Its the new year and if you're anything like me... well you're probably very hungover right now but other than that you're also busy watching SyFy's Twilight Zone marathon. I can't tell you how many years I've been continuing this tradition but I can tell you the first year I started showing an interest in the show I got plenty of blank tapes to record it and for further viewings I made sure to edit the commercials out. In no particular order here are my favorite "Twilight Zone" episodes.
Season 3 Episode 10 - The Midnight Sun
The world is moving closer to the sun and the days are getting hotter and longer. The sun no longer sets. Running water and gasoline are scarce and normal people are willing to resort to robbery to get the nourishment to sustain them for another day.
Why is this a favorite: I remember seeing this for the first time during my first New Year's Marathon. After I recorded it I watched it over and over. It became an instant favorite. There's not much going on here but I find the idea, the dialogue, and twist interesting even if none of it makes much sense. If one side of the earth is always daylight that means another side is always dark and areas closest to the dark side would be quite comfortable. Of course it also means that one side of the earth would be frozen and I'm sure that would cause some unusual environmental changes that would probably make the heat the least of your concerns.
Season 3 Episode 14 - Five Characters In Search of an Exit
Five very different people wake up in a pit with no idea who they are or how they got there.
Why is this a favorite: Each episode of "The Twilight Zone" has its own atmosphere and this one is pure unrelenting dread and doom. If I had to choose I'd say this is my favorite of my favorite episodes. Originally what appealed to me was the mystery, who are these people, where are they, how did they get there, and what's with that loud clanging bell?
Season 3 Episode 37 - The Changing of the Guard
A disenfranchised professor at a private school for boys is being forced to retire. He loves teaching and when retirement is thrust upon him he contemplates suicide. He ponders whether he or his teachings have ever had an impact on his students. The validation we all crave in life is given to him by the spirits of his former students. After this visit he is given a new lease on life.
Why is this a favorite: I'm not a big fan of the more sentimental episodes and this one fits smugly in that category. Whereas the other sentimental episodes fell flat with me this one speaks to me. I find I have a difficult time watching it and not being moved to tears.
Season 3 Episode 24 - To Serve Man
Aliens land on earth and give humans the devices to end war and famine. They ask nothing in return but do they really have earth's best interests in mind?
Why is this a favorite: This is probably one of the most famous and well recognized Twilight Zone episodes. It has been parodied more times than any other episode. It also happens to be one the first ones I remember watching as a child. "To Serve Man" exemplifies what the "Twilight Zone" embodies and that is revealing an unexpected twist. Aliens land on earth promising an end to famine and disease and if you've been watching this long you know they have ulterior motives.
Season 3 Episode 27 - Person or Persons Unknown
A man wakes up only to find that everyone he knows in life claims he is not who he says he is.
Why is this a favorite: This episode explores a sense of self and identity. The main character claims he's someone everyone else insists does not exist regardless of the fact that everyone in his life are still there but just don't know who he is. As odd as it may sound I empathize with him. The main character is essentially no one and has no past. I can't imagine how frightening a nightmare that might be.
Season 1 Episode 5 - Walking Distance
A man goes to the small town he grew up in to escape the pressures of the big city and finds the town and the people haven't changed in 25 years.
Why is this a favorite: There's a tinge of almost venomous nostalgia present in this episode that I think most of us can relate to. The moral of this story brings to light an old adage, you can't go home again.
Season 2 Episode 29 - The Obsolete Man
In a futuristic society a tribunal decides whether or not you are useful to the collective. If you are found obsolete you are to be put to death in the manner of your choosing.
Why is this a favorite: Burgess Meredith appeared on several episodes of the "Twilight Zone" and I could have picked any one of them but this one resonates with me more than the others. His performance here is outstanding and the story is compelling. I think it says a little something about how we value life and our place in society. I should also note while Meredith did a great job Fritz Weaver stands out as well as the chancellor.
Season 1 Episode 30 - A Stop At Willoughby
The pressures of his stressful job causes a man to have dreams about a turn of the century town where things are simpler and you can slow down and enjoy life.
Why is this a favorite: This is a great episode with a great twist that if anyone says they saw it coming are most likely lying.
Season 2 Episode 26 - Shadow Play
A man on death row reveals he's a prisoner of his own unconscious mind.
Why is this a favorite: This is a great concept and it's orchestrated very well. Its tense and you're not sure what to believe. Either this guy is insane or the whole world is a fantasy. Either way I'm sure we've all had a dream where we were in mortal danger or were falling or getting injured and it felt so real we were almost convinced it wasn't a dream.
Season 2 Episode 6 - Eye of the Beholder
A woman is undergoing plastic surgeries sponsored by the state in order to correct her facial deformities so she'll fit in with everyone else. It is her last surgery and if there's no change she must choose to either live among other freaks or be euthanized.
Why this is a favorite: This is by and far the most conceptual episode of the "Twilight Zone". For obvious reasons everybody is either silhouetted in shadows or obscured by objects.
Season 2 Episode 28 - Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up
An unidentified flying object is reported flying and crashing. Two highway patrolmen investigate and find a pair of tracks in the snow. They are lead to a nearby diner that's hosting a group of bus passengers waiting to for a bridge to be repaired. The customers at the diner are told about the UFO and each are questioned. Things get paranoid when everyone starts accusing everyone else of being an imposter.
Why is this a favorite: If you're a fan of John Carpenter's "The Thing" you'll love this episode. It explores the same themes of paranoia and confusion. The people fight over who's who and who's the odd man out. Even the married couples aren't sure their spouses are really who they say they are.
