He understood it better than people working in television today. That's the thing I admire about him so much. He was an activist, but he never forgot that he was also a storyteller first. He did both. Too many times people forget the story part.
I love this. Horror is two parts humanity, one part irrational fear, and one part rational fear. It's the golden ratio of mixed drinks, but it fits here as well. I think TZ resonates because it strikes the perfect balance. I may continue to ponder the equation as I dip my toes in the genre.
This is a topic that fascinates me. If you have more thoughts as you continue thinking about the topic, I hope you'll share them and let me know. I really do watch Twilight Zone over and over again trying to figure out exactly why so many of the stories resonate with me in such a deep way.
I don't know that I have a favorite character exactly, although on reflection I find I sympathize a lot with Arthur Curtis, the guy in "A World of Difference". To have everything you know and believe to be true about your world so thoroughly upended... that's rough.
It is rough and it’s a fear that I think we can all identify with. How many times do we think life works this way or I understand this aspect of a thing only to learn later that it was more complicated or nuanced than we had initially thought? It’s a very real fear.
Thanks for mentioning this episode. It’s nice to talk about ones that aren’t as famous or well-known.
I've always felt that Christmas is not complete without eeriness and horror. A lot of people get depressed during the Christmas season, and dark Christmas stories, from A Christmas Carol to Edward Scissorhands, fill an emotional niche in a much-needed way.
It’s interesting to me how twilight zone has persevered and been appreciated by at least three generations now. By contemporary storytelling standards it’s very direct, definitely not subtle, not pulling punches about the message it wishes to convey. I think that’s exactly what I like about it: the sincerity.
It is direct. If you watch several episodes and look for it, many times you will hear characters explicitly state: ‘I want this thing’ and the entire episode is about that pursuit. Sometimes it ends well; sometimes not so well, but the entire plot is about what that character wants and what they are willing to do to get it.
I believe that’s why it has held up so well. And that’s really quite the accomplishment because I have to explain a lot of things to my Gen Z children. “That’s what computers looked like back then”, “That’s called a phone book”, “That’s a table-side jukebox— kind of like an old version of Spotify”, etc.
I have a friend who started to read Lisey's Story. This person hadn't delved very deeply in, which was fortunate, because I knew it wasn't her kind of book. I told her to put it down immediately. She said, "But I love this character so much!" I responded, "Exactly."
I am going through your stuff, and it is GREAT. You're extremely talented.
Serling understood what his mission was more than most of the people making television at the time and he largely wrote and acted based on that.
He understood it better than people working in television today. That's the thing I admire about him so much. He was an activist, but he never forgot that he was also a storyteller first. He did both. Too many times people forget the story part.
I love this. Horror is two parts humanity, one part irrational fear, and one part rational fear. It's the golden ratio of mixed drinks, but it fits here as well. I think TZ resonates because it strikes the perfect balance. I may continue to ponder the equation as I dip my toes in the genre.
This is a topic that fascinates me. If you have more thoughts as you continue thinking about the topic, I hope you'll share them and let me know. I really do watch Twilight Zone over and over again trying to figure out exactly why so many of the stories resonate with me in such a deep way.
I don't know that I have a favorite character exactly, although on reflection I find I sympathize a lot with Arthur Curtis, the guy in "A World of Difference". To have everything you know and believe to be true about your world so thoroughly upended... that's rough.
It is rough and it’s a fear that I think we can all identify with. How many times do we think life works this way or I understand this aspect of a thing only to learn later that it was more complicated or nuanced than we had initially thought? It’s a very real fear.
Thanks for mentioning this episode. It’s nice to talk about ones that aren’t as famous or well-known.
I've always felt that Christmas is not complete without eeriness and horror. A lot of people get depressed during the Christmas season, and dark Christmas stories, from A Christmas Carol to Edward Scissorhands, fill an emotional niche in a much-needed way.
I agree. I don’t know if it’s something Dickens started with Christmas Carol or if it predates him. That would be an interesting thing to study.
ETA Hoffmann?
He really leaned into the horror.
It’s interesting to me how twilight zone has persevered and been appreciated by at least three generations now. By contemporary storytelling standards it’s very direct, definitely not subtle, not pulling punches about the message it wishes to convey. I think that’s exactly what I like about it: the sincerity.
It is direct. If you watch several episodes and look for it, many times you will hear characters explicitly state: ‘I want this thing’ and the entire episode is about that pursuit. Sometimes it ends well; sometimes not so well, but the entire plot is about what that character wants and what they are willing to do to get it.
I believe that’s why it has held up so well. And that’s really quite the accomplishment because I have to explain a lot of things to my Gen Z children. “That’s what computers looked like back then”, “That’s called a phone book”, “That’s a table-side jukebox— kind of like an old version of Spotify”, etc.
I have a friend who started to read Lisey's Story. This person hadn't delved very deeply in, which was fortunate, because I knew it wasn't her kind of book. I told her to put it down immediately. She said, "But I love this character so much!" I responded, "Exactly."
I am going through your stuff, and it is GREAT. You're extremely talented.
Aloha John. You are on same wave length as Anne Serling, his daughter. She is promoting the same episode. You have awesome insight & intuition. 🤙🏽