Friday, April 27, 2012

TZ Promo: “The Gift” (4/27/1962)






Season 3, Episode 32 (97 overall)
Cayuga Production # 4830


“I’ve often wondered why it is that men fear the unknown. Like children, they’re afraid of the dark.  The only person I’ve met who isn’t afraid of the dark is a child.”

That’s the mysterious Mr. Williams, who stumbles into a cantina in a small Mexican town late one night.  He’s been shot by anxious police officers tracking whoever--- or whatever--- stumbled out of a crashed spaceship on the outskirts of town.  It’s a safe bet Mr. Williams isn’t an American tourist.


Rod Serling’s “The Gift,” turning 50 tonight, is actually a resurrected idea from his pre-TZ writing days.  It’s not a bad idea, though we’ve already seen a Serling script with similar story seeds (season two’s “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?”), so it seems a bit familiar (which is turning into a weekly phenomenon as we wind our way through the latter half of the show’s third season).  However, familiarity is by no means the biggest sin on display here.  “The Gift,” in its final TZ form, should’ve never made it out of Serling’s filing cabinet.

We could talk about the terrible portrayal of Mexican peasants (they’re a bunch of simple-minded, skittish, demon-fearing Speedy Gonzales-impersonators).  We could talk about the terrible acting on the part of every single person on screen (the exception being Nico Minardos as the town doctor, who seems a bit too urbane for his surroundings; oh, and Vladimir Sokoloff is fine in his forty-three seconds of screen time as the village blind guy); Edmund Vargas, playing the lonely child Pedro, is particularly awful.  We could talk about the heavy-handed Christ metaphor being shoved into our faces (ethereal visitor is persecuted and ultimately killed despite his innocence and, as it turns out, ultimate value to mankind).  We could talk about the (unintentionally) hysterical pitchforks-and-torches mob scene late in act two (¡El Frankensteino!).  We could talk about the complete lack of a spaceship (it’s described as saucer-shaped; maybe the Forbidden Planet mockup was already spoken for that week?).


But we won’t.  This episode is thoroughly shitty, and doesn’t merit examination or analysis.  The core idea is fine, and might’ve worked with a different approach (and perhaps a bit of respect for the Mexican population), but three years of constant writing, narrating and executive-producing (not to mention promoting the series and clashing with the network over budget issues) had clearly reduced Serling to a fatigued mess.



Always candid, Serling himself said as much at the end of season three:  “At the moment, my perspective is shot. I think this is evident at times in the lack of quality in some of the Twilight Zone scripts.”  Gee, ya think?








The one and only thing of quality to be found in “The Gift” is Brazilian legend Laurindo Almeida’s atmospheric and haunting acoustic guitar score.  Almeida is partly responsible for one of my all-time favorite bossa nova albums: 1966’s Stan Getz with Guest Artist Laurindo Almeida, on Verve Records.  I only own it in mp3 form, but I’ve been slowly amassing a respectable jazz collection on vinyl, and it’s on my short list of titles to acquire.




“The Gift” stands as uncomfortable proof that the glory days of The Twilight Zone are behind it.  With almost 40% of the series’ entirety still to come, this relatively early decline is troubling indeed.




Next week, Cliff Robertson comes unglued as a ventriloquist battling wits with a dummy who’s outgrown him.  It’s basically a metaphor for parenthood.









13 comments:

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Joel Benedict Henderson said...

God this episode sucks. I don't know whats worse, the distasteful script or the bad acting, or both combined.

Anonymous said...

You're a fucking asshole who wouldn't know his ass from a hole in the ground. Considering the stream of half-assed, narrow-minded verbal diarrhea you just vomited out of your mouth, I'm not surprised that the essence and quality of this first rate episode was lost on the likes of you. Not the least bit surprised.

CubanBach said...

Mr. Blogger:

Apparently, I must conclude that you were also denied a "gift" in your character that is essential for any thoughtful or sensitive human being. Fare thee well in your well of baseness.

Anonymous said...

I have thought for many many years that The Twilight Zone was massively over-rated crap. As you noticed, by the third season Rod Serling was pumping out the big turds. The last couple of seasons were horrible garbage.

Thanks for being honest. While it had some great episodes, the vast majority were big time turds and rip-offs of other people's ideas.

Unknown said...

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but it's hard to believe that Mr. Rod Sterling didn't believe in the GOD of the Bible because every Episode that I've seen has Biblical meanings in them. I'm 55 years old and as a child growing up in Brooklyn, New York City in the 70's and 80's the Twilight Zone always came on Television on WPIX Channel 11 at 11:30pm Mon thru Saturday and they always ran every episode from New Years Eve til New Years evening. The Honeymooners would come on before the Twilight Zone which made for a perfect time for watching t.v. unfortunately the newer Twilight Zone episodes of the 80's and 2019 will never measure up to the older classics. During the 60's many African Americans were being lynched and murdered throughout America because of the ignorance and stupidity of caucasian americans (not all of them) while serving in the United States Marines and the Army I was blessed to meet some caucasian Men that were Great Men who til this day I consider my Brothers but in every race you have those who are raised to hate another man just because his skin color is different. African Americans, Native American Indians and Hispanics found it difficult to find work in "Hellywood" but from my Research Mr. Rod Sterling gave these men and women work and I pray that before he took his last breath that he REPENTED and gave his life to the ALMIGHTY YAH (who the Christian Faith calls GOD) Abraham,Issac and Jacob πŸ™πŸΏ. We are in the Last Days and as evil consumes this world we all need to come together as one great big Human Family and Repent,ask GOD for forgiveness and learn to love one another but it's going to take for Jesus Christ of Nazareth (Yahushua H'amashiac) of the Bible to save us all!. GOD BLESS EVERYONE!.πŸ˜ŒπŸ™ŒπŸΏπŸ™πŸΏ❤πŸ€΄πŸΏπŸ•ŽπŸ™‡πŸΏ‍♂️πŸ™‡πŸΎ‍♀️πŸ™‡πŸ»‍♂️πŸ™‡πŸΌ‍♀️πŸ•Š SHALOM πŸ’

Unknown said...

Sorry, but I have to disagree with the previous commentor, Joel Henderson, and fully agree with the anonymous commentator. If you came down a little from your high-browed horse Henderson, perhaps you could see the forest thru the trees and appreciate and fully understand Rod Serling's The Gift, as much as it should be appreciated. Too bad for your short-sightedness, too bad.

RaiderLegend said...

I believe the simplicity of this episode “The Gift,” along with its biblical themes, teaches us yet again about how our fears, prejudices and superstitions can steer us further away from improving humanity and closer to destroying it. Initially, I too felt the less than stellar acting ruined the episode. But after multiple viewings over time, I’ve come to appreciate the whole of its message and see the actors as miniscule parts of that whole. To not see the dangers in following cowardly and fearful people, as they lead a mob toward attacking and murdering those trying to bring healing and peace to humanity, is a warning that every generation needs exposure to again and again. How can bad acting or bad script writing ruin the warning of a cure for cancer formula being destroyed through man’s fears and ignorance? I suggest to many of the previous negative commentators another viewing using a wider mental lens. If you must, maybe substitute cancer cure with coronavirus cure. Perhaps then they will come to see this episode in a new light; or perhaps not.

Anonymous said...

Couldn’t agree more. Awful episode with a horrible, hokey story line and even worse acting. If there ever was a Jesus, he (or she) must be spinning in his (or her) grave every time this execrable episode pollutes the airwaves…

Anonymous said...

Thank you...Took the words right out of my mouth...this episode was one of my favorites..

Anonymous said...

Amen! Brother

Anonymous said...

Excellent and well versed commentary indeed, Mr. Sterling was far beyond anything I've seen even in this day and time. Very 'prophetic ('He's Alive', and timely 'Time Enough At Last') episodes, that resonate even now. As for Mr. Serling not believing in God, I'm NOT sure I agree with that and his most prolific episodes are proof of that. Very sadly not everyone 'gets it's but I'm grateful to God that I do.

Anonymous said...

This is another one of my very favorite episodes of Twilight Zone. I've enjoyed it many times and it does convey the lack of compassion when fear is confused with lack of knowledge