When ‘Outer Limits’ did that comedy episode with a time travel / murder mystery / love story
Why “Controlled Experiment” was the one time Outer Limits asked you to laugh. (And love.)
That episode where a love triangle ends in murder—but visitors from outer space fix it. Even though it will eventually destroy the, well, universe.
Classic sci-fi TV show The Outer Limits—which aired 1963-1965—was an anthology series with standalone episodes. While generally remembered jointly with fantasy TV show Twilight Zone (1959-1964), Outer Limits usually focused more on science fiction ideas. (And both shows, of course, have been revisited over the years.)
Now, most of the time, Outer Limits was straight drama. And even dark. But one particular episode stood out as the one comedy episode. “Controlled Experiment,” which aired in 1964, during the show’s the first season, was apparently a failed TV pilot that got shoe-horned into the first season of Outer Limits as a regular episode.
As such, it kind of fit the show. But also stood out. As, you know, the only comedy episode.
And I love it.
When Outer Limits did that time travel / murder mystery / comedy episode
Inspires
How Outer Limits episode “Controlled Experiment” inspires me
The episode “Controlled Experiment” revolves around agents from Mars who are now on Earth instructed to observe a murder. The two alien visitors are played by Barry Morse (who later starred in the sci-fi show Space:1999) and Carroll O’Connor (who later starred in the sitcom All in the Family).
“Who hasn’t seen the dark corners of great cities, where small and shabby creatures wander without purpose in the secret corners of the night? Without purpose? There are those whose purpose reaches far beyond our wildest dreams.” (Opening narration)
The two Martian agents are set up in the lobby of an Earth hotel. One Martian is already stationed on Earth, where he has been staged as a pawnshop broker. The other Martian has arrived with orders to witness a murder that the computer has predicted.
The two are now watching to observe a love triangle that ends in murder. And since the Martians have the tech to rewind and control time, they can observe the killing from different angles.
I don’t want to give away too much of the plot—but let’s just say that as they actively participate in the event, the computer simulation promises that what they’ve done will now result in the end of the solar system. And, you know, wreck the galaxy.
What the computer promises: The couple will have a child. The child will grow up to become a dictator. Start an atomic war. Blow up the planet Earth. The radiation will destroy the solar system and sets off an imbalance of the entire galaxy. The destruction, at that point, is actually more than the computers can even predict. (But bad.)
But the Martian agents have decided that saving the lovers is more important.
“Who knows,” asks the show’s narrator. “Perhaps the alteration of one small event may someday bring about the end of the world. But that someday is a long way off, and until then there is a good life to be lived in the here and now.”
Also, by this point, the visiting Martian decided he has enjoyed his visit to Earth. He has especially liked trying out the cigarettes and coffee. So now he has decided to stay on Earth for the time being.
(Also worth mentioning: The woman of the story—who at various points shot her lover—was played by future Star Trek cast person Grace Lee Whitney. She went on to play Janice Rand during Star Trek’s first season, plus in three of the Star Trek movies.)
So, turns out, the reason that “Controlled Experiment” is different from a normal Outer Limits episode is because it was actually a pilot episode of a show that never happened.
One reason that “Controlled Experiment” sticks with me is because it is the beginning of a story that was never fully told. What if the show had happened? What would have happened next? What was the show actually about?
I wish so much I knew what the Martian agents would have done next.
(And somewhere inside of me is this itch to write some fan fiction. Just to figure out where this all could have gone.)
Want to watch the episode? As of this writing, you can watch it free on YouTube. (If you don’t mind the advertisements). Also below is the episode’s score—which I really enjoy. (And keep listening to.) The vidoes are embedded below, so you can click one or both to check them out…
From Outer Limits | Season 1 | Episode 16
Episode
“Controlled Experiment” (Free with ads)
YouTube Movies & TV
Score
Original score for Outer Limits “Controlled Experiment”
More
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Let’s talk about that Outer Limits episode that asked you to laugh. And love. Even though it will eventually destroy the, well, universe. You can also watch the episode or listen to the original score.