In a couple of ways, "Nick of Time" is quite reminiscent to an episode of season one entitled "The Fever". First there are the substantial similarities. Both stories revolve on married couples growing increasingly obsessed with a lifeless device that somehow communicates with them and mentally doesn't allow for them to leave. In "The Fever" it was a Las Vegas slots-machine and here it's a weird kind of fortune-telling napkin dispenser, but in both cases the wives stands aside reluctantly while their husbands destroy their otherwise perfect lives coin by coin, and penny per penny. Secondly, both episodes are a bit atypical "Twilight Zone" tales that are not immediately linked to science-fiction or supernatural themes, but instead deal with the much more complex matter of human psychology. Richard Matheson, brilliant and versatile writer that he is, subtly processes delicate topics like superstition and "self- deceit". The predictions that are coming out of this silly gadget (because it's nothing more than a simple gadget) couldn't be more vague or meaningless, yet the young Don Carter interprets them as wise and accurate statements that correspond with their lives. One final thing that "The Fever" and "Nick in Time" have in common, although this might be very personal, is that both stories don't exactly leave a very strong first impression but their impact gradually become more powerful when the subject matter sinks in. Tales like these naturally don't contain a lot of action or special effects. They depend on intelligent scripts, unsettling ideas, tense atmosphere, convincing acting performances and surprise endings. "Nick of Time" has most of these qualities, particularly with regards to the acting. William Shatner, still at the start of his rich career, is very convincing as the mentally vulnerable husband and Patricia Breslin impresses as his rational but emotional wife.
Review of Nick of Time
