The Chameleon (The Outer Limits)

"The Chameleon"
The Outer Limits episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 31
Directed by	Gerd Oswald
Written by	Robert Towne (teleplay & story) Lou Morheim and Joseph Stefano (story)
Cinematography by	Kenneth Peach
Production code	32
Original air date	April 27, 1964
Guest appearance(s)
Robert Duvall
Episode chronology

"The Chameleon" is an episode of the original The Outer Limits television show. It first aired on 27 April 1964, during the first season.

Opening narration

"The race of Man is known for its mutability. We can change our moods, our faces, our lives to suit whatever situation confronts us. Adapt and survive. Even among the most changeable of living things, Man is quicksilver-more chameleon-like than the chameleon, determined to survive, no matter what the cost to others... or to himself."

Plot

A flying saucer has landed in a remote part of the United States and wiped out a military patrol sent to investigate. Concerned that the saucer contains nuclear material, the authorities decide on a wild scheme: they recruit Louis Mace (Robert Duvall), a disaffected CIA agent, to infiltrate the ship.

Genetically modified to pass as an alien, Mace finds that he has unique insight into the alien "invaders" nature, the genetic material that has been used to modify his appearance seemingly taking precedence over his human nature. He also begins to question his allegiance, and eventually sides with the aliens, finding out that they're benevolent and have no desire to come in contact with humans in any way, being simply stranded on Earth after their ship's engine broke down.

Accepting to lend their trust to Mace and acknowledging him as one of them, the aliens propose that Mace return to their home planet with them. Torn between his desire to be free and his loyalty towards his superiors, Mace first reacts aggressively, killing one of the two aliens, but he eventually realizes the cruelty of his act and feels remorse for showing these harmless visitors what dark instincts inhabit the human nature.

The remaining alien nonetheless forgives him and allows him to leave Earth with them, as it is strongly hinted that Mace has by now become a duplicate of the one alien he killed. At first distressed by that choice, Mace's superior eventually allows him to do so, believing this would be a chance for Mace to be at last free of his condition.

Closing narration

"A man's survival can take many shapes, and the shape in which a man finds his humanity is not always a human one."

Cast

Robert Duvall – as Louis Mace
Howard Caine – as Leon Chambers
Henry Brandon – as Gen. Crawford
Douglas Henderson – as Dr. Tillyard
William O'Connell – as Creature #1
Dean Smith as Creature #2 (uncredited)
Tony Olvera – as Guitarist (uncredited)
Roy Jensen – as Agent with Pistol (uncredited)
Roy Olvera – as Mexican Guitarist (uncredited)
Vic Perrin – as voice of Soldier (uncredited)
Robert Johnson – as voice on Loudspeaker / voice of Chopper Pilot (uncredited)

External links

"The Chameleon (The Outer Limits)" at TV.com

The Outer Limits episodes

1963 series
(episodes)

Season 1	"The Galaxy Being" "The Hundred Days of the Dragon" "The Architects of Fear" "The Man with the Power" "The Sixth Finger" "The Man Who Was Never Born" "O.B.I.T." "The Human Factor" "Corpus Earthling" "Nightmare" "It Crawled Out of the Woodwork" "The Borderland" "Tourist Attraction" "The Zanti Misfits" "The Mice" "Controlled Experiment" "Don't Open Till Doomsday" "ZZZZZ" "The Invisibles" "The Bellero Shield" "The Children of Spider County" "Specimen: Unknown" "Second Chance" "Moonstone" "The Mutant" "The Guests" "Fun and Games" "The Special One" "A Feasibility Study" "Production and Decay of Strange Particles" "The Chameleon" "The Forms of Things Unknown"

Season 2	"Soldier" "Cold Hands, Warm Heart" "Behold, Eck!" "Expanding Human" "Demon with a Glass Hand" "Cry of Silence" "The Invisible Enemy" "Wolf 359" "I, Robot" "The Inheritors" "Keeper of the Purple Twilight" "The Duplicate Man" "Counterweight" "The Brain of Colonel Barham" "The Premonition" "The Probe"

1995 series
(episodes)

Season 1	"The Sandkings" "Corner of the Eye" "Under the Bed" "Dark Matters" "The Conversion" "Quality of Mercy" "The New Breed" "The Voyage Home" "Caught in the Act" "The Message" "I, Robot" "If These Walls Could Talk" "Birthright" "The Voice of Reason"

Season 2	"Stitch in Time" "Resurrection" "Unnatural Selection" "I Hear You Calling" "Mind Over Matter" "Beyond the Veil" "First Anniversary" "Straight and Narrow" "Trial by Fire" "Worlds Apart" "The Refuge" "Inconstant Moon" "From Within" "The Heist" "Afterlife" "The Deprogrammers" "Paradise" "The Light Brigade" "Falling Star" "Out of Body" "Vanishing Act" "The Sentence"

Season 3	"Bits of Love" "Second Thoughts" "Re-Generation" "Last Supper" "Stream of Consciousness" "Dark Rain" "The Camp" "Heart's Desire" "Tempests" "Awakening" "New Lease" "Double Helix" "Dead Man's Switch" "Music of the Spheres" "The Revelations of Becka Paulson" "Bodies of Evidence" "Feasibility Study" "A Special Edition"

Season 4	"Criminal Nature" "The Hunt" "Hearts and Minds" "In Another Life" "In the Zone" "Relativity Theory" "Josh" "Rite of Passage" "Glyphic" "Identity Crisis" "The Vaccine" "Fear Itself" "The Joining" "To Tell the Truth" "Mary 25" "Final Exam" "Lithia" "Monster" "Sarcophagus" "Nightmare" "Promised Land" "Balance of Nature" "The Origin of Species" "Phobos Rising" "Black Box" "In Our Own Image"

Season 5	"Alien Radio" "Donor" "Small Friends" "The Grell" "The Other Side" "Joyride" "The Human Operators" "Blank Slate" "What Will The Neighbors Think" "The Shroud" "Ripper" "Tribunal" "Summit" "Descent" "The Haven" "Deja Vu" "The Inheritors" "Essence of Life" "Stranded" "Fathers and Sons" "Star Crossed" "Better Luck Next Time"

Season 6	"Judgment Day" "The Gun" "Skin Deep" "Manifest Destiny" "Breaking Point" "The Beholder" "Seeds of Destruction" "Simon Says" "Stasis" "Down to Earth" "Glitch" "Decompression" "Abaddon" "The Grid" "Gettysburg" "Nest" "Final Appeal"

Season 7	"Family Values" "Patient Zero" "A New Life" "The Surrogate" "The Vessel" "Mona Lisa" "Replica" "Think Like a Dinosaur" "Worlds Within" "In the Blood" "Flower Child" "Abduction" "Lion's Den" "The Tipping Point" "The Human Factor" "Human Trials"

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