The greatest strength and weakness of an anthology series is that every episode is completely different. This means you get a great variety of short stories, but that the quality inevitably varies, too. Twilight Zone is no exception. Some episodes are amazing. Some… aren’t. But of all the anthology series in television history, TZ was arguably the best and inarguably the most influential. It explored a lot of uncharted storytelling territory and marked the deepest, darkest corner of the nerdverse. Created by Rod Serling, who also served as lead writer and narrator, the show aired from 1959-1964. Combining sci-fi, fantasy and horror, the episodes always gave you weird, disturbing, trippy feelings. The show featured inspired writing, exquisite camerawork, top-notch actors and amazing musical scores. And of course, Serling's greatest trademark was his surprising twist endings (none of which I will spoil here). The show also paved the way for Serling’s masterpiece, Planet of the Apes. There are 156 episodes in the original series, and even though half of them are bound to disappoint by today’s standards (especially during season 4, when they switched to the hour-long format), that still leaves us with plenty of good ones. Submitted for your approval are my personal top ten:
#10: The Eye of the Beholder
Episode #42 (Season 2)
A woman goes in for plastic surgery and comes out with more than she bargained for. All she wants is to be beautiful; anyone's who's ever felt ugly can relate to her pain. Serling was a terrific writer, but the one thing I couldn't stand about him was how often he would add, “...or something,” to his dialogue. Seriously, you can hear the phrase at least once in almost every episode he wrote. It'd be hilarious to see a montage of “or something” clips on Youtube.
#9: The Long Morrow
Episode #135 (Season 5)
An astronaut named Stansfield is sent to explore a planet 140 light-years away. To survive the voyage, his body will be kept in some sort of suspended animation freezing chamber or something. The catch is, Stansfield’s got a gnarly piece of poontang back on Earth, and when he returns, she will have aged forty years, while he'll have only aged a couple weeks. T-minus an hour before liftoff, the couple promise each other the mission won’t affect their relationship... or will it? This futuristic Romeo and Juliet featured what has to be the saddest character of all time. And 140 light-years has gotta be the record for a long-distance relationship.
#8: Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
Episode #123 (Season 5)
William Shatner (who would later star as Kirk in Star Trek) plays a nervous airplane passenger who starts seeing some kind of creature on the wing of the plane... Yikes! This one is super suspenseful. Sure, the creature looks like Mario in a Tanuki suit or something, but the episode is so well directed, you'll feel like you're actually on that plane, and the writing is so clever, you're never sure if what's happening is real or just in his head. But it's The Shat who steals the show with his gripping performance. This was one of the episodes they remade for Twilight Zone: The Movie, which boasted superior special effects but inferior execution. Even the newer Twilight Zone series failed to recapture the magic of the originals.
#7: To Serve Man
Episode #89 (Season 3)
Creepy, nine-foot aliens called the Kanamits land on Earth, offering mankind all sorts of radically advanced technology to end all of our planet's problems, from famine to war. But we Earthlings aren't capable of trusting a race that would help others simply out of the kindness of their hearts. The humans attempt decoding the Kanamits' language thinking they'll discover some ulterior motive or something. But what they end up finding is one of the most brilliant revelations in the show's history.
#6: Walking Distance
Episode #5 (Season 1)
Martin Sloan revisits his hometown and is surprised to find that nothing has changed. Gee, you'd think the town would have at least expanded or something. Everyone looks strangely familiar, they still drive old-fashioned automobiles and chocolate sodas still cost only a dime... get it yet? This one evokes deep feelings of nostalgia and childhood longing, but also warns you of the consequences of living in the past and inspires you enjoy the present.
#5: Stopover in a Quiet Town
Episode #150 (Season 5)
More like “hangover in a quiet town.” After a long night of drinking, a couple awake in a strange house in an even stranger town with no idea how they got there. This one really keeps you guessing. First I thought they were in Hell. Then I thought they were in Area 51 or something. I love when the show used those creative, oldschool special effects. They still pack a powerful punch, perhaps because there weren't a lot of special effects back then. Thus, when you do see them, they have more shock value than modern, computer-generated effects do, because we're so used to seeing them in movies today. But back in the olden days, special effects were actually special and effective.
#4: It's a Good Life
Episode #73 (Season 3)
It's a good episode. The residents of a small town in Ohio live in a constant state of fear, for their village is ruled by a monster with unlimited powers... a six year-old boy named Anthony Freemont. This is one of the scariest episodes. Just imagine omnipotence in the hands of a simple-minded child. Bill Mummy is perfect as the psychic little psycho. The townspeople are constantly complimenting him and trying their best not to even think bad thoughts about him, or something bad will happen to them, for Anthony can even read their minds. Watching him, you actually get terrifying feelings of being thought-police'd, which, who knows, may even become a reality someday. Many TZ episodes featured unhappy or unresolved endings, which younger viewers are bound to find disappointing, having grown so accustomed to cliché, happy Hollywood endings. To them I offer this rebuttal.
#3: People are Alike All Over
Episode #25 (Season 1)
After landing on Mars, an astronaut discovers a race of people that seem just like us... or are they? Serling always wanted to write about relevant social issues or something controversial, which was a big no-no for television in the sixties. But by setting his stories in science-fiction, Serling could tackle any issue he wanted to, metaphorically. It's like "poli-sci-fi!" This episode is so mind-opening, it actually changed my views on the issue it addresses. But I shall say no more, for I wouldn't dare give away the twist ending, which is so good, not even the most experienced fans will see it coming. However, astute nerds will spot a Pac-Man cameo in the background-- twenty years before the arcade game!
#2: A Game of Pool
Episode #70 (Season 3)
Jesse is a cocky young pool shark who wishes he could play the legendary Fats Brown: the greatest pool player who ever lived. The problem is, Fats is already dead. But one night while Jesse's shooting at the pool hall, his wish comes true, and Fats' ghost appears from beyond the grave to challenge Jesse. The stakes: life or death. You get to see some really impressive pool shots in this episode, including an incredible triple bank. But the highlight is actually the rich dialogue and clever ending. Highly recommended for anyone who ever dreamed of being the best at a game, or something else of a competitive nature.
#1: A Penny for your Thoughts
Episode #52 (Season 2)
Flip a coin. Half the time, it will land on heads, half the time, tails, right? If so, what are the odds it will land on its side? In this episode, a young banker achieves those unlikely odds, and suddenly gains the ability to hear people's thoughts. Many TZ episodes were loosely adapted into feature-length films. The Whole Truth was about a car salesman who is cursed with the inability to lie, which was a lot like Liar, Liar; Living Doll reminded me of Child's Play; Walking Distance was reminiscient of Back to the Future, and The Gift was similar to E.T. This particular episode seemed to be the inspiration for What Women Want? It's a surprisingly comical episode, but it quickly turns serious when the young banker “overhears” another employee planning to pull an inside job. I found this to be the most perfectly crafted episode. It had it all: supernatural powers, a love story, comic relief, a character arc and a twist... Strangely, it happens to be one of the many episodes on this list not written by Serling. Maybe I should rearrange them or something.
Next month on Nerd History 101, I'll be counting down my favorite Simpsons episodes! Boy, writing all these reviews isn't easy. When I get writer's block, I like to sell out and advertise cigarettes to kids.
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