episode #01, segment 2: A Little Peace and Quiet

#1b: A LITTLE PEACE AND QUIET written by James Crocker;  Directed by Wes Craven

A wild and memorable story which begins on a whimsical note but concludes with one of the most grim, downbeat scenarios ever committed to series television. Melinda Dillon plays a typical suburban housewife who steadily becomes more irritated by the influx of noise in her life, whether its her own noisy family or some neighbor trimming a tree. Her life is actually mostly pleasant (typical suburbia) but she seems increasingly sensitive to loud people - this I can relate to. Why do some people just have to make noise all the time? Anyway, she's digging a hole near a corner of her house one day, planning to plant something, and comes across a buried box; inside is a medallion - very nice looking. She places it around her neck.
Later, during a particularly hectic (and loud) moment in her kitchen with her husband & kids, she yells for them to all SHUT UP! Everything freezes, except herself. She quickly tests this 'power', saying "Start talking" - and everything resumes its normal course. Another "Shut up" and it all freezes again. Obviously, the medallion gives her the power to stop time - as long as she's wearing it around her neck when she speaks the command. There was a much more recent film, Clockstoppers (2002), which also had such a premise. But, we don't really know if she herself has sped up or if the universe has indeed halted. For all intents and purposes of this story, time completely halts when she uses the power, not just slowed infinitesimally. See also the old Outer Limits episode The Premonition.
The housewife indulges in some predictable horseplay with this new power, mostly of a juvenile nature. Besides enjoying complete quiet whenever she pleases, she's also able to avoid the more irritating parts of shopping and dealing with door-to-door salespeople. When things & people freeze, she is still able to move them around, at her leisure. But, her carefree lifestyle soon comes to an end - yes, that ol' twist ending coming up! As indicated by

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The impact of this sober, frightening ending is very strong - for me, at least. It's like some ultimate nightmare. I have to give some props to actress Dillon. Some fans consider her character to be fairly annoying, with all her little quirks and mannerisms. But, though I wouldn't want to spend much time with such a character, she is real - typical of many women in that suburban lifestyle. And after she yells shut up

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A haunting, truly nightmarish conclusion. BoG's Score: 8.5 out of 10