Description: Season 3, Episode 31
Air Date: April 13, 1962
Plot Summary: A dying old couple wants to buy new, younger bodies as antics ensue.
Review: This is another instance where they had a good idea, but its themes are more thoroughly explored in a later episode ("Number 12 Looks Just Like You" to be precise). This isn't to say that this episode offers nothing of worth, because it does take a slightly different approach. In comparison, however, this episode feels a bit empty and the futuristic setting needed serious details. For this story we have an old couple who are on their last leg as they consider life extending possibilities. I mean, as far as I know, this is still 1962, but apparently there are now some kind of clone bodies or androids or whatever the hell these things are supposed to be. The new bodies appear to be organic yet they can sit around, inactive, and last over 100+ years without aging magically. I think this kind of advanced technology needs some explaining as that level of technological advancement would influence all of civilization. But okay, sure, let's roll with it.
So they explain that the procedure transfers your mind into one of these new bodies and you simply live anew. It costs $5,000 to get one of these bodies, but the couple only has enough for one of them. I checked to see what this equals in today's terms and it's roughly $40k; that's not too bad for getting a new body that lets you live an extra 100 or so years. The episode tries to emphasize how much the old couple loves each other, but this makes me laugh. I can just see this shit nowaday...can't even get a lot of marriages past the first couple years and now we're adding eternity to the mix?! Good luck with that. Now if they offered some kind of customizable android spouse--preferably of the Rika variety--now you're talking. Anyway, I wish this episode went more into depth as to why this couple loves each other or made this dilemma question their love and made it stronger through the struggle...or just any real conflict. There were so many directions you could have come at this material--it's truly astounding that they wasted the potential. Instead of anything interesting, we get the old man trying to gamble with a card shark, or whatever he was, and he conveniently takes pity upon the old man. Oh, yeah, criminals and their hearts of gold. I don't even know what the hell happened here, but somehow the old man still doesn't make any money from this.
The old man then decides to get the new body first, work to earn money for the wife, and I guess live happily ever after. After getting the new body, however, the wife acts like she's having a damn heart attack (calm down, hun), and the guy decides to stick with being old. Well, thanks for wasting everyone's time. Going back to that heart attack-esque nonsense...that reminds me that this crazy lady was almost having an orgasm earlier. I don't know about you, but I do not want to hear any old lady screaming "YES, YES, YES, etc." in quick succession! Just don't close your eyes during that scene! Hell, it's bad enough that the old guy says every night will be a "honeymoon." My fucking goodness...
Giving up their dreams of youth, the old couple decides to die like normal people. And I say rightfully so. What kind of hell on earth would this future be? We're already living in a cross between "1984" and "Brave New World," but can you imagine not even knowing who is a real young person or who is an old person in a new body? How would that even work? How would you know anyone's true identity anymore too? Not to mention, this would lead to various bias and elitism beyond what we see today. I already know if this technology were ever introduced we'd never see the end to the world's worst people. Ugh...the implications of this scenario are too horrifying to imagine. I'm sure it sounds like a great deal to insane people, but live, love, and die with some fucking dignity. We will definitely come back to this subject once we get to season 5.
This was a pretty interesting episode, but I definitely agree with you on a few of your questions. This episode does not explain into enough detail about how a young healthy organic body can stay on display for who knows how long and then continue not to age after the mind transfer procedure. They also don't explain how it's done, they only explain that it's done. I also agree that if such a thing was really done, it probably would hurt society further, and it would've caused certain losses of identities.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that today, a couple staying together for life is becoming more rare let alone anyone wanting to extend it another 100 years or so. But with that one, back in the early 1960s, couples getting married and staying married for life was more common than it is now.
I'm pretty sure that this episode is supposed to be set in the future, it obviously wasn't the real 60s. Maybe it was supposed to be their idea of the 21st century sometime. I kinda look at that like in Back to the future 2, 2015 did not end up having flying cars and hoverboards. When making a show or film set in the future, people just gotta use their imaginations.
As for the card dealer, it is rare for a dealer to really feel so sorry for someone who lost a hand where they will just tell them to leave with the money they came in with. I guess it's because the guy was so old and in obvious pain. And the dealer did decide that last minute because earlier in the game, he told the old man "I'm gonna clean you out".
As for the old lady seemingly having a heart attack when her hubby jumped in there in his new young strong healthy body dancing around for joy, I'm guessing that it just didn't really hit her until then what it would actually be like to see your husband suddenly 24 again and you were still in your 70s, and how he was enthusiastically wanting to do all these things that she wouldn't be up to doing with him, besides how would that couple look now together going places? People would think it's like a grandmother and grandson. They sure wouldn't be able to go out on romantic evenings out together or dancing anymore without getting weird looks. It's obvious that she just didn't think him doing it without her through until he'd done it. Also, instead of him switching back to his old pain ridden body, why couldn't he have just told her to hang tight while he worked like 2 jobs saving up the money for her to get the procedure so she could join him? He had the strength now to work two jobs for a few months straight. She would've had to just be patient for a few months. It seems like they didn't even think of that during that part of the episode, even though he did mention doing that earlier when discussing prices.
This was a pretty interesting episode, but I definitely agree with you on a few of your questions. This episode does not explain into enough detail about how a young healthy organic body can stay on display for who knows how long and then continue not to age after the mind transfer procedure. They also don't explain how it's done, they only explain that it's done. I also agree that if such a thing was really done, it probably would hurt society further, and it would've caused certain losses of identities.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that today, a couple staying together for life is becoming more rare let alone anyone wanting to extend it another 100 years or so. But with that one, back in the early 1960s, couples getting married and staying married for life was more common than it is now.
I'm pretty sure that this episode is supposed to be set in the future, it obviously wasn't the real 60s. Maybe it was supposed to be their idea of the 21st century sometime. I kinda look at that like in Back to the future 2, 2015 did not end up having flying cars and hoverboards. When making a show or film set in the future, people just gotta use their imaginations.
As for the card dealer, it is rare for a dealer to really feel so sorry for someone who lost a hand where they will just tell them to leave with the money they came in with. I guess it's because the guy was so old and in obvious pain. And the dealer did decide that last minute because earlier in the game, he told the old man "I'm gonna clean you out".
As for the old lady seemingly having a heart attack when her hubby jumped in there in his new young strong healthy body dancing around for joy, I'm guessing that it just didn't really hit her until then what it would actually be like to see your husband suddenly 24 again and you were still in your 70s, and how he was enthusiastically wanting to do all these things that she wouldn't be up to doing with him, besides how would that couple look now together going places? People would think it's like a grandmother and grandson. They sure wouldn't be able to go out on romantic evenings out together or dancing anymore without getting weird looks. It's obvious that she just didn't think him doing it without her through until he'd done it. Also, instead of him switching back to his old pain ridden body, why couldn't he have just told her to hang tight while he worked like 2 jobs saving up the money for her to get the procedure so she could join him? He had the strength now to work two jobs for a few months straight. She would've had to just be patient for a few months. It seems like they didn't even think of that during that part of the episode, even though he did mention doing that earlier when discussing prices.
I suppose we could simply imagine this story as an alternate reality rather than the future, but that wasn't really clear. There are a lot of plot elements here that don't come together coherently. However, you are probably right about the wife spazzing out once she sees the new body in person--unprepared for what it truly would be like to happen.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's just my cynical view of the world, but I just feel as though this technology would be too dangerous. The themes would have been better tackled from the perspective of deception and identity instead of an old couple accepting aging and death.
They should've have made this one of the hour long episodes from season 4. The episode would've been exactly the same until the moment right after the husband's procedure and the wife being in shock. Then, instead of the husband switching back to being old, he should've insisted on staying young and taking a well paid job with his new enthusiasm nd energy, while also struggling to get his wife calmed down and patient. Then we'd see all the complications of him trying to get a job and then going to work, and the complications of him having an old fashioned mind in a young body and people at his job thinking something was weird about him. Then, we'd see the wife end up going to hospital for having a breakdown, and then the hubby having regrets and thinking now that maybe it wasn't worth getting it done, and he gains doubts on if he'd end up being able to raise the money for the wife's procedure, since he also now has to pay for his wife's medical treatment and other bills that crop up. Then, the ending would be the husband being able to come up with the money for the wife's procedure after all and the episode ends with both of them now young and happy and them walking into the sunset together. Oh, and the husband would've finally been able to get the wife's procedure money by going back to the card shark, but this time winning. And he'd recognize the dealer from when he was there last time being old, but the dealer obviously didn't recognize him now.
ReplyDelete