This season of "Twilight Zone" appears to have taken some of the criticism for being heavy handed in their social commentary to heart. So much so that most haven't even approached it. So, kudos to Alex Rubens, responsible for two weeks ago' s awful "A Human Face" to bounce back with a much stronger episode that takes a sci fi trope and gives it a darker spin.
Claudia King (Kylie Bunbury) and Marc Wheeler (Topher Grace) have a nice meetcute scene before going to a museum together. Their chemistry is palpable, and the day becomes an impromptu date with Marc showing an uncanny understanding of both Claudia and the routines of the museum. When it develops into almost precognition, Marc confesses that he is stuck reliving the same day over and over and has been using his repetitive life to win Claudia over.
Where the episode drifts away from "Groundhog Day" is that it explores the idea that Marc tricking her is not some charming expression of love, but more a deceitful lie, to trick her into accepting that he's someone he isn't and falling for him. The episode, and Marc is a facsimile for every "good guy" that pretended to be a girl's friend before making a pass at her, or worse. There is an added darkness to this episode though that Marc can make any choice he wants, or carry out any action, knowing that everything will reset when he wakes up the next morning. Topher Grace is great at playing both sides of the Marc character, the charmer and then the menacer. Kylie Bunbury is excellent too, I haven't seen any of the other shows she's been in yet and was interested to learn she's the daughter of former footballer Alex Bunbury, but I'll definitely try and catch her again.
I'd accept that the ending was slightly anticlimactical. I was hoping for more of a visceral comeuppance but in many ways this resolution is worse for Marc. In a series of more lows than highs, this was a good story and one of the better episodes.