After the initial "Oh my God; I can't believe this is happening," this episode of The Outer Limits becomes quite gripping. Each of the kids is a stereotype, just like the gang from "The Breakfast Club" back in the eighties. Here, an alien comes to a high school and singles out a group of five young people to torment. They represent a pecking order in the school. They include the nerdy science guy, the jock, the pretty girl with the reputation, the religious girl, and the angry misfit who represents the kind of kid who could act like the two desperate characters at Columbine. A light comes over the hallway during passing and suddenly these five find themselves alone. Not only that, they are unable to depart the scene. Once classroom is open to them, a bathroom, and a few other places, but there is no escape. When they try to leave through the entrance on one end, they are quickly delivered back through an opposite entrance. Suddenly, an alien presence (the Outer Limits lizard guy of the day) tells them that by three o'clock they must decide which of their group must die. If they choose, the others will be allowed to carry on their business. Of course, since they are all relative foes, this causes great distress among them. The misfit guy is really disdainful of life and associations, feeling he has been victimized his whole life. This is really well done as they try to sort our their feeling and do the right thing. This is really well done with a solid conclusion. Take the time to discuss it. As a former teacher, it would have been fun to have my kids talk about the implications of the episode. While there are some pretty clichéd things presented, it still works quite well.
