The Twilight Zone (TV Series) Memphis (2003) User Reviews

Time for a Change

[kapelusznik18 · 7/10 · 20 August 2015]

***SPOILERS***With death staring him in the face suffering from a inoperable brain tumor court clerk Ray Ellison,Eriq La Salle,is suddenly brought back in time to the spring of 1968 to what he thought, when he got his very confused head together,to prevent the assassination of Dr. Martin King, Efosa Otuomagie, on April 4, 1968 the very next day. While he's in the past-1968-Ellison befriends Adelaide Tyler and her 12 year old son Lucas, Vivica A. Fox & Jascha Washington, who let him stay in their house that he with his knowledge of the law prevents from being for closed.

Has history has proved Ellison did't save, as much as he tried,Dr. King's life the odds were greatly against that. But he did in fact save someone else's: His own. And did it by encouraging little Lucas to go for it in what he want's to be when grows up! It was something that would come in handy for it was exactly what Ellison was there for and needed most. A life saving brain operation that little Lucas all grown up and now a master neurosurgeon, like his hero TV's Dr.Ben Casey, was to preform on the cash strapped Ray Ellison, that cost as much as much as 200 g's, free of charge 35 years later in 2003!

As we see in this "New Twilight Zone" episode that one good deed deserves another and what Ellison tried to do in saving Dr. King's life and filed he in a round about way ended up saving his own with out really, until he woke up in the hospital, knowing it!

"It's never too late."

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 24 March 2023]

Time travel stories in which a protagonist attempts to prevent something in the past in order to change the future are pretty common, and they generally don't work out to change history. This episode didn't start out that way but was heading in that direction when Ray Ellison (Eriq La Salle) found himself in 1968 Atlanta the day before Martin Luther King would be assassinated. Befriended by a woman (Vivica A. Fox) and her young son (Jascha Washington) after being struck by a car, Ellison tries to make sense of his predicament, escalating to near panic when he realizes that a fateful event about to happen is only a day away. What makes the story so touching occurs when Ray eventually recovers from a coma after three days, during which time he visited the past and encouraged Lucas Tyler to follow his dreams, no matter what. He's rewarded in the present with the hopeful news that the boy he briefly mentored in 1968 grew up to be the skilled neurosurgeon who would give him a new lease on life. This is one trip to The Twilight Zone you won't mind taking for the heartwarming and hopeful payoff.

A reworking of the old episode "Back There".

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 15 February 2022]

When the program starts, Ray (Eriq La Salle) learns that that he has a brain tumor and will be dead in 5-6 months. Inexplicably, he soon finds himself transported back to Memphis in 1968...just before Martin Luther King was assassinated.

While there is much more to the story than this and the ending is quite a bit different (and more upbeat in some ways), it's pretty much "Back There"...an episode showing that a modern person going back in time cannot actually change what's been pre-ordained. Interesting and very good if you've never seen the original.

Nice Episode with a Great Message

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 11 July 2017]

A black man with a brain tumor which is inoperable is truck by a car finds himself back in 1968 in Memphis, just before the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. He ends up with a family, a woman and her son, who care for him. When he finds out about the date, he tries to put a stop to the assassination. Eriq LaSalle is excellent in this very touching portrayal of a man who wants to have a reason to live. I wish more of the episodes had the heart that this does. Not maudlin in the least.

A Tender and Special Episode

[Enrique-Sanchez-56 · 10/10 · 15 June 2014]

(The only real spoiler here is my mention of time travel.)

Time travel can be handled in many different ways. One of my favorites is when this journey is taken unintentionally, when the protagonist has no control or expectation that it will occur.

This is such an episode. And it was handled well.

Eriq La Salle is a unique actor. He has a quiet strength and sober countenance which always brings a welcome sensitivity to his roles, when they warrant this. And he did this here.

The story has been told before in different guises in literature and film. But here the needs and events of a man's life intersect the needs of another time. What is the reason for this return to another time? This man asks himself questions similarly to how Quantum Leap's main protagonist handled such things.

The result is a soulful episode for those who welcome a bit of heart.

This wasn't Twilight Zone

[talllwoood13 · 1/10 · 5 July 2023]

This seems like a watered down version of an episode or two from the 50s. The one that immediately comes to mind is the pilot episode from 1957 or 1958. I love how the older episodes worked to address civil rights with African and Asian people in various episodes. It came off more classy if that makes any sense. Regardless of the black and white color back then but Rod and the team who worked on the earlier episodes were WAY more thought provoking. Yes the 50s era had its share of bad episodes too, it's not perfect. Find me a show that is. It's certainly not breaking bad either. This just seems like something that wasn't good enough for another tv network or movie and they just bought this second rate script for next to nothing. Middle school kids write better stories than this. You'd get the same reaction if someone redid fresh prince of belair and cast tony hawk as will smith and it was an episode about him nailing his first 900 trick. Fans would be out raged.

Everything is too convenient, the ending works but that would be like the only way getting German people on is to mention the Hitler or doing something about Ukraine HAS to mention Chernobyl. The lead is good, the co-stars are fine but the SECOND they mentioned a certain iconic civil rights leader and some other social stigmas back then my eyes rolled. It was about as necessary as the mom changing her weaves, wigs or whatever. With a few minor tweaks , such as getting rid of that lame intro and Forest waddling around this could be one of those awful hallmark movies for BET that no one remembers. It's like this awful movie with the worlds manliest actor Steven Seagal called Fire Down Below. If I had my time back I'd watch one of his movies instead of this garbage and at least learn something.