This is the first whole episode I've seen of "The Twilight Zone", and what a showing! "Healer", was a fine start. Handsome Eric Bogosian is Jackie, a lowlife thief with a soft spot - he breaks into a museum and steals a rock, but notices it's not just expensive after he escapes and finds the stone glowing when near his bullet-wounded chest - it heals! He rescues his mentor, Harry (Vincent Gardenia) from a heart attack, and he says he probably cheated death as well and convinces Jackie to use the healing power for money. "Brother John" begins to get a show healing, and considers broadening it ton heal more...but is dissuaded by Harry since they'll make less money, and doesn't give the stone to the Native American (Joaquin Martinez) who recognizes it as his people's. But when he can't help a former enemy who bribes him, he learns the stone requires the benefactor's selflessness to work, and suffers the wound the stone healed before (this is the only thing unexplained - maybe his avarice made him stop caring about his own soul?) and also learns who his friends are. Bogosian really is convincing as the guy who's horrified at the threat of losing a friend then later is horrified that the "friend", also believably deceiving, is prepared to let him die. My one complaint is that the ending is a bit inconclusive, and Aidman's introduction had him talking to the protagonist - other than that, it went well so it's a 7. "Children's Zoo" is OK considering it was barely over 5 minutes and the main character, a 4-year-old with dysfunctional parents, barely was put in situations to speak. For the first few moments we watch her clean her room while her parents are heard bantering in the background. One advantage to that is, listening carefully, we learn the writers sneak in the fact that she was the only reason the twerps married. The shortest trip into the Twilight Zone given feels decent but a bit empty - her parents are doubtless selfish souls based on what we listen to them say to each other at first, but when little Debbie shows them a certificate to a "children's zoo" a friend gave her, the most noteworthy thing is that the mother snaps at her and they're both reluctant to take her, though her father acts too supportive to be sincere and offers the mother to go, though they both have to attend. It's not shown just how the two finally agreed to go, but the humor picks up near the end. I guess I'll give it a 7. Though I can't say what the original Twilight Zone writers would say to Healer and know they would've deepened "Children's Zoo", I have no doubt that "Kentucky Rye" used the mold of what Rod Sterling's classic show on the supernatural was, happily adapted to the current time period. Bob Spindler (Jeffrey DeMunn) is shown cheerfully driving down the road for a brief moment and in a flashback is shown anxiously waiting to hear if he made a deal at work (wherever he works). He's overjoyed to hear he made it and got $1500, and goes out for drinks with his co-workers/friends. The only problem is, though happy as a clam and letting everyone else enjoy, he promises his wife over the phone he'll only have one more drink after he hangs up, since she asks him how many he's already had, but he has 3. The others tire of drinking before he does and try to drive him home, but he kicks them out assuring he'll get a taxi. So we're back on the road again, but now that we get a longer glimpse of his driving and see what just happened, it's obvious he isn't sober. He eventually ends up driving in the wrong lane, and swerves to avoid hitting a car. We don't hear a crash from the other car, and both he and his car appear to be relatively unhurt after he hits a tree: at least, its windshield didn't break and he's just got a head-cut. Thinking the other driver was responsible, he enters a nearby pub called Kentucky Rye, one of those cute little ones where they play country music and everybody knows everybody. He fits in after he calls for a whiskey (I guess he didn't think he needed anything besides that and his handkerchief to cure his headache) and his wound heals rather quickly. He makes small talk and manages to make a name for himself arm-wrestling after watching it some, but meanwhile notices a pair nobody else seems to be paying attention to: a light-faced solemn man sitting alone, and later a sour-looking woman, but he doesn't look their way too often. Bob is shocked to learn the bar's for sale but the kindly owner just explains it's time. The arm-wrestler he manages to beat encourages him to buy, and so does the bartender...but even though it's extra-cheap, he's $100 short. Then the loner guy steps in offering it to him, and he buys. Then everybody is quiet and, though watching him, nobody responds to his offers to drink or dance (and the jukebox breaks, and what seems like a funny but weird song is on display). He decides to have fun if only alone, so attempts pool, then finally passes out....The ending is a shock, with some more lines that maybe weren't meant to be amusing but that made me laugh anyway. I know comedy wasn't what Sterling intended in his original Twilight Zone, but he would've lovd this. The laughs just make the ending, and the surprise, seem more serious and clever. This has got to be one of the better episodes of the '80s version out there. I wish there were more like it, and wouldn't have minded seeing this take more room.
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