Original Airdate: November 13, 1959
Plot: A convict, sentenced to isolation on an asteroid, grows attached to the lifelike female robot that keeps him company. When he's cleared of charges and must leave the robot behind he fights it vehemently, and has to be reminded that it's "only a robot."
What a powerful episode.
Shot in Death Valley, the exterior shots on the "asteroid" caused numerous crew members to pass out from the heat. Reportedly it got up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, forcing the crew to reconstruct the metal shed's interior on a sound stage rather than in the field as had originally been planned.
Serling revisits the theme of isolation and the human need for companionship that constituted the whole of the pilot episode, but here it's just the jumping-off point for a slew of philosophical questions: what constitutes "life?" What makes us value human life above other forms of life? If something makes you happy, does it mater if it's genuine or not?
The robot, Alicia, is capable of learning and shows concern for the convict. Superficially, she's an attractive human woman. When the convict insults her, she even cries. So how is she different from a human? "Well," one might argue, "she isn't experiencing actual emotion. She's reacting to her programming."
Isn't that what we all do?
Hard drive and wires, brain and synapses... we're all just organic robots that feel like we serve some greater purpose. Is it any surprise that the convict shows only mild concern for his robot after seeing her clockwork insides? Why then does it perturb us so when we witness human death? Is it just sympathy, or do we feel the need to protect our own kind? Is that a part of our programming?
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