It's already been said that this episode views as a tweaked rip-off of 'It's a Wonderful Life' but that's not what's causing me to dislike this episode. Yes, it could be more original but if you look at The Twilight Zone closely, you can see a few themes repeated; selling one's soul to the devil, becoming a kid again, longing for the simple life, and time travel were often the building blocks for interesting episodes.
Agnes Grep is the awkward and hopeless young woman in need of help. The problem is, she never looks as though she needs help at all. From the very beginning she never acts like she's displeased with her life, so why should the angels feel compelled to change it all? Sure, she can't hold a job, and she's a klutz but to her advantage she seems happy enough and very kind to those around her. So it begs the question: What was the point of this episode? To show a woman who already enjoyed her life, that she should enjoy her life?
They could have just made her more physically balanced and she'd have been fine. It wasn't really the kind of major task they made it out to be. You'd think as angels they'd have said, "That poor girl is so nice and happy but she sure falls a lot. Let's fix that!" Snapped their fingers (or licked their thumb and touched it to the palm of the opposing hand if you've seen the episode) and be done with it. Save angel in training, Cavender for something really big, like a homeless woman with no options instead of a girl that's just a bit clumsy.
The biggest issue I have with this episode is the script itself. The idea is alright but the execution was terrible. Agnes is riding a bus when suddenly, a man appears next to her and she just smiles at him for a moment and continues to look out the window. He explains he's her guardian angel, he proves it to her by turning the bus into a convertible car, and just shrugs it off. She's not shocked or taken back. It's like she doesn't even notice it but we know she does. No matter what he does, she's never astonished or impressed; as if it's commonplace to have your world turned on its head.
The entire episode reminded me of the last minute homework you'd do in class while the teacher is preparing to collect it, just so you have something done, even if it makes no sense. Maybe this was the result of a flaky crew doing what they could at last minute.
Agnes Grep is the awkward and hopeless young woman in need of help. The problem is, she never looks as though she needs help at all. From the very beginning she never acts like she's displeased with her life, so why should the angels feel compelled to change it all? Sure, she can't hold a job, and she's a klutz but to her advantage she seems happy enough and very kind to those around her. So it begs the question: What was the point of this episode? To show a woman who already enjoyed her life, that she should enjoy her life?
They could have just made her more physically balanced and she'd have been fine. It wasn't really the kind of major task they made it out to be. You'd think as angels they'd have said, "That poor girl is so nice and happy but she sure falls a lot. Let's fix that!" Snapped their fingers (or licked their thumb and touched it to the palm of the opposing hand if you've seen the episode) and be done with it. Save angel in training, Cavender for something really big, like a homeless woman with no options instead of a girl that's just a bit clumsy.
The biggest issue I have with this episode is the script itself. The idea is alright but the execution was terrible. Agnes is riding a bus when suddenly, a man appears next to her and she just smiles at him for a moment and continues to look out the window. He explains he's her guardian angel, he proves it to her by turning the bus into a convertible car, and just shrugs it off. She's not shocked or taken back. It's like she doesn't even notice it but we know she does. No matter what he does, she's never astonished or impressed; as if it's commonplace to have your world turned on its head.
The entire episode reminded me of the last minute homework you'd do in class while the teacher is preparing to collect it, just so you have something done, even if it makes no sense. Maybe this was the result of a flaky crew doing what they could at last minute.