My Top 10 Twilight Zone episodes

This is my favorite episode, and it's my favorite because it taps into the biggest question of them all: who are we? To be born into a world you aren't familiar with, into a person you don't recognize, can be one of the most frightening, alienating things. Everyone needs to know their place, to understand their purpose or to know for certain that they do have a purpose, and sometimes it's not so much who we are, but why we are. This episode is great because it shows our relentless perseverance in our quest to find these answers, and though answers are indeed given, sometimes being left in the dark is more comforting than we originally thought. That's why it's the best episode, because it tells us something without really telling us anything, and the loneliness and sadness felt in response to that is the most potent the series has ever been.

This is a powerful episode because it shows just how out of control people's paranoia can get. There were many episodes like this that dealt with Cold War fears, but what makes this episode so good is just how truthful it is about people: we are desperate for answers, and the longer we go without an explanation the more susceptible we are to losing control. People need the world around them to make sense, we need the pieces to fit perfectly, but when they don't our minds take over, grasping at any conceivable resolution that'll give us peace. This isn't to say that people are inherently violent, but it's another testament to the power of the mind and it's influence over us. That's why this episode is one of the best: it's a quest for peace that explodes into violence, and no matter the influences beyond our reach, it's all our fault.

Everyone has an affinity towards the past, but some attractions can run too deep. This is the case in this episode, as a man unhappy with his current life finds himself back in his old hometown as a child. What makes this episode such a standout for me is the knowledge and experience that one gains through life. It's a knowing, an understanding of how things are that you never knew when you were a child. No one realizes until they're older just how significant it is to be a child, to really go out into the world and live it before the burden of responsibility takes hold. That's what the spirit of this episode is: it's not about going back to that time and living it again, it's wishing you were more appreciative of it as you were living it.

This is one of the more intense episodes produced. This is in part because of the life & death stakes in play, but what also makes this episode special is the pathological obsession by the lead to being the best. It's his obsession that has taken a hold of his life, stifling his development & happiness in other areas, and this unwavering belief that it makes him "somebody." In true Twilight Zone fashion, things end the way they really should and though there is this sadness at a life unfulfilled, it's a strong reminder of the things that truly make life worth living, and how we're the only thing in the way of living it to our fullest.

I don't want to give too much away about this episode, but it's hard to talk about this one without hinting too much at how it ends. What I will say is that for an alien invasion story, it's simple in concept and in execution, but in true Twilight Zone fashion, nothing is completely as it seems. It's one of the finest productions they've ever done.

Most people remember the other William Shatner episode, but to me this is a far superior episode, largely due to Shatner's performance. Whereas Nightmare at 20,000 Feet showed our fear of knowing something no one could possibly believe, this episode shows someone's paranoia getting the better of him. Shatner does a fantastic job as a man lossing all control, allowing self-doubt and superstition to creep in, convincing him of something that everyone secretly fears: that we are not in control of our own destiny. It works on a supernatural level as well as a psychological one, and is a testament to how easily Man can be influenced.

I was hesitant to put this episode on the list for some significant technical errors, but upon watching this episode again, those errors don't really matter. This is as fine an episode as the series has ever produced. The format of this episode is not only creative and unique, but plays into the theme: what is beauty? Is there such a thing as a true form of beauty? This episode just resonated strongly with me, with its powerful themes that were executed so gracefully.

To See the Invisible Man

This is the only episode from the '80s reboot in my top 10, but it also happens to be the best of that iteration of the show. Like many Twilight Zone episodes, it's concept is ridiculous, but it's still very effective and very much keeping within the themes of loneliness that marked the original show. But what really gets me about this episode is the ending, both in its irony and poetry. I won't reveal what it is, but it's the perfect ending, and another well executed concept.

This is an episode I really enjoy because of how it exposes Man's curiosity and ignorance. It takes a universal concern and sets it in a mythic setting, something the Twilight Zone was very good at doing. It's twist might not be the greatest, but I still found it effective because of why it happened and the consequences that arose from it. As unrealistic as the episode is, it's chilling to think of what how people's curiosity and ignorance can cause even the greatest of horrors.

This is one of the few non-supernatural episodes in the series, but it also happens to be one of the best for it. It's not just a commentary on human nature in the wake of social and government collapses, it's also a rather sweet love story about two lonely people who are able to shed any sense of the world that was and come together with a sense of hope for the future. It's not ironic and no one gets their just deserts, but it's one of the more optimistic episodes and I love it for it.

HONORABLE MENTION

I don't normally enjoy "just desserts" episodes as much as others. Most of them have outrageously dislikeable main characters, who are either wealthy snobs or rough-around-the-edges crooks. This one works the best of them all, because the main character here hits close to home. He's a step-father who's indifferent and cold to his wife's daughter, for reasons that aren't unbelievable, yet he's still easily hateable for it. Her saving grace comes in the form of Talkie Tina, a doll her mother buys her, and who inevitably clashes with the father over his treatment of his daughter.

This is simply one well produced episode. It has a good flow, good tone that's creepy without taking itself too seriously, and arguably the best score of any TZ episode. The only thing keeping it off my main list is that I just happened to enjoy those 10 more. This is otherwise a near perfect episode.

HONORABLE MENTION

I love this episode. It's a fun concept that's well written and well performed, especially by Dick York. It's an instance of a man going into a realm he simply doesn't belong in, but more than that, it's just one funny episode. In fact, it's the funniest episode the show ever produced, and I can't wait to see it again.

HONORABLE MENTION

This is another creepy episode with a good atmosphere to it and a concept that will give you chills. Most of the time it's monsters, aliens, or ghosts that creep into our minds and petrify us...but what about us? More precisely, what about someone who looks just like us, with an intention of erasing us from our own lives and taking our place? Doppelganger stories are classic. There's an uncanniness to them, and a violation of something so personal, something we should have complete, total ownership over: our own lives.

I think what ultimately really makes this episode work for me is the sense of foreboding that lingers once it's over. Twilight Zone endings usually have a sense of irony to them that places an exclamation point on the themes, but in this one I got the sense that there was no reason, no solution, and ultimately, no hope for the people in this universe. I love that.

HONORABLE MENTION

How far would a man go to get what he wants? Can a price really be put on honor and respect?

These are the questions this episode attempts to answer, as the courage and resiliency of one man is put up against the honor and pocketbook of another. What's really nice about this episode is that you do start out believing in the characters as they're presented to us, but as the episode goes on you find yourself feeling differently, as the character of each man is properly illuminated....or is it?

This episode is tense and has a good pace to it, and the ending to this episode is one of the best the series ever produced. This is one I thoroughly enjoyed.

HONORABLE MENTION

This is one of the classic Twilight Zone episodes, and exemplifies why the show is one of the best: it can scare you and make you laugh, and do it at the same time, too.

At its core the concept is funny and ironic, and you find yourself laughing in spite of the creepiness, but you introduce a surrounding cast of townspeople who are oppressed, frightened and angry, and it just adds that extra layer to an episode that could've been played mostly for laughs. The final scene in particular is very scary and full of tension, staying with you once the episode ends. It's a must watch.