The Inheritors Part I

At the beginning of this episode of "The Outer Limits", a Lt. Phillip Minns (Steve Ihnat) is shot in the head in the Far East before getting sent to a hospital where a U.S. government investigator (Robert Duvall) is told by doctors that there are two brain waves in him-one of which is alien. This investigator then tells some associates in Washington D.C. about three more soldiers with similar shots in the head and brain waves. I'll stop there and just say how intriguing the whole thing was and how I'm now anxious to watch Part 2 of "The Inheritors" ep of "The Outer Limits". So it is that I'm now going to watch it before I send my next review on this site...

Robert Duvall is up against four genius troublemakers.

Fans of Star Trek's Whom Gods Destroy: this hour is for you! Steve Ihnat did two really good sci-fi characters in his lifetime and Whom Gods and The Inheritors are where you find those characters.

Granted, he was more fun in Star Trek but you hang on his every word in The Outer Limits.

Robert Duvall, the story and acting are all fine. The only issue I have is the sometimes poor musical score which sounds like the score for the 1950s flick: It Came From Outer Space.

Note: Part 2 is better than part 1.

I just finished watching pt.2 of the episode. I've seen this episode at least once before. But this was the first time in a long time. And I've gained a new appreciation for it.

I just finished reading an online review. The person who wrote it praised this episode. But he also took the time to point out the sorts of flaws that are inherent in most (if not all) older sci-fi TV shows and movies. With new technology things are obviously more realistic and spectacular. But in order to appreciate some of these older programs you need to ignore those sorts dated issues.

The power of this particular episode is in the message. And in the excellent way that the viewer is kept in suspense. It's well acted, too. With Robert Duvall. And with some other very familiar faces that are playing completely out of the characters they're better known for portraying. IMO, though, the actor Steve Ihnot is the most impressive. Not wanting to give anything away I'll just say that he plays his role perfectly.

I think this is a beautiful 2 pt. episode. And I believe at it's conclusion it will leave many people with a wonderful feeling. Something that I feel is terribly lacking in much of what I see on TV these days.

Are the most amazing episodes of any television show in the entire history of television.

Written by Perry Mason writers Sam Newman and Seeleg Lester with Ed Adamson, they seem to have surpassed just about all of the science fiction and speculative fiction of that decade.

This story is like a well woven tapestry, each piece causes instant intrigue, genuine curiosity, and wonder.

The underlying mechanisms of the plot, a meteor in an enemy territory (I'm pretty sure with the Korean War in remembrance) that has unusual properties, brings an alien agenda to earth 🌎 in the minds of four soldiers, each recovering from an identical wound.

It was interesting how in the 60's we had stories where the characters openly discuss aliens and spaceships, not just within the confines of The Outer Limits, but other shows as well.

And these two episodes are the very Zenith of this type of storytelling.

We don't know why these men are affected, we don't even know what with until halfway through the 1st episode.

Robert Duvall is a government agent who is trying to make sense of all of it- and at the beginning, he is even remarkable with his characters ability to pull answers out from under rocks. But then his character shifts, back into Intelligence Operative Mode, where he stops investigating why and focuses upon using force. Whereas the target of his pursuit, Steve Inhat ("Lord Garth" from "Whom Gods Destroy" on Star Trek), is operating totally above board, with kindness.

The other affected men start questioning themselves, but that is all they can do: even when one of them in a spot of soul-searching asks himself or God: "is what we are doing, in fact evil?" - and there is no answer for that in this first part, not definitively. We also reflect on this same question, but the answer is not given, not until the 2nd part.

I remember seeing this when I was a child, the story is more relevant to the modern world.

The basic plot is unique and intriquing but hampered by poor writing. The story jumps around and is disjointed making it hard to follow in sections. Perhaps they could have got someone else to write the teleplay. Overall though, a good episode and I look forward to the conclusion.