One of the episodes that steers clear from generic, nonsensical, kiddie sci-fi that was so prevalent during this era, but instead offers a more layered story with a "what if" type of premise. Traveling back to the past to fix something - or to save the world in this case - isn't terribly original, wasn't probably even in 1963, but the way the story is constructed and presented was unusual for its time, and is helped by the good acting and mostly convincing dialogue.
Sure, Landau's ability to hypnotize others into perceiving him as he chooses is a clunky plot-device that allows him to travel back into Earth's past without becoming a side-show freak, and there is no rational explanation offered for this supernatural ability - except the flimsy implication that this is a beneficial side-effect of being a 22nd-century leprous mutant.
Also, the astronaut's ability to go back to the past with his ship is fairly dubious, considering that he didn't even know how he got to the future. Nor is it quite clear why he dies whereas Landau doesn't.
Nor does it make sense for Shirley Knight to follow Landau into the forest right after his armed intrusion at her own wedding. Even less logical is the fact that the groom didn't follow her to make sure she is alright - because she'd just gone to find the man who attempted to murder someone.
It takes far too long for the posse to find the couple, which means they weren't in a particular rush, by which time they are too late. Landau and Knight fly off into the future, because somehow she'd managed to fall in love with him in such a short period of time. (Admittedly, we aren't told how long Landau had stayed in the past.)
Another problem with this forest segment is that he is very vague about his mission, yet Shirley doesn't ever pose the obvious question that anyone would have done: "What the hell are you talking about?!" He was being very evasive and cryptic about his intentions, which would have caused any person to ask him to explain exactly what he is trying to accomplish.
Now, while on paper all these flaws may sound drastic, they aren't. The story is believable because the characters and their interactions largely make sense. If they didn't, then these other flaws would have been far more obtrusive.
A more minor point, because it isn't directly related to the main plot, is the unanswered question of what had happened to the flora and fauna of the future: did it too get devastated by the deadly microbe? The desolate landscape on Landau's future Earth resembles an alien planet hence we have to assume that the microbe brought devastation to all forms of life, not just humans - in which case Cabbot, Jr should not only be prevented from being born but his parents should be drawn and quartered. If I were Landau in this exact same situation I would have killed both without a second's hesitation. I'd have completed the mission in a jiffy! (In fact, killing one of them would have been enough, so I would have chosen to shoot the soldier, obviously. So I can bed Shirley? Why not. Nothing wrong with combining work with pleasure. And a little opportunism can't hurt.)
Of course, we couldn't expect Landau to be a cold-blooded killer the way I would have been in his predicament, otherwise what kind of a hero would he be?
The notion that a "man who was never born" saved the future of mankind (and possibly that of flora and fauna, which is far more important) is intriguing. Earth's ultimate hero - a person nobody would ever know even existed. Unless, of course, Shirley made it to the future safely, on that rocket ship. We don't find out whether she made it back safely or not. We know she can't fly a rocket (which Landau had managed, for some reason), but if the rocket was fully programmed to go on auto-pilot that would have meant that she safely reached the year 2148, in which case what would she have encountered there? And would Landau have received the recognition he deserved?
This story could easily have a sequel, but it would stray a lot from the original story.
Read my reviews of the entire series on my "The Outer Limits (1963-1965) - All Episodes Rated & Reviewed" list.
Sure, Landau's ability to hypnotize others into perceiving him as he chooses is a clunky plot-device that allows him to travel back into Earth's past without becoming a side-show freak, and there is no rational explanation offered for this supernatural ability - except the flimsy implication that this is a beneficial side-effect of being a 22nd-century leprous mutant.
Also, the astronaut's ability to go back to the past with his ship is fairly dubious, considering that he didn't even know how he got to the future. Nor is it quite clear why he dies whereas Landau doesn't.
Nor does it make sense for Shirley Knight to follow Landau into the forest right after his armed intrusion at her own wedding. Even less logical is the fact that the groom didn't follow her to make sure she is alright - because she'd just gone to find the man who attempted to murder someone.
It takes far too long for the posse to find the couple, which means they weren't in a particular rush, by which time they are too late. Landau and Knight fly off into the future, because somehow she'd managed to fall in love with him in such a short period of time. (Admittedly, we aren't told how long Landau had stayed in the past.)
Another problem with this forest segment is that he is very vague about his mission, yet Shirley doesn't ever pose the obvious question that anyone would have done: "What the hell are you talking about?!" He was being very evasive and cryptic about his intentions, which would have caused any person to ask him to explain exactly what he is trying to accomplish.
Now, while on paper all these flaws may sound drastic, they aren't. The story is believable because the characters and their interactions largely make sense. If they didn't, then these other flaws would have been far more obtrusive.
A more minor point, because it isn't directly related to the main plot, is the unanswered question of what had happened to the flora and fauna of the future: did it too get devastated by the deadly microbe? The desolate landscape on Landau's future Earth resembles an alien planet hence we have to assume that the microbe brought devastation to all forms of life, not just humans - in which case Cabbot, Jr should not only be prevented from being born but his parents should be drawn and quartered. If I were Landau in this exact same situation I would have killed both without a second's hesitation. I'd have completed the mission in a jiffy! (In fact, killing one of them would have been enough, so I would have chosen to shoot the soldier, obviously. So I can bed Shirley? Why not. Nothing wrong with combining work with pleasure. And a little opportunism can't hurt.)
Of course, we couldn't expect Landau to be a cold-blooded killer the way I would have been in his predicament, otherwise what kind of a hero would he be?
The notion that a "man who was never born" saved the future of mankind (and possibly that of flora and fauna, which is far more important) is intriguing. Earth's ultimate hero - a person nobody would ever know even existed. Unless, of course, Shirley made it to the future safely, on that rocket ship. We don't find out whether she made it back safely or not. We know she can't fly a rocket (which Landau had managed, for some reason), but if the rocket was fully programmed to go on auto-pilot that would have meant that she safely reached the year 2148, in which case what would she have encountered there? And would Landau have received the recognition he deserved?
This story could easily have a sequel, but it would stray a lot from the original story.
Read my reviews of the entire series on my "The Outer Limits (1963-1965) - All Episodes Rated & Reviewed" list.