The Trouble with Templeton

Brian Aherne very ably plays the role of Booth Templeton, an aging actor, whose one true love -- Laura, his first wife -- had died early, leaving him to marry a much younger woman in his grief who flagrantly cavorts with young men at their own pool. He longs for his beautiful wife, and -- this being the Twilight Zone, after all -- things take an interesting turn, but it's not quite as easy to predict as one might think. At the close of the scene that is the central part of this story, you see a young Pippa Scott wordlessly convey more emotion with her eyes, face, and body than anyone could ever do with words, which she speaks not one during this part. It's an incredibly poignant moment, and it lifts an already good story into a great one, and Aherne elegantly carries it. Don't look for anything terrifying in this one, but you will find one of the finest episodes in this one.

This is actually a very human story of an actor who has had acclaim throughout his career, but who has now reached that age where his appearance no longer benefits him. He also has the disadvantage of two things. One is that he quite kind in a bloodthirsty, winner take all society. He is also living in the past. He is still carrying a torch for his wife, who died very young. This is about a man who must confront his past in order to move on. The acting is quite good and the transitions between contemporary time and the past work quite well. We get to see how he can become superior to the dream world he always saw as the model for his life. It's about the reclamation of a life lost.

The nostalgic actor Booth Templeton I still longing for his former wife that is deceased and his life in the past. Out of the blue, when he leaves the theater through the stage door after a discussion with the new director and producer, he returns to 1927 where he meets his first wife Laura and his best friend Barney Fluegler. Soon he realizes that his past was not the way he had recollections.

"The Trouble with Templeton" deals with a usual behavior of people when get older, the feeling of nostalgia of the past that is usually idealized and the bad things are forgotten. It was necessary to Templeton to travel to The Twilight Zone and stop in the best year of his life to recall that his wife and friend were not so good as he misses. Mature audiences will certainly understand this episode. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Problema com Templeton" ("The Trouble with Templeton")

A wonderful episode that doesn't seem to get the credit it deserves. Brian Aherne does a special job with his role here, and carries the day, but that isn't all there is to this one. The writing was first rate, and I believe this writer (E. Jack Neuman) was a rookie to the Twilight Zone. The twist was not predictable, and was carried out very well by the supporting cast. Also fun was seeing Sydney Pollack when his hair was still dark. Its tempting to say this is not a run-of-the-mill Twilight Zone episode, but actually, none of them were, so I guess my point is that this one stands out for reasons one might not expect, and since I don't want to write any spoilers here, I'll leave it for you to watch and see for yourselves. For me, I'll happily watch this one again, even knowing what the ending is.

"The Trouble with Templeton" certainly isn't the most overwhelming or spectacular TZ-outing, but it's arguably one of the most intelligent and subtle episodes of the entire franchise. The short tale features a very typical and almost routine premise: an ageing stage actor is nostalgic and sentimental about the earliest years of his career, back when he was successful, respected and - most of all - married to the love of his life, Laura. But his Laura died very young and now, decades later, Booth Templeton is married to a much younger girl (of which he doesn't care if she cheats or not) and heavily struggling with the next generation of directors' new styles. And then, quite archetypal for the Twilight Zone, Booth goes through a door and gets catapulted back to his glory year 1927. But when he finds his beloved Laura and his former best friend Barney, they're not as perfect as Booth remembers them. Up until here, "The Trouble with Templeton" feels very derivative and commonplace, but then comes one beautifully mysterious sequence. When Booth leaves the noisy bar, the place literally fades out and the expression on Laura's face is utmost somber. These mere five seconds are some of the most significant and powerful of the entire series thus far, and they give a whole different swing to the story. The second of nine episodes directed by Buzz Kulik ("Villa Rides", "Bad Ronald") and benefiting from solid performances from Brian Aherne and sixties' beauty Pippa Scott. There's also a very well-cast role for Sydney Pollack as over-ambitious young director.