User reviews

Especially in terms of mystery building or just plain general "what- the-hell-is-going-on-here?" level, this "Elegy" is one of the most successful TZ-episodes of the entire first season! The story begins like so many other episodes, with a trio of astronauts floating around lost in space – definitely one of Rod Serling hobbyhorse premises – and landing on an asteroid where the atmosphere and conditions are identical to earth even though they find themselves 665 million light years away from home. If it weren't for the two suns in the sky, the astronauts would swear they landed on earth the way it looked more than 200 years ago (since their ship took off in the year 2185) and the inexplicable occurrences continue to pile up. There are plenty of people and animals in a typically American village setting, but they all stand their motionless and seemingly paralyzed. They eventually run into the peculiar Mr. Wickwire who introduces himself as the local caretaker and reveals the fantastically wacky truth about the place they are trapped! In all honesty, this wasn't my personal favorite episode but admittedly it's one of the best examples to illustrate the series' creativity, versatility and crazed imagination! Not coincidentally, the cuckoo but strangely absorbing screenplay got penned down by the genius writer Charles Beaumont. Apart from nearly two dozen of terrific Twilight Zone episodes, Beaumont also wrote the scenarios of Roger Corman's best Gothic horror movies ("The Masque of Red Death", "Premature Burial", "The Haunted Palace"…) before dying at a dreadfully young age from the consequences of two incurable diseases. What entertained and fascinated me most about "Elegy" is wondering what difficult and time-consuming task it must have been to keep all these extra players frozen and completely stationary when the cameras were aimed at them! In case you ever played a game of "1, 2, 3, Red Light" when you were young, you know how impossible it is to remain perfectly still when other people are looking at you. My respect and congratulations to the literally hundreds of extras who pulled this off!

Their ship's instruments irreparably damaged, three astronauts from Earth are forced to land on an asteroid 655 million miles away from home. When they leave their craft, they are not only surprised to learn that the atmosphere is breathable and the gravity similar to Earth, but also that their new surroundings seem remarkably familiar. On searching the area, they discover a town similar to that of Earth from two hundred years ago, before the atomic war of 1985, complete with inhabitants who are seemingly trapped in time.

Elegy is one of my favourite episodes of Season One of The Twilight Zone for several reasons: Firstly, there is the puzzle to be solved: where is this strange place that they have landed? Why does it resemble Earth? How come nobody there can move? And who is the old man watching their every move?

Even more fun than the mystery is watching the extras to see how well they can remain perfectly still. With today's technology, this would be an easy effect to achieve, but back in the '50s it involved holding your breath and trying not to twitch or blink. Some of the extras manage it better than others.

Last but not least, there is the wonderfully ghoulish ending served with a huge helping of black humour and cynicism, all of which would seem more suited to a Tales from the Crypt story if it wasn't for the sci-fi setting. In short, an essential episode for fans of the macabre.

This is arguably the one of the finest episodes of The Twilight Zone! It single-handedly seems to have laid the foundation for so many of the prominent pieces of work on television today - from Black Mirror (especially San Junipero) to Westworld! It is unbelievable to consider that this was conceptualised in the early 60s.

One of the stranger Twilight Zone stories involves three astronauts from the future in the 22nd century running out of fuel and crash landing on an asteroid. But what an asteroid. These guys find an earth like small town from the Eisenhower fifties perfect in every detail except that the people are frozen in place like statues. The astronauts Kevin Hagen, Jeff Morrow, and Don Dubbins are uneasy, but it looks like a kind of paradise, Morrow especially like it there.

That this Twilight Zone episode was done at the end of Ike's presidency is interesting because in some quarters there is a longing for what seems to be the simpler times of the Fifties. The story might resonate better today within certain circles.

The only other being moving about is Cecil Kellaway, a self described 'caretaker'. He does arrange that they do stay permanently and in a place they wish to be.

For what these space travelers have landed in you have to see this strange episode of The Twilight Zone.

Loved these outer space TZ episodes as a kid. Sure there's some sameness, and generic acting to them. But, I always loved that there was so much unexplained, so much untold. It would be a launching pad to really think about, and discuss the episode with family you viewed it with.

Plodding script that you knew would lead to a big payoff. Bit like a Brit detective mystery. This didn't disappoint. Thought the beauty queen was very cute. Outstanding performance by Cecil Kellaway the kindly old guy, who turns out to be a rat.

Well written and darkly satirical of the destructive nature of humanity. Three astronauts in a rocket run out of fuel find themselves on an asteroid that looks very much like Earth. The Earth, by the way, was largely destroyed by war in 1985, two hundred years before the space men's time. They find people but they are all rather stiff.

The three men voice interesting theories about what might be happening, making this episode a whimsically thought provoking ride. One character among the stiffs is animated and appearing a little eccentric. This is Mr Wickwire (Cecil Kelloway) who is the astronauts hope of finding out what its all about on this odd asteroid. Kelloway, a distinguished movie character actor brings some darkly toned charm to this story.

Pessimistic stuff about humanity. At least we know the back-story of a war-obliterated Earth in 1985 didn't happen!

Three astronauts on a mission are forced to land on an outlying asteroid. Instead of finding an alien landscape, a world of small-town America opens before them, except the inhabitants who otherwise appear perfectly ordinary are frozen into motionless poses. The suspense mounts as the astronauts seek to unravel the mystery. Well done from a technical point of view-- the live models do hold their poses very well. In some respects, "Elegy" resembles the series' initial entry "Where is Everybody", without the latter's atmosphere or excitement, however. Still, this one is done with a faintly humorous undercurrent, especially with the genial tongue-in-cheek from Cecil Kellaway as Wickwire. There's also the hint of a cynical subtext concerning humankind's stubborn capacity for self-destruction. The script was, after all, written at the height of the Cold War. On the whole, it's a clever little entry, several of whose scenes may stay with you..

I appreciate this episode for the actors abilities to slay the mannequin challenge. The storyline was unique and interesting, a predictable but well done ending.

Rod Serling liked astronauts and asteroids. This is another one of those "Where am I?" episodes. In this one a group of men find themselves in an odd town, where there are plenty of people, but they are frozen in time. They don't respond. As the astronauts move through space, they find more and more "normal" looking folks not moving. Once again it's about confusion and despair. Eventually they meet what seems like a living man who treats them kindly and asks them questions like how they would like to be remembered. We can't help but think of the first episode "Where Is Everybody?" The strange man is more and less than he seems and we know that we are in for a strange conclusion. I have to say that there is a sameness in some of these first season episodes that show a little lack of imagination. Still, it's a really interesting premise.