Second chances don't happen often in real life and when they do, it's pretty special. This rare nature of second chances -- combined with the peculiar state of awestruck that often accompanies the realization that one is occurring -- renders them perfect subject matter in The Twlight Zone.
With all this talk of the extraordinary qualities of second chances, I would not describe "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" as especially remarkable. The town drunk, Mr. Denton (Dan Duryea), finds a gun purposefully dropped a peddler named Henry J. Fate (Malcolm Atterbury). (Pretty clever, right?) Soon enough, Mr. Denton finds himself becoming a new man or a former version of himself, depending on how you want to think about it. Word spreads that Mr. Denton is back to being a fast gunsman and soon after, a young cowboy comes to town for a duel. Not surprisingly, Fate steps in again, and not surprisingly, neither man wins.
I feel as though I am being harsh on "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" in saying that it's not extraordinary. Perhaps why I can't seem to muster up much enthusiasm is because it presents less questions and less things to ponder. There's less intrigue. Unlike Mr. Death from the last episode, I have never found myself wondering what Fate looks like, although the whole peddler image seems to work well. Beyond that, I've just been stumped thinking about second chances: when I've been on the receiving end, when I've given them, when I've wanted them...you get the idea. Second chances are generally only remarkable to those experiencing them, so it's honestly not even worth sharing one of my own stories to try to prove a point or make a connection between Mr. Denton and me.
Yeah, that's about it. And trust me, my conclusions came after giving "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" a second chance.
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