A Stop at Willoughby

Description: Season 1, Episode 30

Air Date: May 6, 1960

Plot Summary: An overly stressed business man dreams of a quiet town where he can escape his unfulfilled life.

Review: I think I might just have to classify this episode in the underrated category. It's not as good as I would want it to be, but it was ahead of its time in certain respects and the message was sound advice. The story shows us the shallow life of a man named Gart who has reached an impasse. Gart has grown wary of his annoying boss and bitchy wife. The boss is your stereotypical business executive that screams all his dialogue while only caring about results and money. Gart's wife is a cliched bitch that only married Gart for the potential money he would make. Her ambitions have translated into pressure for Gart to succeed where he wouldn't have chosen to otherwise. As for Gart himself, he simply reflects on a life he didn't necessarily choose and how everything about himself is an act to maintain appearances--to be someone he's not and never intended to be. I'd say this was not something typically addressed in 1960 especially in regard to the blunt shallowness and nihilism connected to work and marriage. In fact, I'd say society wanted (and continues to want) people to think things will turn out to the contrary.

With Gart cracking under the pressure, or perhaps no longer caring, he dreams of a magical town called Willoughby as he rides a train home from work each day. In Willoughby, life is simple and devoid of complexity, almost in a naive sense, but this is a dreamworld after all, right? Although Gart would wake from this dream, he becomes fixated on the notion of getting to this place. He realizes that it is his own apprehension to escape that stops him from fully embracing the dream. One day, when finally caving in to the pressure of success, and his wife abandoning him, Gart decides he will go to Willoughby the next time he dreams. Sure enough, Gart arrives at his destination, and, we can assume, reaches a sense of inner peace. In reality, Gart appears to have committed suicide while on that train ride home--seemingly leaping from the train in mid-motion. Then it is revealed that Willoughby is actually a funeral home. The episode is a bit ambiguous as to whether Gart really went to a dreamworld or was getting glimpses of an afterlife as he grew closer to death. I suppose it's up to the viewer to decide which was the true reality, but I will believe Gart was transported to his own imagined paradise. Alternatively, you could view the ending as significantly more morbid and that the only real release from life's stress is death itself. Regardless, a happy death is better than a lifetime of unhappiness.

Overall, this is a good episode with a few interesting points to consider. This is definitely a good example of introspection and an examination of how believing you have everything you want may not, in fact, be what you truly desire. There is certainly more to life than material gain and you bet your sweet ass there is more to life than simply striving to give that material gain to someone else. One of the best points of the episode was touching on the idea of spending more than you have to maintain an appearance and to hide your real self. No wonder people have mid-life crises. I do wish there was a concise conclusion or a whimsical approach, but other episodes have addressed that concept.

Nightmare As a Child

Description: Season 1, Episode 29

Air Date: April 29, 1960

Plot Summary: A woman with a hazy past meets a child who appears to know everything about the woman.

Review: I might be stretching things a bit here, but I think TZ really wanted to call this episode "molested as a child." This would certainly explain the plot shenanigans more precisely. I'm not even joking either; the story seriously sets this plot line up, but, of course, doesn't deliver. In this respect, the episode is quite disturbing. However, since they couldn't go balls to walls back then with ideas, I think they settled for this whole murder mystery bullshit. I don't know. I'll let you decide.

We are introduced to a woman, named Helen, coming home from work as a teacher, as she comes across a little girl that Helen oddly invites over for hot chocolate. The little girl claims to know everything there is to know about Helen and demonstrates this ability in an almost psychic capacity. I have to hand it to the actress playing the little girl, Terry Burnham, she does an amazing job. Despite the knowledge and intelligent demeanor, Helen doesn't seem all that unnerved by the little girl. But Helen is bothered by the little girl's cocky attitude? Priorities, hun, priorities! Anyway, it would seem Helen doesn't remember quite a bit about her own childhood, and the little girl clearly knows the truth regarding a mysterious trauma Helen faced. Before the little girl can blab, a man comes knocking at the door claiming to be a former employee of Helen's mother who had been murdered when Helen was a child; the little girl runs off during this time as well.

The man creepily discloses he had a crush on Helen when she was a little girl. Keep in mind, this guy was a full grown man when the mother died and Helen was meant to be like 10 or 11. The man also expresses further interest in the current Helen in a weird way. Exasperating the pedo-level is when the man pulls out a photo (from of his ass seemingly) of Helen as a little girl. Yeah, that's totally normal. Oh come on! Well, sure enough, the photo of Helen as a little girl is a dead ringer for the little girl Helen has been talking to. And like the little girl, this molester clearly knows the truth regarding Helen's trauma but he too leaves suddenly. Eventually Helen talks to the little girl again who reveals she truly is the embodiment of her younger self; I guess it's ambiguous as to whether it's all in Helen's head or a real manifestation of sorts. Helen has been forgetting a horrible truth regarding her mother's murder and the little girl has awakened it. As Helen remembers the murder more clearly, the pedo-guy reappears to tell us a few more juicy details. Apparently he has been stalking Helen her whole life and watching her from afar. The episode claims it was to make sure she never blabbed about him being the actual murderer but nice try. Now that the cat is out of the bag, the guy tries to grab Helen, but, through sloppy editing, Helen ends up knocking pedo-man down a flight of stairs. Random cops sum it up for us regarding Helen's reconciliation with her trauma, the truth behind it, and the appearance of the little girl. The episode ends with Helen talking to another little girl for whatever reason. Oh no, don't tell me you have another trauma, Helen?!

Okay, if you remove the murder and replace that with Helen getting molested, doesn't it all fit? The guy admits to having a crush on a little kid, keeps a photo of her as a little girl on him, has watched her grow up creepily, and seems to want her even now! This would also explain Helen's willful forgetfulness better. Plus, this theory addresses why she became a teacher to help children and why she's still single. It all adds up. OR, I could be completely wrong. Eh. The episode isn't too bad as is, but it would be revolutionary for the era if looked at in the way I interpret. I mean, it's not like they could feasibly write a story like this back then anyway, and Mr. Serling was a smart guy.

A Nice Place to Visit

Description: Season 1, Episode 28

Air Date: April 15, 1960

Plot Summary: After a thief is gunned down by the police, he finds himself getting everything he wants in the afterlife.

Review: Now this is a little more of what we've come to expect from TZ. Although the twist is painfully obvious, it's still amusing to witness and is sort of unintentionally thought-provoking. This was also the first episode that was bordering on risque (for the time) with a few choice lines. The story is straightforward-- involving a career thief who is killed during his most recent gig. Though, do the police typically shoot first and ask questions later? Wait, don't answer that. Believing he's simply waking up, the thief, nicknamed Rocky, is met with a man dressed in all white. Rocky acts like a huge douche to the man in white, simply referred to as Pip, as Rocky is led to a massive penthouse that Pip claims has been prepared for him. Since Rocky doesn't trust anyone or anything, he is reluctant to let down his guard despite being offered whatever he desires. I think this part also demonstrates how stupid Rocky is since he honestly believes anyone would go to this much trouble just to simply poison him. Really, dumbass?! After throwing a tantrum, Rocky tries to shoot Pip only to discover he cannot be killed. Pip tries to explain that Rocky is dead and that this is the afterlife; Rocky makes the assumption that it's heaven since it's so nice and shiny.

Rocky is told he can have whatever he wants whenever he wants--something he greatly relishes. My favorite thing, of course, is that he asks for a "stacked" girl. Hilarious. And you know they wanted to say more but toned it down. Unfortunately, that chick is busted as hell (pun intended). For a time, Rocky does everything he ever wanted which includes winning huge at a casino. Huh...was that the same demonic slot machine from "The Fever?" Rocky eventually wants to meet up with friends, or whoever else could have made it to heaven, but learns everyone is in their own personal afterlife. This is followed by Rocky realizing that nothing is real nor are any of the people he believes he's interacting with; the only real people are he and Pip. Questioning the situation at hand, Rocky wants to know what he did that was good enough to land him in heaven as he and Pip look at his record. As you might easily predict, Rocky's life has been nothing but douchebaggery and asshole behavior. Because he's an imbecile, Rocky tries to live it up but he realizes he can't tolerate heaven any longer. There was an especially provocative moment when one of Rocky's harem girls was like "is there anything else I can do for you" and they zoom in on a seductive look. That's a good one...not gonna lie. So Rocky whines to Pip about going to "the other place" since he doesn't think heaven is working out. He can't stand getting whatever he wants, being unable to lose, dealing with people who aren't real, etc. Rocky is all like, "take me to the other place" and Pip wonders where Rocky thinks he's been at all this time and says something along the lines of, "welcome to hell, bitch!" Well, that's what he wanted to say. The episode ends with Pip cackling like a son of a bitch. Mr. Serling wraps things up nicely explaining how Rocky is going to get everything he ever wanted for eternity.

I mean we could cycle through all the typical concepts like be careful what you wish for, too much of a good thing, etc. but the episode goes a little deeper whether it was intended or not. Since many people envision their heaven to be like Rocky's, this should indicate the gravity of that situation being a reality. Sure, having everything you've never had would be nice, but you will get bored of it over time especially if it's forever. TZ actually managed to provide an interesting understanding of how heaven could be considered hell-like while simultaneously addressing an existential hell as being something beyond fire and brimstone. That's not too shabby. Of course we could assume a real heaven wouldn't leave a person with a sense of time, thus, weakening any sensation of boredom, but Rocky most certainly experienced time. Overall, the moral of the story provides food for thought that can influence you far beyond the simplistic plot. The twist is almost impossible to not realize immediately, but this doesn't deter from the buildup as that is the more important aspect to focus on.