Posts
My only memories of THE OUTER LIMITS
remains with me though I saw the episode THE CHAMELEON as a re-run when but very small.
A very young Robert Duvall is playing guitar in a rural Mexican village.
He is attacked by enemies from his violent past.
He subdues them but at the cost of his guitar.
A small boy hands him the broken guitar with a sad, longing expression in a silent request to fix it.
"I can only destroy, son. Only destroy."
OPENING NARRATION:
"The race of Man is known for its mutability.
We can change our moods, our faces, our lives to suit whatever situation confronts us. Adapt and survive.
Even among the most changeable of living things,
Man is quicksilver: more chameleon-like than the chameleon, determined to survive,
no matter what the cost to others... or to himself."
Robert Duvall is convinced by the U.S. Military to be altered to look like the aliens who have crash-landed on our planet.
He goes among them, sees that they are peaceful, and want nothing but to leave our primitive, hostile world.
After giving in to his violent nature initially, Duvall decides to leave with them if they will have him.
They are more forgiving than Mankind and accept him as one of their own, leaving.
CLOSING NARRATION:
"A man's survival can take many shapes, and the shape in which a man finds his humanity is not always a human one."
It is an episode that haunts me still and influences much of my writing to this day.
I always loved this show, it was just a tad weirder than the TWILIGHT ZONE... it had to be. So many good things I remember... I am not sure I watched the Demon one, I will watch it.
ReplyDeleteJeremy [Retro]
AtoZ Challenge Co-Host [2015]
There's no earthly way of knowing.
Which direction we are going!
HOLLYWOOD NUTS!
Come Visit: You know you want to know if me or Hollywood... is Nuts?
Oh MY, Roland, my heart sped up when I read the title Outer Limits. LOVE that show.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember if I've seen that episode but will watch it.
Teresa
I don't remember that one. Sadly his violent nature blends well.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching the shows with my mother, she liked the Outer Limits, and then I'd have strange nightmares. . .but kept on watching. Sci-fi has always fascinated me. I like that line about 'we control the horizontal, ...and the vertical. . .' Good luck at the Con, Roland.
ReplyDeleteJust got back in from the convention. Whew!
ReplyDeleteJeremy:
It was known for its monsters, yet it was the depth of its stories that linger in my mind!
Teresa:
THE CHAMELEON remains one of my favorite episodes -- that and THE DEMON WITH THE GLASS HAND!
Alex:
His soul yearned to be more than destructive, and with the aliens he could found a haven. :-)
D.G.:
Thanks for the well-wishes. I am learning a lot from other authors. :-)
I don't remember this show but this particular episode sounded like it definitely made a lasting impact on you.
ReplyDeletebetty