Thief enters The Twilight Zone

I started watching TZ a few years ago but gave up after the first season.
The pilot episode was definitely a great start and the cinematic twist with the mirror looks fantastic, but overall I feel that the good episodes are significantly outnumbered by the mediocre ones.
And then there are some real stinkers like:
Perchance To A Dream (1.9)
The Four Of Us Are Dying (1.13)
The Purple Testament (1.19)
The Big Tall Wish (probably the very worst) (1.27)

The best episodes I've watched (ranked)
1. And When The Sky Was Opened (1.11)
2. The Hitch-Hiker (probably the most famous one, and also the inspiration for you-know-what-film) (1.16)
3. Where Is Everybody (1.1)
4. The Lonely (1.7)
5. A World Of Difference (1.23)
6. The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street (1.22)
7. Mirror Image (1.21)

I wrote that review half-asleep so I might go back and edit it later with a bit more substance as to why I think it didn't resonate with me that much. As for now, I'm barely holding myself together once the kids go to sleep.

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For an episode that's considered an all-time great, I also don't love Time Enough at Last. Part of that is the twist, like you say, and the contrast in tones.

I think that it's also one of those episodes where it has been parodied so many times, that you probably already know the ending, so you don't even get that jolt of shock at the end.

"And When The Sky Was Opened" is an underrated episode. I rarely see it listed among the top episodes, but it's another one of my favorite episodes.

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If I answer a game thread correctly, just skip my turn and continue with the game.
OPEN FLOOR.

The beauty of The Twilight Zone is that the episodes have that type of shock ending that you don't see coming, even when you know to watch for a twist. I started watching the show many years ago, when I was too young to figure out the endings, so the episodes with the best endings usually hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Time Enough at Last" was one of those episodes that I still remember being devastated when I saw the ending for the first time.

The Lonely was crushing, that end scene when Anna looks at Corey, with a wounded, confused look on her face, not cold, not robotic, but hurt... that devasted me.

For me, movies and shows with major twists fall into two categories:

1) "Wow, I did not see that coming!"---and I never feel the desire to watch it again.
1) "Wow, I did not see that coming!"--and I rewatch the film over and over because the stuff around the twist is so good OR it's amazing watching with the twist in mind (The Sixth Sense is a great example of this).

"Time Enough at Last" falls into the former category for me. I was not tremendously engaged by what came before the last act.

Personally, it was more the tone. I think it would've been more effective if the Bemis character wasn't portrayed as such a goofy comical character to begin with. If they would've played hm a bit more straight, his initial predicament with his wife and boss would've felt more tragic and I think the ending would've landed better for me. But I'm glad it is cherished by many.

The Usual Suspects falls in the latter for me. Surprisingly, The Sixth Sense falls in the former. I saw it in theaters, figured the twist halfway through, wasn't that blown away by it and haven't revisited it since.

Interesting! I often see twists coming and did not see this one on the horizon.

I also think that it's a movie that, even fully knowing the ending, is rewarding to watch and the way that the truth is woven into the film is quite masterful. (Such as )

One of my favorite episodes to rewatch knowing the ending is Nothing in the Dark.

Once you know that (MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!!)

Yeah, there's been a couple of times when I've thought about rewatching it, but for some reason I never do. I remember having a weird, opposite reaction to Shyamalan's first four films, where I gradually liked each of them more and more (peaking with The Village, which is a personal favorite). Maybe I'm unconsciously clinging to that uniqueness

SYNOPSIS: Edward Hall (Richard Conte) seeks the help of psychiatrist Eliot Rathmann (John Larch), as he is tormented by recurring episodic nightmares that feel real. This is complicated by a heart condition which can lead to his death if the nightmares push him hard enough to the edge.

QUICK THOUGHTS: Really good one. Not only did I love Conte's desperate and almost unhinged performance, but I loved the way they build this dream world. The mysterious ambience, the clever use of dutch angles, and the gradual build-up of tension and dread as Hall falls deeper and deeper into his dreams, it was all effectively done.

THE TWIST:


Grade:

That's a great one.

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