Perchance to Dream

Description: Season 1, Episode 9

Air Date: November 27, 1959

Plot Summary: A man fears that, if he falls asleep, he will die in his dreams.

Review: That's such a good line, right--perchance to dream? There's a certain eloquence to it, but that's Shakespeare for you. Anyway, this episode is some next level "Inception" shit mixed with "A Nightmare on Elm Street." Oddly enough, the thing I remember most about this episode is the "cat girl" which I guess shouldn't be confused with a cat lady. The story involves a man meeting with a psychiatrist, or whatever, who is highly strung and rattling on about how he's afraid to sleep. He mentions nonsense about how his imagination could almost come to life, but I don't know what that was all about. What is important, however, is that the man has been awake for almost four days straight. This puts the man in a predicament as he fears he will die if he sleeps yet he has a heart condition that will surely kill him if he doesn't get rest. The man explains to the psychiatrist that his dreams continue where they left off between waking. In other words, what happens in his dreams continues as if waking up were a mere intermission. This was a cool concept and not one I can recall being touched on prior to TZ.

Probably the reason why this episode isn't all that memorable is due to the fact that the man's dream itself is on the lame side. All that happens is he's at an amusement park stalked by cat girl, named Maya. Hmm, Mayaaaa--nice name--I think this is another case of being hot for the '50s but not quite cutting it for me; she certainly is curvaceous though. I felt like the dream was TZ's way of subtly throwing in an erotic subtext what with Maya seemingly trying to seduce the guy and a moment where he almost grabs a tit (love the look on both of their faces with that scene). The guy insists that she wants him to die, but it felt ambiguous and she does mention that if it's a dream he can do all the things he can't do in reality. The psychiatrist doesn't fully know what to make of the situation, but then the man decides to take a break only to discover the psychiatrist's receptionist looks exactly like Maya...minus the cat girl features of course. Overreacting--just a tad--the man immediately throws himself out a window to go splat on the pavement. But just when you think nothing makes any sense the audience realizes that all of these events have also been a dream. A dream within a dream. Oh shit! The actual psychiatrist talks to the receptionist, whose name is not Maya, and explains that the man walked into the office, immediately fell asleep, then screamed and died. This means only a few minutes passed in reality as well. The way Mr. Serling sums the episode up is with the suggestion that a lifetime can be lived in a one second dream and "who's to say which is the greater reality." I definitely loved that closing, and it is an interesting philosophical debate.

Had they made the amusement park scarier looking, as it's described, this could have been one of the classics. The themes are wonderful and definitely worth discussing, but the context in which they're handled is lacking; the ideas are there, but the execution is not. I still feel there was something more going on with Maya and her apparent seduction. If this were made nowaday they would have played her up big time. Nevertheless, TZ was always innovating and using massive creativity.

Is all we see and seem but a dream within a dream? Feels real enough though, right buddy?!

Time Enough At Last

Description: Season 1, Episode 8

Air Date: November 20, 1959

Plot Summary: A man, who would love nothing more than to read books all day, finds himself as the lone survivor in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Review: This is the first of the classic episodes and one of the more famous ones to boot. While it is incredibly simplistic in presentation, it provides a cold irony that would later become something of a trademark by TZ. In a lot of ways, this would become a defining moment in the series and set the tone for the way the episodes would approach storytelling. The episode also features the first appearance of acclaimed actor, Burgess Meredith, who would become associated with the franchise despite only appearing in two more episodes; I suppose he was something of a fan favorite.

If for some reason you're new to all of this, the story involves a guy named Henry Bemis who is obsessed with reading...especially the literary classics. I know Henry is supposed to be likable, but he's a huge dork with thick ass glasses. He can't focus on doing his job as a banker, since he's distracted by the books, which annoys his customers and catches the ire of his boss. Later on, we meet Henry's super bitchy wife who hates that he wants to read for a reason that is never disclosed. She even goes to the length of scribbling on every single page of a poetry book Henry has hidden knowing at some point he will discover it. A bit overboard on that one, but I guess the point is taken. Having a habit of sneaking off to the bank's vault to read in peace, Henry inadvertently secures himself in the advent of some kind of nuclear strike; it's up to debate what exactly happened. Emerging as the only survivor, Henry realizes he will be fine as far as food goes but is plagued by the boredom. While taking the news of annihilation quite well, Henry overreacts to the boredom and plans to kill himself until he notices the rubble of a library with intact books. Beyond overjoyed, Henry plots out all the books and reading he plans to do for years to come. He even takes the time to speak the title before conveniently breaking his glasses. The hell...I've seen eggs more durable than that! Being blind as a bat, Henry is completely shit out of luck and unable to read his precious books. The episode ends with Henry saddened and saying how it's not fair as the harsh irony settles into his mind. Eh, look at it this way, you were probably going to die an agonizing death from fallout anyway.

For the most part this a good episode, but I think I've seen this one way too many times. I do like that Henry wants to read as this aspect can hold relevance to today's era; although, nowaday, we would be happy to see someone reading. The scenario that Henry finds himself in is interesting with a unique dilemma, but the themes are kind of all over the place without a definitive message as to what the episode wants the audience to take from it. I think this episode has its place amongst the classics, but there are better ones out there that don't get a lot of attention.

The Lonely

Description: Season 1, Episode 7

Air Date: November 13, 1959

Plot Summary: A man imprisoned alone on an asteroid is given a robotic companion.

Review: This is one of those episodes that tackled way more than it had time to go into. On top of that, it has too many implications and details that only a simpler time would ignore. Anyway, the story focuses on a man stranded on an asteroid as his own personal prison. It would seem his crime was murder, but we get almost no understanding of the details except he claims it was in self-defense. Considering we are supposed to empathize with the guy, or whatever, it would have helped to know more about the situation. I'm also going to assume that he, and the other prisoners that they briefly mention, are kept in the asteroid belt; if not, then I have no idea what's going on. Now, I understand TZ has always been optimistically visionary in their ideas about the future, but this is pushing it for sure. To think, a future where space travel is so common place that we can have the luxury to dedicate entire asteroids to a single prisoner for arbitrary reasons while still employing further space travel to drop them supplies four times a year. I mean, if we're doing this much for a common criminal, what the hell would society be doing for advancement at this point? And we have perfectly human-looking A.I.s to boot?! Hell, I would have been more interested in seeing this society than what it does with its prisoners. I know they want you to focus on the loneliness of the man, hence the title, but it's hard to overlook the scenario at hand.

After getting a feel for the absurd setup, the captain of the supply ship, who appears to be friends with the main guy, gives him a little present. They stress early on that there are specific departure times for the rockets they travel in which will have relevance later. After the supply crew leaves, the man opens the gift to discover it's a robot that I would say appears more android-like but semantics, right? The robot is in the form of a woman, who I suppose would have been kind of hot at the time, but she looks too much like she would be Trinity's mom. They aren't flat out saying it, but, come on, this is a sexbot and we all know it! Her only function is that of a companion and to ease the loneliness...how else could I read into that? At first the guy acts like a whiny bitch saying she's no different than a car, but his yelling makes her cry and he begins to realize she is "alive." Over time, he claims to love the robot as he explains, in a roundabout way, that her personality complements his...among other things I'm sure. Months are meant to have passed, when the supply crew makes an unexpected visit and explains that the prisoners have all been pardoned; probably because they realized how stupid of an idea this was in the first place. The dilemma is that the rocket must leave now, and they can only carry the man's weight but not the robot. Obviously the man doesn't want to leave her, but, when trying to convince the captain that she's as real as any woman, the captain shoots and "kills" her. Oh gee thanks, ya douche! The episode ends with the man trying to console himself somehow as they leave the asteroid. Uhh, truthfully, I'm not entirely sure what the message was this time around. I think they bit off more than they could chew with this one.

They really needed some focus with this episode. They establish a futuristic scenario without any understanding of it that would have made for a cooler story. At the same time, this is a lot of information to go over in such a short amount of time when you're also trying to do an analysis on loneliness and a debate about what constitutes as "living." In other words, we've got like 3 major themes going on with way too many unanswered questions. I know I'm coming down harsh on the story, but I actually kind of like this episode. It proposes a unique world even if it fails to explain everything. Underneath the rushed plot, I think there was a lot of room for exploration and endless potential was certainly there. Plus, I wouldn't mind being stranded on some asteroid if they gave me a Rikabot!

Escape Clause

Description: Season 1, Episode 6

Air Date: November 6, 1959

Plot Summary: A man afraid of sickness and death makes a deal with the devil to become immortal.

Review: This seems to be a common trend in a lot of TZ episodes what with people making deals with the devil. Not too sure what that's all about--maybe Mr. Serling and the other TZ writers suspected a lot of people did this? Anyway, the scheme this time involves a big baby who is a self-proclaimed hypochondriac who cannot stand the notion of dying. The guy comes off super annoying at first, but he gradually becomes funnier as time passes. I especially liked his unusual quip whereby he called his wife a "potato pancake." I'm going to have to use that one, buddy. The devil comes-a-calling after he hears the guy's whining, I suppose, and he makes an unusual proposal for our resident baby. In all fairness, it's a pretty sweet deal, and it's rare we see such a generous incarnation of the devil. In exchange for his soul the man gets not only immortality but indestructibility and eternal youth. There is only one caveat to the contract which is an escape clause that can be implemented at any time; this allows for the man to choose when he wishes to end the immortality. Honestly, only a fucking potato pancake could screw up a deal this good and of course our little baby does.

At first the man is loving it as he becomes fearless of the world which was the exact opposite of his former self. He tests his new found abilities by jumping in front of a train which he survives unscathed. To make the deal even sweeter, the man abuses the situation and appears to sue or seek compensation for his train "accident." This just keeps getting better and better! But before you can say potato pancake, the man already feels the thrill of life is gone. For realzies, dude? It's been what, one...two days at most? No wonder the devil chose you--you're an idiot of the highest caliber! So the man tries to kill himself a few more times when his equally stupid wife tries to talk sense into him and falls off the roof of their apartment complex. Natural selection at work? The man decides this is a great opportunity to test his abilities further and confesses to the murder hoping they will execute him. It's not hard to see where this story is heading as the man ends up receiving a life sentence rather than the death penalty. Unable to cope with the idea of spending thousands of years in prison, the man opts to use his escape clause and the devil comes to collect. Ehh, the lessons are kind of self explanatory: don't make deals with the devil, be careful what you wish for, all men are mortal, circle of life, yada yada yada. Overall, this is a pretty good episode and quite funny to boot. I liked the way they handled the deal, and the devil, even if the end results were easily predictable. Plus, I have a new insult to hurl around so there's that!

Walking Distance

Description: Season 1, Episode 5

Air Date: October 30, 1959

Plot Summary: A man visits the town he grew up in only to discover he has been transported back in time to when he was a child.

Review: I think this is one of the more underrated episodes as its deeper message tends to be overshadowed by the lack of explanation and questionable antics along the way. We have a man, named Martin, who we can assume was a forerunner to the yuppie generation, who returns to his hometown to get away from it all. They probably should have elaborated on what his problem was, but, in the grand scheme of things, perhaps it doesn't matter. After leaving his car with a mechanic, Martin walks the rest of the way to the town--thus, walking distance as he claims, although I believe there's a secondary meaning to this. Upon arriving in town, which is clearly the same one from "Where is Everybody?," Martin reminisces about the good ol' days. Funny enough, just as he is reminiscing about the way things used to be, the audience can admire it as well. Ten cents for a soda float? Sign me up for that shit.

It's not too long before Martin realizes that it's not that the little town hasn't changed, but he has literally been transported back to the past. I should note that Ron Howard has a bit role here as a kid Martin comes across. Martin then runs into his childhood self and scares him off due to appearing as a lunatic. Wanting to approach the situation in the most illogical way possible, Martin goes to his childhood home and whines to his mom about him being her son. Yeah, ingenious strategy there, dude. After doing whatever off screen (probably chugging down a few floats), Martin returns later that night in an attempt to prove his identity to his parents with his identification and contents of his wallet. Typically, the mom is irrational as hell and bitch slaps Martin leading him to run off to find his younger self. Again, Martin seemingly tries to approach the situation in the dumbest way possible as he chases after his younger self on a carousel. Through shenanigans, the younger version hurts himself which does in fact hurt the future self...so he can alter time. Eventually Martin's dad shows up and explains that he believes Martin's story about being from the future. You think they will get all emo with each other, but Martin's dad plays it stoic and explains to Martin that he had this past already and he should allow the younger version to experience it for himself. The dad also gives the sound advice that perhaps Martin has been looking back too much and should start to look forward. I really liked this moment and these are words of wisdom for anyone.

Magically, Martin returns to the present day of the town and now has to pay a whopping 35 cents for a float. Oh no, say it ain't so! Deciding he's had enough, Martin goes back to the mechanic and gets his car as Mr. Serling closes us out in with more words of wisdom. Basically, the lesson is just because you're old doesn't mean you can't enjoy the things you did as a kid and, in a manner of speaking, you're only as old as you feel. The thing I loved most about this episode is the way the music complements each scene with a whimsical feel, and of course that longing sensation. I usually like these kind of retrospective situations as you analyze your past and how it affects you currently. Overall, its a nice little episode that provides an insightful message that was as important then as it is now.

Bonus: At the end, who is that little hottie hanging out at the ice cream shop? She's not in the credits so that's unfortunate. Even Martin is scoping her out! I don't usually like the look of pre-80s girls, but every so often there is an exception. Does anyone recognize this chickadee?

The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine

Description: Season 1, Episode 4

Air Date: October 23, 1959

Plot Summary: An aging actress refuses to accept she has passed her prime and attempts to lose herself in the past.

Review: This is kind of an unusual episode in the fact that it goes about the narrative structure in an unorthodox way; whereby, there's a respectable first and second act, but the third act appears to be nonexistent. In other words, they build up that something is going to happen or that there's something more to the events than we should accept at face value. Unfortunately, the entire point of the episode happens in the last couple minutes somewhat making the experience weak.

Essentially, the story is about an actress who was once the it girl in Hollywood maybe 20-25 years ago. Unable to come to terms with her age and the disappearance of her youth, she clings to the notion that things are still the same. The actress spends much of her time fantasizing at her mansion, in a dark room, watching her own movies. The actress' agent attempts to make her normal and lands her a role that she refuses to take since it wouldn't have her as the leading lady and she would be playing a mother in her 40s. Later, the agent arranges her a meeting with one of her old costars who looks like shit. Disturbed by the costar's old age, the actress goes off the deep end and does not leave her darkened movie room. Then, out of the blue, since this is the TZ after all, she wishes things were the same and then becomes sucked into her own film universe. I'd love to say there's more to the episode than this, but all that happens is the actress' maid and the agent see her in the film and she doesn't want to come back.

While something does feel amiss in the presentation, I liked the message and the approach to it. The agent talking about how you can't let nostalgia blind you and that it always appears better than it really was--this is effective for me. The actress' portrayal was nice as well with her appearing like an insane recluse, drinking a lot, and in a world all of her own. I think this kind of character can still resonate today--what with the public's obsession with fame and stupid celebrities. I know it's asking a lot to expect a more gritty state for the actress, but the episode would have benefited greatly from a visceral look into her psyche. I didn't like the way the actress gets what she wants though. This is TZ, when you get what you want it's supposed to be ironic, but I guess they hadn't reached that point yet with the episodes.

Mr. Denton on Doomsday

Description: Season 1, Episode 3

Air Date: October 16, 1959

Plot Summary: An ex-gunslinger, turned town drunk, suddenly finds his luck changing for the better.

Review: With TZ still trying to find its stride, they played it a bit safe with this episode using the popular (at the time) old west theme for a backdrop. We meet the pathetic Mr. Denton who will do anything for some booze including humiliating himself in front of the town and his wannabe girlfriend who they never come out saying is a prostitute...but come on. A traveling salesman, shamelessly named Fate, appears to give Mr. Denton a magic revolver that helps him regain his dignity from the local bullies. This allows Mr. Denton to get his act back together as we learn he was once a great gunslinger who began drinking profusely out of guilt after killing a young kid that challenged him.

Later, another challenger comes calling as word of Mr. Denton's gun skills have spread quickly. An amount of time is implied to have passed, but the episode could have used a better transition since it feels like this is all happening in the same day; hell, maybe it did! Fate once again intervenes and offers Mr. Denton an elixir that he claims will make him the fastest hand in the west for 10 seconds. When the time comes for the duel, Mr. Denton is wary of the fight since it's another kid, but as the two are about to draw, both take a swig out of the magic elixirs and cancel out each other's shot. It's massively contrived, but some doctor appears to instantly claim neither will ever be able to shoot with that hand again. A satisfied Fate wanders off into the night with a creepy grin.

Eh, if the story was more subtle this would have played out much better. I mean, Fate, really? The message would have had more significance as well if the challenger was apart of the episode earlier on rather than the last couple minutes. I think they just went about telling the story in the wrong way while focusing on less important aspects like Mr. Denton's girlfriend and the bullies. The potential was there, but the execution faltered.

One for the Angels

Description: Season 1, Episode 2

Air Date: October 9, 1959

Plot Summary: A pitchman makes a bargain with death that has unexpected consequences.

Review: The way I typically classify TZ episodes is into three categories. There are the ones you've seen a million times, the ones that should be classics, and then the ones nobody remembers. Unfortunately, this episode falls into that latter category. The story is focused on an old pitchman who serves more as a street vendor than anything you might imagine. Maybe in '59 the old man would have appeared harmless, but to me he comes off humorously creepy and child molester-ish. I don't know why this makes me laugh so hard, but I have mentioned in the past my twisted sense of humor. I mean, come on...his only friends are little kids, he throws them candy without a glance, gives them toys, and invites them over to his apartment. Okay, I can set this aspect aside for a moment and focus on the real reason why this episode is on the lamer side.

The old man is going to die that night according to death, in physical form, who has come to collect. The old man acts like a baby even though this is probably the most pleasant demise a person could ask for; I think now we know why his only friends are kids. Somehow the old man convinces death to let him live long enough to make one final big pitch--one for the angels as he claims. After the bargain is struck, like a fucking idiot, the old man blabs that he will never do the pitch and will live forever. Not taking too kindly to such an idiotic move, death claims he will take someone else instead. The person death decides to kill is the old man's favorite little girl who is run over by a car yet is cheaply unscathed and lying like a perfect angel on the road. I'm not saying she needs to be splattered all over the sidewalk, but at least be contorted or have a scratch or bruise! Magically, the girl is clinging to life just as the old man learns conveniently that if death doesn't finish the girl off at exactly midnight, it will screw everything up. The old man then sets up shop and starts to pitch all the junk he's selling. Moronically, death, this abstract, supernatural being, starts to sweat and is convinced to buy the shit the old man is selling. Come the fuck on. Needless to say, the old man distracts death long enough to ruin his plan. But, since the pitch, one worthy of the angels, was made, the deal is broken and the old man will die as originally intended. The episode simply ends with the old man and death walking off.

I get what they were going for, but there is simply too much cheese even for the time period. I tend not to like the more upbeat episodes as it is, but this went into a whole different realm of lameness. Maybe if the little girl was his granddaughter or something it would have made the events feel more dire. Oh well, there's 156 episodes and they aren't all going to be gold.

Where is Everybody?

Description: Season 1, Episode 1

Air Date: October 2, 1959

Plot Summary: A man with amnesia finds himself in a town void of people yet troubled by the feeling he is being watched.

Review: There are actually two versions of this pilot episode, but there isn't much of a difference really. The original version is slightly longer and entails a direct pitch from Rod Serling to advertisers hoping to get the show picked up. Besides that, there is a different narrator--which begs the question of whether it was suggested that Mr. Serling serve as the narrator after they saw the presence he carried when talking to the advertisers? Nevertheless, one cannot deny that Mr. Serling possessed a distinct manner of speaking that came off both ominous and sage-like.

As for the story, it's not one of the more classic episodes, but I can understand why people may have been impressed back then. Essentially, a man with no memories finds himself in a town without any people while unable to shake the feeling he's being watched. There are traces of life strewn about as if someone was in the area only moments prior, but the man never finds anyone. The man talks to himself incessantly with some cheesy dialogue that will definitely come off amusing by today's standards; for example, his ability to directly quote "A Christmas Carol" word for word while talking to himself in a mirror and eating ice cream. In the end, the man starts to lose his mind as we realize he's in an isolation chamber as a part of some air force experiment. Allegedly this is to help prepare for a manned mission to the moon. I did think it was a bit idealistic to believe the military would be chatting it up with the media and let them see the experiment; even back then that's pure bullshit. On the other hand, a questioning of reality was interesting and would have been unique back in the days of pure cornball, drive-in sci-fi. I did like how the breaking of a clock and the street light signal mirrored his situation in the chamber. They did miss an opportunity to imply that what the man saw could have been a real place somewhere, but that kind of thinking would be later applied properly throughout the series. Overall, this was a decent opening, but the real gems were just on the horizon.

An Introduction

Before I jump head first into the series, I felt it was only appropriate to set the tone for these reviews. As I've expressed on my movie review blog, I have wanted to touch more on this show from the start. There is such incredible creativity in these tales that it is no wonder people still try to imitate TZ to this day. Needless to say, the originality is abundant as all manner of subjects and genres were explored often in deeply, thought-provoking ways. There is this magic to the franchise that enthralls audiences and captivates their imagination in ways one would not expect. More so, the younger audiences can hardly fathom the unconventional and innovative approach the series presented to its era; it was far ahead of its time in most respects. I grew up on this series, as I know many have, and I would like to share my experiences with the show and hopefully others will be able to connect or be inspired to check out what all the fuss has been about all these decades.

So what's the break down? I'll be using the 2006 DVD box set as the source that I draw from for the complete 156 episode run. I have to mention that this set is amazing, with a ton of extras to satiate any hardcore fan's desires, and I highly recommend this being the format any individual should track down. It's listed at $100 on Amazon as of this moment, but I'm sure you can get it cheaper (I actually only paid $40 but that was lucky). Regardless of price, you more than get your money's worth. Whatever way you can track down the show, do not bother watching it on actual TV since there are too many god forsaken commercials nowaday for the episodes to air unedited. Likewise, networks have always played favorites with the way they air the show--selectively picking episodes randomly and focusing on the most iconic episodes. As for my approach, I'm going to review the episodes in chronological order as you may have assumed. I will also try and offer any kind of insight surrounding the episodes as possible, but I'm not an expert by any means. Anyway, hope you can join me on my little journey into...the Twilight Zone!