The Outer Limits of the 1990s
David Michael Newstead | The Philosophy of Shaving
With shorter days and cold weather upon us, streaming more just seems inevitable in winter. But during a gap between current shows, I recently found myself rewatching an old favorite from the 1990s. The Outer Limits wasn’t always good, but sometimes even its flaws could be entertaining. Once upon a time, these graphics were considered impressive. The intro music alone used to terrify me. I remember the first episode I ever saw featured Leonard Nimoy as a robot’s defense attorney in a murder trial. That was memorable for me in 1995 and it’s sort of funny to go back and watch it now. Anyway, on one rainy weekend, I rediscovered the series, which is now free on YouTube (or something called MGM+). Then, I sifted through enough content until I found the episodes truly worth revisiting. Here they are. Enjoy!
The Deprogrammers (S2, E16) – Personally, I consider this one to be the best episode in the series. It stars Brent Spiner from Star Trek: The Next Generation and focuses on humans desperately trying to resist the powerful aliens who have conquered the Earth. The story is interesting and I always love to think about what it means to be human. Watch Here
Stream of Consciousness (S3, E5) – Stream of Consciousness is the kind of cautionary tale about technology that this whole series relied on. As everything in the world gets connected and digitized, what is lost along the way? The episode is definitely more relevant now since global connectivity is ubiquitous in a way that people in 1997 could only dream of. It’s still cheesy, but there’s substance somewhere in there. Watch Here
Dark Rain (S3, E6) – Dark Rain is in the spirit of The Handmaid’s Tale and Children of Men. What if people stopped having babies and how would society react? And perhaps, its depiction of the militarized control of pregnant women is a little too plausible today. Watch Here
The Haven (S5, E15) – I often think about the themes of this episode and its more socially significant than one might expect. In it, everyone lives by themselves, doesn’t know their neighbors, and uses a voice activated virtual assistant to do things. The isolation and societal breakdown that follows is worth watching and considering in the modern world. Even if that’s just for the episode’s runtime. Watch Here
