Look into my Eyes: Part 1

Look into my Eyes: Part 1 was the very first episode of the first series of the 1990's TV Series which was first broadcast on Tuesday January 2, 1996.

The first series of the show was broke into two storylines with this episode being the first part of the "Look into my Eyes" plot which was an adaption of the first book.

Synopsis
Lloyd and Harvey Hunter are getting a foster sister called Dinah Glass.

She is a very clever girl but she keeps it very quiet. But when she goes to St Champions the next day she finds that the school is not normal.

Full Recap
The episode opens in Lloyd and Harvey's game room at The Hunter's House where they are talking about Dinah Glass, the girl that has been fostered by their parents. Lloyd is upset as when he heard they were fostering he thought that it would be a baby not a girl the same age as him and wonders about what will happen at school.

Harvey interjects that she might be a "normal" like them but Lloyd shoots this idea down saying it's unlikely since there's only five of them in the whole school. Whilst this conversion is going on, a very nervous and scared Dinah is being driven towards the Hunters' house.

Dinah arrives at the house accompanied by social worker Miss Wilberforce and whilst coming down to meet her, Lloyd and Harvey talk about how with Dinah living there it will be just like having a spy for the headmaster in the house. Harvey suggests that they spy on Dinah instead so they can finally find out what's going on at the school and especially the assembly (later which we find out that the five normals are banned from) but Lloyd doesn't fancy going against the whole school and states that they've only got this far by keeping their heads down.

Mr and Mrs Hunter welcome Dinah warmly and send the children up to the gaming room to get to know each other. Lloyd and Harvey offer Dinah different food items which she simply replies no to making Lloyd question if she's a robot and prompts her to say more. She replies "I'm Dinah Glass. I'm 11. My parents both died when I was one. I've lived in the children home ever since" which puts the boys off a bit. Harvey offers Dinah the chance of asking her own questions and is dismayed that she asks about school with Harvey stating that Lloyd doesn't like it and that she'll find out why tomorrow.

The next morning the three of them leave for their school, St Champions. Dinah has been given a letter from Mrs Hunter to give to the headmaster saying that she couldn't come into school with Dinah to see him because she needed to wait for the plumber. When they get there, Harvey runs off to take the registers round to the teachers but after he's ran in, Ian tells them that some one else had to do it because of their lateness.

Lloyd runs after Harvey to get him back, leaving Dinah alone. Dinah feels the playground is odd as no one is running around playing but instead are stood in groups answering questions. The prefects come out and order the students to form lines, Dinah, not knowing what to do, joins the nearest line but is soon picked out by Rose who questions her on why she's not wearing the correct green uniform, Dinah explains that she's new and didn't have the correct uniform and is sent to the headmasters office.

Upon walking in Dinah introduces herself but the headmaster tells her that idle chatter is an inefficient use of energy, only speak when you're spoken to! He then tells her to sit down in the chair in front of the the desk and questions her on why Mrs Hunter isn't there, which is when Dinah hands over the letter. Once he's satisfied with the letter's explanations, he sets Dinah a test to see how smart she is.

Dinah is afraid of showing how smart she is and gets some of the questions wrong on purpose. After the test is over the headmaster remarks on how smart she is and hypnotizes her. Dinah wakes up some time later and the headmaster tells her that she's been "asleep" and sends her off to dinner but not before warning Dinah that Harvey and Lloyd don't fit in at the school and that she should stay away from them.

At dinner Dinah sits with Harvey, Lloyd and the rest of SPLAT who question her on where she has been all morning and tests to see if she's one of them by asking her what she thinks of the headmaster. Dinah of course replies with "I think that the headmaster is a marvellous man and this is the best school I've ever been to" which shocks her because she doesn't know why she said it. The others reveal that after lunch she'll go into assembly, an activity the five of them are banned from (and not because they're thick, Lloyd points out, but because there different.)

Splat are in their lesson whilst assembly is happening when Harvey asks to be allowed to go to the toilet, after much protesting from Rose he is eventually allowed. In assembly the headmaster puts everyone into a hypnotized state and lectures to them from a book (his way of better teaching).

Dinah figures out what he is up to and manages to avoid going under his spell by closing her eyes but is easily spotted when she doesn't respond properly. The headmaster tests to see if she's hypnotized by poking her with a pin after telling her that her arm is numb (had she been under she wouldn't have felt a thing) and she is caught out when she flinches. Dinah tries to remember the that the Headmaster is hypnotizing the students by repeating it over and over in her mind before the Headmaster puts her under.

Harvey on his way back from the toilet creeps up to the door of the room where assembly happens and spies on them for a minute before running off. He has been spotted by a prefect who was standing in a dark corner. The scene cuts to the members of Splat listing to Harvey who tells them that he saw that the headmaster was lecturing the pupils without his glasses on. Back in the games room Lloyd questions Dinah on what she did in assembly (she replies that they watched a film about ants.

It was very interesting.) and when they question her more she replies she can't remember.) Lloyd replies that it's fine if she's to thick to remember which troubles Dinah as she always remembers. Harvey tells Dinah that she's lying anyway as he didn't see any film or even a projector when he peeped in. Dinah is puzzled as it all doesn't make sense and asks the boys what's going on at school, Harvey starts to tell her but Lloyd tells him to shut up and Dinah storms out of the room. Lloyd tells Harvey that he's blown it now telling her after peeping as she's one of them!. The camera cuts away and we see the headmaster lecturing the prefects where he presses a button on a remote and the class room picture slides away to reveal a poster labelled "Master Plan" with "Final organisation structure" written below.

Dinah is stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom asking herself what's wrong with the school. Her mind replies "Fear. They're all afraid" but is unable to figure out what of. She thinks that she needs to find out what's going on. The only way to do that is to break a rule.

Characters

 * The Headmaster
 * Dinah Glass
 * Lloyd Hunter
 * Harvey Hunter
 * Ian
 * Mandy
 * Ingrid
 * Mrs. Hunter
 * Lucy Green


 * Rose Carter
 * Jeff Morgan
 * Sarah
 * Simon
 * Suan Winters
 * Peter Williamson
 * Miss Wilberforce
 * Mr Hunter
 * Eddy Hair

Trivia

 * Whilst the town/village where the Hunter's live isn't given a name in dialogue, the name "Conningham" is used on props such as Dinah's letter in episode 4.
 * The Headmaster is the only character within the series to wear glasses.