It is odd that the folks at CBS would choose this episode to air twice--both in season 3 and 4. Apparently, this was the only episode aired in two different seasons and you'd assume that it is because this is one of the better episodes. Well, if you did assume this, you'd be wrong. While it's not at all a bad episode, there is a lot that makes this pretty ordinary. In fact, I doubt if one fan in 1000 would list this among their top 5 or even 10--yet it received this odd honor.
"Still Valley" stars Gary Merrill (the ex-husband of Bette Davis and an underrated actor). He is excellent in the role and his craggy face and deep voice are great assets to his performance. He plays a Confederate soldier during the middle of the Civil War. It seems his job is to scout out the Yankees in a nearby town. However, in a very odd twist, the Union troops are there but they are frozen--unable to move! This obviously ain't normal! The mystery of this is uncovered when he stumbles upon an odd old man who apparently is a Satanist who, with the powers of Darkness, has invoked a spell to freeze them! Eventually, the old man gives the book of spells to Merrill and wishes him luck! So the decision now is, will they let Satan give them the victory and forever damn themselves because of this? An interesting "what if" episode to be sure, but not exactly the most compelling of episodes. The acting is fine but the payoff and the excitement just aren't there--meaning the script should have been hashed out more to build suspense and make it more than just totally ordinary.
"Still Valley" stars Gary Merrill (the ex-husband of Bette Davis and an underrated actor). He is excellent in the role and his craggy face and deep voice are great assets to his performance. He plays a Confederate soldier during the middle of the Civil War. It seems his job is to scout out the Yankees in a nearby town. However, in a very odd twist, the Union troops are there but they are frozen--unable to move! This obviously ain't normal! The mystery of this is uncovered when he stumbles upon an odd old man who apparently is a Satanist who, with the powers of Darkness, has invoked a spell to freeze them! Eventually, the old man gives the book of spells to Merrill and wishes him luck! So the decision now is, will they let Satan give them the victory and forever damn themselves because of this? An interesting "what if" episode to be sure, but not exactly the most compelling of episodes. The acting is fine but the payoff and the excitement just aren't there--meaning the script should have been hashed out more to build suspense and make it more than just totally ordinary.