My Life in the Glow of The Outer Limits – In Closing

And here we are. The end.

Some of you are aware that this blog was preceded by a similar 50th-anniversary rewatching endeavor for The Twilight Zone, the golden anniversary of which spanned 2009-2014. Somehow that one never felt as important, despite the fact that TZ has historically been a much more important series to me.  It wasn’t as if I had anything especially important to add to the existing critical commentary on the series (I of course refer to David J. Schow’s books, as well as the We Are Controlling Transmission blog), but there was always some strange urgency driving me. The past year-and-a-half has found me forgoing sleep, family time and a social life, and now that I can now look back at this thing as a complete work… well, I’m not convinced the end product completely justifies the effort.

Believe it or not, that’s not me fishing for validation. It’s the self-critical, never-satisfied voice in my head talking. There are other voices in there.

There’s of course an inherent gratification in simply finishing at all, and I do quite like some of the things I’ve written (I may have espoused a select few valuable insights, I dunno). And I have contributed a lot of memes to the bottomless rabbit hole that is the internet, so there’s an achievement (admittedly somewhat dubious; but Christ, if we can’t laugh at things we love, what’s the point?). The single greatest pleasure I’ve experienced, however, has been the interaction with other fans of the show. My regular comment-leavers often provided the extra bit fuel I needed to cross the finish line each week, so thanks, folks (y’all know who you are). There’s an undeniable warm ‘n fuzzy comfort to crossing paths with others who share one’s interests.

And of course I can't wrap this production without a special tip o' the hat to David J. Schow, whose presence and influence informs these pages more than anyone will ever know. He's the veritable Yoda to my clumsy and awkward Luke Skywalker. He's also an imminently cool cat, and I'm proud and tickled as hell to call him a friend. If you'd told me in 1986 (the year his Companion first saw print) that I'd one day be in regular contact with this brilliant and singular scholar of That Which We Hold Dear and Sacred, I probably would've pissed myself (I was seventeen and a virgin, so what else would I have done?).

Jesus, all these teary-eyed finalities and I’m not even quite done here. I still plan to retroactively reformat the first half of season one’s entries to match the later ones (this means bigger pictures, essentially). I may also tweak the content here and there and add additional thoughts or comments as they occur to me. I do, after all, reserve the right to revise this particular history (and fix typos as I find them; goddammit, typos are the bane of my existence). And there’s still the possibility of a high-definition release of the series, so of course I’ll be addressing that if and when MGM makes it happen. And I still want to spotlight a few other curios related to the series (Leslie Stevens’ Incubus, for example; there’s also the rare and costly Andro/Helosian action figure two-pack that continues to haunt me, as it’s the only hole in my otherwise-complete Sideshow Collectibles Outer Limits collection).

This will all happen sporadically, without deadlines or schedules or promises of regular new content. Interested parties may simply wish to check back every so often (you can also follow me on Google Plus, which should alert you when new posts spring forth).

My next blogging endeavor will take place on my Twilight Zone blog in the fall, where I’ll be revisiting the series’ first season as each episode turns 56. And beyond that…. well, who knows? My pal Bill Huelbig really wants me to tackle the original Star Trek (which turns 50 next year), but right now that seems like a huge undertaking. I’m also toying with the idea of a podcast of some sort (whether that would involve The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, or both, or something else altogether remains to be seen). I think in either case, I’d want a co-blogger/co-host… y’now, to take some of the pressure off and whatnot.

And gazing far into the hazy and indistinct future.... if I'm still around for the series' diamond anniversary in 2038, and if we're still blogging on the internet, I might just revisit all 49 episodes again. I'll be 70 at that point, so I can't promise clarity or cohesion (and gawd, the typos will probably be ten times worse; of course, by then we'll probably exist as holo-beings in a vast Matrix-style virtual construct, and the auto-correct will likely be much more sophisticated). Or who knows, I may not even give a shit at that point. In all likelihood I'll be dead, a mere memory in my kids' minds (my oldest will be a bit past my age now at that point). Fuck, I think I'm about to have an out-of-body moment.

Anyway--- it’s been real, bugs and ghouls. And decidedly unreal at the same time. It really couldn’t have been any other way, though... could it?

Regarding "The Inheritors, Part I" (11/21/1964)

50 years ago tonight, The Outer Limits unveiled the first half of “The Inheritors,” the show’s only two-part episode. My intent was that you’d be reading a spotlight on Part I today, marking its golden anniversary as I’ve done with the 41 episodes that have come before it, but…. well, read on.

In preparing these spotlights, I start by blocking out the entry’s framework section by section in a Word document (I call it the “skeleton,” ghoulish sort that I am). I then proceed to write everything but the episode synopsis and the commentary (those get written last, after I’ve screened the episode once or twice and taken notes). As I began tackling this particular two-headed beast in earnest a couple of weeks ago, I was composing two separate entries simultaneously. It became apparent pretty early on that large amounts of information would be duplicated across both entries (several sections, including cast breakdowns, home video releases, merchandise, etc.), which was far from ideal, but which I was prepared to deal with in order to preserve the fifty-years-to-the-day approach I’ve always stuck to (commemorating each episode’s fiftieth anniversary is, after all, the whole impetus behind this crazy endeavor).

Once the grunt work was more or less complete, I entered the more creative and critical phase of the process. I screened both parts in one sitting, took a lot of notes, and set about writing the commentary for Part I only… at which point things became problematic to the point of hand-wringing and hair-pulling (and yes, bottle-hitting). My goal was to comment only on Part I, to keep the two episodes completely separate, but I found I was constantly editing myself to avoid giving away spoilers from Part II. I found it more or less impossible to construct a useful commentary without frequently inserting phrases like “More on this next week” or, worse yet, the ubiquitous “Spoiler alert!” After several days of banging my head against this particular wall, I looked to my predecessors to see how they handled this unique problem. Schow addressed both episodes simultaneously in The Outer Limits Companion; Scoleri and Enfantino did the same for We Are Controlling Transmission.  It was clear that these three knew something that I was just starting to understand: “The Inheritors” must be tackled as one king-sized entry. To provide open and direct commentary without being coy or elusive, to avoid repeating large chunks of text, and for my own sanity’s sake…. yeah, this is the way it’s gotta be.

So tune in seven days from now. Same Bobby Duvall time, same Bobby Duvall channel. It'll probably kinda sorta be worth the wait, maybe.

Last Minute Therapy

I've gotta say, I've been stressing like hell over this blog. Yup, that's right, it's time for a little therapeutic sharing time. Pull up a beanbag and listen up (I'm holding the talking pillow, so don't interrupt).

I've been writing my Twilight Zone blog for over four years, and I've never experienced this kind of crisis of faith. That blog has always come fairly easily (the conceptual and writing pieces, anyway; see here for a history of the practical difficulties that have surrounded it), and I've certainly never felt that it wasn't a worthwhile endeavor. I dunno, maybe there's a certain amount of safety in the fact that The Twilight Zone has been analyzed and reviewed to death, both in print and online, so there's not much risk being a single voice in a large crowd. But The Outer Limits is different. There's not a whole lot out there, but what is out there is impossible to top. Between David J. Schow's brilliant Outer Limits Companion and John Scoleri and Peter Enfantino's marvelous We Are Controlling Transmission blog from 2011 (in which they watched and reviewed an episode per day)... well, does the world really need another episode-by-episode critique of the series? And even if it does, who am I to presume that I'm the guy for the job?

"What makes you think that you can discover anything? Who are you?" needles Jacqueline Scott in the back of my head. Ball buster.

I've been continually reminding myself that I'm not doing this to contribute some invaluable piece of the Outer Limits analysis puzzle, and I'm certainly not doing it to impress anyone. I'm doing it to chronicle a fairly modest task: to watch each episode on its 50th birthday and record my thoughts. Oh, and to have some fun at the same time: as brilliant as the show is, there's much to pwn (as my friends John and Fred would say). If this thing gets read, great. If it gets read and liked, even better. I've made some great friends and colleagues thanks to my TZ blog, and I'd love to see the same thing happen here. And hey, if it leads to some freelance writing jobs, well... bring it on. I don't wanna slave away in a cubicle forever.

Okay, I feel better. Maybe I just needed to write it all down and clarify my objectives. C'mon, bring it in, gang. Group hug. 

Now the next question: what will the blog look like, format-wise? I debated whether or not to bother with story synopses, since it’s probably safe to assume that anybody reading this blog will already know the plot of each episode. However, I've historically been pretty spoiler-free over at my Twilight Zone blog (there are exceptions, of course, usually when the episode in question sucks), but in all honesty that approach has hindered my analyses more than a few times. It should be noted that The Twilight Zone is known for its twists and surprises, and therefore demands a certain level of delicacy when it comes to reviews and/or dissection… but that’s not really the case for The Outer Limits, is it? Knowing the ending beforehand doesn't really ruin the viewing experience; so with that in mind, I’m gonna barrel ahead unencumbered and spoiler-filled (I do reserve the right to change my mind along the way, however). 

I want to spotlight the various home video releases and collectible merchandise, since I'm a fanboy at heart. And the series has some amazing cinematography, so I want to use lots of screen shots. And I'm a sucker for internet memes, so I'll probably play around with some of my own.

Can you tell I’m basically feeling my way around in the dark here? I really have no idea what this blog will end up looking like once the weekly episode spotlights kick off (tomorrow! Shit, I've got a lot to do tonight). Welcome to my organic, malleable, alcohol-fueled process, folks.

My Life in the Glow of The Outer Limits

The following was originally posted on 3/19/2011 over at my Twilight Zone blog (My Life in the Shadow of The Twilight Zone). As you'll read, the concept of THIS blog had started brewing up in the ol' noggin, and that post seems a fitting jumping-off point for the proceedings here.

I love The Twilight Zone. If this blog is proof of nothing else, let it stand as a digital testament to my undying love for the series. However, my lifelong relationship with TZ is by no means monogamous. I’ve been known to step out, as it were. It’s what you might call an open relationship. In other words, I love other shows too. However, no matter how far I stray, in the end I always come home to the old girl.

Today, I’d like to turn the spotlight away from my immortal beloved for a change and focus on one of my televisual mistresses. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you… The Outer Limits.

The Outer Limits was an hour-long anthology series that aired on ABC for a scant season-and-a-half (1963-1965). While The Twilight Zone typically presented morality plays wrapped in science fiction or fantasy stylings, TOL concerned itself with straight science fiction wrapped in monster movie and/or gothic horror stylings. Both series deviated from their respective formulas numerous times, of course, but while TZ kept a fairly cool, urbane head most of the time, TOL took some pretty deep swerves into absolute batshit oblivion. Episodes like “Don’t Open Till Doomsday” and “The Guests,” drenched in psychosexual angst and disturbing alien imagery, were probably the weirdest things to hit the airwaves up to that point in time. “ZZZZZ,” about a queen bee who takes human form and becomes entangled in an entomologist’s family affairs, is one of the most overtly sexual things I’ve ever seen on television, and not just because of Joanna Frank’s astounding, uh, attributes.

There are a few Outer Limits offerings that I’d rank among the finest things EVER presented on television: “The Architects of Fear,” “The Man Who Was Never Born,” “Corpus Earthling,” “Demon With a Glass Hand” and “The Inheritors” are absolutely brilliant (three of those star Robert Culp, a favorite actor of mine who passed away recently). There are many others beyond those that range from good to really great. Episode-for-episode, I’d say The Outer Limits achieved a much higher quality-to-crap ratio than even my beloved Twilight Zone. Of its 49 episodes, there are probably only 1 or 2 TOL episodes (at most) that I absolutely hate. By contrast, TZ has at least a dozen dismal failures in its 156-episode run. Do the math.

I first discovered The Outer Limits in 1984 through my old friend, Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine. They ran a multiple-issue overview of the series, complete with an episode guide, written by David J. Schow. He later expanded his work and published it in book form as The Outer Limits: The Official Companion, which is an absolute must-have for fans of the show. The book has been offered in two distinct editions, and both are way out print (I still have the original, and my friend Bill Huelbig has the second, much more valuable edition). Resourceful internet users may manage to track down a PDF version of the second edition (which I did a few months back).

Sometime in 1985 (I think), a local channel (KPDX-49) started airing The Outer Limits five nights a week in syndication. I couldn’t tape them, as the VCR was already busy recording The Twilight Zone every night over on KPTV-12, so I caught as many of them as I could (“The Sixth Finger” was the first episode I ever saw). Starting in 1987, MGM/UA started releasing individual episodes on VHS, so I started buying them as they were released (three episodes at a time). I never did collect the entire series on tape, but I did pretty well…. about half, if memory serves.

The VHS boxes were just plain gorgeous. In fact, the basic design has continued to pop up over the ensuing years… first in the packaging of the (wonderful) Sideshow Collectibles deluxe action figures, then in the DVD sets from MGM (whose enclosed episode guides feature several of the episode-specific artwork created for the VHS releases). I’ve actually considered re-collecting the tapes with the express purpose of acquiring high-quality scans of all 49 boxes. Yeah, they’re that gorgeous (and I’m that obsessive-compulsive).

Anyway, the entire series was also available on VHS through Columbia House, and select episodes were made available on laserdisc too. And then the entire series was released on DVD (in two sets, one for each season), effectively rendering the earlier VHS and laserdisc offerings obsolete. The DVDs have been re-released at least twice in different packaging, but the actual discs are identical to the original release… which is unfortunate, since the discs are DVD-18s (double-sided) and are prone to failing (my copy of season two glitches up on “Behold, Eck!” and “The Premonition”). A blu-ray release would be MOST welcome, but I doubt it’ll happen any time soon.

The Outer Limits will turn 50 in September 2013. I was seriously considering starting a blog similar to this one, in which I’d celebrate each episode on the 50th anniversary of its original broadcast… until I became aware of the following:

We Are Controlling Transmission

It’s not an anniversary project like mine, but it’s a similar concept…. in a compressed time frame. Peter Enfantino and John Scoleri (co-editors of The Scream Factory: The Magazine of Horrors Past, Present and Future) are watching an episode every day and publishing their thoughts in a conversational format. Peppered between the daily episode reviews are spotlights and essays by such luminaries as Gary Gerani (author of Fantastic Television and frequent commentator on The Twilight Zone blu-rays) and David J. Schow, author of the aforementioned The Outer Limits: The Official Companion (large chunks of which are being published on the blog in the form of scanned pages… right-click-save, baby!). It’s a truly great blog, and reading it every day these past few months has been a real treat. One truly inspired touch --- they’ve embedded Hulu links for all 49 episodes, so you’re one click away from watching every single episode. I imagine the links will eventually expire, but for now they work.*

Unfortunately, I’m plugging WACT right at the end: as I type these words, they’ve finished reviewing the series and have just posted what appear to be their final entries. Fortunately, internet content doesn’t go out of print, so the blog should be around for a long, long time (just like this blog… I hope…).

So anyway, I’m torn. I was really excited about the prospect of doing an Outer Limits blog, but will I really cover any ground not already traversed? By TOL experts, no less?

I dunno. I’ve just become aware that there are multiple other Twilight Zone blogs out there, chronicling the series an episode at a time just like me, so maybe there’s room. The internet is pretty big, after all.

* Side rant: I can watch The Outer Limits for free on Hulu’s website, but the show ISN’T available through Hulu Plus (which I’m a paying member of)? What the hell?