Submitted for your approval...
Almost every episode is a standalone narrative, and most present an ordinary world, but then throw in a Shyamalan-type twist, only thought-provoking instead of bludgeoning. Serling himself presents the opening narrative and the moral lesson at the end of each episode, addressing the viewer in a fourth wall breaking manner, but not in a condescending tone.
In half hour runs, the show effectively presents a cast of characters, makes the audience care for them, and then pulls the rug out from under them both. It's rather rinse, wash, repeat, but it's done in such a way that it never gets old.
The special effects are... sometimes painful to watch. This was never meant by the studios to be anything approaching its classic status, and the budget constraints are obvious, but that forced the staff to rely on great writing, and the actors (everyone from Burgess Meredith, to Lee J. Cobb, to Robert Redford) to do a great job.
The characters could be anything from a bank teller who loves to read, to a convict stranded on a distant planet, to a salesman cheating Death. The theme could be mortality, fatalism, racism, government, or just a lesson in being honest. The only limit was the imagination of the writers and their ability to hide their message in such a way that the censors couldn't see it because it was just Science Fiction mumbo-jumbo.
Yes, this series ran from 1959 to 1964, a turbulent time in American social and political history. The writers had to dress up their morality plays in a way that couldn't be immediately understood at face value.
So, while the entirety of the series may seem outdated from a technical aspect today, its use of universal themes give it a timeless feel that is every bit as relevant today as it was over fifty years ago.
Do yourself favor and watch this series. Do it now. Or you just might find yourself trapped in...
The Twilight Zone.
-Rambler
No comments:
Post a Comment