Description: Season 2, Episode 16
Air Date: February 3, 1961
Plot Summary: After a series of unusual events, a man realizes he has gained the ability to read anyone's mind.
Review: This is yet another of the underrated episodes, and it's actually really funny to boot. This episode has always resonated with me since it was one of the last episodes in the series I ever saw as a kid, and I remember thinking that it should air more during those marathons. You have the first Darrin, Dick York, as the main character, Mr. Poole, and he always performs with a goofball charisma that works well; I know we already saw Mr. York before, but that wasn't the kind of performance I associate with him. Anyway, when buying a newspaper, Mr. Poole throws in a coin that lands on its edge rather than one side or the other. As Mr. Serling acknowledges, you have a 50/50 chance for heads or tales, but one time in a million you get neither. It's not really explained, but we can assume Mr. Poole has triggered the magic of the TZ universe to give him telepathic powers--mind reading to be precise. I love how all these assholes keep bumping into Mr. Poole without saying a word, then, in their mind, they talk shit on top of it. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Poole is nearly ran over and the driver is talking mad shit as well--the audacity! To be fair, the trash talk back then would be nothing compared to the mindless drivel I'd expect from people in the present. My goodness, can you imagine?!
For some reason, Mr. Poole does not fully grasp his new found power until he goes to the bank he works at. At this point, he realizes what is happening and entertains himself with the ability. The best moment, and a hilarious gag in general, is when Mr. Poole tries to read the mind of some bimbo counting her money. Big shock, she gives off no thoughts at all. Hah, you dumb, greedy bitch! See, TZ always knew the real deal with people. This reality is cemented by Mr. Poole's boss being overheard cheating on his wife. You know, I never realized how much infidelity went on in this series until now. While this is occurring, Mr. Poole comes to the realization that one of the girls he works with likes him; I guess he likes her too. She's no Samantha, though, that's for sure! Mr. Poole first loses the bank a client due this client trying to cheat them, but he also overhears one of the employees plotting to rob the bank. When trying to foil the theft, it turns out the employee was merely daydreaming about doing it as he's simply an old man content with his shitty life. Oh come on, grandpa, don't give up! Mr. Poole is momentarily fired until the boss realizes that the lost client from earlier really was trying to cheat the bank. The boss offers Mr. Poole his job back, but, with the help of the girl that likes him, Mr. Poole convinces the boss to promote him instead. This is mostly accomplished by blackmailing the boss in regards to his mistress; Mr. Poole also asks for the bank to buy the old man a vacation since he feels bad for grandpa. When going home to probably screw his new girlfriend, Mr. Poole knocks over the coin from earlier and loses his power. And that's pretty much all she wrote.
While the events of the story aren't fully fleshed out, it's presented with a whimsical charm and serves as a more upbeat tale. It's worth acknowledging that there is this sense of fun to the experience that is somewhat atypical to TZ. I have been critical of the episodes that were meant to be funny in the past, but that's because their jokes didn't feel as timeless as this idea. People can always relate to the notion of discovering terrible thoughts lurking behind the pleasant smiles of everyday individuals. Let's be honest, humans incessantly lie, and it would probably drive someone crazy to know the degree to which people lie. They do mention Mr. Poole losing his naivety after assuming people were nice, but the episode keeps things positive rather than dwelling on the horrors such a power would reveal. Overall, this is one of the better episodes in the series, but I'm not sure if it will quite make the cut for the top 10 list.
Old man Smithers dreamin of robbing that bank, the boss man kinda reminded me of a boss I once had, and the lady who secretly liked Dick York was pretty cute. Mel Gibson's film What women want totally copied this episode, except in that movie, Mel could only read women's thoughts. Here, York could read everyone's thoughts. People really did seem more polite in a way back then, York would stop men in the street by grabbing their arms and glaring at them, and they didn't even say one word to him about it or shove him aside, they just looked at him for a moment then kept walking. I couldn't imagine anyone today reacting so passively to a total stranger grabbing them on the street.
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