▶ "One Step Beyond": Episode of the Week (11/05)

"THE STRANGER" -- SEASON (3) EPISODE (22). February 28 1961.
COMMENTARY (spoilers alert): A mysterious stranger who miraculously appears in the right place at the right time to save the lives of innocent people may sound like the premise from some long-forgotten 1970s superhero TV show, but "One Step Beyond" invests the concept with some gravitas in "The Stranger," thanks to Larry Marcus' meaningful teleplay and Newland's restrained direction. The story of Cole is actually a touching one that suggests even the most "guilty" of souls can seek forgiveness and try to be a better person.
A prisoner on death row, Cole was once scheduled to donate his eyes to a 17-year-old blind girl, but because he received clemency for a time, the donation of the sight-saving organs was never made. The blind child later writes Cole a letter stating that she is glad he has not been executed. This child's complete goodness in the face of her own pain reveals to Cole his own terrible badness. Her words that "the meaning of life" is found only when one "reaches out" to another human being comes to haunt him. It becomes his mantra, and even after the letter has been forcibly taken from him, the words of purity and goodness ring in his ears. At first Cole cannot handle the pressure, the guilt of those words, but then he is led to seek forgiveness and redemption.
Thus, in his own death (and after-life, apparently) Cole becomes a figure for good. Having learned his lessons in life, Cole apparently spends his eternity helping those in need. He was sighted at a fire, then at a cholera epidemic, and now at an earthquake. This is not an out-of-body experience, since Cole is already dead, but his appearance could qualify as some manner of apparition. What muddies the water a bit concerning the psychic concept of "The Stranger" is that Cole's is depicted as substantive, real. His corpse is found at the earthquake and its fingerprints match those of Cole, who is known to be buried in a cemetery some 6,000 miles from the disaster. There is no doubt, then, that Cole is physically (rather than spectrally) in two places at once: at the sight of a calamity and resting eternally in his grave.
Since science tells us that no two set of fingerprints are identical, "The Stranger" leaves behind a chilling riddle. If you're ever in need of help and a man appears out of nowhere to keep you alive, look at him closely and see if he's wearing a prison jumpsuit . . .
From John Kenneth Muir's definitive book "An Analytical Guide to Television's One Step Beyond": • ▶ "One Step Beyond" Ba...

[@one-step-beyond-1959]

One of the least easy OSB episodes to characterize. Needs lots of interpretation to fit it into any of the standard parapsychology categories: precognition, retrocognition, clairvoyance, telepathy, or psychokinesis . . .

[@barbararemsen8207]

Very puzzling. But how can we be sure that no two men's fingerprints can be alike? Freaky things happen.

[@lilyd1010]

We're going to miss u. U provided a link for my parents' past, but also gave us intelligent analyzations n comments/reviews. Hope u'll be back w another format. Blessings.

[@lindakay9552]

Particle Superposition. I characterize it as string science. He was in multiple bodies, in multiple places, at multiple times.

[@stephenplante2273]

The lights were paranormal, as they caused the men to act differently

[@danielscuiry2847]

I don't have my "Analytical Guide" handy so I don't recall off hand if this was a real story or a fictionalization of a known psychic phenomenon. OSB had some real stories and brought in the actual people at the end of the episode to talk about it. Others were fictionalized stories from real life examples. In any case this is one is a hard egg to crack partly because we don't know which piece of the story is being portrayed. There are stories of "bi-location" of living people as well as apparitions of the deceased. Both are just as mysterious or "miraculous". In some traditions this is an example of a spirit, angel or saint who rescues people in great danger. The character in this story is not a good guy. Is his penance or purgatory to work off his bad karma in this way? There are more questions than answers here.

[@aestrich1154]

One of the best TV themes of all time and creepy AF

[@shadowlouise]

This reminds me of the TZ episode in which a man is condemned to exist on one doomed ship after another, without the relief of Death. For his crimes, the stranger here seems to have been condemned to die over and over, but he's given the opportunity to help people before each of his deaths.

[@mellisande638]

I LOVE these postings! Each and every one is a gem! Thank you so much for keeping this great show alive. Warmest greetings from anavid New Zealand viewer😊🧡💛🧡💛

[@victoriaseekret7253]

I WISH THERE WAS A PORTAL THAT I COULD JUMP THROUGH SO THAT I COULD OF LIVED IN THESE GOOD OLE TIMES WHERE PEOPLE ANSWERED A SIMPLE HELLO🤷🙍THANK YOU 😊 FOR POSTING THESE CLASSICS

[@iceprincesshope1304]

That was my childhood

[@brianboisguilbert6985]

In the Bible, in the Book of Ecclesiastes it says “Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.” Respectfully and humbly, May I suggest the time you use wishing , instead use to help create “These good ole times where people answered a simple hello.” and “where neighbors knew neighbors.” Make it happen in daily life, As shown here, in the girl’s letter to the inmate, like a pebble dropped in a pond, a positive action radiates outward, we might not ever see it but there’s always the chance it will effect change. And nothing will happen unless we try. “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Soren Kierkegaard Take care.

[@drumdad54sdl47]

@@brianboisguilbert6985 Well said. We can make these days exist yet again in our daily lives today. A kinder world full of shared respect & consideration for one another..as God would want.

[@KrystalKalleen]

Me also... I'm 45 and I feel like I'm living in the wrong era😔

[@publicserviceannouncement4777]

@@KrystalKalleen I'm 34 but my parents were born in the 50s. My values and behaviors are more "old school." I get it...

[@AG-ni8jm]

Every time I think I've seen all OSB episodes, another comes along : )

[@janicesmith2475]

Thank you - this was a very good one! And yet again I find that I have NOT seen every OSB episode!

[@spidermoth1170]

An EXTRAORDINARY occurrence for an extraordinary show Love One Step Beyond 👍🏻🥂🌹🌹🌹

[@usmale4915]

This is a pretty good episode......thank you for all the episodes you've uploaded/shared!

[@peterbamforth6453]

Wonderfull science fiction writing from the 60s&70s throughout this series thanks for the uploads.

[@arliesam217]

I love reading your descriptions your points are always strong and valid

[@maryserrano6448]

Another great episode 👏 I hadn't seen seen this one. I've always enjoyed one - Step beyond, they do not make series like this anymore which I miss.

[@zero_bs_tolerance8646]

Thank you.

[@Pilot_engineer_19]

And then there is the case of that airline pilot and his engineer that appeared to many people on flights where the parts of the crashed plane were used. And guess what, they not only seemed real they touched people and even fixed a broken microwave on one of the planes. Can anyone explain that one?

[@suncityheat]

Ghost flight 401

[@jonpayne4931]

A great episode.

[@oldladybast5292]

Hope you will leave this up. Best wishes to you.

[@mckster56]

Ty for these

[@JohnSmith-el6lk]

No records of identical twins separated at birth could be an explanation, aren't their finger prints identical ?

[@Short-Cipher]

That's a good question, but in regard to fingerprints, there's no such thing as:"identical twins." Criminologists have examined that question, and while twins may be "identcal" in every other aspect, their fingerprints never are. It's fascinating.

[@isabellind1292]

Identical twins share similar prints, not identical. Fraternal twins each have their own DNA while identical twins share almost identical DNA but not exactly (that's why every mother can tell her identical twins apart).

[@drumdad54sdl47]

Identical twins do not have identical fingerprints, although their similar genes will create somewhat similar prints.

[@thomasmitchell6312]

Good guy, bad guy does last