User reviews

I'm really rather surprised by all the negative reviews of this episode. I think it's quite a strong one. Not a masterpiece, to be sure, but quite solid. I don't think the ending was obvious at all (at least, if one tries to forget that one has seen the episode many times). I always like episodes that provide a good snapper ending, and this one delivers. And the whole thing is creepy and disconcerting. Especially as one ponders the fate of the protagonists as we leave them at the end of the episode. OK, so it's not a profound or deep episode. But it's interesting, creepy, surprising, and fun. I can think of plenty of episodes that are far weaker.

After watching quite a few episodes of the TZ, I have discovered that there are more than a few "bad" once. Not all episodes are sharp, not all twists are surprising or mind bending, not all characters are interesting. But in this quiet town, the horror is real, and we can sense the panic that our heroes are going through. We probably would have acted the same way. Sure, this idea has been used several times throughout the series, but as long as its done right, it works every time! It is that kind of TZ episodes, that have made this show so great. From the beginning, we are inside the character's heads. They are lost, and we are lost with them. We care for them, and we are intrigued to know what is going on. The ending is twisted enough to bring a smile to our face, along with a sense of horror. This is Twilight Zone at its best.

A light episode, nonetheless well written by Earl Hamner Jr. Millie (Nancy Malone) and Bob (Barry Nelson) are New Yorkers who wake up in a strange place with no idea how they got there, having had a few drinks at a party the night before. They are lost - big time ,but the actors are at home at making this very enjoyable to watch. A guessing game of a plot has the town becoming more peculiar the more Millie and Bob see of it. If you enjoyed this, as I did, may I recommend the episode of The Outer Limits that starred Nancy Malone called 'Fun And Games'? (much more way out than this again). Nice to see her on the DVD extras praising the special qualities of TZ that are so much needed today.

There are shades of the first ever episode 'Where Is Everybody?' in this one (including a similar moment opening a car door).It would have made a good finale for the final season, as it is one of the highlights of the tail-end.

The message is don't drink and drive. This is, in effect, the weirdest public information advertisement ever.

This episode is very representative of the entire run of The Twilight Zone series in many ways: the creepy sounds, misplaced reality, ignorant participants, all the elements that make it a classic Zone story. This is from the days when imagination and writing were primary and props and special effects were secondary or non-existent. The characters really had to tell the story, even pad it now and then, as in this story, because the story itself could've been done in half the time (you'll see what I mean when you watch it). Over all it may not be the BEST episode in the series, but a very memorable, none the less. I saw this episode some 40+ years ago. It is still the ONE episode that I think of when I see or hear mention of The Twilight Zone.

I recall watching this episode as a child when it was first broadcast. TV was so different then -- it didn't take much to suspend your disbelief -- and programs such as this seemed so real. I remember being totally drawn in and absorbed by the unfolding mystery of all of the fake components of the town, and I felt great empathy and pity for the couple as I watched their initial relief in boarding the train turn to fear and worry when they discover that it only travels in a loop. Serling achieves a heightened sense of claustrophobia that engenders much allegorical thinking vis-à-vis feeling "trapped." Finally, I was deeply shocked by the disturbing ending. The memory of it still creeps me out 45 years later. This was TV at its best -- what an imagination, Mr. Serling, thanks for all the fun...

I've always been a fan of Barry Nelson since his appearance in SHADOW OF THE THIN MAN (MGM 1941). As a matter of fact I ran into him in downtown San Francisco many years ago. Quite the gentleman. This episode is engrossing. You scratch your head and wonder along with them "What the heck goes?" They wander about in a town where everything is phony (I know what you're thinking- they must be in Hollywood or Southern California, not so). When the couple enter a kitchen and try to open the drawers and cabinets everything is fake! Imagine the horror if YOU awoke and found yourself in a house where everything was fake, just a bunch of props. SHEER TERROR!!! The reason I enjoy this segment is that it pulls you in and you have to stay tuned to the very end for the punch line. And Rod Serling's commentary borders on the comic. The moral is "Don't drink and drive, or else you may end up like Barry Nelson and his wife! No more drinking binges for them (or me)!

Well, for whatever its worth, I liked it. A book I have on the Zone rated this one very poorly. It seems like many of the 5th season episodes suffer from bad reviews, at least partly out of suspicion that the show was out of gas with fresh ideas. True enough, this one is probably too reminiscent of "Where is Everybody" from season 1.

Still, I feel this one is completely emblematic of the show's core entertainment values ... suspense, fish out of water characters, distorted realities, a surprising twist, etc. One of the common critiques about this one is the "unlikability" of the characters. They certainly have a short emotional band width here ranging from whiny to grouchy to hysterical. Then again, who wouldn't ? Hung over and with no footing in reality ... can you blame them ?

To me, though, their unlikability is part of the show ... they appear to be your typical no-kids-yet, self-interested, self-obsessed, urban (yuppie equivalent of the time) couple. Not liking them means we are more likely to be entertained by, than be saddened by their likely fate in some alien child's toy chest.

It's a good story. OK, it's not one of the best, but, because it checks most of the boxes for Zone entertainment criteria, I find it very entertaining and will stop what I'm doing to watch it, despite having seen it so many times.

Yes when I think of the Twilight Zone tv show or even the generic phrase, this is the episode I think of, even though I may not have remembered where or when I actually first experienced it, or if it actually was a TZ episode. But it's so powerful it can't help but stick in your mind for ever. Even now knowing the outcome of this episode it still delivers a punch of mystery and suspense.

I also want to point out this is in season 5 and I do not agree that season 5 was a bad season, in fact some of the most powerful episodes occurred in season 5. I know because I've been watching them! All seasons are brilliant all have a few misses too.

One more thing this episode has absolutely nothing to do with drink driving or alcohol!

Millie and Bob Frazier wake-up dressed with party clothes and with hangover in an unknown and strange bed. They do not know where they are and explore the empty house. The place is weird, with fake furniture and bread. When they leave the house, they find that the neighborhood is empty and is composed with a fake animal, tree and grass. They overhear a child laugh and go to the church that is also empty. When they hear a train, they head to the station, enter the train and see the name of the town, Centerville. They celebrate that they are leaving the nightmare, but they return to Centerville. What is happening to the Frazier?

"Stopover in a Quiet Town" is one of the best episodes of "The Twilight Zone". The plot is predictable due to the laughs of the child, but the situation of Millie and Bob Frazier is anguishing. Imagine the terror of their situation when they find what is happening in Centerville. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Estranhos na Cidade Silenciosa" ("Strangers in the Silent Town")

I have always liked this one . I didn't guess the ending the first time ( although my brother did the first time he watched it !) .

I do think it loses a little something after repeated viewings but it's still one I like.

The nightmarish aspect of it adds to the feel of the episode and the spookiness but it's also it's hope . The thing is if Bob and Millie had been dreaming they would be a lot better off! The Twilight Zone was always good at dream or dream like episodes or scenes. The episode also plays in something else we all need - other humans even when we would prefer to interact with fewer people it's ultimately what we need. It doesn't matter if you are not sociable by nature or are shy. It doesn't matter if we have someone else to depend on . This episode to me has that deeper meaning that isolation even desired has it limits. It's another theme The Twilight addressed regularly.

It's impossible to single out any one episode of the Twilight Zone because they were all different and excelled in different ways. But 'Stopover in a Quiet Town' was probably the spookiest. It had two very minor flaws. First, early on , Millie provides a hint as to what had happened, though this hint is very vague. Secondly, this episode contains some echos of 'Five Characters in Search of an Exit' and 'Elegy'. Aside from that, the first way in which this episode excels is that it puts the viewer in the same position as the characters. You can immediately identify with their point of view , as if you were going through the exact same experience that they were. Many things seem normal and straightforward at first but quickly prove to be fake and somehow sinister. It's as if the characters are in a maze , although this is not at all readily apparent , and every way they turn is ultimately a dead end. And the climactic scenes constitute some of the best cinematography ever produced in the series. It all adds up to some of the most subtle but brilliant black humor ever. A timeless masterpiece.

🏆 STOPOVER IN A QUIET TOWN is another GREAT TZ EPISODE... With what later was hinted at in Spielberg's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND and possibly Irwin Allen's Sci Fi TV show LAND OF THE GIANTS.. This creepy and very well performed thriller is a real mind blowing journey.. Everything Everywhere is ARTIFICIAL, And the couple desperately try to come up with excuse after excuse to explain it..as their panic accelerates! It's more surprising when you think that when this TZ EPISODE was made, none of those movies and TV shows previously mentioned above, had ever existed.. Making this TZ episode even more original and creative.

The last time I watched any first-run "Twilight Zone" episodes was a week before I graduated from high school in 1964. All through my high school years I watched several of this unforgettable series, probably the most far-fetched series in the history of television. But this particular episode stands out in my memory more than others. (On a side note, initially this episode reminded me of the episode "Where is Everybody?!" which starred Earl Holliman.) Imagine how anyone would feel, as did the main characters (played well by Barry Nelson and Nancy Malone) waking up in an artificial house in a town where everything else is artificial, and finding not one person in the small town. It would be strange, at best, though the main characters felt very uncomfortable as well as strange. I'll just say it: this is definitely the scariest episode of this series I ever saw. I had to watch something comical after that particular episode, and it's mainly because of the ending. In all my years of watching any movie and/or TV series, I don't think I saw anything scarier. The episode is creative and well-done, but the ending is frightening!

This is one of those episodes that, if you saw it as a kid, you'll never forget, and it became a poster child for the Twilight Zone theme. After a night of partying and drinking, a married couple wakes up in a house with no memory of how they got there. Disoriented, they wander through a deserted town and encounter strange objects, such as stuffed animals, prop trees, and trains that lead nowhere. In the early 1960s, the ending must have surprised more than a few; today, after watching so much science fiction, it may be more predictable. But as I always say, the acting, direction, and development of events are outstanding for the limited budget the series had.

I suppose the story works. We are brought into a world where to people, a couple of drunks, find themselves in a village where everything is made of cardboard and plastic. There are no living people (have you heard this before?). The do what they can to sort out the mystery. They use their own experiences to test the situation. The problem is the world they are in should have held some clues for them. Also, they are rather unlikable people with issues of selfishness and all that goes with it. Episodes like this are probably why the series was on its last legs. Maybe they needed to bring in some new writers or something. There must have been some more imaginative plots that could have been done.