Revisiting The Twilight Zone: S02 E02: The Man in the Bottle

Revisiting The Twilight Zone: S02 E02: The Man in the Bottle

This is a similar twist on the old tale about the monkey paw, that would grant wishes to its owner but usually with a side effect that guaranteed that not all turned out well for the recipient.

Such is the story here, with an antiques dealer buying the bottle, from which magically appears a genie who offers them four wishes. So, not one wish, not three wishes, but four wishes. You get the feeling that this was just to ensure the episode ran for the correct amount of time? Anyway…

Each wish is granted on request, but of course all is not as it seems, and the couple find that there seems no way to ensure they finish in front on the deal. A broken glass cabinet is restored, but eventually broken once again. They wish for money, which they share with others, but they are then hit with a tax bill that leaves them with practically nothing. Arthur wishes to be a placed in a position of power, and he becomes Adolf Hitler in the dying days (literally) of World War II.

While the episode has its moments, and tries to tell the moral story of be happy with what you have, it isn’t able to build on the idea as presented, and eventually becomes an easy episode to watch, but not a memorable one.

Rating: Don’t take that cyanide capsule. 3/5.