The Encounter is yet another tale from The Twilight Zone to feature war as its theme; the difference here is that it takes place in peace-time, twenty years after the end of WWII.
Neville Brand plays decorated ex-soldier Fenton, who is clearing out his attic when a young Japanese man, Arthur Takamori (Star Trek's George Takei), turns up looking for gardening work. Fenton invites Arthur up for a beer and shows the young man one of his war souvenirs: a samurai sword, taken from an enemy soldier, with the words 'This sword will avenge me' engraved on the blade in Japanese. When Arthur holds the sword he feels the sudden urge to kill Fenton...
Fenton and Takamori lock horns in the cramped attic, driven by the intolerance, bigotry, guilt and hatred that bubbles to the surface throughout the course of the episode. The touchy subjects of 'just following orders' (every Nazi's excuse) and post war Japanese/American relations touched sensitive nerves in the U. S., while the story's somewhat revisionist account of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour helped to ensure that The Encounter wouldn't get another airing in America until 2016.
The characters' fluctuating/conflicting emotions, combined with the ambiguous supernatural element and crazy conclusion, make this a rather confusing tale, and writer Martin Goldsmith's intent is hard to fathom, but Takei and Brand put in strong performances, making it an entertaining way to spend twenty-five minutes even if ascertaining its true meaning isn't easy.