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I love the old Twilight Zone episode marathons they play on some holidays in my area. All day long on perhaps our Thanksgiving Day or Independence Day, or random other holidays, a local TV station will run back-to-back episodes. I just leave it on while I cook or get ready to go out.

Some of them are really good - fantastic stories of human dilemma, our societal norms challenged, attitudes and needs examined, passions played out to their logical and sometimes terrible conclusion. Sometimes they are cautionary tales with a simple moral. Or perhaps they will introduce one small twist on the alchemy of our reality in an otherwise normal set of circumstances, just for the fun of following through with the question, "I wonder what people would do if...."

My favorite one is A Stop at Willoughby.

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It's about a very stressed-out man living a loveless life, who naps on a train, dreaming of an idyllic town called Willoughby, where life is simpler, people are kind, and he is welcomed, serene, and happy.

He does end up in Willoughby, but I won't spoil it by telling you just how... :)

I love this one because I can relate to the character so much. It's why I run away to the river in the mountains. I've always wanted to go to Willoughby. I may end up there some day, myself. :)

So is it just me? What about you? Do you have a favorite? I'd love to hear about it, and why it's special to you. Just for fun.

Love, Grace

:)

asked 27 Nov '12, 17:27

Grace's gravatar image

Grace
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edited 31 Dec '12, 14:22

@Grace I've heard it referenced in many an American programme but have never come across it on TV. I might check it out on DVD for the holidays - is it best to start with Season One or is it one of those programmes that starts slow (we preferred the mid seasons of The Waltons) and then builds to a couple of classic series in the middle before "jumping the shark" and declining?

(28 Nov '12, 12:24) Catherine
1

@Catherine - Hard to say. The show did evolve a bit over time, but they are all sort of other-worldly, and everyone seems to have their own favorites... I'd say jump in anywhere. They are all individual little unrelated "teleplays". Great rainy-day fare. :)

(28 Nov '12, 17:02) Grace

To all the TZ addicts in my area: I just found out the SyFy Channel is running a marathon all day to day and tomorrow LOL! Hahaha I wonder if the programmers for that channel are IQ lovers, too? ;)

(31 Dec '12, 14:17) Grace

Great episode, I like this one too!

(24 Jan '13, 13:14) figure8shape
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I liked the one where the girl was in the hospital with bandages on her face. Only at the end did they show her looking like our species of face and everyone else had an alien face. She went to live in a colony where everyone looked like her.

I think it was about diversity and rigid social standards.

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answered 28 Nov '12, 07:41

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clearheart
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also, it dealt with the woman's own self condemnaton and horror at her appearance.

(28 Nov '12, 10:40) clearheart

@clearheart, me too. Makes you think about all the ways we decide we have to appear in order to be accepted.

(28 Nov '12, 17:05) Grace

exactly Grace.

(28 Nov '12, 20:19) clearheart

This episode has always been my favorite as well.

(29 Nov '12, 14:51) LeeAnn 1
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"To serve man" Opens with a man in a room that ask what time is it? and gets an answer "There is no time in space." Growing up in Los Angeles the twilight zone was on almost all the time on too. They just donĀ“t make TV like they used to.I think you gave me a good Christmas present suggestion... Reflecting back on the series it was quite thought provoking and sometimes a critical view on society at that time . If you haven't seen any of the shows I would highly recommend them.
peace

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answered 28 Nov '12, 02:43

ursixx's gravatar image

ursixx
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1

To Serve Man. That may be the quintessential Twilight Zone episode... Nice pick, @ursixx. :)

(28 Nov '12, 17:03) Grace

i think it'd have to be The Masks, where a dying man's avaricious family is gathered around his deathbed to collect the inheritance when he dies, but the the man has one last request - that they all wear grotesque masks (that coincidentally reflect their low inner characters). He wears the mask of Death, a skull. As he dies when the clock strikes twelve, the masks leave their permanent marks upon their faces and from there onward their exterior appearances reflect their nasty interiors, like a curse. When the old man's mask is removed however, his face was calm and serene and unaltered by the mask of death.

another really good one which we can relate to easily here, especially if we've tried the Box Manifesting method is "A world of his own", where a writer manifests exactly what he wants by speaking into a tape recorder. It's one of the funnier episodes, but it's even funnier to us because it's kinda true.

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answered 28 Nov '12, 16:00

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transparent
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edited 28 Nov '12, 16:08

The Masks was terrific. I had forgotten about that second episode you mentioned, A World of His Own. Interesting, when you look at it in that light. I'd like to see it again. Thank you @transparent. :)

(28 Nov '12, 17:07) Grace

The episode named "Talking Tina". It's about a girl who received a talking doll to comfort her from her Mum's new soon-to-be husband. The girl wasn't exactly thrilled about her soon-to-be step father, yet loved the doll who she named Tina. The doll (for lack of a better word) "felt" the girl didn't like the man and wanted to protect the girl and apparently began to dislike the man too. Tina was a doll who talked, escaped and eventually killed. It was eerie and scary in a weird way, especially when I watched it as a pre-teen. Have watched it TONS of times.

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answered 24 Jan '13, 13:14

figure8shape's gravatar image

figure8shape
3.8k21850

Ooooh yes I remember... "My name is talking Tina, and I don't like you." eeek. Gives me the heebie jeebies. :) Thank you for sharing!

(25 Jan '13, 22:56) Grace

My favorite one is "THE HUNT". An old man going hunting with his dog at night even though his wife has a premonition and tries to keep him from going. When the dog falls in the water going after a coon, the man tries to save him and jumps after him. Not realizing they are both dead, the man and his dog go on a long journey back home, passing his neighbors digging holes on his property. He gets upset and tells them to stop, but they of course don't see or hear him. They are digging the graves for him and his dog. After a while he ends up at home and tries talking to his wife, only to find out she can't see him either and has the pastor over to hold services for him before they bury him. When they take him (his dead body) out of his bedroom he gets very upset and emotional and tries to tell them he is still alive, but to no avail. So, then, finally him and his dog go on a long trip trying to find the road to heaven, passing a glorious place inviting him in, but not his dog. Then the man and his dog continue and come to a small little gate with a guy in old country clothing asking him where he is going to. The man tells him he is looking for heaven. The guy at the gate tells him he came to the right place and to come on in. The dead man is hesitating and inquires about his dog. He is answered heaven would not dream of separating a man from his loyal dog and they are both welcome. He is also told the other place the man passed by is actually hell. So they both enter, man and his dog, and it ends with the man inquiring about his wife, whether she will make it to heaven. He is happy to hear she will and it won't be long before it is her time.

Since I love animals and have lots of them, this was a tear jerker for me and I have seen this program 3 times on METV. I normally don't watch very many Twilight Zone programs, some are quite strange, but some are pretty good.

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answered 29 Nov '12, 18:07

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PurpleRose
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I know our cat will be with us in heaven :)

(29 Nov '12, 23:15) clearheart

@PurpleRose this is a kind of a rare episode here, I haven't had the opportunity to see it start to finish. I love it too. I remember discussing with someone the idea that the first gate was not only a trick, but a test. That if you would dump you best friend to get into heaven, then you would be headed to the right place! So it was sort of multi-layered in its message. Good one, nice pick. :)

(29 Nov '12, 23:23) Grace

The show stayed top notch through all seasons and even came back a few years later in color as Night Gallery. (Both hosted by Rod Sterling)

Night Gallery was another excellent series.

Ray Bradbury came out with Ray Bradbury Theater years later followed by Steven Speilburg's Amazing Stories.

I loved all of those series actually. I can't think of favorites though.

I remember very many episodes as I used to watch them all the time every night.

The movie was very good too, I remember all the original episodes that they used to make the movie.

The boy with the magical powers, NASA ship lands on a woman's roof, people trapped in a round room, Talking Tina, The old woman with the dolls, opposite planet, they are like us, it's a cook book, all the time in the world with all the books in the world but broken glasses, plastic surgery, the body electric, how much are your toys worth (that was a very good one that taught me a valuable lesson), It is real gold!, I am their God, store manikins, the experiment on a town, the evil camera that takes pictures 5 minutes in the future, Incident at owl creek, the cowboy that brought back the dead, Man vs machine, The billiards episode with Jack Klugman and Johnathan Winters, The man that was given super strength, the plane that never made it back, the gremlin plane, the ventriloquist, call from the grave, it was all just a dream (it's snowing out), and so many more.....

I remember all of those and plenty more!

I hope my quotes and light descriptions bring back memories for you.

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answered 30 Nov '12, 01:04

Wade%20Casaldi's gravatar image

Wade Casaldi
36.9k430107

edited 30 Nov '12, 12:56

Hey @Wade Casaldi! How did I miss this? You did bring back memories, we know and love them all so much! Remember the one where the cowboy went out to a cemetary on a dark and stormy night, and a tree branch or something caught on his coat at the grave? He keeled over thinking the man was reaching for him from beyond! Shiver! :)

(25 Jan '13, 22:53) Grace

Yes that was good, to me one of the masterpieces was the girl dreaming of Earth spinning out of control towards the sun. Only to finally wake up screaming and realize it was just a dream. Oh it is snowing out how wonderful we are not spinning into the sun! While on the television the news says we can do nothing about it earth is spinning out of control away from the sun!

(26 Jan '13, 10:59) Wade Casaldi

Imagine waking from that terrible nightmare of earth baking to death, everything melting to see it is snowing out! Oh what a relief, we are not going to bake to death only to realize moments later no, no we are not going to bake to death.... We are going to freeze to death!

(26 Jan '13, 11:09) Wade Casaldi
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