Herschel Daugherty's 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' output was uneven, though it was not hard to see why he was one of the series' most regular directors as most of his previous episodes ranged between decent and outstanding. He directed some outstanding episodes, with "The Creeper" and "Little White Frock" being two of my favourite episodes of the series, but he was also responsible for one of the series worst and its oddest "Sylvia". Had no doubt that "The Morning After" would be at least good, with a premise this good and considering the cast.
And in terms of quality, "The Morning After" does not disappoint. It is towards being one of Season 4's best and one of Daugherty's best 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes. It may not be for those who are not fans of talk heavy episodes, which the series has been prone to executing not particularly well, but those that like constant intrigue, unsettlement and great acting should really see "The Morning After". It may not be a favourite, but it is extremely good nonetheless.
Maybe it is a little too talk heavy, especially early on, so it was a little draggy to begin with.
With everything else being so great though, that didn't come over as too much of a flaw and other significantly less interesting and less suspenseful episodes have done this aspect a lot worse. It is incredibly well acted, with top honours going to a moving Jeannette Nolan in her third and penultimate appearances of four 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes. Robert Alda is unsettling in his role and their chemistry is very strong and at its best dynamite throughout. Daugherty's direction never tries to do too much while keeping the drama tight and not letting the suspense levels drop.
The story is constantly intriguing and is incredibly atmospheric in a suspenseful way. The twist is a delight and one of the season's more satisfying ones, due to it being unexpected and because it isn't far fetched or over explained. The ending is tense and not melodramatic or silly. The characters are interesting and well written.
Furthermore, the production values are slick and atmospheric enough and Hitchcock's bookending is suitably droll. Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette" is a great choice for the theme music. Most of the writing is thought provoking and intrigues, nothing coming over as superfluous. Hitchcock's bookending is typically droll and fun, especially the hilarious prologue.
In summary, great. 9/10.