Zoned Out: The Twilight Zone- 'A Traveler'

In a week where I feel like I'll always be stuck between Holidays, why not jump ahead?  In The Twilight Zone, who needs Calendars...

This is Sergeant Yuka.  She's a Police Officer in a tiny Alaska Town.  She's not happy, even though it is Christmas Eve.

You see, her Boss (Greg Kinnear) is kind of a dick.  He doesn't respect the Native Population- of which she is a part of- and all kinds of smug.

He holds a show on Christmas Eve where he pardons a non-violent offender.  When they go to retrieve one, they find...a Traveler, who mysteriously appeared in a locked Cell.

The Sergeant doesn't trust any of what he says, while Kinnear does after he kisses up to him.

Will they regret letting him out?  What is his secret?  What plans are he privy to?

To find out, stream this Episode.

A strong Episode that worked by being subtle.  They could have definitely gone bigger on this.  This is all about subtle, underlying issues.  It is made clear why the Sergeant is unhappy, but they never dwell on it.  It is for you to take note of all of the instances of transgressions.  When dark truths come out, they are not big ones that would truly destroy the lives of those involved.  They are smaller, more subtle transgressions that create unrest and strife.  There are plenty of interesting Themes here.  There's the subtle one dealing with Colonialism.  We have the larger Theme of Trust vs. Mistrust.  They also cover the idea of how we treat strangers and, how, perhaps, we should treat some.  The big draw here is the Acting.  Kinnear manages to nail the smarmy persona of a Small Town Cop who thinks that he's a Big Time Hero.  Yeun does a great job of being menacing in a pretty subtle way.  It's all about looks.  Marika Sila as the Sergeant was a big surprise as she only has a few Credits (so far).  There is a point where playing stoic can be seen as boring.  Thankfully, she fills the Role with enough intensity (especially in her eyes) to keep you interested.  The pay-off is pretty interesting, as the Plot could have easily gone several ways.  All in all, a good Episode that plays it subtle to big results.  As a bonus, we get multiple Easter Eggs (on Christmas Eve?!?) like this one...

Next time, what happens when a passionate kid runs for Office?  Can we do worse than most of the people we have now?  See you then...