Season 3, Episode 24 Original air date: March 2, 1962 As the episode opens, a man named Michael Chambers wakes up on a cot while aboard a spaceship. He gets in a minor dispute with one of the aliens over the intercom before we begin to see how he got to this point via flashback. We then learn that the "Kanamits", a race of 9-foot (2.7 m)-tall aliens had landed on earth (first landing in Newark, New Jersey of all places). One of the aliens ultimately addresses the United Nations, vowing that his race's motive in coming to Earth is solely to be helpful to humanity. When his speech concludes, the Kanamit leaves a book behind, but it is written in the Kanamit language; cryptographers attempt to decipher its contents. The alien's word seems to be good, as hunger is wiped out, peace is spread and everything seems to be well in the world. Earth leaders' suspicions are further allayed when the title of the Kanamit's mysterious book is discovered to be 'To Serve Man'. The visitors have even begun to invite hoards of humans to their planet, which is described as a paradise. The ending: Well, it turns out that "To Serve Man" is actually not a guide to helping humanity but rather a cookbook. Get it? Serve could mean "to assist" or "to provide as a meal?" Yeah, its corny, but nevertheless it's one of the most iconic endings to a television episode of all time.
Jesse Gumbarge is editor and chief blogger at JarvisCity.com - He loves old-school horror films and starting pointless debates. You can reach out at: JesseGumbarge@JarvisCity.com
