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penpusherCertain themes come up frequently in episodes of "The Twilight Zone." One of those is the theme of isolation. Rod Serling noted that we, as a collective community, were, by the end of the 1950s, becoming more distant and that was clearly by choice. Suburban living was a draw, as people began to move from the crush of urban squalor into the solitude of residential communities. What did that mean for our view of how we see each other and how we see ourselves?
***SPOILERS ABOUT THIS EPISODE MAY BE REVEALED***
Serling's futuristic tale features a convicted murderer Named Corry (Jack Warden, a 1970s two time Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee) who had already served more than four years of his sentence: a a half century of solitary confinement on a desolate asteroid.
Every several months, Captain Allenby (prolific film and TV actor John Dehner) pilots a rocket to drop off fresh supplies, a real inconvenience for the crew (the loudest complainer being Ted Knight, eventual news anchor at WJM-TV, Minneapolis on "Mary Tyler Moore").
Where Earl Holliman was alone in a town in season 1 episode 1's "Where Is Everybody?" Warden's Corry had nothing but a barren landscape and the few brief minutes with Allenby and his workers, before they flew the five million miles back home.
But Allenby has some sympathy. He believes Corry's claim that he killed in self-defense and he previously brought him the pieces to assemble a car, to aid his mental health. Here, he gave the prisoner a bonus crate, which he asks Corry not to open until they departed. That's because inside was a female humanoid android named Alicia (Jean Marsh, best known for co-creating and starring in the PBS soapy drama - and precursor for "Downton Abbey" - "Upstairs, Downstairs").
Corry immediately rejects her; it's a machine made to mock him, and he tries to push her away. But after treating her harshly, Alicia began to cry, and that touched Corry's heart. They started to become friends.
Hardware that's soft wear: Corry (Warden) ponders the humanity of Alicia (Marsh)
Over the ensuing weeks and months, their relationship blossomed and Corry shared his interests, hopes and dreams with her. He grew to care about Alicia as a living being and she became an ideal companion.
Nearly a year after Alicia's "arrival," Allenby and his team returned with news: He's been reprieved and issued a pardon. But because seven other prisoners from other asteroids were also aboard, and because of flight conditions, they only had room for him and fifteen pounds of luggage and they only had a twenty minute window to lift off or risk never getting back to Earth.
Corry laughs about the "fifteen pound" limit. All he has is his diary and a change of clothes. But as he talks about Alicia and him getting aboard that rocket, the captain tells Corry there's no room for Alicia. Corry insists she's a woman, while Allenby says, she's just a robot, leading to an argument.
Corry runs to Alicia, and asks her to talk to the crew, to show them exactly who she is! For a moment, Alicia looks confused, as if she is processing what's going on, and says nothing. That's when Allenby pulls out his sidearm and shoots Alicia in the face. Then, the machine says "Corry," over and over, slowing down like an old vinyl turntable until it stops, the circuits and wires sparking where her expression once was.
Some might say Allenby committed the act the Corry was on that asteroid for doing. In fact, they're right. Allenby killed in self defense, because they might have missed their exit window if the discussion continued. And leaving the android alive and alone on that rock would have been nearly as bad as Corry's sentence.
But this is a question we are beginning to consider, now - is Artificial Intelligence actually "life?" Proof that Rod Serling was one of the greatest visionary writers of the 20th Century.
I give "The Lonely" an 8.5 out of 10.
***SPOILERS ABOUT THIS EPISODE MAY BE REVEALED***
Serling's futuristic tale features a convicted murderer Named Corry (Jack Warden, a 1970s two time Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee) who had already served more than four years of his sentence: a a half century of solitary confinement on a desolate asteroid.
Every several months, Captain Allenby (prolific film and TV actor John Dehner) pilots a rocket to drop off fresh supplies, a real inconvenience for the crew (the loudest complainer being Ted Knight, eventual news anchor at WJM-TV, Minneapolis on "Mary Tyler Moore").
Where Earl Holliman was alone in a town in season 1 episode 1's "Where Is Everybody?" Warden's Corry had nothing but a barren landscape and the few brief minutes with Allenby and his workers, before they flew the five million miles back home.
But Allenby has some sympathy. He believes Corry's claim that he killed in self-defense and he previously brought him the pieces to assemble a car, to aid his mental health. Here, he gave the prisoner a bonus crate, which he asks Corry not to open until they departed. That's because inside was a female humanoid android named Alicia (Jean Marsh, best known for co-creating and starring in the PBS soapy drama - and precursor for "Downton Abbey" - "Upstairs, Downstairs").
Corry immediately rejects her; it's a machine made to mock him, and he tries to push her away. But after treating her harshly, Alicia began to cry, and that touched Corry's heart. They started to become friends.
Hardware that's soft wear: Corry (Warden) ponders the humanity of Alicia (Marsh)
Over the ensuing weeks and months, their relationship blossomed and Corry shared his interests, hopes and dreams with her. He grew to care about Alicia as a living being and she became an ideal companion.
Nearly a year after Alicia's "arrival," Allenby and his team returned with news: He's been reprieved and issued a pardon. But because seven other prisoners from other asteroids were also aboard, and because of flight conditions, they only had room for him and fifteen pounds of luggage and they only had a twenty minute window to lift off or risk never getting back to Earth.
Corry laughs about the "fifteen pound" limit. All he has is his diary and a change of clothes. But as he talks about Alicia and him getting aboard that rocket, the captain tells Corry there's no room for Alicia. Corry insists she's a woman, while Allenby says, she's just a robot, leading to an argument.
Corry runs to Alicia, and asks her to talk to the crew, to show them exactly who she is! For a moment, Alicia looks confused, as if she is processing what's going on, and says nothing. That's when Allenby pulls out his sidearm and shoots Alicia in the face. Then, the machine says "Corry," over and over, slowing down like an old vinyl turntable until it stops, the circuits and wires sparking where her expression once was.
Some might say Allenby committed the act the Corry was on that asteroid for doing. In fact, they're right. Allenby killed in self defense, because they might have missed their exit window if the discussion continued. And leaving the android alive and alone on that rock would have been nearly as bad as Corry's sentence.
But this is a question we are beginning to consider, now - is Artificial Intelligence actually "life?" Proof that Rod Serling was one of the greatest visionary writers of the 20th Century.
I give "The Lonely" an 8.5 out of 10.