Second Chance
The Outer Limits (1963)
Second Chance, directed by Paul Stanley.
"Do not be afraid. You have nothing to lose but your life" -- the Empyrian.
The setup is like something from Ray Bradbury: a carnival spaceship attraction has been converted into the real thing by an alien visitor. He plans to abduct a set of human beings for a one-way mission in space. He has selected those who might appreciate a second chance at life, but humans are unpredictable.
The execution is more like The Twilight Zone than The Outer Limits. The plot is more or less an excuse for psychodrama subplots and overwrought speechifying. It would be a better episode if they could have found something stranger to do with that time.
I recognized his voice before I realized the bird-like alien is played by Simon Oakland:
The Empyrian is actually understanding and "humane", but takes his mission seriously and kills when he has to.
Notes:
Don Gordon returns from The Invisibles. He is friendly and intellectual this time.
First of three episodes directed by Paul Stanley. He was a prolific TV director, and I remember him best for Sole Survivor (1970). "What was that one about ghosts around a crashed bomber in the desert...?"
Photographed by Kenneth Peach, like Conrad Hall experimenting with lens filtering. Sometimes the image is divided in half, one side filtered and the other sharp.
The alien is never filtered, as if we are dared to examine the makeup job.
My heart goes out to the night watchman at the carnival. It is always a dangerous job when weirdness is afoot, like the watchman at the greenhouse in Day of the Triffids (1962).
The SF description of off-course colliding planets is dumb. They did it in Controlled Experiment but that was a comedy.
No Control Voice ending narration this time.
The Blu-ray has no commentary track.
