Thriller (TV Series) The Eyes Have It (1973) User Reviews

Another cracking Thriller

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 29 December 2017]

The premise is certainly different, a school for the blind is used as the base for an assassination, the only person with sight is killed. The residents must use their senses to defeat the criminals.

This is another fantastic episode from Thriller's first series, following on from File under Fear in real style. So much suspense and tension, you're watching just waiting for Sally to discover the body, you're waiting to see how the students can tackle the terrorists, it is so cleverly worked. Peter Vaughan is fabulous as always, he always managed to play the bad guy with such vigour, he is sinister, but so measured, a great performance. Sinead Cusack is the reverse, so fragile and soft, but dogged and brave, she makes Sally such a great character. I thought the subplot of the antagonism between the terrorists was clever also, and key in many ways to the plot.

Some great moments including the arrival of the Police, Sally's desperation to speak to them, and the moment where George Mullard is shot and Sally watches blankly, so much to intrigue.

Very watchable, 8/10

excellent entry into the Thriller series

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 4 June 2020]

I've enjoyed getting back to this series, my favorite episodes being Coffin for the Bride and Lady Killer. I remember those from years ago

The Eyes Have It is one I just saw, and I'm glad to see it now because it has actors in it that I wouldn't have known when the show was first on. The first was a very young Sinead Cusack - I refused to believe it was her, but it was; the second actor was Dennis Waterman; and the third Alum Armstrong- the latter two both from one of my favorite shows, New Tricks.

The story concerns a school for the blind which is in the path of a huge parade carrying five statesmen and "a man who might change the world." We don't know who that is. Assassins set themselves up in a room overlooking the parade in order to set off rockets that will blow up the cars. The students don't realize that their teacher has been killed, and Sally (Cusack) one of the students is told b one of the killers that he's a plumber.

Sally keeps insisting to her card-playing friends that something is wrong. Then she finds her teacher's body. Listening to the radio, the students realize what's probably going on and decide that they must use their abilities to keep the assassination from happening.

My only criticism is that there is no indication, except on TV and the radio, that a parade is going on anywhere near that building. There is no outside noise.

Loved seeing these young people in a terrific story.

unbelievable if we can see the problems

[AvionPrince16 · 6/10 · 11 December 2023]

A little bit disappointed of the episode and how it didnt get really interested despite the interesting situation with a lot of possibilities : the blind people and the terrorist ones in the same house and that possibility of making us see what the blind people cant see and what the terrorist cant see from them and they slowly discovery of a way to escape .

I was really interested first and even more when we get revealed that they are blind . But they really ,in my opinion , under used the possibilities and situations : less imaginative and we get something pretty linear with some unbelievable situation and some acting that get me off several times : the blind playing poker ? Really ?

Pretty weird to be honest and even the play with the eyes and touch was kind of superficial and again unbelievable .

The terrorist give the motivation and the tension: are they going to get revealed by the police ? Is the blind people will found out ?this kind of question immediately come in our mind. And make us curious anyway .

We have also the interesting part when the blind girl get caught by the terrorist and make us worried .

But its kind of boring and the tension is uneven : pretty flat in some moments and tricks of the terrorist. And the blinds .

So yeah just disappointed that they didnt play more with the viewers and what the characters see and what we cannot .

I can see clearly now

[analoguebubblebath · 9/10 · 8 September 2005]

'The Eyes Have It' is probably the joint highpoint of Thriller's first series - the other being 'The Colour Of Blood'. It is one of the most memorable episodes and will remain in your mind long after the closing credits. It was the first episode of Thriller I saw - as a repeat back in the early 1980s and it made a huge impression on my 9 year old mind.

The premise is simple but devastating in its execution. A band of three terrorists take refuge in a school for the blind where they have identified an ideal vantage point from which to assassinate a visiting head of state. To gain access they are forced to murder the head of the school and in a particularly vivid scene, this dastardly act occurs in full view of Sally (expertly played by Sinead Cusack). Gradually she realises that something is amiss and has difficulty in convincing her fellow students that they may in danger. However they find that their pooled resources can be quite effective despite their handicap and the action moves towards an unforgettable and dramatic climax.

The assassins are convincing - particularly the menacing Peter Vaughan as Anderson. Doubtless many viewers will remember him as the aggressive jewellery fence who ridicules a young thief's honesty in the McVities Fruit Goldgrain advertisements of the mid 1970s. 'Nick 'em? I bought 'em' 'He bought 'em!!!'

Well done to Shaun O'Riordan for some great directing - 'The Eyes Have It' is an outstanding episode and deserves to be seen by everyone.

A Sight For Sore Eyes

[alanbriscoe · 4 June 2002]

This is another splendid episode in Brian Clemens's "Thriller" anthology. The story centres around a group of assassins taking over a school for the blind to give them a good vantage point to launch an attempt on the life of a visiting statesman. When the only sighted member of staff is murdered by one of the assassins, the blind students have to find a way to disarm the killers, against all the odds ...

Not for the first time Clemens uses blindness as a theme to create great tension, suspense and toil against apparent impotence. The viewer has to guess how the students can succeed. The fear factor isn't actually as high as in other stories but the tale is very engaging and typically played and directed to a great level. Sinead Cusack is marvellously engaging as Sally, one of the students. The scene in which she obliviously "looks" through a window as her teacher is shot dead is incredibly memorable. Peter Vaughn is, as always, superb in a sinister role as one of the assassins. The episode also provides an early sighting of Dennis Waterman, just before his big breakthrough in "The Sweeney".

Another clever theme is the squabbling between two of the killers, and intriguingly the motives for their mission are never made clear.

The only real gripes are the conclusion, which is adequate but not wholly effective, and some very wooden radio and TV reports on the statesman's visit. However this is still a very fine effort, should you be lucky enough to be able to see it.

"...a story of heroes..."

[dramajunkie76 · 10/10 · 9 April 2020]

The premise, as has been noted in four previous, generous reviews and care of IMDB...

"A group of terrorists posing as plumbers set up base at a school for the blind. The students remain blissfully unaware, while the terrorists plan the assassination of a politician who will soon be passing the school on a parade route. Only one student, Sally, suspects that the men upstairs may be dangerous..."

I can not praise this entry enough. In an anthology that boasts "Coffin for the Bride" of series 3 to be the most memorable, series 1 "The Eyes Have It" is no pushover, just like its group of protagonists. "Eyes" tells an intelligent story with no condescension. The students are blind, but are never regulated to being hapless victims because of it. They are, in creation, a surrogate family lovingly sharing each others quirks and idiosyncrasies until the family unit is confronted with a series obvious threats. Those threats are represented in the a triage of strong acting talent, veteran British actors previous reviews have lent credence to....

All in all, it is a story of heroes, benefiting from not being so self-aware that fail to champion what is right no matter what the obstruction.

Kudos to Sinéad Cusack as "Sally", and Alun Armstrong as "Mike", who just happen to captivate me despite an already strong group of players.

An episode worth seeing

[sherondalewis-20531 · 10/10 · 28 February 2023]

This episode of Thriller, "The Eyes Have It", is one of the best in the series. A very gripping story that leaves you on the edge of your seat.

Three assassins, who goes to the "Medical School for the Blind" needs the building so they can use the top floor window to kill a visiting statesman. So, they kill the only seeing person, the Doctor/teacher of said school and realize that one of the students, Sally, is there to "witness" the murder..of which she can't see, to the satisfaction of one of the assassins, Anderson. Introducing himself as a plumber and his "2 helpers", Sally gives a letter to be mailed...but that letter will come into play later.

Sally then tells her friends that there are plumbers there but, they are "odd" because she may not see them in their "gear" plumbers, of course, has a smell to them. A smell she noticed they did not have. And something about them doesn't seem right (why would a plumber wear a pinky ring)?

Little things adds up but, no one is believing that the Doctor just ups and leaves. They all suspect that he is going to the parade that will pass by their school in a motorcade of where the statesman will be in.

Well, then, Sally is upset and knows something is wrong. But, she presses on and gets ready to work on the dummy used to teaching...but this is no dummy but the good doctor! And her letter is still there, she finds out. Her screams notifies the fact that the 3 assassins knows that one of them found the doctor's dead body! To the chagrin of one of the assassins (a man who is there to make sure the job is done correctly). Now her blind buddies knows something is wrong and they arr held hostage. With the windows barred and the door locked from the outside, and no help from the police, since the officer was duped by Anderson as being the good doctor, what are they to do? Why are they being held hostage. And then, the radio gives them the clues that they need to know: the school is in the direction of where the motorcade will come by. And they need their school to kill him. And it doesn't help that Sally knows the smell of gun powder that she smelled on them (but not what she should have smelled if they were "plumbers").

So, they need to find a way out and Sally, finds a breeze somewhere in the room. They remember that the room they were in was a donated mansion and that they dining room had a dumb waiter. Once they find that, Sally is petite enough to go down into the basement and finds the door after being let down. But, she's caught by Anderson, who is walking around the grounds to check everything out whilst his two cohorts are upstairs, bickering. He brings her back but, because of her screams, the other residents know that she was captured but will be back in the room so, they get a game plan on!

What is next is now down to the wire of how they managed to subdue Anderson and take out the next two. The last 5 minutes is a nail bitter and the last scene will forever be etched in your memory as how they came through and save the day!

Sinèad Cusack, Alun Armstrong and Dennis Waterman (the two men starring years later as Gerry Standing and Brien "Memory" Lane on the great hit "New Tricks") leads this great episode of Thriller. Some episodes of Thriller are supernatural, some are a little put there, but THIS episode is one of the tops when it comes to suspense. Absolutely worth watching again.

One of the best of a superb UK TV series that tops most US shows.

[rixrex · 16 December 2006]

A series that can beat nearly anything currently on US television. I would rate it as good as the best modern series around, such as Prison Break and 24, and better than Lost in my opinion. Taken in the context of the time, 1973-76, this UK television series still has an edge over same time US series. This particular episode left me wondering why American TV and Film productions cannot develop stories that have such great potential in the plot AND actually live up to it? There is enough tension and turns here to make the most jaded viewer take notice. When was the last time a slow-paced and languid story still left you on seat's edge? That takes a GOOD PLOT, SUPERB ACTING, WELL-DONE DIRECTION AND EDITING! Things sorely lacking in modern thrillers that rely upon sudden shock, loud noise and music, and grisly gore effects to terrify an audience. In those you can find time to go to the restroom and not miss anything or care, in this thriller, you will not want to leave at all. Do yourself a favor and pick up the DVD of the complete series available from UK sellers on ebay and other places, and give your Hitchcock series and Twilight Zone tapes a rest, for this is the equal to them.