The Trouble With Templeton

Description: Season 2, Episode 9

Air Date: December 9, 1960

Plot Summary: An aging actor reflects on the prime of his life after being intimidated by a new director.

Review: This episode is a huge letdown with all things considered. Essentially the story is comprised of themes and plot elements the show has already gone over. Yeah, this may be 45th episode, but you can't be recycling that soon. The story is nothing more than an old actor realizing he's at the end of his life. The actor thinks fondly of his first wife, who died young, and compares his feelings for her to his current, cheating trophy wife. Then we skip to the actor going to rehearsal for a new play he's starring in, but there's a new director that is a hard ass. For some reason, the actor is so overwhelmed by the raw machismo of the director that he runs away...well that's what I got from that scene at least. The actor finds himself back in time at the peak of his acting. Here, he comes across his first wife and old friends, but they see his old self rather than remembering him at his peak. The wife starts behaving irrationally, and the actor tries to explain, in the most incomprehensible manner, that he has traveled through time. Unable to properly communicate what is happening, the actor is told to go back to wherever he came from and he obliges. Back in the present, the actor finds a script in his pocket that entailed the scene we had just viewed. The actor interprets this as the dead people were simply telling him to live his life; not sure how he gathers that conclusion but okay. When the new director approaches him, the actor lays the ground rules of how this play will be and reasserts his prowess. I guess this restores his zest for life or whatever. That's it.

It's tough to explain, because this episode could have been decent if we hadn't already experienced this scenario before--and done better and more concise the first time. We get it, the past always seems better than it really was, except that wasn't entirely the message. I don't quite follow the notion that his past friends and wife were acting out a script. Are they ghosts, a dream, what the fuck? Plus, say you're time traveling, old man, yeesh! Why was the actor scared shitless by the director anyway? Ugh, this episode makes no sense. There was a silver lining, however, as the actor was portrayed well by Brian Aherne. He also delivered some great lines like how he wants to sleep then go to oblivion, how he doesn't care about his cheating wife, and when he talks shit in general; in this respect, he was an awesome character. Overall, this episode just doesn't bring much to the table and the story is confounded by nonsense.

The Lateness of the Hour

Description: Season 2, Episode 8

Air Date: December 2, 1960

Plot Summary: Some time in the future, a woman grows tired of her parents increased dependence on robots.

Review: You may recall I mentioned this episode when reviewing "The Hitch Hiker" as this is the only other episode to star the lovely and talented Inger Stevens. I wish she could have starred in an episode every season, but I've already discussed the troubled life she had. Still, she brings a strong performance and always presents subtlety and depth to her characters. Another thing I have to address is in regards to the shitacular quality of the picture. This was an attempt to cut costs, which backfired greatly, and was thankfully only used on a handful of episodes.

It's not entirely clear what time in the future the story takes place, but I would say there are implications that this is like post-WWIII or something; or I could be reading too deeply into the details. Regardless, Jana (Ms. Stevens), is a girl who lives, in a secluded mansion, with her parents that are completely taken care of by a slew of robots. I have to say, starting the episode off with orgasmic sighs from an old lady was not the best way to open. It was damn sexy though (I kid, I kid!). Mercifully, Jana is annoyed by the groans of ecstasy and gets the robot to stop massaging grandma for two seconds. Okay, I'm spending too much time on this scene, but it was humorous to me. Jana is angry that her parents are wasting their lives away, in a pampered state, and no longer experiencing life as normal humans; Jana wants to live this normal life in the outside world.

There are hints sprinkled about as to what the twist will be, and an astute viewer should pick up on them quite easily. Anyway, Jana threatens to leave if the father doesn't get rid of the robots, and of course he relents in this situation. After destroying the robots, the parents wonder about how they will get used to a life without them while Jana is simply excited about the prospects of doing more with their lives. When Jana rattles on about getting married and having kids the mom has a weird reaction that Jana picks up on. This leads to a, mostly, predictable twist in which you learn Jana herself was a robot all along. As mentioned earlier in the episode, the father installed memories of having lived a full life in all the robots to which Jana was no different. With the illusion of family destroyed, the episode ends with the father reprogramming Jana to be the new maid. Sounds legit.

I felt like they missed an important aspect to cover which was Jana's sense of emotions. The other robots lacked emotions, and even though they discuss Jana being unable to love, she seems to express numerous emotions at will. I'd think they would want to examine why her personality was so prominent while the other robots were mechanical. This was definitely a missed opportunity to explore what it means to truly be alive. Other than that, this is a creative episode as it was one of the first instances of a character not realizing they're actually a machine. I think we can probably lump this episode in the underrated category, because it rarely gets any recognition and it's a cool little tale. Lastly, this episode was made in 1960 and it's 54 goddamn years later...where the hell are my robots?! I swear I've met people who have to be robots...or maybe I'm the robot.

Nick of Time

Description: Season 2, Episode 7

Air Date: November 18, 1960

Plot Summary: A couple stopping by a small town is entranced by a seemingly innocuous, fortune-telling machine.

Review: I don't know if this episode is a full-blown classic yet, but it has received significantly more praise over the years...and rightfully so. Even though not a lot happens in the story, it's engaging with a great aura of mystery. So we meet a couple, to which, the husband is played by William Shatner when he was still a pretty boy. They're waiting in some little town, in the middle of oblivion, as their car is being repaired. To bide their time, the couple goes to the local diner as we get a feel for their situation. There, the couple comes across some gimmicky fortune-telling machine that also doubles as a napkin holder. The way it works is you put in a penny, ask a yes or no question, pull the lever, and a card with an answer will pop out. Hell, I'd give it a few pulls for shits and giggles. Willy, nervous about a promotion and a bit on the superstitious side, asks about said promotion and receives a favorable response. It's important to note the vague nature to the answers written on the cards; as we will see, it's quite easy to read too much meaning into the answers. Of course Willy gets his promotion and he becomes intrigued with the little machine.

Perhaps too quickly, but forgiven for the time constraints, Willy becomes obsessed with the, seemingly, accurate fortunes provided by the machine especially after a near-death experience. Willy's wife becomes worried, but I liked that they included a subtle inkling that she too was impressed by the fortunes. Willy begins to believe that the machine can foretell the future and wants to know more to the point that it's influencing his decision making. The wife manages to rationalize with Willy by explaining to him that he's in control of his own life and that she would rather live her life not knowing such answers even if it were possible. The couple pulls their shit together and decides to leave the town and ride off into the sunset. In an apropos ending, a different, and disheveled, couple comes into the diner shortly thereafter. This couple is the end result of allowing vague predictions to control your life as they have been trapped by their obsession with the machine. On the bright side, I wouldn't mind being trapped at this particular diner, gladly becoming a total fat ass, eating all their food for so cheap. 1960s food...yum!

Although the setting may be a bit dated given the old-people/college student atmosphere of most diners nowaday, the themes are very much timeless. You can't let fear control you and people often see what they want to see without putting their emotions aside. Seeing the possible path Willy could have taken, had he let the fear control him, was a fitting conclusion. At the same time, the audience is left to their own imagination regarding whether or not the fortunes were real. This is just an all around fun, entertaining, and creative episode that gets you thinking.

Eye of the Beholder

Description: Season 2, Episode 6

Air Date: November 11, 1960

Plot Summary: A disfigured woman attempts her 11th surgery to look "normal" in a world where not all is what it seems.

Review: Once again we come to one of the classic, and more legendary, episodes. There are actually quite a few different themes going on here, and I'll try and address each one. But I think we all know this story, right? A woman is believed to be unbearably ugly to the point that she will be removed from society if her last surgery doesn't create a change. Surprise, surprise, it is revealed that she is actually beautiful, by our standards, and everyone else in the world looks grotesque. The twist is presented excellently--with a fantastic buildup coupled with superb editing and lighting trickery. It's a timeless tale, and the episode itself never specifies when or where this story could be taking place--just somewhere out in the Twilight Zone. A great touch to a great episode.

The first thing I want to examine is the title itself: eye of the beholder. On the surface, this is self-explanatory as beauty is subjective and this weird world doesn't see beauty as we would. Going deeper, we see that beauty in this world is shaped purely by society rather than any kind of innate attraction. This is interesting as beauty is a shifting idea and can change quite easily. I don't necessarily agree that society completely shapes what is beautiful, but definitely allowing others to determine beauty will create unusual outcomes. Modern society is trying, in vain, to skew what others should find attractive despite there being innate factors at play that are biological. Though, most of these kind of debates will always break down into a nature vs. nurture situation. I'm not sure when plastic surgery would have become a mainstream phenomenon, but TZ was probably ahead of the game in presenting this idea. Although, the episode mentions that they're more experiments than surgery.

It's important to note that this TZ world values normalcy above any kind of personality traits an individual has; essentially, this is as shallow as it comes. Normalcy is also seen as synonymous with conformity as this world is under some kind of totalitarian regime; I suppose this could be interpreted as a shot at communism with a Stalin-esque leader. At the same time, the desire for one, ideal look could be similar to the nazis and the aryan traits. Regardless of the intention, I think most would agree variety is preferable to one (or technically no) choice. I'm just surprised TZ didn't go the extra mile and say non-normal people would be eliminated rather than being dumped in a commune of some sort.

With so many interesting plot elements being presented at once, it's no wonder this episode would stand out among the others. There are numerous philosophical aspects to consider as well as being a grim interpretation of a world comprised of conformity run rampant. After all, you can't control what would be considered the desired traits or what would be the general consensus of normalcy. Besides being a cool story (bro), the technical aspects were well done. These innovative approaches were usually present in the best episodes and is what makes them timeless and relevant.

The Howling Man

 

Description: Season 2, Episode 5

Air Date: November 4, 1960

Plot Summary: A stranded traveler stumbles upon a monastery with a suspicious individual being locked away.

Review: I don't know what it is about this episode, but I've always found it interesting. Maybe it's the grand scope of the story despite the episode only involving a handful of characters discussing the world. It makes you want to know more about the back story, and what's going on, while maintaining accessibility to audiences in light of the setting taking place nearly a century ago. There were also a few, subtle themes to consider that aren't explicitly mentioned.

The story starts off in, I guess, 1960 as we see the main character, Ellington, as an old man telling his story to someone off screen. In the years following WWI, Ellington was wandering around Europe as he became lost and sickly; I'm really not sure what's wrong with the guy since he can't be thirsty and he shouldn't be that hungry after one day. Ellington seeks shelter at a hidden monastery, of sorts, but the brothers there want to turn him away. When Ellington's request to stay is rejected, he passes out and is taken care of by these monks against their better judgement. Although Ellington believed he was hallucinating, he realizes that he keeps hearing a man howling from within the monastery. For no particular reason, this howling man is being locked in a cell right out in the open; you'd think they would lock this dude up as far from human sight as possible but contrivances, right? This howling man looks like some kind of POW and tells Ellington that the brotherhood is full of crazy people, and he needs help escaping. Somewhat skeptical of the howling man's story, Ellington is approached by the leader of the monastery who decides to disclose the bizarre truth.

It would appear the howling man is, in fact, the devil in the flesh. Oh shit! During the height of WWI, the leader of the monastery happened across a peaceful village amidst the turmoil where the devil was attempting to wreak havoc. The devil is presented as an active force of evil that roams around causing trouble wherever he can, but this guy saw through the human appearance. Although it's severely glossed over, this leader managed to capture the devil with a magic staff. Yeah...umm, if you want to convince someone you caught the devil you might want to give a little more than you used your magic staff. Anyway, with the devil contained, WWI ended and the world was given a reprieve from the horrors of the devil. Certainly not believing this ridiculous tale, Ellington once again talks with the howling man who emphasizes the madness of the monks to believe he's the devil. However, Ellington is interrupted and locked in a room while he is asked to sleep. Of course Ellington lets the curiosity get the better of him as he escapes his confines and talks with the howling man one last time. Ellington resolves to free the man but is hesitant upon realizing that the only thing blocking the howling man's escape is this so-called magic staff. Shrugging this off, Ellington removes the staff and plans to escape with the howling man only to realize he really was the devil! There is a pretty cool transformation effect as the howling man goes from prisoner to cliched devil attire. I really liked that there was a subtle look of relief on the leader of the monastery's face; it was as if to emphasize that looking after the devil was no longer his problem. Ellington comes to terms with the fact he was deceived and decides to hunt down the devil over the years. It is explained that this release of the devil is what caused WWII as we cut back to old man Ellington. Somehow Ellington managed to capture the devil himself and was explaining this story to his maid who we can infer was questioning the howling. Big shock, when Ellington leaves, the maid releases the devil yet again. Mr. Serling closes the tale out by mentioning an old saying about how you can catch the devil but you can't hold him for long.

Besides the usual morality tale about curiosity, I think we could throw in the notion that the path to hell is paved with good intentions. Furthermore, the ending is bleak as we could assume the episode is saying the devil is released once more to create a WWIII; this may have been a nuanced jab at the growing Cold War sentiments. I wish we could have been given more back story about where this magic staff came from and how the hell one goes about capturing the devil. As it stands, this is a cool episode that leaves the imagination swimming with ideas. It also addresses the feeling that the world wars were so horrific that, surely, they were the work of the devil--a far cry from the glamorization we see in modern society. Finally, if a tale such as this were even halfway realistic, then the devil must be on the loose again, because this world is a nightmare!

A Thing About Machines

Description: Season 2, Episode 4

Air Date: October 28, 1960

Plot Summary: A grouchy man believes his appliances are out to get him.

Review: I really don't know what to make of this episode; it's like a cross between "Maximum Overdrive" meets an episode of "The X-Files." The story doesn't appear to have an inherently noticeable theme unless it's something more relevant to that specific era. Maybe it was meant to be a statement of "get with the times" to the old people of 1960? Or maybe I'm way off and they're taking a shot at post-WWII consumerism? I don't think that's the case though since the main character, Finchley, is a rich snob who appears to be deep, deep in the closet; that scene of Finchley calling up "girlfriends" must have really been for the lulz. Anyway, I would think a direct shot at consumerism would be more aptly demonstrated through middle class America; besides, TZ has already addressed this topic to a degree.

So we meet Finchley who is such an utter asshole. His snobbish behavior is almost comical in the cliche nature of his superiority complex. At first I thought they were trying to be funny with this episode, but they appear to be playing the story straight. There's a brief cameo from Barney Phillips who is fixing Finchley's TV for the millionth time as we learn Finchley doesn't take care of his shit very well. Finchley hates appliances and contraptions for whatever reason despite having a house full of them. It's not long before we see that the machines are quite literally after him--I guess because they hate douchebags too. Finchley ends up annoying his assistant to the point that she quits on him, and he's left alone with the deadly machines. Gradually Finchley is tormented until he runs out of his home and is chased around by his car. This was kind of painful to watch since you see a driver in just about every shot. Eventually, Finchley is chased to his pool where he drowns himself out of fear of coming to the surface. The episode simply ends with the grouchy son of a bitch being found dead the next day with the mention of neighbors noticing him running around like a lunatic. I suppose this means it was all in Finchley's head, but that only emphasizes the pointlessness to this tale. Eh, your guess is as good as mine as to what was going on here. I mean, hell, the episode is called "A Thing About Machines." What is the thing?! I think it's safe to mark this episode under the forgettable section.

Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room

Description: Season 2, Episode 3

Air Date: October 14, 1960

Plot Summary: A cowardly criminal must come to terms with his failures in life after he is forced to add murder to his repertoire

Review: Although this is a mostly forgettable episode, and one I barely remember seeing, it is the origin for the famous line, "You talkin' to me?" made notorious in "Taxi Driver." Other than that aspect, the story is essentially a wimpy guy arguing with himself in a room. That's not the kind of scope or creativity I like from my TZ episodes. This isn't to say that the episode has nothing to offer in terms of its themes, but it lacked that extra oomph TZ often provides. All that happens is a guy named Jackie is getting nervous--as the title proclaims--since he is worried about a crime job his handler is preparing. Speaking of this handler, count how many times Jackie says the guy's name, George; yeah, they went a bit overboard with that one. Jackie is a weasel-type of criminal, and an obvious bitch, but he's no murderer which is why George wants him to kill a guy that owes them money or whatever; George figures a bitch like Jackie would never be suspected since he's a low-level criminal. Also, Jackie must do this job or else he will be the one to die instead.

Jackie then sees a more confidant mirror image of himself that speaks to him; this is where that famous line comes into play. The two discuss Jackie's pathetic life and how he is always pushed around and does what he's told. The mirror image represents Jackie's true potential and wants to become the dominant personality in order to set Jackie on a proper life path. Little bitch Jackie tries to resist, but the mirror image semi comes out of the mirror and takes over; the two personalities actually change position. When George returns to kill Jackie for failing in his mission, the new Jackie kicks his ass and talks a bit of smack for good measure. The episode concludes with the implication that the new Jackie will seek out a respectable life where they don't have to check into shitty hotels or work for clowns like Georgie here. For the most part, the themes are commendable and timeless, but the presentation is lackluster. If there were an added layer of depth, or a twist of some sort, that would have made this episode more memorable. As it stands, it's a decent episode hindered by a lack of production value and an uninteresting premise.

The Man in the Bottle

Description: Season 2, Episode 2

Air Date: October 7, 1960

Plot Summary: A couple, struggling financially, discovers that an ordinary glass bottle actually contains a genie.

Review: As I've mentioned numerous times, I am a sucker for genie tales, however, this episode is on the generic side. It's not that the story is bad, but it's predictable and follows a, mostly, cookie-cutter approach to genies and the outcomes that arise. I mean, from the moment the couple discovers the genie, you can quickly determine where this story will end up; this story would have benefited from TZ's classic twists to spice things up a bit.

So we meet an old couple, owners of an antique store, that are neck-deep in debt. Not quite sure where that much debt is coming from, but I guess we can go with it. A local woman comes begging the husband for money in exchange for an alleged family heirloom. Since this appears to be a common incident, the husband takes pity on the woman and offers her a buck for the heirloom which is a plain old, glass bottle. When the woman is walking out, she admits the bottle was just something she found in the trash. Even though she does apologize for this lie...what a bitch! The couple eventually starts to argue over this little transaction as the wife addresses the fact that they need every single dollar. The husband does her one better as he explains that this antique store is more of a burden than a business and has been slowly killing his family. Amidst the fit of rage, the husband knocks over the bottle and unleashes the genie inside. This genie is dressed like a sleazy salesman from the 1800s and looks just as creepy--not the trustworthy sort. I've never understood how genies always understand the logistics of the era they're in, but this one is no different. This genie also magically knows everything about the couple and their woes.

The couple is told they have 4 wishes as they quickly blow a wish with the infamous "prove you're a genie" routine; this leads to the genie fixing the broken glass on a display. From there, the couple wishes for a million dollars as the genie laughs sadistically. That probably should have been your cue not to trust this asshole. The first thing the couple does with their money is to give it to random neighborhood people they're friends with...I guess. This joy is short-lived, however, as some tax bitch shows up and claims they owe most of it in taxes. Uhh yeah, nice try. Assuming a tax bitch would instinctively show up the moment you had money, you would not owe 90% of what you had! Well, after the money that has been given to friends, the couple only has $5 to spare. The genie shows up and tells us the usual spiel about "be careful what you wish for" and so forth. The couple then makes a blatantly idiotic wish to be the ruler of a country, who can't be removed from power, in the last century. I'll give you one guess which country the husband becomes the leader of--you got it? It's nazi Germany! They even made the husband turn into Hitler. Come on, dude, you should have seen that outcome a mile away. This leads to the husband making the final wish to restore everything back to normal, and that's the end of their wishes. Fools. The couple then realizes you can't gain happiness through mere wishes as they look on the bright side with their fixed display. But because the universe hates them, the husband accidentally breaks the glass on the display again. In the end, the genie bottle is dumped in the trash where it supposedly won't open again for 101 years.

Overall, this is essentially the standard genie tale with a slightly more evil genie. We all know the morality behind the tale itself and most people understand the typical rules about needing to be specific toward the wishes. I wish they would have done more with the material, offered up a new angle to explore, or added a cool twist, but you can't get everything you want (hooray for lame puns). Despite this complaint, the episode is decent enough and respectable in its own right--it's simply middle of the road.

King Nine Will Not Return

Description: Season 2, Episode 1

Air Date: September 30, 1960

Plot Summary: Miraculously surviving a plane crash, a WWII captain searches for his crew amidst a desert.

Review: Now we come to season 2 and there are a few, slight changes. For starters, the opening is different as well as the main theme, however, I prefer the season 1 opening. Mr. Serling's appearances when narrating become more frequent, and they add the title to the closing credits. None of the changes are dramatic, although, this season does conclude sooner than the first and has less episodes. As for our season 2 opener, this episode is simply average--not all that great but still respectable. I appreciate the themes it was trying to touch on, but it felt similar to better episodes.

The story takes place in the middle of WWII as we see the wreckage of a bomber that has crashed somewhere in an African desert; they mention Tunisia so I will assume it's the Sahara. The only survivor of the crash appears to be the captain, but he can't seem to find the remains of his crew. The captain's memories are hazy as he can't recall the crash or how he could have possibly survived it. Hmm...are you detecting the similarities to other episodes yet? The captain roams around the nearby area trying to find a trace of his men, but all he can find are mere hints as to what became of them. The captain, on occasion, believes he sees a member of the crew, but it is nothing more than a mirage each time. With the captain growing increasingly erratic, and talking to himself, he notices jets flying over his head. He recalls what jets are, but he also recalls that they did not exist during WWII and is unsure how he knows this fact. Going completely insane, and laughing like a lunatic, the captain sees a mirage of the crew and realizes they must surely be dead. It's okay though, since the captain wakes up in a hospital, and it's really 1960 after all. A doctor and some kind of military liaison explain that reading an article in a newspaper set off the captain and sent him into a psychological breakdown. Apparently, the captain never went on the last mission where the bomber crashed and only recently were the remains found. The captain has been blaming himself all these years as he felt guilty that he wasn't there for his men; I suppose it's meant to be a kind of survivor's guilt. Coming to terms with his horrible dream, the captain still feels as though a part of the dream were real. Since this is the TZ, the episode ends with a nurse talking to the military liaison guy and they find sand in the shoes of the captain. Oh shit!

I'm not going to necessarily hold it against the episode that the presentation felt similar to others, but it sure didn't help things. Rather than throwing in a final zinger, it probably would have been more powerful to let the themes stand on their own merit. There were probably ways to do things a little different, but it's still decent. I liked that they addressed the fact that people were psychologically scarred from war, and WWII severely impacted the lives of TZ's writers. I would also think the story presented an early version of post traumatic stress disorder. In a way, this episode touched on the kind of mental problems vets could have, even years later, which is something worth showcasing. Overall, not too bad of a way to kick off the second season.