I’ve been looking forward to today for months—it was 50 years ago, on Friday, October 2, 1959, that the first episode of The Twilight Zone aired. It’s unbelievable how good these were, and still are. They are models of perfect pacing, creating suspense, framing and lighting shots, developing a theme, and dialogue that moves a stimulating story forward but never condescends. There are no short cuts or cheap shots in The Twilight Zone, just flawless exposition and social commentary. Rod Serling was a genius—besides the bulk of the great TZ episodes, he also wrote the original Planet of the Apes screenplay, including the best shock ending ever.
Who doesn’t like the monster of the wing of the plane, or Shatner getting addicted to fortune telling, or the nearly endless classic twist endings: the “deformed” girl in a conformist world, the broken glasses, or the alien cookbook!
I use a few episodes in my classes each October, actually, to help teach literary concepts, like identifying themes and commentary.
Should you invest some time on your date night to watching several classic episodes free online? Yes. Yes, you should.
Gently Hew Stone 