S3, Ep 25: “The Fugitive”
(An old man turns out to be an alien from a faraway planet, as he tries to escape capture from two men chasing him)
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1️⃣ Storyline:

I actually think the story concept has quite a bit of potential, and even the final version of the plot itself is not really the issue with this episode. The stakes are unknown at first, but seem to be reasonably high. The friendship between Ben & Jenny, creepy as it *does* appear to viewers watching this nowadays, is pretty well established and can be seen as sweet, assuming we are able to pry ourselves away from the odd nature of how things sure seem to be going 🫣

A primary problem with this story is that I just don’t care very much. I’m not sure why I watch this episode enveloped in a sort of apathy, but none of the characters or the scenes have ever really grabbed my attention. 

Score: 5/10 

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2️⃣ Atmosphere:

The opening scene is GREAT. Everything after that is like a bad sitcom.

Score: 2/10

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3️⃣ Existential Terror: 

There’s only a quality of existential terror if we actually try and comprehend the ending. I’d prefer not to. 

Score: 3/10

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4️⃣ Creepiness:

I won’t mock the episode for the creepy undertones at play, because I really do think the scenes with Ben & Jenny all come from an innocence, misplaced at that. I WILL give a couple points for creepiness in the traditional sense, for the “Martian” scene - that thing is creepy! I love the sound effects, the growl is great. 

Score: 3/10

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5️⃣ Lesson:

I can’t possibly imagine what lesson is being attempted here. 

Score: 1/10

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6️⃣ World-Building:

As I teased in the opening category, we actually get a pretty nicely stitched together story, including the world-building. It’s just not a world that I care to live in for 25 minutes, and thus I wouldn’t have watched this one recently were it not for this project.

Score: 6/10

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7️⃣ Acting:

J. Pat O’Malley plays his part really well, as the alien/old man, Ben. The little girl is fine - child acting is still usually pretty bad even now, and was mostly atrocious back in the 60s, so I’m willing to grade on a curve a bit there. The rest of the cast is not the worst we’ve seen in a TZ, but it’s not particularly good either.

Score: 6/10

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8️⃣ The Human Condition:

Though it’s painting in broad strokes, the glimpses we get into Jenny’s abusive home life certainly elicit our empathy. I also think the scene where Ben turns into a fly (or bumblebee?) and escapes is nicely done, and is both sweet but sad. If we weren’t watching multiple scenes of a grown man alone in a room with a little girl, this could be a very heartwarming episode that’s absolutely a joy to watch… And though I’ve given “The Fugitive” the benefit of the doubt in terms of the creepy vibes, that doesn’t mean I enjoy watching it.

Score: 5/10

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✅ Total Score:
31

This is an easy one to mock, and I do think it’s deserving of criticism. I wasn’t alive 60 years ago, but even then you’d think it would’ve been a red flag to have a storyline center around the intimate bond between an adult man and a little girl, including multiple scenes where they are alone in a room, even on her bed. 

I DO think there’s a wonderfully imaginative story to be told within this universe, I just wish this version got scrapped for something better. Personally, I’d slot “The Fugitive” above multiple other Twilight Zones that tend to fester in the “bad” category: it’s got a much more cohesive plot than many of the bottom-tier episodes, but also has a few things going against it, unfortunately. 

*What do you think? 🤷🏼‍♂️ Which category do you most agree with, and which category do you most hate my opinion on? Let me know! I want your feedback.* 🙌🏼

Breaking down the episode “The Fugitive” - 8 categories, 1 final score