The Powers of Matthew Star

The series took a dramatic turn in tone and storyline beginning with this episode, with Matthew and Walt now working for the government and Major Wymore (James Karen was added to the cast), and the characters of Bob and Pamela disappearing. Originally intended to air 7:00 Sundays (before Peter Barton's on-set burn injury delayed the series premiere for a year), the initial 13 episodes based on that presumption were considered too juvenile for the 8:00 Friday timeslot it ended up receiving after the delay. Additionally, powers such as telepathy and clairvoyance, which made it tough for Matthew to be believably placed in any danger, were stripped away in the name of storytelling.