The Joining

A young astronaut has been through hell. He has been on a Venus project where he is the only survivor. He is rescued and brought back. He is put in quarantine and tested over and over. His tests are reasonably normal but then something really strange happens. He begins to exude body parts through his skin. They pop out like the alien in the movie of the same name. After further tests are inconclusive, he finally admits that he took on alien DNA in order to survive. The heavy carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere needed to be counteracted. By using this DNA, he was able to live much longer. He now becomes a threat. If he is contagious, beings of incredible power and violence could take over the planet. That leaves one obvious solution. He needs to be terminated. This is doubly sad because he has married his rescuer and lover in a ceremony with him inside the protective chamber. What is he possible solution? Quite an intriguing episode with very good special effects.

Try to catch this 1998 Outer Limits television episode. If you're a sci-fi aficionado - I assure you that you'll enjoy it. I gave it a solid '9', only deducted a star because of some wooden acting; although C. Thomas Howell is definitely not one of the guilty party's. The plot of this humble TV show easily outshines many of the current 21st Century Pay-Per-View sci-fi movies streaming today. I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and recommend for a lazy Covid confined day.