Twilight Zone Day

“It lies between the pit of man’s fears, and the summit of his knowledge.”-The Twilight Zone, Season One IntroductionThe Twilight Zone is one of those rare series that is really timeless - which is completely counterintuitive because it immediately brings to mind black and white video of vanilla late 50’s Americana, where men never used slang and wore suits all the time. And yet… that mundane reality  only serves to enhance the differences between the world we think we live in, and what’s lurking just under the surface. Now while that visual shorthand was iconic, the introduction of color didn’t stop any of its three reboots (four if you count Serling’s Night Gallery) or limit the success of subsequent color diverse anthology series like The Outer Limits (premiered in black and white, then had a color reboot), and more recently, Black Mirror,  which was put on hiatus after the real world started outperforming anything the writers could come up with, but filmed an episode in black and white before it did.So, why the success? Because on some level almost every episode speaks to who we are, and always have been*. With the show’s premise, Serling could hold up a funhouse mirror to reality and crank up the contrast to show us who we really are while also managing to be entertaining. As the viewer, you know things are going to go horribly wrong at some point...but how, and when, and what happens next? That’s the hook that keeps you watching, and that’s what all the reboots and related series tried to deliver, and when it works, baby, it works.Of course, like just about anything else**, it doesn’t always. While there were some great episodes in the reboots, those had difficulty surpassing the quality of the original. Even in that original run, not all of those episodes were winners. Rod Serling was clearly suffering burnout after he wrote 92 of the original 156 episodes that made up the 5 seasons of the show,*** but to have written any of the episodes on the list below qualifies as a career defining win. Indeed, when one figures in that the show also contains the creative output of some of the best science fiction writers of their day,  the series and its reboots have provided an embarrassment of riches to pull a top ten list out of. So with that in mind, and although some of them are obvious, here’s my list for top 10 Twilight Zone episodes, which, of course, has a twist at the end.10 - “A Matter of Minutes”Based on a short story by: Theodore Sturgeon.Teleplay by: Harlan Ellison and Rockne S. O’BannonThe setup: A couple falls between minutes, ending up behind the scenes between the construction of one minute and the next.The takeaway: This is why that thing you were looking for was found where you already looked, even if it doesn’t explain why it’s always your wife that finds it.9 - “To Serve Man”Based on a short story by: Damon KnightTeleplay by: Rod SerlingThe setup: Helpful aliens arrive with a plan.The takeaway: “You keep using that phrase. I do not think it means what you think it means.”8 - “It’s A Good Life”Based on a short story by: Jerome BixbyTeleplay by: Rod SerlingThe setup: A child has godlike powers.The takeaway: Absolute power corrupts absolutely.7 - “Death’s-Head Revisited”Written by: Rod SerlingThe setup: a concentration camp officer returns to his former workplace.The takeaway: Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.6 - “Time Enough At Last”Based on a short story by: Lynn VenableTeleplay by: Rod SerlingThe setup: a man wants nothing more than to read his books and be left alone.The takeaway: Always keep a backup.5- “The Rip Van Winkle Caper”Written by: Rod SerlingThe setup: Gold thieves run out the statute of limitations in suspended animation.The takeaway: Always diversify your portfolio.4- “Button, Button”Based on a short story by: Richard MathesonTeleplay by: Logan SwansonThe setup: A couple gets a box with a button. Press it and they get $200,000...but somebody they don’t know will die.The takeaway: Sometimes it’s not who you know.3 - “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”Based on a short story by: Richard MathesonTeleplay by: Richard MathesonThe setup: An unreliable narrator believes something is destroying the airplane he’s on.The takeaway: Aisle seats are better than window seats.2 - “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street”Written by: Rod SerlingThe setup: Aliens cause a power outage...or did they?The takeaway: “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”1 - “I of Newton”Based on a short story by: Joe HaldemanTeleplay by: Alan BrennertThe setup: A physicist accidentally summons a demon.The takeaway: Be careful what you wish for.Now I realize that may be a controversial choice for #1, but the episode is so tight that it makes the absolute most out of it’s 8 minutes and 47 seconds. Setup. Dilemma. Payoff. Done! Plus it flips the script on a typical episode because the protagonist is aware that the unintended consequences of his situation are very intended indeed. Add in the slogans changing on the demon’s t-shirt**** and that’s just gravy.So, what would your top episodes be? Let us know in the comments below, and before concluding,  I am compelled to mention that this list would be incomplete without an honorable mention that is as good as anything Serling ever wrote, somehow doesn’t get boring after an hour, and manages to pull off a second twist in the end credits.0 - “White Bear”, from the series Black MirrorWritten by: Charlie BrookerThe setup: A woman wakes up with no memory in a world where everyone is stuck on their phones, or trying to kill her.The takeaway: “Who watches the watchers?”*Doubt that? Tell me this Sumerian complaint letter about the quality of copper ingots couldn’t have been written today.**The TV series Firefly being a notable exception. It didn’t live long enough to have a chance to suck.***A record tied by J. Michael Straczynski who wrote 92 of the 110 episodes of Babylon 5, who also wrote for the 1985 reboot of The Twilight Zone. It’s a small Zone after all.****I was lucky enough to get a book signed by Haldeman at a Con, and asked him about the episode. He told me that in the original story the demon was a shapeshifter, but since 1980’s technology and budget wouldn’t allow for that, they opted for constantly changing t-shirt messages.