The Parallel

This episode has many bright spots, although the conclusion is a bit bewildering. Steve Forrest goes into space. During the journey, he blacks out but somehow manages to land the ship on dry land. This was a virtual impossibility at the time. It was always a splashdown. He is hospitalized and questioned, but he can't remember the events after he disappeared from radar. The brass isn't happy with him (interesting, because what do they think he knows?). He is released and returns to his family home where he bumps into a picket fence which he had never seen before. Then confusion starts to evolve. He seems to be the man who left except there are small and not-so-small things that confuse him. For one, he was a major when he left earth, but now he is a full colonel. His wife kisses him and she is immediately repelled. And his little girl says he is not her daddy. This leads to psychological testing but it is non-conclusive. Obviously, something took place during those missing moments. Forrest's astronaut begins perusing encyclopedias and finds that facts he knew to be true have been contradicted. For me, a really good episode has a pat little ending. Still it's a good effort.

A Rod Serling written episode this must have been genuinely eery during the early days of the space race. Man's entry into space travel is truly heading into the unknown. Incorporating the theme of parallel existences is cutting edge sci-fi in the very early sixties that would actually be a matter physicists would later give serious thought to.

In the story astronaut Gaines seems to have returned from space a very different man for all the familiarities. Who is this man who returned from space looking the same, but having an altered and different life at a few telling points?

Serling delivers a story that as of 2023 still has spooky questions. That's superior writing. Steve Forrest as Major Robert Gaines, and Jacqueline Scott ,as his wife, give solid performances highlighting the conundrum of both fear and love when one's spouse seems to not be the one each knows so well in some unfathomable instant. Another stellar story wove expertly for the right amount of scares.

It's one my favorites series ever, Rod Sterling introduces us in an unusual spacecraft journey orbital on planet Earth by one astronaut Major Robert Gaines (Steve Forest), aftermaths the perfect launching at atmosphere, everything going well until the Earth's radar lost the Spacecraft's signal, the silence radio remains a couple hours only, being restored five hours later, meanwhile Major Robert Gaines remains oblivious, landed on Earth strangely no damage is aware in the untouched Spacecraft, even a simple scratch gets noticed, quite uncanny to a journey like that, it's was when USA and URSS are struggles themselves to overcame each other who will win the race to the Moon.

Back on Earth at a little time at hospital for routine check-ups, Major Gaines arriving at your home, he realizes that such house didn't have a fence, also he figures out that he actually is a General instead a Major, asking for his wife Helen Gaines (Jacqueline Scott) replayed that the fence always stayed there since they bought the house, also he had promoted to General previously going to space, however his little daughter perceives a slight changing in his father, as Helen as well.

Embarrassed Major Gaines due no one knows the President Kennedy, he decides make its own research at encyclopedia looking for smallest details that can prove that he isn't the General Gaines whatsoever, at Nasa the experts realizes that the spacecraft wasn't the same Nasa's built-up, aside extremely resemblance, although in small details as wires on panels and so on.

Thus Major Gaines has a hypothetical explanation that will frighten all the Army's command, there is another twin Earth whereof he calls the Parallel world, finest episode where it is argued a new science self-called quantum sciences, where it is assumed thousands of entanglement of parallel dimensions.

Thanks for reading.

Resume: First watch: 2023 / Source: DVD / How many: 1 / Rating: 7.5.

Helen (Jacqueline Scott) kisses her earth returned husband, Major Robert Gaines (Steve Forrest) and things might seem alright, after all, for an instant. Then her eyes tell you that something IS very wrong! It's as though Major Gaines has been made-up in the bedroom as he finds he's a colonel by the rank displayed on his shirt.

Solid and interesting entry, like most TZ way ahead of it's time, though the pace is rather gentle for a modern audience. As with so much of the series, the idea has been used a great many times since. There's a halfway plot twist that you might well guess. The acting is restrained because of the military characters. The picture quality helps to retain the appeal of this nice idea that could have done with a little more powerful delivery.

Scientists have just now concluded that our universe is likely flat and infinite. Therefore, given that the possible set of all arrangements of atoms is finite, it follows that there are an infinite number of other planets nearly identical to ours. The premise of this episode is precisely that. There is another earth very similar but not identical in every respect to ours. I find this particular scenario very interesting in that it explores, abet in a rudimentary way, the concept of multiple realities existing along side ours. As a practical matter we will never meet our other "Parallel" selves since they would be billions of light years away but it's fun to realize that they do indeed exist according to these recent findings. Just another example of just how prescient the Twilight Zone series was.