A space probe is mysteriously lost on the tracking screen at command central, leaving the technicians at a loss for explanation. Meanwhile, the probe crashes on what appears to be a lifelessly barren asteroid. The crew must now face the challenge of surviving beyond rescue amidst a harsh and waterless environment.
More dramatic than most, the episode concentrates on the struggle between those who maintain discipline and work for group survival and the treacherous Dewey Martin who replaces group morality with his own brand of survival of the fittest. Death Valley locations are used to great advantage. We believe the crew is stranded on an alien landscape with no hope inside those deathly canyons and peaks. Also, mysterious figure drawn in the sand by dying man is excellent suspense-builder. Trouble is that Martin lacks the pivotal acting skills to bring off his sneaky role successfully. Still, it's a suspenseful half-hour whose story idea was apparently suggested to Serling at a cocktail party! Again shows the ability of an unheralded production crew to create convincing effects on a very tight budget.
More dramatic than most, the episode concentrates on the struggle between those who maintain discipline and work for group survival and the treacherous Dewey Martin who replaces group morality with his own brand of survival of the fittest. Death Valley locations are used to great advantage. We believe the crew is stranded on an alien landscape with no hope inside those deathly canyons and peaks. Also, mysterious figure drawn in the sand by dying man is excellent suspense-builder. Trouble is that Martin lacks the pivotal acting skills to bring off his sneaky role successfully. Still, it's a suspenseful half-hour whose story idea was apparently suggested to Serling at a cocktail party! Again shows the ability of an unheralded production crew to create convincing effects on a very tight budget.