Description: Season 1, Episode 22
Air Date: March 4, 1960
Plot Summary: When the power suddenly goes out in a suburban town, the kindly neighbors turn on each other in a fit of paranoia.
Review: Once again we come upon a famous episode--known specifically for its influence and social critique. Obviously the story holds great relevance for the time period (what with fears of communism), but the message regarding paranoia, and the way humans easily turn on each other, is applicable to any era. The episode also demonstrates the fragility of human civility and that of society itself. Over the years, many have tried to invoke the themes presented here, but this is the quintessential tale.
You may be familiar with the episode, but let's recap it a bit. We are shown Maple Street: the equivalent of any cliched neighborhood in 1950s USA. The inhabitants appear nice enough with that whole "Leave it to Beaver" vibe. After a light passes over the neighborhood, the residents discover their appliances, cars, and other electronic devices have been shut down. As the residents gather to figure out the situation, a Wally-wannabe claims this is the work of aliens as depicted in his comics. The neighbors begin to suspect one of their own is behind the situation and pick apart any unusual behavior. It really doesn't take long for the finger-pointing to begin as emphasized by the episode. Strange things do happen, however, as occasionally someone will gain power and appear suspicious. As the day turns to night, the neighbors have become completely paranoid, unwilling to stay indoors, as they meticulously keep an eye on one another in an openly hostile manner. With the neighbors quite literally turning into a mob, they suddenly see an individual appear in the dark. Mindlessly, one of the neighbors shoots the individual only to discover it was one of their own friends who had left to check if the power was on in the next town over. This murder spirals the neighbors into full blown anarchy as the lights begin flickering on and off at different homes. As the chaos ensues, the camera pans out to show us two aliens atop a nearby hill looking at the crazed humans. The aliens discuss how easy it is to exploit human distrust and that every neighborhood is like this. The implication is that they will destroy humanity from the inside out in the most simplistic of means. Mr. Serling wraps things up nicely for us as he explains the delicate nature of society and how suspicion and prejudice can destroy the world. Most importantly, he stresses that these concepts are not confined to the Twilight Zone. A chilling introspection to say the least.
While the episode is not subtle in the least, this doesn't hinder the message. In fact, I don't think it's much of a stretch to believe a scenario like this could occur quite naturally. Society is mostly maintained by paper thin means and, more so, a matter of perception; at any moment the walls that hold everything together could crumble. The other important aspect to take away from the episode is that the monsters are well within the everyday person, and there doesn't need to be any outside influence like the aliens. This was most certainly one of the more powerful episodes, and its influence is as relevant for today as it was back then.
This is one of the best and
ReplyDeletemost classic Twilight episodes, and it has similarities to "The shelter" with Leave it to Beaver type residents on their 1950s TV land street starting off quite similar to those atmospheres, but then taking that daring turn that those shows never dared to take. It's interesting how almost any ordinary decent people could, under very unusual extreme circumstances can transform into much uglier beasts who'd rip each other's throats out. Another example of this sort of idea was "Lord of the flies", with normal school kids who eventually turn into murderous savages when stranded seemingly forever on their own on an uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific.