User Reviews

The legendary Helen Hayes plays Miss Gilden, an elementary school teacher in her last year before retirement, very popular with her students, all except one. That is one with several different personalities, and it's that student, Robert (Michael-James Wixted) whose dominant personality has been taken over by a bad seed, one contemplating murder.

This personality appears and disappears, and it's obvious that he's been developed in Robert's mind even though they have different ideas, he controls Robert's mind and makes him do some very bizarre things, including making obvious false accusations about Miss Gilden. At home, there's a bizarre twists involving the family cat, after the bad side of Robert indicates that he hates cats.

I always love seeing the veteran actors working with young actors, and can just imagine young Wixted learning about Broadway's Victoria Regina and the cute old lady from "Airport" and the impact on their life, even if they didn't stay in acting.

Hayes' Miss Gilden is one of those endearing old dears that the school doesn't want to see leave and students adore as a grandmotherly figure, and Wixted (very convincing) must have had to cringe being cruel to her. The episode really rises in tension, and Hayes becomes progressively stern and frightened as she fears what Robert might do. Janet MacLachlan is very good as the young teacher Hayes confides in and Phyllis Love is also memorable as Robert's mother. A very crafty script with a very disturbed young boy.

When this show is good, it's good. "Alter-Ego" was written by D. C. Fontana, who is mainly known for her Star Trek episodes, and Richard Matheson, who is the king of anthology horror. It's based on a story by Stanley Ellin, a mystery writer who wrote several episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and had six of his books made into movies: Dreadful Summit became The Big Night, Key to Nicholas Street was made as Claude Chabrol's A Double Tour, The Best of Everything was made by Clive Donner as Nothing but the Best, House of Cards, The Bind which was filmed as Sunburn and Stronghold was made into A Prayer in the Dark.

In the director's chair? David Lowell Rich, whose mark was made in disaster movies like SST Death Flight and Airport '79...The Concorde, horror such as The Horror at 37,000 Feet, Eye of the Cat and Satan's School for Girls, as well as one of my favorite episodes of The Twilight Zone, "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville."

Bobby is stuck at home from fifth grade, unable to go to the class of his beloved Miss Gilden (Helen Hayes), but he soon gains an alter ego who can go to school in his place. However, his other half is a child of pure malice and wow, what a star turn by Michael-James Wixted. As time goes on, everyone that the other half of Bobby meets must pay, from family animals to even the kindly teacher, all as a game of chess between the two takes on the highest of stakes.

This description won't explain just how upset this episode made me at times, as the evil Bobby is just horrible. Gilden is dealt scorn for scorn throughout, abused by a child who surely can't be pulling off all of the horrible things that she claims that he's been doing in her class. The scene where he slowly teases eating potentially poisoned chocolates? Borderline Satanic.

If you were to pick one episode of this show to check out, this would be my pick.