"The Purple Testament" is definitely one of the bleakest and most depressing Twilight Zone episodes I've seen thus far, but this shouldn't come too much as a surprise since the story is set in the heat and humidity of The Philippines in 1945, near the end of a long and harrowing WWII, amidst a platoon where all the soldiers are seemingly exhausted and already traumatized beyond repair for the rest of their lives. But of all the poor suckers here, nobody suffers as massively as Lt. Fitzgerald! For some inexplicable reason (remember, we're in the Twilight Zone
) he developed the deeply unpleasant ability to foretell which soldiers are about to die next because he sees an uncanny glow appear on their faces. The platoon's supervisor, Capt. Phil Riker, is naturally concerned about his lieutenant's deteriorating mental state but doesn't pay any attention when Fitzgerald begs him not to go on his next mission because he spotted the glow in his face. Contrary to most episodes in this legendary TV-format, "The Purple Testament" doesn't contain any grotesque story twists or kitschy set pieces. Instead, it entirely thrives on gloomy atmosphere and integer performances. What makes the episode truly unforgettable, however, is the enormously downbeat but yet plausible denouement
Fitzgerald's stoic and motionless reaction when he witnesses the glowing face of the last victim is powerful stuff...