Board 8 > ~The Twilight Zone Watchthrough Topic~ (spoilers)

(+) Yeah! (+)

"You unlock this door with the key of imagination.
Beyond it is another dimension.
A dimension of sound.
A dimension of sight.
A dimension of mind.
You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance.
Of things and ideas.
You just crossed over into... The Twilight Zone."

So I have The Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collection DVD Box Set, which includes every single episode from the original series in the 60's. For those of you who aren't aware of The Twilight Zone, it is a series of half hour episodes of science fiction that tell a unique story. Usually, these included a twist at the end to keep the viewer guessing throughout the story. The way these short episodes were created kept the viewer on the edge of their seat, and the creativity shown kept them enthralled. The Twilight Zone is my favorite TV series, and I have wanted for a long time to watch each episode in chronological order. Now, I can do so.

Because I love the show so much, I wanted to do a Watchthrough topic of it, so I can discuss with any of the members of the board all of these episodes. I always have so much to say about these episodes, good or bad, and I wouldn't mind sharing my opinion with the people of this board. So if you love The Twilight Zone, I'm sure you will find this topic entertaining. If you don't, then maybe this topic can interest you in one of the greatest TV series ever created.

In this topic, I will do a few things with the episodes. I will summarize the episode and ending, just to remind people what episode it might be, and then I will give my complete thoughts on the episode. I'll also give it a rating out of five, and at the end of each season, I'll rank the episodes. After the second season, I'll give a top ten so far, and then raise that number until I hit top 25 episodes by the end.

And, in an effort to avoid spoilers, I will go forth and use the edit feature on GameFAQs to "hide" the spoilers. So if you want to see the entire review, with spoilers and all, you will need to click "message detail" to view it.

I will also try to do one of these a day, but I make no promises. If I don't get at least one a day, I will post a second one on the day after in order to make up for it. So without further ado... Let's enter The Twilight Zone!

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Episode 1 – Where Is Everybody?

Summary: We open up to a man walking down a road until he reaches a town. He seems excited at first, but he quickly notices that nobody is around. He finds it strange, but he seems relieved when he sees a woman in a car. He begins to talk with her and gives us the entire background for the story: our character here has amnesia, and the last thing he remembers is just appearing on this empty road before the town. He doesn’t remember waking up. It turns out that his only companion is a mannequin, and he is alone again.

The man grows increasingly more upset, insisting that this is all a dream, and that he can’t wait to wake up from it. He also feels as if he is being watched. This comes from some peculiar things happening when he’s around. The payphone rings, a freshly lit cigar sits in an ash tray, and a door closes behind him on its own. In the sundae shop, he finds a book called “The Last Man On Earth” (bonus points to anyone who knows about this book!). So the man is increasingly losing it, and when it turns night, the lights all come on. He notices this and proceeds to go to a movie theater playing a movie about a man flying a plane. He realizes he was in the air force, and that he’s trying to figure out why that is important. He slumps in the middle of a movie theater when all of a sudden, the movie starts playing. The man races up to the booth where the projector is, shouting that he wants to who is there. When he finds no one, we can tell he’s really lost it now and runs away through the town.

(The remainder of the summary contains spoilers - Click Message Detail to view)


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My Thoughts:

Alright, so you’re about to debut a show, right? And you proceed to have it center around a guy… in an empty town with nobody else around. And it still somehow manages to be very compelling! The thing about Twilight Zone is that they normally cast good nobody actors for the episodes. You can really get into our protagonist and understand what he’s going through. The theme of isolation is ever present and very clear. Throughout the episode, we wonder if this man is really dreaming, if he’s being watched, or what other supernatural thing could be going on to cause a man with amnesia to be stumbling around in the town. The things he does in the town are also well-written and don’t go overboard. They serve to continually freak out the protagonist until he finally breaks down completely.

(The remainder of my thoughts contains spoilers - Click Message Detail to view)

Score: 7/10

Yes, I switched it to 10. Because a five point scale is too hard! Anyway, I gave it a 7 because it really is a good and insightful episode. When the Twilight Zone is smart and insightful with a great theme, I feel that is where it excels. Because of this, I rate it highly. Still, the ending is one of those endings that make me not like it as much. Therefore, I don’t give it more than a 7.

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Tag.

Taggage.

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In the not too distant future
Next Sunday A.D. ....

Tag.

The mirror scene in the theatre really blew me away the first time I saw it.

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SuperNiceDog: Guru winner

I was actually going to mention that scene, but my write up seemed to be entirely too long!

That scene was incredibly shocking the first time I saw it. I was like... "What the hell just happened?" And I was still reeling even after it was revealed. It's one of those scenes where it really shouldn't shock you, but the way it which it was directed made you awe-stricken.

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I'll be honest the message detail thing is kind of silly. Just mark spoilers in the post if you really want to do that. Twilight Zone is my favorite show too though so super tag.

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skull

If people just want me to mark for spoilers, I can do that too. I really don't mind either way!

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People have had roughly fifty years to watch the show (plus or minus, depending on the season). If they haven't caught an episode, it's really their own fault.

Leave the spoilers thing as is. If people are too lazy to click it just to read the spoilers others would like to avoid then they obviously don't care enough to read the first place.

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SuperNiceDog: Guru winner

Aww yaa

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Emporer_Kazbar posted...
Leave the spoilers thing as is. If people are too lazy to click it just to read the spoilers others would like to avoid then they obviously don't care enough to read the first place.

Honestly, it just makes reading the posts more tedious. I don't want to have to load an entire separate page then find the paragraph of text I'm looking for, especially since I'll probably be reading a few of these on my phone.

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I think I'm going to put spoiler tags instead since it seems, well, easier for everyone-- myself included. But it was a nice thing to try.

Anyway, expect another write up soonish.

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Episode 2 – A Pitch For the Angels

Summary: A street pitchman named Lou, aged 70, is a very accomplished salesman who has become close with the children of the neighborhood. After his pitches for the day, he goes back home to find a gentleman in his home. It turns out this man is Death, and he has come to take Lou away at exactly midnight. Lou, understandably, doesn’t want to die. Death is rather business-like in his explanation that there is no reason why Lou can end up living, and that the only way that Lou can live is if he has unfinished business of a large nature. So Lou eventually comes up with a story about how he’s always wanted to have a huge pitch. A pitch for the angels, he calls it, so that he could have done something great in his life, and so the kids would be proud of him. At first, Death thinks this isn’t worthy, but eventually he gives in and tells Lou that he’ll let him live until he has his big pitch.

Lou then says he’ll never make a big pitch again, and that he’ll probably never even talk again, so he can avoid it. He exits his home and Death keeps appearing and telling him that he doesn’t realize the magnitude of what he’s doing, and that he is sorely underestimating the trouble he’s caused. Finally, Death tells Lou that he has made other arrangements. It is then revealed that Maggie, a small girl that Lou is close with, was hit by a car. Lou then realizes that Death intends to kill her instead. Later on that night, the doctor watching over Maggie tells Lou that he’ll find out her condition at around midnight. Death then walks up to Lou, and Lou tries to convince Death to let Maggie live and take him instead. Death says that he can’t do that, and that since Lou made him change his plans, he can’t change them again, and that he needs to be right by Maggie at midnight, which is in fifteen minutes.

(The remainder of this summary contains spoilers – Read at your own risk)

Lou then decides to start a pitch with Death, who buys into it completely. He hangs on Lou’s every word and starts to purchase everything he has, literally. Lou then sees he has more time to kill and tells Death that he can have one more item: a loyal helper, Lou himself! Death eventually sees what Lou is doing, and he tells him so, but right as he does, the clock tower chimes midnight, and Death is astonished to find that he missed his deadline, and Maggie gets to live. He begrudgingly laughs with Lou about it, and Lou says that it was his best pitch ever, and finally accepts that his time to go is now. Lou grabs his suitcase full of his goods, and Lou says “You never know if anyone up there needs it. I’m going up there, right?” Death affirms that he made it up there, and they both walk off.




My Thoughts:

This episode is really charming to me, truly. It isn’t like the other Twilight Zone episodes. In most episodes, you generally have a spooky, thriller feel to them. In this episode, it’s rather light-hearted for the most part. Lou is an endearing old man just trying to stay alive, and you can understand he’s a great guy. Death is also played very well in this story because he seems so business-like in everything he does. It’s rather amusing to watch the two interact. We get a nice build up to the climax of the story.

(The remainder of my thoughts contains spoilers – Read at your own risk)

Lou states that he wants to make his best pitch before he dies, and he does so in order to save Maggie. It’s very happy, despite Lou still dying in the end. This old man does something like saving a girl that he is proud of, and he comes to accept that he shouldn’t try to cheat death further.

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Score: 6/10

I give this a 6/10. It’s a very solid episode. It gets extra points for being so atypical to most Twilight Zone episodes, and it also gets points for being, well, entertaining in its own way. A pitchman cheating Death with a pitch is just highly amusing. The acting gets kind of hokey, however, and sometimes it’s hammed up a little too much, but the overall story is just fantastic, and each part complements the rest of the story. It tells a great, simpler story that you can really appreciate, and that’s just perfectly fine for this series which sometimes borders on too complex at times.

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Yeah I always thought that episode was very charming but it kinda loses its magic when Death falls for the pitch in my opinion. It's tough for me to see Death being so easily persuaded but it's a fun episode anyway.

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skull

I think Death fell for it because he was just being nice.

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Yeah I always get that feeling that Death is just kinda going along with it but if he is then he does a pretty good job of faking it.

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skull

How could you NOT love Ed Wynn? His performances were just so likable.

You're getting a two-fer today!

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Episode 3 – Mr. Denton On Doomsday

Summary: There’s a town drunk named Mr. Denton in an Old Western setting. He’s forced to sing songs for people in order to get drinks, and everyone ridicules him. A buggy trots by and a gun is dropped by him. We learn that Mr. Denton used to be a great shot back in the day. He gets ridiculed again and sings for the town to get another drink, but then the main bully gives him crap about having a gun. The bully wants to quick draw with him, and a mysterious peddler gives him a look, and Denton fires off two shots to save his own life. This gives Denton confidence, and he gets back at the bully.

Then Denton exits and proclaims that he’s rather worried now, because he will have people coming to take him out since they know he’s a good shot; that’s why he became a drunk, over depression from this. He then goes to shave and is told to meet in the saloon later that night in order to challenge a new guy who rolled into town. Denton leaves his home and shoots around, noticing that he sucks with a gun again, and runs into that mysterious peddler again who promises that he can give him a potion that will make him the best shot around. His name is also Mr. Fate.

(The remainder of this summary contains spoilers – Read at your own risk)

So Denton takes the potion and then goes to the gunfight. He downs his drink, and he sees his opponent downing the same drink. Suddenly, they’re both very nervous over this. They fire and hit each other in their shooting hand. The town doctor inspects Denton and says that he’ll never shoot again. It seems like the other guy will be in the same shape. Denton then tells his opponent that they’re both very fortunate, because they can never shoot a gun again out of anger.






My Thoughts:

I have never really enjoyed this episode. I’ve always found it a bit dull and it drags on a lot, in my opinion. I understand the theme behind it, and I think it’s a good one, but the way in which they went about it seemed to be a little difficult to follow. I feel like they should have spent more time on that and less on the actions at the start of the story. Like One For the Angels, this is atypical to standard Twilight Zone. But unlike One For the Angels, it doesn’t really provide you with too big of a sense of worry for Denton because everything starts off slow, then goes really fast. Plus, Mr. Fate? Come on. That’s a bit too heavy handed. Overall, I’m just not impressed by the episode that much.




Score: 3/10

I get it. Guy becomes a drunk because he was too good with a gun, and then his life and another guy’s lives are saved. The pacing wrecks the impact of this though, in my opinion. I just really don’t enjoy this episode. And it’s rare that I ever say that. However, the acting is good, and I like the theme of it. It just could have been presented much better.

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Yeah I agree I was never a big fan of that episode either.

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skull

Episode 4 – The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine

Summary: An old movie star named Barbara secludes herself in a room while watching her movies that are over twenty years old. Her agent Danny tries to get her out and has her audition for a part in a movie. When they get there, Barbara is offended to learn the part isn’t to become the leading lady, but rather a mother in the movie. She gets into words with the casting director, who completely obliterates her verbally. Danny tries to console Barbara when they’re at her house, and she says that she wants to see all of her former co-stars again. Danny says they’re all retired, dead, or not around. This upsets Barbara and she ends up locking herself in a room again, watching her old movies.

Eventually, Danny finds out one of her former co-stars is in town on business, and Barbara is initially excited to meet him. Then she sees that he’s balding, has big glasses, and a creeper mustache. Even worse, he’s no longer in movies; he’s a manager of a grocery store chain! Barbara basically loses it at this point and ends up locking herself in the room again. Barbara’s maid eventually comes into the room later that night and screams.

(The remainder of this summary/thoughts contains spoilers – Read at your own risk)

Danny comes by at the behest of Barbara’s maid, and they walk into the room where she locked herself into. Apparently Barbara is nowhere to be found, but the maid tells him to play the movie. Danny turns on the projector and sees Barbara having a dinner party with all of her former young co-stars in the movie! Danny screams for her to come back, and she just gives him a kiss and drops her kerchief for him, and then the movie ends. Danny walks out of the room and finds the kerchief in the very spot that Barbara dropped it in the movie. Danny picks it up and remarks “To the wishes that come true…”






My Thoughts:

I like this episode, but I have to say it’s really not the best. There’s little to no hint towards anything supernatural with the projector or the films, so the twist is just kind of thrown in there as if to say “Oh, we need to wrap this up and it’s a science fiction story.” However, I love the theme and characterization. The story of a washed up actress wishing for her time in the spotlight again is sad and tragic, and like many of the things in Twilight Zone, it’s still relevant today! Barbara was a perfect character to tell this kind of story about, and each scene served to make her more and more reclusive. The scene with her former co-star was very amusing too.

But there’s nothing that ties it to the ending, which kills me. If they had just hinted at it, I feel like it could have been a much better story. But since they didn’t, it kind of falls a bit for me. Don’t think I didn’t like it, because I really did! But I just feel it was tacked on there.

Score: 5/10

I can’t give it any more than a five. Like I said, great premise, great acting, great idea, there was just a step or two missing in the execution of the ending.

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There are some good ones coming up in this first season, don't worry. A little heavy-handed, perhaps, but they're very watchable. Unlike Twenty Two, which you'll have the joy of viewing in a later season.

Starting back up now!

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Episode 5 – Walking Distance

Summary: A man named Martin Sloan is a businessman who is very stressed. He leaves his car in a rest stop that is within walking distance of his hometown. Martin heads there and sees that everything is exactly as it was when he was a kid. Soon, Martin realizes after talking with a boy by the name of Martin as well, that he is actually in the past. Martin decides to talk to his parents and tries to convince them that he is their son, but they obviously think he’s insane and he ends up running away, leaving all of his personal information at his parents’ home.

Martin knows that his child self is at the merry-go-round in the city. He gets on the merry-go-round and tries to get the attention of his past self. The child Martin runs away from him, and the adult Martin gives chase. Eventually, the child falls off the merry-go-round and injures his leg badly, and Martin is told that the boy will walk with a limp for the rest of his life. Martin is devastated and gives a monologue, stating that all he wanted to do was tell himself to have fun and enjoy life, because it will all be gone eventually.

Martin’s father then walks up, saying he believes him now, and that he can trust Martin is really his son. His father then tells him that he needs to leave, and that this place isn’t his. He asks Martin if it is so bad where he’s from, and Martin says he thinks so, because there is no fun for him now. His father tells him that there is plenty of fun to be had and so much life to live, but he can’t see it because he’s too busy looking behind him, and not ahead. Martin finally realizes that his father is right and heads back to his own time. He has a limp now, and he talks with the owner of the ice cream shop about how he is finally ready to move on.

My Thoughts:

This episode tears me apart each time I see it. I get so emotional every single time, and I can’t help it. This is a perfect story from start to finish. Every significant part of this story was well crafted and served to get us deeper into the narrative. The acting is also fantastic, and this goes from Martin, to his father, and to Rod Serling’s delivery for his narration. This is also one of the few episodes with a narration in the middle of the episode as well.

I love Walking Distance because it is the timeless story of something that everyone misses: their past, when they used to have fun all the time and had no responsibilities. We can all relate to Martin Sloan, and the lesson that Martin learns is truly amazing. I feel such a bittersweet feeling when I view this episode, because it’s all just so meaningful. You need to live life and forget about your past, or else you can’t improve your current time.

Score: 10/10

This is absolute perfect storytelling. There’s not an episode in the entire series that gets me more emotionally invested than this episode, and it’s because it’s so amazingly written and acted. This is Twilight Zone’s non-horror story at its absolute best. I love this episode, and it is very easily one of my favorite episodes of all time.

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Man this topic is making me want to go buy the DVDs too! I love that episode.

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skull

Tagging this.

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SyFy is doing a Twilight Zone Marathon for New Year's starting tomorrow! So remember to check it out!

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Tag.

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I haven't updated this for the past two days because the Twilight Zone Marathon has been on! No sense in breaking to watch Twilight Zone when Twilight Zone is on! I'll make up for it though with many updates.

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Back to this! Btw, if you're following and haven't said something, please do! I like to know if people are interested in this.

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Episode 6 – Escape Clause

Summary: A man named Walter Bedecker is a hypochondriac and a major a-hole. He treats everyone in his life, including his wife, terribly, and he is often stuck in his bed. One day, a rotund man appears in his room. He turns out to be the devil, and he offers Walter immortality, so he doesn’t have to fear anything any longer. Walter bargains with him, and the devil says that when Walter decides to die, all he has to do is give up his soul. When he decides to die, the devil says he will give him the least painful death he can. Walter agrees, saying that he will never willingly die, and is all around pompous when the deal is made.

With his newfound immortality, Walter starts doing fatal things, getting a rush out of them at first and complaining when the compensation checks from the various companies of vehicles, subway cars, and buildings are all too cheap for him. Walter then tells his wife about this and drinks poison to show it off, and then he decides he isn’t getting enough excitement from this. He makes the decision to jump off the top of a building. When he does, his wife tries to stop him and ends up falling off the building herself. Walter gets an idea and very casually calls the police department and claims he killed his wife. We learn that he is acting up in trial and doing the very best he can in order to get the electric chair, thinking that will be the biggest excitement he can get.

(The remainder of this summary/thoughts contains spoilers – Read at your own risk)

So Walter is in court getting his sentence, and much to his surprise, he doesn’t get the death penalty; he gets life in prison, simply because his lawyer is too good. Walter is shocked and realizes that he will spend the rest of his immortal life in prison. The devil appears before Walter and reminds him of the escape clause he has, in which he can ask for death. Walter seems like he wants to die, then ends up having a heart attack.




My Thoughts:

I love this episode. I think it’s one of the most clever episodes made, and it seems like they put a lot of hard work into this one. The scenes are very skillfully directed, and the pacing is great. We grow to really hate Walter Bedecker in this story, so when we see his demise, it seems just right. Such a nasty human being ends up getting tricked by the devil in the end, which is strange that we’d want to root for the devil in this scenario. The lead up to the end is just perfect, and the twist just makes it all the sweeter. It’s a fantastic episode, really.

Score: 9/10

I love this episode a lot, and I think it deserves this high of a score simply because everything is done just right here. You can’t help but love this episode due to the amusing nature of it, and the urge to see Walter get his after we see what a terrible guy he is. The only thing that stops it from being a 10 is lack of emotional involvement. Sorry, but I don’t just hand out the tens! This episode is fantastic though, and one of my favorites.

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Episode 7 – The Lonely

Summary: A man named Corry is trapped on an asteroid as a form of solitary confinement after being wrongfully convicted of murder, and he is very desperately lonely. Four times each year, Captain Allenby and his crew visit the asteroid to give him new supplies and news from Earth. During the fourth year he has been imprisoned, Corry is informed by Allenby that they are reviewing this form of punishment. He also leaves Corry a gift in a large box and tells him not to open it until after he leaves.

Corry opens up the box when Allenby leaves to find there is a female android in the box called Alicia. Corry hates her at first, until he says enough hurtful things that she starts crying. When she begins to cry, Corry starts to feel sympathy and understands that she does have feelings and she could be a real person. He falls in love with Alicia, and they are spending all of their time together as Corry’s only form of comfort.
(The remainder of this summary/thoughts contains spoilers – Read at your own risk)

Eventually, Allenby and his crew make a surprise visit to Corry’s asteroid and tell him that he has been pardoned in a review of his murder case and that he can leave. However, they only have twenty minutes and room for fifteen pounds of extra luggage before their fuel runs out. Corry is at first extremely excited to be leaving, but then he realizes that he wouldn’t be able to bring Alicia along. He begins pleading with Allenby to make room for her, and Allenby tells him to forget it. She’s a robot. Allenby says she’s not a robot, rather deliriously. Eventually, Alicia walks up and Allenby raises his gun and shoot her face off, revealing her metal and circuit insides. Alicia keeps saying Corry’s name, and Allenby finally convinces Corry to join him. Corry does so reluctantly, and Allenby reminds him that he’s only leaving behind loneliness, to which Corry responds “I must remember that.”




My Thoughts:

Brilliant episode. I love how well it’s crafted, and the premise behind it is fabulous as well. You’re so lonely that you become attached to something that you know isn’t real and act as if it is truly real. I feel the pacing is a bit off, and there could have been more shown with Corry and Alicia, but that’s only my main issue. The rest of the episode is great, and I love the interaction between Corry, Allenby, and Allenby’s crew. They were just very interesting, and the lore that they presented in the episode was actually surprisingly well covered that it felt like a complete world that Corry and Allenby exist in. The ending was also well done as well, and I love that Corry still has such a hard time walking away from Alicia at the end. It’s episodes like this where everything just falls in place so well, and you can really tell. I love it.

Score: 8/10

Like I said, the pacing is my main issue. We don’t even see he gets a robot until act 2, and then act 2 seems like it flies by. I feel like it would have been more impactful if we saw Corry and Alicia more often. But that’s literally my only issue with it. It’s a great episode, and it’s one in which the meaning is very well crafted.

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Marc Scott Zicree's book The Twilight Zone Companion makes an interesting point about The Lonely. It seems that they filmed a lot of it in Death Valley, and the heat provided quite a learning experience. Once, the caterers brought a heavy meal, and a bunch of people got sick... because of the heat. Some guys tried drinking cold chocolate milk... and got sick a half hour later.

This experience was not forgotten in future desert productions, where catering brought salads and people were kept well hydrated.

Episode 8 – Time Enough At Last

Summary: A man named Henry Bemis is a bank teller with huge glasses that loves to read. However, he never gets the chance to read because his boss refuses to let him and his terrible wife is flat out cruel about never letting him read, often antagonizing him over it. All Henry Bemis wants to do is read.

One day at work, it’s his lunch hour. And in order to hide and read, he heads to the bank’s vault with his lunch and begins to read. Suddenly, a nuke drops down and knocks Henry out. When he wakes up, he finds that the whole world is destroyed. He’s in a post-apocalyptic world, wandering around. He finds a grocery store, but he’s still so sad because he thinks his life will be nothing but eating and reading the same half sheet of the newspaper. He finds a car that’s still in working order and drives, trying to find someone else. Eventually, the car breaks down and he’s lost all will to live.

(The remainder of this summary/thoughts contains spoilers – Read at your own risk)

Henry finds a gun and aims it at his head… when all of a sudden, he notices a destroyed Public Library sign. He looks up to find a broken down library with tons and tons of books! More books than he can imagine! He is excited and wants to live again, having organized the books into the ones he’ll read each month for the next few years. He has a busted up clock as a table and remarks that he has time to finally read. Time enough at last. The book he wants falls off his lap as he stands up and he leans over to pick it up… when his glasses fall down. Henry reaches down to pick them up and notices that they’re broken, rendering him unable to read anything. Henry breaks down and starts to cry, saying, “It’s not fair!”






My Thoughts:

This is one of my all-time favorite episodes from this series. The structure of this episode is simply incredible, and the buildup to our finale is amazing. Henry Bemis is a character who is made to be belittled by his boss and wife, so we feel so bad for this strange little guy when all he wants to do is read! We continue to feel bad when he’s the only person on earth and seems like he wants to kill himself. Then suddenly, we’re happy! Henry can read! He can finally read all he wants without any interruption! And then BANG! We’re so inconsolably sad for this poor, poor guy whose glasses broke. He can’t read at all. And he’s right back to where he was. This episode is just incredible. There’s a reason it gets so much acclaim, because everything is just right. They make you feel for Henry, and you want to know what he will do. The ending is a huge surprise the first time you see it, and the last bit just makes you feel so bad.

Score: 10/10

This is Twilight Zone at its finest. Henry Bemis is such an amazing character for this story, and the way in which the whole episode plays out is nothing short of perfection. I see absolutely no wrong in it, and the way in which they manipulate our feelings in this is amazing. I still feel so bad at the ending of this. It’s like I’m watching this dude get shot in the heart when his glasses break. Being able to do THAT in a short 21 minute show? That is amazing.

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Xbox GT: PrivateBiscuit1
Down with Zhang. Let there be Biscuit!

Episode 9 – Perchance to Dream

Summary: Edward Hall is a man with a severe heart condition that believes if he falls asleep, he’ll die. He claims this because when he dreams, he will keep having terrible nightmares that will give him a heart attack. However, staying awake keeps putting a big strain on his heart. He walks into a psychiatrist’s office and talks about his problem. He discusses a dream about a man in the backseat of his car, which is the cause of his latest near-death. He then discusses with the psychiatrist about his other dream. A carnival dancer tries to excite him to death by dragging him to a rollercoaster.

(The remainder of this summary/thoughts contains spoilers – Read at your own risk)

Edward gets up to leave, thinking he cannot be helped by the psychiatrist, and heads outside. He thinks his psychiatrist’s secretary looks like the carnival dancer in his dream, has a freak out, and then he jumps out the window of the building.

We see the psychiatrist sitting there, looking disturbed, and he calls his secretary in. We see Edward Hall laying on the couch where he told most of his story, and the psychiatrist tells his secretary that he just laid down, let out a yell a few moments later, then died. The psychiatrist states “At least he died peacefully…” (INCEPTION)




My Thoughts:

I don’t honestly care for this episode too much. The build up for the entire episode seems needless, and for the single twist at the end (which I think is a good twist) it didn’t need so much. What do we care what the dreams are if they have little to no bearing on the story at all (aside from the point of the woman looking like the secretary). I feel like, as a story, it doesn’t really draw you in since they’re just dreams being told for the most part. The journey to the twist ultimately lets me down, I guess, even though it’s a twist I should love.

Score: 4/10

I just don’t like it! Although it’s creepy the first time you see it, and the twist is really good, it just feels like you’re cheated for the majority of the story having little to do with anything. I don’t even know how you’d even attempt to make this episode better. It basically gets these points on interest and first viewing.

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Xbox GT: PrivateBiscuit1
Down with Zhang. Let there be Biscuit!

I'm realizing in this topic that I haven't seen nearly as many episodes as I thought I had! I'm enjoying the write-ups I've been able to read so far though.

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skull

I hope you've seen all the 8-10's at least!

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Xbox GT: PrivateBiscuit1
Down with Zhang. Let there be Biscuit!

All of them except Escape Clause

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skull

You can probably find them online somewhere, if you feel so inclined to view it.

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Xbox GT: PrivateBiscuit1
Down with Zhang. Let there be Biscuit!

I might just end up buying the DVD box set pretty soon here but I'm not too sure. Does it have all of the 1 hour episodes too?

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skull

Yes it does. At least the one I have.

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Xbox GT: PrivateBiscuit1
Down with Zhang. Let there be Biscuit!

Btw, it's currently $120.99 on Amazon. I'm not sure how long it'll be on sale for, so I recommend you get it soon if you want to get it cheap!

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Xbox GT: PrivateBiscuit1
Down with Zhang. Let there be Biscuit!

Jeez that's a LOT of episodes for 120 dollars. I mean I've heard that the 4th season is kinda meh but I'd still like to watch all of the episodes. I can't think of a reason NOT to buy it!

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skull

Considering the set is usually $299.99, that's definitely an awesome deal.

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Xbox GT: PrivateBiscuit1
Down with Zhang. Let there be Biscuit!

F*** it, I bought it.

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skull

GOOD!

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Xbox GT: PrivateBiscuit1
Down with Zhang. Let there be Biscuit!

January 9th to January 13th!

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skull