Episode #14 - Third From the Sun

Air Date: 1/8/60    written by Rod Serling, based on story by Richard Matheson    Directed by Richard Bare

This one takes us to a slightly alternate universe - or so it seems. It's one of those which is photographed with askew angles and low lighting, recalling German expressionism, and suggesting 'elsewhere.' We assume it takes place in Earth's near future; the main character is a government scientist, Sturka (Fritz Weaver), who is working on nuclear armaments. From talk, it sounds like war is inevitable. Sturka is making plans with a co-worker (Joe Maross) to steal an experimental saucer so that their families can escape the coming holocaust. A kink in the plans may be a government agent (Edward Andrews) who is always snooping around; he seems suspicious of the men. Their plan is to go to another planet which has similar human lifeforms.
I've always liked this one just for the style; it's a triumph of dark, foreboding elegance and sinister tones. The plot is less important in this one than just appreciating the overall mood. There is tension generated - though Andrews comes off as more annoying than actually threatening - but it's mostly from that mood, not the storyline. The twist at the end is not all that profound, especially nowadays. BoG's Score: 8 out of 10
Trivia From the Zone: this episode, like a few more after it, makes use of the saucer from Forbidden Planet (1956); it's mentioned that the other planet is 11 million miles away, which doesn't make much sense in view of what we find out at the end. Fritz Weaver also appeared in the episode The Obsolete Man. Maross was in The Little People. Both actors played much less sympathetic characters in those other episodes.