Paul manages to ration it out to her with an explanation that makes quite a bit of sense. What adds to all of this is that the viewer sees the culprit just twice, both equally shocking moments, and both moments that are near impossible for anyone else to just believe. Sure, she's outnumbered by skeptics who don't think anything weird is going on, but it will not stop her from questioning the curiosity sprouting up around her. Other characters are more in a fight for their own survival, but Millicent is more of a curious woman than one haggard and beaten down trying to just make it on her own. Millicent is probably one of the more complex characters seen in the scary episodes of The Twilight Zone. They make for solid opposite sides of the same coin, and in an enclosed space, that's something that makes everything have an extra dimension of duality. The old man running the counter is angry and annoyed at everything, and tries to serve as the voice of the skeptic, while the custodial woman is clearly not on Millicent's side but would probably throw a lending hand her way if she could just get her point across. They'd be terrible to deal with in real life. The background characters do serve as some good company narratively. It's two people who think they have a grasp on a situation they'll never understand. Paul doesn't have much of a character in the first half of the episode, and it does feel like a story of two halves in that regard. While Paul does treat her like that as she begins making really odd statements, it doesn't detract from the fact that he does want to help. She isn't a damsel, she isn't necessarily scared, she's just confused and annoyed and wants this dealt with. Miles plays Millicent less as a woman made of fear but a woman determined to take down the person haunting her. Sure, she does miraculously come to an abnormal conclusion, but it's also interesting that sees a logical woman try to make sense of an illogical situation (more on that in the spoiler section below). Vera Miles as Millicent Barnes may be seen as the typical Twilight Zone denizen that doesn't believe in what's happening and slowly lets it get to her, but her full breakdown is never really shown. But the fact that Millicent tries to play games with the wild nature of the Twilight Zone is what makes her special, and what makes her particularly foolish. She'd be carted off in an instant without a moment's hesitation. If this were a woman bred from paranoia and fear this episode would be open and shut. Then again, as is revealed in the opening narration, Millicent is a bit of an unassuming woman. Right away it's easy to spot that there are very few hiding places in the bus station save for the back luggage area and the restrooms, so if somewhere noticeable were hiding, they'd have to be out in the open. While this episode is not dripping with atmosphere, the environment becomes a character all on its own. The viewers are once again near-exclusively stuck in a single, open location, and the mystery is on. She confides in a man named Paul, played by Martin Miller, who tries to help her through this experience. "Mirror Image" is about a young bank secretary named Millicent Barnes, played by Vera Miles, being plagued by an unknown entity that may well be somehow wearing her face. Serling's writing here is absolutely phenomenal, having the viewer walk alongside Millicent as she slowly begins to get away from being the calm, collected type to a woman on the hunt. This was the first episode of The Twilight Zone to prove legitimately frightening. Alright so that quote at the top doesn't really have much impact on the episode, but it stood out and it would be impossible not to include somewhere.
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