The Outer Limits 1.09

Corpus Earthling

starring Robert Culp, Salome Jens, Barry Atwater

directed by Gerd Oswald

Paul (Robert Culp) is alone in his wife Laurie’s (Salome Jens) lab when he discovers that he can overhear a conversation between two rocks. He tries to tell Laurie and Jonas (Barry Atwater), her coworker, about the voices he is hearing but they can’t hear them. He doesn't know it but it has something to do with a metal plate in his head. Laurie takes Paul home. One of the rocks grows and attacks Jonas after Paul and Laurie leave.

Paul sits at home in the dark smoking. Laurie is with him. The phone rings but he does not answer it and he begs Laurie not to answer it. He is paranoid but the feeling passes and he starts to feel better. He suggests that they should just take off on a trip somewhere. She reluctantly agrees. The phone starts ringing as they head out the door but they don’t answer it.

Jonas, calling from the lab and possessed by the rock that attacked him, waits for Paul or Laurie to pick up but they do not. He talks to the other talking rock and tells it that he must find Paul and kill him.

Paul and Laurie drive to Mexico. They find a place to stay out in the countryside. It’s nothing fancy. Paul goes out to get some groceries and other odds and ends. Jonas, still possessed by the rock, shows up while Paul is gone and forces the other talking rock on Laurie. She tries to fight it but when Paul returns he finds that Laurie is different. She tries to hold on to him and asks him to stay but he runs out of the house. Paul jumps in the car and drives away. 

Paul checks into a hotel in a city and gets some rest. He is getting ready to go out when he is approached by the caretaker from the house where he and Laurie were staying. The caretaker tells Paul that Laurie is very sick and asks him to return to the house.

Paul finds Laurie unconscious in the house. He is tending to her when Jonas (still possessed by the rock creature) shows up with a gun. He shoots Paul, hitting him in the shoulder. Paul fights back and kills Jonas with a knife but the rock creature detaches itself from Jonas and starts to crawl towards Paul. Laurie (still possessed by the other rock creature) wakes up, gets the gun, but Paul overwhelms her

Paul returns to the house and tries to take care of Laurie but then Jonas shows up, looking to kill Paul. 

Thoughts

This was fun. It's your basic man on the run from aliens who are trying to kill him story. It reminds be a little bit of The Invaders although it preceded that show by a few years. It gets a little goofy in places but I think this is one of my favorite episodes of this series.

Notes

This is the second of three episodes of this show in which Robert Culp appeared. The first was 1.03 The Architects of Fear.

This is the only episode of this show in which Salome Jens appeared. She appeared in 15 episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, none of which I have seen, and one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, 6.20 The Chase.

This is the only episode of this show in which Barry Atwater appeared. I saw him recently in The Night Stalker (1972) in which he played the part of the vampire, Janos Skorzeny. He also appeared in episodes of Night Gallery, Star Trek, The Invaders, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and The Twilight Zone (1959).

This is the second of 14 episodes of this show that Gerd Oswald directed. The previous one was 1.07 O.B.I.T.