Expanding Human

Skip Homier stars as Dr. Roy Clinton, who works at a University lab that has recently experimented with a new drug formula called CE, or consciousness expansion. It puts one colleague into a suspended animation that is(almost fatally) mistaken for death, but on poor Roy, it turns him into a ruthless(yet intelligent) hulking brute with no conscience yet super strength and delusions of grandeur, as he as already killed two, and it may become more. Keith Andes costars as a friend named Dr. Peter Wayne, and James Doohan as a police detective investigating the case. Mostly dreary and static episode has the right ingredients but comes out flat.

Similar concept as season one episode titled The Sixth Finger. Someone trying to speed up evolution and discovering the consequences. Interesting to take that same general concept and take a different approach to it. This episode is a more modern approach while the earlier episode feels like the approach in an earlier time in history.

As usual, the Outer Limits was once again ahead of the curve with this episode. Universities were heavily experimenting with LSD during this time and were coming forth with amazing, positive and promising results until the Nixon admin shut the whole thing down and loaded on masses of negative propaganda about the drug. It is one of my personal favorites because of story matter and a well conceived plot, with Skip Homeier doing some excellent acting. C.E. drugs are in play throughout this episode. C.E. stands for consciousness expansion, aka LSD, DMT, STP, Peyote, Mushrooms, etc... The storyline figures, heck, if you can expand the consciousness, why not the intellect, physical prowess, ESP, the whole ball of wax? Great! But at what price to humanity? Many consider this episode too talky, almost like an old Perry Mason episode. And yes, if you are looking for mind blowing science fiction this will not be your cup of tea. It is much more subtle and I'm sure an episode that saved them a ton during production. But the story had me hooked from beginning to end. Also, an Asian professor gives the most poetic and accurate description of a mind expanded by the use of LSD that I have ever come across. It almost blows the minds of the policemen listening to him.

This isn't much of a review as it is a long-burning childhood obsession. From the first time I saw this episode, in elementary school, I became extremely confused with the story because of one aspect of the production that dogged me for years. In my child's mind, I could not distinguish between Andes and Homeir. Some of their facial characteristics are similar, and even more similar if one is not a discerning child, or maybe adult, too.

I am convinced that it was a very poor casting mistake to have paired the two actors in an episode which is actually about the facial transformation of one of the characters.

TO THIS DAY, I have to focus on which is which!

Besides that, this was a very engaging episode!

A scientist named Doctor Roy Clement discovers a way to chemically enhance the functioning of the brain, the problem is that it removes the sense of morality and humanity.

Expanding Human is a well plotted and well realised episode. For me it seemed like a reworking of Jekyll and Hyde, an almost identical plot, with Clement unaware of his actions, and undergoing something of a physical change.

I wouldn't necessarily say it's a ground breaking episode, nor or it hugely imaginative, but it's still a very good watch.

It's perhaps the strongest episode of the second series so far, I particularly liked the horror vibe of it, and Clement's physical transformation is very well done.

Skip Homeier stood out for me as the central villain of the piece.

8/10.