The Invaders

This is another marvelous episode which showed the true talent of the "Bewitched" cast in the serious venue of the Twilight Zone.

One indicator of a performer's skill is what they can say to the viewer without dialog, in expressions and movements. Agnes Moorehead's expressions of drudgery and loneliness turned to fear and terror were pulled off wonderfully.

An aside to those focusing on the cheesy special effects and the obvious department store toys used for the spacemen; Shoestring budgets using cheap and cheesy effects even for their time can be and are overcome by excellent writing, direction, and acting. The TZ movie and subsequent remake series of the 80s and 2000s had much bigger budgets and state of the art special effects, but didn't have the flair for storytelling that Serling, Matheson, and Beaumont did. Remember that The Honeymooners made memorable shows out of a set of a bare room, a table, and a window.

The cast of the 60's comedy series 'Bewitched' were somewhat involved in TZ. Elizabeth Montgomery in 'Two' (series three), Dick York in 'The Purple Testament'(series one) and 'A Penny For Your Thoughts' (series two), David White in 'A World Of Difference' (series one) and 'I Sing The Body Electric' (series three).

Here we are concerned with the much talented character actress Agnes Moorehead. Best remembered for 'Bewitched', the first Orson Welles films 'Citizen Kane' and 'Magnificent Ambersons', and 'Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte'. Also impressive as a rather evil character in 'Dark Passage' with Humphrey Bogart.

'The Invaders' is an odd piece of television in that it concentrates on Agnes Moorehead so alone as a woman living a wretchedly remote and spartan existence. Yet another episode to focus very closely on the fear and anguish of the individual. Virtually nothing is revealed about her as she finds a small flying saucer in her dark dwelling. A story with a twist as you may well expect. A very singular entry, well played by the star, even though she isn't given lines to deliver.

This episode is one of my all-time favorites, from maybe my all-time favorite series. It's great from so many perspectives: lighting; minimal dialogue; sound editing; and Agnes Moorhead's terrific performance. The tension builds throughout this episode. Having seen it again very recently, I can assure readers that it stands up very well even after the passage of more than fifty years since the original airing. Seeing it again recently made me realize, and not for the first time, that a great writer and director don't need graphic violence and lots of screams to build terror and excitement. This is one of the can't miss shows out of the entire run of the series.

This episode marks a superb confluence of great writing (Richard Matheson), taut, suspenseful direction (Douglas Heyes), and bravura acting (Agnes Moorehead), and a brilliant Twilight Zone twist. A lonely woman in a deserted farmhouse must defend herself against tiny attacking aliens.

Moorehead's performance is a pantomime tour-de-force, using no words whatsoever, yet managing to make us feel for this poor, put-upon woman. She fully inhabits the character, showing us not only the character's fear, but also her resolution, fury, and -- in one touching moment -- a touch of wounded vanity mixed with pain. Although her gestures are somewhat broad, her dedication to the role make these gestures natural outgrowths of the character, not clumsy pantomime. Remarkably, an actress who repeatedly proved herself so adept at coiled up repression (e.g., "The Magnificent Ambersons", "Citizen Kane") lets herself go in compelling fashion here.

Further contributing to the energy and power of this episode is Matheson's script. Matheson's script is a model of economy -- no wasted dialogue, in fact, only minimal dialogue. Matheson's strength as a writer was always his skill for efficient and effective plotting, and this episode contains only those actions necessary to drive home the story. This, combined with Heyes' marvelous use of light and editing to heighten the mood and suspense, keep the story moving at a crisp pace.

Perhaps this episode lacks the deep moral truths of other "Twilight Zone" episodes (Matheson's episodes usually did), it more than makes up for it in suspense and brilliant character work.

Agnes Moorehead turns in a tour-de-force performance as a woman in a remote farmhouse who faces "the invaders." She utters grunts, groans, and screams but never says a word.

Moorehead was one of the consummate character actresses of her day. She appeared in such classic films as CITIZEN KANE, THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, HUSH HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE, DARK PASSAGE, THE OPPOSITE SEX, and many others. Unfortunately, many viewers only know her from BEWITCHED.

Not much can be said about the actual plot without giving too much away. The ending is, however, a true classic. It's amazing how many people don't get it!