The Mice

When the prison warden summons three inmates serving life sentences, they are interviewed by Dr. Thomas 'Kelly' Kellander that is seeking a volunteer with authorization of the government to test a teleportation system to another planet. Chino Rivera accepts the offer and learns that the advanced civilization from planet Chromos has contacted the earthlings and offered the technology for teleportation. They propose an exchange of natives from each planet and soon Dr. Kellander receives an alien that walks freely in the facility. However Dr. Robert Richardson finds a strange goo floating on the lake and decides to investigate, but is murdered by the alien. Meanwhile Chino tries to escape from the facility and stumbles upon Dr. Richardson´s body. He is accused of murder and only Dr. Julia Harrison believes him. What is the real intention of the alien from Chromos?

Despite the potential of the storyline, "The Mice" is a poorly written and acted episode of "The Outer Limits". How can an alien come to Earth and circulate unmonitored in a state-of-art military facility? The attitudes of the sluggish security officers are ridiculous. Nobody comments the fate of the officer sent to Chromos. The way Dr. Julia Harrison reports her findings nearby the lake to Dr. Kellander is unthinkable. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Os Camundongos" ("The Mice")

This episode stands out not so much for its creepiness or writing or any of the traits we usually associate with Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, etc, as for some unusual casting against type and against Hollywood 'rules' of the time.

Henry Silva usually plays creepy, stiff bad-guy types. But in this episode, he's personable, dynamic, and outgoing.

More interestingly, Diana Sands - a black actress - is cast as a central character. This was rare in 1964. She plays a doctor - NOT a nurse - and interacts closely with Silva's character in a time when blacks and whites rarely touched each other on television.

Probably, her light complexion and Silva's character being Hispanic mitigated the circumstances, but still pretty unusual for the time.

There isn't any boundaries to The Outer Limits series, this one is a engrossing story on Sci-Fi setting, where a prominent scientist Dr. Thomas Kelly Kellander (Michael Higgins) has an advanced project with faraway planet Chromos, after previous agreements they sent a blue print to earthlings built a chamber of molecular transportation, they planned develop an interplanetary exchange with prolific minds to learn each other, however Dr Kelly Kellander didn't finds anyone interest in this odd and dangerous travel, so he has to go into a penal institution to get any volunteer, the prison warden brings to him three convicts as potential applicants, Dr. Kelly explains all possibilities to this journey, but just one agrees, the leery and shaky Chino Rivera (Henry Silva) no reward is offer, but due Chino was sentenced to life imprisonment any attainable output is welcome, firstly the Chromonite being should arrives first at chamber, then Chino will be transported afterwards, therefore the Alien actually is an awful monster, what a dreadful freak, the designer should be arrest at mental asylum and throw away the key by such inability to make something feasible, after a terrible fright they have to postpone Chino transportation, meanwhile the mute and unfriendly Chromonite guest has an unusual behavior, fine episode if we forget the freak alien!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.25

If one were to evaluate the way science works in our culture using "The Outer Limits" as our guide, we would conclude that we stupidly launch headlong into whatever another alien culture wants and ask questions later. Henry Silva plays a convicted murderer who has been given the opportunity to participate in a major experiment. He volunteers to be sent to another planet through teleportation while the aliens send one of their own in exchange. The other guy comes first and he looks like a gigantic garlic with legs. He is allowed to roam around the compound. While there he spends lots of time at a pond where he throws things in the water. What develops is a living substance that he eats (actually he stuffs the substance in some part of his body). He is also quite dangerous when confronted, especially if his food source is threatened, and he manages to leave a couple of bodies in his wake. Meanwhile, Silva's prisoner becomes the center of things. It turns out the murder he committed was justified in his mind because the man had done horrible things to his sister. He develops a bond with a young female doctor at the facility who sees him in a much more positive light.

One thing. Watch the portrayal of the police in this episode. They are probably the most incompetent characters one has ever seen. When attacked, they throw their guns into the air and allow the threatening figure to get hold of them. The thing moves about two miles an hour and probably couldn't catch a one legged man. And it's not the element of surprise because they are out there looking for something dangerous. Just a sidelight.

There is one red herring in the plot as well (unless I missed something). A policeman, lying in the transportation device, disappears. Where did he go? No one mentions him. Also, there is critical denouement. Why did the aliens do what they did without using other means? Food for thought (no pun intended).

A distant planet contacts Earth and sends plans for a matter-transmitter (a primitive prototype for the Transporter seen on STAR TREK 3 years later). The authorities decide to test it by using a convict pulling a life sentence. But when the alien arrives, things get a LOT stranger than anyone imagined...

Like a lot of "lesser" OUTER LIMITS episodes, this one rambles a bit, and the more action-filled 2nd half is more confusing than suspenseful. But there are 2 standouts that make it memorable. One is Henry Silva's convict, who proves a far more fascinating and likable character than one might expect (indeed, I find this one of his BEST roles!). The other is the alien, which I can only describe as looking like something you'd get if you blew your nose too hard. Not sure if the thing is actually frightening, or just really disgusting to look at!

Look quick (and carefully) near the end for an early cameo role by Dabney Coleman, still more than a decade away from fame as the preacher on MARY HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN (growing that moustache must be the best career move he ever made).

I get a kick out of it when Silva's character hands a revolver over and says, "Just watching him for you. He's a killer!"