Category Archives: Science Fiction

The Twilight Zone: The Jungle

Rod Serling often had good ideas that didn’t quite make the point.  I often feel like we’re watching stories with a punchline but not always a message, like the meaning gets lost trying to setup the zinger.  It’s a shame … Continue reading

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Buck Rogers: Journey to Oasis

So you remember that episode of the space-show where Mark Lenard played an alien diplomat who helps avert a war? He had a thing for an earth woman too…  Journey to something or other… what was it?  There’s also blue … Continue reading

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The Twilight Zone: Still Valley

I remember hating history class as a kid in grade school.  “Mom, why do we have to learn history?  It’s already happened!”  I was a futurist.  There was an announcement when I was a young man, maybe around 18, that … Continue reading

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Buck Rogers: Time of the Hawk

Season two starts with new opening credits – thankfully same intro and song, but different cast – and another real feather in the cap, so to speak: no preview sequence showing what’s coming.  Unfortunately, the episode is a little laughable … Continue reading

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The Twilight Zone: The Midnight Sun

The Midnight Sun takes a long time to open; about 6 minutes before we have any real information at all.  All we know is that Norma (the lovely Lois Nettleton) lives alone, paints and it’s blisteringly hot out.  I recognized … Continue reading

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The Avengers: Man-Eater of Surrey Green

We continue to veer back and forth between crime dramas and science-fiction, and Man-Eater of Surrey Green is very clearly in the latter category. There are not even any human villains that are not victims of possession themselves; no criminals, … Continue reading

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Buck Rogers: Flight of the War Witch

The season one finale to Buck Rogers is nearly perfect, and that’s a surprise even to me.  I’ve been enjoying this series even though some of the episodes have been a bit lackluster because the cast has been so good.  … Continue reading

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The Twilight Zone: Deaths-Head Revisited

I have always felt bad for cowards.  I mean, maybe it’s because I can relate to what it’s like to be frightened of something that later proves to be so carefree, but cowardice is natural.  What isn’t natural is for … Continue reading

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Buck Rogers: Buck’s Duel to the Death

The last few episodes had lame titles and equally lame stories.  I had high hopes that I’d learned the secret with this series and that this episode would be epic.  In fairness, it’s not bad, it’s just a few miles … Continue reading

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The Twilight Zone: It’s a Good Life

It’s a Good Life is one of those Twilight Zone episodes I’ve seen dozens of times before, but when you plan on writing about a show, you see it again as if for the first time.  You notice things that … Continue reading

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Buck Rogers: Space Rockers

I’m starting to think the titles tell us all we need to know; they certainly give away enough to know which episodes are going to be real yawn-fests.  Space Rockers opens with a new low in what SF writers thought … Continue reading

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The Twilight Zone: The Grave

Montgomery Pittman gives us The Grave; an episode that strangely lacked any opening credits.  I’m frankly a little tired of these trips into the Wild West, but that’s a personal issue.  It’s just that I really think the street justice … Continue reading

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Buck Rogers: I Dream of Jennifer

I love when writers show their love of other genre series in their scripts.  However, I take issue with it when they ignore the work of the show they are writing for.  I get it: the writers are into the … Continue reading

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The Twilight Zone: The Mirror

Well holy cow, it’s Peter Falk as a dictator.  I can’t believe my luck!   Hold on… I’ll try to keep it together, but we might need pictures!  This might be the greatest Twilight Zone of all time, but that’s because … Continue reading

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Buck Rogers: Olympiad

I realize I’m biased: when a sports themed episode turns up, I know I sort of drift away from the start but this episode really is weak.  I also realized, now that I’m an adult, that most of the shows … Continue reading

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The Twilight Zone: A Game of Pool

A Game of Pool is one of the prime examples of Rod Serling having an idea that maybe fills 5 minutes while what we get is 20 or more where the idea is padded out.  Jack Klugman, best known as … Continue reading

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Buck Rogers: Twiki is Missing

You’ve got to laugh when an episode gets a title that only really matters for the first 20 minutes of the story.  After that, Twiki may be kidnapped, but Buck is with him, knows where he is and is never … Continue reading

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The Twilight Zone: The Passersby

When The Passersby started, I rolled my eyes because it was immediately apparent that we were in for another of those historical stories.  I get the impression that Serling was a fan of history and like writing about it in … Continue reading

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Buck Rogers: Ardala Returns

I’ve said before when referring to all of the shows we watch: they can’t all be winners.  And I stand by that with Ardala Returns because most of the episode had me waiting for something exciting to happen and, if I’m … Continue reading

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The Twilight Zone: The Shelter

It sounds a bit like a riddle: how do you destroy a society without laying a finger on it?  I don’t know; you probably get the idea.  But Rod Serling answers that with The Shelter.  The problem is that, like … Continue reading

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