The Different Ones - Recap

In a suburban home, children gather outside a home and taunt the boy who lives inside, Victor Koch. His father Paul chases them away and then talks to his son, who wears a hood. Paul suggests that Victor might be happier somewhere else, with boys like himself. Victor wonders where they could find such a place, and insists that there are no boys like himself. He tells his father to do what he wants but just leave him alone. Paul walks away, insisting that it isn’t what he wants.



In the living room, Paul calls Information and asks for the government office concerned with deformed children. She transfers him to the Office for Special Urban Problems. He explains that his wife is dead and Victor is 17, deformed at birth. Paul tries to describe the nature of the deformity, and Victor comes downstairs and removes his hood, exposing hideous features.



Paul meets with a government official and explains that the doctors have determined that nothing can be done to alter his features. He insists that Victor is an intelligent boy, but admits that the boy can’t continue as he is. The official reluctantly admits that the only other option is for them to kill Victor for his own sake, but Paul refuses to accept that. His only other option is to raise the boy at home. As Paul goes, the official gets word of a new government plan and asks Paul to return. She explains that they have made an exchange arrangement with an unknown planet named Boreon, near Mars. Boreon suffers from underpopulation, is eager for males, and places no restrictions. They will finance the entire operation and the planet is close to Earth’s. Paul wonders if it would be her liking, but the official points out that Victor doesn’t have much choice.



Later, Paul returns home and says goodbye to his son. Victor doesn’t care where he’s going, because anything would be better than his life as it is.

Victor finally arrives on Boreon and enters a corridor. A native Boreon, a normal looking human, passes him on the way to his ship back. He explains that he’s been waiting years to get permission to leave, and wishes Victor luck. As the man goes, Victor asks him why he’s leaving, and the man says that he’s a freak. The native females arrive to greet Victor: all with the same deformation he has. They consider him gorgeous and fawn over him, and Victor is confident that he’ll belong.



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