The Jeopardy Room

The excellent Martin Landau returns to the Zone in one of the last entries, having been in the third story, 'Mr Denton On Doomsday'. He plays a pursued defector from Russia in a cat and mouse game with a commissar. All played out intriguingly, but the subject matter has dated. The DVD commentary by Landau is interesting (as is his 'Denton On Doomsday' commentary) but I especially like his line at the end when the theme music begins.

It would not be giving too much away to say that the usual mystical frontiers of TZ don't concern this tale. There's no magical stopwatch, camera, shoes, piano, car, television, love potion, mystic seer, book, doll, phantom ship, airplane, train or aliens, parallel universe, fourth dimension, time travel, gremlins, voodoo, witchcraft, necromancy, little people, giant people, gremlins, the devil, angels, ghosts, youth elixirs, advanced physics, androids, telepathy, kinetic powers, genies of the lamp - I think you get the point.

This is another honorable mention in my book. This episode is an odd entry it feels more like an episode of "Alfred Hichcock Presents" since that show deals with suspense tales; but I honestly didn't mind I like that the show was trying something different, it was kinda a break from the norm.

I really like Martin Landau's character whom is sympathetic, whom wants to have a life of his own away from the troubles of his past. Unfortunately trouble finds him as assasins have finally caught up to him, the villain you plain dislike as he is a psychopath that loves his job too much, let alone an ego maniac as he stated himself "he's one of the last imaginative executioners" when he says that he just takes glee over his diseased mind and talent; those things just all the more makes you want Landau to win, to wipe that sick smile off his face.

But of coruse were here for the suspense which is just nerve racking. It's basically your escape room scenario which has been done many times most notably Steven King's "Gerold's Game" and many more; but this is one of those ones done right in my book anyway. Despite all taking place in one condenced space it's is layered in suspense.

From that first part of the game, Landau is trying to locate the bomb and possably defuse it (though knowing that psychopath I doubt it). We're all in the same boat as Landau, I remember sitting on the edge of my seat observing and thinking up each possible place a bomb could be or disgused as; like a stack of books which might have a claymore trip wire hidden, or one of the books are a fake and is the bomb.

Then when it gets to the second half, we already know where the bomb is and how it opporates. Here we are finally a step ahead of the protagonist, the suspense is hoping he catches to what we know but also hope he finds a way out soon as their not going to sit around forever to wait for the bomb to blow.

Will he find a way out, you have to wait and see, but make sure to leave the door open.

Rating: 3 and a half stars

The defector Major Ivan Kuchenko is under siege and trapped in a hotel room by Commissar Vassiloff and his assistant Boris. Vassiloff is a sadistic and sophisticated assassin that wants to kill Kuchenko in an elaborated way. He offers wine to Kuchenko and drugs him. Then he tells t Kuchenko that there is a boob trap in his room and he needs to find it to save his life.

"The Jeopardy Room" is an awful episode of "The Twilight Zone" that treats the soviet people as stupid one. Boris shoots many times to Kuchenko's room and nobody hears the shooting. Kuchenko drinks wine in the same bottle of his enemy, and loses the chance to eliminate his enemy. But the worst is the imbecile conclusion, with Boris shooting at Kuchenko first and answering a phone call. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Correndo Risco" ("Taking Risk")

Martin Landau stars as Major Ivan Kuchenko, an Eastern Bloc defector who is trying to reach the U.S., but is intercepted by Commissar Vassiloff(played by John Van Dreelen) who is assigned to kill him. The Major currently occupies a hotel room in a neutral country, but Vassiloff decides to play a dangerous game with him instead. After being knocked out with a drugged drink, the Major comes around to be told via tape recording that somewhere in his room is a bomb, and he must find and deactivate it in three hours, or the bomb will go off, and if he tries to leave too soon, will be shot... Interesting episode is more of a suspense piece than most, but contains fine acting and a most effective ending.

This episode has the particularity to have been good enough to belong to any anthology series: ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, TELEPHONE TIME, ALCOA THEATRE, SUSPENSE.... And not TWILIGHT ZONE in particular, because, as many other comments have already said, there is no fantasy in this very interesting story. But as far as we have noticed that TWILIGHT ZONE series offer many morality messages in its topics, this one has in common to bring one too.