Thursday, August 15, 2019

Deep Dive Rewind: The Twilight Zone, Part Four

Room for one more, honey!

The Twilight Zone was a rarity in the world of television. Beloved by viewers and critics, the show has proven to be an evergreen classic that still feels fresh sixty years later. This was by design. Rod Serling wanted the show to have a timeless quality and he felt that the show could both entertain and teach its audience. It is impossible to cover every classic episode in this space, so we’ll share some favorites.

What you need.

What You Need was an early classic. Ernest Truex played a kindly peddler who always seemed to have exactly what his customers needed. Steve Cochran played a pushy con man who tries to take advantage of the peddler and learns an important lesson- sometimes what you want isn’t what you need.

Time Enough At Last

The classic episode Time Enough At Last features poor Henry Beamish, who isolates himself from the people around him to read. Neglecting his job and his wife, he really just wants to be left alone to read. He survives a catastrophic apocalypse and is pleased that he no longer has to worry about finding time to read. He has “Time Enough At Last” to pursue his reading hobby. Sadly for him, the episode ends with an ironic twist.

Living Doll

“Talky Tina” seemed like a cute little toy, but this doll was more than she seemed. Evil and vindictive, the doll begins to say some unnerving things and seemingly plots to murder the one person who suspects she’s more than she seems. 

Most shows would be lucky to have just a handful of classic episodes like these. We’ve just scratched the surface today and will conclude our look at this classic show tomorrow.