If The Twilight Zone, to quote Jordan Peele, “holds a mirror up to society,” then how you feel about Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone reboot holds a mirror up to you. The first season, which wrapped up Thursday on CBS All Access, has thrilled some viewers and disappointed others — and, for some of us, disappointed one week only to thrill the next. Your mileage, in other words, may vary.
But as the season ends with what is undeniably the reboot’s most exciting episode yet, a picture (if you will) is starting to form. There’s no better time to work your way through Season 1 of Peele’s take on the anthology series. If you’re looking to hit the high points and avoid the flops, we’ve pulled together a guide to every episode of the season, complete with a summary, the major players, a quick review, and whether you should watch. Think of it as a road map to help you navigate the far reaches of The Twilight Zone.
A note: There are no plot spoilers here, but because the ending can make or break a Twilight Zone story, some quick takes do touch on how well an episode’s ending works.
Kumail Nanjiani in “The Comedian,” The Twilight Zone
“The Comedian”
Summary: A stand-up comedian (Kumail Nanjiani) takes the advice of a legend (Tracy Morgan) and makes his work more personal, only to pay an unexpectedly personal price.
Cast: Nanjiani, Morgan, Diarra Kilpatrick, Amara Karan
Quick take: There’s a great, vintage Twilight Zone feel to the end of “The Comedian” — but at 54 minutes long, it’s a slog to get there.
Should you watch it? No
Adam Scott in “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet,” The Twilight Zone
“Nightmare at 30,000 Feet”
Summary: A journalist (Adam Scott) suffering from PTSD becomes convinced that his flight is doomed when he listens to a true crime podcast about the disappearance of the plane he’s currently on.
Cast: Scott, Chris Diamantopoulos, Katie Findlay
Quick take: A remake of the iconic original episode starring William Shatner, “Nightmare” takes a modern look at paranoia. It’s a tight, confident episode that twists the classic in a new direction.
Should you watch it? Yes
Sanaa Lathan and Damson Idris in “Replay,” The Twilight Zone
“Replay”
Summary: A woman (Sanaa Lathan) discovers that her camcorder can rewind time as she tries to prevent a racist state trooper from killing her college-bound son (Damson Idris).
Cast: Lathan, Idris, Glenn Fleshler
Quick take: “Replay” uses its sci-fi premise to confront the horror of police brutality from multiple angles. The emotional stakes are high, and the best scenes are frighteningly tense, even if the episode loses steam toward the end.
Should you watch it? Yes
Steven Yeun in “A Traveler,” The Twilight Zone
“A Traveler”
Summary: On Christmas Eve in Iglaak, Alaska, a mysterious traveler (Steven Yeun) shows up in a jail cell, requesting a pardon from an egotistical police captain (Greg Kinnear).
Cast: Yeun, Kinnear, Marika Sila
Quick take: “A Traveler” has ideas — about lies and colonialism — that never really come together, but aside from the finale, it’s the most fun episode of the bunch: a curious adventure with a quirky Twilight Zone spirit.
Should you watch it? Yes
John Cho and Jacob Tremblay in “The Wunderkind,” The Twilight Zone
“The Wunderkind”
Summary: A washed-up campaign manager (John Cho) decides to revitalize his career by getting a kid (Jacob Tremblay) elected president of the United States.
Cast: Cho, Tremblay, Allison Tolman, John Larroquette
Quick take: The least inventive and most painfully literal episode of the season, “The Wunderkind” is about what happens when America backs an immature, ill-prepared candidate. Watching this episode feels like watching the news.
Should you watch it? No
DeWanda Wise in “Six Degrees of Freedom,” The Twilight Zone
“Six Degrees of Freedom”
Summary: A space crew preparing for the first human flight to Mars is faced with a last-minute, life-altering decision.
Cast: DeWanda Wise, Jessica Williams, Jefferson White, Jonathan Whitesell, Lucinda Dryzek
Quick take: “Six Degrees” is an atmospheric episode that traps a fantastic cast in a tight space and asks a lot of interesting questions. The ending could have packed a bigger punch than it does, but a classic Twilight Zone premise still goes a long way.
Should you watch it? Yes
Taissa Farmiga and Rhea Seehorn in “Not All Men,” The Twilight Zone
“Not All Men”
Summary: A meteor shower leads to a rash of violence across a town, but only the men seem to be infected.
Cast: Taissa Farmiga, Ike Barinholtz, Luke Kirby, Rhea Seehorn
Quick take: The cast is having fun — Barinholtz is really going for it — and the episode is fine, but it’s just fine. If you have experience existing as a woman, you get it already.
Should you watch it? No
Ginnifer Goodwin in “Point of Origin,” The Twilight Zone
“Point of Origin”
Summary: A picture-perfect housewife (Ginnifer Goodwin) questions her definition of home after she’s detained by a secretive government agency.
Cast: Goodwin, James Frain, Zabryna Guevara
Quick take: “Point of Origin” tackles a timely story about immigration and privilege, and unlike the season’s more literal episodes, this one gives the headlines a creative spin. And Goodwin really sells it.
Should you watch it? Yes
Chris O’Dowd in “The Blue Scorpion,” The Twilight Zone
“The Blue Scorpion”
Summary: After the death of his father, a professor (Chris O’Dowd) becomes dangerously fixated on a rare gun.
Cast: O’Dowd, Amy Landecker
Quick take: “The Blue Scorpion” is a mixed bag. It finds a good angle on the selfish sickness of a gun-obsessed culture only to end in a disappointingly uninspired place.
Should you watch it? No
Zazie Beetz in “Blurryman,” The Twilight Zone
“Blurryman”
Summary: A writer (Zazie Beetz) is haunted by a mysterious figure that seems somehow connected to her work.
Cast: Beetz, Seth Rogen, Betty Gabriel
Quick take: The first season saved its best episode for last. At turns frightening and funny, “Blurryman” is a playful meta commentary on entertainment and the point of storytelling (and yes, one key scene is hampered by noticeable CGI, but it’s still a great scene). Fans of Rod Serling‘s original Twilight Zone will find plenty to love here.
Should you watch it? Yes. If you only watch one episode from Season 1, make it this one.
The Twilight Zone Season 1 is available to stream on CBS All Access.
(Disclosure: TV Guide is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of CBS Corporation.)
Jordan Peele, The Twilight Zone
Source : TVGuide
