A man (Earl Holliman) wakes up in an empty town, where everyone has ostensibly vanished. He also has a case of amnesia, and has no idea of who he is. What follows is a confusing nightmare, where nobody is around to help him.
This has echoes of Last Man on Earth throughout the duration. Hell. It even has a scene where Earl Holliman is in a diner shop of sorts, and there is a whole rack of Last Man on Earth books, which makes me think this episode was heavily influenced by it. For over 20 minutes, this had me on the edge of my seat. I felt very uncomfortable during this one, in a good way. It's highly suspenseful, and knows how to push your emotional buttons. The message I got in this one is that companionship, and being around people is vital to one's sanity. Isolation and loneliness can push a man on the brink of insanity. I give major kudos to Earl Holliman for giving such a brave and fantastic performance as the tortured individual. I wanted to jump through the screen and console the man on many occasions. It couldn't have been easy to portray such a confused character. The ending was adroitly done, and made me think a bit after it was over. It's a perfectly crafted mystery, and an absolute classic. This is what great television should be all about!
10/10
This has echoes of Last Man on Earth throughout the duration. Hell. It even has a scene where Earl Holliman is in a diner shop of sorts, and there is a whole rack of Last Man on Earth books, which makes me think this episode was heavily influenced by it. For over 20 minutes, this had me on the edge of my seat. I felt very uncomfortable during this one, in a good way. It's highly suspenseful, and knows how to push your emotional buttons. The message I got in this one is that companionship, and being around people is vital to one's sanity. Isolation and loneliness can push a man on the brink of insanity. I give major kudos to Earl Holliman for giving such a brave and fantastic performance as the tortured individual. I wanted to jump through the screen and console the man on many occasions. It couldn't have been easy to portray such a confused character. The ending was adroitly done, and made me think a bit after it was over. It's a perfectly crafted mystery, and an absolute classic. This is what great television should be all about!
10/10