A Quality of Mercy

Infobox Television episode
Title = A Quality of Mercy
Series = The Twilight Zone


Caption = Scene from "A Quality of Mercy"
Season = 3
Episode = 80
Airdate =December 29, 1961
Production =4809
Writer =Rod Serling from a story by Sam Rolfe
Director =Buzz Kulik
Guests =Dean Stockwell : Lt. Katell/Lt. Yamuri
Albert Salmi : Sgt. Causarano
Leonard Nimoy : Hansen
Rayford Barnes : Andrew J. Watkins
Ralph Votrian : Hanacheck
Dale Ishimoto : Sergeant Yamazaki
Jerry Fujikawa : Japanese Captain
Michael Pataki : Jeep Driver
Music =
Episode list = List of Twilight Zone episodes
Prev = Five Characters in Search of an Exit
Next = Nothing in the Dark

"A Quality of Mercy" is an episode of the American television anthology series "The Twilight Zone". The title is taken from William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice". It was later adapted into the first segment of "".

Opening Narration

ynopsis

A young gung-ho American Lieutenant in World War II orders his war-weary soldiers to make a near-suicidal attack on a group of sick and wounded Japanese soldiers holed up in a cave. Sgt. Causarano, who knows the men have had enough of war, tries to talk him out of it, but Katell pulls rank and stands firm on his orders, intent on proving himself.

Suddenly, Lt. Katell finds himself in Corregidor, three years earlier in the war, and gets a new perspective. As Lt. Yamuri in the Japanese army, he is ordered to attack a group of American soldiers in the cave. In vain, he tries to dissuade the captain from the attack, but the Japanese captain believes the young man is sick with jungle fever, or worse, has lost his nerve. He tells him to straighten up or stay with the wounded.

His mind reeling from what he has just experienced, Katell finds himself back in the Philippines, an American soldier, with his men telling him that they've gotten word the A-bomb has been dropped. They have been ordered not to attack the cave and to fall back. The young man seems relieved, in light of his revelation.

Closing Narration

The full quote used by Serling at the end of the episode is from Act IV, Scene I, of William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice". The words come from a line spoken by Portia to Shylock, which begin: “The quality of mercy is not strained, / It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven / Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest, / It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.” (lines 183-186)

Preview for Next Week's Story

Adaptation

The episode would later be remade into the first segment of "" (1983), with a modern day approach in which the main character, Bill Konnors (Played by Vic Morrow) is a racist businessman who is upset after a promotion is passed on him for a Jewish man. After giving a prejudicial rant in a bar, he is then taken on a trip through time and is given similar justice of intolerance; a Jew during the Holocaust, an African-American being lynched by the KKK and a Vietnamese being attacked by American soldiers during the Vietnam War. It was directed by film director John Landis. While filming the segment, actor Vic Morrow and two young child actors were killed during a helicopter stunt while shooting the Vietnam scene and as a result, most of the film was incomplete. Later, Landis along with the film's producers were put on trial for manslaughter and child endangerment, but were found not guilty on all counts.

Cast and crew

Many cast members from this episode went on to achieve fame in later science fiction television series. Dean Stockwell became well-known to science fiction fans as Al Calavicci in the television series "Quantum Leap". Leonard Nimoy, who makes a brief appearance in this episode, also later became well-known as Mr. Spock in '. Michael Pataki also made appearances on ', ' and '. He is most famous in the Star Trek Universe for playing the Klingon Korax in "The Trouble with Tribbles".

References

*DeVoe, Bill. (2008). "Trivia from The Twilight Zone". Albany, GA: Bear Manor Media. ISBN 978-1593931360
*Grams, Martin. (2008). "The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic". Churchville, MD: OTR Publishing. ISBN 978-0970331090

External links

*imdb title|id=0734548|title=A Quality of Mercy
* [http://www.tv.com/the-twilight-zone/a-quality-of-mercy/episode/12665/summary.html TV.com episode page]
* [http://www.cbs.com/classics/the_twilight_zone/video/video.php?cid=649562032&pid=kgFMR5_OodTLXzSg4YR_3QBtdrb3K3Rw&play=true&cc=2 Full video of the episode at CBS.com]

Twilight Zone links

*The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
*Episode List
*Season 3