Ep 4. A Kind of a Stopwatch

A Kind of a Stopwatch is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the classic science-fiction series The Twilight Zone. The episode tells the story of a man named McNulty who acquires a time-stopping stopwatch and uses it to gain personal advantage and pleasure. However, as he becomes more addicted to the power the stopwatch gives him, he realizes that he cannot control its effects and that it has consequences he did not foresee.

The episode begins with McNulty, a man with little ambition or success, working in a cue-card production company. He is known to be unreliable and always late, which jeopardizes his job. One day, while running late, he stumbles upon an antique shop and buys a stopwatch that the owner tells him has the power to stop time. McNulty initially dismisses the idea as a joke, but when he tries the watch and discovers its effects, he realizes its potential.

McNulty quickly begins to use the stopwatch to his advantage, stopping time whenever he needs to accomplish a task without interruption, or to get out of an awkward situation. His new ability makes him feel powerful and superior to others. He uses the watch to cheat at gambling, impress women, and even to stop time while a potential employer is interviewing him to give himself an immediate thought-out response to the questions.

At first, McNulty is thrilled with the infinite possibilities that the watch provides. However, as he becomes more addicted to the power it offers him, he begins to lose control over it. He finds that the watch has an effect on his senses, causing him to gradually lose his ability to hear and see. He also realizes that he cannot read or use anything outside of its time-stopped environment.

McNulty begins to feel the strain of his reliance on the stopwatch, especially when he loses it and subsequently loses control over the situations he had manipulated with it. He becomes desperate to find the watch and even risks his life to retrieve it. As he searches for the watch, he realizes that he has lost the ability to live in the real world, that he is trapped by the constant power of the watch.

The episode illustrates the consequences of unchecked desire and greed. McNulty is a man who has always wanted more but has never had the means to obtain it. When the power of the stopwatch presents itself to him, he realizes that he can now get everything he could ever want without consequences. However, he soon discovers that the power of the watch comes with a heavy price: he can’t control it, and it has taken away his senses and his humanity. He has essentially become a slave to his own ambition.

As with all episodes of The Twilight Zone, the show displays a unique perspective on the human condition. In this episode, the focus is on the corrupting nature of power and desire. McNulty's desire for success and control corrupts him, and even the power of the stopwatch cannot alleviate his constant yearning for more. The episode's ending is poignant and a reminder that selfish ambition can lead to a life without meaning and devoid of humanity.

A Kind of a Stopwatch is a well-crafted classic episode that showcases the best of The Twilight Zone's unique brand of science-fiction storytelling. The episode is eerie and thought-provoking, with a surrealistic quality that continues to resonate with audiences today. It is an excellent cautionary tale that still resonates with viewers in its warning against the dangers of obsession, power, and entitlement.