Nick Of Time - Twilight-Tober Zone

"Nick of Time" is The Twilight Zone at its minimalist best. Nearly the whole episode takes place in a little diner's booth focusing on the interaction between the two main characters. Join Walter as he discusses this episode in the Twilight-Tober Zone.
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"Nick of Time" is episode 43 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It originally aired on November 18, 1960 on CBS.
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[@ChannelAwesome]

What did everyone think of Nick of Time? Watch more Twilight-Tober Zone here - bit.ly/TwilightToberZone Follow Walter on Twitter - twitter.com/Awesome_Walter Follow us on Twitch - www.twitch.tv/channelawesome

[@trinaq]

I adored it immensely! Despite the minimalism of the cast, and simple plot, it's certainly a solid, strong episode.

[@AdamaSanguine]

As with every episode John, I came for the episode but stayed for your commentary. Much love, keep it up! 💯

[@petetrbovich7575]

One of my top 5 favorite episodes! Richard Matheson's writing is just too good for TV here. I love the graceful way he handles the machine's answers, balanced between incidental and almost too spot on. The dialog is believable from both characters. And now I fins out he was inspired by encountering just such a machine IRL - wonder how many quarters he fed the thing? 😱

[@ThePkmnYPerson]

It's one of my favorites so far. It's got a cool concept, a good message, and Captain Kirk.

[@F1989C]

William Shatner was at his absolute best when he was young and through star trek.. before he decided to begin reinventing himself... He took some serious roles in films and other tv shows before star trek.. where he truly was a tour de force in his acting. I always wondered what it would be like if the young William Shatner ever crossed paths with William Shatner today.. how would he react??🤔🤔

[@trinaq]

It just goes to show that you don't need a huge quantity of cast members or a flashy premise to make a memorable episode. Plus, it's wonderful to see Captain Kirk's first foray into the Twilight Zone!

[@daniellavaladez7820]

He went where “no man has gone before” ;-)

[@maldon3659]

@@daniellavaladez7820 and now in real life he really has gone to outer space

[@aburninglandfillofbadmovie2930]

To boldly shatnernize stories, no one, has dared, to shatnerize, We must.... shatnerize... because it's... what-we-do!

[@wstine79]

The fortune telling spits out: "You belong in outer space."

[@trinaq]

Yep, it would have been a perfect prediction of both Shatner's most iconic role, and his space voyage!

[@andrewkind2820]

Shatner: Should I let Bezos put me in space? Machine: Fuck you and your 1% buddies Shatner

[@andrewkind2820]

@Raylan Givens Yeah rich people sending their friends into space while literally hundreds of millions of people can't even afford enough food is totally something to be happy about

[@rogue7723]

And “You’ll be replaced by Sir Patrick Stewart.”

[@andrewkind2820]

@@rogue7723 "Who actually gives a shit about people other than himself"

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

Shatner: Will...I...gointospace? Fortune: In more ways than one.

[@clar8021]

To me, "Nick of Time" is a story about great transitionary periods in one's life. The two leads are newlyweds starting a new life. The husband is afraid to leave the security of what he perceives to be a predictable and sure thing, but the only way to truly move from the past into the present and future is by letting the past be the past. In a way, it has a parallel to "Walking Distance", only instead of being about a person who goes back to the past, it is about a person who needs to leave it.

[@zac3278]

From the machine's POV. "Here come another set of rubes. I will use my mystic power to enslave them, and then all their pennies shall be mine! HAHAHA"

[@nathanielgarza9198]

Can’t blame him for giving 110%

[@kelleyceccato7025]

Pat's character is a definite relief after the nagging wives we see in episodes like "Time Enough at Last" and "A Stop at Willoughby." Here, at least, the woman isn't to blame for the man's frustrations; instead, he's better off once he listens to her. Good take.

[@amazzonkane]

YES! Agreed! It was so great seeing a couple that actually loves each other and worked as a team, even if they had disagreements. Their chemistry is so sweet. And the story still had a compelling high stakes conflict.

[@jeffgreen7499]

Ha! I live near Willoughby, Ohio. The city has "A Stop at Willoughby" event every year. Yes, trains run by there. I had my 1st train ride there when I was in 1st grade, a long time ago... Twilight Zone has used Ohio locations, Willoughby, a real place although Ohio is not mentioned in the show, also Peaksville with nasty Billy "Anthony" Mumy, and Ridgeview, an unincorporated area included in Lebanon, Ohio. Ridgeville is actually close to Dayton. There's no Main St. in Ridgeville!

[@SnowdropHill]

Don's character is a relief after the rude, creepy, or cheating husbands/boyfriends we see in episodes like "Escape Clause," "The Fever," "The Chaser," and "The Prime Mover." It's nice that the man here actually listens to his partner instead of actively making things worse.

[@troywright359]

@@SnowdropHill Rod sterling is a relief after the crazy, wacky, unhinged antics of the Joker. It's nice that he doesn't say 'why so serious' or ask murray for another joke.

[@1manwalkingfreakshow]

I wonder what they would have done if the fortune had read: "Out Of Cards. Please Contact Distributor To Restock."

[@toshirodragon]

🤣

[@melissadahl7561]

I agree that the message for this one is very good and that our lovely couple have excellent chemistry. in a book I have about twilight episodes where they discuss the meanings behind them and things, it suggested that the reason why the younger couple is able to escape the fortune teller is BECAUSE they're young and are able to go with the idea of being a team and being there for each other whereas the older couple who are more stuck in an old fashioned dynamic where they don't listen to each other, etc. get stuck since they aren't a team.

[@jamesfeldman4234]

Your idea that William Shatner's and Patricia Breslin's characters were able to escape the psychic prison of the mechanical fortune teller because they were young makes sense. But much of the credit for escaping must go to Patricia Breslin's character in particular because she helped Shatner's character to understand that she believed in him and them, as a couple, and that the fortune teller's "abilities" were an illusion. In contrast, you can see that the older couple was not only set in their ways but the older man's wife passively went along. Incidentally, Patricia Breslin would later go on to marry football mogul Art Modell, owner of the Cleveland Browns and founder of the Baltimore Ravens. Patricia was renowned for her philanthropic activities, generously contributing to many educational, health, and arts organizations.

[@philipportelli7700]

I actually prefer this episode to "Nightmare". William Shatner exudes a natural charm here and one could see him as a leading man. Patricia Breslin was one of TZ's most well-rounded women: strong, loving, supportive, smart!

[@matthewkoch6937]

She always turned in a memorable performance. Her appearances on "Perry Mason" and other series felt real and artistic, unlike other actors' wooden early television acting.

[@melissamarsh2219]

I like it better too

[@kirk1701]

I prefer it as well.

[@julieporter7805]

He doesn't ham it up as much as in Nightmare.

[@jerryshunk7152]

She's also quite pretty, she reminds me of Dana Wynter & also the chick that was the ballerina in "SEARCH 4 an EXIT !

[@Nazo-kage]

This is a very interesting episode for the simple fact is you’re not even sure if there was actually a supernatural element to it at all.

[@misspriss2482]

It plays into the episode really well. Oftentimes people make decisions based on "signs". However, I often believe that people interpret the signs in a way that subconsciously confirms what they want to do anyway.

[@shoddyworkmanship4934]

Damn this was a good series. Best anthology show ever in my opinion.

[@davevannatta985]

Matheson is one of my favorite writers. Every thing he writes is amazing

[@stewartmcminn7773]

He also Wrote Star Trek episode Enemy Within

[@kerrywhite6720]

I started on him when paperbacks were $0.50.

[@JohnGalt916]

This was the very first episode I ever saw with my dad when sci-fi channel first started airing twilight zone. I literally was on punishment but my dad wanted to watch his favorite show with me. I was like 5 or 6. I'm not crying you're crying.

[@jehaney]

This was one of the first Twilight Zone episodes I ever saw and it really stuck with me. The atmosphere of it, the increasing desperation from Shatner's character and his wife's pleas for him to see reason were very well done, and the ending with the couple who are clearly trapped in town by their own devotion to the machine and its answers combined for a story that kind of reminded me a bit of some of the better episodes of 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?' All in all, a very good episode, and a personal favorite of mine.

[@Renee5322]

Love this episode! Best of luck to Shatner today as he goes to space!

[@trinaq]

I love how Shatner's famous TV show was set in space, and now he's prepared to visit it for real!

[@CommodoreFan64]

It's tomorrow the 13th, as they cancelled it due to high winds

[@articusramos808]

To me, the fortune telling machine is accurate in all its predictions but it's truly up to the ones asking it to take it as it is. To me, they made the right choice in continuing their honeymoon. Because if they didn't leave , that promotion would been all for nothing and so will their trip to New York.

[@teigannyman196]

A true underlooked classic. To tell the truth, when William Shatner's character Don Carter and the wife left, and the enslaved couple return to the fortune telling machine, I thought they were Don and Pat in the future. Don't know why. But immediately Rod Serling's closing narration confirmed them as other characters. That's what I originally got out of it. But nevertheless, Shatner has rarely disappointed me in his on screen appearances. Sure, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier may be messy, as Doug pointed out in his NC review of it, but Shatner had great vision for that film. Shatner also did great voice over, for example in Futurama and more recently Batman vs Two-Face, where he voiced the titular villain. After seeing this, I'm honestly curious what you'd think of Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, that is if the show gets that far. Live Long and Prosper, William Shatner! 🖖🏻

[@ctmdarkonestm]

It gets lost in all the extra stuff, but Shatner is a tremendous actor. His serious turn in The Intruder as evidence.

[@cthulhupthagn5771]

Yeah, in regards to Star Trek V it was a mess but it wasn't entirely his fault. If you don't have it, pick up his book Star Trek movie memories. It's a great read, but in the book he mentions that there were a lot of missteps. First, the studio really should not have let him have as much free rein as he did. He had no prior experience, but it seems that because Nimoy had done so well and the franchise was a money-making machine, it couldn't go wrong. He also got sort of scammed when it came to the special effects. He looked at a variety of demo reels, and went with a demo that looked beautiful. It wasn't until the special effects were really late in the coming that he had to go track down the company, to find out it was one guy operating out of his garage. Because of that, and some other small factors, he had to Pare down his final scenes. There were supposed to be rock monsters that were losing smoke, but by the time they got to the point with all the other issues, and finding out he couldn't rely on the special effects company he signed on to, they only had one rock monster and they had to generate Smoke by having people smoke cigarettes and exhale into the suit. Eventually he had to cut that out. The story is a whole is rather solid, and somewhat of a tribute to Gene Roddenberry who frequently tried to push and have God be a plot point in a movie. I particularly liked the character of sybok. I have the novelization, which goes into much greater detail and reveals that he is plagued with these visions, and when he uses a mind-meld to find somebody's darkest Secrets, it's sort of replacing them with a sense of euphoria. In other words, against his own wheels and desires he is being turned into a messiah figure, manipulated by the entity at the galactic core. The only thing I could solidly lay at Shatner's feet is the tone-deaf humor. By this point was well-known that he really didn't have the reverence for the material that most other people did. The movie had Scotty acting in a slapstick manner, it had Michelle Nichols doing an erotic mostly nude dance, it had Spock comically not understanding what a marshmallow was. Those are definitely Shatner, and are the weakest parts of the movie. No, the worst movie that came out of the franchise was Generations. It was a poor showing for both the original and the Next Generation. A plot hook, the ribbon, was so ridiculous and stupid. And they had so little planned in the story they couldn't get a proper meeting of the two Crews, because they had reduced everybody except for Shatner to a one-line walk on scene

[@teigannyman196]

@@cthulhupthagn5771 I originally skipped Generations to see First Contact, because I didn't want to suffer as much as I thought I would've, until seeing Generations, and revisiting First Contact. I didn't see Insurrection or Nemesis yet, but I do agree with the theory of how Generations could've worked if it were it's own thing. Star Trek V is also derivative of the infamous TOS episode "The Way to Eden", which I believe Mike Matei pointed out in James Rofle's classic Rental Reviews video on Star Trek V, much like some concepts in the first four Star Trek movies, as well as the early episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation were much like the TOS episodes. I also liked Sybok, mostly because he's not a villain out for galactic domination, but rather knowledge. I honestly wonder if Shatner fully realized his darker vision for the film, but because Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was such a success, the studio pushed for a comedy, as well as Chekov and Sulu acting comical early in the film, too. It's always going to be a true shame that ILM wasn't available for the effects, or that lots of what was put in stayed in. Generations is up there with the betrayal of the movie known as The Last Jedi, but in my opinion, that's the Star Wars version of the Star Trek films. Solely because of the disappointment. I also know that Linkara argues that Insurrection is the worst, and Nemesis is just a clone of The Wrath of Khan, as is Star Trek Into Darkness, but all I know is that at least Nemesis used a different villain. But I thought Generations was out there with one of the worst in the franchise. Maybe even one of the worst movies from the 90s. That's just me, but whenever I go back and watch the II, III, and IV trilogy, I just miss films like those.

[@theultimatetowerofterrorre301]

One of the true classics in the Twilight Zone Series IMHO. I actually purchased one of the functional reproductions of the fortune telling machines that was signed by William Shatner; a prized possession in my collection of Twilight Zone memorabilia.

[@Omar-wq9dz]

This was 1 of 2 episodes Shatner appeared in. The other was the famous Nightmare At 20000 Feet, which was directed by Richard Donner who went on to make The Omen, Superman, The Goonies, and Lethal Weapon

[@slyfox2022]

Yes, we all knew this

[@ztslovebird]

I like how they never confirmed or denied if that machine was supernatural or just a gimmick.

[@barryon8706]

His wife seems to think there's no way the machine could be telling the future. Has she even seen The Twilight Zone?

[@OptimusMaximusNero]

*Plot twist:* That fortune teller machine and everything that happened around the protagonists were George Takei's doings the whole time

[@dreddpiratebromando5953]

Yellow peril much?

[@zeldamaniac14]

*George Takei voice* Oh my!

[@petergray7576]

George Takei will star in the season 5 Twilight Zone episode "The Encounter". Which isn't a very good episode unfortunately.

[@river_acheron]

@@zeldamaniac14 "BRAD! BRAD!! Get me the fortune teller machine! BRAD!"

[@sarahfullerton6894]

😂😅

[@binkyboy448]

It's always so surreal when the protagonists of a Twilight Zone episode get their happy ending.

[@sinisterwombat3128]

But it's implied they will be going back to the machine eventually. Like the later couple just couldn't let go.

[@ComicalRealm]

Fun fact: Rod Serling was often seen with a cigarette during the introduction. One of the show's sponsors was the Liggett & Myers tobacco company and Serling served as on-screen spokesman for their product, Chesterfield cigarettes, during his "tune in next week" spot at the end of each episode. The American Tobacco Company, a later sponsor, insisted that he always be seen with a cigarette, although Serling refused to plug their brand (Pall Mall) on-screen.

[@trinaq]

That's fascinating, thanks so much for the interesting fact!

[@kenhollis6197]

I find that amusing. My grandmother used to smoke Pall Malls. Or as she said in her Appalachian accent, "Pell-mells."

[@musclesforsupes]

“Oh my.” What a review :)

[@brianfuller757]

Patricia Breslin and William Shatner were both great actors and nailed their performances. Writing and production are of course spot on.

[@Unownshipper]

The supernatural element is so minuscule in scale that this really is just a great performance driven episode. Shatner is captivating and of course would have a long career to demonstrate his talents, but I admit I was very impressed by Patricia Breslin here just as Walter was. She gives a very convincing performance, and I'm just impressed at her (or her stunt double, I think her hair might be different at 1:46) for being able to run in those heels like that. Even the couple at the end do a great job. They barely have any time on screen but they really communicate how desperate and trapped they are just with their expressions, body language, and the makeup. You feel for them and are elated to see the Carters escape.

[@carealoo744]

My mom thought that the twist was going to be that they were going to try and leave the city but find some sort of brick wall, or construction, or some other reason that they physically couldn't leave. But that final narration makes it clear that that would have ruined the message

[@amazzonkane]

This episode is definitely a personal favorite. I really love the design of the Mystic Seer Box. The cinematography is striking and I love the chemistry between Shatner and Breslin. It’s refreshing to see a couple that actually loves and supports each other amidst decades of endlessly bickering sitcom couples. My favorite thing about the theme of the episode is that it warns about the dangers of relying on superstition WITHOUT treating superstitious people like they’re stupid. It’s sympathetic to Don’s nervousness about the future while gently reminding him that he has more control than he realizes. I also like the idea that anything can become an addiction, even aside from the usual vices like drugs, alcohol, sex, etc. Carrying a lucky rabbit’s foot or 4 leaf clover charm is one thing, but spending your life waiting for a machine to tell you what to do is another. It’s a great story about facing the unknown with a supportive partner by your side.

[@Thememester6500]

You don't understand how excited I am going to be when you review the 5th season

[@Undeadpriest94]

This is a favorite of mine. So simple yet so satisfying.

[@Nanoaiello]

can't wait to see "five characters in search for an exit" in this series!

[@troywright359]

This really is one of my favourite episodes. William shatner is perfect here

[@Morgil27]

I knew Shatner was in that other episode with the airplane, but I had no idea he was in any other episodes.

[@HarveyLocust]

I don't comment a lot, but I just had to say thank you for doing these. It's been fun re-living these episodes with out having to watch them over again.

[@can-i-go-now]

I had a fondness for this twilight zone episode as it was the first one I remember seeing during a twilight zone marathon.

[@Galantski]

This is one of my favs, and I don't think it suffers any in comparison to William Shatner's more famous episode--both are great. It's nicely layered with interpretations, such as free will vs. determinism, or common sense vs. superstition. Regardless, I like to believe the "Mystic Seer" was really diabolical, and the bobbing, winking devil's head really stood for an unseen sinister reality. I've read that adding the head was an afterthought from the art department,, but it is a great touch, taking the machine from the mundane to the malevolent. As mentioned, Patricia Breslin had great chemistry with Shatner, and it's been suggested that it would have added to "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" had she been cast to play his wife again. Further, it's been pointed out that as Shatner's characters are both mentally unstable that the two couples would really be the same one, with him having a nervous breakdown after "Nick of Time" (another name for the devil is "Old Nick", which clearly fits into this story), a collapse induced in part by his delusions about the Mystic Seer, while the second episode picks up to where he's just been released from the psychiatric hospital.

[@leonkenedy2988]

This episode is all about overcoming fear of whats ahead and face it with your head up high. Its not too late only if you let the opportunity slips away.

[@richinyv1]

This episode has always been one of my favorites.

[@kirbysuperstar5494]

I like the design of that fortune machine, the little bobbing devil head is very charming

[@shainewhite2781]

1:08, speaking of William Shatner, he's going into space soon!

[@YuniorGamboa]

This one was very memorable to me Because you could say that it's rare when the main characters get a happy ending in the twilight zone.

[@brentparker7359]

In the pre-show of the Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror ride at California Adventure, they had a bunch of Easter Eggs for the series and the one that always stood out to me was the fortune-telling machine from this episode. (The ride has since been re-themed to Guardians of the Galaxy.)

[@Arroyo2099]

This is my favorite top 5 Twilight episodes thanks for talking about it

[@disessamblydronentwb188]

Im so hype for nostalgia-ween :D

[@ThenewTchannel]

This episode slipped into the back of my mind for a long time, but seeing the plastic devil head brought my memories back. The message here is one I try to live every single day, and it's executed very well in this episode

[@WarlordWulf]

I like we get a William Shatner episode on the day he was planned to go into space.

[@yukimikasaki9705]

"Nick Of Time" as we all know, an' understand, is an episode that delivers all its' effectiveness and wholesome quality by what we do NOT see, as opposed to what we usually see. Don's new marriage to Pat, much less his independence and will power are tested by his co-dependency this dastardly fortune telling machine has him in a steel grip with. In the end, Don resolves to break free, and does it, saving his marriage, and his will to power. It was sad the next couple would be held at bay by that same machine next, and likely would never leave the darkest corners of....The TWILIGHT Zone!

[@ThatPurpleGirl81]

I love this episode and think its hugely underrated! 💜

[@ns0557212]

I wish for when he asked about his job it said "a promising Enterprise awaits"

[@cliffhass9158]

This is the episode which turned me on to the Twilight Zone. It was on during a rain Delay of a Yankees Game on Wpix 11 I was in 8th grade and I have watched the new Years Marathon (Atleast Some of it) every year since.

[@nathanfitzgerald6651]

This is an episode that subtly gets under your skin in the ending scene, when that other couple are so obsessed with that machine, they are actually asking it if they can leave that town today, or tomorrow or the next day. It really gives the feeling of being trapped.

[@diamondsnake1273]

Young William Shatner was devilishly handsome

[@toshirodragon]

I liked the ambiguity of the episode; it could have been magic or it could have been coincidence, it's up to you.

[@nitorishogiplayer3465]

I really liked the ambiguous nature of the mystic seer in this ep, that you don't know if it can predict the future.

[@queenskelaton6507]

I'm so happy this was my first episode of twilight zone it really left a strong impression

[@Ninnative]

I love this one. I think it's sadly overshadowed by Shatner's more famous episode.

[@Lesley_RedRhody]

I’ll always love William Shatner: The Good, The Bad, The Commanding. Even The Cringe (Rocket Man, anyone…)?! It’s the whole package that makes me adore him! And, sure. He’ll always be known, first and foremost, as Captain James Tiberius Kirk. But I love that Bill made a few stops prior to The Final Frontier. And that a couple of them were in The Twilight Zone! 💚🤗🤗💚

[@mleighqs]

It's always cool to see your favorite actors outside of what they are known for :)

[@thealchemist51]

I love this episode I think it’s a hidden gem! It really kind of help me guessing the whole way through this thing actually was predicting the future or if It was just Shatner’s character diving too deep into vague answers. It’s showing that his character is superstitious Carrying around the rabbits Foot so him and dive into something that could’ve could not have supernatural powers does really I think feed the story

[@troywright359]

the hint is that the second couple that comes in, goes to the EXACT same machine, despite other tables having them.

[@blueraccoon1088]

"We have choices some of us prefer to stand in the rain without an umbrella. That's what it means to live free" -Roger Smith the Negotiator

[@michaelmooney7341]

Love those old cars. Analysis brilliant

[@HououMinamino]

This has always been one of my favorite episodes. The actors did an amazing job, and it teaches a great lesson, one that someone with anxiety like myself has to remind myself of. The devil head on the fortuneteller is a great symbol--the symbol of temptation. In Tarot, the Devil card represents temptation, as well as being trapped by someone or something, like Don is slowly giving into his anxiety and becoming ruled by it and the fortuneteller, trapped and unable to move forward. I definitely prefer this episode to "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet."

[@quietchap]

What always stuck out to me about this episode was the ending, with Serling saying that Ridgeview was one of the darkest corners of the Twilight Zone. It implied that not just the couple at the end, but others were also trapped there, unable to escape due to their dependence on the Mystic Seer

[@beachchaos1863]

The moral of the story (i.e. The dialogue Pat says to Don near the end) is so good. Genuinely good advice: Don't just lay down and be a slave to fate, make your own fate yourself

[@RegginaldRiglet]

These are amazing! Love the narrator and writer of these episode reviews. Fantastic stuff

[@JamesSerapio]

Never thought I'd ever hear "naturally acted" when discussing William Shatner. As a Canadian and a Trek fan, I'm still obligated to like him. 😆

[@maninthetrenchcoat5603]

Watch Boston Legal, he's much more natural and brilliantly funny in that.

[@JamesSerapio]

@@maninthetrenchcoat5603 I was a fan of the show. Pretty sure he won an Emmy or two in it.

[@TheCreepypro]

how did I not know about shatner in this episode? honestly I love the twist

[@3piper]

The little demon was genuine. The main couple got away but the second couple never did. They will never escape because they are too afraid and have lost their free will. The demon captured two souls

[@Morgil27]

My jaw dropped when I heard Shatner say "Stop treating me like a retarded child". Times sure were different back then.

[@SamtheBravesFan]

That just meant "slow learner" then.

[@trinaq]

True, that word had a different meaning back in 1960, and wasn't quite the offensive slur we know it as today.

[@Morgil27]

I could easily see it as just meaning slow or dumb (in fact, I still unabashedly use it in that regard) if it weren't for the fact that he followed it with the word "child". Adding that extra word was what made me feel like he was talking about some special needs kid.

[@bobmclennan1727]

This is usually my answer when discussing all-time favorite Twilight Zone episodes. I love the overall message, but also how it argues not for the non-existence of fortune tellers, but for their irrelevance. I first saw this episode when I was dating a woman who was very much into horoscopes and numerology (something that seems to have only grown in the last several years, unfortunately) and Patricia Breslin's arguments perfectly articulated why that sort of thinking (and that sort of living) bothers me so much.

[@joeshavel8688]

I first saw this years ago at college, at night, and it scared the sh*t out of me,

[@tau01]

My favorite Twilight Zone episode.

[@Renowildfire1]

One of my favorite episodes

[@milestrombley1466]

That fortune teller machine is like a marriage counselor.

[@FflawedMetalhead]

Man - I forgot about this episode. It's really well done, as was this video!

[@johnhaladay5541]

This episode was fantastic. I love Shatner, but Patricia Breslin stole the show. Her inner strength and love for her husband are what brought Shatner back from the brink. It just proves the old adage that behind every strong man is a strong woman.

[@als3022]

My mother loved Shatner in this and started Star Trek cause she saw him in it. So grew up with this episode. Enjoyed it when I finally saw it and agree was an awesome one.

[@kurtwagner350]

One of my favorites

[@jeremytung1632]

First time I saw the episode I didn’t even know it was Shatner.

[@trinaq]

Me neither, I thought that he was only in "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", but I'm pleasantly mistaken!

[@lizc6393]

This episode is essentially a happy twist on the moral of No Country For Old Men.

[@kenhollis6197]

This is my favorite episode. I love the point that, even if something seems to be guiding you, it's ultimately up to you what your destiny is. Besides that, I've been to that Ohio town, and my own hometown of Marietta, Ohio has a Busy Bee restaurant. The food is fucking delicious.

[@tonyvelazquez4588]

My favorite episode

[@dionruffin3996]

Great episode about living life without fear

[@Robert3377]

All hail the magic conch!

[@kirk1701]

One of favorite episodes.

[@james_t_kirk]

*Of William Shatner's two Twilight Zone appearances, I've always thought "Nick of Time" was the better of the two: better acted, better storyline, better "message" at tale's end. As for his "wife" (Patricia Breslin) she had a career that lasted for many decades after this Twilight Zone episode and died in 2011.*

[@misspriss2482]

You can't always control your circumstances in life and you don't get to choose your advantages or disadvantages either. What you can choose is your attitude and your choices after the fact. Everybody would be better off if they realized that.

[@syntaxerror9994]

Finally! The episode I've been waiting for.

[@jeffreyknight3884]

Excellent episode once again..

[@xxTifaxForeverxx]

God, it can be easy to forget what an absolute KNOCKOUT Shatner was lol

[@juegofuego6715]

Wow that's like 3 of my favorites in a row you reviewed

[@mrodriguez16ks]

I always looked at it as the couple at the end became beholden to the machine because they didn't listen to it at first and came back hoping that following its advice now would grant them a reprieve and that Shatner and his wife are doomed to suffer the same cyclical fate for leaving as well.

[@scrappydoo8761]

Yeah I can see it now the penny machine spits out “Some billionaire is going to shoot you up into space”

[@KarlSturmgewher]

Don//Kirk got a happy ending here, but the other couple that takes their table after he leaves; They'd best be prepared for the worst.

[@titanguy7316]

I'm honestly surprised that many of the episodes this month have more-positive endings than I'd associate with "Twilight Zone" stories.

[@NightfallShadow]

ah. one of my favorites

[@myflock000]

great episode!

[@cjbos81]

My favorite episode.