The Outer Limits: Difference between revisions

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A [[Science Fiction]] [[Genre Anthology|anthology]] show, created by Leslie Stevens, although producer Joseph Stefano did more to set the series' avant garde tone. Its original version, which aired on [[ABC]] between September 1963 and January 1965, was often a worthy competitor to ''[[The Twilight Zone]]''.

''The Outer Limits'' was often somewhat dark in tone, and it was also unusually arty and thought-provoking for an early 60s TV series, complete with poetic dialogue, unusual camera angles, a lush orchestral soundtrack, and [[Chiaroscuro]] cinematography (often provided by future Oscar winner Conrad Hall). The show featured some truly brilliant writing by the likes of Stefano, Robert Towne, Anthony Lawrence and Meyer Dolinsky. And then there was the show's main selling ~~point--the~~ [[Monster of the Week|Monsters Of The Week]] and other special effects, which were all the more impressive for being created on a weekly TV schedule and budget.

''The Outer Limits'' was often somewhat dark in tone, and it was also unusually arty and thought-provoking for an early 60s TV series, complete with poetic dialogue, unusual camera angles, a lush orchestral soundtrack, and [[Chiaroscuro]] cinematography (often provided by future Oscar winner Conrad Hall). The show featured some truly brilliant writing by the likes of Stefano, Robert Towne, Anthony Lawrence and Meyer Dolinsky. And then there was the show's main selling point—the [[Monster of the Week|Monsters Of The Week]] and other special effects, which were all the more impressive for being created on a weekly TV schedule and budget.

Although ABC commissioned ''The Outer Limits'' to cash in on the late 50s/early 60s monster boom, the network never really understood it, which helps explain why it was [[Too Good to Last]]. When ABC announced that during the series' second season in 1964, it would be [[Screwed by the Network|moved to a suicidal Saturday night time slot]] against ''[[The Jackie Gleason Show]]'', Stevens, Stefano and much of their production team left in protest. The network replaced them with a new team headed by ''[[Perry Mason]]'' vet Ben Brady, who tried to save the series by making it (somewhat) less artsy and more commercial. ABC didn't help matters by reducing the series' already low production budget. Despite this, the second season produced several memorable episodes (most notably [[Harlan Ellison]]'s two scripts, "Soldier" and "Demon With A Glass Hand", and the two-part "The Inheritors"), but it did no good. After a few months of predictably bad ratings, ABC canceled ''The Outer Limits'' after only 49 episodes.

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** Also happens with the murderous priest in the [[Revival]] episode "Fear Itself", driven mad in the end, a throwback to the punishment given to the SS commander in the ''[[Twilight Zone]]'' episode "Death's Head Revisited" by the ghosts of his victims. [[Laser-Guided Karma]], anyone?

* [[Another Dimension]]: Two TOS episodes ("Production and Decay of Strange Particles" and "Behold, Eck!") feature beings from other dimensions accidentally finding their way into our world.

* [[Arc Welding]]: The season finales of the [[Revival]] are [[Clip Show~~|Clip Shows~~]] that tie together the plots of various previously unconnected stories, one involving a [[Super Soldier]] project & another with a pair of immortal [[Energy Beings]] who have been [[Chessmaster|setting up the events of several stories]], all for no other purpose than their own amusement.

* [[Arc Welding]]: The season finales of the [[Revival]] are [[Clip Show]]s that tie together the plots of various previously unconnected stories, one involving a [[Super Soldier]] project & another with a pair of immortal [[Energy Beings]] who have been [[Chessmaster|setting up the events of several stories]], all for no other purpose than their own amusement.

* [[Back to Front]] ("Zig Zag")

* [[The Bad Guy Wins]]: Frequently invoked in the 90s revival.

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** Robert Patrick delivers one at the end of "Quality of Mercy".

** The two evil aliens deliver this as they are defeated at the end of "Better Luck Next Time".

* [[Bittersweet Ending]]: The most common type of ending in the Revival, behind outright [[Downer Ending~~|Downer Endings~~]]. The original series did it fairly often as well.

* [[Bittersweet Ending]]: The most common type of ending in the Revival, behind outright [[Downer Ending]]s. The original series did it fairly often as well.

* [[Body Swap]]: The TOS episode "The Human Factor" features an accidental one caused by a [[Phlebotinum Breakdown]].

* [[Born in The Theater|Born on Pay Television]]: The revival's introduction, similar to the original's, has a "please stand by" notice added to it in syndication since the Showtime airings did not have commercials.

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* [[Crapsack World]]: In [[The Remake|the remake series]], at least. Many episodes are interconnected through the mysterious [[Evil, Inc.|Innobotics Corporation]] and their [[Ridiculously-Human Robots]], not to mention that every season produces a couple of sequel episodes for earlier stories for double the [[Cruel Twist Ending]]!

* [[Cruel Twist Ending]]: The [[Revival]] series did this so often, the trope used to be named Outer Limits Twist.

* [[Deprogram~~|Deprogramming~~]]: "The Deprogrammers".

* [[Deprogram]]ming: "The Deprogrammers".

* [[Does Not Wear Shoes]]: The perpetually barefoot Mrs. Dame in "The Bellero Shield".

** [[Foot Focus]]: The episode has several lengthy closeups of her bare feet.

** [[Feet First Introduction]]: How we first see her.

* [[Downer Ending]]: Both series, although the [[revival]] did it more often; the original series was more likely to do [[Bittersweet Ending~~|Bittersweet Endings~~]].

* [[Downer Ending]]: Both series, although the [[revival]] did it more often; the original series was more likely to do [[Bittersweet Ending]]s.

* [[Dramatis Personae]]: "Counterweight" does this at the ''end'' of the episode.

* [[Dramatic Thunder]]: Used [[Irony|ironically]] in "Specimen: Unknown".

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* [[Hoist By Her Own Petard]]: The fate of scheming, murderous Judith Bellero in "The Bellero Shield".

* [[Hoist by His Own Petard]]: The fate of scheming, murderous Mr. Zeno in "The Special One".

* [[Humans Are ~~Bastards~~]]: Both versions of the series explored humanity at its worst, though they were also kind enough to show humanity at its best, usually at the same time.

* [[Humans Are the Real Monsters]]: Both versions of the series explored humanity at its worst, though they were also kind enough to show humanity at its best, usually at the same time.

* [[Humans Are Cthulhu]]

* [[Humanity's Wake]]

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* [[I'm Mr. Future Pop Culture Reference]]: In the episode "Time to Time", a time traveler uses "Luke Skywalker" as an alias when in the year 1969. He even finished a phone call with "May the Force be with you."

* [[In Your Nature to Destroy Yourselves]]: Referenced in the TOS episode "Counterweight" and the revival episode "Heart's Desire".

* [[Jacob Marley Warning]]: The Limbo Being gives one of these to the main characters of "The Premonition"~~--mostly~~ because they threaten to ''[[Values Dissonance|set him on fire forever]]'' if he doesn't tell them how to escape from their [[Time Stands Still]] situation, as he was unable to do.

* [[Jacob Marley Warning]]: The Limbo Being gives one of these to the main characters of "The Premonition"—mostly because they threaten to ''[[Values Dissonance|set him on fire forever]]'' if he doesn't tell them how to escape from their [[Time Stands Still]] situation, as he was unable to do.

* [[Jekyll and Hyde]] ("Expanding Human")

* [[Jerkass]]: The bad-tempered, self-pitying titular character in "The Brain of Colonel Barham". Yes, he's terminally ill, but the episode makes it clear that he was a jerk even when he was healthy.

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* [[No Immortal Inertia]] ("The Guests")

* [[No Party Given]]: The Presidential candidates in "The Hundred Days of the Dragon".

* [[Not So Harmless]]: The [[Body Surf~~|Body Surfing~~]] aliens from the [[Jack the Ripper]] story, originally portrayed as mindless parasites, turn out to be responsible for orchestrating the events of every single episode of the revived series.

* [[Not So Harmless]]: The [[Body Surf]]ing aliens from the [[Jack the Ripper]] story, originally portrayed as mindless parasites, turn out to be responsible for orchestrating the events of every single episode of the revived series.

* [[Obsolete Mentor]]

* [[Opening Narration]]: Partially quoted above.

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* [[Send in the Search Team]] ("The Invisible Enemy")

* [[Show Accuracy, Toy Accuracy|Show Accuracy Trading Card Accuracy]]: The original TOS ''Outer Limits'' [http://science-fiction.netfirms.com/ cards] (one of which is the page pic), released while the series was still in production, are notorious because the writer, who apparently had never watched the show, concocted new stories (and [[So Bad It's Good|laughable]] ones, at that) around colorized photos of the [[Aliens and Monsters]]. Later series of cards didn't have this problem; one series recycled the original pics with new text including both the TV and trading card plots.

* [[Spoiler Title]]: "The Probe", considering that the story is about a group of plane crash survivors who wind up on an alien space ~~probe--without~~ either the characters or the audience initially realizing ~~it--and~~ spend about half the episode trying to figure out where they are.

* [[Spoiler Title]]: "The Probe", considering that the story is about a group of plane crash survivors who wind up on an alien space probe—without either the characters or the audience initially realizing it—and spend about half the episode trying to figure out where they are.

* [[Star-Crossed Lovers]]: Andro and Noelle in "The Man Who Was Never Born".

** Eric and Larissa in "Stasis".

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* [[Time Travel]] ("The Man Who Was Never Born", "Soldier", "Demon with a Glass Hand", several episodes of the [[Revival]])

* [[Tomato Surprise]] ("Tempests")

* [[Treacherous Spirit Chase]]: The main plot of "If These Walls Could Talk" concerns a house "infected" by an alien substance. Not only does the house absorb people into its structure, it's able to regurgitate [[Doppelganger~~|Doppelgangers~~]] of those people to lure in their friends and loved ones when they come searching for answers.

* [[Treacherous Spirit Chase]]: The main plot of "If These Walls Could Talk" concerns a house "infected" by an alien substance. Not only does the house absorb people into its structure, it's able to regurgitate [[Doppelganger]]s of those people to lure in their friends and loved ones when they come searching for answers.

* [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future]]: The setting of "The Duplicate Man" and some episodes of the [[Revival]].

* [[Two Rights Make a Wrong]]: Several episodes have this as the twist.