"The Long Morrow" often gets dismissed as one of several late-series misfires in TWILIGHT ZONE. This is more a science-fiction parable than a thriller. It's a subtle tale, aimed at an adult audience. The basic premise, incorporating a tragic dramatic irony, would seem silly in other hands, but Serling's writing and Robert Florey's directing give the dialog-driven story proper weight and it never drags. Most important of all, however, are the actors. Young Mariette Hartley shows more than just promise in her performance here. She seems to believe what she says and feels. The surprise of this romantic encounter is utterly real from her point of view. Opposite her is the great, nearly forgotten Robert Lansing. Lansing was a perfect actor for the TV medium. Never overly expressive of face or voice, he always maintains a truth in his playing, bringing out a deeper humanity underneath it all. When the horrible realization of what has happened strikes both these people, the viewer can feel it almost as strongly. There is a sadness about life in this episode, along with an invitation to ponder the unthinkable: spending forty years alone and awake in a spaceship.
Review of The Long Morrow
