Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Revisiting The Twilight Zone: S3 E33


Season 3: Episode 33: The Dummy

I’m pretty sure that anyone who watches this episode will be able to predict the storyline from cover to cover. That’s not to the detriment of the episode, because it is acted well by Cliff Robertson as Jerry Etherson, the ventriloquist with his dummy Willie, who does seem to be more than just a stage act.

Perhaps the only downside of the storyline is that there are any number of opportunities for the character of Jerry to escape from the hell that surrounds him, not the least being just chop the crap out of Willie and burn him until there are nothing but ashes left. Of course, that’s not how the story is supposed to progress, but each time a chance to escape arises and it isn’t taken, the more frustrating it becomes for the viewer.

The final twist, what Rod Serling himself calls “the old switcheroo”, is a fair enough conclusion, but it seems to be a little rushed, and probably doesn’t do justice to the lead up.

Rating:  The start of a dummy ruling the world.  3.5/5

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