Ep 5. Demon With A Glass Hand

In The Outer Limits season 2 episode 5, 'Demon With A Glass Hand,' the audience is introduced to Trent, a man who has lost his memory and has a unique prosthetic hand that is made of glass and filled with circuits. He is being pursued by an unknown entity, referred to as the Kyben, who want to use him to gain important information that Trent seems to possess. The episode is set in a futuristic Los Angeles, where the city has been reduced to rubble by a catastrophic event known as the "Great Disaster" that wiped out all life on Earth in 1985, except for a few hundred people who made it to a sanctuary called "The Ark".

Trent is a man with no past, but quickly learns that he is in the height of a deadly game, where he is the prey and the Kyben are his hunters. The Kyben are thought to be a race of interdimensional beings, who have come to Earth from a future time period, and they want Trent's knowledge to ensure their own survival. Trent eludes the creatures through a maze of abandoned buildings and long-destroyed streets, hiding in the shadows and utilizing his advanced hand to hack into security systems.

As Trent searches for clues to his past and how he became involved in this deadly pursuit, the audience is shown a race of creatures known as the "Fingers", who have evolved into a hive mind collective and helped Trent in his journey. The Fingers are depicted as a group of jumbled organic organs that move in unison and are capable of telepathy, transforming themselves into whatever shape they want. With their aid, Trent begins to uncover the secrets of his past and the Kyben's motivations.

Through a series of flashbacks, it is revealed that Trent is a time traveller from a humanity that has long since died out. The Kyben are hell-bent on retrieving the information that he holds, as it will allow them to reverse engineer the timeline and stop the destruction of their own race. Trent must race against time and outwit the Kyben before they capture him and get the information they need.

The episode masterfully explores themes of time travel, identity, and the consequences of meddling with time, showcasing their complexity and potential for danger. The fragmented nature of Trent's memory captures the audience's interest, as it gradually reveals the full picture of his past and brings the episode's narrative to a close. Trent's final confrontation with the Kyben and the thrilling action scenes throughout the episode serve to heighten the tension to new levels, as the audience waits to see whether he can evade capture and save his own life.

The production design and special effects of the episode are also noteworthy, with the destroyed setting of LA portraying a post-apocalyptic world in a realistic and engaging way. The practical effects of the Kyben and Fingers are also a highlight, with their grotesque designs and movements adding to the atmosphere of the episode.

Overall, 'Demon With A Glass Hand' is an engaging and thrilling episode of The Outer Limits, one that explores complex themes while maintaining a fast-paced and engaging story. It showcases the show's strengths in science fiction storytelling, with its unique setting and memorable characters sure to leave a lasting impression on viewers.