tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post8325365876827070473..comments2024-03-20T15:28:13.030-05:00Comments on The Twilight Zone Vortex: "And When the Sky Was Opened"JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14808904189056290207noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-27966608296145947492020-06-08T20:32:56.181-05:002020-06-08T20:32:56.181-05:00One aspect of "And When The Sky Was Opened&qu...One aspect of "And When The Sky Was Opened" has never been commented upon, at least to my knowledge. A major part of Rod Taylor's appeal as a star was his brawny, powerful physique and sharp, rugged features. Yet, in this episode, all of his ultra-male muscular presence is of no use at all, as the world buckles and twists around him. Whether this effect was intended or not, it winds up being an implicit comment on how helpless even the strongest and most heroic of men are when the cosmos itself conspires against them. (The classic short story "Leininger Versus The Ants", and the Charlton Heston film "The Naked Jungle" which was based on it, are another illustration of this idea.) Even more astonishing for a show made in 1959, this he-man astronaut ends up collapsing in a heap in the darkened, deserted bar, WEEPING unrestrainedly! At his loss, not of a woman (which might just have passed muster), but of ANOTHER MAN ("Harrington"..."Please come back, Harrington"). And no, I'm not suggesting for one second that either Forbes or Harrington were gay; I AM saying that a flood of emotional pain shown by one man for another was a DAMNED rare thing to encounter in Eisenhower-era popular culture. Once again, Our Friend Rod was ahead of his time.Thomas DiMaggiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15528586971282008329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-38446606422521309622016-05-22T02:47:14.362-05:002016-05-22T02:47:14.362-05:00I agree that the last shot was for just for effect...I agree that the last shot was for just for effect but for some reason it never fit well for me. It's still a remarkable episode and one I watch frequently. Rod Taylor is incredible and Serling's script is really good. It has some mistakes but I would say it is easily in my top ten of the first season. Thanks for checking out the site! Brian Duranthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02724290376009803159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-40194975213513695072016-05-22T00:13:39.366-05:002016-05-22T00:13:39.366-05:00there is also a mistake in camera angle where he d...there is also a mistake in camera angle where he doesn't see himself in the mirror, as you can see part of his shoulder to the left losthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08883505118649280875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-56602811555167213562016-05-22T00:12:13.668-05:002016-05-22T00:12:13.668-05:00I think they left the barriers and the tarp purely...I think they left the barriers and the tarp purely for dramatic effect, the story is too well written to make such an obvious mistake, the tarp is also folded like it's never been used losthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08883505118649280875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-33131087238580135172015-05-30T21:47:09.069-05:002015-05-30T21:47:09.069-05:00Thanks for stopping by the Vortex, Ralph. I haven&...Thanks for stopping by the Vortex, Ralph. I haven't read Chandler but I will have to check him out. I guess I see your point about the last scene being in mid-action. Serling does hint at a gradual disappearance when Charles Aidman calls his parents and they don't claim to know him. So maybe the last scene is a precursor to what will come. Thanks for the insight!Brian Duranthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02724290376009803159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-79560333938534688802015-05-30T21:34:51.738-05:002015-05-30T21:34:51.738-05:00I agree, Grant. The story is interesting and Serli...I agree, Grant. The story is interesting and Serling's pacing doesn't miss a beat. But ultimately this episode belongs to Rod Taylor. I love the bar scene when he first realizes that Charles Aidman has vanished. The look on his face is genuine denial at what has just happened. Very convincing.Brian Duranthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02724290376009803159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-25281613407850464612015-05-27T18:07:06.602-05:002015-05-27T18:07:06.602-05:00Up from a world in which they existed into a world...Up from a world in which they existed into a world in which they never were. The culprit could be seen as "space" but more likely space-time, the dimensions that define reality. The idea that the barriers between dimensions wear thin in the lonely reaches of space is found often in science fiction...the works of A. Bertram Chandler come to mind with his Rim Ghosts and alternate worlds. Where did the astronauts go when they went away? Like water spilled on a sidewalk, they evaporated, leaving behind no trace. And the reality from which they came? I suspect those newspapers carried headlines about the astronauts who never returned.<br /><br />As to the tape around the sheet, a glimpse at a puddle half evaporated. Give it another moment...gone as if it was never there.<br /><br />Thanks for a great analysis of a difficult episode.Ralph E. Vaughanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06326668196800976578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-34659604350840706792014-12-27T21:43:31.343-06:002014-12-27T21:43:31.343-06:00I couldn't agree more about Rod Taylor. Even i...I couldn't agree more about Rod Taylor. Even if I hadn't liked him in so many things by the time I saw this episode, I would agree about his performance in it.<br />If I could single out one moment (apart from the big phone booth scene), it's the moment when Jim Hutton (who's about his last chance when it comes to convincing anyone) starts telling him there's no such person as Harrington. When he starts telling him that, Taylor gives a look like he's making every effort to keep from falling apart, and it's very convincing.Granthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09603892208775996594noreply@blogger.com