountain” completed a solid slate of supernatural programming for The Third Eye. It was a change of pace for kids used to the good cheer and humor of most children’s programming. Not only were these shows gloomier, they also had a beginning and an end. Perhaps for these very reasons, The Third Eye has almost completely vanished in the years since it left Nickelodeon, surviving only in the memories of kids who loved a good sci-fi/ghost story.

Release History

1983 Nickelodeon

TV Sub Categories

live-action
sci-fi/fantasy

TV Studio

HTV,  TVS

Television Cast

'Into the Labyrinth' 
Phil Simon Beal
Terry Simon Henderson
Rothgo Ron Moody
Belor Pamela Salem
Helen Lisa Turner
 
'Children of the Stones' 
Adam Brake Gareth Thomas
Matthew Brake Peter Denim
Raphael Hendrick Iain Cuthbertson
Sandra Smythe Katharine Levy
Margaret Smythe Veronica Strong
Miss Clegg June Barrie
Bob Ian Donnolly
Mrs. Crabtree Ruth Dunning
Kevin Darren Hatch
Dai Freddie Jones
Dr. Lyle Richard Mathews
Mrs. Warner Peggy Ann Wood
Link John Woodnutt
 
'The Haunting of Cassie Palmer' 
Cassie Palmer Helen Probyn
Mrs. Palmer Elizabeth Spriggs
Tom Palmer Stephen Bint
Mary Palmer Ruth Adcock
Deverill Geoffrey Rose
 
'Under the Mountain' 
Rachel Matheson Kristy Wilkinson
Theo Matheson Lance Warren
Mr. Wilberforce Bill Johnson
Mr. Jones Roy Leywood

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