Rod Serling's Twilight Zone

Support and Suggestions Podcast Arc Suggestions
#1

Here’s an arc that I think would be awesome to tackle (especially since I’m trying to achieve watching every episode ever made); the original Rod Serling Twilight Zone. I have always been a fan of the show since I first saw it when I was 9 or so and as I have re-watched these episodes as I got older, the more they stuck in my mind as social commentary, both timely and timeless.

I love how Mr. Serling walks along with us into each story not so much as a host, but as a tourist guide pointing out that we’re about to see something amazing. I love how the writing of most of the episodes are incredible and yet simple, playing upon theatricality and yet earnestness. I think that’s what sets this apart from the knock-offs.

Submitted for your approval, I would nominate these six episodes, most are well-known, a couple are simply my personal favorites; Nightmare at 12,000 Feet (with Captain Kirk of all people), The Masks, Eye of the Beholder, To Serve Man, Third from the Sun, and He’s Alive! You could even replace one with The After Hours if you wish.

The Twilight Zone is a landmark in Science Fiction and the prime example of social consciousness on television. While the show had plenty of twists and surprises and would spawn the works of Shyamalan and his ilk, I think Serling’s work is special in the fact that there’s more being told in his stories than just spectacle.

#2

They tended to stick with me, because they often didn’t end ‘well’. I mean, they didn’t wrap things up nicely with everyone just giving a hearty guffaw and getting back to their lives. They often had disturbing endings, like the best horror short-stories from Stephen King.

I always liked the astronaut / rocket / space flight stories

[ul]
[li]The parallel[/li][li]Death Ship[/li][li]The Little People[/li][li]The Lonely <- one of my all time favorites, and one that deeply affected me when I saw it.[/li][/ul]

And though it has nothing to do with rocket’s or sci-fi … this one F’ed with my head pretty good as a kid: Five Characters in Search of an Exit

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I’m not going to say they were all gems, a lot were corny as hell and heavy handed in their moralism. But there were a LOT of good stuff that makes much of modern television seem trite and ‘safe’ by comparision. (IMHO, of course).

#3

I LOVED Five Characters in Seach of an Exit, even though I guessed it about half way into the episode. And you are right that not every episode is great and it does tackle certain things over and over again (I have seen at least five episodes dealing with selling your soul to the Devil).

But I think the two reasons they have some corny episodes were 1), Seasons back in '55 weren’t 22 episodes but 32 (they ran all year long) and you had to have some filler to keep the episodes rolling and 2) to appease the suits at CBS who must have heart attacks when they saw some of the episodes coming from the show. I can see Serling bartering for an episode like Little Girl Lost or He’s Alive by promising something safe like Mr. Bevis.

But even the hokiest of episodes look at things differently. And I love that Twilight Zone used short stories from the masters and even got them to do completely original episodes like Richard Mattheson.

I just wish that more science fiction shows were willing to take the chances even at the expense of failing that The Twilight Zone had. The problem with both remakes done was that it was more interested in the Twist than it was in the story. That’s what made Lost and The 4400 so refreshing.

#4

I love this idea. My only issue with it is that the more I think about it, the less I can narrow it down to a manageable handful of episodes. Even some of the more hokey ones are favorites. Perhaps a series of thematic arc? Cold War paranoia, Aliens Among Us, Burgess Meredith, etc. :slight_smile:

#5

I like the paranoia idea. Great episodes for that; To Serve Man, Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up, The Monsters are Due on Maple Street, Nightmare at 12,000 Feet, and easily the scariest Twilight Zone Ever, Living Doll.