I’ve always been a fan of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror anthologies.
One of my big bugaboos with inferior films is that in all honesty they might’ve been better received if their running length matched the slimness of their ideas. Far too many flicks just don’t have enough narrative substance; and I think most folks can easily detect when a screenwriter has padded the story with some unnecessary baggage in order to expand a 60-minute premise into the (minimally) required 90-minute runtime. These shorter features – be they 30-minutes or more – wind up feeling like far more natural storytelling, giving just enough wiggle room for all involved to show us what they can do best. Also, it’s easier to forgive a few inferior bits when there’s less to slow the tale’s progress: who really cares about a imperfection here and there if the adventure is an otherwise compelling idea brought to life by a respectable cast and crew? Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I don’t.
As such, I’ve found great joy in exploring any number of anthologies. Yes, the BBC’s Black Mirror is quite good (I’ve reviewed several episodes here on the site); and I’ve even gone back into the archives of television broadcast history to spend quiet evenings with Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery. The original incarnation of The Outer Limits is also quite interesting, though I’ll admit there are some very dated scripts in it; and I’ve even watched quite a few installments of second interpretation of that franchise which originally aired on pay cable from 1995 through 2002. When time permits, I even try to pen some reflections on these … and that brings me to today.
“A Stitch In Time” first aired in the United States on January 14, 1996 as part of the show’s second season; and I’ve read some commentary suggesting that it’s arguably one of the program’s very best episodes. It presently scores an 8.3 (out of 10.0) on its IMDB.com page – indeed, a very solid endorsement from the website’s users – and the hour starred Amanda, Plummer, genre favorite Michelle Forbes, Andrew Airlie, Sam Vincent, and Kendall Cross. Based on such high regard, I decided to give it a viewing for posterity’s sake, and I wanted to make some observations on what I thought was about as interesting a diversion as 45 minutes can be in the world of genre entertainment.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the episode’s IMDB.com page citation:
“At least 17 men have been executed in the last two decades without a clear motive, with the same gun. FBI Special Agent Jamie Pratt has to find how some of those murders were carried out when the gun had not yet been made.”
I don’t think there’s any purer form of storytelling than the conventional mystery, of which “A Stitch In Time” certainly qualifies. Though it imports the Fantasy ideas of time travel and the possible paradoxes into the narrative, those things actually give the murder mystery a bit more intellectual weight as opposed to weighing down the action unnecessarily. Basically, you have a series of murders – presenting detectives with the idea that they’re dealing with a serial killer – and the quest to solve the whodunit; however, it’s all been assembled in such a way as to defy any possible rational explanation.
For some time now, FBI Special Agents Jamie Pratt (played by Michelle Forbes) and Corey Lonn (Andrew Airlie) have been following the use of a very specific 9mm handgun tied to several execution-style murders spaced out over several years. Still, the investigation is continually plagued by what the team first suspects is a monkey wrench in the FBI database: although the gun was manufactured in 1988, its use keeps popping up in newly discovered killings that pre-date its existence. While other investigators may’ve dismissed such evidence as clerical errors, they refuse to do so chiefly because it keeps happening, a trend that particularly annoys Pratt and forces her to persist in considering all the possibilities.
One of my big bugaboos with inferior films is that in all honesty they might’ve been better received if their running length matched the slimness of their ideas. Far too many flicks just don’t have enough narrative substance; and I think most folks can easily detect when a screenwriter has padded the story with some unnecessary baggage in order to expand a 60-minute premise into the (minimally) required 90-minute runtime. These shorter features – be they 30-minutes or more – wind up feeling like far more natural storytelling, giving just enough wiggle room for all involved to show us what they can do best. Also, it’s easier to forgive a few inferior bits when there’s less to slow the tale’s progress: who really cares about a imperfection here and there if the adventure is an otherwise compelling idea brought to life by a respectable cast and crew? Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I don’t.
As such, I’ve found great joy in exploring any number of anthologies. Yes, the BBC’s Black Mirror is quite good (I’ve reviewed several episodes here on the site); and I’ve even gone back into the archives of television broadcast history to spend quiet evenings with Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery. The original incarnation of The Outer Limits is also quite interesting, though I’ll admit there are some very dated scripts in it; and I’ve even watched quite a few installments of second interpretation of that franchise which originally aired on pay cable from 1995 through 2002. When time permits, I even try to pen some reflections on these … and that brings me to today.
“A Stitch In Time” first aired in the United States on January 14, 1996 as part of the show’s second season; and I’ve read some commentary suggesting that it’s arguably one of the program’s very best episodes. It presently scores an 8.3 (out of 10.0) on its IMDB.com page – indeed, a very solid endorsement from the website’s users – and the hour starred Amanda, Plummer, genre favorite Michelle Forbes, Andrew Airlie, Sam Vincent, and Kendall Cross. Based on such high regard, I decided to give it a viewing for posterity’s sake, and I wanted to make some observations on what I thought was about as interesting a diversion as 45 minutes can be in the world of genre entertainment.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the episode’s IMDB.com page citation:
“At least 17 men have been executed in the last two decades without a clear motive, with the same gun. FBI Special Agent Jamie Pratt has to find how some of those murders were carried out when the gun had not yet been made.”
I don’t think there’s any purer form of storytelling than the conventional mystery, of which “A Stitch In Time” certainly qualifies. Though it imports the Fantasy ideas of time travel and the possible paradoxes into the narrative, those things actually give the murder mystery a bit more intellectual weight as opposed to weighing down the action unnecessarily. Basically, you have a series of murders – presenting detectives with the idea that they’re dealing with a serial killer – and the quest to solve the whodunit; however, it’s all been assembled in such a way as to defy any possible rational explanation.
For some time now, FBI Special Agents Jamie Pratt (played by Michelle Forbes) and Corey Lonn (Andrew Airlie) have been following the use of a very specific 9mm handgun tied to several execution-style murders spaced out over several years. Still, the investigation is continually plagued by what the team first suspects is a monkey wrench in the FBI database: although the gun was manufactured in 1988, its use keeps popping up in newly discovered killings that pre-date its existence. While other investigators may’ve dismissed such evidence as clerical errors, they refuse to do so chiefly because it keeps happening, a trend that particularly annoys Pratt and forces her to persist in considering all the possibilities.
Finally, a fingerprint turns up at a recently discovered cold case from the late 1960’s that ties directly to Dr. Theresa Givens (Amanda Plummer). When Pratt realizes that – if such data is correct – Givens would’ve been at the scene of the crime when she was but five years old, the coincidence is too great to resist; and she opts to pay the nearby school lecturer a visit. All she learns is that Givens is a genius who worked on a secret NSA project, that the lady is not a favorite of her unruly students, and that the good doctor is decidedly eccentric. With nothing to tie the professor to the murder, Pratt ultimately files it all away for the time being.
Eventually, Givens’ name comes up again – this time tied directly to the 9mm handgun in question – and this puts these two women on a collision course wherein destiny reveals that they have far more in common than originally believed.
In most cases, scriptwriters usually only incorporate Science Fiction or Fantasy ideas to spin what they hope will be some compelling web, but Stitch is constructed in such a way that one cannot remove time travel from the storytelling equation and have the experience make sense. As a consequence, this is probably one of the better uses of such technology that’s come about on television; and the work of writers Steven Barnes and Leslie Stevens deserves a bit of celebration. Lesser yarns haven’t relied as much as The Outer Limits does here, and it shows. Well done.
Where I struggle, nonetheless, is that Stitch never quite effectively dispels the subversive suggestive of resolving temporal paradoxes, giving only passing attention to the fact that clearly the timeline has changed and perhaps there should be wider effect.
In her youth, Givens suffered a sexual assault, and the long-lasting trauma has produced a vigilante who is using science only after such criminals have been convicted to leap back in time and carry out a death sentence. So once Jerome Horowitz (Sam Vincent) is found guilty and sentenced accordingly, the good doctor travels back to the day before he commits his first crime and shoots him in the head. As a result, all of his casualties survive in this new reality, but – in that odd irony of chronology – he’s now a victim in an FBI cold case file, the very one being worked on by Pratt and Lonn.
But nothing of greater significance changes in this alternate existence. Givens is still a vigilante. Pratt and Lonn are still assigned to the same case, although one that slowly grows more complex with each new ‘temporal execution.’ I’m not a purist, but even I suspect that this ever-changing world of tomorrow might look a bit different – more so than what The Outer Limits posits here – and I found that a tad disappointing. Haven’t we constantly been warned about changing the past? Here, these changes – for the most part and definitely up until the episode’s finale – are rather minor if not downright trivial; and I guess I expected to see a bit more flavor.
And about that finale?
Eventually, Givens’ name comes up again – this time tied directly to the 9mm handgun in question – and this puts these two women on a collision course wherein destiny reveals that they have far more in common than originally believed.
In most cases, scriptwriters usually only incorporate Science Fiction or Fantasy ideas to spin what they hope will be some compelling web, but Stitch is constructed in such a way that one cannot remove time travel from the storytelling equation and have the experience make sense. As a consequence, this is probably one of the better uses of such technology that’s come about on television; and the work of writers Steven Barnes and Leslie Stevens deserves a bit of celebration. Lesser yarns haven’t relied as much as The Outer Limits does here, and it shows. Well done.
Where I struggle, nonetheless, is that Stitch never quite effectively dispels the subversive suggestive of resolving temporal paradoxes, giving only passing attention to the fact that clearly the timeline has changed and perhaps there should be wider effect.
In her youth, Givens suffered a sexual assault, and the long-lasting trauma has produced a vigilante who is using science only after such criminals have been convicted to leap back in time and carry out a death sentence. So once Jerome Horowitz (Sam Vincent) is found guilty and sentenced accordingly, the good doctor travels back to the day before he commits his first crime and shoots him in the head. As a result, all of his casualties survive in this new reality, but – in that odd irony of chronology – he’s now a victim in an FBI cold case file, the very one being worked on by Pratt and Lonn.
But nothing of greater significance changes in this alternate existence. Givens is still a vigilante. Pratt and Lonn are still assigned to the same case, although one that slowly grows more complex with each new ‘temporal execution.’ I’m not a purist, but even I suspect that this ever-changing world of tomorrow might look a bit different – more so than what The Outer Limits posits here – and I found that a tad disappointing. Haven’t we constantly been warned about changing the past? Here, these changes – for the most part and definitely up until the episode’s finale – are rather minor if not downright trivial; and I guess I expected to see a bit more flavor.
And about that finale?
From a dramatic standpoint, Givens doesn’t quite escape with her mind intact but the end result is that she still becomes a better person (or so we’re led to believe). Essentially, there’s a ‘passing of the torch’ analogy here that is a bit forced, given that the good doctor remains interested in inventing time travel (despite growing up into a more composed adult than she was in the original timeline) while it’s the detective who inherits the vigilante’s cause. Apparently, Givens still sees the fruits of such labors – that being of going into the past to change the future – and joins forces with Pratt, who now finds herself trying to spare her best friend from a tragedy she likely feels partially responsible (and cursed) for.
Stories like this always end on the cautionary note of “be careful what you wish for,” and Stitch definitely excels on that point. Pratt accepts her newfound role as a temporal crusader, but it’s unclear how long she might possibly stay committed to the task at hand. Will she stop after resurrecting her friend, or will she succumb to using such technology to create what she thinks is a better, safer world? Such ambiguity also leaves audiences guessing at one might come next, and that’s a wonderful sentiment that only the very best morality plays tap into.
It's also interesting to note that Stitch was one of the show’s most highly regarded installments. At the 1996 CableACE Awards, Plummer received a nomination in the category of ‘Actress In A Dramatic Special/Series.’ She also took home the Primetime Emmy Award for her work in the episode for ‘Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series.’ The hour also won the ‘Best Short Dramatic Program’ category from the 1997 Gemini Awards. Kudos to all involved.
The Outer Limits (1995-2002) was produced by MMG Film & TV Production, Trilogy Entertainment Group, Alliance Atlantis Communications, Atlantis Films, CFCF-TV, and a few other participants. (For a full accounting, one can check out their full citation on IMDB.com.) The series is presently available for physical or digital purchase or streaming via a variety of platforms. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I thought that the provided sights-and-sounds were quite good; special effects being what they were for the mid-1990’s, the temporal window is rendered rather poorly, but it works in the way the cast and crew intended so who am I to complain? Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? As I viewed this one via streaming, there were no special features under consideration.
Highly recommended.
While I personally would’ve loved to see “A Stitch In Time” go a bit further with its exploration of how tweaking the past might rearrange the future, the episode works on its own narrative rhythm in a way that keeps the focus on a few necessary characters, showing perhaps how uniquely tied up in the same time stream some of us might inevitably be. The formula, though, for anthologies has always been to give audiences ‘just enough’ to both buy the premise along with the characters’ motivations; and that’s certainly the case here. There is ‘just enough’ and not a smidge more. Performances are very good, and the end result might leave viewers with just enough closure along with a bit of wiggle room so that they, too, have ask ‘what if’ all of it went along a few minutes longer. How might it have evolved? That’s the stuff of positive TV dreams, if ever there were.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that I’m beholden to no one for this review of The Outer Limit’s “A Stitch In Time” (S02E01) episode as I screened it as part of my very own subscription to MGM+.
-- EZ
Stories like this always end on the cautionary note of “be careful what you wish for,” and Stitch definitely excels on that point. Pratt accepts her newfound role as a temporal crusader, but it’s unclear how long she might possibly stay committed to the task at hand. Will she stop after resurrecting her friend, or will she succumb to using such technology to create what she thinks is a better, safer world? Such ambiguity also leaves audiences guessing at one might come next, and that’s a wonderful sentiment that only the very best morality plays tap into.
It's also interesting to note that Stitch was one of the show’s most highly regarded installments. At the 1996 CableACE Awards, Plummer received a nomination in the category of ‘Actress In A Dramatic Special/Series.’ She also took home the Primetime Emmy Award for her work in the episode for ‘Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series.’ The hour also won the ‘Best Short Dramatic Program’ category from the 1997 Gemini Awards. Kudos to all involved.
The Outer Limits (1995-2002) was produced by MMG Film & TV Production, Trilogy Entertainment Group, Alliance Atlantis Communications, Atlantis Films, CFCF-TV, and a few other participants. (For a full accounting, one can check out their full citation on IMDB.com.) The series is presently available for physical or digital purchase or streaming via a variety of platforms. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I thought that the provided sights-and-sounds were quite good; special effects being what they were for the mid-1990’s, the temporal window is rendered rather poorly, but it works in the way the cast and crew intended so who am I to complain? Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? As I viewed this one via streaming, there were no special features under consideration.
Highly recommended.
While I personally would’ve loved to see “A Stitch In Time” go a bit further with its exploration of how tweaking the past might rearrange the future, the episode works on its own narrative rhythm in a way that keeps the focus on a few necessary characters, showing perhaps how uniquely tied up in the same time stream some of us might inevitably be. The formula, though, for anthologies has always been to give audiences ‘just enough’ to both buy the premise along with the characters’ motivations; and that’s certainly the case here. There is ‘just enough’ and not a smidge more. Performances are very good, and the end result might leave viewers with just enough closure along with a bit of wiggle room so that they, too, have ask ‘what if’ all of it went along a few minutes longer. How might it have evolved? That’s the stuff of positive TV dreams, if ever there were.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that I’m beholden to no one for this review of The Outer Limit’s “A Stitch In Time” (S02E01) episode as I screened it as part of my very own subscription to MGM+.
-- EZ
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