This is one of those episodes that is a bit of a slow burner but the great performances in it are what make it so great. The story is about three men who came back from space, but one by one begin to disappear without a trace without anyone being able to recollect them. It’s a fascinating tale of the possibility of things going right when they shouldn’t have. It reminds me of a classic version of Final Destination.
Quote: Maybe somebody or something made a mistake. Let us get through when we shouldn’t have gotten through. They’ve got to come back to get us. Somebody up there. Aw, Bill… this is weird, just plain weird. Like I just don’t belong. – Forbes
Highlights
– “Her name: X-20. Her type: an experimental interceptor. Recent history: A crash landing in the Mojave Desert after a thirty-one hour flight nine hundred miles into space. Incidental data: The ship, with the men who flew her, disappeared from the radar screen for twenty-four hours. But the shrouds that cover mysteries are not always made out of tarpaulin, as this man will soon find out on the other side of the hospital door.”
– The three different shots of the news paper
– A confused Forbes
– Not being able to convince Harrington about Gart
– The bar scene
– No one being able to recall Gart
– Gart’s sudden disappearance
– Forbes’ breakdown
– Going back to the bar and breaking down inside the phone booth
– Forbes’ feeling the same thing Gart felt
– Forbes’ disappearance
– Harrington’s realization
– All three men disappearing
– “Once upon a time, there was a man named Harrington, a man named Forbes, a man named Gart. They used to exist, but don’t any longer. Someone or something took them somewhere. At least they are no longer a part of the memory of man. And as to the X-20 supposed to be housed here in this hangar, this too does not exist. And if any of you have any questions concerning an aircraft and three men who flew her, speak softly of them, and only in the Twilight Zone.”
Rating: 8.5/10