episode #35 - Behold, Eck!

Episode # 3 of 2nd season
Air Date: 10/3/64 writer: John Mantley, from story by William Cox Director: Byron Haskins

This presents the concept of 2-dimensional beings, a concept that goes back all the way to the 19th century novella Flatland (see The Area of Forever, Victorian Age). This one has a lighter tone than the usual O L episode; the main character is a kind of absent-minded professor (played by Peter Lind Hayes). His assistant (Joan Freeman) has a crush on him. The professor, an eye-specialist, has fashioned eye glasses which allow him to see a 2-dimensional creature; this being has width & length, but no depth, like a piece of paper; it somehow entered our dimension by accident. The being, called Eck we learn later, seems hostile at first, but is actually an intelligent entity just seeking a way home.

This has a similarity to the very first episode, the pilot The Galaxy Being, as well as to The Bellero Shield; the episodes involve an alien being which doesn't belong here and its mere presence may cause havoc. There is one startling and mind-blowing moment when it's mentioned that a large building has been cut in two and we see a visual on the TV. There's also the scene of Eck thinking that a newscaster on TV is a fellow 2-dimensional entity; it's a combination of absurdity & pathos. This is all a glimpse into possible other dimensions which may exist and are technically nearby, but which we can't detect due to our limitations. It's kind of a throwaway, but just the concept is enough to make one pause. BoG's Score: 6 out of 10