'And When the Sky Was Opened' is a good example of a story type that has been used many, many times, not only on 'Twilight Zone' but in seemingly hundreds of other TV shows and movies. It's one where the main character (or characters) experience something that nobody else does and almost inevitably, they break down and at some point scream, "I'm NOT insane! Why won't anyone believe me?" or something similar. In this case, three test pilots go up in an experimental aircraft and when they come back down, one of them disappears. But nobody notices except one of the other pilots. As usual for this kind of plot, there is the desperate effort of trying to prove the man existed and went on the flight as well, to no avail. Despite the well-worn storyline, 'And When the Sky Was Opened' manages to hold interest with some clever dialogue and visual tricks and a fine, manic performance by Rod Taylor. Rod Serling's teleplay (loosely based on a short story by Richard Matheson) throws in some diverting speculation as to why what's happening is happening as well.
Review of And When the Sky Was Opened
