In 1959, Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone debuted and ran for 159 episodes until 1964. Several revivals followed, one from 1985-1989, and another from 2002-2003. It is the original series however, that still captivates audiences, myself included, to this day. I grew up watching old movies and television shows with my mother. It is a favorite pastime of ours. I’ve always had a deep appreciation for things from the past, especially when it comes to entertainment. It is interesting to see how we have evolved as humans through the arts. In fact, art often imitates life far beyond the scope of when it is originally produced. One of my favorite episodes called “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” is perhaps one of the most well-known episodes. It is also the episode I think about most often when it comes to reflecting upon how far we’ve come as a society. The following quote is from the epilogue of the episode:
There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices — to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill — and suspicion can destroy — and a thoughtless frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own — for the children — and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is — that these things cannot be confined — to the Twilight Zone
Through creativity, The Twilight Zone. offered a social commentary that is still relevant in today’s social climate. The parables told in the series offer something that very few shows have achieved since. It made its audience reflect upon their lives. It was as entertaining as it was introspective. It is what I think the arts are all about. Like Shakespeare’s Hamlet once said, “To hold a mirror up to nature.” You can watch that episode, as well as the entire series of The Twilight Zone on both Netflix and Hulu.