Peter: I don’t believe in devils.
Zero: Precisely why your soul is so interesting; innocence is at a premium.
Zero: Precisely why your soul is so interesting; innocence is at a premium.
The devil is in the details, especially with music contracts. Peter carelessly sells his soul for the love of music, and the Monkees fight to save him. Based on The Devil and Daniel Webster (and indirectly on Faust).
Full Recap
While walking around the city, Peter finds a pawn shop full of musical instruments. The owner, Mr. Zero, leads him to a beautiful harp that Peter is instantly taken with, missing several red flags about Mr. Zero’s nature. The shop owner pops a contract out of thin air for the deal. Peter signs it, assuming it’s an installment plan.
At home, the others question why Peter needs a harp since they’ve never known him to play it. Mr. Zero teleports into the apartment without Mike or Peter noticing. Zero encourages Peter to try to play, assuring him he would become rich and famous. Peter’s lovely music convinces the others to add the harp to the act.
The Monkees are more successful than ever with the harp in their band. One night a few weeks later, Zero teleports into the apartment again in full view of the others to collect payment. Mike reads the contract and, shocked, tells Peter he sold his soul to the devil! Davy and Micky are alarmed, but Peter laughs it off. He doesn’t believe in devils. Mr. Zero proves himself with a few impossible pranks and tells Peter he's taking him to Hell. Mike points out the time is only eight o’clock and contractually, Peter has until midnight. Zero agrees and disappears, leaving Peter scared and the others vowing to think of a way out.
Song break: “Salesman”
Around 11:45pm, the others are still deciding how to rescue Peter from Zero. Micky wants to attack him with a wooden stake, just as Zero appears and transmutes the weapon into a feather. Davy asks if he can take Peter’s place, but Zero stands firm on the original contract. Mike demands a trial to contest the contract. With ten minutes left, Zero zaps them into a courtroom facing condemned jurors from Devil’s Island and the hanging judge Roy Bean.
Zero calls Billy the Kid, Blackbeard the pirate, and Attila the Hun as witnesses, all of whom confirm Zero was the secret to their success. Mike calls Zero as his witness and declares that the contract for fame and fortune is invalid. Peter only wanted his music, which inherently comes from his soul. Zero argues he gave Peter the ability to play in exchange for his soul, who agrees it was almost worth it. Mike tells the court that the love of music gave Peter the power to play, and anyone who nurtures their love of music has that power, because love is power. Zero laughs and snaps Peter back to the same state in which he found him. Mike asks Peter to play. Peter’s not convinced, but Mike reassures him that he owns his power and his ability. Peter walks to the harp and plays a beautiful version of “I Wanna Be Free” that moves most of the court to tears. Micky and Davy silently cheer, while Mike intently concentrates on the music with his bandmate.
The judge declares the defendant not guilty! Zero is banished back to Hell, and the judge asks if Peter knows “Melancholy Baby”.
Song break: “No Time”
At home, the others question why Peter needs a harp since they’ve never known him to play it. Mr. Zero teleports into the apartment without Mike or Peter noticing. Zero encourages Peter to try to play, assuring him he would become rich and famous. Peter’s lovely music convinces the others to add the harp to the act.
The Monkees are more successful than ever with the harp in their band. One night a few weeks later, Zero teleports into the apartment again in full view of the others to collect payment. Mike reads the contract and, shocked, tells Peter he sold his soul to the devil! Davy and Micky are alarmed, but Peter laughs it off. He doesn’t believe in devils. Mr. Zero proves himself with a few impossible pranks and tells Peter he's taking him to Hell. Mike points out the time is only eight o’clock and contractually, Peter has until midnight. Zero agrees and disappears, leaving Peter scared and the others vowing to think of a way out.
Song break: “Salesman”
Around 11:45pm, the others are still deciding how to rescue Peter from Zero. Micky wants to attack him with a wooden stake, just as Zero appears and transmutes the weapon into a feather. Davy asks if he can take Peter’s place, but Zero stands firm on the original contract. Mike demands a trial to contest the contract. With ten minutes left, Zero zaps them into a courtroom facing condemned jurors from Devil’s Island and the hanging judge Roy Bean.
Zero calls Billy the Kid, Blackbeard the pirate, and Attila the Hun as witnesses, all of whom confirm Zero was the secret to their success. Mike calls Zero as his witness and declares that the contract for fame and fortune is invalid. Peter only wanted his music, which inherently comes from his soul. Zero argues he gave Peter the ability to play in exchange for his soul, who agrees it was almost worth it. Mike tells the court that the love of music gave Peter the power to play, and anyone who nurtures their love of music has that power, because love is power. Zero laughs and snaps Peter back to the same state in which he found him. Mike asks Peter to play. Peter’s not convinced, but Mike reassures him that he owns his power and his ability. Peter walks to the harp and plays a beautiful version of “I Wanna Be Free” that moves most of the court to tears. Micky and Davy silently cheer, while Mike intently concentrates on the music with his bandmate.
The judge declares the defendant not guilty! Zero is banished back to Hell, and the judge asks if Peter knows “Melancholy Baby”.
Song break: “No Time”
This episode provides examples of:
- Borrowed Catchphrase: When Davy proposes that Zero be sworn in as a witness by placing his hand on The Bible, Zero responds "You must be joking".
- Deal with the Devil: Peter unwittingly makes one with Mr. Zero, not bothering to Read the Fine Print. Fortunately, he's able to get out of it fair and square.
- Fire and Brimstone Hell: Defied Trope when Mr. Zero discusses what the place is actually like.Zero: Don’t worry, Peter; you’ll like it down below.
Peter: What about the fires?
Zero: People are always talking about the fires. You don’t burn; all you feel is a sense of depression. - Jury of the Damned: Mr. Zero assembles one made of Devil's Island inmates, with notorious Historical Domain Characters as witnesses.
- Medium Awareness: After Billy the Kid's testimony, Micky insists that Judge Bean call another witness "on the grounds that the television show’s not over."
- My Rule Fu Is Stronger than Yours: Mike successfully argues that Peter wanted the ability to play that he already possessed, not the fame and fortune Mr. Zero delivered. Either the harp itself was thrown in as a freebie or everyone forgot that was what Peter actually wanted to buy.
- Outside-Genre Foe: The second season has more otherworldly bad guys, but this one really gave the network censors [*cuckoo*]!note
- Pop-Cultural Osmosis: The generation of fans who first heard about The Devil and Daniel Webster through this episode and/or ''The Devil and Daniel Mouse" might be surprised to learn the original version had nothing to do with music.
- The Power of Love/The Power of Rock: In his summation speech to the jury, Mike argues that both powers are connected.Mike: If you love music, man, you can play music. If, uh, people say "Well, I can’t carry a note, I can’t, I can’t say, I can’t sing, I, I’m tone deaf." But nobody’s tone deaf, and if you love music, then you can play music. And all it takes is just love, because, uh, because, baby, in the final analysis, love is power. That’s where the power’s at. And, and, and you want to tell me that you gave it to him, but I know different, because I’m a musician. And, uh, well, that’s really all there is to that.
- Shout-Out: At one point, Micky says the situation at the trial is "Just like Inherit the Wind, boy."
- Sound-Effect Bleep: The Monkees discuss Hell after Mr. Zero leaves:Mike: So that's what [*cuckoo*] is all about.
Davy: Yeah, [*cuckoo*] is pretty scary.
Micky: You know what's even more scary?
Peter: What?
Micky: You can't say [*cuckoo*]!note on television. - Stop Trick: The main special effect Mr. Zero uses to demonstrate his evil powers.
- Although the Monkees themselves use this for sight gags all the time, for this episode they're the normal ones and the devil can use this to block any attempt to fight him.
- Very Special Episode: The band is unusually subdued for this one, even dressing in plain button-up shirts. Also, since the topic hit close to home for Peter and Michael offscreen, their acting is more mature than usual here. Most of the comedy is left to Davy and Micky.
- You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious: At the climax of the trial, Mike challenges Peter to play the harp in the courtroom without the Devil's help. Peter, uncharacteristically panicked, says "Michael—I can't!" It's one of, if not the only times Mike is called by his full first name by one of the other Monkees.
