In a manner of speaking. This was the first hour long Twilight Zone episode kicking off the fourth season of the series and it was an auspicious start. Most of the twenty five minute episodes blew by so quickly they seemed to be about half that length. Correspondingly, this one felt like it was a half hour show. At a time almost fifty years after the debut of this story, science and technology have progressed to the point that an Alan Talbot is closer to possibility than ever before. I'm not sure that's such a good thing, no matter how miraculous it might seem. There are always the unintended consequences, often coming at a time when it's too late for things to be undone.
Interestingly, the thought that came to me during the scene when Talbot (George Grizzard) peeled back his synthetic skin had to do with "The Terminator", and that film came out a little more than twenty years later. Can it be? The director of that film and 'In His Image' turns out to be the same guy - James Cameron! Talk about a Twilight Zone moment. This would have all made a lot more sense if the federal government weren't consulting Cameron on how to confront the Mexican Gulf oil spill disaster. Thankfully, that was in and out of the news in the span of about twenty four hours.
Besides the hour long format, this episode also managed to blend sci-fi and horror into a compelling story. Talbot's faulty memories manage to keep the viewer guessing until the payoff, at which point one wonders what direction the story will take to a resolution. In that respect, the finale falls back on a tried and true formula, with writers Serling and Charles Beaumont completing a twist with their lead character to close out the story. It might have been interesting for Jessica (Gail Gobe) to smoke out the 'phony' Alan Talbot, but that probably would have required a feature length movie.
Interestingly, the thought that came to me during the scene when Talbot (George Grizzard) peeled back his synthetic skin had to do with "The Terminator", and that film came out a little more than twenty years later. Can it be? The director of that film and 'In His Image' turns out to be the same guy - James Cameron! Talk about a Twilight Zone moment. This would have all made a lot more sense if the federal government weren't consulting Cameron on how to confront the Mexican Gulf oil spill disaster. Thankfully, that was in and out of the news in the span of about twenty four hours.
Besides the hour long format, this episode also managed to blend sci-fi and horror into a compelling story. Talbot's faulty memories manage to keep the viewer guessing until the payoff, at which point one wonders what direction the story will take to a resolution. In that respect, the finale falls back on a tried and true formula, with writers Serling and Charles Beaumont completing a twist with their lead character to close out the story. It might have been interesting for Jessica (Gail Gobe) to smoke out the 'phony' Alan Talbot, but that probably would have required a feature length movie.