Claustrophobic Classic

Probably the quintessential OL episode. An all-star cast of five, a single claustrophobic Gothic setting, a benevolent alien, and malevolent humans out to exploit him. Superior in every department. The script is polished, the suspense is intense, the story fascinating, the characters fully realized, and the finale a haunting spine-chiller.

The radiant Sally Kellerman is cast against type in her best role ever, as the Lady Macbeth wife of Martin Landau, a genuinely good man whose genius is exploited by his venal and emotionally distant father, Neil Hamilton. Chita Rivera is Kellerman's vicious maid, who has already killed a man in her past. Rivera helps Kellerman murder and conceal the body of an accidental alien visitor (John Hoyt) into Kellerman and Landau's house, in order that Kellerman may steal its technologically advanced "anti-weapon" in her husband's name for the sake of power. Unfortunately, Kellerman failed to learn one thing about the anti-weapon, before stealing it from her victim - she doesn't know how to turn it off, and becomes an eternal prisoner inside it.

There's a great deal more to the story than that, but any more would ruin it. Astute viewers will recognize the "anti-weapon" spiel used twenty years later by Ronald Reagan to sell Star Wars to the electorate.

This episode is flawless. The cast couldn't be better. The performances seethe and sparkle. The script is poetic without becoming cloying. The cinematography and the music are perfect.

Don't miss this one. It's a winner, in every way.

Another "Best Episode"!

Again, a story that influenced so much sci-fi. Star Trek may have added greatly to pop-culture, but Outer Limits influenced science fiction stories in general.