TZ Marathon Post SYFY - Dust

 

Serling's work could really impact me with such an emotional wallop sometimes. Hell, a lot of times. The episode, "Dust", a small, often less considered, perhaps a bit lost within all the incredible episodes this wonderful show produced could not even have anything supernatural to it. Serling only considers the possibility of "some hand", perhaps some interference from a divine "providence". Maybe, a sentence for hanging of a young man (John Alonzo) was prevented from success by God, or some cosmic stay of execution. Thomas Gomez was actually the Devil in "Escape Clause", but I think he is even worse in "Dust" as a peddler of wares, a seller of items wherever needed, in this episode's case of rope, very strong rope. Gomez, ever the opportunist, seizes upon the desperation of Alonzo's father, played by the always fantastic and severely underrated Vladimir Sokolov (he played a wide range of ethnicities during this era of television), offering him a bag of "magic" dust...dust he just palmed from the earth around the decaying desert town for which this episode is located. Sokolov mentions to Gomez that many of his friends pitched in (a wagon, a horse, whatever was available) to help pay for the magic dust...Gomez gets a kick out of this. John Larch (who I last seen in the first season episode, "Perchance to Dream") is the tired, burdened sheriff with no patience for bigoted Gomez and his gleefully cheery reminders to Alonzo that he will be hanging from rope soon. Alonzo was miserable and frustrated with life, hitting the bottle, so drunk that while driving a wagon his horses killed a little girl on accident. Because of the tragedy, the trial and death sentence were not difficult for the town, all anticipating the death of Alonzo. Perhaps, this is a message against the death penalty by Serling, but he doesn't fret from showing the toll on the girl's parents, reeling and emotionally sore from grief. They walk to the lynching post not with any excitement or desire to see Alonzo die...they are more or less so melancholic--as you might imagine--that the hanging is but a formality. Gomez runs his mouth, very loud and course, while Larch just wants him to shut up, ridiculing him for the lack of empathy, the need to noise his feelings about the matter. This town, by the way, is appropriately sweltering, dirty, unpleasant. Serling made sure in his narration that we understand that this town was not a stop many would wish to make or set roots at. It was a depressing town you'd just prefer to ride right past and not fix your eyes on for any longer than you had to. Sokolov's performance cannot be understated in his power...his appeal to the humanity of those about to make sure his son dies, his regret for what his son did, his point to the sheriff that his son was in agony and looked for solace in the bottle (asking if anyone else ever felt that need), and just looking (begging) for a second chance for his son. The rope breaking and the dust from a pitiful bag barely held together that Gomez pulled from a pocket that Sokolov spreads above head in front of the lynching platform as the crowd laughs...Sokolov is just powerful. But Gomez plays his part effectively...he can be repulsive, prejudiced, and cruel. But in his mind, Gomez believes he's right about what he says in regards to Alonzo, even confronting the girl's parents about them getting justice for what was taken from them. Larch has to halt him, to be a kibosh to his desire to be in the middle of it all.  The music in this episode, familiar to TZ fans, fits the emotional story quite perfectly. This is the kind of episode you feel to your very soul.