Demon with a Glass Hand

An astonishing episode. I've seen dozens of Outer Limits eps and really had no idea one could be as intriguing, profound, and even tragic as this. I've now watched it a second time and the plot was as gripping as the first, plus a lot of details stand in clearer relief now. It certainly doesn't lack for atmosphere either!

No need to belabor the details of the narrative (others have completed that task) but in my view this ep redeems the entire series. It's made with the quality and care one normally associates with motion pictures, and the storyline and theme stand the test of time quite well, unlike so much sci-fi and fantasy-fi from the era.

A pleasant surprise, highly recommended.

PS: Don't read any spoilers!

I met and talked with Harlan Ellison at an early '70s Star Trek Convention, and the conversation drifted to DEMON, and how he hated the way the writers butchered & disgraced his story. "Imagine", he said: "Creatures from a far-future century fist-fighting and shooting at each other with pistols! Gimme a break!" Its saving grace, apart from its being a terrific sci-fi story, was actress Arlene Martel, who later gained fame as Spck's wife in a Star Trek episode AMOK TIME. That's the one that truly made her famous, previous to that one, she was but a struggling young actress. Her role in DEMON I thought outstandingly underplayed.

One of the advantages of watching the science fiction videos before the power of inserted special effects took over is that the plot and dialog make the story, not eye-popping action. That is true of every story in "The Outer Limits Series," including this one. Robert Culp plays Trent, a man sent back through time in an attempt to save humanity from the Kyben, a species from another planet that is determined to wipe out all of humanity. Several of the Kyben have also come back through a time portal in an attempt to kill him. Trent's only advantage is a powerful computer that resides in his glass left hand. However, the computer is incomplete, as not all the fingers are present, which limits its processing power. While there are many Kyben, they are vulnerable to the bullets in Trent's gun and they can be forcibly and violently sent back to the future against their will. Written by science fiction giant Harlan Ellison, this story is largely an installment of the legend of the hero that never dies, a protector of humanity that will take on all threats, domestic and extremely foreign in origin. In this tense story, lighting, shadows, facial expressions and the quality of the set are used to develop the story rather than CGI. While this form does have weaknesses, the viewer runs no risk of overload of their visual apparatus. One can consider this story as a predecessor of the "Terminator" series.

Directed by veteran Byron Haskin, this is one of two episodes by Harlan Ellison that earned 'The Outer Limits' it's exulted status among students of serious sci-fi, creating an unearthly setting merely by locating it's nightmare in a dilapidated old office block and photographing it in gothic black & white.

In additional to the perennially underused Robert Culp as "the last hope of humanity" the other members of the cast also provide interesting resonances since Arline Martel - already far from being a conventional heroine - later played Spock's bride T'Pring in the 'Star Trek' episode 'Amok Time', while Abraham Sofaer, who leads the pursuing aliens, actually played God himself in the classic 'A Matter of Life and Death'.

This one I liked - from the very first time it was viewed. It has power - with powerful actors & actress. You "feel" the force of the episode - and brace for the surprise ending. When first viewed - it held me spellbound -all the way to the end. We just sat there & thought about it. It was awesome that people could's imaginations could bring this to the screen with such skill. It made me jealous - how they could dream this up & I couldn't. This episode endeared me to the "Outer Limits" forever. It's really incredible they could find just the "right people" in the right scenes with just the "right lines" - When VCR's came out - saw my chance to watch these episodes over & over again - and never tire of them. But - I still remember that night in the early 1960's - when we were held spellbound by this episode - a standard by which other episodes should be judged - absolutely loved it. Thank very much for the privilege of letting me comment.

Michael ml2348@att.com