Twilight Zone: And When the Sky Was Opened

[J!!]

Well really, we never actually get any real confirmation that disappearing was in any way connected with going into space, only the one guy's speculation. For all the episode tells us, this kind of shit happens all the damn time, for reasons unknown, or no reason at all.

[Robovski]

What if people and events were as quantum bubbles? Coming into existence as if it had always been, and then disappearing, as if they never were. That's this episode. It makes for a mystery (with no full resolution), and this existential fear of not existing when you think about it. It's probably better off without more answers as they'd have aged poorly or have ruined the mystery.

[CrypticMirror]

The intro/outro narration strongly implies that it is specific to this space flight attempt. But for more confirmation, you'll need to ask the man with honeyed voice who lives on only.... in The Twilight Zone.

[Deledrius]

The intro/outro narration strongly implies that it is specific to this space flight attempt. But for more confirmation, you'll need to ask the man with honeyed voice who lives on only.... in The Twilight Zone.

Serling's voice is so pivotal to TTZ. Both his writing and his literal voice.

[Sailor Nimue]

I'll admit, the first time I watched this episode I was really creeped out. I found the fact that nothing was explained really gave me goosebumps, even though I know more of what's out in space than an audience would have known when the episode was first broadcast.

I also really felt bad for the three men. They have their entire existence erased, any memory of them wiped, and all just because they were able to come home.

[LittleRaven]

They have their entire existence erased, any memory of them wiped, and all just because they were able to come home.

Except that's not REALLY why whatever is happening to them is happening. It can't be. If they were just supposed to die in space, well, the "Corrector" could accomplish that SUPER easily - whatever the Corrector is, it has the ability to manipulate very fabric of space and time on a phenomenally precise level. It could just hop back a week and make their plane explode on re-entry, no muss no fuss. Instead, it goes though considerably more effort to execute the most complete Damnatio Memoriae imaginable. Either those men managed to do SOMETHING infinitely more egregious than surviving without realizing it...or maybe they didn't do anything at all, and this sort of thing just happens all the time without anyone noticing, because we can't notice.

[PerrySimm]

Like many episodes of TZ, it explores a fate worse than death. Dying is one thing, but at least somebody might remember you. Being forced to watch the uncaring universe go on without friends who have been retconned entirely out of reality? Yeesh, that's a megabummer.

[Riedquat]

This is quite possibly my favorite TZ episode of all, precisely because you never find out....well, ANYTHING. There are speculations about what might be happening, but that's all we ever get. What did they do to piss off the universe? Who's running around correcting things? What happens to the mistakes?

No answers. A masterfully crafted bit of television. Some of that acting has aged a bit, (it's not BAD, just dated) but I think the story works as well now as it ever has.

I've only got the review to go on but generally no explanations leaves me unsatisfied. From the perspective of the story it sounds completely reasonable that no-one would have a clue, but I'm left with that nagging feeling that the writer doesn't have a clue either, and whenever I'm left with that impression a story is left feeling unsubstantial.

[J!!]

If a writer of prose knows enough of what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an ice-berg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. A writer who omits things because he does not know them only makes hollow places in his writing.

Hemingway said that only the tip of the iceberg showed in fiction—your reader will see only what is above the water—but the knowledge that you have about your character that never makes it into the story acts as the bulk of the iceberg. And that is what gives your story weight and gravitas.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceberg_theory

[Deledrius]

If a writer of prose knows enough of what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an ice-berg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. A writer who omits things because he does not know them only makes hollow places in his writing.

Hemingway said that only the tip of the iceberg showed in fiction—your reader will see only what is above the water—but the knowledge that you have about your character that never makes it into the story acts as the bulk of the iceberg. And that is what gives your story weight and gravitas.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceberg_theory

That applies so well to so many recent franchise reboots which frustrate me. Very well-stated.