VANISHING ACT
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severe_td — 17 years ago(December 14, 2008 06:28 AM)
This show was definitely a mixture of excellent, mediocre, and terrible episodes. Most of the terrible episodes were the incredibly lame "clip" shows which simply recycled old footage and, in many cases, changed the plot of the original clips! That totally annoyed me!
Anyway, let's focus on the good. Here's a list of my favorite episodes, split up by seasons:
SEASON 1:
Quality of Mercy: Everyone seems to love this episode, and I agree. The "twist" ending was great, as was the entire premise. This was also one of the few good episodes that also had a top-quality sequel following it.
The rest of Season 1 didn't stand out, in my opinion. However, honorable mentions go to "Sandkings" and "The Conversion".
SEASON 2:
Stich in Time: My third-favorite episode of all-time. Combined a great premise (time traveler killing convicted murderers BEFORE they can commit their crimes) with interesting characters. Even the side story (nerdy investigator's unrequited love for his colleague) worked well. Unfortunately, this episode spawned a lousy two-part clip show called "Final Appeal", which aired 4 years later.
The Deprogrammers: Depressing episode, and the plot was a bit campy and simplistic. However, somehow the episode worked, and was one of the more memorable ones. The ending was a surprise, and I liked it depsite being a downer.
The Light Brigade: I saw this BEFORE Quality of Mercy, and I still loved it. This is the only sequel episode that I really enjoyed. Again, a downer ending, but most fitting. I hope that earth isn't so intellectually, physically, and strategically outmatched if we ever end up in an interstellar war!
The Refuge: My favorite episode. It's definitely weird, but the main character shares the viewer's confusion. This was one episode where I was happy to see the hero triumph!
Honorable mentions: Worlds Apart, Trial By Fire, Vanishing Act
SEASON 3:
The Camp: Uplifting underdog story. Sadly, the happy ending was somewhat ruined by the boring and preachy "Promised Land" sequel that followed in a later season.
Heart's Desire: A fun Western theme with a supernatural twist.
Honorable mention: Dead Man's Switch, Feasibilit Study
SEASON 4:
No episodes stood out as "best", in what I feel is this show's weakest season.
SEASON 5:
Tribunal: Being Jewish, this episode was especially meaningful to me. The ending was particularly satisfying and emotional. This was the best of the Alex Diakun time travel episodes.
Honorable Mention: Small Friends, Blank Slate
SEASON 6:
Gettysburg: Almost as good as Tribunal, this Alex Diakun time travel episode delivers. The President who gets shot on inauguration day in 2013 is surprisingly similar to Barack Obama. Strange!
Something About Harry: Third Rock from the Sun's Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as an amateur teenage detective, trying to figure out what his mysterious neighbor is up to. The surprise ending appears to be a downer, but leaves you with a positive feeling in the final seconds. Well done overall, and overlooked by nearly everyone posting in this thread.
Honorable Mention: Manifest Destiny
SEASON 7:
A New Life: My second favorite episode. Keeps you in suspense, and surprisingly believable. The downer ending is fitting, as the hero's triumph would seem unlikely given the circumstances.
Think Like a Dinosaur: One of the more emotional episodes, this fan favorite was very well done.
Abduction: Obviously inspired by the Columbine shootings, this is something every teenager should watch.
Honorable Mention: Flower Child, Family Values, Patient Zero -
dazamon316 — 17 years ago(January 03, 2009 01:32 PM)
MY FAVORITE EPISODE OF ALL TIME IS LIVING HELL FROM SEASON ONE
Season 1, Episode 8: Living Hell
Original Air Date12 May 1995
A critically injured man receives an experimental brain implant that saves his life. But then he begins to see a series of brutal murders from the killer's perspective. Worse, the killer can see through his eyes, too, and means to find and kill the only witness to his terrible crimes. With time running out, the doctor who made the implant realizes the truth: her patient's implant is communicating with another patient's implant. But can she figure out which other patient?
AND BLOOD BROTHERS IS ALSO VERY GOOD
Season 1, Episode 3: Blood Brothers
Original Air Date7 April 1995
Medical researcher Dr Spencer Deighton has discovered a formula which apparently gives a human being eternal life. When he shares his discovery with his brother Michael, who co-owns their research company, he doesn't realise how greedy and ruthless his sibling is.
STILL WATCH THE REST OF THE SEASON 1 DVD BOX SET SO IF I FIND MORE I LIKE ID LET YOU KNOW. -
pentacleman — 17 years ago(January 10, 2009 07:24 PM)
SPOILERS, OF COURSE
My favorite episode would probably be Dj Vu. I really appreciated the red herring villainess and the bait-and-switch after Mark discovers Julia's tampering, and the concept of an unstable and shrinking time loop which will doom Mark to relive the detonation over and over forever (or, at least, forever according to his perceptions) unless he fixes the device SOON, as it keeps sending him into the past at destination points increasingly closer to the origin. And the colonel's fate at the end of Dj Vu is certainly the best representation of a doomed person stuck in a seconds-long chronological loop (and reliving the detonation over and over forever) that I have ever seen.
A Stitch in Time is another good episode that plays on a nonlinear space-time continuum, and I thought that it was fittingly ironic that Agent Pratt became the same killer-of-killers that she originally hunted after her friend's murderer was returned to the course of history with Dr. Givens' death.
And Gettysburg alone was worth the cost of my DVD just to watch the legendary Meatloaf go nuts and shoot an Abraham Lincoln impersonator.
As for Patient Zero, I originally saw it on TV back in the late 90's, and I remembered it being better. It was a little bit disappointing watching it again on DVD, but that might be just because I had already seen the "gotcha" ending. Watching an episode is never as good as the first time, eh? -
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Starbuc1 — 16 years ago(April 10, 2009 03:25 PM)
#1 Stitch in Time. This is what sci-fi, horror TV should be. Smart script with no holes in logic. (Those ruin it for me every time.) Well acted, expecially
Plumber. Lots of twists and turns in story and it ask a very important question. If you could go back and kill Hitler, knowing what he would do in life, would you? What is being done is saving innocent people from horrific deaths by killing the killers. Loved it!!!!
#2 Living Hell. Another episode that links and innocent man to a killer.This time via an experimental brain chip.
#3 Under the Bed. Kind of campy but fun. What kid hasn't looked under the bed to make sure there is no monster under there? Besides Barbara Williams is hot.
#4 Trial by Fire. What was the right choice and how do you decide what to do? To bad in this one, the wrong choice was made. I was actually yelling at the TV on this one. No..don't listen to the others..
Just like Twilight Zone, Masters of Horror, Tales from the crypt, etc.. they all have a mix of good stuff and not so good stuff. The Outer Limits as a whole was pretty good across the board. I can only think of a few that were not good. Not bad for a 7+ year run. -
littlechav11 — 16 years ago(June 04, 2009 11:30 AM)
DEAD MANS SWITCH, DEAD MANS SWITCH, DEAD MANS SWITCH, DEAD MANS SWITCH, DEAD MANS SWITCH, DEAD MANS SWITCH, DEAD MANS SWITCH, DEAD MANS SWITCH, DEAD MANS SWITCH, DEAD MANS SWITCH, DEAD MANS SWITCH, DEAD MANS SWITCH!!
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jesse859 — 16 years ago(June 22, 2009 10:50 PM)
My favorite is Tribunal. I ordered the "Time Traval & Infinity" collection from amazon mainly for that episode.
Visit my website at
http://members.tripod.com/jdlarsenmn/index.html -
biggsg-1 — 16 years ago(July 24, 2009 08:00 PM)
mine was "quality of mercy"
Major John Skokes (Robert Patrick) has been captured by the seemingly unbeatable aliens currently warring on Earth. His companion is a young Cadet captured on a training flight, Bree Tristan (Nicole de Boer). Skokes must find a way out of the dank prison for himself and his fellow prisoner before the aliens succeed in converting her to one of their own speciesality of mercy"
excelent episode.
http://www.imdb.com/board/10667935/