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.