Customer Reviews

The Outer Limits, The Special One: Vol. 28 [VHS]

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When young Kenny Benjamin, enrolled in a government-sponsored program for "gifted" children, is visited by Mr. Zeno (Richard Ney), his voluntary services as a special tutor are gratefully accepted by Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin. Regretfully, Mr. Zeno is not a government educator, but part of an invasion force preparing the Earth for conquest by creating superior beings out of gifted youths, like Kenny, to spearhead the operation. This episode mimics the mom and pop type sitcoms of the early 60's with typical scenes and dialog. Within this context the events that occur are more than commonplace creating the unusual nature of this episode. Richard Ney portrays a truly memorable character, Mr. Zeno from the planet Xenon, with his dry wit and sombre countenance. Mrs. Benjamin is played by Marion Ross who later starred as Mrs. Cunnigham in "Happy Days". The special effects are interesting but not terribly exciting with the exception of the opening which is one of the most frightful scenes in the show.

Reflecting on the other reviews, this one is a bit long and boring (at times). Especially during the middle section where we know what is happening and we are waiting for "Dad" to take care of Mr. Zeno. However, there are some remarkable bits here. For example, the opening scene is classic Outer Limits and is certainly one of the best. The special effects, particularly the way Mr. Zeno is transported and the "confetti" effect at the climax of the episode are top notch. Kudos also to the overplayed, but very effective "rising cresendo" music. Also, the boy gives a very effective speech, embracing human values and smartly rejecting Mr. Zeno.

McDonald Carey is adequate as the father, but one thing that bothered me was the fact that he's at least twenty years older than his wife, Marion Ross. Who, by the way, is given very little to do and is certainly the third wheel in this family. One obvious "blooper" is evident when Mr. Carey is about to jump from his son's window. The shot looking down to the street indicates that he's several stories up, but you can clearly see the branches of a tree through the window. Unless redwoods grow on New York street corners, I don't see how such a tree could be that tall.

All in all, an average episode with some nice acting and a great premise.

Bad things first: This episode is quite dull. At some points i was actually just waiting for it to end. The performance of the boys father - a very central figure - is wooden and dull. Also the end climax is a quite predictable, and stretched to the extreme.
Although this is a bit of a filler episode, director Gerd Oswald has done his very best. I never knew a picture of a couple watching tv in a flat can look so eerie. The scenes with mr. Zeno and the boy experimenting in the boy's room are exciting. The special effects are marvelous: any classic scifi-fan will get a kick out of Mr Zeno's materialization, nerves first. Also Richie's mom from Happy Days is here.
As one reviewer pointed out earlier, this one screams for a remake. However, only classics like "I, Robot" and "The Inheritors" have been remade, doomed to be foreshadowed by the originals. Why not remake episodes like this and, say, "Premonition", potentially great stories with their flaws clearly visible and easily fixed?

Amazingly, Quinn Martin's The Invaders didn't recycle this great plot, which trips all over its shoelaces on OL.

"Mr. Zeno" is a special ed teacher with a difference - he isn't from our planet, and he hasn't come to help us. He's a fifth column undercover agent, seeking gifted boys to clandestinely instruct in the use of his planet's superior technology, in order to create a standing vanguard army for when his people invade Earth.

This story should have been fabulous, but falters. It's horribly padded, especially during the finale. Zeno's origin is revealed too early, ruining the suspense. Flip Mark, as the boy genius target of Zeno's designs, is flat and droning in his line deliveries. The ending is laughably anticlimactic, and didn't have to be.

All in all, this one is a glorious failure, a really great story idea that just didn't get the care and attention it needed - and really, it needed so little. It's screaming for a remake.

The episode is still worth watching for Richard Ney's splendid performance as the urbane killer from space, Mr. Zeno, whose false friendliness belies his cold and lethal persona. The opening scene, in which Zeno murders a man who has found him out, is the most chilling thing in the episode. MacDonald Carey is also quite good as the boy's father, who comes to realize Zeno's true identity and is willing to fight for his son even against a terrifyingly superior opponent.

The thought that an alien invasion could more easily come through the manipulation of children has been frequently used in science fiction. In this case, the alien is posing as an educator sent by the government. There is a national program to identify the extremely talented children so when Mr. Zeno arrives and announces that he is a tutor assigned to young Kenny Benjamin, his parents are proud and accepting. However, it only takes a short time before his father Roy becomes suspicious and starts to keep a surreptitious eye on Mr. Zeno. He is shocked to observe Mr. Zeno dematerialize after leaving their apartment.
With his wife, Roy confronts Kenny, only to be dismissed. Kenny is a prize pupil, learning the ways of the invaders very quickly, understanding their technology and finding himself able to move back and forth between the dimensions. Fortunately, Kenny is even smarter than the aliens thought as he turns their technology against them, foiling the invasion and saving Earth.
This episode is interesting, but the scene where Kenny is choking Mr. Zeno goes on far too long. It appears that the producers went into some kind of creative lock, seeming to have no idea on how to move the story forward. I enjoyed the unusual twist on the "attack through the children" premise; it was refreshing to see children being portrayed as capable of fighting back instead of being the weakest humans.

THE THING ABOUT THE OUTER LIMITS IS THE WRITING. I BELIEVE IT STILL HOLDS UP TODAY EVEN IF THE SPECIAL EFFECTS DO NOT. IN THIS EPISODE ,ALIENS ARE TRAINING GIFTED CHILDREN TO TURN AGAINST MAN AND HELP THEM INVADE EARTH. THESE STORIES ARE REMARKABLY FRESH EVEN TODAY. AS WITH MOST SERIES THE WRITING ALWAYS LEADS TO GREATNESS. I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS EPISODE VERY GOOD UNLESS YOU ARE HUNG UP ON GREAT SPECIAL EFFECTS. BUT BY 60's STANDARD THE EFFECTS ARE GOOD. THE OUTER LIMITS ASKS YOU TO IMAGINE THINGS AS YOU WATCH. WHICH IN MY BOOK MAKES IT VERY GOOD.