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.
Many of the episodes appear to have been done on a budget. They managed to hit a few out of the park.
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