Baker's Dozen is the ninth episode of season 3. It is also the final episode written by series creator George A. Romero.
Synopsis[]
A voodoo practioner bakes cursed food and pairs up with an agent to advertise her business.
Cast[]
- Mabel King as Ruby Cuzzins
- Larry Manetti as Henry Hogan
- Vernon Washington as Aloysius Cuzzins
- Therese Pare as Helen Hogan
Plot[]
Act I[]
Advertising agent Henry Hogan arrives at a small New Orleans bakery called "Cuzzin's Dozens" to try and partner with its owner, Ruby. Henry has come up with an advertising campaign already as the shop is something of a local hit, and Henry thinks it could be franchised to make them both rich. Ruby is not interested in the idea, however, but Henry manages to talk her into it.
Isn't it supposed to be 'Country Sunshine'?
Ruby begins yelling at her father, Aloysius, and leaves the room. Aloysius passes a new cookie over to Henry, a gingerbread man. Aloysius sends Henry off with a warning: that Ruby is a witch who works for the devil, and uses gingerbread men cookies as voodoo dolls. Henry laughs this off and leaves, and Ruby is enraged, torturing her father with voodoo magic and turning him into a rat.
Act II[]
Henry is done drinking coffee
Back at home, Henry's wife, Helen, is convinced he is having an affair, but he denies this. He dips the gingerbread cookie into some coffee, and this causes Helen to burn her leg. Henry laughs, realizing that this partnership will make him rich. There is a montage as Ruby becomes rich and famous, and Henry eventually loses all of his money.
Look at Henry Hogan, his tuxedo suit is black!
Some time later, Henry returns to the original bakery, demanding more cookies from her so he can use her magic to get his wealth back. However, Ruby has no interest as she was actually the one behind his financial woes the entire time, so he would be forced to focus on her business. Rick is enraged and thinks about using his last cookie to kill her, but he thinks better of the idea and decides to leave.
Act III[]
At home, Helen is still thinking that he is not faithful to her. Henry is annoyed by this so he goes to take a shower.
Helen looks at the gingerbread cookie and she begins to tears Henry to pieces in the shower
Helen looks at the gingerbread cookie on the table, and sees some lipstick on the wrapper. She takes this as proof of an affair and destroys the cookie in anger, however this act tears Henry to pieces in the shower, killing him. At the bakery, Ruby finishes her nightly routine of sadistically torturing Aloysius. He swears that he will get even with her and she again turns him into a rat. Ruby laughs at him, only to realize that Aloysius only gave Henry twelve cookies to begin with. The rat then begins eating the last cookie's head, torturing Ruby for a change, and presumably killing her.
Yup, the rat starts snacking on the head of the cookie that represents his daughter!
Notes[]
- This episode marks the second appearance of Larry Manetti and Therese Pare, both of whom had roles in Season 2 episodes; Printer's Devil and The Madness Room respectively.
- This is the fourth and final episode of the series written by creator George A. Romero.