The last episode of Night Gallery for 1971, this episode has a story that harkens back to a Twilight Zone episode yet finds — despite the sheer bleakness of this show — to somehow find happiness where that found dread.

“The Different Ones” has a father by the name of Paul Koch (Dana Andrews) dealing with the Federal Conformity Act of 1993, which means that his son Victor (Jon Korkes) — who has a facial deformity — must be sent away to another planet if surgery can’t help him. Directed by John Meredyth Lucas from a script by Rod Serling, it has the happier ending of Victor finding the happiness that eluded him on Earth. I was waiting for darkness to intrude but instead, this only has light.

“Tell David…” is directed by Jeff Corey and is based on a Penelope Wallace script. On a stormy night, Ann Bolt (Sandra Dee) seeks shelter from the future tech abode of David Blessington (Jared Martin) and Pat (Jenny Sullivan). Yet she soon realizes that David is her son from twenty years from now and he tells her the mistakes she’s made that she must not make again. She must not kill her cheating husband Tony (Martin in a second part) and definitely not kill herself in prison. Yet sometimes, the future is going to happen no matter what we try.

“Logota’s Heads” is about a witch doctor (Brock Peters) charged with the murder of an archaeologist. Directed by Jeannot Szwarc and written by Robert Bloch from an August Derleth story, it also has Patrick Macnee in the cast. Unfortunately, the story has an African witch doctor with shrunken heads, which mainly come from northern Peru and eastern Ecuador. Oh well…

I wish this episode didn’t feel all over the place but at least there wasn’t any comedy moments.