Of Late I Think of Cliffordville - S4-E14
Other mistake: When Feathersmith meets Devlin it's 1963, and he's 75 years old, which means he would have been born in 1888, so in 1910 he would have been 22, not 30. Otherwise, he'd be an 83-year-old man.
Of Late I Think of Cliffordville - S4-E14
Other mistake: Miss Devlin tells Feathersmith the cost of his trip, including the historically accurate maintenance of the town Cliffordville and its citizens, but line doesn't make any sense, the town is not a recreation since Feathersmith is being literally sent back in to time, the town can't be anything other than accurate.
Of Late I Think of Cliffordville - S4-E14
Other mistake: Mr. Feathersmith sells the 1403 acres to Mr. Hecate for $40, so he can pay Devlin to send him back to his own time. $40 in 1910 would be about $1,127 today and it's extremely unlikely that anyone, especially a man like Hecate, would have that much money on them. (00:47:45)
Answer: It's explained in the episode. The aliens are experimenting to see how humans react to various scenarios. This just happens to involve them using super strength.
Thanks. It's been a long time since I saw the episode so I forgot.