User Reviews

A government agent investigates 5 mysterious men who have the brain wave patterns of an alien embedded in their heads by a bullet shot at them in a war in Asia by snipers.

He chases them around the world investigating what they are doing: inventions. What is their purpose? What is the alien brain in their heads planning?

Only part 2 can answer that. And it is wonderful.

This is a heartfelt wonderful 2 parter that wants to be suspicious of the men but they are pure of heart as all those who encounter them say. They devise things that are definitely harmless.

I've watched this series since I was very little and it is very intelligent. So many wonderful concepts and this one has the highest of all: helping children (the spoiler).

The series and this episode is not cynical but educational. Sometimes the stranger is not out to do harm but to do good. There is good in mankind, we just have to search for it. It is so important in this day and age in the new century to not forget these and more facts of life as shown so well in the series.

We must strive to better ourselves and to help others. We have the capacity to do good and to better our world in many ways. And this episode is perhaps the best illustrative of that of the whole series.

Please enjoy.

I own over 700 discs, mostly movies, but some TV, including Season 2 of Outer Limits. The 2 episodes of "The Inheritors" are equal to my favorite 5 or 10 films of all time. I have watched them on TV since they first ran in 1964, later taped them, and finally bought them when they came available, first on VHS, and in 2003, DVD. This 2 parter dwarfs all the other OL's in my humble opinion. The screenplay is terrific, and Robert Duvall and Steve Inhat (who by the way died not long after this was completed) are excellent. The first episode is a bit slower than the second, so I would probably rate it a 9, but the second is so wonderful, I will give it 11, so the average is 10. Without giving a spoiler, the plot differs from most alien invasion stories in a very unique way, leading to a very emotional climax. Those who detest sentimentality should stay away, but those who don't will cherish this amazing story. I don't think this is a spoiler, but I checked it off just in case. Anyway, I am 73, and have watched this 2 parter at least 20 times, and still love it. I think it would make a great film if the story was kept generally intact, with only the special effects updated to today's technology, since much of what was only imagined in 1964 has been realized in rocketry and space travel.

As noted previously in other Season 2 OL reviews, I pretty much gave up on the original broadcast of this season. There was an obvious trend toward banality in the presentations that made the episodes far too easy to shrug off. Having been so fortunate to have survived into these modern times and keeping a promise I made to myself back in 1963, I purchased that DVD set - almost entirely for season 1 alone, though. Nevertheless, they are mine - all mine!! > insert insane cackle here < I actually do recall seeing the beginning of this episode in '64 as they were comparing brainwaves. It didn't seem all that interesting so I went about my evening doing something else. It was tough to want to watch what used to be a great show die. I also recall catching the very end of the episode (Part II) having no idea that the beginning (Part I) had anything to do with the turning off of the forcefield, etc. I just remember feeling sad and loss turning this show off - like saying goodbye to a close friend. For some strange reason the ending stuck in my head for all of these decades, though. And now I know why. I finally got to see this all of the way through. In fact, I have watched it a number of times trying to shred it to pieces as I have with the other episodes of season 2. I am finding that this episode, both parts, is an example of the finest script of season 2.

There are the 'conveniences'. After all, what are the chances that 4 people would get shot in the head with bullets made from the same recovered meteorite? The fact that the enemy even mined a meteorite impact site for ammunition in the first place seems peculiar. That during the process of creating the bullets any of the alien 'biological(?)' substance would have survived is perplexing. What happens to those that were shot in the butt, for example? Well, the concept and coincidence is far-fetched and, in fact, this is also mentioned in passing among the investigators and scientists. By admitting this the script aligns itself with the skeptical viewer and one is less apt to feel like the writers are trying to treat the audience as, well, stupid. It becomes easier to suspend disbelief.

Part 1 sets up the story and does so very well. It is a somewhat complex thing to have four different stories going on and trying to explain to the viewer what has happened to the four individuals and keep it entirely understandable and plausible. It is my understanding that some felt Part 1 was dry and boring. Frankly, I found the time to be used very wisely in detailing the stories. If anything, there are some extremely smart cuts between scenes that actually move the story along in what could have resulted in the excessive meandering we've seen in previous episodes. The unknown motivations of the four individuals are unbalancing. They are perceived as hostile and yet they do absolutely nothing illegal. This provides an interesting little internal debate as the story plays out. Duvall and gang want to round them up based on these perceptions alone and yet since they really have done nothing illegal and don't appear to be trying to hide at first, is there any justification for their forced detainment? How relevant this still is in modern times under the umbrella of the Patriot Act? Part 2 coalesces nicely into the resolution but does so in a very measured way. Neither the viewer nor any of the four individuals actually have any idea why they are compelled to complete the actions they've been assigned. They have stressed this very fact and cannot help themselves. Then things get a bit more touchy and a forcefield is slapped together to keep the government at bay - and yet at no time do the four individuals make threatening retaliations against the government agents and their lackeys. The whole thing climaxes as the children get into the act.

I have decided that this is one episode I admire so much I have kept 'spoilers' to a minimum. There are no horrifying monsters here. It is done on the 'cheap' as OL was wont to do but like every great OL episode the frugality took a major back seat to a great script. This is one of them. Do yourself a favor and see it.

I have re-watched this so-called classic episode over the years. I just re-ranked this from my previous rating of 6. For me, it is even worse than Children of Spider County.

Granted, I did like the conclusion of part 2, which the men reveal why they were doing their mysterious work. But mainly there are reasons why I hate The Inheritors: 1) The story. Uninteresting and dull. I've seen better mysteries and just better TOL episodes. The story is the backbone of each episode and this one is non-engaging. I am the only one who apparently feels this way. To date I am the only one to give it a 1 and it is ranked 8.4 by the spoiler's and is number two all-time for TOL (My God!).

2) Robert Duvall. Okay maybe I'm biased, but I never cared for him. Disliked his earlier episode The Chameleon, also. I do not like practically anything Duvall's done or been in, including the overrated Godfather. The only show I did like was The Twilight Zone episode called Miniature. Again, the story rose above his appearance but he was credible in it. The Inheritors, even without Duvall, would still be awful to me. But his appearance did not help! 3) No monsters. Well, there can be no monsters, even though that was the selling point of The Outer Limits. I loved The Human Factor and it didn't really he a monster (well, Major Brothers!). But I guess a monster would have ruined the realism of the storyline.

I may watch this wretched episode one more time.....when I purchase the DVD set... Then that's it!!!!! A fine conclusion for part 2 doesn't make up for the sleep-fest of part 1!

Without having seen Part II of this two part episode, I'm already convinced it's the best story The Outer Limits has ever produced. Other reviewers to a person appear to confirm this, so apparently I'm not alone in my thinking. From the outset, the story hooks you with the idea that not one, but four men have been incapacitated by a bullet to the brain, only to recover with an IQ over two hundred, while mysteriously disappearing from their hospital confinement, even with military guards posted to prevent them from leaving. Even more mysteriously, the men disperse to different countries, and find themselves financed in their individual endeavors with generous grants from Lieutenant Philip Minns (Steve Ihnat), one of the original four. Suspecting an alien intelligence responsible for the miraculous discoveries by three of the individuals, government science official Adam Ballard (Robert Duvall) attempts to investigate their disappearance and comes away conflicted by answers he gets from the those who have come in contact with the super-normal men. Most intriguing is the finale of this episode, when a young boy recognizes Philip Minns walking outside his home. Instinctively recognizing Minns, and vice versa, Johnny (Kim Hector) implores Minns to accompany him on his mission, even if it means boarding a spaceship! Most compelling, and I can't wait to finish this story, having held off only to write this review so as not to be affected by Part II. Stay tuned....