One Hidden Gem of Catherine O'Hara’s Legacy Is This Forgotten Sci-Fi Reboot
Let's go back to The Outer Limits. No, the other one.
The sad passing of Catherine O’Hara has doubtlessly sent fans back to binge some of her most iconic work. From Home Alone to Schitt's Creek, and everything in between, O’Hara’s unique sense of humor and relatability made her a legend. But what are the deepest cuts in O’Hara’s oeuvre? What about for fans of science fiction and fantasy? The short answer to that second question might be her memorable turn in Beetlejuice, or perhaps, the strange fact that she appeared in both versions of A Series of Unfortunate Events, albeit in different roles. But the forgotten, and fascinating O’Hara sci-fi gem is her involvement in the almost forgotten reboot of The Outer Limits.
From 1995 to 2002, the famous sci-fi anthology series was rebooted for modern audiences, boasting a huge swath of episodes over triple that of the 1963 black and white original Outer Limits series. And here, in this series, O’Hara was involved not once, but twice. In Season 3 of The Outer Limits, in the 1997 episode “The Revelations of 'Becka Paulson,” O’Hara starred as the title character. And then, in a 1998 episode of Season 4, “Glyphic,” she got behind the camera as a director. Here’s why O’Hara’s contributions to this sci-fi show still hold up, and are worth revisiting right now.
Mild spoilers ahead.
O’Hara in 1997, the year her big Outer Limits episode aired.
“The Revelations of 'Becka Paulson” was the 15th episode of The Outer Limits Season 3, and starred O’Hara as the titular Becka, a housewife who accidentally shoots herself after watching a soap opera. Because this teleplay (written by Brad Wright) was based on a 1984 short story from Stephen King, the bullet in her brain isn’t fatal, but instead, results in severe hallucinations. Eventually, she tries to murder her husband (John Diehl), whom she hates with a burning passion, all because a photograph on top of her TV urges her to do so.
The episode is a trippy, psychological thriller that suggests Becka’s altered brain has put her in touch with voices from beyond. If you squint, it almost feels like David Lynch could have come up with this, even though it has a distinctly King flavor. O’Hara is fantastic in the episode because she’s both sympathetic and unhinged, a quality she’s obviously known for in her more comedic work. But, when that quirky cocktail is turned toward supernatural psychosis, the result is one of her quietest, most interesting performances of all time. Is it the best Stephen King adaptation you’ve never seen? Maybe.
O’Hara seemingly enjoyed her time on The Outer Limits because she returned in 1998’s Season 4, this time as a director of the episode “Glyphic,” which was written by Naren Shankar, then, probably most famous for his writing and science consulting on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. Though, today, he’s probably best remembered as the showrunner of The Expanse. This episode, a kind of collaboration between O’Hara and Shankar, is all about a small town that is dealing with some interesting, neurodivergent children.
Anthology shows like The Outer Limits have a long tradition of creepy self-contained storylines about children with unusual powers, but “Glyphic” goes deeper into science fiction than it might seem at first. The chances that the average sci-fi fan has seen both of these episodes and remembers each are slim, so no spoilers at this point. But let’s just say there is a very big sci-fi twist in “Glyphic,” and O’Hara’s work behind the camera is provocative and affecting.
So, if you’re planning on revisiting the wonderful career of Catherine O’Hara, and you love a kind of Black Mirror TV experience from a time before Black Mirror, it’s time to adjust your streaming TV and go back to The Outer Limits.
