Drunken ex-gunslinger Al Denton (Dan Duryea) is unknowingly given a second chance when a mysterious peddler, Henry J. Fate (Malcolm Atterbury), rolls into town, first presenting the down-on-his-luck booze-hound with a revolver and, later, a magical potion that once again makes him the fastest draw in the west.
This episode of The Twilight Zone offers an early example of the 'twist ending' that the iconic show would later become synonymous with: when Denton is challenged to a showdown by young gun-slinger Pete Grant (Doug McClure), he swallows his potion and turns to face his foe, only to see Grant drinking from an identical bottle. Although this moment is certainly the 'money shot', the build up to this point and the subsequent poignant payoff (both men are forced to retire as gunfighters when each is shot in the hand) are equally as satisfying, making this a wholly enjoyable episode.
Some have suggested that Rod Serling intended 'Mr. Denton on Doomsday' to be an allegory for the cold-war stalemate between the US and Russia; if this is the case, then it only makes this episode all the more remarkable.
This episode of The Twilight Zone offers an early example of the 'twist ending' that the iconic show would later become synonymous with: when Denton is challenged to a showdown by young gun-slinger Pete Grant (Doug McClure), he swallows his potion and turns to face his foe, only to see Grant drinking from an identical bottle. Although this moment is certainly the 'money shot', the build up to this point and the subsequent poignant payoff (both men are forced to retire as gunfighters when each is shot in the hand) are equally as satisfying, making this a wholly enjoyable episode.
Some have suggested that Rod Serling intended 'Mr. Denton on Doomsday' to be an allegory for the cold-war stalemate between the US and Russia; if this is the case, then it only makes this episode all the more remarkable.