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"Judgment Night" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight
Zone.
Opening
narration
|
“ |
Her name is the
S.S. Queen of Glasgow. Her registry: British. Gross tonnage:
Five thousand. Age: Indeterminate. At this moment she's one day out
of Liverpool, her destination New York. Duly recorded on this
ship's log is the sailing time, course to destination, weather
conditions, temperature, longitude and latitude. But what is never
recorded in a log is the fear that washes over a deck like fog and
ocean spray. Fear like the throbbing strokes of engine pistons,
each like a heartbeat, parceling out every hour into breathless
minutes of watching, waiting and dreading. For the year is 1942,
and this particular ship has lost its convoy. It travels alone like
an aged blind thing groping through the unfriendly dark, stalked by
unseen periscopes of steel killers. Yes, the Queen of Glasgow
is a frightened ship, and she carries with her a premonition of
death. |
” |
Synopsis
A somewhat nervous passenger by the name of Carl Lanser appears
aboard a British ship in 1942. As
the story opens, it becomes clear that Lanser has no idea of how he
got aboard or who he really is. He is standing on deck as a man is
calling him for dinner. He enters the cabin and joins the crew and
passengers. Hearing a man comment on German U-boats, Lanser seems
annoyed and explains to him in great detail how one would not be
aware of its presence. They ask Lanser what his profession is and
how long he has been in England. Lanser explains that he has not
been there long and was born in Frankfurt, Germany. He then appears confused, Lanser
explains that he is ill and goes to his cabin. While still on deck,
he speaks to another crew member, Mrs Pennyweather. He grows
increasingly stressed and rants about doom waiting for them. He
explains that he knows who he is but cannot seem to grasp the
specifics. The captain then asks to see Lanser again. After
speaking to him, he is suspicious because Lanser claims he was born
in Germany but cannot provide details of his life and does not have
his passport on hand to verify his identity. The captain sends a
steward to Lanser's cabin and, while unpacking Lanser's
possessions, he finds the cap of a German naval officer. While
inspecting it in private, Lanser discovers the cap bears his own
name on the inside. Lanser leaves and goes to the ship bar. Lanser
is becoming increasingly panicked through listening to fellow
passengers discuss various topics related to the War, he has been
experiencing a sense of déjà vu, and it is becoming seemingly obvious
that he is, unbeknownst to the others, a German submarine officer.
Lanser is now certain that the ship will be attacked. The engines
halt at 12:05 and despite the crew's reassurances Lanser panics,
believing they will be killed at 1:15. Unsuccessfully trying to
convince the crew that they will soon be under attack, Lanser must
suffer the agony of watching the passengers be killed. At precisely
the hour that Lanser predicts, the freighter is sunk by a German
U-boat commanded by a Kapitan Leutnant Lanser. Later, we
see Lanser in his cabin on the U-boat, recording that night's kill.
When his second-in-command asks Lanser if they might be judged
according to the way they attacked the defenseless ship, Lanser
replies only that the British will surely judge them. The first
mate questions Lanser on whether God might also be judging them,
condemning them to relive the final moments of the doomed ship.
With this thought left open for debate, we learn that the First
Mate's fears are realized: The attacking U-Boat and crew are
condemned to sink the freighter over and over, with Lanser being an
unwitting passenger among those killed without mercy on the ghost
ship. The episode thus recounts Carl Lanser's private hell. Sure
enough, Lanser reappears on the deck of the ship- and the nightmare
begins again....
Closing
narration
|
“ |
The S.S. Queen
of Glasgow, heading for New York, and the time is 1942. For one
man, it is always 1942, and this man will ride the ghost
of that ship every night for eternity. This is what is meant by
paying the fiddler. This is the comeuppance awaiting every man when
the ledger of his life is opened and examined, the tally made, and
then the reward or the penalty paid. And in the case of Carl
Lanser, former Kapitan Leutnant, Navy of the Third Reich, this is
the penalty. This is the justice meted out. This is judgment night
in the Twilight Zone. |
” |
Preview for next week's
story
Announcer: "And now, Mr. Serling."
|
“ |
Next week, three men
return from a flight into space, only to discover that their
nightmare has just begun. Rod Taylor, James Hutton, and Charles Aidman
appear in "And When the Sky Was
Opened." What happens to these men once they're picked up in
the desert - (Serling disappears) Well, that gives you a rough
idea. You'll see next week on The Twilight Zone. Thank you
and good night. |
” |
Episode
notes
In the first 18 episodes, Serling only had one minor conflict
with CBS regarding episode content. In an interview with Mike Wallace on September 22,
1959, Serling said, "We changed, in eighteen scripts, Mike, we have
had one line changed, which, again, was a little ludicrous but of
insufficient basic concern within the context of the story, not to
put up a fight. On a bridge of a British ship, a sailor calls down
to the galley and asks in my script for a pot of tea, because I
believe that it's constitutionally acceptable in the British Navy
to drink tea. One of my sponsors happens to sell instant coffee
(Sanka), and he took great
umbrage, or at least minor umbrage anyway, with the idea of saying
tea. Well, we had a couple of swings back and forth, nothing
serious, and we decided we'd ask for a tray to be sent up to the
bridge. But in eighteen scripts, that's the only conflict we've
had."
References
- Zicree, Marc Scott: The Twilight Zone Companion.
Sillman-James Press, 1982 (second edition)
- DeVoe, Bill. (2008). Trivia from The Twilight Zone.
Albany, GA: Bear Manor Media. ISBN 978-1593931360
- Grams, Martin. (2008). The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the
Door to a Television Classic. Churchville, MD: OTR Publishing.
ISBN 978-0970331090
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