The Odyssey of Flight 33

Description: Season 2, Episode 18

Air Date: February 24, 1961

Plot Summary: Passengers on a plane en route to New York find themselves displaced in time.

Review: This is another classic episode and another instance where I disagree with that assessment. As with "The Invaders," the story is a novelty the first time you see it, but it can't stand up to multiple viewings. It's kind of ironic really since the story is about time travel, and this episode is hopelessly dated to the '60s. On top of that, TZ was always working within the confines of a tight budget, and the ideas necessary to tell this tale properly cost too much money; as a result, the effects look terrible or aren't shown at all.

I don't necessarily mind the story for what it is, but the material is spread thin as we are introduced to the flight crew and passengers on the beloved flight 33. While the primary focus deals with the flight crew, and one annoying stewardess, we do get padding in the form of a few passengers bantering and another stewardess. The crew realizes they are suddenly speeding up past mach 1; this probably should have destroyed the plane as one of the crew mentions. This phenomenon appears to have something to do with a magic portal through time and space. Flight 33 does go through this portal, or whatever it is, and realize they're in dinosaur times. Welcome...to Jurassic Park (just picture the voice)! I love the casual nature to seeing dinosaurs as well. See...Mr Hammond, you were wrong about people giving a damn about dinosaurs. The flight crew decides they will magically go through the portal again and end up hearing a voice on their radio afterward. They appear to be back in the present, but they quickly realize they're in 1939 instead. The episode ends, quite abruptly, with the crew saying that the fuel is low, but they will attempt another pass into this godforsaken portal. Wait, what? Just land in 1939! Hell, even if I was stuck time traveling and ended up in 1939 I would stay. You could warn people about everything and probably be hailed as a hero (or institutionalized). Come on...think of the food! All the pizzas you could eat! Don't even pretend I'm the only one who dreams of being a fat ass time traveler?! But, yes, the episode feels shallow and short with little understanding of anything. The lack of a proper conclusion serves as the icing on the cake.

Twenty Two

Description: Season 2, Episode 17

Air Date: February 10, 1961

Plot Summary: A woman, staying at a hospital, believes her nightmare regarding an ominous nurse is real.

Review: Once more, we have an episode that is actually based on an existing story. I haven't read the source material, but most horror veterans should be familiar with the core concepts as this particular tale has inspired many incarnations; the most remarkably, similar instance of this would be the first "Final Destination" film. There have also been interpretations of this story as if it's an urban legend of some kind; an episode of "Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction" tried to portray this tale as such. I, for one, think this is a cool episode and probably falls in the underrated category. It does receive recognition, and it does appear in marathons, but it's not one of the staple episodes. I will probably have to make a list of top 10 episodes as well as top 10 underrated. Might as well throw in a top 10 worst, right?

So we have a woman, named Liz, who is staying in a hospital due to fatigue or something. She claims to be a dancer, but, at the same time, they mention she's a stripper. Hmm, well, if she's a stripper, she's the classiest one I've seen (not that I see many strippers--I promise!). Each night Liz has had a reoccurring nightmare that involves her following a shady nurse to the morgue or room 22. When Liz arrives, the nurse taunts Liz with the statement "Room for one more, honey." After this, Liz would wake up from the dream, but she is convinced it is real or an extension of reality in a way. Two things: the nurse is played by that little chickadee, Arlene Martel, from the "What You Need" episode. The second item is that they use an awesome lighting effect to obscure the nurse's face which, in turn, creates an unsettling look; that's some next level Kayako shit right there.

Liz is portrayed in an almost cartoonish manner for whatever reason, but it kind of goes hand in hand with the '60s persona she exudes. Liz's doctor, played by the villainous-looking Jonathan Harris, does not believe her as he brings in the actual night nurse to show to Liz. I have to mention I loved that Liz refers to the doctor as laughing-boy; a girl with the same humor as me...oh, Lizzy baby! Under the direction of laughing-boy, and without support from her manager, Liz is told to control her dream by doing things differently this time. That night, like clockwork, the dream appears to begin, but Liz attempts to alter the circumstances. Despite her best efforts, the dream still plays out like usual with the nurse appearing and beckoning Liz toward the morgue. A hysterical Liz is sedated and laughing-boy laments that Liz somehow knew that the morgue was room 22 without ever going there.

We cut to Liz being released from the hospital as the fatigue has been overcome, but we get the inference that she was not fully helped. When at an airport that night, Liz notices the circumstances of her dream being recreated in an indirect manner. She feels a sense of dread and unease as she attempts to rationalize the series of events before her. When about to board the plane, Liz realizes that the stewardess is the same nurse from her dream and delivers her same line. Oh man, sexy nurse and stewardess?! Just need the schoolgirl outfit to complete my dream trifecta! Scared senseless, Liz runs away from the plane as it takes off moments later. To Liz's horror, the plane suddenly explodes, confirming her dreams as a premonition of doom.

This is most certainly classic horror at its finest, and the twist was original for the era; it's definitely a timeless and relatable story. While the original story takes a slightly different approach, the heart of the story is what compels others to use the material. It plays off human fear and the belief that our dreams have meaning or can be omens.

Ms. Martel in stewardess form:

A Penny for Your Thoughts

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.