Entering the Fifth Dimension: A Twilight Zone Podcast: Recent Episodes
Golden Spiral Media
You are Entering the Fifth Dimension, a fan podcast dedicated to the sci-fi classic, The Twilight Zone. It's a dimension not only of sound but of exploration. A journey into the wondrous world of the new Jordan Peele series on CBS All-Access and the original Rod Serling episodes we all cherish. That's the signpost up ahead—your next stop, The Fifth Dimension!
What price would you pay to change your appearance, and what happens when the power to transform yourself becomes a curse? This month we look at two epsodes where identity and the consequences of changing one's appearance take center stage. They explore themes of conformity, individuality, and the dangerous allure of being able to become someone else – whether by choice or societal pressure.
In "The Four of Us Are Dying," Arch Hammer is a con man with the ability to change his face to look like anyone he's seen. He uses this gift to impersonate various men for personal gain, including a dead musician, a boxer, and a gangster. His schemes ultimately lead to his death when he takes on the wrong identity at the wrong time. "Number 12 Looks Just Like You" takes place in a future where everyone undergoes a "transformation" at age 19 to become beautiful, choosing from a limited number of approved models. Young Marilyn desperately resists this conformity but eventually submits to the procedure, losing her individuality in the process.
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When the lines are blurred between the animate and inanimate, suspenseful and thrilling things happen within the sandbox of the Twilight Zone. This month we explore "The After Hours" and "The New Exhibit" which present stories with characters whose reality isn't what it seems, leading to shocking revelations about their true nature.
In "The After Hours," Marsha White visits a department store to buy a gold thimble but is taken to an empty ninth floor that doesn't exist. After strange encounters with an oddly familiar saleswoman, she discovers she's actually a mannequin who's been on her month of being human, and must return to her mannequin form.
"The New Exhibit" centers on Martin Senescu, a wax museum caretaker who becomes obsessed with protecting murderers' wax figures when the museum closes. He takes them home, where mysterious deaths begin occurring. In the end, it's revealed the figures are actually killing people, and Martin becomes their final victim.
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The Twilight Zone can be a cruel adjudicator doling out ironic punishments to characters whose desires ultimately become their undoing. Greed, short-sightedness, and the notion that "heaven" and "prosperity" aren't what they seem are the focus this month, and the characters in these stories find themselves on the receiving end of the most poetic kind of criminal justice.
In "A Nice Place to Visit," petty criminal Rocky Valentine dies in a shootout and finds himself in what appears to be heaven, where a guide named Pip grants his every wish. After endless winning and pleasure becomes unbearably boring, Rocky begs to go to "the other place" – only to learn he's been in hell all along.
"The Rip Van Winkle Caper" follows four thieves who steal gold bars and use suspended animation to hide for 100 years. When they wake, they discover gold has become worthless in the future, and their greed leads to their deaths in the desert.
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In the shadowy realm of the Twilight Zone, "Night Call" and "Mr. Garrity and the Graves" present haunting narratives where the boundary between life and death blurs with terrifying results. Both stories examine profound isolation and unresolved guilt, while warning against disrupting natural boundaries. The episodes share a powerful cautionary message about tampering with the natural order, delivering ironic justice to those who fail to accept finality. In both stories, the disturbed dead return not as comforting presences but as reminders that some separations must remain permanent.
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Time is a fun concept to explore and the Twilight Zone did plenty of playing in that sandbox. "A Kind of Stopwatch" follows the story of a man named McNulty who comes into possession of a stopwatch that can stop time. Excited by his newfound power, he uses it for personal gain but eventually discovers there are unintended consequences. "90 Years Without Slumbering" stars Ed Wynn and centers on an elderly man named Sam who believes his life is tied to the functioning of his old grandfather clock. As he becomes obsessed with keeping it running, he learns to reconcile his fear of mortality and discovers peace.
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This month we're heading to the old west! In "Mr. Denton on Doomsday," Al Denton is a former gunslinger, now a town drunk. His life changes when he gets a magic drink that makes him a great shooter again, but it quickly propels him back into the violence he wants to leave behind. In "Showdown with Rance McGrew," a cocky TV western star suddenly meets real outlaws from the old west. Both episodes share themes about facing consequences and getting a second chances. One of the episodes hit close to home for us and had some poignant moments, while the other's comedic efforts landed more for one of us than the other.
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This month we look at two episodes which share the common theme of time being unnaturally halted and the moral quandaries that such power presents. In "Elegy," three astronauts become stranded on an asteroid which shares characteristics similar to earth Earth. Soon they discover people frozen in time, evoking themes of time suspension and existential anxiety. Similarly, "Still Valley" follows a Confederate soldier discovering a village frozen by a mysterious spell, presenting him with moral dilemmas regarding the use of this power to assist the Confederacy. We had differing opinions on the themes and moral viewpoints of these episodes, which bled into an interesting Whipples segment.
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The 16mm Shrine" and "Static" are Twilight Zone episodes thematically linked by the persistent pull of nostalgia. In "The 16mm Shrine," audiences witness an actress so enchanted by her cinematic past that she chooses to inhabit it, distancing herself from the present realm. On the other hand, "Static" features a man rediscovering a vintage radio that transmits echoes of his past joys, offering a momentary haven. Both episodes expertly capture the theme of longing for days gone by, exposing how such attachments, though comforting, risk isolating individuals from current experiences and growth.
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The truth is out there, but do you recognize it when you hear it? "The Old Man in the Cave" is about a post-apocalyptic community guided by a mysterious old man in a cave who provides crucial advice for survival. When outsiders challenge his authority, chaos and disaster ensue. "Black Leather Jackets" involves three alien bikers who infiltrate a small town as part of a conquest plan but face unexpected human emotions.
Both episodes explore the themes of trust, authority, and the consequences of disobedience. They reflect on the vulnerabilities of human societies when confronted with external influences and the critical importance of faith in guidance, whether it be from figures of authority or unknown entities.
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"A Thing About Machines" and "The Brain Center at Whipple's" each explore the tension between humans and technology. From the second season,"A Thing About Machines," tells the story of Bartlett Finchley, a technophobic man, who is tormented by his household appliances which eventually drive him to his demise. "The Brain Center at Whipple's" from season five features Mr. Whipple, who automates his factory, replacing human workers with machines, only to find himself redundant and isolated. Both episodes critique humanity's over-reliance on technology and its dehumanizing consequences, highlighting the potential for machines to dominate and disrupt lives when human value and interaction are overlooked.
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"Mr. Bevis" and "The Man in the Bottle" from "The Twilight Zone" explore the pitfalls of wish fulfillment. "Mr. Bevis" features James B.W. Bevis, whose guardian angel temporarily improves his unlucky life. Bevis soon realizes these changes erase his unique personality, and he chooses to return to his authentic self. In "The Man in the Bottle," Arthur Castle, an antique shop owner, uses a genie's four wishes to solve problems, but each brings dire consequences. His final wish restores his original life. Both episodes highlight the dangers of altering fate and emphasize that true fulfillment comes from embracing one's authentic self.
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Step into the ring with us this month as week take a look at two sports-themed episodes from The Twilight Zone. "The Mighty Casey" and "Steel" both explore themes of man vs. machine and the struggle to stay relevant in a changing world. In "The Mighty Casey," a struggling baseball team's fortunes change when they recruit a mysterious but talented player named Casey, only to discover that he is a robot. "Steel" takes place in a near-future world where human boxing has been replaced by robot fighters, and a former boxer disguises himself as a robot in a desperate attempt to prove his worth. Both episodes highlight the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity and the challenges posed by technological advancement.
SyFy Twilight Zone Marathon Info
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Themed around groups of people making an escape, this month we look at two iconic Twilight Zone episodes: "Third from the Sun" and "On Thursday We Leave for Home." Season One's "Third from the Sun" presents a story steeped in the dread and anticipation of a nuclear apocalypse, following a desperate plan by a group of individuals to escape their doomed planet. Season Four's episode, "On Thursday We Leave for Home" offers a look into the psychological and social dynamics of a leader who faces the reality of relinquishing control as his colonists prepare to return to Earth after 30 years. Both episodes masterfully explore the human condition under extreme circumstances, highlighting themes of hope, fear, authority, and the longing for safety.
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Nothing is civil about war, and nothing is ever as it seems in The Twilight Zone. This month we take a look at two Civil War themed episodes, "The Passerby" from season 3 and "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" from season 5. Each episode not only plays in the sandbox of Civil War themes, but also takes a look at the supernatural realm, passing through to the afterlife, family, and paying for one's acts while on earth. "The Passerby" includes a wonderful Abraham Lincoln portrayal from Austin Green, while "Owl Creek" is a short-film that was purchased as a completed project and edited to become last episode of The Twilight Zone ever produced. We had a lot to say about each of these wonderful episodes, and hope you enjoy our discussion.
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Music has the power to enchant, stir emotions, calm the spirit, and heal. This month we take a look at two episodes that use the power of music to explore the impact of music. In season 3, "A Piano in the House" takes a look at the sides of our humanity that we all try to hide, by using music to expose those hidden faces. In season 5, "Come Wander With Me" is a somewhat disjointed story that still leaves us enchanted and mesmerized by Mary Rachel and her melody.
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Alternate dimensions and parallel worlds is not something The Twilight Zone was afraid to explore, and this month we take a look at two excellent examples of this type of storytelling. Season 3 "Little Girl Lost" explores a scenario where a young girl named Tina slips into the fourth dimension via a portal that opens up in her bedroom wall. The following season in "The Parallel" we see astronaut Robert Gaines transported to a parallel earth where he has a slightly different family in a slightly different house and JFK is unknown.
Each of these episodes wonder what might happen if one was to get trapped in an alternate dimension in such a way that it leaves us much to ponder, while still giving us quite a bit to enjoy.
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Rod Serling was no stranger to the atrocities of what Hitler's Nazi party did to Jews during the Holocaust. He fought in WWII, battled anti-semitism in his own home state, and through the power of his pen fought to bring light to this hate in an effort to end racism of every kind. As brilliant as he was, we unfortunately still find racism all around us and Jews are still being attacked more than any other group today. This month we look at two episodes that Rod wrote to shed light on the horrors of the Nazi party, and express his confidence that their ultimate judgement awaited them. These episodes are "Judgement Night" from season 1 and "Death's Head Revisited" from season 3. These episodes stand as proof that The Twilight Zone is just as relevant today as it was in the 1960's.
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Many Hollywood legends spent time in The Twilight Zone, and this month we look at two of the largest legends in Hollywood history with Robert Redford and Dennis Hopper. Redford's season 3 appearance with Gladys Cooper has him portraying the role of the death angel escorting her character to the afterlife. Meanwhile, Hopper's season 4 role is one of an angry young man under the influence of Hitler, who is raising up his own all-too-familiar brand of hate. It's easy to see in these performances what will make these men legendary, and each of these stories gives us a lot of meat to chew on for discussion.
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The Twilight Zone is no stranger to close encounters between various aliens and humans. Sometimes those encounters are fun or silly, other times they reveal some of the darker realities of our humanity. This month's episodes fall into that latter category with "People Are Alike All Over" from season 1, and "Stopover in a Quiet Town" from season 5. Of course, the dark side of humanity is not all that is on display, because in a twist only the Twilight Zone can deliver, these aliens have their own dark side as well.
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Over the course of the 5 season run of The Twilight Zone many episodes touched on religious themes. We've already looked at episodes like, "The Hunt," "The Obsolete Man," and "The Howling Man," for example. This month we take a look at two episodes which, for better or for worse, are very on the nose with their religious themes. First up is "The Gift" from season three. Drawing parallels to Jesus and his crucifixion, an alien visits a small Mexican town with a gift that will change the world, but their fear leads them to killing him. Next up is "Probe 7, Over and Out" from season five, which tells its own version of the beginning of Earth, Adam, Eve, and a tree with fruit.
In our Whipple's segment, Robert shares this list of books about alien contact and messages from outer space.
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It's been said that magic is just science that we don't understand yet. While we're not sure if that's a suitable explanation for the kinds of magic on display in this month's episodes, we certainly had a magical time discussing them. First up is "Dust" from season 2. Written by Rod Serling and directed by Douglas Heyes, it tells the story of a dusty small town on the verge of killing a man who drunkenly killed a young girl. Is it magic dust or something else that brings the town the hope it so desperately needs?
In "The Fugitive," we encounter a young girl with a crippled leg name Jenny, and an elderly man the neighborhood children call Old Ben. Written by Charles Beaumont and directed by Richard Bare, we learn that Old Ben seems to have the gift of magic, and while he may not be what he appears, he might just be the savior Jenny needs.
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Carol Burnett was recently honored on her 90th birthday for her lifetime of work in film and television. Her talent was recognized early in her career, and Rod wrote an episode especially for her with season 3's comedy, "Cavender is Coming." Before Martin Landau became famous for his work on Mission Impossible, he starred in two Twilight Zone episodes and we cover season 5's thriller, "The Jeopardy Room" here.
Both Burnett and Landau would go on to become Hollywood legends and each have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Carol's star has a fantastic story that relates to her Twilight Zone episode, and we share that story in this month's episode.
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Season 5 of The Twilight Zone brought us two episodes handing out poetic justice to the lead characters. In "A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain," an aging businessman drinks from a fountain of youth in order to satisfy his much younger, demanding wife. His plan backfires, leaving both of them to deal with life-altering consequences. In "Sounds and Silences," a toy boat manufacturing executive forces everyone in his life to be constantly subjected to loud noises. His life is turned upside down when he develops hypersensitive hearing, and he's forced to live his life with highly compromised hearing.
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"Perchance to Dream" follows the story of Edward Hall, who suffers from a recurring nightmare. He seeks help from a psychiatrist who helps him confront his fear. However, the dream becomes a reality, blurring the line between dream and reality, while the episode explores the power of the mind and the subconscious.
"Twenty-Two" tells the story of Liz Powell, who has a recurring dream in which she is in a hospital and follows a nurse to room 22, which is the morgue. Once released from the hospital, she realizes that the dream is a premonition of death, and it saves her by keeping her from boarding a doomed aircraft. The episode explores the theme of fate and the idea that our dreams can reveal hidden truths about the future.
Both episodes are known for their psychological horror and explore the idea of being trapped in a nightmare or a dream that is indistinguishable from reality. They also examine the relationship between the mind, the subconscious, and the external world, as well as the idea that our dreams may hold hidden meanings and truths about our lives.
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The world is full of big talkers, and not even the Twilight Zone can escape them. In season 2 Rod Serling wrote "The Silence" about two rich men who square off in an expensive bet, just so one of the men can be freed from the incessant talking of the other. In season 3 the Zone served up "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby," a story about a country bumpkin that can spin yarns unlike anyone else. He's abducted by aliens and is able to escape using his harmonica, but the townsfolk believe his story is just another of his exaggerated tales.
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Hollywood legends Dennis Weaver and Robert Duvall each made trips into The Twilight Zone. In the season 2 episode, "Shadow Play," Dennis Weaver portrayed Adam Grant, a man stuck in a dream where he is convicted to die over and over again in the electric chair. In season 4, Robert Duvall starred in, "Miniature," a story where Charley Parkes falls in love with a woman from a museum display. Each of these two brilliant actors showed why they would soon become Hollywood legends.
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The power of the human mind is perhaps often underestimated, but it's certainly capable of much more once it enters the Twilight Zone. Season 2 of Rod Serling's masterpiece gave us two excellent examples. Episode 16 features Dick York in, "A Penny for Your Thoughts" and episode 27 showcases Shelley Berman in, "The Mind and the Matter." Both of these light-hearted episodes had us cracking up and enjoying our trip to the Twilight Zone!
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Are machines capable of love? Can they learn, adapt, conspire, or feel emotions? They definitely can in the Twilight Zone! In season 3, Ray Bradbury contributed the episode, "I Sing the Body Electric," inspired by Walt Whitman's poem of the same name. After losing their mother, a grieving father acquired a robot to help love, care, and raise his children. In season 5, Bernard C. Schoenfeld contributed the episode, From Agnes, With Love" in which a computer programmer is tormented by the jealous computer he works with at his office. In our Whipples segment we explore robotics, humanity, self-awareness, and other film projects that have tacked similar subjects as these episodes.
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Whether it's on the train to Willoughby or coming home from a 'coon hunt, you never know when you might find yourself on a journey to the after life. You might discover that you're seeing dead people and don't know it, or even that you yourself have passed into the afterlife. At least, that's the case with Mr. Williams and the Old Man in "A Stop at Willoughby" and "The Hunt."
These two stories give us quite different approaches to dying and what it's like passing on to the afterlife, but both episodes hit their marks quite well and earn high scores from us and other viewers. Whether you grew up in the country like Darrell, or are a city boy like Robert, we think you'll like this month's trip to the Zone
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Stories that focus on the young or the elderly tend to bring us as viewers into an introspective frame of mind. Season 3 of The Twilight Zone gives us two such examples of this. "Kick the Can" blends both the elderly and the young into the storyline, giving us a double punch to ponder the innocence and wonder of childhood in a way that makes us never to grow old in our spirit. "The Trade-Ins" helps us appreciate the ones we cherish most and the life we've build together.
Written by George Clayton Johnson and Rod Serling respectively, these two stories serve as powerful reminders to make the most of the life we have, enjoy it to the fullest, and never forget what it's like to be young.
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It takes a gifted actor to be able to pull off a single-actor episode. When executed well - such as Agnes Moorehead's "The Invaders," the episode can become legendary. Since we've already covered that episode, this month we look at two other single-actor episodes. First up is Robert Cummings' season 2 premiere, "King Nine Will Not Return." Cummings portrays a US Air Force pilot who was unable to pilot what ended up being a fateful flight that took the lives of his entire crew. Next up we look at Mickey Rooney's season 5 episode, "The Last Night of a Jockey." Rooney plays Grady, a jockey who wishes he were big after being suspended for fixing races and doping.
Each of these episodes was written for their respective leads by Rod Serling himself. While they haven't risen to the top of the Zone echelon like Moorehead's "Invaders," they both showcase top-level performances and offer up lessons on issues that are still very relevant today: mental health. Certainly the lessons Rod penned sixty years ago are ones we need to be reminded of and learn today.
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Jack Klugman, along with Bergiss Meredith, has the esteemed honor of being one of only two actors to be featured in the lead role of four Twilight Zone episodes. We previously covered, "In Praise of Pip" and "A Passage For Trumpet," and this month we're taking a look at "A Game of Pool" and "Death Ship." In "A Game of Pool," Klugman stars alongside Jonathan Winters in what was Winters' first dramatic role. Both men provided stellar performances that make "Pool" a fan favorite to this day. "Death Ship" tells the story of a space flight crew caught in an unfortunate and eerie Flying Dutchman scenario.
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Whether driving or flying across the country, tragedy can strike at any moment, especially in the Twilight Zone. This month we take a look at two episodes that capitalize on this true, yet unsettling reality. Season 1 of the Zone gave us "The Hitch-Hiker," a story of Nan Adams who is driving her way from New York to Los Angeles. Unfortunately for Nan, much like Malcolm Crowe in "The Sixth Sense," she doesn't realize that her fate for quite some time. As a result, we're treated with a story with lots of drama and a great twist ending.
In season 5, tragedy struck again with "Ring-a-Ding Girl" starring Maggie McNamara. Maggie plays Bunny Blake who simultaneously seems to be on a cross-country flight, and visiting her family and friends living in her small childhood hometown. Drawn by visions she sees in a piece of jewelry, she somehow comes to the aid of her townsfolk, saving them from being victims of the wreckage that took her own life. It's another twist ending, and one that leaves the viewer scratching their head as something that only makes sense within the bounds of the Twilight Zone.
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Throughout the 1950's and 60's Rod Serling wrote several stories aimed at shedding light on racial issues with blacks in America. His stories were often watered down or changed to other racial groups by network executives or sponsors, leaving Rod in a state of frustration. When JFK was gunned down in Dallas on the afternoon of November 22, 1963, Rod was inspired to write "I am the Night - Color Me Black," an episode which not only addresses racism and bigotry head on, but it also addressed hate all over the world.
"I am the Night" released in March of 1964, and it can be challenging for today's audience to appreciate its impact or tone. To help us better understand life in the 1960's for black Americans, and give us a perspective on how things are today, we're joined this month by Rodney Barnes. Rodney is a thirty year veteran of Hollywood, working on projects like "Everybody Hates Chris," "Major Payne," "The Green Mile, and "Wu-Tang: An American Saga." Most recently, Rodney is the executive producer and co-writer of the HBO Max Docu—Dramedy called “Winning Time.” He is also a critically acclaimed Graphic Novelist with his killidelphia Series.
We had a very enlightening and enjoyable conversation with Rodney, and it's our honor to bring you this discussion for this month's episode of Entering the Fifth Dimension.
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Beloved as Catwoman from the 1960's Batman series, Julie Newmar first appeared as Miss Devlin on the season 4 Twilight Zone episode, "Of Late I think of Cliffordville." Pat Hingle, who played the role of Commissioner Gordon in the 1980's and 90's Batman films, made his Twilight Zone appearance in the season 4 episode, "The Incredible World of Horace Ford."
Besides featuring actors who would later appear in the Batman universe, these two episodes features plots involving men who can't let go of their past. While "Cliffordville" tells the tale of a business tycoon who finds his life empty after reaching the top of the mountain, "Horace Ford" features a story of a man who evidently hasn't matured into adulthood. One of these episodes, while far from perfect, still does a fairly good job of landing its intended message. However, the other episode fails to land coherently for either Darrell or Robert and even caused them to wonder if it might be the worst Twilight Zone episode of them all.
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If there's one thing The Twilight Zone loves, it's exploring humanity through the lens of space travel. This month we take a look at two episodes where the lead characters find themselves stranded in space, albeit for entirely different reasons. In season 1 episode 7 entitled, "The Lonely," we encounter the story of a man named Corry who has been sentenced to solitary confinement on an asteroid millions of miles from earth. He's given a human-looking robot to ease his loneliness, but what happens if he's eventually forced to choose between the robot and returning to earth?
Next we take a look at season 3 episode 28, "The Little People." Here we encounter two astronauts who land on an unknown planet so they can make repairs to their spaceship. While there, they discover a colony of ant-sized intelligent beings. One of the men, Craig, decides to prop himself up as their god and maniacally torments them to receive their praise. His superior, Fletcher, leaves him behind on the planet against his better judgement, but Craigs reign as god will not be long-lived.
These two episodes give us a chance to explore what it means to be human, the importance of kindness, compassion, and empathy, and lessons we've learned in our lives when we let our egos get the best of us.
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While the weather may be a bit unseasonably warm for us right now, we find ourselves in a much cooler situation than those in the season 3 Twilight Zone episode, "The Midnight Sun." For much of the episode we are lead to believe they are on a collision course with the sun...or are they? This is a podcast episode with a snow theme after all. Then we take a look at season three's final episode, "The Changing of the Guard." The content of this episode draws us back to our own childhood and the teachers that impacted us indelibly. This episode is both a reminder to thank those who have positively impacted our lives and that we are quite blind to the impact our lives have on others.
2022 SyFy Twilight Zone Marathon Schedule
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Burgess Meredith's impact on the Twilight Zone is arguably deeper than any other thespian to enter the fifth dimension. While most know him immediately for his work on the beloved episode, "Time Enough at Last," many have never seen his appearance in the season four episode, "Printer's Devil."
This month we not only take a look at "Printer's Devil," but we also take a look at his season 2 appearance as the meek pushover "Mr. Dingle, the Strong." Dingle is much more commonly recognizable due to the zany two-headed Martians and antenna-clad Venusians who look like children but sound like grown men.
These two episodes offer a contrast in the characters portrayed by Meredith that show off his versatile acting chops, while giving us a glimmer of what was to come in his iconic role as The Penguin in the 1960's TV series, Batman.
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Is dealing with the devil ever a good idea? Would you even recognize the devil if you met him face to face? Would there be peace on earth if you could somehow capture Satan himself and confine him to a prison cell? October is the month of ghosts, goblins, witches, and devils, so it seems like the perfect time to look back at two episodes of The Twilight Zone that feature the devil as a main piece of the story.
In season 1 Rod Serling gave us "Escape Clause" where hypochondriac Walter Bedeker makes a deal with the devil which grants him immortality. However, he soon finds out there can be unexpected consequences of living forever, and may need to take advantage of the escape clause in his contract with the devil.
Season 2 gave us "The Howling Man." David Ellington stumbles across a remote monastery where Brother Jerome and his followers claim they have captured Satan and have him locked in a prison cell. The prisoner seems harmless to Ellington, and he's faced with the dilemma to leave the situation alone, or act on behalf of the prisoner and rescue him from captivity. His decision has consequences that may impact all of humanity.
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Mirrors give us glimpses into a parallel world and allow us to see the hearts of men. Well, at least they do in The Twilight Zone. This month we look at "Mirror Image" and wonder if the ticket agent and washroom attendant are all part of the plan to make Millicent believe she's crazy. We also review "The Mirror" and share our theories on whether or not the mirror actually had special powers, or if it was merely the power of suggestion amplified by paranoia that brought about the demise of these revolutionaries.
- Westmoore High School Marching Band performance of "You Unlock This Door.."
- Pride of Piedmont Marching Band performance of "Door 13"
- Edmond North Husky Marching Band performance of "Wheels of Joy"
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I’ll go out on a limb here and state unequivocally that James Best is in the best two scary Twilight Zone episodes of the entire show. Darrell may or may not agree with me, but we discuss the noire feel of "The Grave" and the playful, yet thought-provoking take on "The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank" too. Both episodes were written and directed by the great Montgomery Pittman. Both episodes feature incredible cast members with fun names of the characters to boot. It was great seeing Best play a character to type but also one with vulnerability. Join in and let us know your thoughts. Was Connie killed by dumb luck or by Pinto’s ghost? Only the Zone knows!
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When you look at the beginning and the ending efforts of arguably the best genre tv show in history, you need to expect there might be low’s and high’s to discuss. Furthermore, you‘d expect the first episode to have more lows than the last, simply because it is still finding its footing. But that isn’t the way we saw it. Episode one‘s story misdirection, although not suggestive of entering the Zone “Canon” enough to be formulated in the very next episode, did establish a great twist ending which is a hallmark of Serling’s best material. The last episode, judge for yourself, shows a great show fell apart on its last effort. Listen in and as always give us a shout because we would love to hear from you. Even if your accent isn’t truly Southern.
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We have a double dose of Twist Endings Part Two for you this time as we look at "I Shot an Arrow into the Air" and "The Invaders." Two episodes, somewhat vastly different except we see they both involve space travel, misunderstandings, and violent deaths. Actually, both stories capitalize on the hubris of mankind to reach out into the stars with a blind eye to the consequences of interacting with a new environment and interacting with its inhabitants and even ourselves. Although both use space as their settings, what is truly magical about the Twilight Zone is once again the stories that Serling crests from there are so far away yet are able to look at mankind’s faults so closely.
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Joined by one of our listeners, Rick, this month we look at one of the most highly regarded Twilight Zone episodes of all time: "Eye of the Beholder."
Darrell has a lot of books and DVD’s about the show. Robert reads everything he can find on the Net that is related to the show. Rick, my friends has Rick—which means an encyclopedic mind that can rattle off a list of episodes that didn‘t originally air plus he knows nearly everything else there is to know about the cast member’s previous and latter work. IMDB, Rick is calling and needs you to cite him for everything you know.
Seriously though, what a pleasure it was talking to Rick! Please listen in and send us your feedback or join us down the road for a podcast episode. Just be ready because Rick will already know everything you‘ve ever said on the subject and that’s fine by us.
All three of us agreed this is one of the best episodes there is. As the show points out it isn’t right to separate others for being different, but you can‘t help place this one high on the shelf of meaningful stories. Enjoy!
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These 3 pairs of boots were made for walking the walk and the distance to a weird stroll down your hometown’s memory lane. Feedback caller extraordinaire, Bradley, sits in on his favorite classic episode. Robert Mr. Magoo‘d his observations again as he missed details, and Darrell and Bradley easily noticed every small intricately placed mirror angle and shading. Bradley dazzled us with theories about alternate realities and Robert just plain got dizzy keeping pace and settled for the view the episode is just a simple fun tale. Listen in and let us know how you felt about it. We‘d love to hear/read your thoughts.
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We really picked two amazing Jack Klugman Twilight Zone episodes in which each had its own version of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. One episode was darker than the other, but Klugman's phenomenal acting was a bright, dichotomous dark star. In "A Passage For Trumpet" we explore the dark side of creativity and have a meta discussion of what is real when you perform inebriated versus when you perform sober. Clearly, Robert wished he would have had buckets of disinfecting alcohol to clean off double licked mouthpieces. And People, Please, Do Not Thump, or Tap a trumpet mouthpiece! But in "In Praise of Pip," Klugman's character gets his wish to die instead of his son. Problem is he is already dying, but Klugman's performance doesn't risk dying and so does that brilliant performance once again of child actor Billy Mummy. Simply put, Klugman is right up there with Shatner, Meredith, Hoffman, Brando, and Hackman as an actor's actor. Just a fantastically intense actor. As always, we invite you to contact us with your thoughts. Thanks, and Enjoy!
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Yes, we finally got to a couple classic episodes we aren’t crazy about. That’s ok, IMDB ratings seemed to like them more than us, but for us wasn’t clear to why the TZ that is so famous for pointing out socio-historical injustice missed the mark in the time travel episode back to the battle of Little BigHorn. Only one line in the entire script that was positive about Native Americans. Nothing about their inhumane treatment up to either of the story’s timelines. And in the other episode, it seemed too full of an incredibly accurate portrayal of a calm flight crew in a TZ sound barrier time loop, but no mention of “what if” the plane landed in the wrong time line—what then?
It was good SyFy science but without the conscience normally found embedded in a thought provoking tale. But once again, even when the TZ may not deliver everything we want, it starts the conversation and we fill in the blanks and that took us into a fun conversation about our own “what if’s” and Robert revealing something he learned about his childhood that may have stunned Darrell for life. There you go. A ho-hum TZ Episode talk that alters your life. Just another night with ENTERING THE FIFTH DIMENSION.
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Are perceptions that toys (specifically human-looking dolls) are scary and sometimes evil a right of passage for childish thoughts? Are all of us born with those perceptions ingrained in our DNA? Do we perceive a toy to be threatening purely by the way it just sits on a shelf and looks at us with a blank, inanimate stare? Or, are toys merely a lifeless mirror we animate with our imaginative thoughts and amplify how we see the bad and evil around us and imbue them into a benign talisman in which we are to blame for it now being scary? Does a mean human deserve to be killed by an evil doll if he deserves to die?
The TWILIGHT ZONE surely addresses these concepts with two of its most recognizable episodes. Come listen in and check out how Darrell’s insights move Robert from “ho-hum” to “I can’t wait to watch these again” attitude.
As always, we’d love to hear your feedback, but just don’t ask us to accept signing your Poltergeist clown memorabilia. That clown was nuts!
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In two classic, albeit thematically loosely connected episodes by a Salvation Army collector’s Christmas bell, we see a story of one man’s salvation is found because he yearns so painfully for his existence to impact those meek people who desperately need help, and we see another story of a group of “people” who question their very odd, trapped existence and we see there is no hope for them anywhere.
Darrell and Robert have a spirited discussion, no pun intended, in this our 30th podcast episode of Entering The Fifth Dimension. The amazing Art Carney makes us want Santa to be real and the purity of Christmas to be protected, while at the same time we despair for the inequalities of the human condition and are embarrassed at the commercialization of Christmas. And then the other episode with a Clown, a Soldier, a Ballerina, a Hobo and a Scottish piper has forced those characters to question why they are trapped and may very well be that way for the rest of their bizarre lives that needs nothing to stay alive other than an answer to what they really are.
What we end up seeing is the juxtaposition of an episode that delivers Christmas and all of its gifts and toys and then another episode that makes us feel like we may be cruel to those very toys and gifts when they are abandoned. Is Rod telling us (unintentionally because these stories were filmed nearly one year apart) we are all toys and we have no power in our lives, or is he telling us as adults we ignore our childish wonderment and it is therefore a type of cruelty?
We are going to leave that “thought present” (a new phrase by Robert) for you to ponder as you watch these episodes and listen to our comments. As always we’d love it if you would write or call in your thoughts. Happy holidays everyone...Merry Christmas!!
Check out the SyFy New Years Day Twilight Zone Marathon Schedule.
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Martians, three-eyed short order cooks from Venus, and a little sci-fi nerd named Tommy wreak havoc in this month’s classic look back edition of the podcast. These episodes contain the one thing all great stories must contain to make them great—universal themes. These two episodes highlight the lowlight of the human condition that is the tendency to forgo reason in favor of attacking what we think we immediately see is the cause of a problem rather than seeking further the answers to that which scares us because we don’t understand it. Human imagination can be a wonderful thing, but left untempered by grounded cause and effect reasoning our imaginations can run wild and dream up grave thoughts with mob-like reactions to those thoughts. Robert and Darrell examine the universal theme that mankind is flawed, but share their own stories of how mankind does, in fact excel beyond those universal limitations.
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Here we are. Two tales of one actor as two different bookworms. Darrell and Robert take on the great, classic Burgess Meredith episodes and answer once and for all if Robert is or isn’t related to Lynn Venable, the original story writer of TIME ENOUGH AT LAST. That episode, adapted for the show by Rod Serling, is easily identified as one of the most recognizable stories not just for THE TWILIGHT ZONE, but it is arguably one of the most recognizable television episodes of any show of all time. The amazing thing though about this podcast episode is our guys just might have liked THE OBSOLETE MAN even more than TIME ENOUGH AT LAST. Listen in and share your thoughts if you’d like to join the conversation.
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Before we loved them as Spock, Scotty, and Sulu, Leonard Nimoy, James Doohan, and George Takei all found their way into The Twilight Zone. Leonard Nimoy appeared in the season 3 episode, "A Quality of Mercy," James Doohan appeared in the season 4 episode, "Valley of the Shadow," and George Takei appeared in the season 5 episode, "The Encounter." While Nimoy and Doohan played smaller roles in their respective episodes, Takei took one of two lead roles in his feature and brought a standout performance that still brings a powerful moral lesson for today. Two of these three episodes deal with the impact of WWII, a burden understood deeply by Rod Serling. We hope you enjoy this month's episode as we return to the classic series.
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"You Might Also Like" brings us to the end of the second season. 20 episodes total for two seasons for this modern version of the Twilight Twilight Zone to establish itself. So, we guess the question is then, “did it, in fact, establish itself?” The best answer we can give is we really hope there is a third season.
Let’s take the 10th episode of season two. For Robert, this episode unintentionally mirrors season one’s 10th episode. Season one’s last episode went for broke and it was awesome. Season two went for broke in the first half of the episode but then went “meh” the rest of the way...at least that's the way we saw it. Let’s still hope for a season three. The show is overall worth keeping establishing itself.
Thanks for joining us!! And keep checking in monthly as we cover the classic episodes. Oh, My!! Take care everyone!
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"Try, Try" comes in for us as one of the most thought provoking of Twilight Zone season 2. Do we really know anyone? Do we really trust anyone? Who is to say the people who are really good at something are good at it because they’ve been given the opportunity to give it another try, and another try , and so on until they perfect it. The Twilight Zone examines the concept of this in its second season’s ninth episode. Join Robert and Darrell as
Darrell continues his quest messing with Robert’s identity in our intro section, and Robert plays TZ Mega-Fan once again— is there nothing this guy doesn’t like any more? Fun discussion once again. Silly science fiction show stirred up deep thoughts. Thanks for joining us!! Try to enjoy it!!
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“A Small Town” got big ratings from Robert, sort of big ratings from Darrell, but nothing but small ratings from our viewer feedback section, Talky Tina. What was it about a pleasant, mostly one dimensional story about doing good in the world from a supernatural scale model of a small town in a church attic that didn’t land well with everyone? Maybe that’s just it, not a deep enough story for deep story loving Twilight Zone fans. Be that as it may, the machine and its machinations took Robert to a new theory that the episode actually represented a symbol for what the Twilight Zone is—it is our modern day Deus Ex Machina that opens the story doors to today’s issues and sets up a non-confrontational debate stage for viewers to see their world through the different colored light filters of a tv playhouse. Darrell and Robert discuss that theory and other ones on this potentially flat episode that produced a roller coaster ride of up and down ratings.
Here we are, 70% finished with season 2 of the new Twilight Zone series. I haven’t done the math, but I think it is fair to say we like season 2 at least more than 70% of our collective capacity to like the episodes so far. That being said, some people like this episode far more than we do. And you know what, that’s ok. It’s ok because in this podcast episode we examine what it means to lose loved ones and what love, itself, means to us and to these characters. Can you trust a space traveling pacification drone to take the place of a cherished person you lost for good, but now you’ll see this thing be just like them and they’ll have an “uber” knowledge about you that illuminates what went wrong in the past? Seemingly this household and this street have made a leap of faith to feel that love again and have it returned. And there’s why the Twilight Zone is generally better than just 70% because a story about lost loved ones is ultimately a story about faith…and that topic will go one for eternity. Enjoy. Share. And reconnect with loved ones present and past.
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Check out “8” with us. We have half as many people with audio discussing the episode, and that is probably fitting because among the four of us the score average is nearly half as low. And speaking of halves...this episode felt like half of it was awesome science fiction Twilight Zone and the other half felt overly wordy and overly fictional to our four minds. Then again, Whipples tells us that Octopuses have 9 minds and Darrell discovered another meaning (or place on earth) for the Twilight Zone. So, I guess you can say, The episode wasn’t half-bad. Listen in and as always, drop us a line even if it is just about our discussion. We love the input!
The Ocean Twilight Zone
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Here we are: half way through season 2 and after last week’s story felt out of tune for many of us, this week’s story has the right amount of magic, or, well, let’s call it metaphysical enchantment which pleased your hosts immensely. Our ratings make us sound like Germans saying no, but the phonetic translation is much more affirming. Robert and Darrell aren’t the only ones who have a lot to say. Darrell expertly covers the old series connections. Robert conjures up his Whipple resources. Bradley sends in audio feedback and he gets to quote William Blake again. And last but not least...long time listener and first time audio feedbacker, Rick, telekinetically makes us feel the weight of his insight and makes us hope we have a new friend from our listener feedback world besides Robert’s mom and his brother, WALLLLLLTTTTTTT!!!!!
Fire Lady sing us a sweet song where we can’t stop clapping in the end. Or, as in this episode, keep the praise going as long as possible for fame-lusting has-beens. Darrell and Robert pick apart this episode much like talent show judges pick apart great and/or poor performances alike. And there were some great scenes in this episode, but there were also scenes maybe worthy of the sound of one hand clapping. Give this episode of the podcast a listen and tell us your thoughts either by voicemail, email, or Facebook...just don’t use a large hunting knife to eat your noodles or type out your thoughts.
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Darrell and Robert get under each other’s skin and wrap their collective minds around “The Who of You.” Both of us agree the first two episodes of the second season came right out of the gate impressively strong, and the third episode does not disappoint. There is nothing but praise for lead actor, Ethan Embry, and his supporting cast is outstanding as well. There is a pretty big rating gap, however, between your co-hosts. Listen along and join us on our Facebook page if you have more thoughts you’d like to share.
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Are we dreaming, or did we just experience the best episode of Jordan Peele's Twilight Zone to date? Starring Morena Baccarin, "Downtime" had us cozied up to our screens and enjoying an episode that felt in many ways like an episode of Serling's classic series. Is it possible for a computer avatar to have an existential crisis? Should such a character be given free will and the right to live even if her real-world human is deceased? This one gave us plenty to consider.
"Downtime" had Robert and Darrell flip-flopping our ratings from last week. Where Darrell found it still a pretty good episode, Robert thinks it might be the best episode of the series so far. Check out our discussion that includes a Bemis report, quite a few thoughts from the Eye of the Beholder, excellent pairings from classic episodes to pull together your homework assignment, and a who’s who of notable movies from Whipple's Brain Center to enjoy if you like exploring dream-consciousness Fiction. As always, listener feedback connects us to you even better than just listening to us, so please drop us a line of print or a voicemail, and join the conversation!
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Jordan Peele's Twilight Zone returns for season 2 with a psychic connection head game thriller. The moral of this episode isn’t easily black or white and you would have to be a wiz to know exactly what the Twilight Zone team expected us to think when they lead us to an ending and have us experience a state of shock.
This one had a few plot points that had us scratching our heads, but kept both of us guessing until the end as we tried to figure out if Phil was crazy or just crazy in love.
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"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" is arguably the most iconic episode in the entire history of The Twilight Zone. It's been redone and parodied generation after generation since it first aired in 1963. For some, including Darrell, it's a fantastic episode for sure, but not the best episode starring William Shatner. That honor is bestowed upon "Nick of Time."
Whether "Nightmare" or "Nick" is your favorite, there's much to be enjoyed in each, and much to discuss in this month's episode!
We are joined by none other than one of the most distinguished TWILIGHT ZONE historians there is (and that’s not just because he also does a mean Mark Twain). He is, in fact, another Mark, Mark Dawidziak. Journalist, lecturer, professor, and author of a book that should be on everyone’s TWILIGHT ZONE must-have reading list, EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED In THE TWILIGHT ZONE. Mark shares with us his roundabout journey to getting the nod to write about one of his many great loves—sorry, Robert, it’s not Kolchak this time—and we pitch a few questions to him and he hits each one of them a country mile over every cornfield in their path. Let us know what you think of this edition of our podcast by leaving either written or voicemail feedback.
If you're like us, you like a good twist ending. Welcome back to the Twilight Zone--El Clasico Twist Endings Style—This time for an installment of “To Serve Man” and “The Masks.” Be honest. The very first time you saw these episodes did you predict the twist endings? That’s the best part of these iconic TZ episodes. The problem is almost everyone already has some exposure to the twist ending even before seeing the entire episode. Be that as it may, our intrepid co-hosts do their best to find the good tasting parts and the ugly character motivations and put them together in one giant discussion cookbook, served to you for your approval during a late midnight snack. Hopefully Darrell and Robert have given you food for thought and you’ll reach out to us with listener comments for our only goal is to serve you. Bon appétit!
We are proud to present to you, with very little delay, “Two,” and “The Bard.” The episodes feature film stars Charles Bronson and Burt Reynolds, and TV Star Elizabeth Montgomery. Listen along as Darrell and Robert cover dystopian worlds and magic circles. This time these actors have roles almost completely against type. For example, Charles Bronson gets shot and Elizabeth Montgomery does the shooting in “Two,” while the main character in “The Bard” is the one doing witchcraft. And Burt Reynolds does a hilarious impersonation of Brando’s Stanley Kolwalski who cluelessly offends and magically conjured William Shakespeare who eventually knocks him out because Burt’s character is an idiot. Lastly, Robert will not rest until the writer of Bill and Ted’s adventure admits he was inspired by the ending of “The Bard.”
We appropriately scared ourselves a wee bit this close to Halloween by covering sweet, little, red-headed, and possibly demonic Billy Mumy (sounds like Moo-me) episodes: “Long Distance Call,” and “It’s a Good Life.” They both are two very well known Twilight Zone episodes. Listen along as Darrell and Robert come to terms with how these episodes can be so good yet still conjure feelings of such great discord because Billy Mumy plays a creepy and murderous incredibly well. Darrell’s background research offers a lot of fun side-notes and Robert mentions the latest survey tallying Americans who believe in ghosts, demons, and vampires is a surprisingly high number.
“A World of His Own,” and “One for the Angels” are covered in-depth as Darrell’s and Robert’s favorite episodes. There was a rumor circulating that Robert would get emotional again, but it never took that form other than some nervousness discussing the shows we hold so reverently near and dear to our hearts. You’d think in two episodes that contained a Grim Reaper, a sacrificial child, a magical dictaphone, a real elephant, and even Rod Serling, we’d have a lot to talk about...and we sure did!
Well, it’s in the books. Season 1, Episode 10 of the Twilight Zone reboot made its final mark. “Blurryman,” let’s face it, did not disappoint. As a matter of fact, it appears to have prophetically addressed criticisms about the show that couldn’t possibly have been known at the time of filming. Art imitates life and life imitates and criticizes art in an episode that put its writer into the consciousness of the show and us as viewers right along with her. Robert and Darrell discuss the show, podcasting together, and stay tuned...upcoming podcast episodes where we will beginning to cover our favorite classic TZ episodes. Thanks for listening everyone, and no matter when you can, please give us some feedback and let us know how we’ve been doing. And remember, everyone must get Zoned!
The penultimate episode, number 9 of 10, jumped out at many like a Blue Scorpion jumping out of the darkness into the light and making everyone who saw it jump during its airing this past Thursday. Season 1, Episode 9, “The Blue Scorpion" seems to be thought of by many as the best one yet. With the exception of everyone named Jeff, Darrell and Robert look down the barrel at the plot points and the heart wrenching, yet sometimes hilarious portrayal of Jeff, by Chris O’Dowd. The hippies movement is contrasted by a handgun that acts like it has a soul, or at least bad intentions. Or does it? Nothing in the Twilight Zone is as it appears, not even a fancy gun that has a bullet with your name on it.
Just when you thought you’d hear Darrell and Robert unanimously echo each other’s likes and dislikes again, we finally have a split decision for “Point of Origin,” the most recent episode of the Twilight Zone. Both of us liked the cast, the style, and let’s not forget there were (spoiler alert) aliens...just not exactly the kind you would expect from the Twilight Zone. So where do we differ? Check us out and join the conversation afterwards and let us know what you think. As always, our listener written and audio comments are some of the best parts of this podcast episode.
Darrell and Robert try to keep it positive as they discuss "Not All Men," where not all men truly didn’t add up to enough reasons why we should cut this episode any slack. As one of our faithful listener calls suggests, “Has this show Jumped the Bruce” too many times hitting us over the head with wide-sweeping generalizations of social commentary? Be that as it may, we go over the many things we did like about the episode and there really were some great moments—anyone want to frolic in a meteorite infused fountain bath with a bunch of men in business suits who are hell-bent on killing anyone who looks at them crossways? Not us, but it looked like a great, stylistic homage to another classic horror movie. As always, let us know what you think. Are we taking crazy pills or just tricking ourselves with a placebo?
Colonization of Mars is not only possible in the most recent episode of the Twilight Zone, "Six Degrees of Freedom," it is also imperative now that the human race is on the brink of self-extinction. Global warming is just the spark igniting humans to start colonizing nearby worlds, but nuclear holocaust just before launch raises the stakes, to put it lightly. Deep space travel is stressful enough, but literally with the survival of the human race weighing down this crew heavier than their artificial gravity supplied by the Talking Tina onboard computer system it is no wonder some crew begin to crack. Is Pierson right? Is their voyage just an elaborate hoax to test them.
Robert and Darrell discuss the latest Twilight Zone Episode, “Six Degrees of Freedom.” Join us as we talk about the TZ putting the science back in science fiction. Co-writer Glen Morgan wasn’t kidding when he was interviewed and he talked about much of this season will be about characters choosing who they believe in and therefore the audience has to do the same thing. What do you believe happened in this episode? Did the crew make it to Mars? Did Pierson live in the end? I bet the on-board “Talking Tina” knows.
Marika Sila, from last week’s “A Traveler” episode, yes, Sgt. Yuka, talked with us and gave an inside look at her experiences auditioning for—and making choices how she approached—her role. We enjoyed her immensely and felt honored she shared her story about walking the Red Path now and teaching other indigenous people how they can live healthier lives.
Discussion for this week’s episode, “The Wunderkind,” questions not only the direction of Raff and Oliver as they head straight to the White House, but we are getting afraid the series may be getting too far off course and we can’t predict where it will end up—hopefully not on an operating table where only “no old doctors” will be able to save it. Let us know what your thoughts. Are we off the rails or is the series?
Super talented Glen Morgan of X-Files writing and executive producing fame gets back to his writing desk this week to pen the rebooted Twilight Zone’s 4th Episode, “A Traveler.” Morgan’s tale cleverly creates an Us Against Them theme where the viewers get to see from the murky perspective lens of the Twilight Zone, who truly is “Us” and who is “Them.” Please join Darrell and Robert as they discuss brother Jack’s drunken, yet all too truthful sober warning to his smart, strong, and beautiful sister, Sargent Yuka, “...unless you are the lead sled dog, the view is always pretty much the same.” We also have many of our questions about the reboot addressed in a Glen Morgan interview that Darrell found, and Robert nearly falls off the deep end with excitement as he gets to make all the connections to this episode with his idol monster-hunting skeptic hero, Carl Kolchak, of the 1970’s NightStalker series.
Without the constraints that often limited what Rod Serling could do, Jordan Peele get's to take a full head of steam as he tackles the subject of racism. Join Darrell and Robert as we discuss all the Easter Eggs Darrell finds and Robert misses, and become all too familiar with the phrase, “you may not know this about me, but I haven’t seen very many movies.” But seriously, this episode hit hard for both of us. Darrell forcing a timeout for himself while watching it, and Robert often forgetting it was a Twilight Zone episode because so much about it held truth. We got a great listener feedback comment to ponder and learned a couple cool things about Black Lives Matter. Finally, as always, Darrell gave us all some homework to go watch previous TZ episode tie-ins that make the experience richer.
A podcast about a TV show about a podcast? A TV episode inspired by a TV episode? We're full meta this week as we discuss, “Nightmare at 30,000 feet.”
Robert and Darrell try to decide if this was just a nightmare by the main character, an alternate universe where space travel to Mars is commonplace but people still listen to podcasts, or did Justin lose it and he really is fully to blame for the plane crash. Much love is given to Dan Carlin, who narrates the episode’s podcast recording. We loved all the supporting actors, the music, the lighting and maybe loved all that too much because we couldn’t guess who the Air Marshal was. Luckily for us our Talking Tina segment’s listener feedback covered us.
We discuss PTSD and we salute Jordan Peele’s new show and the well placed diversity we’re seeing in both new episodes. If our podcast starts predicting the events happening around you in real time, I suggest you start asking some obvious questions like, “Am I in the Twilight Zone?,” or at least, “Hey will someone else listen to this weird recording? I promise I don’t have lice!!!
Here it is!! Season 1: Episode 1, The Comedian. The long wait is over. Join Darrell and Robert as they discuss the episode’s hits and misses, former Twilight Zone connections, current news, and science and culture topics related to and inspired by the show.
Was a Twilight Zone Episode about stand up comedy supposed to be funny? All things are possible in the you-know-where. Stand Up terminology to follow on purpose, Darrell slays us pointing out a ton of old show Easter eggs. Robert crushes with his knowledge of Classic Greek comedy and drama theory —and notices he is a little too much like Rena’s mentor/friend who gets what’s coming to him. Darrell is especially impressed with the soundtrack and both guys do a deep cut as they talk about the nature of what true redemption is and should Samir be fully redeemed by his self sacrifice?
Talking Tina segment listener’s feedback made us reflect if we can handle more episodes of TZ dropping explicit language. And speaking of language, Robert completely nerds out talking about Drew Carrey’s library book on joke writing that sparked Drew’s career and gave him the discipline he needed to craft his act. At no point has Drew ever said, “...a well regulated….”
Welcome to The Fifth Dimension! There are a LOT of fun moments and clues in the epic Super Bowl commercial and we're here to help make sense of much of it. Robert and Darrell share some insights they've gleaned about the first 6 episodes of the new Twilight Zone series, as well as give a preview of what upcoming episodes of the podcast will be like.