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Gunsmoke: Homecoming (1964)
Easily the worst Gunsmoke episode I have ever seen
This episode has it all: a completely muddy storyline, bad and unexplainable acting, and - worst of all - it's utterly misogynistic. What more could you ask for?
There are plenty of examples from within the episode to highlight its shortfalls, but I will focus on one. About halfway through, a new character shows up who supposedly "woos" Edna. In a matter of minutes, this supposedly calculating, greedy, heartless woman "falls" for him (for no apparent reason) and completely gives up on her plans, which were silly in the first place (to have the two men she doesn't give a damn about kill each other in order to keep control over some property, which is all she really cares about, and which she will clearly retain anyway). Why does she need to have them kill each other? No apparent reason. For that moment when they meet, at least, one might suspect that she will use this guy to enact her nefarious plans. No idea how, but it does bring up at least a little bit of interest that the episode might start to make sense. But no - it turns out she really HAS instantaneously fallen in love with him, and given up her desire to rob the two patsies of the property in order to move away with this heel to an exciting life in St. Louis. Completely silly and disappointed premise. Worst of all, though, in the end she wins - the two suckers are gone, she gets to keep all of the property, the heel has been exposed for the phony he is, and the son she doesn't really care for won't be in her hair anymore - but we are supposed to believe that she has "lost". Too bad you can't give an episode negative ratings, this would deserve a -10. And I love Gunsmoke, there is not another episode I would give less than a 6. UGH.
The Twilight Zone: Eye of the Beholder (1960)
I don't know, maybe it was great the first time around?
I hate to be a naysayer because I know this is regarded as a real classic. Perhaps I loved it the first time I saw it; and I wouldn't ever want to discourage someone from seeing it at least that one time for themselves. But at this point, after many viewings, I can't really make any positive associations. (I keep watching it from time to time because, you know, it comes on after midnight, and I often watch the Zone if I stay up that late, except for a few episodes that I just can't stomach.) I definitely feel that it ages very poorly - once you've seen the ending, any tension that might have existed is completely gone - and each succeeding viewing lowers my estimation. I don't really think the reveal ever could have been truly surprising, actually; it just seems so painstakingly and obviously telegraphed, and it takes forever to get there.
The main actress's monologue feels completely overwrought. Her husky and theatrical voice, that of a 42-year-old, just doesn't match late-20's Donna Douglas's looks. (Every time I see it now, I'm struck by the fact that she only has one line, which seems very obviously lip-synched.) And fearless leader's speech about conformity is Rod at his didactic worst - the best episodes deliver the message, or the twist, much more subtly.
But the masks sure are cool!
If you've never seen it, don't let me stop you. I'm sure you won't. Actually, if you've never seen it, I can't imagine you read this far with all the reveals.
The Twilight Zone: The Long Morrow (1964)
A classic moment
Reading these reviews, it's pretty clear that if you are a sentimentalist you will love this episode; if not, you won't.
Either way, it's hard to top the gorgeous cinematography of the reveal moment. The closing in on Sandra Horn's face, then the quick switch to Stansfield's, is truly stunning. I anticipate it every time I see the episode, and it always makes my hair stand on end.
I'm not personally a fan of Rod Serling's stilted dialogue, which too often comes across as manufactured - for example, in this episode, during the separation scene, when Sandra continually uses "shall" instead of "will". Just not my cup of tea. But it doesn't detract from what is otherwise an excellent episode for us sentimentalists.
Wagon Train: The Sarah Drummond Story (1958)
Remarkable for its time
I have to disagree with grizzledgeezer's review on a couple of points.
First: while much of TV in the 50's was insipid, pollyanish and monocultural, there were notable exceptions, and not just a few. We may envision American culture of that era as a Happy Days pastiche, but things were roiling under that surface, and performing arts like movies (and even TV) reflected those tensions.
Second: the baby "should" have been sent to live with the adoptive Sioux mother? If so, not for the reason gg gives. Why not imagine and aspire to a better world, and fight for it, even against the worst of human impulses? Why not suggest that the white world - of the time in which the story is set, as well as the time in which it was told - could learn to self-examine, and to (as one example) accept mixed-race kids just as Native societies could? And the penultimate scene with the little girl emphasizes that racism is learned behavior. It's a message that transcends time.
I'd add that I did take off a couple of points for the awkward, even preachy, way the grandmother reveals her secret and William Talman reaches his epiphany. It's worth a good chuckle, though: one could imagine her crumbling under Perry Mason's withering cross-examination and Hamilton Burger having to acknowledge yet another defeat. Only this time, the DA himself convinces the witness into the big reveal.
The Gunfighter (1950)
Another aspect of this excellent film
I love Gregory Peck; I just saw "The Gunfighter" for the first time, and love it, too, mostly for the reasons given by other reviewers...
...but I'll add one more reason: it is FUNNY.
Not belly-laugh funny, not slapstick, but clever-funny. There's a wry wit in the very well-written script that not only makes it enjoyable, but more realistic. Real people aren't always serious; humor is part of being human. It makes this film, and its very serious and important message, more compelling.
Listen to the repartee between Jim and the sheriff and you'll get my point. Watch for the scene when the townswomen call for the sheriff to act. And check out the sight gag of two old geezers wrestling clumsily. You'll love 'em all.
That Girl: The Elevated Woman (1971)
What an embarrassing way to end the show
Bobby Riggs woulda been proud of this one. Clearly, the men won this battle - because, well, the men wrote it. Hopefully, Ann saw the light after this little encounter and called it off.
Bonanza: The Strange One (1965)
Fantastic
Just saw this - strange indeed, bizarre even, and totally captivating. Dare to be different!
The Twilight Zone: A Kind of a Stopwatch (1963)
One of the five worst episodes in the whole series
Must be a matter of taste, given other reviews I see here; but I find McNulty's character so irritating and dim-witted I simply cringe at the idea of ever watching this lame entry again. This from a person who NEVER turns aside an episode, even those I've watched literally dozens of times. Terrible dialogue (egregious example of Serling's too-frequent habit of overusing a phrase, which became worse in year 5 as he was kinda sleepwalking through), unexplainable actions (is the guy really so dumb as to try to restart the watch as he's walking out of the bank with loads of stolen cash, even given he's in a panic?), a telegraphed ending you could see coming from miles away... Ugh. To be missed.
The Crown (2016)
Great series, with a surprising (to me) reservation
Great fun, super acting, wonderful writing. I'm surprised to find that the PHYSICAL casting makes a difference to me, though - which is actually a testament to how realistic a job they've all done in so many other ways. I'm thinking of Emma Corrin (as Diana) and Josh O'Connor (as Charles), each of whom captures the essential personality; but she's just too petite (look at photos, Diana's shoulders were much broader and her facial features fuller) and he's too baby-faced (Charles looked like he was 50 when he was 30). In the midst of so many other believable portrayals, those are somewhat jarring. But that's really my only slight beef - they're both excellent actors, and everything else is so good it hardly distracts.
Seinfeld: The Robbery (1990)
Almost painful to watch
I'm a Seinfeld die-hard; I've seen some episodes a dozen times, can recite lines before they're said, etc. etc. But it took me a long time to warm to the show. I remember seeing this episode and one other when they first aired; they turned me off so much I didn't watch again for years because it all felt so incredibly stilted, slow, self-conscious, with unlikeable characters and a really horrible laugh track. And the stand-up routine, UGH. The writing is fine but, obviously, it took a while to get down the comic timing and hone the characters (especially Kramer), though I can't quite put my finger on which elements misfired the most and made/make it (still) so painful to watch. I can stand it now as a curiosity, but it's not really any better than I remember thinking of it the first time around. Kinda fun to see a show in development, but that's about it. It woulda been cool to see them do this exact script five years later, once they had it down - I bet it woulda been MUCH funnier. I think. Maybe.
Filthy Rich (2020)
They should be socially distancing
I have to say it's refreshing to see one of these blockbuster serials with nary a single attractive person to be seen -- all pretty homely and unappealing. Makes it seem more real-worldish though, of course, it's anything but. Something to watch when there ain't nothin' else to do.
The Twilight Zone: The Trouble with Templeton (1960)
One of the few perfect episodes
Not too much to add; I just want to give another 10-star rating. Read Zigomanis and EllisFowler, who make on-the-spot comments about why this is such a fabulous and meaningful episode. Why "perfect"? Having watched pretty much every installment of my favorite show of all time at least five or ten times, I get picky and notice little things that slightly mar even otherwise top-notch episodes (e.g., Serling's habitual "I think... I think..." "What are you thinking, Marsha?") -- but there are a few that are so perfectly constructed, with great dialogue, superb acting and direction, and compelling messages around the key question "is the Zone somewhere else, or it it inside your mind?", that they stand out as the very best. Templeton is one.
The Twilight Zone: The Rip Van Winkle Caper (1961)
One of the worst written and acted episodes of the entire series
Rod Serling wrote some beautiful, compelling stories; he could also write stilted dialogue around premises that were sadly pathetic. Unfortunately, this episode falls into the latter category. A bit of dialogue: "How is it going to work?" "Don't you know?", followed by a didactic explanation of the suspension process, which you could figure out visually by yourself in five seconds. Another: "How long will we be under, Doctor?" "I don't know, it could be five years, could be 100"; then they wake up and he knows it's exactly 2061. They emerge from their plastic bins without any hair or fingernail growth; it's only after one of the guys asks "how could that be?" that the brilliant physicist/chemist thinks a bit and, in an "aha" moment, figures out that their bodily functions must have been suspended -- really? He only figures this out AFTER applying the "can't fail" system he developed? Come on, Rod, give us a break. You were a great producer, but you made history when you left the story writing to Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, George Clayton Johnson, Earl Hamner Jr... those are the ones who wrote the really great and memorable episodes!
The Twilight Zone: Ring-A-Ding Girl (1963)
Just gets better over time
I've seen this episode many times, and while I always remember it being top-notch, I can never seem to recall why I like it so much. In watching it again today, I was in a receptive enough mood to realize why. The acting is excellent; the script is compact and concise. It's a classic Earl Hamner episode - sentimental and mysterious, with a core of Americana. (Much as I idolize Rod Serling, I've come to realize his writing has some annoying characteristics -- the everpresent "I...I think..."/"What do you think, Edith?" kind of thing -- while other regular writers, among them Hamner, Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson, in particular, were much better WRITERS per se.) I personally disagree that the main character is annoying: she's supposed to be driven and self-centered, at the same time that she can appreciate her roots. That makes her sacrifice so much more appealing -- even if it could only happen in... the Twilight Zone.