Five Characters in Search of an Exit

This one will either delight you or drive you crazy, or quite possibly both. William Windom plays the Major with no memory of who he is (the actor was brilliant in the Serling scripted 'They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar' in 'Night Gallery') and searching for his identity. He is confined in the austere setting of four high walls and the first person he meets to converse with is a Clown with a flower in his hat and a similar identity crisis. The Ballerina is played by Susan Harrison (from 'The Sweet Smell of Success') with a serene and dreamy quality.

The fun is to escape the 21st century for a while to enjoy the mysterious appeal of this puzzling TZ entry. You might be groaning a little at the end - but wasn't it fun to guess along with the characters?

For those curious, this episode is based in theme upon Pirandello's play, "Six Characters in Search of an Author" and Jean-Paul Sartre's play, "No Exit" (as indicated most obviously by its title), but, of course, with a Sterling twist.

Five very different individuals find themselves in a round room with no idea who they are other than the indication of their attire. A bell intermittently rings (perhaps also a Hemmingway allusion?), increasing the agony of their incarceration. The newcomer to the group, a Major, is determined to escape, while the others are resigned to their fate.

Unlike Pirandello, these characters don't even have a story. They have nothing other than the experience of the room in their consciousness, and no one to author their nonexistent story, so their position is even more hopeless than the characters in Pirandello's piece. Unlike both Pirandello and Sartre, there is no relationship involved between the characters and therefore no real conflict between them, though the theme of personal responsibility versus apathy is prominent in this story.

Though this diverges significantly from the storyline of the authors alluded to in the title, themes of Sartre and Pirandello (and many other authors of the twentieth century) come through with absolute clarity. This is very obviously a piece which addresses post-modernist perspective in the context of the Cold War era. There is also an emphasis upon issues of personal insignificance.

This is easily one of the best episodes I've seen, and still exceptionally relevant to current experience (as are Sartre and Pirandello). Exactly what makes a good piece of writing into a classic.

William Windom(The Major), Murray Matheson(The Clown), Susan Harrison(The Ballerina), Kelton Garwood(The Tramp), and Clark Allen(The Bagpipe Player) play the five title characters, who find themselves prisoners in a vast cylindrical object with no way out but straight up, and no idea how they got there, or indeed who they are. The Major becomes the driving force in their effort to escape by forming a human ladder, and manages to get over the top with an unexpected outcome... Well remembered episode is really an existentialist play that still holds up marvelously today, with what must have been a stunning surprise ending that still packs a punch...if it hasn't been spoiled beforehand of course!

The plot synopsis sounds as if it might be the beginning of a joke, but instead it's the start of one of the most gripping and intensely claustrophobic tales of the third season of "The Twilight Zone". Before I even pressed play, the episode was already a contender for a price, namely the installment with the coolest title of Rod Serling's phenomenal TV-show (though on par with "The Four of us are Dying" and "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street"), but it's much more. It's one of those entries that fully clarify why "The Twilight Zone" is currently ranked #20 in the greatest TV-series of all times (here on IMDb). Suspense and mystery from start to finish, intriguing characters, passionate performances and ditto direction, an open invitation to the viewer to guess for the denouement and a sardonic twist at the end.

Five people - an Army Major, a ballet dancer, a clown, a hobo and a bagpiper - find themselves locked in an unknown place. They don't know their names or how they got there. They are determined to escape.

Very clever episode of The Twilight Zone. Set up very well - the mystery, the intrigue, the lack of characters' backstories or even names. Plot develops well and the conclusion is both unpredictable and wonderfully sentimental.

Excellent episode.