This offering begins with a fiery auto crash where, as the car bursts into flames, a young woman walks out of the inferno, leaving the driver behind and moving down the road. Soon we meet an accountant (probably chosen because, of course, accountants are neither attractive or interesting) played by Matt Frewer, who I remember from some made- for-TV Sherlock Holmes episodes. He is a gangly bald man, filled with consistency and kindness. He has hit the motherlode. He marries the widow of the man from the car crash. She is knock down gorgeous. Not only that, his best friend, the ever weird Clint Howard, has had the good fortune to meet an equally beautiful young woman. They were married in a joint ceremony on the same day. Things start to get weird when the accountant kisses his wife and gags as if he has ingested some awful acrid substance. Soon their relationship begins to fall apart because he can't touch her without a sense of disgust. Of course, the opening scene now takes on some gravity. Additionally, the Howard character has run off in terror of his wife, frightened to death, and runs in front of a moving vehicle. This is a pretty interesting tale.
8 Reviews
"It doesn't matter how perfectly you play the part - you can't change what you are!"
Foreverisacastironmess12310 August 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Perfect beauty, perfect ugliness... I always really quite enjoy this episode, there's a nice effective slow buildup of tension and mystery within the story and it has a great payoff. The alien females who take on the appearance of beautiful human woman but are really aquatic-like creatures that are hideousness incarnate by human standards are very interesting, the way they chose weak and less-than physically ideal men to bewitch with the mind control powers that compel their partners(and presumably everyone else) to see them as idealised angelic dream woman, whom those kind of men could never hope to have normally, in the improbable hope that when the mental illusion eventually wears off which it inevitably does the longer they remain physically closer to the individual, that the flawed men will be capable of accepting and indeed loving them for what they truly are. It's almost as if the writers couldn't decide if the aliens should be sympathetic characters or downright heartless monsters, and to me a bit of a flaw in this one's plot is that the actions of the "Ady" alien do seem a tad on the nonsensical and counter-productive side. The story begins with her emerging from the flaming wreckage which is all that remains of the last poor soul who's life she has inadvertently destroyed after driving him to madness, and by the time it gets to the point where she's decided the time has come to reveal her true form to the Matt Frewer character, who's mind also completely snaps in horror after a slow mental breakdown, it seems that she's reached an important realisation regarding her harmful manipulations. And she takes the moral high-ground over her fellow alien who's at least honest with herself about what they're doing, and who warns her that she'll never find what she's looking for, but the epilogue shows that Ady's really learned nothing, as she simply starts the cycle all over again with Norman's friend. And it doesn't really add up, as the character never comes off as all that selfish or ruthless. What were the aliens doing it for, what was in it for them? Why not just quit and stop bringing about such wanton misery and havoc! I love the opening and concluding quotations of this episode, as that is what I was always taught all my life. I believe in it, they are very profound words. In a sense it's very true to life, we do all put on our masks every day, to greet the other masks of the people that we meet, it's just the natural way that people interact and deal with each other I suppose.. But it made me wonder, is anyone ever truly a hundred percent honest unguarded, and open with another person and vice-versa? I believe so, for fleeting beautiful and precious moments... The heart always sees the truth. And what of those who'd rather have a lie than the truth? And woe to those who have no true face beneath the multitude of masks that they wear, and who are essentially no one beyond who they lead others to believe that they are. All things considered, one of the better episodes. It's a great little tale that explores themes and concepts of whether or not beauty and love really are skin deep And the kinds of chaos and destruction that can ensue when the ugly truth is revealed. Excellent. ~"Just love me!!!"~
Best of the New Outer Limit Series
frank412215 November 2017
A great story line with great acting by all. Clint Howard running from that monster, I mean wife was a great scene. "you heard of perfect beauty this is perfect ugliness" This happened to me once and maybe it happens to all of us. You meet the perfect mate only to find out you've met the most imperfect mate. I didn't meet a monster and we left as friends but this really hits home. I would like to see a movie based on this.
This was one of the best episodes of any series, period.
LetsGoBrandonLetsGo27 June 2016
This was an episode that is a favorite of many people, and until I watched it for myself, I never did appreciate why that was.
It had a perfect combination of comedy, sci-fi, thriller, drama, and a reflection upon our own lives, as it relates to how and what our long-term relationships all-to-often end-up becoming, regardless of our best efforts to make the best of the situation.
The acting was very good, the special-effects were what you would expect for 1995 production-value, but it is the story that means everything.
This is well-worth your time, as virtually every episode in this amazing series.
It had a perfect combination of comedy, sci-fi, thriller, drama, and a reflection upon our own lives, as it relates to how and what our long-term relationships all-to-often end-up becoming, regardless of our best efforts to make the best of the situation.
The acting was very good, the special-effects were what you would expect for 1995 production-value, but it is the story that means everything.
This is well-worth your time, as virtually every episode in this amazing series.
Loved it, nice review of how important the superficial is to humans
talonjensen22 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I really liked this episode, great writing, acting and enough drama, comedy and conflict to keep it interesting. It soon becomes quite obvious where this is leading, but, the only reason I didn't give it a 10 was I would have preferred a bigger twist at the end. The twist used is pretty obvious, mild and done before.
SPOILER: Should be redone with one or both of the husbands also being aliens of a different species and then . . .? The possibilities are endless!
SPOILER: Should be redone with one or both of the husbands also being aliens of a different species and then . . .? The possibilities are endless!
Criminally Overlooked Brilliance
wisaacnetherton7 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
You know the cliché. Aliens are underpopulated so they invade earth disguised as gorgeous human women so they can use the sperm of insecure teenage boys to harvest their children before disposing of the father in gruesome ways. And then they take over our planet because, why not. Yawn.
Talk about a subversion. The original short story from Richard Matheson works well as a simple horror narrative, but this is something much more complex and incredibly thought-provoking. There are two aliens here and - you're not going to believe this - they are characters. They have real motivations, beliefs (and lack thereof), and best of all, conflicts. Ady Sutton, fantastically portrayed by Michelle Johnson, is not trying to take over the world. She isn't even trying to get pregnant. She simply wants to fit in and find true love. Too bad true love is nowhere to be found on Earth. Her substantially more amoral partner-in-crashlanding has already given up on finding someone who will love her for who she truly is, and has adopted a hedonistic "fuck 'em until they see the real you and go apeshit" philosophy. Ady still has hope in our species, even after the colossal failure of a relationship that ends in the opening scene. She's still willing to believe that the man she loves truly loves her back, and will continue to do so even after discovering her true nature. He believes that he loves her as well throughout the entire piece, but that's only because he wasn't prepared for just how unearthly the woman he thought he loved truly is.
What makes this such a brilliant work is that the men here experience a physical revelation that destroys their love, while the women here experience a mental revelation that destroys theirs. Norman wasn't seeing the real Ady, but more importantly, Ady also wasn't seeing the real Norman. By the end, Ady clearly no longer believes that she will find someone here that will truly love her, so she adopts the same philosophy as her friend and (literally) runs off with Norman's co- worker. It's a story that transcends both horror and tragedy because of how it illustrates some of the ways that people can become so empty and self-serving, in a cycle of dishonesty and shallowness where everything goes wrong, no one is happy, but there is also no real antagonist because no one is completely to blame. Everyone involved can be blamed just enough, and empathized with just enough.
Perhaps my favorite scene (though there isn't a single wasted scene here to say the least) is after Dennis' funeral. If for some odd reason you're reading this review without having seen the episode then I won't even say what happens, but essentially Norman is told a brutal truth that he doesn't understand and never will. Ady's expressions in this scene - as understated as they are - are nothing short of tremendously sorrowful. It's the kind of scene that makes you want to write another version of the same story where true love does win in the end, not because you think that's what would happen but because you sympathize with her too much to be okay with her being hurt the way she is by the story's end. This is actually still the only episode (and I first saw it over seven years ago) I've seen of this show and I'm hesitant to watch any other because I'm afraid it won't be half as powerful as this. Every time I see it I am overwhelmed by fear, sadness, and my deepest sympathy, all at the same time. In fact, it gets better every time I see it; there is always another layer that reveals itself each time. Like how Ady's friend - who wants to display herself as completely sociopathic about the men she marries - is seen pleading with Dennis before his death. If she didn't care, why would she do that? Was it an act because Norman was there and she was just trying to frighten him to his demise? Perhaps, or perhaps there was a part of her that wanted to believe he could see her as a human again. There's just enough ambiguity with the state of mind that the aliens are in that you're able to distinguish their modus operandi from each other while still leaving both of their true motivations unanswered. Maybe it is unanswered for themselves as well.
Talk about a subversion. The original short story from Richard Matheson works well as a simple horror narrative, but this is something much more complex and incredibly thought-provoking. There are two aliens here and - you're not going to believe this - they are characters. They have real motivations, beliefs (and lack thereof), and best of all, conflicts. Ady Sutton, fantastically portrayed by Michelle Johnson, is not trying to take over the world. She isn't even trying to get pregnant. She simply wants to fit in and find true love. Too bad true love is nowhere to be found on Earth. Her substantially more amoral partner-in-crashlanding has already given up on finding someone who will love her for who she truly is, and has adopted a hedonistic "fuck 'em until they see the real you and go apeshit" philosophy. Ady still has hope in our species, even after the colossal failure of a relationship that ends in the opening scene. She's still willing to believe that the man she loves truly loves her back, and will continue to do so even after discovering her true nature. He believes that he loves her as well throughout the entire piece, but that's only because he wasn't prepared for just how unearthly the woman he thought he loved truly is.
What makes this such a brilliant work is that the men here experience a physical revelation that destroys their love, while the women here experience a mental revelation that destroys theirs. Norman wasn't seeing the real Ady, but more importantly, Ady also wasn't seeing the real Norman. By the end, Ady clearly no longer believes that she will find someone here that will truly love her, so she adopts the same philosophy as her friend and (literally) runs off with Norman's co- worker. It's a story that transcends both horror and tragedy because of how it illustrates some of the ways that people can become so empty and self-serving, in a cycle of dishonesty and shallowness where everything goes wrong, no one is happy, but there is also no real antagonist because no one is completely to blame. Everyone involved can be blamed just enough, and empathized with just enough.
Perhaps my favorite scene (though there isn't a single wasted scene here to say the least) is after Dennis' funeral. If for some odd reason you're reading this review without having seen the episode then I won't even say what happens, but essentially Norman is told a brutal truth that he doesn't understand and never will. Ady's expressions in this scene - as understated as they are - are nothing short of tremendously sorrowful. It's the kind of scene that makes you want to write another version of the same story where true love does win in the end, not because you think that's what would happen but because you sympathize with her too much to be okay with her being hurt the way she is by the story's end. This is actually still the only episode (and I first saw it over seven years ago) I've seen of this show and I'm hesitant to watch any other because I'm afraid it won't be half as powerful as this. Every time I see it I am overwhelmed by fear, sadness, and my deepest sympathy, all at the same time. In fact, it gets better every time I see it; there is always another layer that reveals itself each time. Like how Ady's friend - who wants to display herself as completely sociopathic about the men she marries - is seen pleading with Dennis before his death. If she didn't care, why would she do that? Was it an act because Norman was there and she was just trying to frighten him to his demise? Perhaps, or perhaps there was a part of her that wanted to believe he could see her as a human again. There's just enough ambiguity with the state of mind that the aliens are in that you're able to distinguish their modus operandi from each other while still leaving both of their true motivations unanswered. Maybe it is unanswered for themselves as well.
One Of The Most Trippy Things I've Ever Seen
antoniomelendez-4020115 January 2023
This has been one of my favorite episodes of what's been one of my favorite tv series since i was a kid watching it in the 90s...as i got older it tripped me out more and more and made me think more and more...like at least half the episodes of the series it ends in disaster and i always imagined what i would do in a situation like this as I've always been very open minded but what he finds out is an all out assault on all his senses not just the one or two senses that become a problem in real life .it's a classic episode that I've always told people about and everyone that watches it Loves It.
ENTERTAINING EPISODE WITH SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE.
asalerno105 June 2022
When I first saw this episode I thought it was entertaining but a little silly, like I was watching one of those sci-fi movies from the 50s or 60s. But now that I watch it again I realized the subliminal message that it points to. Which changes my concept to a great episode. It all begins with a widowed man who meets a beautiful woman, falls in love and gets married, she in turn introduces a friend to a friend of his and they follow the same steps. The strange thing begins to happen when after a while both men begin to have hallucinations where they perceive anomalies in their respective wives until they suspect that in reality you are not those beautiful women but rather horrifying monsters. The subliminal plot shows how many times when we meet someone we idealize them as the perfect person and over time we begin to see the defects that we did not see at first and that many even show a fake friendly side to show themselves as they really are. With the passage of time.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
