Description: Season 1, Episode 11
Air Date: December 11, 1959
Plot Summary: A flight crew returns from a botched mission only to discover they are fading from existence.
Review: I'm going to sound like a hippie saying this, but this episode is far out, man! It's actually quite difficult to properly explain this episode due to its unusual concepts and original story. I think the main reason why this episode has been overshadowed by the classics is because it doesn't make complete sense and that title is easily forgettable. Likewise, the ideas were a bit advanced for the era and the imaginations of the public couldn't fully grasp the complex nature of the situation and its implications.
So anyway, after returning from a flight that used an experimental plane, two pilots are staying at a hospital to recover; one is still bound to his bed, named Gart, while the other, Forbes (played by the great Rod Taylor), is anxious as hell. Forbes tries to explain to Gart that there were actually three of them at one point, but the third guy, Harrington, has disappeared with no one remembering him. Forbes, loosely, addresses that reality has warped to remove Harrington from it by pointing out a newspaper photo of just Forbes and Gart...minus Harrington. Gart tries to tell Forbes that there were only the two of them from the start and he thinks Forbes is crazy. Forbes, perhaps even trying to convince himself, explains to Gart the circumstances of Harrington's disappearance as told by a flashback. We see that, indeed, there were three men in the photo originally as Forbes and Harrington visited Gart at the hospital before going out to a bar. When trying to have a good time--getting free beers and trying to look good for the ladies--Harrington is suddenly struck with a sensation he can hardly describe. Harrington says that he feels a disconnect from reality as if his will power alone was keeping him in existence. It's surprisingly hard to explain what they're going for as it's kind of an emotion TZ invented. In essence, Harrington believes they were not meant to come back from that mission and that something is seriously wrong. This is further exasperated when Harrington calls his parents and they say they never had a son. When trying to reassure Harrington, Forbes steps away for a split second only to discover Harrington has vanished completely. More so, no one in the bar remembers Harrington, that newspaper photo has changed to just Gart and Forbes, and everyone acts as though Forbes was always alone; even a glass that Harrington dropped has disappeared. Later Forbes contacts his busted wife (no wonder TZ actually featured a somewhat cheating husband) as she pretty much says the same thing as everyone that there never was a Harrington.
Semi-convinced by Forbes' conviction, Gart still insists that Harrington wasn't real. Forbes then senses the feeling Harrington was trying to describe and knows his time is almost up as well. He further expresses this notion that they were not supposed to return from that mission, and that something is wrong with the world so to speak. Soon enough, Forbes runs out of the hospital room and he too has vanished from existence. A nearby nurse tells Gart that she has no clue who Forbes is and the newspaper photo only shows Gart alone. Gart then freaks out providing, probably, one of the best looks of genuine fright I've seen from an actor. Gart realizes Forbes was right and that it is only a matter of time before he too disappears. Moments later, we see a doctor and nurse discussing the hospital room as completely free as Gart has vanished along with any trace of the men or their mission; the plane has vanished too.
What does any of this mean or what is happening? Well, your guess is as good as mine. There is this "Final Destination-esque" vibe to everything, but that hardly does the episode justice. TZ honestly innovated with this one and came up with their own emotion of a person feeling as though they're slipping away from reality. We could call it a disconnect or a lack of belonging, but these ideas only feel like a taste of what TZ was trying to convey. We'd have to get all philosophical to really ponder the meaning and still have no answer possibly. Could it have something to do with the experimental plane or the mission? They mention that maybe something or someone made a mistake allowing them to return--does that mean aliens, god(s), or something beyond all imagination? I love the intrigue and the episode is played perfectly with great acting that complements the unique themes; this was certainly an interesting story to say the least. But maybe it truly does make no sense and they merely wanted to provide a cool mystery. I see why this episode is mostly forgotten, but I think it would have fared better with today's audience who are looking for things beyond the typical horror and sci-fi tales...something you could only find in the Twilight Zone!
I'm just throwing out an idea myself, but these experiences that each spaceman has, including the hospital room, the bar, the living room with the wife, the freaking out, are all simply awareness experiences and not a really happening, like in "Occourance at Owl Creek bridge" where his experiences are all in the few moments before he's hung and his neck's broke. They're just awareness experiences the spacemen are having since the spaceship never made it back. The one real experience was probably the last one with the nurse and doctor discussing the empty room.
ReplyDeleteIt's just a guess.