Although Augie Kolodney (Rooney) is the most powerful gangster in New York, he is also keenly aware of the target on his back from the competition. After dodging the most recent attempt on his life, he becomes desperate to do whatever he can to extend his life. The doctor treating his wounds refers him to the mysterious Dr. Glendon (Massey), who is not only a collector of the eponymous rare objects, but also apparently promises his clients extended life.
"Rare Objects" is a fun story to watch, largely due to a tight Serling script and a nice counterpoint in performance between Rooney's over-the-top energy and Massey's cool elegance. Rooney's performance is anything but subtle, but the script gives him more than enough of a foundation to anchor that energy, giving us a flesh-and-blood character who wants to be larger-than-life, but is grounded by his own fear. On the other hand, Massey is all cool control, with a voice and bearing that never loses its menace, even when he's at his most courtly and accommodating, which gives us little doubt that Augie's fate will not be a good one. Serling's teleplay does a good job of setting forth Augie's predicament with a minimum of platitudes or purple dialogue, makes the progression of events believable (rather upon the more believable of two potential plot contrivances), and sets up a pretty decent twist (though it seems better suited to "The Twilight Zone" than "Night Gallery"). Szwarc's direction is equally impressive, effectively using the production design effectively sets the contrast in Augie's world (tight spaces, confining, dark) with that promised by Glendon. The one weakness is that the finale is dragged out just a little too long (quite possibly padding to fill the half-hour running time). Otherwise, a decent third season episode.
"Rare Objects" is a fun story to watch, largely due to a tight Serling script and a nice counterpoint in performance between Rooney's over-the-top energy and Massey's cool elegance. Rooney's performance is anything but subtle, but the script gives him more than enough of a foundation to anchor that energy, giving us a flesh-and-blood character who wants to be larger-than-life, but is grounded by his own fear. On the other hand, Massey is all cool control, with a voice and bearing that never loses its menace, even when he's at his most courtly and accommodating, which gives us little doubt that Augie's fate will not be a good one. Serling's teleplay does a good job of setting forth Augie's predicament with a minimum of platitudes or purple dialogue, makes the progression of events believable (rather upon the more believable of two potential plot contrivances), and sets up a pretty decent twist (though it seems better suited to "The Twilight Zone" than "Night Gallery"). Szwarc's direction is equally impressive, effectively using the production design effectively sets the contrast in Augie's world (tight spaces, confining, dark) with that promised by Glendon. The one weakness is that the finale is dragged out just a little too long (quite possibly padding to fill the half-hour running time). Otherwise, a decent third season episode.