The Purple Testament - Strongly acted central performance from
Reynolds as Platoon lieutenant who can spot by looking into the faces of
soldiers in his company, in WWII Philippines, by a certain light that
emerges if they will die. This has plenty of familiar faces in it's
cast. York of Bewitched fame and the more famous TZ episode, Penny For
Your Thoughts, as a friend and fellow officer to Reynolds (he lays out
the military strategy passed down to him by his superiors to the
company) who has a hard time believing his proclamation about the faces
of doom until he himself is given the bad news. Phillips, a frequent TZ
actor, notable in the classic, Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?,
as Reynolds' superior York confides in about the whole death
clairvoyance proclamation. Masak as a wounded, one-armed harmonica
playing officer will be familiar to fans of Murder, She Wrote. And of
course, the great Warren Oates as a young Jeep driver who was given a
bad break because he was carrying Reynolds, who had seen his damned
reflection in a mirror in light, on a road notorious for mines. The
company wrought with anxiety as sweaty, worn out Reynolds looks into
their worried faces is a great moment as is York laying down his family
photos and wedding ring in camp before heading off on a dangerous
assignment. Serling knew how to articulate the rough experiences of war.
3.5/5. Future director Mazursky (An Unmarried Woman) is an orderly who
discovers fainting Reynolds on the floor after the haunted lieutenant
sees his wounded, bedridden buddy's face light up.
The 7th is Made Up of Phantoms - Three National Guardsmen following orders for basic
maneuvers near where General Custer and his Union Calvary were massacred by the
Sioux actually locate a type of time rift that might just have them moving
their tank right into 1876 if they so choose! Oates ends up being the voice of the
audience perhaps, at odds with Foster and Boone over “joining” Custer, or
investigating whether or not they are encountering/seeing teepees, horses, a
canteen, and smoke from a fire from 80 years ago! Reevaluation of history, the
idea that three men from 1964 would have modern weaponry and decide to join
Custer’s Calvary despite every reason not to (their efforts would still not
make a difference and their identities would seem to cause some type of
butterfly effect), and how historical details are quite fresh on the minds of
Foster and Boone (entire routes, names of officers, and exact location
knowledge, included) are critical errors perhaps a fatigued Serling, under time
crunch and pressed to get the script to camera, just couldn’t bother to shore
up. A lot of fans love this one and it is indeed a marathon favorite. Despite
the ability to pick it apart and perhaps historians and critics who oppose
Custer, disagreeing with Serling’s decision to encourage the thought of the
episode’s trio heroically joining his cause against the “bad guys” (this
certain to be the major bone of contention with the story, as many consider
Custer the bad guy not the Sioux), I personally do enjoy the use of time travel
again, this time at the point of where a historical event took place. But the
history lesson might aggravate viewers much in the same way as Oates gets
worked up while Foster and Boone talk specifics. Bray, the Captain in charge of
the maneuvers and frequently annoyed at Foster, Boone, and Oates for their
failure to just do what is expected of them, looks on with Greg Morris
(Mission: Impossible) at the Memorial where the names of his trio are etched
for all to see…if only they would have had the tank, Bray surmises. 2.5/5
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