The Pleasure Zone

If Rod Serling was alive today and saw Cinemax's "The Pleasure Zone," he might be aroused to call his lawyer to file a copyright infringement lawsuit--but he wouldn't be sexually aroused.

Each and every episode of this Cinemax exclusive series begins thusly: a very handsome young man or a beautiful, sexy young woman is sitting in their den. Their computer is turned on. (No pun intended.)

A mildly attractive--but strangely serious-looking brunette--shows up on their monitor's screen.

"Welcome to 'The Pleasure Zone'--where anything is possible," she says. "My name is Serena. To speak with me directly, type in the password."

So they do.

"Well, Debbie?" Serena might then say. "How did it go?"

What will then ensue is Debbie's date of three weeks ago with John. Or was it Seth? No, wait. I think Seth was the one whose girlfriend told Debbie about "The Pleasure Zone." Oh, Hell's bells! Skip it.

The premise of this series is an Internet dating service. But it's no ordinary dating service. No, no! Serena, you see, knows just the right man--or woman, whichever the case may be--from the very first time she is told a few details about someone. What sort of details does Serena need to know? Well, for instance, in the case of Nikki ... "I'm looking for a man who's interested in more than just a casual fling."

"I understand perfectly," Serena would be likely to reply. "And I think I have just the right man for you."

All Cinemax's series--"Nightcaps," "Erotic Confessions," "The Best Sex Ever," "Passion Cove"... and last but definitely least, "The Pleasure Zone"--attempt to answer two basic questions. 1) How much of a story can be told in 28 minutes? 2) How many sex scenes can be squeezed into that time span?

"The Pleasure Zone" is the least successful at serving up the sort of "pleasure" it attempts to.

The music is nice, though. Herman Beeftink--Cinemax's main soundtrack man--is quite talented. Perhaps one day his talents will carry over to the big screen.

I have seen every episode of this series and completely agree with the last posting - Rod Serling would be hard-pressed (truly no pun intended) to get aroused by this obvious late-night Cinemax fare. The story lines are lean and leave little (not even a smidgen) of imagination as to where these stories are all suppose to obviously lead.

However, I do disagree when it comes to the day players in this series. The last posting described them as beautiful and sexy, which I thought was rather liberal. Yes, some great bodies that definitely generate some heat, but really we're talking B movie central casting here.

The last posting also said that the main, recurring character 'Serena' was "mildly attractive"??! Shocked I was, as the actress that plays Serena is THE single MOST sexually intriguing thing about this whole series. And she is the only character that does not engage in any sex, nor has any physical contact on screen with the other characters. (She is only seen shoulders up as she is inside her computer domain – ala Max Headroom.) How this elegant actress wound up in the 'Pleasure Zone' I cannot fathom – she is a classic beauty that gives a performance that is at once mysterious and incredibly seductive.

Quite honestly, she's the only reason to watch - because if you're looking for great sex scenes, 'Red Shoe Diaries' does it a whole lot better.

I am a fan of Kathleen's. Even though she only had 5 lines and ALL HER Clothes ON she was the hottest! She is a great actress! Oh well it's a start! I saw her in a play "Crimes of the Heart" and she was great! Very believable. She was also in a few music videos: the Barenaked Ladies and Steve Winwood! In the Barenaked Ladies she plays a queen and in the Steve Winwood video she was in the dance sequences. I looked her up on the net and she now writes songs and is a photographer, Multi-talented! Pretty cool! I have to write 10 lines to post so I will LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL