1990s Outer Limits

[Ralph]

This is out order still....

EPISODE 117: THE MESSAGE

"Jennifer Winter (MARLEE MATLIN), deaf since birth, has had a revolutionary implant in her ear, to help her hear for the first time. The device doesn't help her to hear normal conversation and sounds, but she does hear something, and no one believes her."


Watched "The Message" tonight about a deaf lady who picks up a signal from aliens. Not a bad little story I thought and I liked the way the characters have to overcome obstacles placed before them.

I'd give this 6/10

[Wayne]

This is out order still....

I'll be continuing to do it properly when i get back.

[Ralph]

[Ralph]

EPISODE 118: I, ROBOT


"Adam is a powerful and generally good-natured robot. One evening while his creator, a university professor named Dr. Link, adjusts his programming, Adam goes wild. He assaults and kills Dr. Link destroying the lab in the process. Accused of the murder, Adam goes quietly into police custody. When Dr. Link's daughter Mina reads about her father's death she contacts Detective Barclay who is in charge of the case, and they visit Adam in his cell. The robot replays his memory of the previous night for them but finds no record of his outburst. Mina tells him that Dr. Link is dead and asks Adam to keep searching for the missing information. She needs it for the hearing which will determine if Adam is so dangerous that he should be destroyed"

This was a straight remake of the episode from the original series and stars Leonard Nimoy who represents the defence for the Robot.

I was a bit disappointed because it didn't improve on the original and in fact despite Nimoy I think the original is the best. 6/10

[Wayne]

I'll be continuing to do it properly when i get back.

Disc 3.

'Living Hell' - A drifter who was shot by a street punk is saved by an experimental computer chip - which also links him to the mind of a serial killer.
This one was better than some of the recent ones. Again, it plays with familiar themes, but it was a well crafted episode that kept me interested. 7/10.

'Corner of the Eye' - An ailing priest believes the appartitions he sees are due to a brain tumor, but his doctor assures him they are real.
And again, it's a variation on a theme that's been used before, but this one was veering back down to average. 5/10.

'Under the Bed' - When a little boy mysteriously disappears, his sister claims a monster abducted him.
I'm beginning to think that there are no original ideas left to do! The 'monster under the bed' idea is usually quite an appealing theme for me. This is not too bad an effort, but it was done much more effectively in the original Twilight Zone. Worth a 6/10, though.

'Dark Matters' - The crew of a spaceship is stranded in a region in space where there are no planets or stars, only wrecked ships inhabited by ghosts.
A Sci-Fi based episode that's also a bit of study of our humanity, & how past mistakes can affect the way we deal with things in life. A slightly deeper & more thoughful episode. 7/10.

[Ralph]

'Living Hell' - A drifter who was shot by a street punk is saved by an experimental computer chip - which also links him to the mind of a serial killer.
This one was better than some of the recent ones. Again, it plays with familiar themes, but it was a well crafted episode that kept me interested. 7/10.

This was not too bad but pretty mediocre I thought 6/10.

'Corner of the Eye' - An ailing priest believes the appartitions he sees are due to a brain tumor, but his doctor assures him they are real.
And again, it's a variation on a theme that's been used before, but this one was veering back down to average. 5/10.

Agreed, pretty average again...just a 5/10

'Under the Bed' - I'm beginning to think that there are no original ideas left to do! The 'monster under the bed' idea is usually quite an appealing theme for me. This is not too bad an effort, but it was done much more effectively in the original Twilight Zone. Worth a 6/10, though.

I really liked this one though I agree it stands in the shadow of the original series. A good one to watch though nevertheless and one of the best on this season 7/10 from me.

'Dark Matters' - The crew of a spaceship is stranded in a region in space where there are no planets or stars, only wrecked ships inhabited by ghosts.
A Sci-Fi based episode that's also a bit of study of our humanity, & how past mistakes can affect the way we deal with things in life. A slightly deeper & more thoughful episode. 7/10.

I just couldn't get into this one - it reminded me of an episode of ST-TNG Just seemed to drag...I'd give it 5/10

I have to say overall I've been a bit disappointed with this revival of the series - I now realise why the X Files quickly took over to fill the sci-fi gap.
The first few episodes are really good then there's a few good ones in amongst many uninspired episodes trading on the past reputation of the Twilight Zone/Outer Limits classic era.

[Wayne]

You've just been waiting for me to do the back work, haven't you?

What about the last 3 eps of Disc 2 which you've missed out? You only got as far as mentioning 'Second Soul'.

[Ralph]

You've just been waiting for me to do the back work, haven't you?

Ok I admit it!

[Wayne]

[Ralph]

It was this disc that made me lose enthusiasm

'White Light Fever' - An aging billionaire thinks his funding of life-extension research has paid off when he receives an experimental artificial heart, but the results are not what he bargained for.
I found this one a bit of a plodder. The final scenes are good, but overall to slow to give it any more than 5/10

I have to totally agree this was simply quite dull. 5/10.

'The Choice' - An eight-year-old girl exhibits telekinetic abilities, attracting the attention of her mysterious nanny - and a Government agent following the nanny.
A familiar Sci-Fi theme, but not a bad episode, nevertheless. If such a scenario ever happened, i think we'd have try to instill moral values into them, & just hope for the best. Either that or wipe them out....... 7/10

Allright but nothing special, I just felt it was another 5/10

'Virtual Future' - A college student's key discoveries in virtual reality and artificial intelligence unlock the secrets of time travel - but attract the attention of an unscrupulous businessman.
Hmmmm....... It's always nice to see a good actor like David Warner on the screen, but the actual story here didn't do much for me. Only David Warner's presence elevates this average episode up a notch. 5.5/10.

I thought David Warner was wasted in this I have to say but because of him I'd agree it's marginally better so 5.5/10 seems fair.

[Wayne]

Not too much variation in our reactions then, bar a couple of eps.
This has currently gone onto 'episode a day' (approx) status, for me. I'll be starting Disc 4 on Tuesday, as i'm out for most of the afteroon/evening, tomorrow.

[Ralph]

If anything this series has made me realise just how much more I enjoy the Xfiles. I think it's more difficult maintaining interest in a show without character continuity when it's got too many average episodes.

[Wayne]

Have you got to the Alyssa Milano episode that Dave mentioned earlier, yet?

[Ralph]

I think that one is "Caught in the Act" if I recall correctly. I'll come back to you on that one. There's some good one's to come I'm pleased to say after some disappointing ones I watched another 3 tonight but not necessarily in sequence!

[Wayne]

I watched another 3 tonight but not necessarily in sequence!

You're just an anarchist, Ralph!

[Ralph]

If only

And that pic (the stare from The Aztecs) looks like a young Billy Hartnell to me apart from the clothes mind!

[Wayne]

Disc 4.

'The Conversion' - An ex-con murders three people at a Christmas party and flees into the mountains, where he encounters a stranger who claims to know the future.
Not bad. Again, the story is a bit average, & too drawn out. Many of these i think would've suited a 25min length. I was pleased to see Frank Whaley, who i thought was quite a good young actor from a film i've got, called 'Swing Kids'. I've never seen him in anything else, but i think his performance helps to lift this episode to a shade above average. Nice to see Rebecca De Mornay, too. Shame it's just a cameo, though! 5.5/10

'Quality of Mercy' - When a soldier is captured by the aliens he is battling, he's placed in a cell with a woman who's being transformed into one of them.
Interesting to see Robert Patrick in this episode, who i think always puts in a good performance. I was also pleased to see Nikki de Boer, who was such an endearing actress in the final season of ST: DS9. But it has to be said again that this was a very basic story that felt stretched out to fit the time slot, & the 'twist' was so obvious. However, the performances once again help to lift this episode up. Even if i did spend half the ep wondering/hoping that Nikki de Boer would get her kit off. 6/10.

'Caught In the Act' - A woman's encounter with an alien creature makes her lust for men.
I've been waiting for this. *cough ahem....... It wasn't too bad an ep as it goes. The theme of the episode reminded me very much of Torchwood's 'Day One' episode. Alyssa Milano even gets it on a bit with another woman, (what - Alyssa Milano is lesbian snog shocker? She's never done that before!) under the influence of the lustful alien entity. She doesn't put in a bad performance though. It's at least as good as 'Day One', & i could look into Alyssa Milano's eyes all night......... So that's an extra half point for Alyssa & her wonderful breasts, then. 6.5/10.

'The Voyage Home' - An astronaut must decide whether to let his ship return to Earth after an alien causes the deaths of his shipmates - and then assumes their shapes - on a mission returning from Mars.
Hmmm....... Another fairly average Sci-Fi based yarn. The reptilian/bird-like aliens looked quite good, & it did get quite good towards the end, but we've heard it all before with the aliens taking over humans bit. It just felt like: nothing new here - move along. It might be called 'The Voyage Home', & it might have Michael Dorn in it, but Star Trek it ain't. 5.5/10.

[Wayne]

A few days interuption in the schedule because of being away from home, but i finally finished Disc 5.

'The New Breed' - A scientist who's trying to find a way to repair damaged cells develops robots of microscopic size - with which a lab assistant secretly injects himself in hopes of curing his cancer.
Yay! After several mediochre eps, i thought this one was actually pretty good! Nice to see Richard Thomas on screen again in quite a tense episode. I was pleased that this episode wasn't quite as predictable as i thought it was going to be. I won't refer to any specific details, because you never know if Ralph hasn't watched it yet, with his bizarre random viewing order.
8/10.

'The Message' - Even after receiving an experimental implant, a deaf woman is still unable to hear conversation - although she does begin to hear whispering voices.
Hmmm....... Back to just 'ok', now. A fairly routine story, which was only really notable for slant of using a deaf person as one of the main characters. Otherwise, i found it a bit dull. Just another all too familiar take on the 'contact with aliens/must be a nutter', idea.
5/10.

'I Robot' - I concur with what Ralph says above! (That one was easy)
6/10.

'If These Walls Could Talk' - A skeptical researcher investigates a haunted house where a woman's son has supposedly disappeared.
I was intrigued at first, & pleased to get what seemed to be an out & out supernatural/horror episode, But it waffled down the 'alien' road for ages, & i started finding difficult to keep my attention focused on it. It picked up a lot at the end, but it was basically another case of what felt like a 25min story stretched to the 45min slot. Seen worse, but seen better.
5.5/10.

One more disc to go!

[Ralph]

'The New Breed' Yay! After several mediochre eps, i thought this one was actually pretty good! Nice to see Richard Thomas on screen again in quite a tense episode. I was pleased that this episode wasn't quite as predictable as i thought it was going to be. I won't refer to any specific details, because you never know if Ralph hasn't watched it yet, with his bizarre random viewing order.
8/10.

Yes I have watched this one and I loved it! A really good watch I'd totally agree with 8/10

'The Message' Hmmm....... Back to just 'ok', now. A fairly routine story, which was only really notable for slant of using a deaf person as one of the main characters. Otherwise, i found it a bit dull. Just another all too familiar take on the 'contact with aliens/must be a nutter', idea.
5/10.

Not a bad little story worthy of 6/10 as I said earlier!

'If These Walls Could Talk' -I was intrigued at first, & pleased to get what seemed to be an out & out supernatural/horror episode, But it waffled down the 'alien' road for ages, & i started finding difficult to keep my attention focused on it. It picked up a lot at the end, but it was basically another case of what felt like a 25min story stretched to the 45min slot. Seen worse, but seen better.
5.5/10.

I got bored with the pace of this one I have to say so just 5/10

[Wayne]

I thought it was a bit slow but I'd give it 5.5/10

You gave it 6/10 in your post a bit further up.

[Ralph]

You gave it 6/10 in your post a bit further up.

It's not easy when you watch them out of order!!!

[Wayne]

Still not seen 'Caught in the Act' yet, then?

[Ralph]

Still not seen 'Caught in the Act' yet, then?

Er no....but I have done the last disc!

[Wayne]

Saving Alyssa for pudding are you?

[Ralph]

If only