Nothing in the Dark

Description: Season 3, Episode 16

Air Date: January 5, 1962

Plot Summary: An old woman fears to leave her home or else Death will come for her.

Review: Eh...this is another of the mediocre episodes. In fact, it's probably only a notch ahead of the worst list contenders. There just isn't much going on here, the material feels unoriginal, and the only notable aspect is an early role from Robert Redford. Essentially we have an old lady living out of a condemned building through the assistance of contrivances. She sees someone lurking about and discovers it is a cop seemingly shot. Reluctantly helping the cop, the old lady reveals that she is desperately afraid of dying and believes Death itself is after her. She has allegedly always been able to see Death in various forms throughout her life, but this is questionable to say the least. At one point a guy busts the door down since he's a part of a demolition crew or something. When the old lady realizes the man was unable to see the cop, she understands that she's been tricked by Death. So the cop is Death and he wanted to put the woman at ease by gaining her trust and taking a pleasant form. The old lady is still scared of dying, but it's a little late as she's already toasty toast. They kind of imply the form that Death took was her son, but this crazy lady doesn't strike me as someone sane enough to land a dude. Whatever. And that's all there is to the episode--an old lady scared to die ends up dying. I think with a greater insight, or maybe a cool back story explaining how the old lady could see death, would have made things interesting. There was just a hollow feeling to the story and so little happens.

A Quality of Mercy

Description: Season 3, Episode 15

Air Date: December 29, 1961

Plot Summary: At the end of WWII a group of wary soldiers are tasked to kill wounded Japanese troops.

Review: While this is an average episode with a commendable message, it's not hard to see why they almost never air this episode anymore. So the story begins by showing us a bunch of tired and worn out American soldiers stationed in the Philippines; interestingly enough, one of the soldiers is played by a silent Leonard Nimoy. A group of Japanese soldiers have retreated into a nearby cave, and the Americans would rather avoid an unnecessary conflict. However, their new commanding officer has shown up, and he's trying too hard to make himself appear important. Played curiously by Dean Stockwell, the commanding officer wants the men to attack the cave despite the futility and pointlessness of the battle. The commanding officer demonstrates a disregard for life as he doesn't care about anything except his job of killing.

This is when the PC crybabies will lose their shit as the commanding officer is then turned into a Japanese soldier being ordered to attack wounded American soldiers. I'll admit, they didn't need to apply makeup effects or use Engrish to get the point across, but it was '61--what do you expect? Anyway, it's not as though they were mocking Japanese people. In fact, the moral of the story is to show how it's easy to dehumanize the enemy, but when the tables are turned you realize the value of human life. After experiencing the other perspective of the war, and hearing the Japanese officer utter the same words he had said, the commanding officer returns to being an American. At the same time, there is a radio communication that explains that the war is essentially over anyway. There isn't explanation much in the way of why the events unfolded, but, eh, it's the Twilight Zone. Overall, this is an okay episode. It will not stand up well in today's environment, but the themes are sound.

Five Characters in Search of an Exit

Description: Season 3, Episode 14

Air Date: December 22, 1961

Plot Summary: Five people, without memories, awaken in a giant cylinder and attempt to escape.

Review: I suppose this counts as a Christmas episode in a loose sense; Christmas is irrelevant to the initial story but does contribute to the twist to a small degree. Anyway, this is one of my favorites and a fantastic episode in general. It's obvious the story was heavily influenced by the likes of Sartre's "No Exit" and other notions of existentialism. In fact, one of the characters even believes they are in hell at one point. I wouldn't say this is a ripoff, however, due to the fact that TZ uses their own distinct storytelling and reveals an unpredictable conclusion. This is easily classified amongst the ranks of the classics.

The story begins with a soldier awakening inside a giant metal cylinder. He can't remember anything about his past or his own name; the only thing he recalls is that he's a major in the military. Given the confined space, the major quickly comes across his cellmates who also possess this amnesia; those other four characters being: a clown, ballerina, bagpiper, and a hobo. The array of personalities are interesting to behold with the clown being the most vocal. They explain to the major that they can't find a way out and ponder where they are and who they are. The best aspect to the plot is the intrigue regarding the characters and the plethora of possibilities as to how they found themselves in such a predicament. We get everything you'd imagine as an answer to the questions such as they are losing their minds, aliens, being dead, it's all a dream, they're in someone's imagination, and, of course, being in hell. Hmm, you don't need to be trapped in a giant prison to question this reality. Another element of consideration is a loud bell that rings periodically. Oh, the plot thickens!

Besides the amnesia, the characters claim to feel nothing--no hunger, cold, etc. The ballerina laments over the possibility of no one caring about them which was important foreshadowing. After testing every means of escape within the cylinder, the major insists on trying to climb out of the cylinder as there was no roof and they can see the moon above. After one failed attempt to scale the wall, they try once more whereby the major will use his sword as a kind of grappling hook. Upon reaching the top of the cylinder, the major looks out into the unknown as the others want to know what he sees. The major falls from the top like an idiot as we see a little girl picking up a doll from the snow-covered ground. It would appear that our 5 characters in search of an exit are nothing more than toys donated for orphans; "Toy Story" eat your heart out. The loud bell is from a woman trying to attract people to donate an unwanted doll, and the cylinder is nothing short of a trashcan. With the major returned inside the cylinder, we see a shot of the characters in doll form as the ballerina weeps.

Usually I like the way Mr. Serling wraps up the endings, but this was one of the few faults with this episode. He tries to throw in a cheery note about the toys not being unwanted for much longer, but that essentially defeats the hopeless nature of the story. I also have never liked the idea that a bunch of toys going to little girls are predominantly male. Even if a little girl didn't mind playing with a soldier or whatever, please, on what planet, would any kid want to play with a damn hobo?! Here, kid, have a hobo! You can have fun pretending to be hungry, cold, dying, etc. That's why homeless Barbie is a thing, right? Setting aside those grievances, this is an awesome episode. The speculation as to what is happening is one of the best and is virtually impossible to guess on a first viewing. I always enjoy reality-questioning scenarios and this episode has always influenced me.

Once Upon a Time

Description: Season 3, Episode 13

Air Date: December 15, 1961

Plot Summary: A bumbling idiot from 1890 accidentally time travels to 1960 as antics ensue.

Review: We've come so far, but, believe it or not, we've only hit the halfway mark. And how apropos that this crossroad would be met with one of TZ's most unique episodes. Instead of the typical formula, the episode is presented in silent era style--you know, with the dialogue cards and cornball, old-timey piano. This is further complemented by silent era legend, Buster Keaton, who serves as the main character, Mulligan. Now, this isn't to say the entire episode uses this presentation; since the story focuses on time travel we get an amusing contrast between 1890 life and that of 1960. This is another facet that enhances the episode--the comedy styling of Mr. Keaton is heavily on display. I'm aware a lot of these things are way, way before any of our time, but there's a lot going on to enjoy with this standout episode.

The story begins with Mulligan whining about the state of living in 1890. Oh nooes! 17 cents for sirloin and those pesky bikes and horses riding around everywhere! It must have been rough; the censored cursing was a great touch though. Actually, anything pre-1970s was pretty much a nightmare in various regards. Still, I wouldn't mind time traveling back to whenever as long as I got to pig out. Nowaday should be a glorified paradise given the technology and information at our fingertips yet somehow we've created hell on earth! Go figure. Anyway, we see how much of a goofball Mulligan is as he falls in a trough, feebly attempts to rinse his clothes off, runs around in his underwear, and purports to be the janitor for scientists who have invented a time machine. In dumbass fashion, Mulligan uses the time machine, which looks like a shitty bike helmet, and travels forward to 1960. Immediately overwhelmed by the cars, obnoxious individuals, and high prices, Mulligan loses the helmet. Apparently you only have 30 minutes in whatever time you travel to. I'm not sure how this works; I'm assuming some kind of temporal opening in space time, but, needless to say, this is severely glossed over.

Looking like a child molester, Mulligan runs around town in his underwear chasing a little kid who stole the helmet until he conveniently comes across a "modern" scientist. Quickly convincing the scientist of his authenticity, Mulligan is taken to some kind of electrician or repairman. The banter between the scientist and the repairman is pretty funny. Mulligan is like a restless child as the other two men try to fix the time machine; it was especially amusing when Mulligan starts talking to the TV. Eventually they fix the time machine and the scientist tries to steal it for himself as he's fascinated by the 1890 time period. Mulligan luckily gets transported back to 1890 with the scientist who quickly realizes this era lacks the conveniences of the '60s. Of course the best thing he missed were the bikinis! That is a tough sacrifice without a doubt. Growing tired of the whining, and with a new outlook on his life, Mulligan sends the scientist back to the '60s as the episode ends. On the bright side, at least back in the '60s you still have good food and will soon come across Linda Harrison's sweet, sweet, SWEET ass! Overall, this is a really cool episode. Maybe not top 10 worthy, but it's original and genuinely funny. There are certainly many aspects to appreciate and much to enjoy one way or another.

The Jungle

Description: Season 3, Episode 12

Air Date: December 1, 1961

Plot Summary: A business man finds himself cursed after a corporate visit to Africa.

Review: I think this easily ranks as one of the worst episodes. It's bizarre, because the story hardly even fits TZ's usual narrative structure. While I'm all for greedy corporate sleaze getting their comeuppance, this has got to be one of the dumbest presentations of said comeuppance. All that happens is a guy and his wife come back from a trip to Africa where the guy's company is establishing a hydroelectric plant. I suppose they've screwed over the locals or whatever, and this has led to a shaman or shamans cursing the man (and presumably the corporation). Knowing of the alleged magic, the wife had a few charms to ward off a curse, but the main guy doesn't want to believe. After schooling his bitchy chums on superstitions, the main guy goes for a little drink. Suddenly finding himself all alone in New York City somehow, the man's car won't start and he must walk home. The guy thinks he hears cornball jungle soundbites, and this scares him for whatever reason. Coming across a bum used for filler, the main guy manages to weird out even the bum. Managing to run all the way home from those deadly soundbites, the guy goes to check on his wife only to find a hungry lion. The end--just like that! I don't think I have ever seen another episode end so abruptly before. Come on, son, you gotta do better than this. There was hardly a story, the atmosphere is weak when that's what they were relying on most, and the idiocy is strong with this one; I mean, you've got the nonsense with the taxi driver passing out and the main guy too stupid to drive the taxi himself! There's not much to say except this is almost guaranteed to make the top 10 worst episode list.

Still Valley

Description: Season 3, Episode 11

Air Date: November 24, 1961

Plot Summary: Toward the end of the Civil War, a confederate soldier considers using magic to turn the tide in their favor.

Review: This was another mediocre episode as nothing really happens in the story. I recall TZ mentioning before about certain stories being footnotes in the TZ universe--well, this is another entry in that position. It's the close of the Civil War and two confederate soldiers are scouting a group of Union troops coming through a valley. When the troops suddenly go quiet, the main guy goes to investigate what they're up to. When the soldier arrives on the scene, he finds the Union troops frozen in place at the hands of an old man. There is something about the old geezer being the seventh son of a seventh son or whatever, but the fact of the matter is that the old man has a spellbook able to freeze individuals or entire armies in their place. When the main guy wonders why the old man hasn't used this magic to defeat the Union army, he claims he's dying and does die moments later.

Taking the book back to his commanding officer, the main guy explains the situation and the power that lies in their hands. At first the main guy is not believed, but others verify the account of the frozen soldiers. Deciding that they stand no chance of victory, they accept the notion of aligning with Satan to win the war. However, when the main guy is about to read the spell from the book, he realizes he must renounce God and essentially lose his soul. This notion causes them to change their mind as they would rather be defeated than choose a much darker fate through victory. The episode simply ends with the implication that they all died at the battle of Gettysburg anyway. Eh, if you're into the Civil War you might find this entertaining. I just couldn't get into it. It's a competently told tale, it just felt like it was missing that classic TZ oomph.

The Midnight Sun

Description: Season 3, Episode 10

Air Date: November 17, 1961

Plot Summary: A woman must come to terms with inevitable doom after the Earth's orbit has been altered--moving the planet ever closer to the sun.

Review: This is another classic episode and for good reason; the plot line is quite original as far as end of the world scenarios go. With that said, the story lacks adequate direction and felt hollow somehow. It's as if they came up with this great idea but were unable to work with it or the scope had to be downsized. I'm not saying the episode is bad--far from it--I simply wanted a greater conflict or internal reflection to balance things out. All that happens is a woman, named Norma, and her landlady hang out at their apartment building as the world slinks into despair. With the city becoming abandoned, the two women take solace in one another's company as their inevitable demise approaches. There are shots of great imagery as the two become slowly unhinged by the heat; most famously would be the melting painting Norma was working on. One thing that was interesting is that Norma somewhat questions reality in regards to dreaming of another world.

The struggle to fill the allotted running time is most noticeable when a random looter stops by. This could have been used to enhance the tale, but it's mostly a waste. Shortly after the looter leaves, the landlady dies after scratching at the window. Norma too succumbs to the heat as her thermometer bursts and her paintings liquify. We then switch to a much colder environment as Norma awakens from her dream. It would appear that in reality the Earth is moving further away from the sun as the world grows ever colder. This was a genuinely nice touch as we see the two opposing catastrophic scenarios of hot and cold. I do wonder, however, which world was truly meant to be the dream and which is the truth. After all, is it not plausible that Norma would dream of an opposite reality in her delirium? Couple that with her own vague recollection to another world. Though, it is just as feasible to accept the story at face value. Overall, there are a lot of interesting ideas and themes being presented. I simply had hoped for more insight on the despair the people were feeling. It just felt like they struggled to fill the half hour after coming up with the core concept of the Earth heading toward the sun.

Deaths-Head Revisited

Description: Season 3, Episode 9

Air Date: November 10, 1961

Plot Summary: A former Nazi officer finds more than he bargained for after attempting to relive the good ol' days by visiting a concentration camp.

Review: This is a particularly powerful episode that touches on what would have been an extremely touchy subject for '61. It does appear they held back to a degree, but what could you really expect given the era and the fact that this is a TV show after all. The story is that a former Nazi captain decides he's feeling nostalgic and decides to visit the old concentration camp he was in charge of during the war. I have to say, Oscar Beregi plays the character so slimy and as such a huge asshole--it's perfect. After getting his kicks dreaming of the glory days, the captain thinks he sees an old captive of the camp, named Becker, and wonders if he's like a caretaker or something. As the two banter back and forth about the evils of the past, the captain is unapologetic as we obviously realize Becker is a ghost. When the captain tries to escape he realizes he's trapped and will be put on trial for his crimes. The captain grows overwhelmed by the supernatural phenomenon as he realizes that Becker was personally killed by the captain as a final demonstration of his evil. Becker then declares that the captain has been found guilty and is psychically forced to experience all the suffering that the captain inflicted to others.

Shortly after this, the captain is found in an insane state by locals who question why do they keep the concentration camps standing. Mr. Serling closes us out brilliantly with the lines, "They must remain standing because they are a monument to a moment in time when some men decided to turn the Earth into a graveyard. Into it they shoveled all of their reason, their logic, their knowledge, but worst of all their conscience. And the moment we forget this, the moment we cease to be haunted by its remembrance, then we become the gravediggers. Something to dwell on and to remember, not only in the Twilight Zone but wherever men walk God's Earth." Undoubtedly, a moving conclusion to a disturbing episode. While most of us are aware of the atrocities of the past, I have to give this episode credit for approaching the topic in a profound way. Sadly, so few realize that the worst Nazis never had any real justice brought against them. The worst offenders were allowed to be spread around the globe with the blessings of the major government super powers. You must wonder if evil ever really dies or simply comes back again with a new face and a new gimmick to con the masses.

It's a Good Life

Description: Season 3, Episode 8

Air Date: November 3, 1961

Plot Summary: After seemingly destroying the world, an omnipotent little boy terrorizes a small town.

Review: Once more we come to a classic episode and one that is often considered among the best. Since this is one of those episodes that has been discussed to death, I will spare you the usual analysis. While I do agree that this is a fantastic episode, I wouldn't put this anywhere near my top 10 list. B-b-but it's good that they made this episode! Very good! What I do love about this episode is the truly dark nature of the story, and the self-awareness of the era. At the same time, that setup for the "monster" is awesome as it is revealed that it is nothing more than a regular little boy, named Anthony. Umm...what I mean to say is...we all love Anthony. Yup. We love that boy!

They keep it ambiguous as to whether or not the world has been destroyed or whether the town has been put into a pocket universe of some sort. Regardless, everything is controlled by Anthony's will; this can include manipulating matter or distorting reality. He also knows what people are thinking so they must think good thoughts at all times. I'd recommend you do the same! If you make Anthony angry, he will kill you or send you to the cornfields--which I'm going to assume is code for straight to hell. The few people that are still alive are controlled by Anthony as we see what happens when you step out of line with the godforsaken kid--I meant...uhhh, godsend of a precious child. One of the neighbors gets drunk, talks smack, and is turned into a jack-in-the-box before going to hell; then Anthony makes it snow for the lulz. Before dying, that one neighbor implored someone to kill Anthony since it would appear he's not truly invincible; he can be hurt we know. The episode ends with Anthony continuing on his merry way with the depressing thought that everyone is stuck under his rule forever, and everyone is too cowardly to do anything about it. I can certainly understand how fans feel this episode epitomizes what TZ is all about, but it's not quite doing it for me. Maybe a top 25 episode list, sure, but not top 10 worthy. Plus, I would have killed that son of a bitch! I mean...it was good...oh shit...bye...