Top Ten: Ranking the 2019 Episodes of The Twilight Zone
CBS All Access has brought back the classic TV series, THE TWILIGHT ZONE, this time, hosted and produced by Jordan Peele.The first season consists of 10 episodes, released weekly, from April 1 to May 30, 2019.
The series beautifully shot and every story has a great cast. Some story are retelling of classic episodes, while others are original.
Here is my ranking of the first season
- Nightmare at 30,000 Feet (9.5 ★): episode 2
A terrific re-imaging of a classic TZ episode. Masterfully done. The terror is not outside, but inside. I don't want to spoil any part of this episode, so I will keep this synopsis very brief. - Blurryman (8.7 ★): episode 10
A solid ending of season one. A twist I don't think we ever saw in this franchise, so I will not give anything away. But, just like episode nine, we get a "classic zone" telling of a story, in more ways than one. Entertaining without the soap box. - The Blue Scorpion (8.6 ★): episode 9
Finally, a story told in the classic Twilight Zone way. Strange, creepy, entertaining. No hidden agenda or political statement, just a good story. The season looks to be ending on a high note, after a few duds in the middle. - Six Degrees of Freedom (8.5 ★): episode 6
A full fledged sci-fi story for the six episode of the series, which has five astronauts about to embark on a mission to MARS as a full nuclear missile attack approaches the US and their launch pad, launching just before impact. The story was very good and the set created was beautiful. I liked the cast, but the characters seemed to "unstable" to have passed the strict endurance, emotional and stress tests needed for space travel. The main negative point I have is, again, the language. It still pulls me out of the "zone" with every F-bomb uttered. - Replay (8.0 ★): episode 3
A a strong social message with its episode, but I still enjoyed the story. It kept a fine balance between entertainment and political view, which will be a challenge throughout the season. - Point of Origin (6.7 ★): episode 8
The political statement of this story was way too heavy, in the dialog and in the Narrator's two monologues. The message was not hidden at all, and that is where this story fails. It needed to use the science fiction genre to subtly make its point. Not hit you over the head with an anvil and sacrifice good story telling. - The Comedian (6.5 ★): episode 1
Not a bad story, but the language really turned me off. I liked Kumail Nanjiani's character, just not the environment and the slow story telling. This episode would have benefited by being 22 minutes long, not 55 minutes. - The Wunderkind (6.0 ★): episode 5
Another episode where the point of the story is lost. What was the lesson to be learned from what the character(s) went through. Again, beautifully shot and cast, but the story was unbelievable because there was no "Twilight Zone" magic. A good point stated by the podcast, THE FIFTH DIMENSION, is that all the "powers" or "magic" the kid may have had was edited out and we are left with just a "normal" kid, who is a spoiled brat. - A Traveler (6.0 ★): episode 4
I loved everything about this episode, except the story. The cast, characters, cinematography, acting, etc, but did not get the full point of the story. I get each character, but what the takeaway is, I had no idea. This was another episode that the language takes you out of the "zone." - Not All Men (5.0 ★): episode 7
Episode seven is the first episode I completely disliked. I didn't like the story and, the political statement was way too heavy handed. Plus, the writer of this episode must have loved the F-word as it had to approach, if not pass, triple-figures in its use in this episode. My recommendation is to SKIP this episode, and don't look back.
If you loved the new TWILIGHT ZONE, then you should check out the podcast, THE FIFTH DIMENSION, by Golden Spiral Media. They have great love and knowledge for the franchise and breakdown every episode of the 2019 season.
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