A Quality of Mercy

It is a very interesting tale proposed here. A very unusual scheme that only the TWILIGHT ZONE series could show. Certainly not a classic and normal film. The pacifist message is obvious and moving. I was very delighted by this unpredictable tale; the first so far - if I am not wrong - speaking of the war in the Pacific in the TWILIGHT ZONE. The most interesting element is that is shows the Japanese point of view, not for the entire episode, but long enough to remind me Clint Eastwood's LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA. Maybe not the most exciting, the most powerful, but still worth the watch. Not the predictable war flick.

An anti-war message from WW2 hero Rod Serling. Set in the Philippines where he served comes a drama of two halves about an ambitious young Lieutenant called Katell (Dean Stockwell). In the first half Katell takes over a platoon in August 1945 and clashes with his Sergeant (Albert Salmi). The war experienced Sergeant Causarano hopes his weary soldiers will not have to attack a cave where the enemy is holed up. Katell is lacks the Sergeant's battle experience and 'hasn't been shot at yet'. He wants to prove his manhood by leading an attack in the last throes of war. Sergeant Causarano hopes the necessary job of war is done without many more men having to die-on either side.

There is a 'Quantum Leap' for Dean Stockwell as he gets to see war from another perspective. If that's not TZ enough, well, Leonard Nimoy is one of the soldiers.

I think Serling is suggesting we would be better off if the whole world could see each other as humans and not see some others as a hated entity that has to die just to satisfy the ambitions of leaders. See what you think?

A good TZ episode. Especially good acting by Albert Salmi. I won't rehash the plot. Serling served in the Philippines during the later part of WW2 and saw some heavy combat with the Japanese Army. It is interesting that several episodes take place there. Also kind of surprising that he takes a merciful and humane view of his enemy that he personally fought in such a hellish experience.

This is to his credit. I've read that soldiers in combat for long periods will come to regard their enemies more often than not as fellow victims of the same evil- war itself.

I agree with a poster that telegraphing the date at the beginning was a mistake, right before Hiroshima was bombed.

I also can't see how it was relevant since nobody here knew the war was about to end. This could have been set in April 1945 for the difference it would make to the characters and story.

Anyway, the story's pretty basic, the rookie Lieutenant gets to see the war from the other side, and that's about it.

It was weird how well Stockwell was made up to be Japanese. Like another reviewer, I thought it was a different character in those scenes!

On eve of WWII's end a war-weary platoon is ordered into combat.

Interesting concept that takes literally the admonition to put yourself in the other man's shoes, in this case an enemy soldier's. Good characterizations. Salmi shines as the battle-hardened grunt who knows when to stop. In fact, the whole platoon exudes a sweaty, dirty battle fatigue that makes their resistance to the fresh-faced lieutenant very believable. Dean Stockwell's gung-ho officer is also well done, the kind of uncaring-about-the-cost glory-hound, who ended up getting fragged in Vietnam. Also, Salmi's dressing down of the lieutenant's selfish ambition amounts to a classic version of the enlisted man's grudge. One real flaw-- did the producers have to cast a racial stereotype as the Japanese major, even down to the buck teeth? Nonetheless, this remains an entry with a humanely worthwhile message well delivered.