The Twilight Zone: Execution

Work Title: The Twilight Zone: Execution
Medium: TV Episode
Episode Title: Execution
Year: 1960
Writer(s): Rod Serling
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s): George Clayton Johnson
"Original" Writer: Yes Own work?: No

Summary:

from imdb.com When a 20th century scientist tests out his time machine he accidentally retrieves a 19th century murderer - saving him from the hangman's noose. Unaware of the man's history, the two attempt to acclimatize to their new surroundings.

  • Self-Written?:
  • Source Name: IMDB
  • Source URL:

Era/Year of Portrayal: present_day

Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

Present day 1960.


Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: Time Machine
  • Description of the technology: A time machine. About 8 foot tall, circular, with the top part made from glass, and one panel missing for an entrance. It is stationary. A user enters it and is transported through time. Somehow, it also grabs people from other times and brings them to the present.
  • Nature of task or activity: time travel.
  • Performance of the Technology: works well, but brings a criminal from the past.
  • Description of creator(s): Professor Manion, a white man in his 20s - 40s.
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): to advance science.
  • Description of users of technology: The man brought back form the past is a cowboy from the 1880s, named Joe. He's in his 20s or 30s. He is a murderer in the hangmans noose when the time machine transports him to 1960.
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: spatial_presence
  • Description of presence experience: Joe is instantly transported through time to 1960. 1960 is frightenting and strange to him - loud, bright, and full of unusal things, like TVs and jukeboxes. It is very strange to Joe.
  • User awareness of technology during experience: once he's told where he is, yes. Before this, Joe is not aware.
  • Valence of experience: unpleasant.
  • Specific responses: confusion, tiredness, fear, anger.
Long-term consequences:

Joe knocks out the Professor and then is killed by a burgler. He was supposed to die, and then was killed by a criminal.

Other:

Coder name: Amanda Scheiner
Coder email: amandags@temple.edu
Coder affiliation: Temple University