Tuesday's TWILIGHT ZONE, Spoilers Options

[Christopher]

I didn't find this one too impressive. The first one didn't really work for me. The reporter got "addicted" to the psychic's predictions way too quickly and completely to be credible. And he was too simple a character. I kept expecting there to be more to him, like maybe he was actually causing things to happen in order to manipulate her or something. But no. It was really a very simple story, and just didn't have enough substance for me.

The second one was okay, but mainly notable for reusing the gimmick from the original TZ episode "The Purple Testament" -- a character seeing people's faces glow when they're about to die, and ultimately seeing the glow in his/her own reflection. In the original, it was a soldier in WWII. So I wonder... does this qualify as a remake? An homage? A sequel?

[Rov Judicata]

I'm pretty much with Chris on the first one.

Remember my thread in GMD a while back about how some episodes could use an hour to unfold to be effective?

This was it.

I really think that if things had been given more time to unfold, the death of the fortune teller could have been very powerful. Gradually draw us in to his powers, and have a bigger twist at the end. I'm not sure what that twist would be, but I think something could have been done.

OTOH, I did like that it was a reflection on the internal stalemate indecision and worrying causes... a very real problem, with or without a personal psychic.

The nicest touch was something simple but very real. When the protagonist listened to the story of the crash, the very first things said were along the lines of, "Flight # has crashed on its way to Chicago. Experts are ruling out terrorism....". That's definitely a bit of reality.

Now, as to the second story....

I liked the updated homage. I also liked that the future wasn't set; she managed to prevent the death of others. The school is more of a battleground than Europe these days, and the episode reflects that.

Here's what I found odd:

Usually, when a play is mentioned in a show, it has some similar situation with the greater story. Other than the death of teenagers, R&J and this episode had very little in common. Other than the quote about Mercutio, it didn't seem to be used all that much.....

I'm not sure what I would have used instead. Othello, perhaps, the protagonist didn't realize who the antagonist really was until it was too late. III Henry VI for the prophet angle?

Anyway.... better than most of what's on TV. For an episode of the twilight zone, merely average.

Still, I'm looking forward to next week's ep.

Anybody have ratings info, btw? I rarely see the finals for TZ posted.

[Christopher]

When the protagonist listened to the story of the crash, the very first things said were along the lines of, "Flight # has crashed on its way to Chicago. Experts are ruling out terrorism....". That's definitely a bit of reality.

Well, it annoyed me when she said, "Flight ###... that was my flight!" Well, duh. That was pretty damn obvious. I hate it when shows assume we're not paying attention or using our minds and need to have the obvious pointed out to us.

I liked the updated homage.... The school is more of a battleground than Europe these days, and the episode reflects that.

Umm, actually the original episode was set in the Phillipines in 1945....

Usually, when a play is mentioned in a show, it has some similar situation with the greater story. Other than the death of teenagers, R&J and this episode had very little in common. Other than the quote about Mercutio, it didn't seem to be used all that much.....

I'm not sure what I would have used instead. Othello, perhaps,  the protagonist didn't realize who the antagonist really was until it was too late. III Henry VI for the prophet angle?

Well, the title for "The Purple Testament" was a line from Richard III.

But R&J works okay for me, because, aside from the death-of-teenagers theme you mentioned, it's one of the plays you'd expect to find in a high school English curriculum. Somehow I don't think A Midsummer Night's Dream would've worked as well.

[MoldyMuse]

Somewhat OT here .. but why are the repeats being shown on Tuesday vs. Wednesday?

Saw them both the first time around and thought they were okay, but not great. Can't remember, are they pre Zack/Ash?

[Rov Judicata]

Well, it annoyed me when she said, "Flight ###... that was my flight!" Well, duh. That was pretty damn obvious. I hate it when shows assume we're not paying attention or using our minds and need to have the obvious pointed out to us.

I concur. I'm not sure what the natural reaction would be, but I doubt that's it.

Umm, actually the original episode was set in the Phillipines in 1945....

Ah... thanks Chris. I've never seen the original TZ [Substantially before my time, and I don't get SciFi channel. As such, I live in a cultural vacuum. .] <Actually, I've seen a couple of episodes. Not the one in question though.>.

Well, the title for "The Purple Testament" was a line from Richard III.

True. .

But R&J works okay for me, because, aside from the death-of-teenagers theme you mentioned, it's one of the plays you'd expect to find in a high school English curriculum. Somehow I don't think A Midsummer Night's Dream would've worked as well. .

I have an anti R&J bias. It's a thing I have to work through. I just really hate the play. This is, however, a seperate topic. .

But, yeah, if you're limiting yourself to what you would really find in a high school, R&J is pretty much it.

Of course, I'm not sure how much of a concern that is when you have glowing faces as a sign of possible impending death....

Somewhat OT here .. but why are the repeats being shown on Tuesday vs. Wednesday?

I don't know. Isn't TZ normally in the time slot that American Idol is? Perhaps UPN wants to avoid one of their best programs getting slaughtered every week.

Saw them both the first time around and thought they were okay, but not great. Can't remember, are they pre Zack/Ash?

I think so.

[MoldyMuse]

Somewhat OT here .. but why are the repeats being shown on Tuesday vs. Wednesday?

I don't know. Isn't TZ normally in the time slot that American Idol is? Perhaps UPN wants to avoid one of their best programs getting slaughtered every week.

Ummm ... don't know. Don't watch the idol thing, nor keep track of it.

Saw them both the first time around and thought they were okay, but not great. Can't remember, are they pre Zack/Ash?

I think so.

Well, that would explain a great deal.

[Christopher]

Somewhat OT here .. but why are the repeats being shown on Tuesday vs. Wednesday?

They're being shown both Tue. and Wed. this week. I guess UPN's Tuesday sitcoms are doing poorly in the ratings so they replaced them with TZ reruns.

Saw them both the first time around and thought they were okay, but not great. Can't remember, are they pre Zack/Ash?

I saw ZackAsh listed as consulting producers in the credits.

By the way, Zack, just what is a "consulting producer?"

[cylkoth]

Somewhat OT here .. but why are the repeats being shown on Tuesday vs. Wednesday?

UPN removed what they were showing there for a TZ repeat. They've got some new hour long drama called Platinum, about the music/hippity-hoppity business coming in the spring. It's (TZ) scheduled for next week too, so I presume that they'll run TZ there until the new show debuts.
BTW, the Billy Mumy 1 hour ep airs next Tuesday.

J Rov asked
Anybody have ratings info, btw? I rarely see the finals for TZ posted.

And according to Mediaweek.com, Tuesday's repeat got a 1.8. Ouch. I think the sitcom Abby, which was running on Tuesdays. used to do better than that.

from Mediaweek
In a night of all repeats, the WB's combination of Gilmore Girls (3.2/ 5) and Smallville (3.3/ 5) bested UPN's Buffy, the Vampire Slayer (2.3/ 3) and The Twilight Zone (1.8/ 3) by an average of 52 percent. On Pax, repeats of The Weakest Link (0.7/ 1), Just Cause (0.7/ 1) and Diagnosis Murder (1.3/ 2) were at typical Tuesday-night levels.

[John Burke]

Well, the title for "The Purple Testament" was a line from Richard III.

Richard II, actually. "He has come to open the purple testament of bleeding war..."

Rov, you shoulda caught that.

[Iolanthe]

Richard II, actually.  "He has come to open the purple testament of bleeding war..."

But ere the crown he looks for live in peace,
Ten thousand bloody crowns of mothers' sons
Shall ill become the flower of England's face --

*slaps self* Must...resist...urge...to...speechify...

And yeah, Rov! I'm ashamed of you!

[Christopher]

Okay, despite the thread title, comments on Wednesday's episodes:

I liked "Future Trade." The premise, in addition to being a clever pun, felt like a Twilight Zone concept. And it was your classic "be careful what you wish for" story. All along I was asking, "why would a guy with a life like this trade it in?" And the answer led to a lesson in covetousness and the "grass-is-always-greener" syndrome, TZ-style.

"Found and Lost" was on a similar theme, the search for a second chance, but took it in a very different direction. It's noteworthy in that Bill Mumy wrote the story, and it also felt more like a TZ episode than most of the ones I've seen. It wasn't a very deep story, but it had the right flavor to it, evoking the wistful nostalgia of Serling episodes like "Walking Distance." Unfortunately few TV writers today are poets like Serling was, able to really bring out that emotion in the words. This won't really be The Twilight Zone until the language itself becomes a featured player.