I don't loathe this episode but the story should have been written much more as a dramatic piece. The attempts at humour are met with failure, for the most part. Jack Weston does pretty well, he can handle light comedy. Humour was never Rod Serling's forte but he's only human like the rest of us.
I agree with other reviewers that Burt Reynolds does a good job at spoofing Marlon Brando. His mannerisms and general demeanour prove to be effective.
I've seen evidence that the one hour "Twilight Zone" episodes do work, in spite of what British critic Leslie Halliwell thought. However, "The Bard" has a plot which is too tightly stretched and incapable of lasting the whole hour.
Luckily, the final season of this show was to provide several new masterpieces.
Review of The Bard
