The Encounter

This is a story of two men who are victims of a history beyond their control. When a disillusioned WWII combat veteran invites the son of a Japanese American who witnessed Pearl Harbor in for a beer, that history will devour them piecemeal.

A lot is mentioned about the themes of guilt and atonement. And there is a lot of (unnecessary and insipid) talk about the racial overtones. The racial overtones are neither thematic nor instructive. They are authentic and dramatic. Racial tension, guilt and atonement are symptomatic of a larger issue that Serling spoke of often.

The real message behind this episode is, quite simply, a protest against war itself as the two characters are victimized by its consequences.

It is very interesting, dramatic and thought-provoking in a way that is blunt without pontificating. The characters tell their own stories and it quickly becomes clear they are both victims of the same thing.

I agree that this really is near the bottom of the Serling canon. It's set up nicely, but then falls into a pit of misguided complexity. It's about two men from different poles: a war veteran, played by Neville Brand, and a Japanese American, played by George Takei (Mr. Sulu from Star Trek). Takei comes to take a job mowing lawns and gardening for Brand, who comes across as bigoted and angry. The dynamics of their first few moments has great potential. However, it soon drops into a confusing mess. There is a Japanese Samurai sword that keeps being played with. There is a lot of dialogue around it. It is picked up, put away, picked up, put away. The talk goes on and on. Does the sword have a secret power? I don't know. The men act irrationally. The viewer is hung out to dry over and over. The ending is really dumb. I can't imagine this was ever thought out. They must have been on a real deadline to let this sneak through.

I was wondering why I could not recall this episode. Went on to read this was out of syndication until 2016. Blown away by the acting - it really drew me in (enjoyed seeing a young George Takei). Some posters have been hard on this episode saying it did not incorporate the supernatural. Huh? Were they watching a different program? I think the serious drama threw them off. To me, the sword and its inscription "the sword will avenge me" indicated that the spirit of the slain Japanese warrior had indeed infiltrated that attic and pushed Taro and Fenton to do the unspeakable. That being said, rehashing the horrors of war and the glorification of toxic masculinity are not genres I generally find appealing.

This is one of those Twilight Zone episodes that makes you realize just how pioneering this show was. WWII wasn't over 20 years at the time this episode was made, and bad feelings about the Japanese among many Americans were still raw. As well, racial prejudice was rampant -- it was out in the open everywhere but on television. In addition, finding a well-spoken, non-stereotypical non-white person on television was something rare indeed. That's what makes this episode so remarkable, when you consider when it was shown and the topics it dared to address. A WWII veteran who is *anything* but a war hero? That's something most would never dare to propose in any movie, TV show or book *today*, let alone 1963. This episode has the usual illogical leaps and sometimes over-the-top dialogue regular watchers of the Twilight Zone will be familiar with. And its unfortunate that the gardener character ends up with a not-very-well-thought-out back story. Even so, it's a quality episode, and builds nicely from the beginning, when nothing the WWII vet says could be definitively seen as racist, and yet, there's this feeling... Consider the time and climate in which this episode was shown and you can't help but appreciate it. Great stuff.

Neville Brand & George Takei play Mr. Fenton & Arthur Takamuri, two men in an attic ostensibly to clean it up, but in reality are playing out the climax of a twenty year-old curse involving a samurai sword that Fenton brought home as a souvenir from World War II, feeling guilty about it, but unable to get rid of. Arthur harbors guilt about his father's involvement at Pearl Harbor, feeling him a traitor. Both men will settle this dispute at a high cost indeed... Controversial episode is seldom aired, which is a shame as it tells a mesmerizing story of guilt and atonement. Both actors are superb, and it all leads to a stunning, thought-provoking end. In serious need of re-appraisal.