Clive-Silas

The basic premise is very familiar: an astronaut who ventures into the unknown returns to Earth but suffers from side-effects of the alien environment. The author seems however to have forgotten one necessary element of a science fiction plot, that mysterious alien happenings, physical effects and even motives, need to be explained in order to provide resolution. Instead the writer has reduced the plot to "The hero has to get better so he can persuade the Congressional committee to continue funding!" Instead of plunging into a deep scientific exploration of what is happening to spaceman General Barton, all the scientists involved are quite open about the fact that they haven't got a clue what to do, or even how to begin such an investigation. This seeming ignorance probably originated in its non-science background author. Real scientists and doctors would have had better ideas than that.

One other element which remains unexplained is that the character of Jeff Barton is explicitly defined as an uncommonly courageous man, willing to push the boundaries of safety in order to advance human knowledge - yet when confronted by an actual alien, he screams in utter terror (as only Bill Shatner can), while facing what genuinely must be the least scary, least threatening "space monster" to have been created for the screen. The strongest part of the episode is the relationship between Barton and his wife Ann, played by the excellent Geraldine Brooks. She is capable of looking at the stricken Shatner through the porthole separating them, with genuine love in her eyes that is actually quite moving.

An older man, a judge, confronts his young wife's lover on the day they intend to run away together. The strength of this episode is the power of Herbert Marshall's effortless domination of his interaction with handsome young Robert Horton. Sterling Silliphant went above and beyond in the creation of this superb and truly literary script. Marshall gives us the full force of his stage experience in his performance, which includes spellbinding readings from first Aristotle and then Socrates. The direction of the story is clear from the title, still leaving room for a twist. The wine or sherry is identified as Amontillado, reminding us of a similar tale of revenge from the master Edgar Allan Poe.

The part to watch for is just before they begin the lighting of the lighter. The third party, the umpire, asks the gambler if he's really willing to go through with the extraordinary bet. Steve McQueen just looks down at his cocktail, looks down and toys with his olive. He doesn't look up at all and just says, "Yeah, I want to go through with it". For such a young actor barely at the beginning of his career, facing two much more experienced performers, along with his wife. To have the sheer confidence to deliver his line like that, not looking up from his glass, yet demonstrating such extraordinary power. This man was truly a megastar in the making.