Now that Lunk briefly mentioned COUNTERWEIGHT, I thought that I would introduce it in a separate thread of its own. Although I enjoy this episode, it disappoints me that the stop-motion fx appear at Only the ending. Because for 95% of the story, the alien entity is shown as a very poorly-done and Unconvincing fx which consists of just a jagged line! It's just as bad as watching those old films from the 1940s which have those annoying SPECKS which appear sporadically on screen. And we are supposed to believe that the crude jagged line is an alien entity.
But maybe we should forgive that inattention and neglect because, well, remember, during the second season the Outer Limits crew got word that the series would be axed. That could also lead us to discuss how other 2nd-season episodes were hurt as a result of the announcement. Because in those episodes I've noticed some bloopers that Stefano did Not bother to edit out. But I'll save that for another thread when I discuss the episodes in question.
As compared with the crude depiction of the alien in COUNTERWEIGHT, it should be noted that I don't mind at all the crudeness of the Spaceship as shown in THE ZANTI MISFITS as that Spaceship descends from a cloud. That's because the Spaceship is shown for only a brief moment and is just the prelude for the dramatic events to follow. What I like about that ZANTI scene is that sweeping camera-work. By that,I mean that after the camera shows Ben Garth's car barrelling at full-speed through the desert, then the camera SWEEPS upward MAJESTICALLY to first show an empty sky and then the sudden appearance of the spaceship. This is a good example where the camera-work is even more impressive than the spfx.
Back to COUNTERWEIGHT, how about the actors? Well, there are both pluses and minuses. The plus part is Actor MICHAEL CONSTANTINE as construction foreman Joe Dix. At first, he scoffs laughingly at the mysterious occurrences, so it's fun to see him later on when he gradually realizes the gravity of the situation.
As for the minus-side, it would be Actress JACQUELINE SCOTT as Alicia Hendrix. I think she goes way too much over-the-top. I realize that the alien entity has brought Alicia's HIDDEN emotions to the surface. But even so, I get the impression that Actress Jacqueline maybe prepared and rehearsed for the role by viewing clips of Marilyn Monroe and Mae West and then did her own imitation of them! Because, let's face it, that CHAIN-TWIRLING scene that Jacqueline does is too hammy. But to be fair to JACQUELINE SCOTT, she did an Excellent job in her role in the episode THE GALAXY BEING. In fact, when I saw her in COUNTERWEIGHT, I did Not recognize her at first!
Overall, a passable episode but Nowhere near the quality of superior episodes such as THE GUESTS. The reason I compare it with GUESTS is because both episodes centered more on the humans than on the alien. But GUESTS is a much superior episode because the director and camera-work focused on evoking MOOD and atmosphere in a gothic setting.
Well, Lunk, I hope I was Not too harsh on the episode CW. Remember, I really LOVE the Outer Limits, as much as you do. But even a diehard fan such as myself has to point out what disappointed him. Just my opinion, and I'm sure we can all respect differences in tastes.