My Top 10 Favorite Episodes Of The Outer Limits

there is nothing wrong with your television set do not attempt to adjust the picture we are controlling transmission a lot of people's familiarity with the Outer Limits begins and ends with that famous and off parody intro sequence it's not too surprising since these slower melodramatic black and white shows from over half a century ago have become something of an acquired taste for a lot of audiences today but to scifi horror anthology junkies like myself the original Outer Limits series remains a classic it gave us interesting Syfy premises memorable creatures timeless and poignant messages and compelling writing and acting that were pretty much on par with the more famous Twilight Zone and today I'm here to spotlight what I consider some of its finest entries for the next several minutes sit quietly and I will control all that you see you are about to experience the bias and subjectivity that reaches from the inner mind to my top 10 favorite episodes of the album limit [Music] number ten I Robot based on the 1939 story by Otto binder this episode deals with an intelligent robot atom link being put on trial for supposedly murdering his scientist creator Adam insists that it was all an accident but misunderstandings fearful distorted testimonies and the troubling implications of recognizing an artificial being as equal to a human all greatly stacked the odds against Adam and ultimately the inventive nature and ambition of mankind itself is arguably being put on trial as much as the robot is I Robot gives us a thought-provoking courtroom drama about artificial intelligence and humanity's responsibility to its creations with a magis to Frankenstein and Leonard frickin Nimoy playing the journalist who sets this whole robot trial idea in motion how could I not love this episode granted the courtroom aspect probably isn't for everyone Adams voice can get kind of grating and being from an episode of low-budget 60s television he's not the most impressive looking robot ever but the performance is an interesting debate going on in this episode make it quite a standout and well worth a watch I heartily recommend I Robot number 9 the galaxy being this was the first episode and I think it got the series off to a pretty promising start Alan a man working at a radio station has made an obsessive hobby of tinkering with the transmitter and other equipment in hopes of establishing communication with extraterrestrial life it's gotten to the point where he's neglecting his job friends and wife but one day he actually succeeds in contacting a being from Andromeda and it's every bit as fascinating as he could have hoped but when the alien is inadvertently transported to earth and wreaks unintentional havoc and defends against the frightened humans who lay eyes on it this monumental discovery may prove to be one that mankind in its present state simply isn't ready for with subsequent movies like et or The Iron Giant sticking much more in people's consciousness this story might come across as a bit dull or cliche to some but personally I think the galaxy being still holds up pretty well it has a couple of my favorite moments in the whole series like when Alan and the alien both risk-taking inquisitive explorers are just talking asking each other questions about the other's physiology and understanding of concepts like God and death or the scene where the alien briefly wanders through a store and just curiously looks at all the peculiar earthling thingamajigs it's a solid episode with a timeless message that fear and force will not ultimately gain us as much as understanding of ourselves and empathy toward each other number eight the chameleon an alien spaceship lands on earth and the military is preparing to destroy it after the aliens have remained unresponsive to communication attempts and even killed a few soldiers who came too close to the ship in a final attempt to learn what the aliens intentions truly are a professional spy is brought in to undergo a transformation into one of the aliens own kind so we can infiltrate the ship get answers and if need be kill them before they become a threat to humankind but as he begins acclimating to his new form and gets to know these beings from a faraway world he begins to question his mission and whether or not he truly still belongs in this world on the surface this may sound like a predictable going native story but it's all in the execution and what really elevates it is the titular chameleon himself mace not just because he's played by the legendary Robert Duvall but because he stands out to me as one of the most legitimately interesting characters in a series full of fairly basic archetypes albeit still perfectly engaging ones mace is shown right away as a man who is accustomed to fighting espionage and being an expendable cog in the machine and he's resigned to all of that but not in the jaded or Ruby way that you might expect Duvall plays it with such a fascinatingly calm what will be will be attitude in regards to volt this outlandish mission and the solitary directionless like he lives whenever he's not on any missions it's a story of a man who is drifted through a violent life with nothing to truly live for finding something to live for in the most unexpected of places neat-looking aliens and a familiar premise made captivating by a great actor and engrossing writing the chameleon hopefully won't blend into its surroundings too much or you'll miss out on a great episode number seven a feasibility study an entire neighborhood is abducted by aliens from the planet and luminous like literally the whole suburb is teleported right off the surface of the planet and the residents are initially none the wiser just thinking it's an oddly foggy day until they see what awaits them when they try to leave the limits of the neighborhood it turns out these people are guinea pigs in a frightening experiment the loom annoyed czar conducting the loom annoyed Czar afflicted with a disease of grotesque rock-like growths that spread as they age and eventually leave them completely immobilized so they're testing the feasibility of enlisting humans as slaves to do their physical labor for them if any human refuses to cooperate a mere touch from aluminide will infect the human with the same horrible disease well these neighbors be able to save themselves and if not will they find a way to save the rest of humanity from a future of enslavement while almost the entire alien plan is made known to the audience right at the beginning by the narrator this episode can be considered kind of a slow burn as the main humans don't really get wise to what's going on until around halfway through it wisely takes its time getting us invested in their regular lives and what were the biggest problems of their lives before the weight of their true problem puts things into perspective and they come to better appreciate what's really important and what makes life life a great episode with some moody atmosphere an involving emotional center and an ending resolution that the cynical curmudgeon in me wants to reflexively call on but hey anthology shows like this frequently show adversity bringing out the worst in people and this one shows that it can sometimes bring out the best in them instead and it does so in a pretty well presented inspiring way number 6 the man who is never born an astronaut flies through a random timey wimey portal thingy as you do and winds up on a desolate world that turns out to be earth about 200 years in the future the only survivor is a horribly mutated man named Andrew who explains that all of humanity was mutated rendered unable to reproduce and ultimately wiped out all due to a new microbe developed by a 20th century scientist the astronaut and mutant decided to go back through the time portal to try and warn people of its bleak future but when Andrew finds himself alone with nobody to corroborate his crazy story he must take more drastic measures using some kind of hypnotic suggestions super power he's able to hide his true grotesque appearance from the modern-day people as he prepares to eliminate the man responsible for humanity's doom however this is easier said than done when Andrew finds himself falling in love with a woman who's destined to give birth to that very man the ever awesome Martin Landau does a superb job as Andrew a hideous Quasimodo looking outcast that even the episode's prologue presents as just another menacing Outer Limits monster but he quickly proves to be very intelligent well-spoken and a true romantic at heart and his emotional and ethical turmoil really endeared you the romantic bits maybe just a bit too flowery or so coppery to some but again sixties television and overall it does work it's a sweet beauty in the bees tail mixed with thought-provoking time-travel questions about what sort of sacrifices are acceptable for the greater good of the future and it has an unforgettably bittersweet ending the man who is never born is an episode that must never be missed number five the bellerose shield another episode with Martin Landau this time playing a scientist named Richard bell arrow who's disappointed father is planning to leave his business empire to someone outside the family instead of his son much to the chagrin of Richard and even more so to its power-hungry wife Judith suddenly a laser Richard has been experimenting with unexpectedly pulls down a peaceful interdimensional alien into their house he comes with a device that generates an impenetrable shield around him and Judith sees this as a golden opportunity to at last bring glory to her husband's name and rub her father-in-law's nose in it so she steals the device and plans to present it to the world as Richards invention however what will happen when her ambitions and the underhanded things she does to achieve them land her trapped inside this indestructible box with no way of turning it off this is one episode where the creature of the week is actually one of the least interesting parts not because it's bad at all but because this family and the dynamics between them are so intriguing and entertaining to watch that they probably could have carried a great episode without any cool sci-fi elements in it there's Richard's wish to be accepted by his father and wife while he's trying to be an honest scientist with less interest in profit or notoriety than them there's his wife and father's passive-aggressive resentment towards each other that their flimsy masks of civility can only contain for so long there's the quiet calculating housekeepers interesting relationship with Judith and how far she'll go to protect her and cover for her more dubious deeds and then there's Richard and Judith as a couple while Judith is indeed a schemer I like how she's not depicted purely as a greedy gold digger and the relationship between her and Richard feels a bit more sincere and nuanced which makes the whole rest of the story that much stronger the bellerose shield is a layered memorable tale of the honest pursuit of scientific discovery and the betterment of humankind being twisted by family politics ambition and greed number four the architects of fear with the ever-present possibility of nuclear war looming a group of scientists enact an elaborate plan to unite the nations of a world with a fear of a common enemy an enemy they will create one of the scientists another guy named Alan will undergo a thorough arduous transformation into an alien so real and so threatening that the fear of an invasion from such creatures will hopefully make humanity stop fighting among themselves and come together however to do this Alan must become dead to the world including his beloved wife and unborn child which he only finds out about after there's already no turning back from his impending transformation as the plan proceeds along Alan gradually loses every trace of his human form and laments giving up the happy life he could have had with his love but he and his fellow architects remain determined to see it through in hopes that they will ultimately save the entire world at the cost of just one man sacrificing everything this is regarded by many Outer Limits fans it's one of the very best episodes and it's well deserved its premise is one of the most original and well presented in the whole series Alan Moore even took inspiration from this episode when writing Watchmen while it's not really a horror story per se it does have this sombre foreboding mood all throughout terrific shadowy atmosphere and even a little bit of proto body horror as Alan slow metamorphosis proceeds losing more and more of his recognizable human body and seemingly losing his mind at times we also have a genuinely effecting emotional core elevating this from an interesting little slice of sci-fi to a truly tragic tale that makes you think and tugs at your heartstrings at the same time a powerful story of men trying to change the world through fear while guided by fear themselves the architects of fear is a classic of the series made by architects of great storytelling number three the Zante misfits a group of military officers and a historian set up base in a ghost town awaiting the arrival of an alien penal ship from the planet Santee the mysterious zandi's have coerced the humans into letting them use earth as a place to exile their criminals and demand that no humans encroach on their privacy despite the military taking measures to keep this desert area closed off a bank robber and his girlfriend on the run unexpectedly get through the perimeter and stumble upon the ship unwittingly botching this delicate interplanetary arrangement and setting a ship of alien miscreants loose in a series full of memorable alien creatures thes antes may well be the most memorable and as much as I'd love to show them here part of why this episode is so good is the tension and anticipation leading up to their reveal you really just need to watch the episode yourself that said when they are revealed you may find the outer limits age and budget really show in the Sandi's awkward stop-motion but I think some of that actually helps them come across freakier it's not all about the monsters either from the start of the episode there's a riveting sense of dread and mystery and some interesting dialogue as the soldiers and historians speculate about the Santee's in this whole arrangement and it only gets better when things go wrong and they try their damnedest to salvage a situation keep things diplomatic and hopefully prevent a full-blown war an awesome iconic episode with decent characters unforgettable aliens palpable tension and a clever ending revelation of why the Santee's really chose earth as the place to send their misfits not necessarily a better episode than the architects of fear but one that I personally enjoy rewatching just a little bit more number 2 nightmare earth is at war with a planet called Evan and a squad of soldiers who were on their way to carry out a mission on the enemy homeworld our quickly captured by the ever Knights and taken to a prison camp unlike any other the ever Knights technology can control the five senses of a human taking away their ability to speak or see creating illusions that play to their emotional weaknesses and more they use these horrific means to interrogate the soldiers one at a time even resulting in one of them dying and when it seems that one of them may have succumbed and given vital info to the enemy the increasingly stressed and paranoid soldiers begin to turn on each other this is a unique chilling episode that really makes you feel trapped on an alien world and gets it across with very little the shadowy isolated minimalistic setting puts you right in the shoes of the characters who all manage to give off a distinct personality and substantial tensions between one another as the episode progresses the ever Knights are arguably the best aliens in this series excelling as both intimidating bizarre monsters and as intelligent charismatic and near the end even honestly sympathetic people the very end of the episode could be considered somewhat abruptly whelming but overall it still works and the rest of the story remains one of the show's most riveting a dark disquieting scenario distinct well-acted characters atmospheric psychological horror and a perfect twist which puts all these prisoners have gone through in a whole new context nightmare is a quintessential Outer Limits episode there are definitely more than just 10 great episodes of this series so before my number one pick here are some runner ups that come pretty close to making the list you're ignorant makes me ill and angry [Music] trained from birth by the state he has never known love or closeness or warmth he is geared for only one purpose to kill the enemy and the enemy waits for him [Music] so many things in common there's got to be a reason a purpose is that it mr. Ballard no clue lieutenant no inkling what it may be something alien in your head something guiding you pointing you directing you and my number one favorite Outer Limits episode is demon with a glass hand a man named trend is on the run from aliens called a kybun he has no memory prior to the last few days and his left hand is a tucking computer that advises him but can't answer his many questions until they can retreat its missing fingers which are like the lobes of the computer's brain and the fingers are in the possession of the kybun it soon revealed that Trent and the kybun are from a thousand years in the future where a war between Earth and the kybun ended with every human in the world mysteriously disappearing overnight after unleashing a virus to wipe the kyvan out leaving Trent the only survivor and the last hope for humanity's continued existence trapped in a building with a force field around it to keep anyone from getting in or out and with a frightened present-day woman as his only Ally Trent must fight to stay alive against these invaders from another world and time and reacquire the glass fingers that hold the answers to his true identity and the key to saving mankind's future this episode was written by the late great Harlan Ellison and anyone who talks about it has to mention how Ellison actually sued the creators of the Terminator for allegedly ripping off this episode and another episode Ellison wrote entitled soldier when you watch these two episodes you can see the similarities to the Terminator and I've heard that James Cameron once flat out admitted that he quote-unquote ripped off Harlan Ellison but we're here to talk about demon with a glass hand not the other stories it may have inspired one noteworthy thing about this episode is its setting the Bradbury building which would later be where the final season Blade Runner were filmed even ignoring that bit of trivia the setting really lends a cool almost gothic feel to the episode from the very start demon stands out from the other episodes with its setting instantly striking film noir law and more complicated premise that you really wish they had the extra time and money to show more of the way the backstory is revealed one reclaimed finger at a time gives a unique draw to the story and meanwhile we have a gripping thriller with Trent trying to elude or fight off the kybun the coven themselves just look like humans with black circles around their eyes and shower caps or pantyhose on their heads which in a series full of low budget but still striking creatures is pretty lame but at least they have an in-universe reason for not looking more alien what with not wanting to alter the timeline with their very appearance the whole falling in love within just a few hours of meeting each other maybe kind of week by today's standards but the dire situation they're in and the little moments they have do make Trent and consuelo's relationship a good dash of humanity that makes the dark utilitarian plot hit harder this is another one of the most remembered episodes and it's easy to see why I'm not surprised it inspired future movies since with its stylish presentation and the way it's written it almost feels like a movie already and that's partly why I find it a more enthralling experience than any other episode an acclaimed writer a gripping story that blends classic sci-fi and tense film noir and an ending that's hinted at quite a bit beforehand but is no less bittersweet and effective for it demon with a glass hand is just too creative captivating and all-around cool not to call it my favorite episode and that's my top 10 favorite Outer Limits episodes in case anybody's wondering I may eventually do a video on the revived series from the 90s and early 2000s but probably not anytime soon that series ran a lot longer meaning a lot more episodes I'd have to get through and in the meantime I have other videos I want to make first for now I'm the adorkable rj saying please give the original Outer Limits series a watch if you haven't already thanks for watching and see you next time

Channel: TheAdorkableRJ

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Keywords: the outer limits, outer, limits, outer limits, top 10, favorite, episodes, best, anthology, series, tv, television, sci-fi, science fiction, horror, fantasy, classic, 1963, 1960's, black and white, joseph stefano, robert duvall, william shatner, leonard nimoy, robert culp, harlan ellison, kyben, zanti, ebonite, luminoid, list, countdown, martin landau, robots, monsters, creatures, aliens, film noir, monochrome, time travel, TheAdorkableRJ, favorite episodes, top10, of, new, review, outer_limits, outerlimits

Id: IgdSEiC4pJk

Length: 22min 26sec (1346 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 17 2020