A
piano is an acoustic musical instrument in which strings are struck by a hammer,
and sound is produced.
A
piano, and instruments much like it (organs, harpsichords, etc.), have appeared
frequently in cult-TV history.
Often times, the presence of a piano in a scene suggests a
degree of refinement among a TV character. A character who plays the piano is
intellectual, composed, and talented. But he or she may also possess a dark side.
One
of the most famous examples of a piano in sci-fi TV comes from Rod Serling’s The
Twilight Zone (1959-1964). In the episode “A Piano in the House,” a
music critic played by the late, great Barry Morse acquires a piano that, when
played, reveals hidden facets of people. Morse’s character, Fitzgerald, uses
the piano to abuse his wife, and eventually his guests at a party. Soon, however, the piano also exposes him as
a bitter, envious, unloved man.
In
Star
Trek (1966-1969), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) played a
piano-like instrument (actually a harpsichord) in the third season story, “Requiem
for Methuselah.” There, the half-Vulcan
found the instrument, and an original composition by Johannes Brahms in the
home of an enigmatic stranger, Flint.
In
1985, the low-budget horror anthology Tales from the Darkside (1983-1988)
featured a tale called “The Satanic Piano” about a haunted instrument that
could read minds…and steal souls.
In
1995, an episode of Goosebumps (1995-1998) called “Piano Lessons Can Be Murder”
featured an old piano, a ghost, and a dark secret.
Another
piano playing character in cult-TV history is Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen),
who has a taste for…classical music (as well as human flesh) in the NBC series
named after him.
One
of the best episodes of The Walking Dead (2010 - ) is “Alone,”
which airs in the fourth season, and finds Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Beth (Emily
Kinney) taking shelter in a funeral home. Beth plays the piano for Daryl, and a
bond is forged between them as she plays.
A
recent episode of Doctor Who (2005 - ), called “Lie of the Land” revealed that
the Master -- Missy -- plays the piano.
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