Who knew that car salesmen could be so influential in foreign policy?
Alright, so this episode is weird. I expected it to be a morality tale (it was) and stick pretty close to home with the main character realizing that lying is bad or whatever but it took a turn.
This episode is another one filmed on video, so that classic Twilight Zone feel is absent. It’s also very obviously filmed on a set. Not many used car dealerships that I know are surrounded by completely opaque walls.
I absolutely loved the music sting whenever Hunnicut starts trying to make a deal. It’s so jaunty and funny that it made me smile. Along with this, the music cue that plays when Hunnicut tells the truth helped explain the plot a lot better. At one point, as Hunnicut was telling the truth, it cut out as Irv started talking, which was a really nice detail that helped cement it further.
The scene where Irv punches Hunnicutt is hilarious as well. If nothing else, watch it for that. The amazingly hollow “punching a ham” sound effect added so much hilarity.
Now let’s get into the meat of the episode: the fact that this man apparently changes the course of history by selling a car to Nikita Krushchev.
Yes, I said that. Krushchev is in this episode. As the title implies, the car has the power to make its owner tell the truth. Hunnicut, after having his car dealership business ruined by its power, successfully sells it to none other than the leader of the Soviet Union. I am not joking.
The odd thing is that The Twilight Zone usually doesn’t mention current events. If it does, it’s in a roundabout way, like in The Monsters are Due on Maple Street. This episode not only has a cameo from Krushchev but a direct reference to John F. Kennedy. It’s pretty strange.
The funny part about this is that, apparently, the literal, actual Soviet leader decided, “Yeah, I’ll buy this dude’s car,” and drove out to some guy’s car dealership and bought it. This is like the president flying out to China to buy some random guy’s car that’s not even very good in the first place. It’s very funny.
Overall, a super weird one for The Twilight Zone, but check it out!
