The Twilight Zone season 1, episode 4 recap: The Traveler

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The party rages on as Traveler leads everyone in singing Christmas karaoke on The Twilight Zone.

Yuka pulls Pendleton aside and tells him that she didn’t find anything on Traveler. She then asks if Pendleton will release Jack, after all, the whole reason they brought him in was to release him. Pendleton, seizing the opportunity for his first “twofer” pardon, agrees and sends Yuka to get Jack.

Just then the power cuts out completely and backup emergency lights come on. The tone shifts. Then, in moments reminiscent of the classic episode “Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” tempers start to flare unnecessarily. At this moment, it’s arguing with the mayor about not fixing the power grid.

Pendleton calms everyone down and the power comes back on. (It’s unclear, but Traveler may have had control over the power going out. He closes his eyes briefly and the power returns.)

Anyway, Pendleton announces that he’s going to pardon Jack. Traveler stops him, saying Jack shouldn’t be pardoned. He then accuses Jack of stealing tools from one of the partygoers’ shed. The man says he wasn’t aware of anything missing. But Traveler says there’s a few thousand dollars worth of stolen items in Jack’s car.

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Pendleton sends one of the other officers to check out Jack’s car.

Yuka doesn’t believe Traveler and warns Pendleton (who wants to know where Traveler got his information) that Traveler is just lying. Again.

Traveler then says he knows things about the town and its residents. He accuses one woman of drinking more than her two-drink limit and another man of being delinquent on child support payments (which the man denies). He implies to a third man that he was screwed out of a construction project by the mayor, who awarded the project to a Russian company. The mayor denies that any decision had been made, but the man is furious.

Traveler stands back and watches as arguments escalate and the police have to hold people back fro fighting. Pendleton abruptly ends the party and sends everyone home.

Once everyone leaves, the power goes out again and the emergency lights come on. Pendleton and Yuka confront Traveler. Jack’s car had been searched. There were no tools. Pendleton increasingly freaked out by Traveler, demands to know how Traveler knows so much about the people in their town.

Traveler then admits he’s a special agent from a field office in Anchorage. He says the corruption that permeates Iglaak threatens national security. But Traveler won’t say exactly who is under investigation, which frustrates Pendleton.

Yuka asks for his FBI identification, but Traveler claims that undercover agents don’t carry those kinds of IDs.

Pendleton and Yuka then take Traveler back to the cells, saying he’s going to stay there until they can confirm his identification.

Back at the cells, Pendleton talks to Jack (who wants his pie! and who refuses to leave the cell til he gets it) while Traveler quietly tells Yuka that the two of them will work together once Pendleton is replaced.

Yuka then tries to fall the Anchorage field office, but she isn’t able to find any information on Traveler or his presumed special agent name. The two head back to the cells. When they get back there, they catch a brief glimpse of what looks like antennae coming out of Traveler’s head (even Jack saw it). They both draw their guns as Traveler puts his hat back on his head.

Pendleton has Traveler take off his hat, but there’s nothing but hair underneath. As Traveler takes it off, he threateningly warns against being rude to him. He says he knows things about Pendleton.

Traveler then accuses Pendleton of selling, to Russia for a lot of money, the location of the connection point between the military base and Iglaak’s power grid, a key strategic attack point for anyone looking to invade. Pendleton bumbles around trying to deny it. Yuka says that nothing Traveler has said that night has been true.

Changing his story again, Traveler gives a new name and says he’s with the National Reconnaissance Office. Traveler says the Russians are on their way to attack right now, but the NRO is planning on intercepting them.

But then Pendleton buckles, saying he has to go warn “them.” The question Traveler raises is whether he’s warning the Americans of an impending Russia attack or if he’s warning the Russians that their attack is compromised. Pendleton leaves Yuka alone with Traveler.

With Pendleton gone, Traveler magically opens his cell door. He tells Yuka that he just wants people to see what she already knows: that Pendleton doesn’t care about her people or the town, he’s just a liar. He says he knew what she wanted for Christmas and soon, she’ll be the one in charge of the station.

Yuka tries to radio to Pendleton to come back to the station, but she’s getting no response.

Traveler then makes one more reveal. They didn’t know where the connection point between the military base and the town’s power grid was. They needed Pendleton to show them where it was and he’s leading them right there. They plan on destroying it and taking out the military’s detection system so they can invade.

With Yuka’s gun still pointed at him, Traveler asks why she wants to kill him. After all, she knew he was a liar from the beginning. She could have stopped Pendleton from leaving, but didn’t. As soon as she heard a lie that could benefit her, she ignored the fact that it wasn’t true.

Yuka turns and runs out of the room and after Pendleton (and, for some reason, not shooting Traveler first…I guess this isn’t that kind of a show).

As Yuka races through the streets after Pendleton, Jack asks Traveler to use his magic to let him out of his cell too. Traveler obliges. Jack tells Traveler that maybe things will be better with them in charge.

Then, Traveler removes his hat and transforms, growing into an alien creature. Jack, stunned, simply turns around and leaves the cell area.

Yuka finally catches up to Pendleton at the connection point. Yuka tells him he’s under arrest, but Pendleton says that Traveler lied about a Russian invasion. Yuka says that the fact that Pendleton is there proves that Traveler was telling the truth and she keeps her gun pointed at him.

Pendleton realizes and understands that Yuka was offered his job. He says that it’s “only a lie if we choose to believe it.”

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Just then, they hear booms above them as alien ships descend into the planet’s atmosphere.

This episode of The Twilight Zone ends back at the station with Jack finally getting his pie. He sits down and eats it next to Traveler (still in his alien form), who enjoys his own piece of the pie.

What did you think of this episode of The Twilight Zone? What lies have you believed simply because they benefitted you? Let us know all of your thoughts on The Twilight Zone in the comments.

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