LOVE the CBS Radio Mystery Theater!! Loved it as a kid growing up in the late 70's / early 80's, I listened to each episode from my single ear phone connected to my bought out of my own allowance portable AM radio and pretended to listen to this in bed before I slept so my parents wouldn't realize it and get in trouble. (they never found out, hehe!) Loved the drama that old radio gave... that you just can't get today. Keep the shows coming!!

We used to listen to them when in the car, driving home from dinner at my grandparents' house. I have very fond memories of them.

This episode is not one of my favorites because of it's focus on what I feel are stupid, mundane details. It's true that I don't know anything about the afterlife, but I seriously doubt they use money or ask for fees. That's why I find myself getting annoyed that she has to pay 50 cents in the afterlife to ride the journey boat. Also, why do they need to eat, and other mundane stuff? This is supposed to be the afterlife, lol!

The fee is part of the mythology of Hades as you had to pay a fee. iF you didn't as your body decomposed you would be forced to try and swim with river and effectively be trapped.

Just a brief follow up. It's also ridiculous to me that the managers of the "hotel" refuse to tell her what's going on and give her the run around about leaving. Why don't they just tell her she is dead? Why does it have to be Orville who is the one to tell her? Also, why was Cerberus changed into a wimpy German shepherd? (At least he's wimpy in comparison to the legendary beast that guards the gates of Hades.) The whole story comes across as silly and it just doesn't make sense to me.

I completely disagree with Amy on this episode. I found the story and the characters were well-written, developed, and believable. Is it such a strange situation that those "higher ups" in the afterlife do not want to tell us that we are, in fact, deceased? I think the "50 cents" given to the ferryman was to show how, perhaps, each of us is given the 50 cents to get onto a "resort" such as this, but no one has the money to get off. Also, in order to make it a more modern, believable tale of a woman who essentially wandered onto this island, a current breed of dog would make it more credible instead of having the mythical "demon dog." I do not find that the plot has "stupid, mundane details." In fact, if this man is supposed to be the host of a resort, it adds credibility to his character. The suspense and uncertainty of this story of a modern-day Hades expand into an intriguing and significant story of the afterlife and if near-death experiences can real, dreams, or we can escape fate--at least temporarily.

Dan. I agree with your way of seeing the plot. I enjoy CBSRMT, and enjoy when the story lines, are “out of the box” way of thinking. Thank you and enjoy

Amy, this episode seems to be based on the Greek Myths of the Afterlife, and the Greeks DID have to put copper pennies on the eyes of the deceased to pay for the ferryman to ferry them across the river Styx.

Less than halfway through I recognized this as a story about Hades. I kept yelling in my head for her to not eat anything, as I was thinking about Persephone and pomegranate seeds.

The 50 cents toll comes from Greek mythology about River Styx and Charon, the ferryman to Hades. “ In ancient times some believed that a coin (Charon's obol) placed in the mouth of a dead person would pay the toll for the ferry across the river to the entrance of the underworld. It was said that if someone could not pay the fee, they would never be able to cross the river. The ritual was performed by the relatives of the dead.”

Well done, interesting ending,

I didn't know about the Greek custom, so it does make more sense in that context. I still don't happen to care for this episode though. To each his/her own, I guess.

The song Orville is playing on guitar is called La Llorona. Beautiful song.