This one I didn’t know what to think about it at first but I like more each time I watch it and it’s become one of my favorite episodes. Like you said Sloane really finds the right tone he’s calm without being too laid back, he’s authoritative without being a tyrant. He defers to Benteen more that many would in his position but doesn’t let Benteen run roughshod over him. He’s a genuine good guy . Benteen probably was too you see shades of it but he’s a little rigid with the rules probably though thinking he had no choice. Up to a point to I understand it it just became a little too much control . When the people start ignoring his advice that’s when he changes his mind he’s losing his grip. Granted he sees them as family but they must be ready for that wonderful place he keeps telling them about. He could have had a role in telling everyone what the conditions were like explaining the climate and tell why they left and why they returned but he couldn’t imagine anything but having complete control. The set , the special effects as they were , the ship ect the fleshed out story it was like a small film. One funny thing about the baseball game and asking questions, Sloane said the Dodgers were In last place I think. I was adding up the year they were rescued I think it was the year ( or maybe the year before or after ) they were rescued. The Dodgers won the World Series. Five Benteens for me too.
Hey Kellie, I agree, this does feel very much like a small movie. On that note, I'm curious if Rod ever considered a full length remake of this? He did rewrite things on other occasions. This was a true classic. Anyway, thanks for the comment and for watching. Much appreciated! 😀 Have a good weekend!
Hey everyone, in our Community Tab, 'On Thursday We Leave For Home' won the vote to be next on the Twilight Zone REVIEW Marathon. Thanks to everyone who voted!
This episode is James Whitmores masterpiece. His Captain Benteen was the perfect narcissistic control freak. If he is no longer followed to the letter, all must remain in an atmosphere where one wants to hang themselves
Glad to see this episode getting more love! Definitely one of Rod’s best scripts. James Whitmore’s performance is phenomenal and this episode proves that the hourlong format can work with the right stuff
Thank you for putting me out of my misery and telling me where I’d seen the actor before! Brooks! Of course! Another stellar episode Anthony, really interesting and thought provoking as always 👍
😁 I think my reaction after racking my brain for a bit on my first time seeing this was....is that Lloyd Bridges?....no...Brooks! ha ha thanks for watching Lisa. Have a nice weekend.
As I've mentioned before, I haven't seen ALL of the Twilight Zones but after watching all of your reviews it really makes me want to binge the entire series. This episode is one I do remember though. People who get drunk with power who are at first seemingly the perfect person to be in a position of power always fascinates me. And two suns!? Ugh, just kill me now. Really wonderful review and breakdown as always!
I still haven't gotten to Season 4 yet. So it's nice when you highlight these, since they rarely get the attention of the other seasons. But that could be too because it's far more difficult to watch the Season 4 episodes. You also get some bonus points for not only a Planet of the Apes mention, but also The Time Machine. This sounds like an interesting episode. Great work as always, Ant-Man.
Much thanks man! Many times when these reviews take me down the path of looking at the related work of actors, it just makes me want to watch those other movies too. 😁
This is actually my personal favorite episode of the Twilight Zone. It's so underrated and the acting is excellent, plus the story and the twist ending. It's a Perfect story to me.
Hey Michael, I'm pleasantly surprised to see so many fellow fans appreciation for this episode. It is one of the greats. Much thanks for the comment & have a good one!
Living on the colony the people needed a leader to turn to and look to, and I get the feeling Benteen assumed the responsibility pretty early on. It became a way of life for him. He didn't know how to let go and was jealous of the ship's captain when all the people started paying attention to him. It's one of my favorite episodes even though it does end up sad for Benteen.
Hi Karen! It's one of my favs as well. As you noted, he did not know any other way. His leadership role was his entire identity. I agree, that ending is tough as it is very tragic for Benteen.
This is another great episode to watch. I always feel somewhat sad that Capt. Bentene realized too late he made a mistake and he wants to go back to Earth w/ the others. Thanks again for another great review! 👍💯
Benteen striles me less as a dictator and more as someone who simply can't let go. He's known these people for the last 30 years, watched them, protected them, led them. He sees them as family, his tribe, and doesn't want them to leave him behind. He wants to remain a part of their lives forever and he doesn't like the idea that they will all break up and go their separate ways. As you point out he's like an overbearing parent, far too eager to control and dictate others lives in the name of keeping them safe and secure. I don't see the captain as evil or malicious, he just doesn't want things to change for the group dynamic. It's likely that in his fantasies of Earth everyone were together as on the planet and the thought of anything upsetting his fantasy pushed him over the edge.
Hey Glenn, I totally hear you. As you noted, Benteen isn't evil or malicious, it's just the abrupt change and the breaking up of everyone he loves and is close to that he struggles with. Fantastic episode. Much thanks for the comment, be well!
Simply put Benteen couldn't bear the thought that once they return home to Earth that his "people', wouldn't need him anymore. The feeling one gets when others look to you for guidance and survival is very gratifying to a point that it's intoxicating. To go from a veritable god to a nobody is quite the fall. It's essentially an example of the Savior Complex.
Great assessment. And in this case, his fall wasn't even gradual. The change took place almost instantly with the citizens no longer listening to Benteen, making their own plans and moving on.
That's another season 4 classic. Duvall gives an incredible performance. Looking forward to covering that episode. Thanks for watching Jackie, have a good one!
Hadn’t seen this one but looks like an excellent episode. This one really makes you think, what stands out to me is the idea of one being their own worst enemy and how much of a nightmare that can be. Yes James Whitmore was incredible in Shawshank Redemption too. Love that spaceship it’s classic. Great review and incite Anthony, I enjoyed the watch and listen.
Heeey Karen, thanks for checking in! Always appreciated! : ) Captain Benteen was such a sad figure. I kept wanting him to come to his senses so everyone could just peacefully leave together. Ah well. I forgot to mention, great stream the other night, I have to catch the replay for the latter part when Nye came on. Be well!
The rocky planet backdrop is amazing,I'd love to have a wall of my house made from that, last time I've seen such a great job was the cityscape in Hitchcock's Rope
I'd like to commend you on something. You are great with showing us as much of the episode as possible and even better in your summary and commentary. I read another synopsis of this episode recently, and it made it sound like there's points to be made by both the Capt and Sloan. Nope sorry, Benteen is out of line as soon as he starts acting like the lord and master. It's not like the colony was thriving and they really had a choice to stay. In the original Swiss Family Robinson, when they are finally "rescued", most of the family decide to stay. Mom and Dad because after 20? years, feel that they are now old, have built a life and they are settled too old to start over (when the old life is long gone). But they leave it up to all their children if they wish to go, and all except for the youngest (who is about 18 or so) decide to stay too. But the Capt of the rescue vessel say there will be other new colonists joining them, since his mission was to check for suitable areas for settlers. These were parents, but they were willing to allow their kids a choice of lives. So Benteen has no excuse. So again, thanks for these reviews.
I tend to agree, Benteen lost me once he started putting himself above the wishes of entire colony. It's like what they wanted was not even on his radar. Such a fascinating character though. Thanks for the kinds words Marie, I appreciate it. : ) Have a good day ahead!
No doubt, that is a wonderful episode and I cant wait to talk about it. I plan to cover all 156 of them so eventually all of them will be covered. Thanks for watching Beleger! Have a good one!
One of the best of the Twilight Zones with Serling at his best, writing the script and dialogue and with a standout performance from James Whitmore... Serling was one of a kind...After watching his teleplays, Requiem for a heavyweight, Patterns and the Comedian along with other great Twilight Zone episodes like Walking Distance, The Lonely, The Shelter, Obselete Man, In the Eye of the Beholder and others...He was truly a unique and passionate talent. When one looks at the present state of affairs of television today, you just have to shake your head and appreciate the greatness of those who are no longer with us...
I'm thankful that Serling's work inspired so many others, so in that way his spirit lives on. And as long as we have the classic series to appreciate for years to come, I'm happy. Thanks for watching Gavin! Have a good week ahead!
Don't know how I was not right on this at launch. But finally catching it now. Another classy video. Oh wow he's the old guy from Shawshank Redemption. Was scratching my head throughout trying to place him. Love Tim O'connor AKA Dr Heur from Buck Rogers In The 25th Century. Brilliant work Anthony. Well done
Hey Terence! Thanks for checking in, speaking of the actor from Shawshank Redemption, I recall initially thinking he was played by a young Lloyd Bridges. 😁 Thanks as always, be well!
A solid analysis as usual, Anthony, but as I think you already know, I must take exception with you on a few not so minor points: 1. The idea that a fundamentally good man, in fact, a very good or even great man suddenly turns into a horrible villain and in a day or so is simply heavy-handed writing by Rod, and beneath him. There is simply no way an instantaneous transformation like that occurs in real life. Remember, Captain Benteen kept these people in a cohesive social unit that didn't devolve into chaos in 30 years of his leadership, despite them being stranded on a planet (asteroid?) with unforgiving conditions Keep in mind that he didn't bring them there, as he was just a teenagers. 2. What is far more reasonable is that Benteen didn't become evil but simply _snapped,_ under the radical change in his position in that society, and that would lessen any culpability on his part. His utterly futile attack of a spacecraft sturdy enough to traverse galactic distances by striking it with a piece of pipe(!) is all the proof we need to grasp that he's in the midst of a mental breakdown, and should be a figure of pity needing help, not scorn. When the crew subdued him, why wasn't he sedated and held until such time as he could be placed on Galaxy 6 as the boarding was taking place? 3. Colonel Sloane did _not_ do his duty entirely, as he was tasked to bring all the settlers back safely to Earth, and he left one behind. Now, it can fairly be argued that Benteen made himself scarce, and "oh, well...", but that's callous disregard another human being. To allow a person to be trapped alone is the equivalent of lifelong solitary confinement of the worst sort, a form of cruel and unusual punishment. 4. Benteen having a nervous breakdown is pretty evident, and he needs help ASAP. While I won't characterize Sloane as a villain, neither is he a hero, and it's when he makes a brief, halfhearted attempt to find Benteen does he lose any opportunity to garner such praise and actually is closer to a villain in my book. And now consider the over 100 people who had been aided so much for so long by Benteen. They may be even worse, because they had three decades over which to grown in their respect and even affection for him, yet to not implore Sloane with admonitions to find him. If Sloane had organized a search party comprised of scores of people, Benteen would have been quickly found. At that point, he's getting on that ship whether he wants to or not, and it would only be a matter of time before he'd come to his senses and be grateful that they prevailed on him so forcefully. 5. I know a lot of people give this episode very high marks, and I can to, mainly for the acting and much of what Serling wrote, before he went off of the rails. The trouble is he loses all perspective, and decides to turn Captain Benteen into some megalomaniacal monster. It's like Rod wants to do an hour-long version of "The Little People", and have Benteen stand in for that episode's self-made god, astronaut Peter Craig, who demanded the titular people obey him like a Pharaoh by building a huge statue to him, only to crush them under foot like ants in an anthill. Craig would get his just due when an astronauts from another planet who was gigantic compared to him accidentally kills him when he picks him up. Craig was a malicious sicko, but Benteen is never seen as seeking to harm others to get his jollies. 6. "On Thursday We Leave for Home" could have had (and should have had) a happy ending. Benteen still could have had his breakdown, but the last seen could have had him make a coherent remark as he was being carried aboard. Rod ruined the ending by making a punishment that didn't fit the "crime". If he wanted a dark ending, then he had to rewrite the Benteen character, for I'm afraid that as it stands the conclusion comes off as shallow and sophomoric, something more worthy of a high school student than the great Rod Serling. As noted, I think most of the dialogue and plot development is up to the best _TZ_ standards, as well as the direction, acting (especially James Whitmore as Benteen and Tim O’Connor as Sloane), sets, musical cues, and special effects; it's just that ending that doesn't work for me. As much as I'd like to give it a higher grade, the best I can muster for it is ****1/2 out of ***** bedtime stories for Jo-Jo.
Hey Galantski! I was looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this episode. See this is why I really enjoy comments. Sometimes there's a whole new perspective I had not considered. In this instance, if you view Benteen as having a nervous breakdown then this story and especially the ending becomes all the more tragic. I'm fascinated by the idea of this potentially having a happy ending. That would require the changes you noted, meaning having Benteen sedated and held until he could be placed on Galaxy 6 ... with the hopes that later he'd come around. As we see from how things did play out, the alternative is him being stranded all alone which is a nightmare. Great feedback as always! Have a happy 4th!
@@FeverDreamlandTheater Thanks, Anthony, I hope you had an enjoyable holiday, as well. One thing I notice with _TZ_ is how limited our glimpses of their space crews really are, and what we do see are crews that are limited in number. For example, "People Are Alike All Over" (2 crew members), "Elegy" (3), "Death Ship" (3), "On Thursday We Leave for Home" (5 or 6? -- not sure, but it's just a handful). Note that here I've only brought up episodes that were set in the far future (we're told in "Elegy" that it's set the 22nd century), and not ones that set as more or less contemporaneous with the 1960's, like "And When the Sky Was Opened" or "I Shot an Arrow into the Air". I mention all of this to circle around to Benteen's dilemma. There's not the slightest indication that these crews would have had any way to treat him if he did, in fact, have a nervous breakdown. Would they have had enough meds for him on the trip home, which isn't going to be a short drive around the block. Of course, we don't know , but someone aboard Galaxy 6 might have such training, but based on what we've see in _TZ_ as a series, it doesn't seem like anything that would have been been considered (though it should, given all of the potential space terrors able to mess up a person's mind). Contrasting the presumed inadequacies of _TZ's_ crew members let's take a look at _Star Trek_ (The Original Series), which debuted just a couple of years after the cancellation of _The Twilight Zone._ In the 10th episode of season one, "Dagger of the Mind", we meet enlisted crew member Dr. Helen Noel, who we learn is "a psychiatrist with a background in rehabilitative therapy." Certainly, it seems, Benteen would have had a better chance at recovery aboard the USS Enterprise than on Galaxy 6. memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Helen_Noel
Really enjoyed listening to your review. A favourite episode of mine also. I didn't know Whitmore was Brooks in The Shawshank Redemtion (one of my favourite movies) so thanks for that. I noticed in the episode all the settlers seemed to be from one country (USA) and all were white. Oh well it was made in the early 60s
Don't know why they said the 4th season was the worst. I think this episode was one of the best ones, watched it several times. Whitmore was a great actor, he really played that crazy role
Hey Alina, I agree, Whitmore was a legend and season 4 has some excellent episodes. This episode is a great example. Thanks for the watch & comment. Be well! 😁
Great story in this episode, and spurs a lot of thought about what the writers were trying to convey. Multiple lessons you can take about leaders you follow, or even just the lessons of not being optimistic or amiable to making changes and staying in ruts. Quality!
Absolutely, this was one of the great ones. It leaves you thinking and was executed perfectly. Much thanks for the watch & comment Anthony. Have a good weekend.
Totally forgot Whitmore was in Shawshank! Another awesome episode breakdown! This might have been the 1st TZ episode I know with no blindside twist in the end. Benteen got what he deserved. Way to subvert viewer expectations.
The holy trinity of TWZ stories are time travel, people being dead without realizing it and astronaut/space stories with brutal social commentary. What a show. It single handedly destroyed my ability to watch anything else or current. Better writing and storytelling existed in 1960-1965, so why even bother watching Netflix?
I totally hear you on that aspect. This one is open to debate in terms of how much Benteen did wrong, his reasons for behaving as he did and of course, his fate.
On Thursday We Leave For Home is an episode that would be very well served if it was shown by any CEO, CFO, or any executive that was being trained, or wanted a refresher course on what the foibles are when it comes to leading or influencing groups, or even overall society. Political figures could benefit from this 60 minute masterpiece. James Whitmore, in his only lead performance in the series, to me cements his role as best ever lead in a Twilight Zone episode. I switch between this episode and The Obsolete Man as the highlights of the series. And for honorable mention, Number 12 Looks Just Like You and The Shelter. The last 30 minutes of the show where Benteen is stripped to his naked core is most humbling sequence one who has previously experienced power can ever be felt by a viewer. I rate this show along with the Obsolete Man as the best writing I have ever witnessed.
Hey Michael, I agree, 'On Thursday we leave for home' is some of Serling's finest writing in the series. The ground that was covered in the story would definitely benefit the types of people you noted. All the best, have a good one!
Fantastic review of a truly spectacular episode that touches on such a wide array of themes including freedom, leadership, the nature of mankind, and even religion to an extent. I agree that this episode stands out among the best of Serling's work and it is a prime example of his unique voice and poetic dialogue. What I really love about this one too is the way it completely subverts the audience's expectations regarding the two leads. Because we meet Benteen first and see his more noble qualities, we as the audience become more situated on his side especially when Sloan arrives and starts shaking things up. Only later do we realize that Sloan is actually the one we should be siding with, not Benteen! Anyway, it has a great commentary on man's desire to be free which is a topic that is always relevant no matter what time period we are in, executed with perfection from a great cast and script.
Hey Cinecrisis, always great to hear from you. Agreed totally, the commentary here about man's desire to be free is always relevant no matter what time period we're in. And that all came through crystal clear with Sloan's speech. Once I saw that the people were making their plans but Benteen was disregarding their wishes, it became tough to continue rooting for him. Thanks for stopping in as always, have a good weekend!
I think this is definitely one of the higher rated episodes, but also, underated?, it's definitely the one I think sticks in peoples minds just because of the pacing feeling somewhat different to your typical TZ ep
😀Hey guys, great to see you back! Looking forward to check back in at your spot! Yeah this is an underrated one, and not a typical TZ I believe. Thanks for watching!
I never saw this episode previously, so I watched the whole thing on Amazon Prime. Sad! Benteen liked the parent-child relationship. Interesting touch was him trying to get the people to chant, classic cult tactic.
Loved your breakdown of this episode of "The Twilight Zone" I'm going to have to binge some more/ and boy that accent, is that New York or Jersey? It's so cool 🌬👂
Really awesome. What a great episode of TZ and so well covered here. Loved the writing on this one Anthony, as always you did a top job. Great edit too! Now I wanna go watch this whole episode again. Really nice parallels drawn to his character in Shawshank, loved him in that movie. Thanks man, keep up the great work!
@@FeverDreamlandTheater Thanks man, I tend to field most of the RU-vid commenting, but Dave does pop on from time to time. Keeps people guessing 😆 Have a great weekend bud!
For another excellent performance by James Whitmore from around the same time, I recommend the _Combat!_ episode "The Cassock". The plot has a French village being liberated by American troops. As the German army is driven out, one soldier (Whitmore) stays behind attempting to sabotage a bridge. He realizes he must temporarily hide in one of the buildings, and takes refuge in a church. When U.S. troops are sweeping the town for stray Germans, they enter the church and find no one there but a priest, or should I say "priest" (Whitmore). The German has added problems when it turns out that one of the G.I.s is a devout Catholic who asked "Fr. Hertzbrun" to hear his confession and to let him serve Mass. Whitmore is great, as he pretends to be a clergyman, while killing Yanks along the way. If you like his acting, you'll definitely enjoy this one. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DfzOwSHZl1k.html
Hey Galantski, thanks for the link! I'm curious to see more of Whitmore's work. Back when I reviewed 'People Are Alike All Over' it prompted me to revisit Roddy McDowall in the Fright Night movies.
