I'm really rather surprised by all the negative reviews of this episode. I think it's quite a strong one. Not a masterpiece, to be sure, but quite solid. I don't think the ending was obvious at all (at least, if one tries to forget that one has seen the episode many times). I always like episodes that provide a good snapper ending, and this one delivers. And the whole thing is creepy and disconcerting. Especially as one ponders the fate of the protagonists as we leave them at the end of the episode. OK, so it's not a profound or deep episode. But it's interesting, creepy, surprising, and fun. I can think of plenty of episodes that are far weaker.
35 Reviews
A real Twilight Zone episode
aliases-5333422 February 2016
After watching quite a few episodes of the TZ, I have discovered that there are more than a few "bad" once. Not all episodes are sharp, not all twists are surprising or mind bending, not all characters are interesting. But in this quiet town, the horror is real, and we can sense the panic that our heroes are going through. We probably would have acted the same way. Sure, this idea has been used several times throughout the series, but as long as its done right, it works every time! It is that kind of TZ episodes, that have made this show so great. From the beginning, we are inside the character's heads. They are lost, and we are lost with them. We care for them, and we are intrigued to know what is going on. The ending is twisted enough to bring a smile to our face, along with a sense of horror. This is Twilight Zone at its best.
'Reminds me of a Coney Island spook house'.
darrenpearce11110 December 2013
A light episode, nonetheless well written by Earl Hamner Jr. Millie (Nancy Malone) and Bob (Barry Nelson) are New Yorkers who wake up in a strange place with no idea how they got there, having had a few drinks at a party the night before. They are lost - big time ,but the actors are at home at making this very enjoyable to watch. A guessing game of a plot has the town becoming more peculiar the more Millie and Bob see of it. If you enjoyed this, as I did, may I recommend the episode of The Outer Limits that starred Nancy Malone called 'Fun And Games'? (much more way out than this again). Nice to see her on the DVD extras praising the special qualities of TZ that are so much needed today.
There are shades of the first ever episode 'Where Is Everybody?' in this one (including a similar moment opening a car door).It would have made a good finale for the final season, as it is one of the highlights of the tail-end.
The message is don't drink and drive. This is, in effect, the weirdest public information advertisement ever.
There are shades of the first ever episode 'Where Is Everybody?' in this one (including a similar moment opening a car door).It would have made a good finale for the final season, as it is one of the highlights of the tail-end.
The message is don't drink and drive. This is, in effect, the weirdest public information advertisement ever.
Drunk couple is caught in Centerville
LWRiker1 January 2013
This episode is very representative of the entire run of The Twilight Zone series in many ways: the creepy sounds, misplaced reality, ignorant participants, all the elements that make it a classic Zone story. This is from the days when imagination and writing were primary and props and special effects were secondary or non-existent. The characters really had to tell the story, even pad it now and then, as in this story, because the story itself could've been done in half the time (you'll see what I mean when you watch it). Over all it may not be the BEST episode in the series, but a very memorable, none the less. I saw this episode some 40+ years ago. It is still the ONE episode that I think of when I see or hear mention of The Twilight Zone.
A Startling Episode: Experience of Watching It May Last a Lifetime
skipptown26 May 2010
I recall watching this episode as a child when it was first broadcast. TV was so different then -- it didn't take much to suspend your disbelief -- and programs such as this seemed so real. I remember being totally drawn in and absorbed by the unfolding mystery of all of the fake components of the town, and I felt great empathy and pity for the couple as I watched their initial relief in boarding the train turn to fear and worry when they discover that it only travels in a loop. Serling achieves a heightened sense of claustrophobia that engenders much allegorical thinking vis-à-vis feeling "trapped." Finally, I was deeply shocked by the disturbing ending. The memory of it still creeps me out 45 years later. This was TV at its best -- what an imagination, Mr. Serling, thanks for all the fun...
we got off at the wrong stopover
dpmahon27 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I first saw this episode on SCI-FI channel a few years ago I thought it was absolutely brilliant considering some negative comments about series 5. Of course I am a bit older now but it still remains one of my favourites right up there with maple street and Willoughby. Great story good acting(does'nt Barry nelson remind you of JFK) Just one complaint,surely after the fake phone,fake kitchen,fake bread,fake squirrel,fake church,fake tree,fake grass,fake driver,they wouldn't have got so excited when they saw the train just sitting there with nobody around.Nevertheless its great fun going on this journey with the characters as the suspense builds up to the climax. This is 25 minutes thats well worth your time
Very Entertaining Twilight Zone episode (Last season).
dbedwards20035 May 2010
I've always been a fan of Barry Nelson since his appearance in SHADOW OF THE THIN MAN (MGM 1941). As a matter of fact I ran into him in downtown San Francisco many years ago. Quite the gentleman. This episode is engrossing. You scratch your head and wonder along with them "What the heck goes?" They wander about in a town where everything is phony (I know what you're thinking- they must be in Hollywood or Southern California, not so). When the couple enter a kitchen and try to open the drawers and cabinets everything is fake! Imagine the horror if YOU awoke and found yourself in a house where everything was fake, just a bunch of props. SHEER TERROR!!! The reason I enjoy this segment is that it pulls you in and you have to stay tuned to the very end for the punch line. And Rod Serling's commentary borders on the comic. The moral is "Don't drink and drive, or else you may end up like Barry Nelson and his wife! No more drinking binges for them (or me)!
I got the twist half right
owenmm19 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Throughout the episode I kept saying: "They're in a model town because they're dolls." So when the girl picked them up I smiled. But then once they started moving my smile faded and when her mother said "your father got them straight from earth" I thoroughly enjoyed the episode. It can drag at times but other than that it's neat
Underrated
kellielulu18 September 2022
I have always liked this one . I didn't guess the ending the first time ( although my brother did the first time he watched it !) .
I do think it loses a little something after repeated viewings but it's still one I like.
The nightmarish aspect of it adds to the feel of the episode and the spookiness but it's also it's hope . The thing is if Bob and Millie had been dreaming they would be a lot better off! The Twilight Zone was always good at dream or dream like episodes or scenes. The episode also plays in something else we all need - other humans even when we would prefer to interact with fewer people it's ultimately what we need. It doesn't matter if you are not sociable by nature or are shy. It doesn't matter if we have someone else to depend on . This episode to me has that deeper meaning that isolation even desired has it limits. It's another theme The Twilight addressed regularly.
I do think it loses a little something after repeated viewings but it's still one I like.
The nightmarish aspect of it adds to the feel of the episode and the spookiness but it's also it's hope . The thing is if Bob and Millie had been dreaming they would be a lot better off! The Twilight Zone was always good at dream or dream like episodes or scenes. The episode also plays in something else we all need - other humans even when we would prefer to interact with fewer people it's ultimately what we need. It doesn't matter if you are not sociable by nature or are shy. It doesn't matter if we have someone else to depend on . This episode to me has that deeper meaning that isolation even desired has it limits. It's another theme The Twilight addressed regularly.
Stopover for a 25 minute PSA on not drinking and driving ?
rcaliendo-424-34532819 May 2020
Well, for whatever its worth, I liked it. A book I have on the Zone rated this one very poorly. It seems like many of the 5th season episodes suffer from bad reviews, at least partly out of suspicion that the show was out of gas with fresh ideas. True enough, this one is probably too reminiscent of "Where is Everybody" from season 1.
Still, I feel this one is completely emblematic of the show's core entertainment values ... suspense, fish out of water characters, distorted realities, a surprising twist, etc. One of the common critiques about this one is the "unlikability" of the characters. They certainly have a short emotional band width here ranging from whiny to grouchy to hysterical. Then again, who wouldn't ? Hung over and with no footing in reality ... can you blame them ?
To me, though, their unlikability is part of the show ... they appear to be your typical no-kids-yet, self-interested, self-obsessed, urban (yuppie equivalent of the time) couple. Not liking them means we are more likely to be entertained by, than be saddened by their likely fate in some alien child's toy chest.
It's a good story. OK, it's not one of the best, but, because it checks most of the boxes for Zone entertainment criteria, I find it very entertaining and will stop what I'm doing to watch it, despite having seen it so many times.
Still, I feel this one is completely emblematic of the show's core entertainment values ... suspense, fish out of water characters, distorted realities, a surprising twist, etc. One of the common critiques about this one is the "unlikability" of the characters. They certainly have a short emotional band width here ranging from whiny to grouchy to hysterical. Then again, who wouldn't ? Hung over and with no footing in reality ... can you blame them ?
To me, though, their unlikability is part of the show ... they appear to be your typical no-kids-yet, self-interested, self-obsessed, urban (yuppie equivalent of the time) couple. Not liking them means we are more likely to be entertained by, than be saddened by their likely fate in some alien child's toy chest.
It's a good story. OK, it's not one of the best, but, because it checks most of the boxes for Zone entertainment criteria, I find it very entertaining and will stop what I'm doing to watch it, despite having seen it so many times.
Good episode
richspenc24 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I enjoyed "Stopover". The man and wife waking up in a strange isolated place. The man (who looked like and reminded me of George Willard) and his wife got drunk at a party the previous evening, started driving home drunk and then everything got very hazy. They're not sure if they'd gotten into a wreck or what happened. Next they know, they wake up in a strange room of a strange house on a strange street. Not one other human being in sight except the two of them. They find nothing to be real (refrigerator, phone, grass and trees), all made out of plastic or foam. They hear the laughter of a small child but don't see him/her. The outcome, I must say was rather predictable and I guessed it correctly less than halfway through the episode. But I still give this episode an 8 because it was done very well, and I liked the two main characters. By the way, interesting thing to point out, SPOILER WARNING: the mother of the small child playing with her miniature model town sounded just like Nanny from the Muppet Babies. I wonder if it was the same actress. They even didn't show her face just like on the show while standing over her daughter and the town.
If you drink don't drive
ron_tepper7 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Stopover in a Quiet Town was actually one of the better episodes in the final season that the Twilight Zone aired. The story? An obnoxious couple wake up one morning in their dress clothes evidently passed out after a night on the town. When they awaken-they don't know where they are, they don't know how they got where they are at and they don't recognize anything or anyone.During the episode they try to uncover the mystery only to fall deeper into a maelstrom that makes no sense. They find no people in this small town and all objects and life "signs" are just "props" as if in a movie. They finally hear a train so they get on thinking it would take them to civilization again but they get off at the exact spot they got on. During the course of this entire episode they hear a girls voice laughing at them.Okay readers have you figured it out yet? Well lets just say a large human hand comes down from the sky to pick them up and I'll leave the rest to your imagination although it still may be hard to figure it out. Actually this story was very original and very neat(to use an old expression). However it has many flaws. As stated earlier the viewer does not truly sympathize with their situation because they are so obnoxious. There is a lot of very irritating bickering between the 2 blaming each other for the predicament they find themselves in.And even though the ending seems quite novel it feels more derivative. It does end with one of the funniest lines by Serling in the entire series-"The moral of this story is if you drink don't drive and if your wife has too maybe she shouldn't drive either".This is one of those episodes which really does pay off in the end if you can hang in there.
Irwin Allen Was Watching
StuOz5 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
One of the most famous and best loved episodes of Irwin Allen's Land Of The Giants series - The Ghost Town (1968) - stole from this episode.
In Ghost Town, the earth folk in the giant land think they have suddenly appeared back on earth when they walk through a town that is not giant, but rather, of the same size of an earth town.
By the end of act one, a giant laughing girl appears and makes trouble for the little folk.
Does this sound like Zone? Yes.
But while Zone did it first, Giants did it better, stock John Williams action music and dramatics from Steve Burton, Valerie and Fitz made Ghost Town far more entertaining than Stopover In A Quiet Town.
In Ghost Town, the earth folk in the giant land think they have suddenly appeared back on earth when they walk through a town that is not giant, but rather, of the same size of an earth town.
By the end of act one, a giant laughing girl appears and makes trouble for the little folk.
Does this sound like Zone? Yes.
But while Zone did it first, Giants did it better, stock John Williams action music and dramatics from Steve Burton, Valerie and Fitz made Ghost Town far more entertaining than Stopover In A Quiet Town.
Boring, Silly, Tedious
lrrap18 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
How long can you sustain a show with two people constantly carping at each other, walking around town and essentially repeating the same dialogue? I'll admit there's a certain quintessential Twilight Zone quality at work here, but I am astounded at the positive, rave comments by other IMDB users, considering that there are so many episodes of far greater quality and stature from which to judge the series.
I know they were cranking them out on a weekly basis as TZ was headed for the graveyard of Television cancellations, so I get it. The first big effect shot near the end--the giant hand reaching into the town street--was effective, considering the show's low budget and rushed schedule. But the following shots with the teeny-tiny characters matted into the kid's hand were really bad, which totally undercuts any dramatic punch.
The best thing about the episode for me---and I'm serious--- are the plentiful shots of the MGM backlot's classic "Andy Hardy" Street which, sadly, was in decline and already looking rather run-down. So in that respect, this episode is worthwhile in that it preserves something of the faded glory of Hollywood's Golden Age.
So, go ahead and hit the "NO" button, since I'm sure that anyone who loves this episode will disagree with my comments. But the question "Was this review helpful?" is intended for people who've never seen this show and, in that regard, I'm doing my best to be "Helpful". LR
I know they were cranking them out on a weekly basis as TZ was headed for the graveyard of Television cancellations, so I get it. The first big effect shot near the end--the giant hand reaching into the town street--was effective, considering the show's low budget and rushed schedule. But the following shots with the teeny-tiny characters matted into the kid's hand were really bad, which totally undercuts any dramatic punch.
The best thing about the episode for me---and I'm serious--- are the plentiful shots of the MGM backlot's classic "Andy Hardy" Street which, sadly, was in decline and already looking rather run-down. So in that respect, this episode is worthwhile in that it preserves something of the faded glory of Hollywood's Golden Age.
So, go ahead and hit the "NO" button, since I'm sure that anyone who loves this episode will disagree with my comments. But the question "Was this review helpful?" is intended for people who've never seen this show and, in that regard, I'm doing my best to be "Helpful". LR
A Public Service Message
DKosty12313 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Well, this one proves drinking too much can kill. Of course when Serling does the introduction to this with cigarette in hand, well he was on his way to his own Twilight Zone some years later as though fire sticks took their toll. By 1964, Serling needed stories much like Alfred Hitchcock was always looking for to produce as Serling was working 14 hour days producing the show.
In this case and some more episodes, he found a talented writer, Earl Hamner Jr. to write some scripts for Cayuga Productions to make into episodes. Hamner would go on to write The Waltons, but this is no episode from that. Picture if you will waking up from a night of wild partying into a world where everything is fake and there are no people around. In a way this one goes back to the true spirit of an early Zone episode, Where is Everybody?
This one has some differences. All the way through there is the mysterious childs laugh, and a little town with no one around. It is like our couple is being toyed with. They are being toyed with, by the imagination of Hamner and the spin of being in another dimension. While it seems easy to figure this out today, in 1964 we often went to bed creeped out by this type of story. It would be next year before we got Lost In Space, and in this one the space is mysterious, and the time is overshadowed with a little girls laughter.
In this case and some more episodes, he found a talented writer, Earl Hamner Jr. to write some scripts for Cayuga Productions to make into episodes. Hamner would go on to write The Waltons, but this is no episode from that. Picture if you will waking up from a night of wild partying into a world where everything is fake and there are no people around. In a way this one goes back to the true spirit of an early Zone episode, Where is Everybody?
This one has some differences. All the way through there is the mysterious childs laugh, and a little town with no one around. It is like our couple is being toyed with. They are being toyed with, by the imagination of Hamner and the spin of being in another dimension. While it seems easy to figure this out today, in 1964 we often went to bed creeped out by this type of story. It would be next year before we got Lost In Space, and in this one the space is mysterious, and the time is overshadowed with a little girls laughter.
Terrifying to think about their fate
mszouave28 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
While far from one of the best TZ episodes, this one has as terrifying a ending as any in the series. The thought of the couples fate at the hand of a giant alien brat is truly chilling if you stop to think about it. These poor people, no matter how unlikable they seem to some, have a bleak future ahead of them. The kid will quickly get tired of her new "pets" and will kill one of them by squashing them or pulling them apart , while the other watches and awaits their turn. Even before that happens they know there is no escape from the torment of being a mere plaything for their giant " owner". Truly horrible to contemplate.
🏆 Another Twilight Zone Super Classic
floridacalisurferboy1 January 2023
🏆 STOPOVER IN A QUIET TOWN is another GREAT TZ EPISODE... With what later was hinted at in Spielberg's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND and possibly Irwin Allen's Sci Fi TV show LAND OF THE GIANTS.. This creepy and very well performed thriller is a real mind blowing journey.. Everything Everywhere is ARTIFICIAL, And the couple desperately try to come up with excuse after excuse to explain it..as their panic accelerates! It's more surprising when you think that when this TZ EPISODE was made, none of those movies and TV shows previously mentioned above, had ever existed.. Making this TZ episode even more original and creative.
Solid episode.
joegarbled-7948228 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
"Stopover In A Quiet Town" is a solid episode of "The Twilight Zone" starring Barry Nelson and Dorothy Malone as a couple with a touch of amnesia who find themselves trapped in a deserted town. As ever with "The Twilight Zone", things are rarely as they first seem.
The couple find that the house that they awoke in has a kitchen with prop food in a prop fridge, a prop phone on the wall and drawers that don't open. Rightly enough, they have the spooks already, not helped when they hear the loud laugh of an unseen young girl.
Meeting a stuffed squirrel on the way, they go to the town's church, expecting to find the whole town's inhabitants there, but again it's empty. Nelson rings the bell (he pulls on the rope as if the bell was on a rotating shaft, but the close up of the bell ringing doesn't match). Nobody comes to their aid. The spook factor increases with the mocking laughter of the unseen girl again.
They believe they've found an inhabitant in a car, but he turns out to be a mannequin sat in a car with no engine. (A reminder of Earl Holliman in the first ever episode "Where Is Everybody?" and him talking to the "lady" in the truck.) In desperation of getting out of the town, they jump on a train, its destination of no interest....until they discover that it's a train to nowhere and they end up going in a short circle.
We then discover that Nelson & Malone were picked up as pets for a gigantic girl (same proportions as Irwin Allen's "Land Of The Giants") and that they're no longer on Earth and trapped, forever. It might not have drawn as much sympathy except that they were nice people, especially a delightfully attired, coiffured and freckled Malone.
8/10.
The couple find that the house that they awoke in has a kitchen with prop food in a prop fridge, a prop phone on the wall and drawers that don't open. Rightly enough, they have the spooks already, not helped when they hear the loud laugh of an unseen young girl.
Meeting a stuffed squirrel on the way, they go to the town's church, expecting to find the whole town's inhabitants there, but again it's empty. Nelson rings the bell (he pulls on the rope as if the bell was on a rotating shaft, but the close up of the bell ringing doesn't match). Nobody comes to their aid. The spook factor increases with the mocking laughter of the unseen girl again.
They believe they've found an inhabitant in a car, but he turns out to be a mannequin sat in a car with no engine. (A reminder of Earl Holliman in the first ever episode "Where Is Everybody?" and him talking to the "lady" in the truck.) In desperation of getting out of the town, they jump on a train, its destination of no interest....until they discover that it's a train to nowhere and they end up going in a short circle.
We then discover that Nelson & Malone were picked up as pets for a gigantic girl (same proportions as Irwin Allen's "Land Of The Giants") and that they're no longer on Earth and trapped, forever. It might not have drawn as much sympathy except that they were nice people, especially a delightfully attired, coiffured and freckled Malone.
8/10.
One of the Best Episodes
claudio_carvalho6 November 2023
Millie and Bob Frazier wake-up dressed with party clothes and with hangover in an unknown and strange bed. They do not know where they are and explore the empty house. The place is weird, with fake furniture and bread. When they leave the house, they find that the neighborhood is empty and is composed with a fake animal, tree and grass. They overhear a child laugh and go to the church that is also empty. When they hear a train, they head to the station, enter the train and see the name of the town, Centerville. They celebrate that they are leaving the nightmare, but they return to Centerville. What is happening to the Frazier?
"Stopover in a Quiet Town" is one of the best episodes of "The Twilight Zone". The plot is predictable due to the laughs of the child, but the situation of Millie and Bob Frazier is anguishing. Imagine the terror of their situation when they find what is happening in Centerville. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Estranhos na Cidade Silenciosa" ("Strangers in the Silent Town")
"Stopover in a Quiet Town" is one of the best episodes of "The Twilight Zone". The plot is predictable due to the laughs of the child, but the situation of Millie and Bob Frazier is anguishing. Imagine the terror of their situation when they find what is happening in Centerville. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Estranhos na Cidade Silenciosa" ("Strangers in the Silent Town")
When I think of creepy stories this is the first one my mind goes to!
lbowdls8 April 2024
Yes when I think of the Twilight Zone tv show or even the generic phrase, this is the episode I think of, even though I may not have remembered where or when I actually first experienced it, or if it actually was a TZ episode. But it's so powerful it can't help but stick in your mind for ever. Even now knowing the outcome of this episode it still delivers a punch of mystery and suspense.
I also want to point out this is in season 5 and I do not agree that season 5 was a bad season, in fact some of the most powerful episodes occurred in season 5. I know because I've been watching them! All seasons are brilliant all have a few misses too.
One more thing this episode has absolutely nothing to do with drink driving or alcohol!
I also want to point out this is in season 5 and I do not agree that season 5 was a bad season, in fact some of the most powerful episodes occurred in season 5. I know because I've been watching them! All seasons are brilliant all have a few misses too.
One more thing this episode has absolutely nothing to do with drink driving or alcohol!
definitely a mind-sticker
daviddaphnered11 May 2017
The last time I watched any first-run "Twilight Zone" episodes was a week before I graduated from high school in 1964. All through my high school years I watched several of this unforgettable series, probably the most far-fetched series in the history of television. But this particular episode stands out in my memory more than others. (On a side note, initially this episode reminded me of the episode "Where is Everybody?!" which starred Earl Holliman.) Imagine how anyone would feel, as did the main characters (played well by Barry Nelson and Nancy Malone) waking up in an artificial house in a town where everything else is artificial, and finding not one person in the small town. It would be strange, at best, though the main characters felt very uncomfortable as well as strange. I'll just say it: this is definitely the scariest episode of this series I ever saw. I had to watch something comical after that particular episode, and it's mainly because of the ending. In all my years of watching any movie and/or TV series, I don't think I saw anything scarier. The episode is creative and well-done, but the ending is frightening!
It's really just Tang -- but it's good Tang
susan111_az19 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Another user compared "Stopover in a Quiet Town" to "It's A Good Life", but I don't think the comparison is really that valid. The real similarity is to another classic TZ episode, "Five Characters in Search of an Exit".
Both stories are perfect examples of what Turkey City Lexicon calls the "jar of Tang" story, in which the only twist -- and arguably the only attempt at a plot -- is the sudden revelation, at the end, of the story's bizarre setting. The characters are in an unfamiliar place, hiking across a featureless desert of coarse orange sand, which ends at an impenetrable wall. There's no story as such, only the characters' increasing confusion and bafflement, until their sudden realization: "For you see, we are all living inside a jar of Tang!" Fade to black. End credits.
I sometimes suspect that the writers for "Stopover" intended to add another layer of meaning, a suggestion that the Fraziers' marriage was as superficial and false as the fake drawer-fronts and prop trees and papier-mache grass of "Centreville". But if that ever was the intent, it didn't make it into the final version, so we're left with a slightly empty feeling: there's nothing more to the story than the realization that Centreville is nothing more than a child's play-town, a jar of Tang.
But still I give "Stopover" seven out of ten. The acting is excellent, showing the characters' growing weariness and frustration. And frankly, the jar-of-Tang was never done better than on "Twilight Zone".
Both stories are perfect examples of what Turkey City Lexicon calls the "jar of Tang" story, in which the only twist -- and arguably the only attempt at a plot -- is the sudden revelation, at the end, of the story's bizarre setting. The characters are in an unfamiliar place, hiking across a featureless desert of coarse orange sand, which ends at an impenetrable wall. There's no story as such, only the characters' increasing confusion and bafflement, until their sudden realization: "For you see, we are all living inside a jar of Tang!" Fade to black. End credits.
I sometimes suspect that the writers for "Stopover" intended to add another layer of meaning, a suggestion that the Fraziers' marriage was as superficial and false as the fake drawer-fronts and prop trees and papier-mache grass of "Centreville". But if that ever was the intent, it didn't make it into the final version, so we're left with a slightly empty feeling: there's nothing more to the story than the realization that Centreville is nothing more than a child's play-town, a jar of Tang.
But still I give "Stopover" seven out of ten. The acting is excellent, showing the characters' growing weariness and frustration. And frankly, the jar-of-Tang was never done better than on "Twilight Zone".
Count the Number of Times This Same Plot Has Been Done
Hitchcoc19 December 2008
I suppose the story works. We are brought into a world where to people, a couple of drunks, find themselves in a village where everything is made of cardboard and plastic. There are no living people (have you heard this before?). The do what they can to sort out the mystery. They use their own experiences to test the situation. The problem is the world they are in should have held some clues for them. Also, they are rather unlikable people with issues of selfishness and all that goes with it. Episodes like this are probably why the series was on its last legs. Maybe they needed to bring in some new writers or something. There must have been some more imaginative plots that could have been done.
A Little Parable on Drinking and Driving
chuck-reilly2 January 2008
Warning: Spoilers
A young New York City couple (Barry Nelson and Nancy Malone) awaken from their severe hang-overs in a strange bed. It seems that they drank too much the previous evening and have no idea where they are or how they got there. All the two can remember is that they had been drinking heavily at a party and then made the mistake of driving home. Ms. Malone seems to remember that something overtook them on the road but then they both blacked out. Within a few minutes, their dilemma turns into a real nightmare. The house they're in is filled with fake furniture,fake food and a phony toy telephone. The surrounding village (called "Centerville") is loaded with more of the same. The place is completely deserted and lifeless and the only thing the couple hears is the distant and taunting giggling of a small child. They're in for a real shock when they find out just who this kid really is.
Although this episode disguises itself as an example of alien abduction, the real story is about the evils of alcohol and its consequences. In any event, the story ends with viewers assured that Mr. Nelson and Ms. Malone won't be having any more cocktails in the near future.
Although this episode disguises itself as an example of alien abduction, the real story is about the evils of alcohol and its consequences. In any event, the story ends with viewers assured that Mr. Nelson and Ms. Malone won't be having any more cocktails in the near future.
Fun (but predictable)
Calicodreamin24 June 2021
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