I'll start out by being facetious here - you know what's really scary about this episode? Regular gas at twenty seven nine per gallon. It stayed that way up until at least 1967, because that's what I paid as a first time driver, and putting a couple of bucks worth in the family car went a long way. Man, I miss those days as much as as I miss great old TV classics like The Twilight Zone passing off into the sunset.
So here's a nifty little story that exudes a sense of dread throughout, an unsettling feeling that Nan Adams (Inger Stevens) must at some point face a terrifying reality that involves a creepy little hitchhiker that keeps popping up at every turn. It's fairly easy to figure out the ending, but in hindsight, the story offers more than one possibility as to when Miss Adams could have met her demise. Though it turns out it was at the very beginning of the picture, it could just as well have been while stalled on the train tracks or as the victim of an ill intentioned sailor. Speaking of which, said serviceman must have been really agitated to pass up on a come on from Inger Stevens, even if it was to secure an advantage she hoped would keep her from harm.
I have to say, I didn't care much for old John Thompson (George Mitchell), the gas station guy. Would it have killed him to lend a helping hand to a stranded traveler in need of a few gallons of gas? Where was that sense of helping out someone in need just because it was the right thing to do? He's just the kind of character you could figure would get his comeuppance in a future episode of The Twilight Zone.
So here's a nifty little story that exudes a sense of dread throughout, an unsettling feeling that Nan Adams (Inger Stevens) must at some point face a terrifying reality that involves a creepy little hitchhiker that keeps popping up at every turn. It's fairly easy to figure out the ending, but in hindsight, the story offers more than one possibility as to when Miss Adams could have met her demise. Though it turns out it was at the very beginning of the picture, it could just as well have been while stalled on the train tracks or as the victim of an ill intentioned sailor. Speaking of which, said serviceman must have been really agitated to pass up on a come on from Inger Stevens, even if it was to secure an advantage she hoped would keep her from harm.
I have to say, I didn't care much for old John Thompson (George Mitchell), the gas station guy. Would it have killed him to lend a helping hand to a stranded traveler in need of a few gallons of gas? Where was that sense of helping out someone in need just because it was the right thing to do? He's just the kind of character you could figure would get his comeuppance in a future episode of The Twilight Zone.