Original Story by William M. Lee | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Teleplay by Alan Brennert | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Directed by Paul Lynch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Original Airdate - November 1, 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"A Message from Charity" is just one of those stories that seemed to fit right into the Twilight Zone. I get a lot of email from people about this episode, and would place it at the top of the favorites list for most viewers. Adapted from William Lee's short story of the same name by Alan Brennert, it's a solid piece of whimsy that intrigues me. It would be marvelous to have this ability, to see what someone in the past saw, experience their life as well as your own…at least while that person's life was going well. We have enough stresses on us today, that we don't need to have another person's affect us, too, so once the other person experiences bad things it might not be so much fun. You would be a helpless bystander, as Peter was, unless you could help out the other person in some way. The ingeniousness of the story shows that you can do just that. Kerry Noonan as Charity is the glue that holds the story together. She has a mischevious spark in her eye throughout the episode, and truly seems like someone you would like to know. Kerry Noonan left acting at the end of the 80's, for the most part, and is now a college professor, which is too bad because she was wonderful in everything she did. Robert Duncan MacNeill is solid as Peter. James Cromwell as Charity's father seems completely of his time; he's a consummate actor and fits his role perfectly. In short, everything about this episode clicks. It's one of the best of the series, and definitely one of the best of 1980's TV. |
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