Talk about a show that was ahead of its time… I don’t hear it talked about much anymore, though. And that’s a shame, because it’s a real treasure.
One of my favorite episodes is “The Hundred Days of the Dragon.” From what I understand, and I could be wrong, it’s not one of the more popular episodes; I guess my fondness for it only serves to reiterate the subjectivity of taste.
Anyway, these Chinese scientists alter a spy to look and sound like a US presidential candidate. He kills the candidate and take over, and he would’ve gotten away with it if it weren’t for this guy getting wise to the whole thing and publicly duplicate-shaming him.
It’s kind of an atypical episode in that it’s a straightforward espionage thriller without any alien/monster/sci-fi elements, and I like that about it.
Another fave of mine is “The Galaxy Being,” which is actually the pilot for the series. Take it away, Wikipedia:
“The Galaxy Being” is the first episode of the original The Outer Limits television series, originally broadcast on September 16, 1963. In it, Allan Maxwell, an engineer for a small radio station, somehow makes contact with a peaceful alien creature – the “Galaxy Being” – who is then transported to Earth by accident. The Galaxy Being inadvertently kills several people with its natural radiation, and is met with violence and hysteria from the people of Earth.[1]
That episode creeped me out, in a good way, when I saw it as a kid. And, appropriately, it’s the first one I ever saw. I believe I was introduced to the show via a marathon on TNT around 1992, and I was thrilled to discover “another Twilight Zone,” that being one of my favorite classic shows at the time, in addition to Star Trek.
When that opening came on, informing me that they were controlling my television, I believed them, and I let them.
I never saw the original Outer Limits, but I remember watching the new series in the 90’s. That was a real imagination-stretching show.
I’ve seen a few of the 90s eps and liked them. I need to revisit that, they’ve got the series on Hulu.
Oh do they? I’ll have to keep that in mind.
Yeah they’ve got the original series and the ‘90s reboot.
Another really good episode in the original Outer Limits was “Demon with a Glass Hand” starring Robert Culp. An original, fascinating, creative plot.
Yeah, definitely. Harlan Ellison.