Customer Reviews

The Twilight Zone: Nick of Time/ The Passersby [VHS]

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The Passersby is my favorite TZ episode. The image of the people walking down the road to symbolize war dead is brilliant. The bitter widow the war torn veteran speak of a life they once lived that no longer is never knowing that they have died and entered another dimension. I especially love the end when the widow resisting her fate, is convinced by none other than Abe Lincoln who is the last man on the road symbolizing the end of the war. A brilliant episode that hit me very hard.

This videotape has one classic episode of "The Twilight Zone,"
marking the first of William Shatner's appearance on Rod Serling's classic television anthology series. The other one is a lesser "Zone" but with a nice touch at the end that makes it worth watching, but the first one is clearly the biggie here:

Episode 43, "Nick of Time" (Written by Richard Matheson, First aired November 18, 1960) stars Shatner and Patricia Breslin as newly weds Don and Pat Carter. The honeymooners are waiting for their car to be repaired in Ridgeview, Ohio when the superstitious Don becomes obsessed with a table top fortune-telling machine that dispense little cards answering yes or no questions (I have seen a web site that gives you step-by-step instructions for making the machine). Will Don be able to break free from the machine or will he obey its ever "whim"? A classic "Twilight Zone" episode with a wonderful performance from a rather restrained Shatner (you can even get a t-shirt for this episode with the Mystic Seer and much, much more).

Episode 69, "The Passerby" (Written by Rod Serling, First aired October 6, 1961) is a minor tale in which a woman named Lavinia (Joanne Linville) is waiting for her husband to return form the Civil War, but fears he might be dead. James Gregory plays a sergeant who stops to rest and who figures out ahead of Lavinia, but not ahead of the audience, what the twist is to this one. Then again, any story in which Abraham Lincoln shows up has some redeeming quality.

Twilight Zone enthusiasts will enjoy this tale of fortune cookie wisdon gone arye. A newlywed couple, in the fifties, stop at a small diner and enter the Twilight Zone. William Shatner stars as the husband, obsessed with the fortune dispensing machine, much to his brides' dismay. Who will triumph, Shatner, or " Ole Nick ". A must see episode for Shatner fans. A frail southern woman, during the Civil War, desparately awaits her husbands return from the battlefield as she watches the "Passers-By", on the road at the edge of her property. The constant dabbing at her brow, with her handkercheif, and her anxious demeanor, arouse suspision. Through her conversations, with several travellers, she comes to a startling realization. A predictable, yet worthwhile selection.

What do Mark Twain and Rod Serling have in common? The Passersby. For a complete experience, read Twain's "The War Prayer," then watch Serling's "The Passersby." Both do an impressive job (including very similar details!) of portraying the journey from naive hero marching down the road to glory to war victim passing down the road to judgment. A thought-provoking indictment of war.

Twilight Zone enthusiasts will enjoy this tale of fortune cookie wisdon gone arye. A newlywed couple, in the fifties, stop at a small diner and enter the Twilight Zone. William Shatner stars as the husband, obsessed with the fortune dispensing machine, much to his brides' dismay. A must see episode for Shatner fans. A frail southern woman, during the Civil War, desparately awaits her husbands return from the battlefield as she watches the "Passers-By", on the road at the edge of her property. The constant dabbing at her brow, with her handkercheif, and her anxious demeanor, arouse suspision. Through her conversations, with several travellers, she comes to a startling realization. A predictable, yet worthwhile selection.

William Shatner plays a newlywed who falls prey to a fortune telling machine. Incredible!