For every 5 or so good Twilight Zone episodes, there's one that is so bland and mediocre that it makes me wonder how it could have been written by the same Rod Serling that brought us all the classics everyone is familiar with, such as Living Doll. This just might be the episode that I hate the most, because not only is its conclusion predictable, it's not even that satisfying when it does arrive. The episode centers on Oliver Crangle (Theodore Bikel), a nut who spends his life in his room writing about people he deems evil. Using a process that is barely understood (even by him), he plans to shrink every evil person on earth to a height of just 24 inches by 4 o'clock that afternoon. In the meantime, Crangle overreacts to everyone who tells him he has a sad life because he spends all his time hating people who don't even know he exists, but he still thinks he'll be vindicated in the end. By the time 4 o'clock finally comes, Crangle realizes to his horror that he's the one who has shrunk. I get the idea that each TZ episode is meant to have a kind of moral lesson to teach viewers, but this one is so plain to see that I can't believe Serling even let it pass. I guess he's trying to say how Crangle condemned himself by hating people all the time, because hate can't be driven out by more hate. Bikel's performance just didn't do it for me. He's hectic, loud, and obnoxious. Maybe if he was in some other episode he'd be given a better character to portray, but this is the episode we're stuck with for his first (and only) appearance on the show. In short, reading about how amazing this episode is according to the majority of watchers is not going to alter my perception or viewpoint on it. It's extremely predictable, and the ending didn't even feel justified. This is a rare TZ episode that I just simply don't recommend.
Review of Four O'Clock
