OK, the network inexplicably allowed Alfred Hitchcock to set several AHP episodes in England. Maybe that was a demand he made to stay in touch with his mother country. What is the excuse with One Step Beyond? Creator / Director John Newland was born in freakin’ Cincinnati! Four out of ten episodes have been set in Europe. Well, you say, maybe that’s just where these real-life, documented, fact-based incidents of the paranormal occurred. That might be a legit point if they were actually true. The USA has the best ghosts in the world, and the government is making sure we produce more every day! F*** yeah, Team America! Oh, wait . . . [1]
At 10:30 pm on 11/14/15, a phenomenon was seen in the skies over Flanders, the East Prussian Front, Italy, and the English Channel. Again, OSB astounds with its production. We are dropped into the merde in WWI France. I suspect it begins with footage from a movie, but is perfectly used and the live action flows naturally from it. We are introduced to 4 Frenchmen on “a trivial mission” at the front. The men lament that they are doing this rather than watching the ballet, playing the piano, enjoying vintage wines, or making love.
They see a flare in the sky. A private asks what will happen if they are spotted. His sergeant says, “If they kill enough of us, an extra ration of Schnapps. If we kill enough of them, perhaps they let us take a bath.” The French private is horrified by both possibilities.
They finally realize that the flare is not descending. They are entranced by the heavenly light. All 4 stand and begin walking back to their base. Soon, they are charged with cowardice and deserting their post because no one has ever heard of Frenchmen retreating. [2] It’s unheard of, I tells ya.
Captain Tremaine arrives to act as their council. One of the men describes being “blinded by the light”, then being at home with his mother making him pancakes. He was so at peace that he dropped his rifle and began walking back. His pal was cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night. All 4 have similar tales of being in a peaceful settings — at home, at sea, in a fragrant meadow, and at the Ponderosa Ranch.[3]
At their trial, Sgt. Vaill says that he also heard a heavenly choir. Tremaine’s defense hinges largely on the fact that the men walked back from the front. Or was it walked front from the back? No, walked back from the front. He insists that is the act of brave men. Cowards would have run.
Naturally, our boys are sentenced to death seconds later. Thanks, Perry Mason! [That really only works if you pronounce it like Paul Masson wine. And are drinking Paul Masson wine.]
The next day, Tremaine goes to the dungeon where the 4 are being held and literally says, “Good Morning.” To the 4 guys sentenced to death. That he represented. He says is going to appeal the decision.
While in town, after giving a 10 year old kid a pack of cigarettes (seriously), Tremaine encounters a German soldier. The weary man says, “for me the war is finished”. He too dropped his rifle and walked away. His comrades also saw something in the sky. John Newland says there were sightings all over Europe by a thousand soldiers. The General finally believes and the men are saved.
Again, kind of a thin story but, mon dieu, can these guys put on a show!
Other Stuff:
- [1] Actually, I have no real beef with the foreign settings — they add a little pizzazz. However, I do subscribe to the Rod Serling / Richard Matheson / Stephen King model that stories in a relatable setting are more effective. Also Cat Fancy.
- [2] The closed caption refers to their Court Marshal [sic].
- [3] For some reason, Pernell Roberts, of Bonanza, is playing one of the French soldiers.
I must be getting old. I really don’t like shows that start off with a lot of 
Jonathan’s first inclination is to send the girl away. Before Sarah can arrange transport to 
Later Jonathan is dictating his latest book to yet another secretary. After a few sentences, they begin having the sex and Leah hears them. When Leah later catches the secretary alone, she slits her throat. This is exceptionally well-done and a much bigger shock than the twist that is to come. 
Scientist Jeff Conover is placed in a vacuum chamber to simulate the conditions 10 miles above the earth, except he is more comfortable than a Delta passenger. An experimental drug enables his cells to store oxygen, so he can survive without breathing, which would be good on some of those summer flights.
took 3 – 4 seconds to relive the 4 hours they were at the dance, which is the opposite of how time passes for me at a party.
Dane Ross enters Klemm’s watch shop and is taken aback by the overwhelming sound of ticks and tocks and clicks and clacks of a hundred clocks stacked chockablock like knick-knacks and bric-a-brac on the shelves. He should be wary of this place as it would be impossible to work here without going insane.
After dinner, Lisa walks Ross to the door, and he asks her out. She says she can’t because her grand-father is so protective. However, the next time we see them, they are at a German restaurant where, it is safe to say, they are not there for the food. Ross has been promoted and asks Lisa to move with him to Seattle, which was part of the USA at the time. But she won’t leave her grandfather.
Alarmed by Jack’s report and the newly proposed $.05 postage rate, Ross returns to Klemm’s shop, to find it boarded up. He busts in and finds Klemm slumped dead at his desk just like I expect to go. He has left a note that says he was willing to give his life for Lisa to live. Ross goes into the back room and finds Lisa sitting in a wheelchair. Ross is thrilled to see her there, eyes wide open. But she is lifeless as a mannequin. He hears a ticking and puts his ear to her chest. There he clearly hears the clockwork ticking in her chest.
Minna has purchased the house for her brother Paul and his daughter Ann to live in after the death of his wife. 
Later, Minna tells Ann she needs to be patient with her father who, after all, just lost his wife. Of course she is an 11 year old who lost her mother and a delicious glass of lemonade, so she is the rock in that family. Ann says she knows her father wishes she had died in the accident instead of her mother.
Of course, the magical Song cracks the case. He tells Paul that Ann just pretended Jennifer, Rose and Mary were the dolls to wrap her head around the fact she was living with dead people. “Nursery occupied by something other than dolls,” he explains. In the 1920’s, three girls died from a gas leak in that room. They too had a nasty father, so they are guiding Ann to soften Paul up.