SYNOPSIS...
A special government tutor shows up to enlist the aid of a bright
fourteen year old boy for a special project. The boys parents go along
with this.
The father discovers the tutor is actually an alien from space who
is controlling his son. Dad can not convince a "real" government
official that his son's tutor is an alien.
Dad confronts the tutor/alien, who tries to use mind control to make
the father kill himself. The boy uses a gizmo, that he and the alien
have built, to turn the air unbreathable for the alien. The alien
leaves.
REVIEW...
THE SPECIAL ONE, directed by Gerd Oswald, is
an entertainingly paranoid Sci-Fi tale.
Richard Ney is cultured and urbane as the human-looking alien, Mr.
Xeno. He brings to mind Michael Rennie, in "The Day the Earth
Stood Still", but has a more sinister screen presence.
MacDonald Carey offers able support as the father of an intellectually
gifted son. He plays the kind of concerned, sensitive dad most of
us would love to have had growing up.
"Happy Days" fans may enjoy seeing Marion Ross, as what
else ... a mother. Edward Platt, who scored big several years later,
as 'The Chief' on "Get Smart", has a small role as a government
employee.
The Teleplay, by Oliver Crawford, has some curt dialogue. When Carey
briefly detains the human-looking alien, to talk to him about his
son's tutoring schedule, Xeno (Ney), abruptly ends the conversation
after a short while with, "This little colloquy has already cost
me two and a half minutes."
The FX involve people walking through walls, as well as laser-like
beams of light. The Special Photographic Effects were Designed and
Created by Project Unlimited, Inc.
My favorite scene takes place when Carey discovers that Xeno/Ney is
in his son's room in the middle of the night. Secretly following him,
Carey is stunned to see Xeno exit by walking through the front door.
Director of Photography, Kenneth Peach, is quite creative here, utilizing
fish-eye lenses, shadows on walls, and low camera angles to help weave
an other worldly mood.
The music, by Dominic Frontiere, is tense and foreboding, helping
to build a growing sense of dread throughout the episode.
THE SPECIAL ONE will be fairly watch able for most Sci-Fi viewers.
Those who watch "The Outer Limits" for weird-looking aliens
may be disappointed.
THE
SPECIAL ONE - The Outer Limits
