The Twilight Zone Season 1: Episode 9 - Perchance to Dream

Edward Hall is a man with a very grave condition, a condition that could at any time end his life.  His only solution to survival is to stay awake, because it's his belief that once he falls asleep he'll never wake up.  But Mr. Hall will quickly discover that there's no escaping the dreams that are out to get him in The Twilight Zone.

Story - 6/10 - Edward Hall has a heart condition and any sudden excitement would ultimately kill him.  What Edward is mostly worried about is his dreams, every-time he goes to sleep he finds himself in a creepy amusement park with a woman named Maya who he believes is trying to kill him.  If he goes to sleep again he's almost certain to never wake up.  Perchance to Dream is the first non Serling script of the series and it's rather noticeable.  While the amusement park scenes are pretty good, the story itself is quite lame and the ending not at all surprising.

Characters - 6/10 - Nothing much special about Edward Hall, but rather the strange beautiful woman in his dreams named Maya nicknamed "the cat girl", is very well cast for the role of Edward's imaginary torturer.  But the torture is pretty corny as going on a roller coaster and in a fun house is supposedly dangerous to Edward's heart condition.

Classic Value - 5/10 - This is not likely to be a very memorable episode for anyone.  The slightly creepy vibe makes the episode watchable but ultimately it's not one of the series best.

Moral of the Story - 6/10 - Dreams can kill.  I guess if you have extremely realistic heart pounding dreams and a existing heart condition you might want to see your doctor!

5.8/10

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The Twilight Zone Season 1: Episode 8 - Time Enough At Last

Consider Mr. Henry Bemis, bookworm.  A man who takes every spare moment, every last second of time he can obtain to read.  Yet it seems in every aspect of his life there's someone standing in his way, someone preventing him from his only joy, his only escape in life.  But that's all about to change, because Mr. Bemis's love of books will ultimately save his life and provide him with all the time in the world to read, at least that's what he thinks.

Story - 9/10 - Henry Bemis is married to a woman that won't let him read thus causing him to turn to reading at every chance he can get when he's away from home, which is usually during his work as a bank teller.  One afternoon on Bemis's daily trek down to the bank vault for lunch and a quiet read he finds himself the sole survivor of an H-bomb attack.  Now Bemis is the last person around, possibly the last man on earth.  While quite depressed at first, his hopes are quickly recovered when he realizes he now has all the time in the world to read, that is until life gives Bemis one final kick in the groin.

Characters - 9/10 - Henry Bemis is an amusing character, both in looks and demeanor.  Who can't help but feel sorry for the guy whose married to a task master that won't even allow him to read!  Bemis is played by the famed actor Burgess Meredith whom most will undoubtedly recognize from the Rocky films and The Batman television series where he played the Penguin.

Classic Value - 10/10 - This episode is pure classic Twilight Zone, completely full of twists and turns, and laden with irony.  A simple hobby which this man is constantly refused the pleasure of ultimately saves his life on two occasions only to be ripped away from him one final time by the pure insensitivity of life, that's this series in a nutshell.

Moral of the Story - 10/10 - Life is completely unfair.  If you haven't personally learned this by now this episode is a grand example of it.  It's also a textbook example of irony and how the one thing the main character wants keeps getting unfairly ripped from his hands.

9.5/10

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The Twilight Zone Season 1: Episode 7 - The Lonely

Loneliness, to some it can be a sentence worse than death.  That's the sentence of one convicted murderer, given 50 years on a deserted asteroid with human contact only four times a year.  Being truly alone for such a long period of time can make you insane, make you long for the simplest of human interaction, and as this convict will soon discover loneliness will lead you to cling to any form of interaction, no matter how artificial it may be... in The Twilight Zone.

Story - 8/10 - James A. Corry is sentenced to 50 years on a deserted asteroid as punishment for murder.  According to him it was self defense and there appears to be quite a few people who believed him but obviously none of those included the ones who sentenced him.  One who does seem to take pity on Corry is Captain Allenby, the Captain of the supply ship that drops off provisions every three months.  Along with the necessities to sustain his life, Allenby also brings Cory things to help sustain his sanity, on this occasion he brings a robot in the form of a human woman.

Characters - 7.5/10 - The Lonely poses an interesting quandary which I believe completely changes how one can ultimately feel about this episode.  If Corry truly is a murderer does he really deserve any sympathy?  If Corry truly was falsely imprisoned for self defense then I can somewhat feel sorry for the character, even though having my own asteroid and no one around to bug me seems more like a vacation to me not a prison.  Either way, one thing I didn't particularity understand or like was Corry's reaction to the introduction of Alicia.  For someone whose been alone on a deserted rock for four years, would anyone really shun a robot whose looks and acts exactly like a real and beautiful human woman?  Granted it doesn't take Corry long to appreciate her company but his initial reaction was completely unrealistic, especially for a man on the brink of insanity.

Classic Value - 8/10 - The only thing that could have improved the classic value of this episode for me is if we never knew Alicia was a robot.  If the story had simply begun with Corry and Alicia already on the asteroid it would have made the ending completely shocking and would have been an excellent twist.

Moral of the Story - 6/10 - Unlike the first six episodes there really seemed to be no moral to this story, unless you want to say "if you do the crime, be willing to do the time", but if Corry is indeed innocent then that wouldn't fly as a lesson.  Although one thing that can be grasped from this episode is how common it is for humans to latch onto things when human interaction is either not desired or available.  While we don't have robots today I think many people turn to their pets as almost a replacement for human interaction, it's a creature who is always going to love you and never judge or disappoint you.

7.4/10

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The Twilight Zone Season 1: Episode 6 - Escape Clause

Enter Mr. Walter Bedeker, a selfish man whose wasted his life in bed complaining about illnesses and diseases that are entirely in his mind.  A man who will gingerly sell his soul to the Devil for the simple peace of mind that he'll live forever, then quickly discovers that immortality is quite a bore.  Quite a bore when you're Walter Bedeker, a man who really didn't have much of a soul to begin with.  A man who quickly learns that his selfish and arrogant attitude will only get him a one way ticket... into the Twilight Zone.

Story - 7/10 - This is typical story of a no win deal with the Devil.  Hypochondriac Walter Bedeker sells his soul for the opportunity to live forever and all he does with it is attempt to cheat companies out of insurance money by intentionally getting into accidents.  But there's no thrill in the possibility of death when you know you can't die, and Walter quickly becomes bored.  It's an ironic story of a man who spent most of his life worrying about death, now bored with life since he no longer has to worry about it.  Ultimately what Walter believed to be a gift turns out to be a curse as he ends up in prison for life, when one of his "suicide" attempts goes a rye.

Characters - 6/10 - Walter Bedeker is quite the annoying character, as he wastes away his immortality searching for cheap thrills.  But of course the Devil only offers immortality to those he knows will quickly bore of it.  If you were given immortality what would you do with it?  So many things I could think of doing, but jumping in front of trains and buses for some sort of thrill simply isn't one of them!

Classic value - 5.5/10 - Really nothing classic about this episode, not only the fact that "deals with the Devil" is simply nothing new, especially to the series.  Still the episode does a good job of showing the complete arrogance of an individual whose wasted his life away.

Moral of the Story - 8.5 - Probably the best aspect of Escape Clause is the moral.  It's a combination of "be careful what you wish for" and "live life to the fullest."  In the beginning of the episode Walter Bedeker is a good example of someone not living life to it's full potential, he chooses to be shut-in when there is absolutely nothing wrong with him.  It's a single example of how we can let the worries ruin our life.  Then when Walter's worries are lifted he's essentially got nothing left in life because they had consumed it.  Overall this episode is a good example of why life is so short, if given immortality eventually everyone would become like Walter, completely bored with life.

6.8/10

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The Twilight Zone Season 1: Episode 5 - Walking Distance

 Martin Sloan, a fancy New York business executive frustrated by the everyday trials of life, searching for a little taste of home, a little taste of his youth.  But once Martin finds that youth he quickly discovers that the glory days of the past cannot be relived.  See there's only enough room in the past for one Martin Sloan, where the outsider has to learn find some joy in his present and stop pining for what no longer belongs to him.  A lesson Mr. Sloan will soon learn... in the Twilight Zone.

Story - 8/10 - Pining for the days when sodas were 10 cents and summers where full of merry-go-rounds, cotton candy and band concerts.  Martin Sloan feels the only way he can ever truly be happy is if he is able to relive the days of his youth.  Walking Distance is a great Twilight Zone episode of a man with a frustrated life looking for some release in his past.  It's an episode which epitomizes the series, with it's creepy music and numerous off center shots which help to show the characters mental confusion.

Characters - 7/10 - The character of Martin Sloan is one we all can relate to.  A person pushed to his limit, looking back to the times when all the responsibility that was placed upon him was to have fun.  Plus who hasn't wished they could go back when life was safer, simpler and cheaper!

Classic Value - 8/10 - Time travel has always played a large part in the Twilight Zone series, Walking Distance is simply one example of that.  Filmed on the ever so classic Universal lot with a brief cameo appearance of a very young Ron Howard.  Walking Distance is definitely up there with some of the more classic dramatic Twilight Zone episodes.

Re-watch-ability - 7.5/10 - As I started doing with the last episode I'll be pointing out the lessons to be learned from each episode.  And the lesson of Walking Distance is definitely one we can all gain a little use out of.  It's really quite simple, this episode pushes you to look for happiness that is around you in your present life and not look to the past to make you feel better about your current state in life, because the past cannot be relived.

7.6/10

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The Twilight Zone Season 1: Episode 4 - The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine

Barbara Jean Trenton, former starlet of the silver screen, living in the present yet still clinging to the glory days of the past.  Clinging to the withering form of physical beauty, lost in the forgotten era of a personal peak and professional fame.  A woman who refuses to conform to the present day style of life, content to stay locked in her home, locked in a dark room, watching the hours of a manufactured past life portrayed before her on a darken screen.  A life she can no longer have in the real world, a life only attainable now in the Twilight Zone.

Story - 5/10 - For a Twilight Zone episode The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine is a poor example of what the series is capable of producing.  It's the typical story of a washed up actress pining for the years of her youth, like so many actresses and actors do today once they've lost their Hollywood appeal.  Aside from the brief supernatural twist at the end nothing is incredibly special or remarkable about this episode. It's simply of a portrayal of a washed up actress getting her wish, unfortunately it's not that easy in the real life, otherwise wouldn't we all like the opportunity.

Characters - 6/10 - The character of Barbara Jean Trenton is convincing as a recluse and a washed up pre-madonna, but my one major issue with the character is she doesn't look old at all, and compared to her "younger self" in the 20+ year old films she continually watches, she looks exactly the same!  I don't know if this is a major goof up, or if the aging done to her is simply that unnoticeable, but it certainly didn't help the episode since it's basing its entire premise on age, and she looks exactly as she did 20 years earlier!

Classic Value - 4.5/10 - Aside from the ending there really isn't much that is memorable about this episode.  It's another episode I never remember seeing, and if I have seen it before I probably don't remember it because there is simply nothing special about it.  It's a simple spin on the lives of old Hollywood stars turned recluse.

Re-watch-ability - 5/10 - One good thing that can be said about every Twilight Zone episode is even if a certain episode isn't completely geared towards science fiction, there's always a rather profound, even common sense message that the writers are trying to get across, always something we all can relate to.  This episode is geared towards growing old, and being able to deal with change in a healthy and mature manner.  Nothings completely wrong with grasping onto fond memories of the past, unless you let those memories control your entire life.

5.1/10

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The Twilight Zone Season 1: Episode 3 - Mr. Denton on Doomsday

For you consideration, a Mr. Al Denton certified town drunk.  A man who used to be the quickest draw in the West is now the quickest laughing stock in town as he patronizingly sings for a free drink.  But fate is about to catch up with Mr. Denton in an usual form, a form that will both cure his dependence on drink and his guilt with a gun.  Because you see in the Twilight Zone fate sometimes is as sharp as two-edged sword, a sword that doesn't lead to death, but to life.

Story - 7.5/10 - Mr. Denton on Doomsday is an interesting story about a town drunk who temporarily regains his gun slinging skills only to have them quickly ripped away right before he's challenged to a fight to the death.  It's only by the powers of a magic quick draw potion obtained from a peddler named Henry J. Fate that Mr. Denton has any chance of survival.  At first it's a rather simplistic and average story, but it's the episode's conclusion which draws a very fascinating and true lesson on fate, and how sometimes a situation can look quite grim yet turn out to be quite beneficial in the long run.

Characters - 8/10 - Mr. Al Denton is a character you can kind of feel sorry for.  A skilled marksman who was constantly challenged by every quick draw gunner who'd venture into town.  Fighting was no longer a skill for him but a job, it was kill or be killed.  It wasn't something he wanted to do but everyone insisted on challenging him, best he was thought to be the best, and that only drew people to test him.  It was a curse that soon saw him gunning down a sixteen year old kid, and turning to the bottle to attempt to kill his guilt.  Then when he finally appears to come out of his drunken state the gun appears back in his life again.

Classic Value - 6.5/10 - A very young Martin Landau plays Dan Hotaling the rather smarmy character who taunts Denton in the episodes beginning, and reaps brief unfortunate reward of Denton's brief return of his fighting skills.

Re-watch-ability - 7/10 - Mr. Denton on Doomsday is not a bad entry into the Twilight Zone series, with a rather good message and a descent execution it's a pretty entertaining viewing.  Although still not an episode that's going to stand out as memorible to most people.  I never remember seeing this one before, and I've seen them all multiple times over.

7.25/10

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The Twilight Zone Season 1: Episode 2 - One for the Angels

When death comes knocking for Mr. Lou Bookman, pitchman, he never expected to be outwitted by a foolish old man.  Mr. Bookman manages to get a reprieve upon his departure from this earth until the occasion he was able to make the pitch of a lifetime, the pitch for the angels.  It was a pitch Mr. Bookman never planed to make, but a pitch he would soon find himself making.  Because you see even when you cheat death, someone else must fill your spot.

Story - 6/10 - this episode is another occasion of the commonly used story of cheating death, only this seems to have a more unbelievable outcome.  While an interesting premise I find it highly unlikely that death would fall for Bookman's first ploy of asking for an extension until he had time to give his best pitch ever, not realizing that Bookman would purposely never give that pitch.  Then I find the conclusion of the story even more unbelievable as Bookman prevents death from arriving at his appointed time by selling him a bunch of crap.  Bookman's not that great of a salesman, and death must really be gullible.

Characters - 5/10 - Bookman's a foolish, yet kind hearted old man, the fact that he's able to outwit death, twice, doesn't say much for death.  Lou Bookman was played by Ed Wynn, whom you might recognize as Uncle Albert from Mary Poppins, Babes In Toyland, and the voice of the Madhatter in Disney's Alice In Wonderland (my favorite animated film).

Classic Value - 6/10 - like Where Is Everybody? there's not much here to remember.  The only classic aspect of this episode was the brief cameo of a miniature Robbie the Robot in the opening scenes.  Other than that I found this episode devoid of anything truly classic in the franchise.

Re-watch-ability - 6/10 - while One for the Angels isn't high quality Twilight Zone it's definitely still an interesting episode to watch.  It's entertaining, it's well written and it's got a lot of heart, the only problem is it's not remotely believable, even by science fiction terms.  If death was that gullible twice in a row the world would be a lot more crowded, or there would be a lot more car accidents to make up for all the people who got an extension on life.  Because Bookman really was more of a bag of hot air than a truly compelling pitchman!

5.8/10

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The Twilight Zone Season 1: Episode 1 - Where Is Everybody?

A man with no recollection of his past walks into a town seemingly empty, yet fully functional.  The jukebox in the cafe is playing, the church bell is ringing, the movie theater automatically starts playing a film, yet no one is around to operate them.  Is he the last man on earth, the sole survivor of a worldwide epidemic, or a lone passenger in... The Twilight Zone!

 

Being the sole person in a town that seems to have recently been resident to hundreds of people is a classic Twilight Zone theme.  While for me an empty town all to myself seems more like a vacation, not a nightmare, I can grasp the eeriness of never truly believing you're alone, the constant feeling that someone or something is creeping behind the corners watching you would be truly unsettling.  The best example we have today of towns such as this are ghost towns.  Towns back in the prolific gold mining era where people simply abandoned their homes or even entire towns.  My favorite ghost town and one I've personally visited has to be Bodie in California.  If you're ever in California I highly recommend checking this place out, it's truly Twilight Zone in full and living detail.  It was a town from the 1800's that everyone literally disappeared from and nobody knows why.  The really creepy part is they left everything and for whatever reason they left they did so in a hurry.  Dishes were left on the kitchen table, books on the school desks, goods on the store selves, it's truly creepy.  I encourage you to browse through the park's website photos (especially the interior ones) and you'll see what I mean. Bodie Photo Album

 

Story - 7/10 - the episode follows a man who has no idea who he is in a town that is seemingly abandoned... it's truly Twilight Zone material.  Although the main character's ranting and raving at no one in particular gets a little tiresome at times.  There's not much to the story, but it's easy to see how it fits into the series and is a decent starting ground.

 

Characters - 6/10 - my biggest problem with the episode is the character of Mike Ferris, the man sole inhabitant of this small town who has no recollection of who he is.  Frankly I found him rather annoying, he seemed more ticked off at the non-existent townspeople than he ever appeared frightened.  I understand some people handle fear differently than others, and eventually the character does have somewhat of a breakdown but I found Ferris mostly cynical as he seemed to think the whole town was playing a big joke on him.

 

Classic Value - 7/10 - I believe over the course of five seasons The Twilight Zone has had multiple episodes that are rather similar to this one in terms of unnatural isolation.  As I've stated before the idea itself is classic to the series, but nothing is truly classic about this particular episode.

 

Re-watch-ability - 6/10 - The Twilight Zone is notorious for pulling you along and then springing the big surprise at the very end.  Usually when you already know the punchline, the joke is not as funny anymore, but that's not usually the case with this series even though you know what ultimately is going on somehow most of the episodes still seem quite enjoyable upon multiple viewings.

Overall Where Is Everybody? is an average episode in the scheme of the series.  Not a very complicated episode, not overly interesting and the main character is quite forgettable.  It's later on in the season and the series where the show really brings it's 'A' game with well known actors and truly classic storylines.

6.5/10

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Twilight Zone - The Marathon

There's nothing more American than baseball, watermelon and apple pie.  I submit for your viewing pleasure that there's also nothing more American than a Twilight Zone marathon. You can't have a major holiday season go by without some station playing it, you can't have a TV show made without some reference being made about it, you can't be human if you haven't seen or at least heard of it!

Usually when I review television series I review one season at a time, but the Twilight Zone series is unique in the sense that each episode is essentially a short film with completely new and unrelated characters and stories.  It's with that in mind that I think the series deserves a little more than a season review, but an episode by episode review.

My current plans are to provide a very brief summary of the episode followed by individual ratings of the following catagories: story, characters, classic value, and re-watch-ability.  Don't expect this to be a daily thing, but I will attempt to post a review of at least a couple episodes a week.

Season 1  

Episode 1: Where Is Everybody?

Episode 2: One For The Angels 

Episode 3: Mr. Denton On Doomsday 

Episode 4: The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine  

Episode 5: Walking Distance
Episode 6: Escape Clause
Episode 7: The Lonely

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