by Natalie Devitt

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This past month several characters tried their best to deal with the uncertainties commonly found in the dimension known as The Twilight Zone. Everybody encountered something unfamiliar. There were strange planets to explore, men reliving the distant past, effects of an experimental serum, and a man trying his best to avoid the ultimate unknown, death.

Probe 7, Over and Out, by Rod Serling

Moby Dick actor Richard Basehart plays Colonel Adam Cook in Probe 7, Over and Out. Cook has crashed his spacecraft on another planet. During the crash, he sustained a number of injuries, including two broken bones and one broken arm. To make matters worse, he only has about enough food to last him a week. In hopes of getting help, he tries contacting his planet of origin, only to be told by his home base that his planet may be on the brink of war and probably would not be able to offer him much assistance.

As Probe 7, Over and Out’s opening monologue states, “He survived the crash, but his ordeal is yet to begin.“ Assuming that he is all alone on this planet and that he will probably have to make it his new home, Cook begins to explore his surroundings. What he does not realize is that there is one other inhabitant, a young woman named Norda, played by television actress Antoinette Bower, also stranded on the planet. The two struggle to adjust to one another and to carve out an existence on a planet very foreign to both of them.

I am happy to see The Twilight Zone return after a couple of weeks off of the air, even if Probe 7, Over and Out is not the strongest entry in the series. The episode is not the first science fiction story to basically retell the story of Adam and Eve, and I cannot imagine that it will be the last. Also, it reminds me a little of previous The Twilight Zone episode Two. Despite not having the most original story, Probe 7, Over and Out works surprisingly well, which is why I give it three stars.

The 7th is Made Up of Phantoms, by Rod Serling

The 7th is Made Up of Phantom tells the story of a group soldiers in 1964, who are undergoing some training exercises near the site of the Battle of Little Bighorn. The men, played by Ron Foster, Randy Boone and Warren Oates, soon realize that the battle actually occurred on exactly that same day back in 1876. As Rod Serling says in the very beginning of the episode, “Past and present are about to collide,” and there could not be a more accurate way of describing what happens in The 7th is Made Up of Phantoms.

Throughout their training, the men retrace the steps of the 7th Calvary. They find a tipi tent, a soldier’s canteen, the men hear sounds made by plains tribesmen, and they see smoke signals. The soldiers use their knowledge of the battle to try to make sense out of a very extraordinary situation.

The 7th is Made Up of Phantoms has a pretty good premise, but it is not very satisfying. Though, the episode is not without some merit. This entry leaves a lot of unanswered questions. Sometimes that can hurt a story or it can work in its favor. In the case of The 7th is Made Up of Phantoms, I really like that things are not over explained and that you never see anybody from the opposing side, which I think only added to its eeriness. Also, I enjoyed the episode's ending. All in all, I give this entry two and a half stars.

A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain, by Rod Serling

Patrick O’Neal stars as Harmon in A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain. Harmon is a wealthy older gentleman, who as the story’s opening narration states is “enslaved by a love affair with a wife forty years his junior.” His much younger and beautiful wife, Flora, is portrayed by Ruta Lee of Seven Brides of Seven Brothers. Flora seems to be in the marriage for Harmon’s money, and often complains that her husband lacks the energy necessary to keep her interested.

In an act of desperation, Harmon begs his brother Raymond, played by Walter Brooke, to inject him with a youth serum that his brother has only tested on lab rats. Hesitant at first, the scientist eventually agrees to administer the drug to Harmon. At first, the serum works quite well. Much to Flora’s delight, Harmon begins to look like a younger and more handsome version of himself, but like everything in The Twilight Zone, the drug does come with a downside.

Overall, A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain is just fair. The twist ending was entertaining, even if it was a bit predictable, though I cannot help but wonder what happened to the characters after the episode ended. My biggest problem with this episode is that none of the characters are very sympathetic. Sure you feel bad for Harmon, but only for a little while. This entry is a little underwhelming, so it deserves two stars.

Ninety Years Without Slumbering, by Richard De Roy

In Ninety Years Without Slumbering, Ed Wynn and Rod Serling work together yet again, after previous projects, like Playhouse 90’s Requiem for a Heavyweight and The Twilight Zone’s One for the Angels. This time around, the incredibly versatile Wynn plays Sam, an elderly man who lives with his granddaughter and her husband. Sam’s loved ones notice that Sam is becoming increasingly obsessed with caring for his grandfather clock. Sam never seems to sleep, and instead spends his nights tinkering with the clock.

Concerned that this obsession is consuming his life, his family encourages him to seek professional help. After some convincing, Sam agrees to see a psychiatrist. In privacy, Sam tells his shrink that the clock was purchased on the day he was born, and that he fears that his life depends on the clock continuing to tick. Upon hearing Sam‘s confession, his psychiatrist urges him to sell the clock.

Sam considers putting the device up for sell, until a neighbor tells him that she is interested in buying the clock. Worried that the price may be a little too steep for her to afford, Sam offers to give the neighbor a deal to postpone payment as long as she lets him maintain the clock, which requires winding every two days. Needless to say, the arrangement does not work for long.

I must admit that Ninety Years Without Slumbering was not the strongest story. Also, the ending, while not entirely expected, may require a little too much suspension of disbelief, even for The Twilight Zone. When it comes down to it, it is really Ed Wynn’s performance as Sam that single-handedly makes the episode worth watching. The episode receives three stars just for that.

The Twilight Zone is always a nice break from the ordinary. This time is no different. The most recent episodes were worth watching, even if they would not rank among the most memorable of the series.

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