The Greatest Twilight Zone Episodes: 5 Classic Stories That Still Hold Up

Continuing my coverage of The Twilight Zone from yesterday, I wanted to share my thoughts on some of the best stories Twilight Zone has to offer. This extended coverage is in honor of Alan Sepinwall's new novel, Serling: A Journey into the Twilight Zone with TV's First Visionary, which is in book stores today. I'm flying through the novel and I'd love to review it, but I'm not quite there yet. For the podcast this week, Evan Crean and I talked about The Twilight Zone and some of our favorite episodes for the It's the Pictures podcast. I've shared that new episode above for those interested in a more detailed conversation on the classic series.

The Twilight Zone undoubtably has many classic episodes, but I've listed five here that I believe are some of the best stories in the series.

“Walking Distance" (season 1, episode 5)

Walking Distance is one of those episodes that evolves as you age. The story follows Martin Sloan (Gig Young) as he visits the hometown he remembers from his youth. The only problem is that he's found it exactly how he left it, even though years have passed.

When Serling wrote Walking Distance he might've been thinking about his youth. Having joined the paratroopers during World War II, Serling was launched into adulthood head first. Gone were those innocent carefree days, instead the responsibilities of home and the horrors of war weighed heavy on his conscience.

Many episodes of The Twilight Zone have some kind of memorable twist that viewers recount when recalling specific stories. Walking Distance isn't really one of those– it's a longing to return to a youth that had disappeared far too quickly.

“The Invaders” (season 2, episode 15)

While Serling didn't write The Invaders (it was written by Richard Matheson), it certainly has the series DNA running through it. Anges Moorehead (best known for her role of Endora on the long-running series Bewitched) lives by herself in a remote farmhouse and she's being attacked by miniature invaders. She tries her best to fight back, but is continuously antagonized by the little aliens.

It's a completely physical performance from Moorehead as there's little actual dialogue in The Invaders. That's by design because if the protagonist could speak to the tiny aliens disturbing her, she'd discover what these aliens really are.

“The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (season 1, episode 22)

Normally cited as the de facto episode of The Twilight Zone, The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street is a fascinating study on how quickly people are to turn on each other in times of strife.

When a power outage plunges a tiny neighborhood into fear and doubt, a local boy recounts a story he's read in one of his comic books– this might be the beginning of an alien invasion! While most of the residents quickly dismiss the thought, there's too many weird coincidences to merely shrug it off. Neighbors begin turning against each other and even if aliens were coming, they wouldn't have to do anything. These people will destroy each other by themselves.

Some Twilight Zone episodes depend on otherworldly creatures to be involved. The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street holds up spectacularly because it's so easy to believe.

“Eye of the Beholder” (season 2, episode 6)

Eye of the Beholder is one of those episodes where the twist has become more significant than the episode itself. That's unfair because behind that shocking reveal is a delicious commentary on conformity and beauty.

Janet Tyler is seen under bandages for the majority of the episode. She has undergone repeated medical treatments so that she'll be able to meet the standard of beauty. The doctors, mostly shown as shadows against the walls and curtains, fear that the procedure will be Janet's last chance to fit in. Otherwise she'll be sent away with others who look like her.

When the bandages are finally removed, there's a pretty normal face behind them. Normal to our standards at least. But then the camera turns and shows that this isn't a normal society, everyone here has grotesque piglike features. Eye of the Beholder still stands among the series very best not only for its twist, but for the commentary on beauty standards that is still prevalent today.

“Time Enough at Last” (season 1, episode 8)

Discuss The Twilight Zone casually with anyone and they'll probably mention Time Enough at Last. Its final images have been seared into pop culture, frequently referenced and admired. It features a bank teller named Henry Bemis, who would love the opportunity to just sit down with a book. That's not the life he gets to live though as his boss and wife ruin every opportunity to might have to read. What's a guy have to do to sit down with a book!

One day while working in the bank vault, a loud explosion occurred. Bemis comes out to discover that everything around him is gone and he might be the last human alive. While some might disappear in that reality, Bemis finally has time to read to his heart's content. When he finally sits down to read, he accidentally drops his glasses, breaking them in the process. He's nearly blind without them and his dreams of finally being able to read are shattered once and for all.

Time Enough at Last is a cruel example of irony. It doesn't have any grand ideas about social commentary, except that Serling continues to show that he can't write for women. When people talk about The Twilight Zone, even for the next decades that follow, they'll always remember Henry Bemis and his unfortunate circumstances.

If you'd like to read more about The Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling, you can read about his history here.

Television Was Never the Same After ‘The Twilight Zone’

[Ed note: I wrote this back in 2019, but in honor of Alan Sepinwall’s new book on Rod Serling, Serling: A Journey into the Twilight Zone with TV’s First Visionary, I wanted to share some writing I did on Serling as well.] A man with all the time

It's the PicturesMax Covill