And/Or lack of originality.
The local cable channel in LA (Verizon) is running Twilight Zone episodes on one of the lower channels (one of the lowest ones, actually). The first one was about a fallout shelter, which later became a Simpson’s episode. The second was a precursor to The Sixth Sense. In Lileks style, I’ll leave it up to the reader to guess which episode it was. If no one gets it by morning, I’ll at least provide another hint.
Was it the one with the school teacher who thought his life was wasted until all his dead students showed up in class?
I’d guess Bart’s Comet (Simpsons) and The Shelter (TZ). I’ve seen all of the Twilight Zone episode & part of The Simpsons episode. Not sure about the Sixth Sense one you mention. To Google!
OK, here’s another hint on the second one. It was set in the Civil War. Though that may give the game away.
It is the one where the soldier sees purple around the soldiers that are about to die.
Nope.
Was it the one with the school teacher who thought his life was wasted until all his dead students showed up in class?
No, though that one sounds like a macabre version of Mr. Holland’s Opus.
“The Passersby”
Wow, I would have sworn that the soldier with the “git-box” was Cliff Robertson, but no, it was James Gregory.