If you had a *greatest hits* collection of Twilight Zone's very best, it is inevitable you'll see "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" somewhere at the top. I think so, too, although the episode is probably in my lower part of a Top 10. Considering there are so many TZ episodes I love, that is a compliment of the highest order.
All that said, William Shatner has a hell of a career. The TZ episode, Star Trek, and Boston Legal: he has built a fantastic television resume, although some might consider him a bust in many of his forays into the picture business. This character is one of his very best: he's animated, but his facial reactions are spot on as the situation his Bob Wilson encounters would leave anyone in distress, paranoia, panic, and doubting the credibility of their senses.
Bob had a recent mental breakdown. It was on a plane. After six months away, his mental state is fragile but he's trying to face his demons. His wife, Julia (Christine White; some might know her as the ex-wife of Mitchell Ryan's troubled cop in the Dirty Harry film, Magnum Force), humors him, but it's clear she is concerned about his mental welfare.
I think the laughable gremlin in a furry costume with puffy lips is given a pass because it is the idea of its presence on the wing of a plane that is scary not necessarily the creature itself. I agree that if the direction had went with a "less is more" approach, this could have been home run. Still, the rain and wind on the wing with the creature appearing, disappearing, and re-appearing, as Bob cannot get others on the plane (his wife, stewardess, and a pilot) to see what he does, the situation is a real nail-biter and his dilemma is certainly palpable. How could you not sympathize with someone who has just recovered one breakdown, gets on a plane to test his resolve, sees a gremlin trying to destroy machinery on one of the plane's wings, attempts unsuccessfully for others to see what he does, and emerges as a lunatic? The tight enclosure of the plane (preferably focused almost exclusively into Shatner's face and in his space), and the terror and torment that so vividly communicates to us what it would be like to struggle in his place are what I think have kept this episode so close to the minds and hearts of TZ fans and newcomers introduced to the show for the first time. When you think TZ, this episode is one of the the standard-bearers that immediately come to mind. Kudos to Shatner for his performance; this is some of his best work, for sure.
Still, in all honestly, my favorite TZ episode with Shatner is his underrated, Nick of Time. That also gave Shatner a great actor's platform to impress with differing emotional upheavals and complications to overcome. I think in "Nightmare..." he is at his best when trying to explain what he knows to others, having a hard time saying it where others will believe him. The rejection others present (trying to mask their disbelief so that he won't be in further despair) when he does, and his reaction to them lend a great deal of pathos in Shatner's character's favor.
All that said, William Shatner has a hell of a career. The TZ episode, Star Trek, and Boston Legal: he has built a fantastic television resume, although some might consider him a bust in many of his forays into the picture business. This character is one of his very best: he's animated, but his facial reactions are spot on as the situation his Bob Wilson encounters would leave anyone in distress, paranoia, panic, and doubting the credibility of their senses.
Bob had a recent mental breakdown. It was on a plane. After six months away, his mental state is fragile but he's trying to face his demons. His wife, Julia (Christine White; some might know her as the ex-wife of Mitchell Ryan's troubled cop in the Dirty Harry film, Magnum Force), humors him, but it's clear she is concerned about his mental welfare.
I think the laughable gremlin in a furry costume with puffy lips is given a pass because it is the idea of its presence on the wing of a plane that is scary not necessarily the creature itself. I agree that if the direction had went with a "less is more" approach, this could have been home run. Still, the rain and wind on the wing with the creature appearing, disappearing, and re-appearing, as Bob cannot get others on the plane (his wife, stewardess, and a pilot) to see what he does, the situation is a real nail-biter and his dilemma is certainly palpable. How could you not sympathize with someone who has just recovered one breakdown, gets on a plane to test his resolve, sees a gremlin trying to destroy machinery on one of the plane's wings, attempts unsuccessfully for others to see what he does, and emerges as a lunatic? The tight enclosure of the plane (preferably focused almost exclusively into Shatner's face and in his space), and the terror and torment that so vividly communicates to us what it would be like to struggle in his place are what I think have kept this episode so close to the minds and hearts of TZ fans and newcomers introduced to the show for the first time. When you think TZ, this episode is one of the the standard-bearers that immediately come to mind. Kudos to Shatner for his performance; this is some of his best work, for sure.
Still, in all honestly, my favorite TZ episode with Shatner is his underrated, Nick of Time. That also gave Shatner a great actor's platform to impress with differing emotional upheavals and complications to overcome. I think in "Nightmare..." he is at his best when trying to explain what he knows to others, having a hard time saying it where others will believe him. The rejection others present (trying to mask their disbelief so that he won't be in further despair) when he does, and his reaction to them lend a great deal of pathos in Shatner's character's favor.