Welcome back! Let's continue with my countdown of favourite Twilight Zone episodes, starting with an “alien” invasion.
Written by Richard Matheson / Directed
by Douglas Heyes
This was the first episode I watched
when CBS started releasing TZ episodes on VHS back in the day.
Serling performed this particular switcheroo a few times over the
course of the show (the episodes Third From The Sun and the
aforementioned Probe 7 come to mind), but it was never better
accomplished than here.
Teleplay by Rod Serling / Directed by
James Sheldon
You can gauge whether a Twilight Zone
episode really “made” it, if it eventually wound up in an episode
of The Simpson's Treehouse of Horror. Serling based this on a 1953
story by Jerome Bixby so it further illustrates that he was aware of
his contemporaries. What I found especially unique about this episode
was Serling's assertion during the end narration was that the
Twilight Zone was an actual place with inhabitants and not just a
realm to be visited or passed through.
Written by Richard Matheson / Directed
by Paul Stewart
This was another episode that later
found its way into Treehouse of Horror. I find falling out of bed a
lot more relatable than kids with godlike powers so that's why I
ranked this one a little higher. I also wonder – because I'm too
lazy to look it up – if this wasn't one of the first instances of
“wormholes” on television.
Written by Martin M. Goldsmith /
Directed by Robert Butler
In a 1959 Mike Wallace interview,
Serling stated that he was “not going to delve into current social
problems dramatically” due to being tired of battling sponsors over
perceived controversy. We all know he was either fibbing or changed
his tune, as the opposite was never more apparent than here. This
two-man (Neville Brand & George Takei) bottle episode was so
provocative that it was pulled from syndication after its original
air date. Something like this episode proves that the Twilight Zone
did not fizzle out and was still offering up strong television right
up until the end.
Written by Rod Serling / Directed by
John Brahm
This was another terrific one-location
piece starring the lovely Vera Miles (1960 was sure a good year for
her!). Birthed from an encounter where he thought he saw his double
from across an airport terminal, Serling wrote what would become one
of TZ's most persistent themes. I really love this episode – as
does Jordan Peele, as it apparently inspired Us – and if the final
moments weren't so kooky, I might have placed it higher on the list.
Teleplay by Rod Serling / Directed by
Richard L. Bare
Based on a 1950 story by Damon Knight,
this is another episode that can identified by its climactic phrase
“It's a COOKBOOK!” One of the few episodes to break the fourth
wall, and perhaps the inspiration for the eighties TV phenomenon V,
this is my favourite episode featuring aliens – ones that appear
front-and-center anyway. It also has the unmistakable Richard Kiel in
one of his earliest roles.
Written by Rod Serling / Directed by
Robert Stevens
This was the pilot episode for the
Twilight Zone and it beautifully encapsulated what viewers could
expect from the series in the future. Serling put forth the
fantastical, but also very human elements into his storytelling. It
is why his work continues to endure today.
Written by Rod Serling / Directed by
Robert Stevens
Tales of time travel were the Twilight
Zone's bread and butter, covering sojourns to and from the age of the
dinosaurs (The Odyssey of Flight 33) to pioneer days (100 Yards Over The
Rim & The 7 Is Made Up of Phantoms) to far into the future (The
Rip Van Wickle Caper). However, this one tops the list of
these narratives by being the most personal and thoughtful of the
bunch by echoing the sentiment that “you can't go home again”. It
also features a young pre-Mayberry Ron Howard in a small role.
Written by Rod Serling / Directed by
Douglas Heyes
This one represents my favourite kind
of Twilight Zone episode that skirts the line between horror and
suspense. It was the mystery that kept me hooked and the payoff was as satisfying as the build-up. The only time I think I
was more mesmerized by an episode was the one that ultimately topped this
list.
Teleplay by Rod Serling / Directed by
Alvin Ganzer
Based on a fourties radio play from
Lucille Fletcher, but a variation of Ambrose Bierce's 1890 story An
Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge that I feel is one of the most
important pieces of genre fiction that exists – Twilight Zone would
later air a 1961 adaptation by Robert Enrico during season five –
this was another iconic episode of the show. This device has been
used so often since, it's almost shocking when similar scenarios
don't end with this revelation.
That's it for now. Come back tomorrow
to see me crack the top five. Can you guess what they are?
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