“With great power comes great responsibility …”
This phrase – made famous by its theatrical appearance aboard 2002’s Spider-Man – sums up how we should culturally hold those with some kind of authority to the highest standards possible; and, yes, I’ve always said that should include writers. After all, an examination of the past will show you that the written word has been used to inspire some of the best and worst behaviors in all of history. Calls to action – especially those written – should be considered alongside those spoken because otherwise we risk a disservice of holding each and every thinker to the highest standards available. When all it takes is the fall of a single domino to bring down an entire train, words attached to ideas matter, and that should always be the case.
It's for this reason that there exist in society those who suggest that writers and screenwriters should not rush in where angels fear to tread. Breaching certain topics should not be undertaken lightly; and this is why there are chapters of human history some argue should always be considered taboo. This is not to say that concerning the Holocaust – undoubtedly one of the grimmest in all of mankind – should be avoided; rather, these tales should be fully examined in the light of day to ensure that any and all steps be taken to avoid the cultural embarrassment of recasting evil as something less than what it was. It’s entirely acceptable for art to be disturbing: it should not be okay – ever – to trivialize something as despicable as genocide.
This is why I’d say that The Outer Limits’ episode “Tribunal” – which first aired on pay cable in the United States on May 14, 1999 – was a calculated risk. The story revisits (to a small degree) some of the depravity perpetrated by the Third Reich at the Auschwitz concentration camp, sending not one but two time travelers back to the compound on a mission of mercy meant to bring a measure of closure to a father and son who were forever scarred by the events of one German officer. Thankfully, what could’ve been a narrative disaster stays true to the spirit of compassion – perhaps one of the traits that most uniquely makes us human – and the story that emerges is definitely a high point in television dramas.
(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:
“Aaron Zgierski, a lawyer and the son of Holocaust survivors, is investigating the Nazi war criminal who murdered members of his family. He gets help from a mysterious time traveler who is able to procure evidence from Auschwitz in 1944.”
This phrase – made famous by its theatrical appearance aboard 2002’s Spider-Man – sums up how we should culturally hold those with some kind of authority to the highest standards possible; and, yes, I’ve always said that should include writers. After all, an examination of the past will show you that the written word has been used to inspire some of the best and worst behaviors in all of history. Calls to action – especially those written – should be considered alongside those spoken because otherwise we risk a disservice of holding each and every thinker to the highest standards available. When all it takes is the fall of a single domino to bring down an entire train, words attached to ideas matter, and that should always be the case.
It's for this reason that there exist in society those who suggest that writers and screenwriters should not rush in where angels fear to tread. Breaching certain topics should not be undertaken lightly; and this is why there are chapters of human history some argue should always be considered taboo. This is not to say that concerning the Holocaust – undoubtedly one of the grimmest in all of mankind – should be avoided; rather, these tales should be fully examined in the light of day to ensure that any and all steps be taken to avoid the cultural embarrassment of recasting evil as something less than what it was. It’s entirely acceptable for art to be disturbing: it should not be okay – ever – to trivialize something as despicable as genocide.
This is why I’d say that The Outer Limits’ episode “Tribunal” – which first aired on pay cable in the United States on May 14, 1999 – was a calculated risk. The story revisits (to a small degree) some of the depravity perpetrated by the Third Reich at the Auschwitz concentration camp, sending not one but two time travelers back to the compound on a mission of mercy meant to bring a measure of closure to a father and son who were forever scarred by the events of one German officer. Thankfully, what could’ve been a narrative disaster stays true to the spirit of compassion – perhaps one of the traits that most uniquely makes us human – and the story that emerges is definitely a high point in television dramas.
(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:
“Aaron Zgierski, a lawyer and the son of Holocaust survivors, is investigating the Nazi war criminal who murdered members of his family. He gets help from a mysterious time traveler who is able to procure evidence from Auschwitz in 1944.”
My love for televised anthologies has of late had me visiting some of the programming of the recent and distant past. As I’ve always been a fan of the format, I’ve always been on the lookout for stories that have come before and perhaps been missed if for no better reason that I give them a bit of promotional for like-minded individuals who stumble upon SciFiHistory.Net. Having watched a good number of installments of The Outer Limits (1995-2002), I recently did some searching for their highest rated episodes; and it’s easy to see why 1999’s “Tribunal” is such a favorite with fans. Mind you: it was a risky endeavor – combining Fantasy with the harsh and grim events of Germany’s attempt to eradicate the Jewish people in World War II, but the story that emerges – compliments of Leslie Stevens and the critically-acclaimed screenwriter Sam Egan – is definitely respectful and heartfelt in near perfect measure.
Aaron Zgierski (played by Saul Rubinek) is a lawyer who privately remains committed to seeing justice served for the family that he lost at the hands of Nazi oppressors in World War II. Thankfully, he’s had a bit of assistance from a kindly old stranger Nicholas Prentice (Alex Diakun) who is somehow able to turn up one piece of physical evidence after another that proves an elderly man in present day – Robert Greene (Jan Rubes) – to actually have been a violent S.S. officer Karl Rademacher (Alex Zahara) in his former, secret life. Zgierski knows that it was Rademacher who was responsible for the death of his father’s first wife and his half-sister Hannah (Kyra Azzopardi), so it’s understandable why he would want Greene properly tried by the appropriate authorities for crimes against humanity.
However, Zgierski’s efforts have been dogged as of late. The passage of time has made it increasingly difficult for evidence of any kind to be legally substantiated in any court of law; and, as such, he’s taken a more aggressive stance at enlisting Prentice to come up with something that will unequivocally tie Greene/Rademacher to Auschwitz. A surprise visit to the investigator’s hotel room has the lawyer – fresh from an argument with his ex-wife and now assistant district attorney Gwen Sawyer (Lindsay Crouse) – stumbling upon a curious timepiece. Once he touches it, he finds himself transported back in time to labor camp, ultimately realizing the method behind Prentice’s continued assistance.
Aaron Zgierski (played by Saul Rubinek) is a lawyer who privately remains committed to seeing justice served for the family that he lost at the hands of Nazi oppressors in World War II. Thankfully, he’s had a bit of assistance from a kindly old stranger Nicholas Prentice (Alex Diakun) who is somehow able to turn up one piece of physical evidence after another that proves an elderly man in present day – Robert Greene (Jan Rubes) – to actually have been a violent S.S. officer Karl Rademacher (Alex Zahara) in his former, secret life. Zgierski knows that it was Rademacher who was responsible for the death of his father’s first wife and his half-sister Hannah (Kyra Azzopardi), so it’s understandable why he would want Greene properly tried by the appropriate authorities for crimes against humanity.
However, Zgierski’s efforts have been dogged as of late. The passage of time has made it increasingly difficult for evidence of any kind to be legally substantiated in any court of law; and, as such, he’s taken a more aggressive stance at enlisting Prentice to come up with something that will unequivocally tie Greene/Rademacher to Auschwitz. A surprise visit to the investigator’s hotel room has the lawyer – fresh from an argument with his ex-wife and now assistant district attorney Gwen Sawyer (Lindsay Crouse) – stumbling upon a curious timepiece. Once he touches it, he finds himself transported back in time to labor camp, ultimately realizing the method behind Prentice’s continued assistance.
Eventually, Prentice realizes what’s happened, and he travels back to rescue the man. Once back in the present, Zgierski grows even more insistent – now that he’s witnessed Rademacher’s viciousness firsthand – at seeing the man imprisoned. When the legal challenges appear insurmountable, the lawyer goes to Greene’s home – gun-in-hand – fully intent on extracting revenge in the only manner he believes still possible. Thankfully, Prentice intervenes, explaining that he’s actually Aaron’s great-grandson from the future, and he’s been sent back on his own personal mission to stop his great-grandfather from committing murder, an act that would only perpetuate the circle of violence the family has been trapped within.
With their goals aligned, Prentice and Zgierski abduct the elderly Greene and haul him back through time, depositing him in the camp and putting him directly in the path of the hate-filled Rademacher (his younger, unrepentant self). Though Greene tries to convince the S.S. officer that they are one in the same, the Nazi resists the man’s pleas – thinking him little more than a Jew spinning some playful yarn – and he shoots him in the head. The scene also serves as a distraction, allowing the two time travelers to nab the young Hannah before she can be taken to the gas chambers, and they take her back to the future, eventually introducing her to his father, Leon (Peter Boretski), who is overcome with tears at the realization.
As I stated above, even considering combining all of these elements in a single tale was a huge risk.
The obvious stigma of Nazi oppression exists to this day, and anyone attempting to insert hints of Fantasy and Science Fiction – much less time travel with a happy ending – would likely reconsider options and perhaps find a different setting with which to explore such a heartfelt tale. But it’s all accomplished here with great reverence – nothing is left to chance, and there’s no attempt to force modern morality of any kind into the story or characters. Director Mario Azzopardi – an award-nominated talent – kept the plot focused on the particulars and never went down any potential tributary that could’ve soured the emotional core. Screenwriter Egan – who crafted the story to honor what his own father enduring in Auschwitz – never left so much as an ounce of fat on any of this, producing about as lean a chronicle as was possible while preserving the substance of what mattered most to these characters in their respective times and places.
For what it’s worth, Rubinek was a curiously inspired choice to play a kinda/sorta heroic lead, and I think his casting also resonates in just the proper tone for audiences who pay attention to these kinds of things. With no disrespect intended, he doesn’t quite have that ‘leading man quality’ so many producers seek when crafting tentpole-style entertainment. Perhaps his biggest mainstream connection was as the kinda/sorta timid journalist seeking to chronicle the life of Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman) in Clint Eastwood’s award-winning Western, Unforgiven (1992). There, he’s the somewhat portly observer to the combustible relationship between Eastwood’s Bill Munny and Daggett, always present but never with the ‘stones’ to be front-and-center when the actions taking place. In “Tribunal,” he speaks like a man of action, but his commitment to law stymies him at every opportunity, up to the point wherein he ultimately decides to confront Greene personally, gun-in-hand. If anything, his persistence to calm and rational solutions serves him well in the finale, so much so that I can’t imagine anyone else in the role.
With their goals aligned, Prentice and Zgierski abduct the elderly Greene and haul him back through time, depositing him in the camp and putting him directly in the path of the hate-filled Rademacher (his younger, unrepentant self). Though Greene tries to convince the S.S. officer that they are one in the same, the Nazi resists the man’s pleas – thinking him little more than a Jew spinning some playful yarn – and he shoots him in the head. The scene also serves as a distraction, allowing the two time travelers to nab the young Hannah before she can be taken to the gas chambers, and they take her back to the future, eventually introducing her to his father, Leon (Peter Boretski), who is overcome with tears at the realization.
As I stated above, even considering combining all of these elements in a single tale was a huge risk.
The obvious stigma of Nazi oppression exists to this day, and anyone attempting to insert hints of Fantasy and Science Fiction – much less time travel with a happy ending – would likely reconsider options and perhaps find a different setting with which to explore such a heartfelt tale. But it’s all accomplished here with great reverence – nothing is left to chance, and there’s no attempt to force modern morality of any kind into the story or characters. Director Mario Azzopardi – an award-nominated talent – kept the plot focused on the particulars and never went down any potential tributary that could’ve soured the emotional core. Screenwriter Egan – who crafted the story to honor what his own father enduring in Auschwitz – never left so much as an ounce of fat on any of this, producing about as lean a chronicle as was possible while preserving the substance of what mattered most to these characters in their respective times and places.
For what it’s worth, Rubinek was a curiously inspired choice to play a kinda/sorta heroic lead, and I think his casting also resonates in just the proper tone for audiences who pay attention to these kinds of things. With no disrespect intended, he doesn’t quite have that ‘leading man quality’ so many producers seek when crafting tentpole-style entertainment. Perhaps his biggest mainstream connection was as the kinda/sorta timid journalist seeking to chronicle the life of Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman) in Clint Eastwood’s award-winning Western, Unforgiven (1992). There, he’s the somewhat portly observer to the combustible relationship between Eastwood’s Bill Munny and Daggett, always present but never with the ‘stones’ to be front-and-center when the actions taking place. In “Tribunal,” he speaks like a man of action, but his commitment to law stymies him at every opportunity, up to the point wherein he ultimately decides to confront Greene personally, gun-in-hand. If anything, his persistence to calm and rational solutions serves him well in the finale, so much so that I can’t imagine anyone else in the role.
Furthermore, Crouse – even with her limited time here – does a fabulous job in portraying a kinda/sorta ‘Miss Lonely Hearts’ counterpart to Rubinek’s lead. There are a number of hints that she’s still smitten with her former husband, and the two of them together manage to evoke a likeable chemistry as a ‘fallen’ couple. Like him, she wants to help, but she’s forever conscripted to follow the law even when it doesn’t serve justice, the theme that provides the undercurrent for practically every situation in here. The hour ends with the strong suggestion that now that Aaron can finally put his personal crusade to rest there will be a reconciliation between the two of them, also tying up the threads of how justice heals all of us in ways we don’t perceive in real time.
It's a great hour – the kind of morality tale that the original Star Trek did so well back in its day – and everyone involved should be commended for not overstepping their boundaries with such delicate subject matter.
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 time travel sequence is a bit underwhelming – essentially, it’s little more than a colorful dissolve and crossfade – but it works well enough to portray what the storyteller 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.
Highest recommendation possible.
It isn’t every day that I stumble across an hour of uniquely prescient storytelling, but “Tribunal” excels on every level. It dips into some treacherous territory – pulling back the layers for a glimpse into one of mankind’s darkest hours – but it deftly underscores why love and justice don’t always take the shape we most expect. Excellent performances lift the work up above some – ahem – dated effects work; and, yes, this should be regarded as one of TV’s best hours in Fantasy for those of us who are willing to boldly go where few have gone before.
In the interests of fairness, I’m beholden to no one for this review of The Outer Limits’ “Tribunal” episode (S05E12) as I viewed it entirely via my very own subscription to MGM+.
-- EZ
It's a great hour – the kind of morality tale that the original Star Trek did so well back in its day – and everyone involved should be commended for not overstepping their boundaries with such delicate subject matter.
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 time travel sequence is a bit underwhelming – essentially, it’s little more than a colorful dissolve and crossfade – but it works well enough to portray what the storyteller 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.
Highest recommendation possible.
It isn’t every day that I stumble across an hour of uniquely prescient storytelling, but “Tribunal” excels on every level. It dips into some treacherous territory – pulling back the layers for a glimpse into one of mankind’s darkest hours – but it deftly underscores why love and justice don’t always take the shape we most expect. Excellent performances lift the work up above some – ahem – dated effects work; and, yes, this should be regarded as one of TV’s best hours in Fantasy for those of us who are willing to boldly go where few have gone before.
In the interests of fairness, I’m beholden to no one for this review of The Outer Limits’ “Tribunal” episode (S05E12) as I viewed it entirely via my very own subscription to MGM+.
-- EZ
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