Amateur astrologist Englebert Ames (Anthony Heald, Silence of the Lambs) can’t wait for Halley’s Comet, but his wife Charlene (Kate McGregor-Stewart) couldn’t care less. She’s more interested in going to a fancy event with her parents, but he knows this is the last chance he’ll have to see the famous space event. The tension between Englebert and Charlene serves as a satirical look at suburban misery. While Charlene is obsessed with the social status of her parents’ party, Englebert’s obsession is literal escapism.

Then, Lara Burns (Sarah Rush) comes into his room, right out of the telescope, and claims that she disappeared when she and her fiancé watched the comet in 1910. She’s been riding it with Sir Edmund Halley and, of course, she falls for Englebert. By the end, Charlene and Halley (Fritz Weaver) are back on the comet, and our hero has found his love.

Who knew Halley’s Comet wasn’t just a ball of ice and dust; it’s a cosmic cruise ship. The idea that Sir Edmund Halley is still alive, riding his own discovery through the vacuum of space, adds a charming, almost Victorian-sci-fi layer to the story. The ending of this one is rare: the protagonist isn’t punished but rewarded with a literal soulmate from another century, while his overbearing wife finds her own match in the stern historical figure of Halley.

This was directed by Warner Shook, who appears in Creepshow, Knightriders, and Dawn of the Dead; he also directed “Grandma’s Last Wish” in season 1 and “Deliver Us from Goodness” in season 3, as well as two episodes of Monsters. It was written by Harvey Jacobs and Jule Selbo.

While not the most frightening episode, this may be one of the weirder ones. Unlike the grim irony of most episodes, “Comet Watch” leans heavily into romantic screwball comedy and magical realism. It’s often cited alongside episodes like “The Geezenstacks” as examples of the show’s willingness to experiment with tone beyond pure horror.