Twilight Zone episode review — 5.4 — A Kind of a Stopwatch

Episode 5.4 “A Kind of a Stopwatch”
Original air date: October 18, 1963
Writer: Rod Serling, story by Michael D. Rosenthal
Director: John Rich
Rating: 9/10
“A Kind of a Stopwatch” is a very good episode, and it’s very close to being a masterpiece. The biggest thing holding it back is the main character. Richard Erdman as Patrick Thomas McNulty is obnoxious all the time. He pulls off the devastating ending, at least.
This episode is very similar to “Time Enough at Last” from way back in season 1, and the big difference is the sympathy we feel for the characters. We liked the character in “Time Enough at Last,” and there’s really no reason to like the character in this.
The writing is still good, and there are some amusing moments when McNulty gets the power to stop time with his stopwatch. And the ending is great; I can’t stress that enough.
