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We get the complete second season of the series this time without the booklet of credits for the show. The second season of "The Outer Limits" is memorable for all of four classic episodes--Harlan Ellison's "Soldier" & "Demon with a Glass Hand" and the two part "The Inheritors" featuring Robert Duvall. There are also a number of episodes that, if they fall short, are still impressive including the creepy, "Counterweight", "The Premonition", "Wolf 359" (which is referenced in the Borg "Star Trek" episodes from the third and fourth season)and "Cold Hands, Warm Heart". Leonard Nimoy appears in "I,Robot" a story that could have come from one of Asimov's Robot stories (except it's not quite as good as Asimov's).
The bad news is that these are the same discs repackaged. We don't get any extras (there was a terrific series of interviews produced when the show aired on TNT featuring some of the stars discussing the episodes they appeared in that would have cost a pittance to license. Fox (which is distributing all MGM/UA titles now) has elected to repackage some of MGM/UA's older TV shows and movies to collect their distribution fee. This is one of them.
It could have been put on an additional DVD-9 disc without much effort)and even the nice looking booklet from the previous set is missing. We do, however, get a synposis of each episode and the original airdate listed on the back of these slimline holders. Strangely enough, though, we only get it for ONE disc of each set totally totally ignoring the third disc of the set. So much for quality control maybe the Control Voice should have paid them a visit. A commentary track (William Shatner, Robert Culp, Robert Duvall and some of the other cast members are still alive as of this writing)would have been nice.
Heck even the nicely designed menu screen is carried over from the other edition.
The rest of the episodes are predominatly badly written junk demonstrating that after Joe Stefano ("Psycho" and writer of some of the best episodes from season one)and Leslie Stevens (creator and writer of a number of terrific episodes as well)left the series, the show became an ordinary TV show.
It's a pity because although the second season was weak, this classic series did deserve better. There are some classic episodes but the shorter second season (it was cancelled mid-way through the season)had more duds than the first.
The real reason to get this set is because it is the entire second season at a less expense price than the original release. The lower cost may justify purchasing this set compared to the original considering how few good episodes were produced during season two. Series creator Leslie Stevens and series writer/producer/guiding light Joseph Stefano were both MIA during the second year of the show. Stefano wrote, co-wrote or provided stories for 10 episodes (over 1/3)of the first season episodes and Stevens was a steady presence writing three of the best episodes of the first season. Their presence is sorely missed. A pity that Ellison didn't write more than two episodes because his episodes along with "The Inheritors" are among the best in season two. Nice box design though.
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