Rod Serling: You're looking at the house of the late Mrs. Henrietta Walker. This is Mrs. Walker herself, as she appeared twenty-five years ago. And this, except for isolated objects, is the living room of Mrs. Walker's house, as it appeared in that same year. The other rooms upstairs and down are pretty much the same. The time, however, is not twenty-five years ago but now. The house of the late Mrs. Henrietta Walker is, you see, a house which belongs almost entirely to the past, a house which, like Mrs. Walker's clock here, has ceased to recognize the passage of time. Only one element is missing now, one remaining item in the estate of the late Mrs. Walker: her son, Alex, thirty-four years of age and, up till twenty minutes ago, the so-called perennial bachelor. With him is his bride, the former Miss Virginia Lane. They're returning from the city hall in order to get Mr. Walker's clothes packed, make final arrangements for the sale of the house, lock it up and depart on their honeymoon. Not a complicated set of tasks, it would appear, and yet the newlywed Mrs. Walker is about to discover that the old adage "You can't go home again" has little meaning in the Twilight Zone.
Air date: May 11, 1962
Alex Walker (Alex Nicol) is a newlywed husband who returns to his childhood home to sell it, at the behest of his shrewish and domineering new wife, Virginia (Phyllis Thaxter). Entering the house, Alex soon becomes thoroughly gripped in nostalgic memories of his childhood, particularly his late mother Henrietta (Helen Brown), with whom Alex was incredibly close. Weird things begin to happen in and around the house, turning the place into the house it once was when Alex was a boy. Virginia believes this to be the work of her deceased mother-in-law, convinced that her ghost is still roaming the house and trying to call Alex back to her. Virginia tries to pull her husband away from his old home and break the spell her mother-in-law has over him, only to learn that she may have misjudged her intentions.
Young Man's Tropes:
- Attention Whore: Virginia, who belittles Alex while also claiming to be entitled to his attention.
- Bottle Episode: The episode takes place entirely in the Walker house.
- Cruel Twist Ending: The heartbroken Virginia discovers that Alex, her now ex-husband, has regressed into a boy and no longer recognizes her. Distraught, she flees the house in tears, leaving Alex and his spectral mother behind.
- Deconfirmed Bachelor: Subverted. Alex finally married Virginia at the beginning of the episode, but by the end, he's decided that he wants out and reverts to his childhood self.
- Disappeared Dad: Alex's father abandoned him and his mother when he was only a baby, and this was a hefty factor that contributed to their extremely close relationship, as well as why Alex was so desperate to have his mother back.
- Entitled Bitch: Virginia barely treats Alex with any degree of respect as a grown man, yet she automatically feels entitled to his love and devotion. She feels that she has the right to a home of her own, never considering Alex's thoughts in any of these proceedings. This is why the reveal that Alex rejected her and his adult life of his own free will hits her like a ton of bricks.
- Entitled to Have You: Virginia has this attitude towards Alex, in regards to her marriage to the man.
- Extremely Short Timespan: The episode takes place over the course of several hours on Alex and Virginia's wedding day.
- Haunted House: Henrietta's old house is a non-malicious example. Objects in the house shift between modern day and older appliances. A grandfather clock that doesn't work suddenly works again, a non-functioning radio suddenly turns on and plays 1930s music, and Henrietta's ghost appears in the main hall.
- Henpecked Husband: Alex is repeatedly pressured and prodded by Virginia to sell his late mother's house throughout the episode. It's averted in the end, where he finally stands up to Virginia... in a manner of speaking.
- Hypocrite: Virginia accuses her mother-in-law of being domineering to her son, while she's spent the whole episode treating Alex in a similar manner.
- I Reject Your Reality: Overcome with his childhood memories, Alex manages to change his childhood home back into how he remembered it, summons his dead mother from the grave, and regresses himself to a young boy, all so he can return to his childhood and avoid living life as a grown man.
- It's All About Me: Virginia only cares about herself, wanting the husband she constantly belittles to automatically treat her like royalty.
- Karmic Twist Ending: Virginia's selfishness and overwhelming desire to control Alex end up pushing him away. Having become a boy again, Alex responds with a final rebuttal, rejecting her and returning to his valued past.Alex: Go away, lady. We don't need you anymore.
- Momma's Boy: Alex had an incredibly close relationship with his mother growing up, mainly because his father abandoned them two months after he was born. He remained so devoted to her that Virginia had to wait twelve years, including a year after Henrietta's death, before they could finally marry. Alex's love for his mother ends up being so strong, he wills himself into a young boy when Henrietta's ghost returns, allowing her to mother him once again.
- My Beloved Smother: Virginia initially believed her mother-in-law Henrietta was one of these to Alex, but it's later subverted when it's revealed the paranormal activities going on in the house were Alex's doing all along.
- Never My Fault: Virginia blames Henrietta for her failing relationship with Alex, never considering her own faults and actions as any contribution.
- Nostalgia Filter: Alex has a massive one as he explores his childhood home. It proves so strong that the house literally moves back in time, Alex becomes a boy again, and his mother returns from the dead.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: Virginia absolutely loathes the late Henrietta, and it's hinted that the dislike was mutual when she was alive. It's heavily implied that this was because both women wanted to be the only one in Alex's life.
- Oh, Crap!: Virginia's first clue that something isn't right is when she sees the long-dead grandfather clock suddenly start ticking. She gets further unnerved when she notices the modern telephone has turned into a 1930's-era phone. It's an unsettling realization to Virginia that Henrietta's presence is still in the house.
- Our Ghosts Are Different: Henrietta's ghost is summoned by Alex, and his strong desire to return to his supposedly idyllic childhood instead of having to face life as a grown man.
- Parental Marriage Veto: Virginia seems to believe that Alex took so long to marry because of his mother's influence, though the episode indicates that Alex likely put it off of his own accord.
- Parent-Induced Extended Childhood: Subverted. Virginia is convinced that the ghost of her husband's late mother is to blame for Alex's regression into a child in an attempt to claim the lion's share of his loyalty. However, Henrietta reveals that she isn't to blame for any of this: she's been drawn back by her son, who wants to return to his childhood out of sheer nostalgia and openly states that he doesn't need anyone else but her. Realizing that her husband rejected her of his own free will, Virginia flees the house in despair.
- Posthumous Character: Henrietta died a year before Alex and Virginia's wedding, but her presence pervades both her old house and their lives.
- Wham Line: Virginia accuses Henrietta of being selfish and refusing to let her son move on with his life. Henrietta drops this bombshell:Virginia: He's not your little boy anymore! Leave him be! You will not have him back!Henrietta: This is not my doing.Alex: Come back to me, Mother. I want you to.
Rod Serling: Exit Miss Virginia Lane, formerly and most briefly Mrs. Alex Walker. She has just given up a battle and in a strange way retreated, but this has been a retreat back to reality. Her opponent, Alex Walker, will now and forever hold a line that exists in the past. He has put a claim on a moment in time and is not about to relinquish it. Such things do happen in the Twilight Zone.
