In His Image

Thoroughly enjoyed this one. Another case of no-one-accepts-that-I'm who-I-think-I-am, like 'Person or Persons Unknown'. A separate category from I-don't-know-who-I-am, like 'Five Characters In Search Of An Exit' and 'Where Is Everybody?'.

You know something is wrong with Alan by the sudden violent action he takes against an aggressive woman preacher at the start. Alan (George Grizzard from 'The Chaser', series one) then is shown as like a regular guy with his fiancée, Jessica. Gail Kobe plays her (later to star in 'The Self Improvement Of Salvador Ross' -Self Improvement was another identity sub-genre in TZ) and this story goes into I-might-be-marrying-a-nutty-guy territory, like 'Young Man's Fancy', 'Nick Of Time', 'Terror at 20,000 Feet'.

Alan goes back to where he was born. That sounds typical of TZ you are thinking.

Wrong! This is no sentimental homecoming. A lesser known but engrossing entry. Well worth seeing and the story really goes somewhere. Not one of those where you have to work it all out for yourself.

This is the first episode of season 4, when TW episodes became one hour long. It explores a frequent theme for the show: a person confused by his whereabouts and trying to figure out why things aren't as he remembers. Excellent nightmare material. It's one of the few episodes that touches on how annoying and/or scary someone who is ultra-religious can be. For regular Twilight Zone viewers, it will probably feel a bit drawn out at times, as though it was originally the usual 23 minutes but extended to fill the new longer time, but for someone not a regular viewer, it's a good, creepy story with plenty of surprises and it serves as a great introduction to the show.

I was amazed to see that it currently only has a 7.7/10 on here. It starts very confusing and intriguing, with immediately excellent character work and performances from our two main characters. At certain moments in the episode, I was ready for it to slip into a more classic TZ narrative, which it arguably had the entire time, but it consistently felt peculiar and kept me engaged. Often I feel very invested in the first 85% of a TZ ep and then the twist kind of takes the fire out of it, but the twist comes early enough in this episode that it's not the climax for once. It was quiet and thought-provoking, with the script, acting, and editing being the real standouts.

Excellent start to season 4.

George Grizzard stars as Alan Talbot, who is returning to his hometown in order to show it to his fiancée Jessica(played by Gail Kobe) whom he has only known for four days, but they are still in love. Strangely, his memory of his past does not match the reality he is faced with, but he does find that a man named Walter Ryder Jr. may hold the key to his predicament, which is true, but not what he expected... First episode of the fourth season in the newly imposed hour-long format is at least a good one, with a fine performance by Grizzard and welcome twist ending, and the opening prologue with the crazed woman in the subway is most effective, if a bit misleading.

Although I am just old enough to have seen many of the TZ episodes during their first run, it wasn't until the past few years that I have intentionally watched the original series in its entirety. I come to season four out of order after watching 1,2,3, and 5 in sequence because the source I was watching on didn't have the fourth season in its repertoire. I've long considered Twilight Zone to be similar to Monty Python... some truly memorable wheat in a big barrel of chaff. "In His Image" is definitely the former.

The story in this episode is a familiar one, particularly in the SciFi and suspense genres, with a man's bewilderment at finding familiar people and places wrenched from him as if he has never existed, but Charles Beaumont brings a unique storytelling style which never leaves you feeling like you've seen it all before. The pacing is masterful, without resorting to cheap shocks or rushing Alan Talbot's gradual journey to the truth. The extended one-hour format of TZ's season four provides enough time to tell this story properly, and the suspense is palpable as you learn along with Talbot that his life may not be what he thought it was.

Even with the terrific writing by Beaumont and deft direction by Perry Lafferty, this episode would probably rate an eight without the sensitive portrayal of Alan Talbot by George Grizzard, which elevates it to among the very best few TZ eps. At no time did I feel that Grizzard's Talbot wasn't truly bewildered by his predicament. Many TZ performances by established and famous actors are damaged by scenery- chewing or heavy-handed portrayals, but Grizzard was restrained and completely believable throughout, even during the concluding scenes when lesser thespians might have tended to histrionics.

Gail Kobe too turns in an excellent performance as a woman genuinely in love with a man she barely knows and who may be unravelling before her eyes.

As Serling's closing narration began I found myself literally thinking to myself... Wow! 10 out of 10.