‘The Twilight Zone’ Season 3 Episode 2 ‘The Arrival’ Recap and Review

Directed by: Boris Sagal

Written by: Rod Serling

Heads are left to be scratched at an airport when a commercial vessel – fight 107 – lands holding no luggage, and even stranger, no passengers or pilots. It’s a classic Twilight Zone jump off, and a fine starting point. Will we reach the proper conclusion before the episode ends, or will our curiosity be left to wander in that other dimension?

There’s something familiar about the names on the passenger manifest, but it can’t be pinned down just yet. It’s rubbing the crew wrong. Something unnatural is happening here and it’s leaving the gang torn between attempting to accept the impossible and dismissing every point of relevance without a second thought.

The confusion really gets moving as a theory that perhaps everyone is suffering from some form of mass hypnosis. One gent not only goes so far as to claim the airplane is an illusion, he also volunteers to stick his hand in a spinning prop, just to prove it isn’t real.

Yeah, that’s a bold man.

I won’t tell you if this poor fool loses his hand or not, or where the story as a whole heads after tempting fate. You should track down the episode. It’s not the strongest you’ll see of season three, let alone any other, but it has a kick ass moment of extreme tension that stands as quite memorable. At least to this particular viewer.

Rod Serling delivers another slice of quality entertainment. The double twist earns major points.

Rating: 3.5/5