TZ Post SYFY Marathon - Back There

This scene was cut by SYFY

 I have always thought "Back There" was creepy. I think when I watch it makes a world of difference. A lot that is because of Russell Johnson. I just think because he was more or less a supporting character involved with time travel in "Execution", it was cool that he got to be the star of "Back There" about a member of this exclusive club in DC who conveniently is "sent" back in time to the night Lincoln is assassinated at the Ford's Theater after having a theoretical conversation with other wealthy elites at a table while playing Bridge. Johnson's reactions and how he tries to stop the assassination is part of the fun. I think this whole experience is a lot to absorb and no matter what Johnson tries to do, at nearly every turn he's sidetracked by police or drugged by John Wilkes Booth (perhaps the later is more than a bit far-fetched). He gets one cop to believe him and that changes the course of the life of that cop's offspring generations later. That this is all Johnson accomplishes, besides the police believing he's nuts and JWB manipulatively drugging him (Johnson even is lured to his apartment), is perhaps a knock against the episode, but I like how Johnson responds to what he experiences. Going back in time (the episode never explains it, perhaps yet another knock against it), failing to save Lincoln, interacting with Lincoln's killer (JWB is basically a comic book villain), realizing when cops just won't listen (except one who couldn't get no one to believe him, either) even when granted the opportunity to make a difference altering what happens in the past isn't so easy, and then "sent back" to where he belongs feeling like a failure; Johnson each and every scene gets the point across, and his character is run through a gamut. This is one very long night! The music, I think, matches Johnson's experiences and reactions, too. There is just something about this episode, despite its flaws. Way back when I was a kid, this episode (not necessarily because Johnson was professor on Gilligan's Island) just always stuck with me. Maybe it was because Johnson was so close to that theater, but the roadblocks kept him from even getting extra officers assigned to Lincoln. SYFY really did a number on this episode with the editing. Watching this at 3AM in the morning added something to the episode, I think.

I loved this intro by Serling. He just taking it easy!

***I woke up to continue my block of SYFY episodes from their New Years lineup and wanted to include this image of Serling. "Back There" is probably one of several episodes I revisit this year that were badly mangled by SYFY's editing. When watching episodes (following SYFY's lineup the day before on Saturday) on Netflix, I appreciated watching them without SYFY's hackjob.***