#mr denton on doomsday

[jiminysjournal]

So, I’m gonna do reviews of The Twilight Zone, as I watch it.

I’ve seen a handful of episodes from the original run, and I’ve seen the Peele series.  But, recently, I’ve started from the beginning.  Well, not quite the beginning; I started with episode 1, but I DO plan to watch “The Time Element,” the concept pilot from Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse.

I decided this about six episodes in, so, here we go.  This one’s gonna be a long post, so I’m keeping the reviews under the cut.

The TLDRs:

101 "Where Is Everybody?"

A solid start the series.  And one that’s certainly an interesting watch in a post-outbreak world.

102 "One for the Angels"

Wow.  WiE may have been a solid start, but this one is just…chef’s kiss.

103 "Mr. Denton on Doomsday"

A story about gun violence in 1959?  Dang, Rod, you really WERE ahead of your time. It was good a good one.

104 "The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine"

I never noticed how much Allison Janney looks like Ida Lupino, before.  Although, come to think of it, this may be the first thing I’ve actually seen Lupino in. This was a pretty good episode.

105 "Walking Distance"

Time travel episode!  Pre-Opie Ron Howard!  Inflation!  Wait…

An interesting twist on what could've just been a BttF.

106 "Escape Clause"

Wow, if I had a nickel for every TZ episode in which a character played by an actor also known for his role as the Mad Hatter makes a sketchy deal to cheat death, I’d have two nickels.  Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?

Something had to be the first stinker.

101 "Where Is Everybody?"

A solid start the series.  And one that’s certainly an interesting watch in a post-outbreak world.

Honestly, when I was watching, I kept waiting for atom bomb sirens.  I honestly thought Mike had wandered, amnesiatic, onto a test site.  One he was working on.  Hell, a mannequin even showed up, at one point.  So, I was genuinely surprised, when it turned out to be an isolation chamber-induced hallucination.

Naturally, this raises a few questions:

Why are still sending him into space, if they had to pull him out?

Why are they sending him alone?  I know Apollo 11’s still ten years away, but seriously!?  Setting aside they isolation stress, what if another problem happens?  They can’t just have one guy up there for, I guess, twenty days!

One thing that’s cool: That’s Courthouse Square.  From Back to the Future.  Imagine George McFly tuning into this episode, while in college, and seeing a backlot strongly resembling his own hometown in this episode.  And now, of course, I’m wondering if, in the BttF universe, George ever wrote any TZ episodes.

102 "One for the Angels"

Wow.  WiE may have been a solid start, but this one is just…chef’s kiss.

Ed Wynn really surprised me with his performance, too, in a non-comedic role (turns out, the same year, he played Albert Dussel in The Diary of Anne Frank, which earned him an Oscar nod).  A good thing, too, because so much of this episode is riding on it.  In-universe, no less.

Make no mistake, the goofy Uncle Albert DOES come through.  And, it’s got to.  Lewis sells toys and even gives them away to children.  And the kids love him.  It’s never presented as anything sus, as it would on other shows, today.  To Lewis, these are the grandchildren he never had.

Of course, from the moment Death greets him in his apartment, you know exactly where this is going.  Lewis’ expiration date is coming, and he’s gonna make a pitch to put it off.  So, of course, he makes a pitch.  For a pitch.  And you just know it’s gonna be one of the kids who takes his place.  So, Maggie stops by, narratively deciding her fate.

And, the rest of this episode is Lewis making his literal pitch for the angels.  One specific angel.  The angel of death.  And, that’s all that matters.  His entire goal, from then on, is to convince Death to take himself, instead of this little girl.

And, you know what?  Death is rooting for him.  You can see it in his face.  And, yeah.  He’s gonna let Lewis take his briefcase to Heaven.  Because, why not?

103 "Mr. Denton on Doomsday"

A story about gun violence in 1959?  Dang, Rod, you really WERE ahead of your time.

Although having Fate as a central character right after an episode with Death may seem a bit repetitive, the two stories do such different things with the characters that it’s not.  And, thank goodness for that; it would’ve felt stale (more on that in a later review).

So, yeah.  Al buys a potion that makes him the fastest gun in the West, and so does his opponent.  And they end up shooting eachother’s trigger hands.  And they’re thankful for it.  And, that’s the story.  It was good.

Incidentally, this is the first period episode of TZ.  And, there won’t be a truly future-set episode, until episode 7 (the next one on my watchlist).  We get a time travel story in two episodes (and the concept pilot one might’ve been, as well), though.

104 "The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine"

I never noticed how much Allison Janney looks like Ida Lupino, before.  Although, come to think of it, this may be the first thing I’ve actually seen Lupino in.

This is an interesting one.  A story about a once-big star yearning for the olden days.  Barbara Jean wants her comeback.  She’s offered a big role, but she won’t play any mothers.  I think the exec even said the character was 40.  Lupino was just 41, when this aired, and I think her character is implied to be in her sixties.

Unfortunately, the story frames it more as a Barbara Jean problem than a Hollywood sexism problem.  Otherwise, this was a pretty good episode.

I think it’s also the first to not offer an explanation for the strange goings-on.  Unless “The Time Element” didn’t, either.  16mm is preceded by stories featuring isolation-induced hallucinations and two supernatural beings.  In this one, she just enters her film-land.  And that’s it.  Sometimes, we don’t need an explanation.

Also, I wonder if some of the footage in the episode is archived footage of Lupino in other roles.  Side question: Was the main character intentionally named after Marilyn Monroe?  If so, YIKES, that did not age well, particularly if one considers the ending an allegory for suicide.

This is also the first time I found myself drawing comparison to a Peele-era TZ episode: “Downtime” almost feels like a spiritual sequel to this episode.  Obviously, it’s not one-to-one, by I do wonder if Peele was influenced by this episode when writing it.

105 "Walking Distance"

Time travel episode!  Pre-Opie Ron Howard!  Inflation!  Wait…

So, at first, I thought this was gonna be a full BttF.  Martin (!) has to bring his parents together, so he doesn’t cease to exist.  Instead, he ends up in his own childhood. Which is an interesting twist.  It’s surprising how long it takes him to notice, though.

And, it’s not just that he’s stuck in the past.  He had to go to the past to remember who he is.  But, ya gotta wonder: What if he had ended up stuck?  What if he had to take the slow path back?

Ultimately, however, that doesn’t happen, and he ends up having to go back to the future, so to speak.  Incidentally, another no-explanation story.  He just walked into his childhood.  And walked back.  Sadly, due to the time limit, we don’t get to see any era differences beyond the soda shoppe.

106 "Escape Clause"

Wow, if I had a nickel for every TZ episode in which a character played by an actor also known for his role as the Mad Hatter makes a sketchy deal to cheat death, I’d have two nickels.  Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?

This episode shares its title with the third Santa Clause movie, and it’s about as good.  Look.  284 episodes, a concept pilot, two “album” movies (totaling six parts), a book of 19 short stories, 176 audio dramas, and a ride — they’re not all gonna be winners.  Something had to be the first stinker.

Learning that this one was third in the production order certainly explains things.  Watching it, it certainly felt like a first draft of OftA (which was eighth, production-wise).  And, as a result, I couldn’t help but compare this one to it.

The problem is…Walter gets immortality, and he spends the rest of the episode thrill-seeking.  Here I was, hoping for a “Who wants to live forever?” plot, and I get NOTHING.  No old age makeup, when he looks in the mirror.  No speculation about the then-future.  NOTHING!

Then!  When he turns himself in for his wife’s death, if he’s trying to get the Chair, why doesn’t he wave his right to a lawyer?  Maybe, that wasn’t a thing in 1959; I wasn’t alive, then.  And, to top it all off, you would think a thrill-seeker like him would attempt a prison break.  What’s he gonna do?  Get shot and killed?  But, no.  He just…ends the deal.

If anything, this is a story that maybe should’ve been shelved for S4, when they were doing hour-longs.  Because, there’s so much lost potential, and just five productions later, they’d be making a better version, anyway.

The one saving grace is the cast.  ESPECIALLY Thomas Gomez, who is just FULLY chewing the scenery as the Devil.  He gave a Bobby Carlyle Rumpelstiltskin-type flair to the role that I just love.  And the smoking stamp?  Such a nice touch.  His first scene (not so much the second; see above) was just perfect.

[swordofmoonl1ght]

Underrated Twilight Zone Episodes / 1x03 Mr. Denton on Doomsday

[eternal--returned]

Rod Serling ֍ Dan Duryea & Malcolm Atterbury in The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 3: Mr. Denton on Doomsday (1959)

Portrait of a town drunk named Al Denton. This is a man who's begun his dying early - a long, agonizing route through a maze of bottles. Al Denton, who would probably give an arm or a leg or a part of his soul to have another chance, to be able to rise up and shake the dirt from his body and the bad dreams that infest his consciousness.

[reinhardhohn]

Jeanne Cooper as Liz in "Mr. Denton on doomesday" (1959).

[lifewithaview]

The Twilight Zone(1959) Mr. Denton on Doomsday

In the Old West, the drunkard Al Denton is bullied by the gunman Dan Hotaling to get some booze. The mysterious Henry J. Fate observes the humiliation and Al Denton finds a revolver on the street. When Dan sees Al Denton with a revolver in his hand, he challenges the drunk to a gunfight. Fate observes again and makes a movement with his hand that will change the life of Al Denton.

[fanofspooky]

The Twilight Zone S1E3

Mr. Denton on Doomsday

“Mr. Henry Fate, dealer in utensils and pots and pans, liniments and potions. A fanciful little man in a black, frock coat, who can help a man climbing out of a pit - or another man from falling into one. Because, you see, Fate can work that way - in The Twilight Zone.”

[twilight-zone-as-tma-fears]

Episode 3: Mr. Denton on Doomsday

The Desolation

Al Denton used to be a excellent marksman until he killed a 16 year old in a duel and is now an alcoholic. He finds a gun that makes him regain his talent, but he knows that with his reputation back he will be forced to duel more men who challenge him. After a terrible practice, he wants to skip town, but a salesman named Henry J. Fate gives him a potion that will make him be able to hit any target. Then, the other man shows up with the same potion, and they shoot each other in the hand. Denton ends by telling him he is blessed because he will never shoot out of anger again.

This is one where I’m focusing on the fear of the characters rather than what makes it scary to the audience. I would say desolation for this one, focusing on the fear of senseless loss and destruction of potential. Denton stopped originally because he killed someone so young who hadn’t lived yet, and he shot the other man in the hand so he wouldn’t go down the same path he did.

[upstartgeek]

watched mr denton on doomsday again yes i am unwell

[makaientjluvdaprince]

I just watched The Twilight Zone 1x03 "Mr. Denton on Doomsday"

[thatsnotfairpod]

Hey hey hey!

Second episode is out now!

This time we talk about episodes 3, "Mr. Denton on Doomsday", and 4, "The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine".

We talk about cowboys and lack thereof, Fate with a capital F, and good old-fashioned Hollywood sexism with a bit of the actual fifth dimension sprinkled in.

Catch it on your podcast app of choice or our podcast page.

[themoviejunkiesite]

Godless Netflix Series - A Western for the Ages

A period piece set in La Belle, New Mexico in the later part of the 19th century, the Godless Netflix Series is a beautiful western. With names like Michelle Dockery (Downtown Abbey), Jeff Daniels, and Scoot McNairy gracing the cast list, you are bound to see something special. It sees all the men of the mining town perish in an accident while the womenfolk attempt to run the town.

Plot of Godless Netflix Series

This situation reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode of Mr. Denton on Doomsday where this old town drunk turns into an ace shooter. It's basically a cyclical thing that happens when a man takes up arms, falls to pieces with time, and goes back to shooting again.

There are also moments of levity that punctuate the brutal storytelling of Godless which adds to the richness of the story. There are no two-dimensional characters in this series with every character given its due screentime and backstory. The level of detail in storytelling in this series is excellent where every prop has a function. For example, A girl's ponytail ribbon in a home with smallpox is shown tied to a grave the next day.

Cinematography

People struggled to live in those times, but the ones who survived were also grateful for everything they had. This is one thing that we can take from them and apply in our lives today.

In general, this Western has beautiful cinematography that makes you long for the days when nature wasn't as ravaged as it is today.

Read, Good Girls Netflix Series - A Slow Burning Dramedy

Title Sequence and Background Score

The title sequence is visually stunning with a score that is equally amazing. In a series such as this, the background score can even make or break the episode, and they do not disappoint.

Coming to the actors Michelle Dockery does a fantastic job of a hardened widow and Merritt Wever plays a tough character protecting her loved ones. Scoot McNairy brings the same intensity he did in DCEU's Batman vs. Superman Dawn of Justice, scaling Superman's memorial statue. There's a metaphor there in that scene that I just can't place my finger on.

Coming back to Godless, the special effects, practical or otherwise are simply amazing, especially when you see Frank Griffin's arm after it is shot by Goode. None of the gore is gratuitous and serves a significant part of the plotline. Frank Griffin's gang of outlaws are not exactly saints, with a pair of twin psychopaths who did something horrible, yet were accepted into the gang.

You might like Love, Death, and Robots V3

Why Should You Watch It?

Westerns have the unenviable reputation of being slow-paced and all about the action. But Godless is not slow, even when apparently showing a seemingly touching moment between man and beast. You see Roy Goode breaking the horses in a humane and gentle manner, showing he is at his core, a kind person.

The end of this series is in no way or form predictable, in the best way possible. Yet the end of Season 1 is done wonderfully leaving the audience with a sense of possibility and hope.

Like this review? Subscribe for more!

[swordofmoonl1ght]

Malcolm Atterbury as Henry J. Fate

The Twilight Zone - Season 1 Episode 3 (1959)

“Mr. Denton on Doomsday”

bonus:

[yraelviii]

Glad I'm not the only one who has done this.

"Where Is Everybody?" is 100% Lonely

"One for the Angels" is definitely The End

"Mr. Denton on Doomsday" is the Slaughter

"Sixteen Millimeter Shrine" and "Walking Distance" are difficult to categorize, just because they're not about a straightforward Fear. Maybe The End in a roundabout way of being afraid/resistant to the passage of time. "Escape Clause" is also definitely The End

"The Lonely" is exactly as it says it is

"Time Enough at Last" is easily the Extinction

"Perchance to Dream" has a strong Spiral vibe to it.

"What You Need" and "The Fever" are definitely Web-related tales with questions of free will and compulsion..

It's a fun hobby.

Hey guys I came up with a fun new game its called "watch twilight zone and see how many tma fears I can assign to each episode" for example the living doll is the stranger, the sixteen millimeter shrine is the spiral, etc etc. There is literally an episode called The Lonely come on people

[zippocreed501]

Twilight Zone S1 Ep3

'Mr Denton On Doomsday' (1959)

[missfilmnoir]

The Twilight Zone Ep. 3 - Mr. Denton on Doomsday

---

“Portrait of a town drunk named Al Denton. This is a man who's begun his dying early - a long, agonizing route through a maze of bottles. Al Denton, who would probably give an arm or a leg or a part of his soul to have another chance, to be able to rise up and shake the dirt from his body and the bad dreams that infest his consciousness.”

[proverbialschoolmarm]