The Twilight Zone - The Long Haul...Machines Don't Take Kindly to Nasty Attitudes

 

Serling introduces A Thing About Machines

Bartlett Finchley really needed to get out more. Smell the fresh air, check out the sights, and feel the wind against his face...whatever could help with his pressure-cooker building rage that seems to go without much needed release. The guy, as brought to us by Richard Haydn, has a lot of stress and seemingly no pressure valve to bring it down to acceptable levels. Just ask his (quitting) secretary, Ms Rogers (Barbara Stuart), who has had enough of his denigrating tone and wholly unpleasant temper. Who wants to talk to this guy much less be in the same room with him. And when he can't say anything good to people, instead unleashing tirades, insults, and ornery diatribes, even the machines in his house want to get rid of him!

Showcase for effects that torment and try to literally get rid of Finchley, who can blame a TV set for wanting to drive him batty or the electric shaver for wanting to tear into him? Finchley does nothing but break clocks and toss phones. And even when he requests help from Ms. Rogers, he can't seem to show any sort of restraint and effort to appeal to her good graces. Instead, he rips into her despite needing her to stay! So his car eventually even wants to run him over or send him into the pool to drown!

Serling setting up this episode after "Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room"