EntertainmentTVSci-Fi ShowsThe Twilight ZoneThis Twilight Zone Day, I can’t stop thinking about two of the show’s eeriest episodesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentTVSci-Fi ShowsThe Twilight ZoneThis Twilight Zone Day, I can’t stop thinking about two of the show’s eeriest episodesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Prime Video)
Though there are many standout episodes from the show’s original 156-episode run, there are two in particular that have stuck with me my entire life. These particular episodes are among the most famous of the bunch, frequently ending up on many best-of lists, and often get confused with one another (though it’s for a more than understandable reason).
The old saying happens to be true
(Image credit: Prime Video)
Now the questions that come to mind: “Where is this place and when is it?” “What kind of world where ugliness is the norm and beauty the deviation from that norm?” You want an answer? The answer is it doesn’t make any difference, because the old saying happens to be true. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, in this year or a hundred years hence. On this planet or wherever there is human life – perhaps out amongst the stars – beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Lesson to be learned in the Twilight Zone.Rod Serling, ‘Eye of the Beholder’
Now the questions that come to mind: “Where is this place and when is it?” “What kind of world where ugliness is the norm and beauty the deviation from that norm?” You want an answer? The answer is it doesn’t make any difference, because the old saying happens to be true. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, in this year or a hundred years hence. On this planet or wherever there is human life – perhaps out amongst the stars – beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Lesson to be learned in the Twilight Zone.
Men, the macabre, and masks
(Image credit: Prime Video)
‘The Masks,’ season 5 episode 26, is a slightly similar tale that aims to teach the viewer that beauty truly is skin-deep. A wealthy old man named Jason Foster is on his deathbed – and his awful, selfish family comes to collect their inheritance.
Though they are deeply undeserving of his wealth, Foster plans to leave them his fortune anyway… but with a catch. He plans a ‘special Mardi Gras party’ where every member of the family, including himself, is to wear a mask. Foster unknowingly gives each member a gruesome, disfigured mask that is akin to their personality and they must wear the masks until midnight, or they won’t receive the inheritance. Well, when the clock strikes 12 and Foster dies, the masks don’t exactly come off. They rejoice in their newfound wealth for a moment or two before realizing that their faces taken on the features of the grotesque masks – and their physical appearance now permanently reflects who they are on the inside.
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Mardi Gras incident, the dramatis personae being four people who came to celebrate and in a sense let themselves go. This they did with a vengeance. They now wear the faces of all that was inside them—and they’ll wear them for the rest of their lives, sad lives now to be spent in shadow. Tonight’s tale of men, the macabre and masks, on the Twilight Zone.Rod Serling, ‘The Masks’
Mardi Gras incident, the dramatis personae being four people who came to celebrate and in a sense let themselves go. This they did with a vengeance. They now wear the faces of all that was inside them—and they’ll wear them for the rest of their lives, sad lives now to be spent in shadow. Tonight’s tale of men, the macabre and masks, on the Twilight Zone.
A cut above
(Image credit: Prime Video)
Though they’re among the most famous, no doubt because of their jarring visuals and shocking reveals, the messages behind these two episodes are much deeper than we might realize. Sure, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But it’s also about fascism, about othering marginalized people. I hardly see articles or essays comment on one very specific part in ‘Eye of the Beholder,’ a two-second scene where the ‘Leader’ of the pig-faced society addresses his people via television broadcast. The speech is eerily reminiscent of fascist dictators of the past, which when you realize Serling served during World War II, adds a new dimension to this storytelling.
‘The Masks,’ on the other hand, poses something a bit more existential. I found a recent post in ther/TwilightZonesubreddit with the title: ‘Hot take: The family in The Masks did nothing wrong and didn’t deserve what happened to them.’ The OP describes the family members as nice, cordial, and respectful. They outline the fate of each member, and describe how their behavior wasn’t all that bad.
(Image credit: Prime Video)
No matter how you feel about the ending, the fact that just two months ago people were having a heated discussion about the true moral takeaway from an episode of television that’s more than 60 years old is nothing short of astonishing. And I think that says everything you need to know about The Twilight Zone, about what Serling was trying to accomplish. It doesn’t matter whether you agree or disagree with the moral or lesson, or the fate of the characters – you end up taking part of the episode with you regardless, whether you realize it or not.
The Twilight Zone is streaming now in its entirety on Prime Video. For more, check out our list of thebest TV showsof all time and our guide to thebest shows on Amazon Prime Video.
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