Some pearls to be found

The series has brings up many subjects, some quite profound. Others are fillers. But all are worth the purchase of this series.

I this season three of "The Twilight Zone" one teleplay worth pointing out is "The Midnight Sun" (1961). This stars a great but seldom seen actress Lois Nettleton as Norma.

The Earth was knocked out of orbit and is spiraling closer to the sun. As the globe warms up systems are beginning to fail and many people have already left for the few cooler climates. Left in the city are the people that decide there is no place to run and will finish their days at home. In one city apartment building Norma (Lois Nettleton) and her neighbor, Mrs. Bronson (Betty Garde), wait for the inevitable with what water is left. Wait it gets more complex as the radio announces unscrupulous people roaming the city. Yes they encounter intruder (Tom Reese). Needles to say he is not so polite.

Naturally the teleplay is all about the interaction of the characters. We must place you in the situation and speculate how it will all end.

The hard truth about Season 3

Like many folks who were born too late to catch televison's greatest shows when they first aired, but old enough to remember the pre-DVD era, I had previously only been familiar with the Twilight Zone through the magic of reruns and holiday marathons, and was thus unable to discern one season from another.

It's one of the greatest, most inventive shows of all time. I don't think many people would argue that. But someone's gotta say it - with a few notable exceptions, Season 3 is a real stinker.

First, there are an abundance of the 'silly' episodes - Twilight Zone fans will know the ones I'm talking about. You can usually tell from the soundtrack. Lighthearted, goofy episodes such as Season 3's "The Fugitive," "Once Upon a Time" (which gets an E for effort for featuring the brilliant Buster Keaton way past his prime), and "Showdown with Rance McGrew" are all pleasant enough, but not haunted with the same kind of masterful irony that the show is rightfully celebrated for.

Still, these whimsical diversions are absolute blockbusters compared to the myriad of dull, lifeless episodes here. If you can't figure out the 'twists' to episodes like "The Mirror," "the Jungle," "Quality of Mercy," "The Passersby," "One More Pallbearer," "The Little People," "Four O Clock" and "Young Man's Fancy" within the first three minutes, maybe the OC is more your speed. Even worse are the dunderheaded, offensively preachy episodes like "Deaths Head Revisited" and "Still Valley." No wonder you never see these in syndication - they stink. Then there are the flat out awful epsiodes, like "Little Girl Lost," which almost certainly inspired the movie Poltergeist, but is still laughably awful anyway.

There are some classics here - I'd count "It's A Good Life" and "To Serve Man" as some of the series's best - but they are in short supply, and chances are, if you're reading this, you're probably already quite familiar with these episodes.

File under: creatively bankrupt.

Dream Come True

It is a dream come true to have these original Twilight Zone Episodes. I bought all 5 seasons. Now, rather than wait for TV to show my favorite episodes, I can see them whenever I want. These are absolutely terrific. I strongly recommend buying all 5 seasons.