The story starts stupidly, with two (very obviously) young actors made up as old men - which immediately implies that there will be flashbacks to decades earlier when they were young. (Or in this case time-travel.) So that's a major spoiler right there which only makes this nonsense even more dreary.
Even worse, one of them starts giving a moral serlingian speech, berating the other - very much in keeping with the Serling tradition to annoy and bore the viewers with the usual corny bitterness and holier-than-thou babble.
Much worse than all this crap though is the casting of the "evil capitalist" villain: some amateur hack who hams it up as if this were a children's comedy, Sesame Street, or whatever. (I know, there was no Sesame Street then.) To exacerbate things, his bald head is clearly not bald by nature but bald because it's wrapped by a very obvious piece of plastic (or whatever), tightly fitted onto his overacting head. He talks like a total buffoon, in a very unnatural mega-theatrical way that makes it impossible to maintain any interest in the rest of the episode. Small wonder I'd never heard of this actor, before or since this episode. I was rather shocked to find that his page here is full of movies and TV appearances. This guy actually had an extensive career!
By total contrast, Julie Newmar's sudden appearance was a very nice surprise, after all the crap that transpired beforehand. But... she wears horns. And the CEO's reaction to them is of course... very dumb, as everything else this overactor does. Are we meant to believe that he'd met devils and demons many times throughout his life?
She offers the Overactor a Faustian deal, which naturally has to have loopholes. Overactor KNOWS about the loopholes, so at least that's a refreshing change, but of course he eventually - and predictably - gets duped.
I don't so much mind loopholes but the fact I was able to predict one of them. When Overactor said "I want to look as young as I was 53 years ago" I immediately thought "well, this doesn't include his youthful health - just the appearance of youth". So if I was able to figure out the loophole, why wasn't Overactor? Or are we to believe he got extremely wealthy by sheer chance, by being stupid and lucky? Which is pretty much what is implied here. Sorry, but this doesn't wash... (Wealthy) lib writers have the right to hate ultra-wealthy capitalists (envy, perhaps?), but they can't tell us that these mega-successful entrepreneurs are dim-witted buffoons. Well, they CAN tell us, but it's going to drag the script down.
Besides, how did Devil Newmar know that Overactor would act so foolishly when he rejoins the past? Overactor assumed off-hand that just because he knew of "future" technology that this would somehow make it happen in 1910. This is unrealistic. Nor does it make any sense why Overactor couldn't simply focus on the stock market (which he already stated he'd know in advance) once his land ownership oil deal turned out to be a fluke.
Speaking of which, Overactor neglecting the fact that the oil wouldn't be obtainable until several decades later makes us question HOW the hell he got so rich in the first place! His actions seem to be that of an unintelligent risk-taker, not that of a cunning entrepreneur. Or am I to believe that old age had turned this CEO into a blithering moron with neither business sense nor common sense? The only clown here is the guy in charge of the script...
The last scene is totally flawed, because instead of wrapping up things neatly it only raises more questions and makes the episode even dumber. The Devil (Newmar) actually ANGRILY BERATES the capitalist for his various vices and evils... Which implies... what exactly? That the Devil is actually an instrument of God, dishing out just punishment in the name of goodness and fairness? Interesting, this notion that Satan hates evil people. Devil Newmar is ANGRY at Overactor for being nasty, which is laughable. Shouldn't the Devil like these evil people instead? This makes zero sense and serves as the most concrete proof that no thought went into the production of this episode.
In fact, I've often wondered WHY Hell is used for punishing evil people. If Satan is in charge of it, then shouldn't he be REWARDING God's enemies for being enemies? The purpose of Hell would make sense only if God were the boss there...
Still, that at least isn't Serling's fault. That particular "logic complaint" I should address at the writers of the Bible, all those brave story-tellers...
Even worse, one of them starts giving a moral serlingian speech, berating the other - very much in keeping with the Serling tradition to annoy and bore the viewers with the usual corny bitterness and holier-than-thou babble.
Much worse than all this crap though is the casting of the "evil capitalist" villain: some amateur hack who hams it up as if this were a children's comedy, Sesame Street, or whatever. (I know, there was no Sesame Street then.) To exacerbate things, his bald head is clearly not bald by nature but bald because it's wrapped by a very obvious piece of plastic (or whatever), tightly fitted onto his overacting head. He talks like a total buffoon, in a very unnatural mega-theatrical way that makes it impossible to maintain any interest in the rest of the episode. Small wonder I'd never heard of this actor, before or since this episode. I was rather shocked to find that his page here is full of movies and TV appearances. This guy actually had an extensive career!
By total contrast, Julie Newmar's sudden appearance was a very nice surprise, after all the crap that transpired beforehand. But... she wears horns. And the CEO's reaction to them is of course... very dumb, as everything else this overactor does. Are we meant to believe that he'd met devils and demons many times throughout his life?
She offers the Overactor a Faustian deal, which naturally has to have loopholes. Overactor KNOWS about the loopholes, so at least that's a refreshing change, but of course he eventually - and predictably - gets duped.
I don't so much mind loopholes but the fact I was able to predict one of them. When Overactor said "I want to look as young as I was 53 years ago" I immediately thought "well, this doesn't include his youthful health - just the appearance of youth". So if I was able to figure out the loophole, why wasn't Overactor? Or are we to believe he got extremely wealthy by sheer chance, by being stupid and lucky? Which is pretty much what is implied here. Sorry, but this doesn't wash... (Wealthy) lib writers have the right to hate ultra-wealthy capitalists (envy, perhaps?), but they can't tell us that these mega-successful entrepreneurs are dim-witted buffoons. Well, they CAN tell us, but it's going to drag the script down.
Besides, how did Devil Newmar know that Overactor would act so foolishly when he rejoins the past? Overactor assumed off-hand that just because he knew of "future" technology that this would somehow make it happen in 1910. This is unrealistic. Nor does it make any sense why Overactor couldn't simply focus on the stock market (which he already stated he'd know in advance) once his land ownership oil deal turned out to be a fluke.
Speaking of which, Overactor neglecting the fact that the oil wouldn't be obtainable until several decades later makes us question HOW the hell he got so rich in the first place! His actions seem to be that of an unintelligent risk-taker, not that of a cunning entrepreneur. Or am I to believe that old age had turned this CEO into a blithering moron with neither business sense nor common sense? The only clown here is the guy in charge of the script...
The last scene is totally flawed, because instead of wrapping up things neatly it only raises more questions and makes the episode even dumber. The Devil (Newmar) actually ANGRILY BERATES the capitalist for his various vices and evils... Which implies... what exactly? That the Devil is actually an instrument of God, dishing out just punishment in the name of goodness and fairness? Interesting, this notion that Satan hates evil people. Devil Newmar is ANGRY at Overactor for being nasty, which is laughable. Shouldn't the Devil like these evil people instead? This makes zero sense and serves as the most concrete proof that no thought went into the production of this episode.
In fact, I've often wondered WHY Hell is used for punishing evil people. If Satan is in charge of it, then shouldn't he be REWARDING God's enemies for being enemies? The purpose of Hell would make sense only if God were the boss there...
Still, that at least isn't Serling's fault. That particular "logic complaint" I should address at the writers of the Bible, all those brave story-tellers...