Review—The Twilight Zone (2019 Remake)
"You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of one's fears and the summit of one's knowledge. You are now traveling through a dimension of imagination. You just crossed over... into the Twilight Zone."
Let me preface this by saying, I am too young to have been a fan of the original series. Having been born in the late 80s, I have not yet delved into the beloved classic that was the original Twilight Zone. From my limited research on the topic, the original series was characterized by short, unrelated 30-minute episodes that each put forward an alternate reality in which one key variable had been changed or introduced in order to make brief moral statements in the context of a sci-fi/fantasy allegory.
Having watched both seasons of the remake, I can tell you that unfortunately, the new series doesn’t really live up to that heritage. There is a pithy moral to each episode, but upon deeper analysis, each of those “morals” winds up falling flat. They’re not the kind of profound truths that the original series became famous for. These are more superficial observations. Having said that, the remake is still great entertainment—or at least half of it is, anyway. Almost exactly half of the episodes have decent twists and interesting ideas, making them entertaining to watch, but the other half run the gamut from mediocre to abysmal. These unfortunate offerings even managed to fail as entertainment, being too slow, too improbable, too predictable, or just too meaningless on every level.
Yet there were a few episodes with a deeper meaning that managed to sneak through the rest, thereby coming close to the lofty goals of the original series. For example, in season one, “Replay” (S1E3) is about a Black woman who discovers a camcorder that has the ability to rewind not only the tape, but also time itself. She uses the device repeatedly in an attempt to escape a dangerous encounter with a racist cop. This episode has some strong parallels to current events, and it’s particularly powerful, because it helps to put the viewer in the shoes of the protagonist. Being singled out and mistreated just because of the color of one’s skin is an unfortunate reality in the world, and this episode manages to make several important statements about that exact problem. Preachy? Maybe, but I thought it was fantastic.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are episodes that I couldn’t even watch because they were so boring. The Wunderkind (S1E5) is a great example of this. A campaign manager gets a kid elected as the President of the United States. I couldn’t bring myself to suspend disbelief to the point that I could imagine anyone, ever, electing a child. Maybe it was hyperbole to suggest that any candidate with the right backing or campaign platform could get elected, but I just couldn’t get into it.
Then there was The Blue Scorpion (S1E9), about an old antique revolver that seems to have a mind of its own. I watched the episode all the way through, only to wish I could get that hour of my life back.
In season two, the trend continues: some episodes are good entertainment while others are too boring or ridiculous to endure. The better ones, Try Try (S2E9), Among the Untrodden (S2E5), and Meet in the Middle (S2E1) are all great entertainment with ironic twists that you might not see coming, but the second season still lacks the punch of having any particularly deep meaning, and I would characterize fully half of the episodes as skippable or unwatchable, even though I did watch a few of those through to the end. You can safely skip 8 (S2E6), which is about sentient octopuses plotting to take over the world, and Downtime (S2E2) which is about an artificial reality (presented in the most boring way possible), and You Might Also Like (S2E10), which was so unbelievably obtuse that I couldn’t even tell you what it was about after watching it halfway through.
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Overall, if you’re already paying a subscription fee for CBS, then it’s worth picking through the remake to find the jewels. If I had to rate both seasons together, I’d give the remake a 6/10. But the individual episodes rise both above and below that average. If you’d like a more detailed guide, here are my individual ratings and comments:
SEASON 1
The Comedian (S1E1) – 6/10 – “A stand-up comic incorporates details about people he knows into his routines, unaware that every joke results in someone being erased from existence.” Entertaining, but there’s no deep meaning here.
Nightmare at 30,000 Feet (S1E2) – 6/10 – “A journalist finds an MP3 player with a true crime podcast that details how the airplane he is currently on will disappear.” Entertaining.
Replay (S1E3) – 9/10 – “A woman sets out to prevent a racist state trooper from killing her son by using a camcorder with the power to turn back time.” More than just entertainment. Has a deeper meaning, and makes a strong emotional connection with the viewer.
A Traveler (S1E4) – 4/10 – “A mysterious man's arrival at an Alaska police station's Christmas party prompts a sergeant to investigate his ulterior motives.” You can skip this one. There’s a decent twist, but that’s about it.
The Wunderkind (S1E5) – 2/10 – “A down-and-out campaign manager gets a kid elected President of the United States.” Definitely skip it.
Six Degrees of Freedom (S1E6) – 6/10 – “A space crew preparing for the first human flight to Mars is faced with a life-altering decision...and its consequences.” Entertaining and definitely sc-fi.
Not All Men (S1E7) – 5/10 – “A meteor shower spreads infection across an entire town affecting some of the inhabitants more than others.” Not bad, not great.
Point of Origin (S1E8) – 2/10 – “A housewife discovers where she's really from when she's taken away from her family.” I’d give this a skip.
The Blue Scorpion (S1E9) – 2/10 – “The emergence of a strange, elusive gun changes the life of an anthropology professor whose mind is slowly unraveling.” Skip it for sure.
Blurryman (S1E10) – 5/10 – “Sophie Gelson, a writer for The Twilight Zone (2019), is haunted by a mysterious figure.” Unique! Worth watching as a segue into season two.
SEASON 2
Meet in the Middle (S2E1) – 8/10 – “A lonely bachelor makes a telepathic connection with a stranger, but not everything is as it seems in his new romance.” Good twist!
Downtime (S2E2) – 3/10 – “After a woman is promoted to hotel manager, the nature of her reality is called into question.” Really bad, but maybe you’ll like it better than I did.
The Who of You (S2E3) – 7/10 – “A struggling actor risks everything to catch his big break, but an impulsive scheme takes a few unexpected turns.” Entertaining. Worth watching.
Ovation (E2E4) – 5/10 – “A struggling singer's music career takes off when she witnesses a tragic incident, but she soon realizes that her recognition comes at a steep cost.” Just okay.
Among the Untrodden (S2E5) – 7/10 – “A transfer student's unusual interests make her an easy target at her new all-girls boarding school before she discovers her popular classmate's special talent.” Nice twist!
8 (S2E6) – 3/10 – “A team of scientists discover a new highly intelligent species that may endanger more than their research.” Too cheesy and unrealistic. The initial concept was good, but it gets progressively worse as the episode drags on.
A Human Face (S2E7) – 4/10 – “A grieving couple are led to second guess what's worth leaving behind when an otherworldly encounter interrupts their move.” Not bad, not good.
A Small Town (S2E8) – 5/10 – “A church handyman discovers a magic scale model that gives him the power to help his small town, but the mayor takes all the credit for his good intentions.” It’s unique, and has some interesting moments.
Try, Try (S2E9) – 7/10 – “A man dazzles a woman with his seemingly miraculous abilities, but their encounter takes a dark turn when the true source of his charisma is revealed.” Good twist! I enjoyed this one.
You Might Also Like (S2E10) – 1/10 – “A stay-at-home housewife is looking forward to acquiring a heavily marketed device that promises to make everything better forever, but the product has an unsavory truth.” I stopped watching partway through, so I can’t say much other than it bored me to tears.
Jasper Scott is a USA Today bestselling author of more than 20 sci-fi novels including the best selling First Encounter, The New Frontiers trilogy and Dark Space series. With over a million books sold, Jasper's work has been translated into various languages and published around the world.
Jasper writes fast-paced books with unexpected twists and flawed characters. He was born and raised in Canada by South African parents, with a British heritage on his mother's side and German on his father's. He now lives in an exotic locale with his wife, their two kids, and two chihuahuas.
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