User Reviews

In "The Explorer" (ep. 2-26), We find a team of archaeologists totally lost in the Sahara and one of their lot has drunk all the remaining water. They find an ancient well, used for centuries by travelers. Unfortunately, this well is full of sand. Suddenly, from out of the driving sand, comes a young man, clad in a burnoose and tells them where they can find an oasis. They follow the mysterious guide, who tells them his name is Eric Borgner and about his family back home.

Eventually the men find the oasis and are rescued. But their newfound friend, Borgner (Slate) dies before the reach the safety of the oasis and they must bury him in the drifting sand.

When they return to civilization, Dr. Swanson (Anders), and Prof. Andersson (Convy) visit the parents of their late friend Eric, to let them know of his death, and express their gratitude for the help their son gave in getting them rescued. But Mr. and Mrs. Borgner are stunned by the news and they explain.

During the last part of his life, Eric was confined to bed, suffering from a malady that brought on a high fever and caused him to die of dehydration. He could not have been in the desert or anywhere else. When they see a picture of Eric, the scientists recognize their late companion and are completely at a loss to explain what happened.

Our host, John Newland, explains that perhaps Eric had an out of body experience, possibly brought on by his fever, but how could the youth have known which way to guide the research team in the desert? The transfer is not bad, the acting good, although a bit wooden, and the story itself is a mysterious one. Just how did they escape the desert?

***SPOILERS*** Showing up unexpectedly at geography teacher Felix Borgner's, John Wengraf, home world renowned explorer Dr. Einar Hansen, Gerogry Morton, wants to talk to him about his missing, in the Sahara Desert, son Eric, Jeremy Slate, and how his knowledge and self-sacrifice saved his and his fellow explores Gus & Andersson, Eddie Firestone & Bert Convy, from perishing in the vast open and broiling sand dunes!

Both impressed and at the same time puzzled in what Dr. Hansen is telling him about his son Eric's exploits Filex is not quite sure if what he's hearing is the truth in what he's telling him. The story has Eric coming out of nowhere and directing Dr. Hansen Gus & Andersson to a watering hole in the Sahara Desert when they were about to die from thirst with their water supply just about gone. Where did Eric come from and how did he know where water could be found with him seemingly lost in the desert himself like Dr. Hansen and his crew? And even more surprising what happened to Eric after he guided Dr. Hansen & Co. to the life saving watering hole when he then, the next morning, disappeared in thin air?

***SPOILERS*** As it turned out Eric never left the Borgner home in Germany and died just a few weeks before from a mysterious ailment at the tender age of 22! To bring the point home to Dr. Hansen Eric's doctor Dr. Heinrick, Roudolph Anders, just happened to show up and vouch for what Eric's father told him about his sons mysterious death! Not knowing what to think Dr.Hansen can't believe what he experienced in the Sahara Desert isn't true unless the heat had driven him mad and caused him to hallucinated it all. It's later that Dr. Heinrick takes the confused Dr. Hansen aside and tells him the real cause of Eric's death that he omitted from his death certificate in fear of the doctor being suspected of being mad himself.***MAJOR SPOILER*** Eric Borgner died in bed with a pitcher filled with cool soothing water at his side from dehydration!

In another remarkable episode of "One Step Beyond", an impossible occurrence is described when a famed archaeologist (Gregory Morton) arrives at the home of a German teacher to fulfill the promise of a young man who miraculously guided his team out of a Sahara Desert sandstorm. The youthful explorer (Jeremy Slate) amazingly crossed paths with the three man team quite by chance in the middle of nowhere, after they'd already walked for ten days with almost no provisions, very little water and virtually no hope of making it back to civilization. At a final resting place, Eric Borgner gets Dr. Hansen's (Morton) commitment to go to Germany to see his parents if he doesn't make it. He then disappears in the middle of the night.

Dr. Hansen relates his story to the Borgner's (John Wengraf and Edith Evanson), who are baffled by the scientist's claim. They reveal that their son Eric died in their home just recently and that he couldn't have been in the Sahara Desert - he'd been crippled since the age of twelve, a period of ten years before he died! On hand is Eric's doctor (Rudolph Anders) who takes Hansen aside to reveal the final element in this mysterious story - Eric died of dehydration, even though a glass of water stood nearby on a night table.

One might consider a theory of mass hallucination for what the archaeologists experienced in the desert, but Mrs. Borgner offers an explanation that seems to have calmed everyone - "His body was confined, but his spirit was free". As with all these stories, the conclusion is up to the viewer.