The Changing of the Guard

Description: Season 3, Episode 37

Air Date: June 1, 1962

Plot Summary: After being fired from his position, an aging professor feels as though his life was meaningless.

Review: Now we finally come to the end of season 3. As I mentioned at the start of the season, this was when TZ was cancelled idiotically. Obviously it wasn't the end of the show, but season 4 will be a significantly different experience as a consequence. Anyway, this episode is a fitting close for the season as its premise is all about reflection. We have Donald Pleasence, well disguised with makeup, as an old professor at an all boy's school. The higher-ups within the school have decided to "retire" the professor, and he is suddenly overcome with sadness. Couple this notion with the Christmas holiday, and the professor dwells upon his impact, or lack thereof, on the world to great dismay; the professor contemplates suicide believing his life to have been meaningless. When he goes to pull the trigger, the professor is distracted by school bells ringing in the distance. Checking to see why the bells would ring at Christmas time, the professor finds himself surrounded by many former students. These particular students happen to be those that have died over the decades to things such as WWII. These phantom students regale the professor with stories of how he affected their lives up to their deaths. In essence, the students reveal that their lives and deaths were dependent on the teachings of the professor and that he, indeed, left an impact on the world through their actions and thoughts. With renewed confidence, and the ghostly students disappearing, the professor accepts his retirement and the idea that his life has had more importance than he first realized.

Setting aside the "It's a Wonderful Life" parallels, this was a decent episode that I hardly see aired in reruns. Mr. Pleasence always carries a level of intensity to his roles that is to be commended. The presentation of the professor's sadness and reflection are done well, and you feel invested with the character rather quickly. I don't know if this was the best episode to close the season out, considering this was airing in the summer, but the themes were certainly apropos.

Cavender Is Coming

Description: Season 3, Episode 36

Air Date: May 25, 1962

Plot Summary: A hopeless dimwit is given everything she wants after meeting her guardian angel.

Review: While this episode bares an uncanny resemblance to "Mr. Bevis," it has its own, unique goofiness presented by Carol Burnett. Also, it boasts the triumphant return of potato pancakes, and you can't go wrong there. We get the same spiel about a dork, whose life is pathetic, followed by their guardian angel coming to change things up...just as with "Mr. Bevis." Obviously they want the story to be comedic, but I don't know about that. Multiple characters jump through glass unscathed--is that supposed to be funny? Yes, that infamously soft material: glass. I don't quite understand what Aggie's (Ms. Burnett) job was supposed to be; she dresses like a genie and collects tickets at a movie theater or something? I may find Ms. Burnett fugly as hell, but I wouldn't mind visiting a movie theater with genie-girls at the ready. The gags aren't all bad, however, as I liked Ms. Burnett's ridiculous expressions and a few jokes like when Aggie thinks she's being called a prostitute; Cavender himself is on the lame side though.

Needless to say, when Aggie is given a rich life, she finds herself without a friend, and, thus, less happy than before. But can't any of these goofballs dictate what they want from their guardian angel specifically? Speaking of which, what exactly constitutes the intervention of a guardian angel? Dying of cancer? Suck it up. Being blown up in a warzone? Tough shit. Having trouble holding down a job? Womp womp, here's an angel to make you rich! Come on, TZ, we didn't need a second helping of this potato pancake of a storyline. Overall, it's not a terrible episode. It has a few funny moments, and Ms. Burnett performs her brand of comedy admirably if that's your thing. For me, this would have felt better if we hadn't seen this exact tale already and it weren't so lame to begin with.

I Sing the Body Electric

Description: Season 3, Episode 35

Air Date: May 18, 1962

Plot Summary: After the death of their mother, three children are raised by a robotic grandmother.

Review: I would say the story used for this episode, written by Ray Bradbury, is slightly more famous than the episode itself. Speaking of which, the story is like a whimsical, sci-fi fairytale if that makes much sense--as if "Mary Poppins" were a robot. After a man's wife dies, and he's bitched out by some old geezer, he is told by one of his kids about a robotics company offering various companions. Feeling as though the kiddies need someone in their life, he proceeds to let the children pick their ideal companion. I do like the reaction of the dad when he hears about the robots available as if this such a revelation. Fool, you're telling me robots this advanced are news to you?! That's like someone today in shock that cellphones aren't the bricks they used to be; how do you escape this knowledge? Oddly enough, the company making these robots looks a bit seedy rather than this giant, mega-conglomerate that it would actually be. So the kids pick out their ideal old lady, but I bet the dad was pissed that they didn't want it to look like their mom; he was probably wanting to secretly make it a sexbot!

Days later (I guess) the robot, simply referred to as grandma, shows up to impress the kids. One of the brats is still whining over her mom's death as if the mom chose to die or something. But after "grandma" saves the brat from near death at the hands of an obvious idiot, everything is great between them; love that braindead grin on the driver's face when he realizes he didn't kill anyone. Then we get a little time lapse as the kids grow up with grandma until they're off to college and grandma is off to be...recycled? Listening to the grandma describe the robot afterlife sounded extremely depressing especially when the episode keeps stressing she can feel and love. Is she an AI or not? I don't think I'd be able to let my Rika-bot die if I were in this world! The episode ends with the grandma going off to her uncertain fate, but it is implied it will be pleasant...from her perspective at least.

As much as this episode is intended to be an idyllic world, come on, if immortal robots, who can materialize things out of thin air, were easily accessible to the public, we'd already be way past FUCKED! I suppose it's always nice to imagine the family-friendly outcomes to technology, but, as much as I'd love to live in that utopia, we live in a world where exploitation and greed are the keys to control. We would have had a robot war, or humanity is mechanized, or some other hellish nightmare brought to life. This is an interesting episode, but it's idealistic view of the world clashes with my cynical reality. I wish they spent a little more time to expand things, like the mom's death and how the robot can feel, but this is still a decent tale.

Young Man's Fancy

Description: Season 3, Episode 34

Air Date: May 11, 1962

Plot Summary: The new bride of a momma's boy believes she is being haunted by her mother in law's ghost.

Review: This is definitely one of TZ's most bizarre episodes. You could read deeply into the subtext if you wanted to as well, but I'll just cover the general shenanigans. The story begins with a newly married couple that had apparently been dating for 12 years! Goddamn, son! The couple, Alex and Virginia, have come to clean out Alex's mother's home after her death; they are about to sell it finally. When Alex is struggling to let go of the memories the home holds, Virginia believes the mom's ghost is haunting them. Needless to say, Alex is a huge ass, Norman Bates-esque, momma's boy. Not going to lie here, you could definitely conclude there was some level of incest, Oedipus complex, etc. kind of relationship going on. Alternatively, she may have just been that awesome! While I would tell that bitch-boy to forget marriage altogether, my honorable nature does say you owe 12 years of undying loyalty some form of commitment...even if Virginia clearly smashed, headfirst, into the wall after she hit 30.

When you think they are about to sell the home, Alex changes his tune and wants time to think the sale over. This quickly turns into the suggestion that the couple lives there, and Alex is not budging on the issue. Virginia feels as though the mom's ghost is influencing Alex from the grave and even sees the creepy old lady. However, the mom's spirit reveals that it is the fact that Alex is such a ridiculous bitch-boy and not her affect on him; the mom's spirit infers this rather than speaking it. Then Alex has turned into a little boy again and wants to spend forever with mommy. Uhhhh...okay. I like how the little boy version says they don't need Virginia anymore and Virginia's reaction is to run away screaming; the "Scooby Doo" scenario is perfect. And that's it. Psh. Hey, at least this episode is funny. This was surprisingly a disturbing episode if you take everything under consideration. While the context may have been a bit different in '62, it comes off that much more freakish in today's world. And what exactly was the young man's fancy...his mommy?!