# LEAST favorite Twilight Zone episode? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 4, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811 "2011-07-04T14:41:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/61 "2011-07-06T00:48:39Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I saw Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge for the first time on insta watch last night and guessed the ending within a few minutes so even though I appreciated it for what it was, it felt like a long journey to get to the pay off. This wasn’t designed as a **Twilight Zone** episode. It was a theatrical short film that Serling bought the rights to in order to save on budget. The original Bierce story was great in its day, but it’s one of those seminal works that has been copied so much that no one is shocked by it any more. I remember an editor showing me a story from his slushpile that was an obvious rip-off of the concept. I asked him if it was even possible to write a decent story on the theme, BTW, and he said, “If you do it well.” I took that as a challenge, and [the result](http://www.strangehorizons.com/2000/20001009/arroyo_de_buho.shtml) was very satisfying. Back on topic: There’s “The Howling Man,” where the main character’s actions are sadly predictable, and finishes with an “Oh, no, not again” ending that barely works on sitcoms, let alone drama. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/62 "2011-07-06T00:54:03Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > This wasn’t designed as a **Twilight Zone** episode. It was a theatrical short film that Serling bought the rights to in order to save on budget. The original Bierce story was great in its day, but it’s one of those seminal works that has been copied so much that no one is shocked by it any more. Yeah, that I knew, but I still had the same reaction to it that I did to many TZ episodes. Maybe if I’d seen/read it way back when but I guess if you read enough rip offs, the original stops feeling so great. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/63 "2011-07-06T01:48:06Z")
A few years ago I saw “[The Mirror](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mirror_%28The_Twilight_Zone%29)” To me it seemed like a cautionary tale of how leaders of communist revolutions end up, with this episode being aimed right at Castro. Except 50 some odd years later and the only reason Castro is stepping down is because of his health and old age. ---
**Author:** ![steveinillinois](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@steveinillinois](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steveinillinois)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/64 "2011-07-07T20:03:12Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > I think “I shot an arrow into the air” was like a sneak preview at Planet of the Apes. Funny that you should mention that. About ten (?) years ago, someone turned the first _Planet of the Apes_ film into a _Twilight Zone_ episode. He converted it to 4:3 black-and-white, cut it down to under half an hour with commercial breaks at the appropriate points, and added Serling opening/closing narration. It worked amazingly well. I haven’t seen it mentioned in years, but I think some Googling would turn it up. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/65 "2011-07-07T20:53:47Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The one that just aired was sub-par. “Franklin gets addicted to gambling and thinks the slot machine is The Devil.” > > Real subtle. I saw that when I was little and it scared the hell out of me. Nowadays I have to admit it’s a bit lame, though. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/66 "2011-07-10T18:42:31Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > I saw one once that had a guy running around an empty street at night and he kept hearing wild animal noises. I stuck with it thinking it had to get better or at least the end would be a good twist. Nope, nothing. Guy was just hearing wild animal noises in the Twilight Zone. The writers must have had a vacation coming up. Buh? Did you not see the ending to that episode? I thought it was one of the most graphic that the show has ever had. You’re talking about the one where… [spoiler]He’s walking through the town at night and hears all the jungle sounds, right? Walks in front of the store and hears them, walks down the block and hears them. Finally he runs home. The ending features him going into his bedroom and seeing a lion on his bed (who has mauled and killed his wife). The lion then jumps toward him (and we have the POV of him, so it’s like the lion is jumping for the camera). Fade out. How could you think that wasn’t a huge twist?[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/67 "2011-07-11T03:55:22Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > I saw one once that had a guy running around an empty street at night and he kept hearing wild animal noises. I stuck with it thinking it had to get better or at least the end would be a good twist. Nope, nothing. Guy was just hearing wild animal noises in the Twilight Zone. The writers must have had a vacation coming up. They took the lion of least resistance, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/68 "2011-07-11T04:07:20Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > The writers must have had a vacation coming up. They were all eating at Arby’s. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2014, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/69 "2014-06-27T05:12:13Z")
To me the worst is the one in which Billy Mumy is an all-powerful, petulant child who can “wish people into the cornfield.” Talk about an exercise in futility. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2014, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/70 "2014-06-27T05:27:17Z")
The Simpsons did an episode based on that one, better than the TZ version. They also did “Little Girl Lost” in a Tree House story. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2014, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/71 "2014-06-27T06:39:38Z")
A few months ago I watched [The Obsolete Man](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Obsolete_Man). Although I think some of it was intentional, there was way too much overacting. I couldn’t really enjoy it at all. It was just too silly and ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2014, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/72 "2014-06-27T18:15:39Z")
I absolutely LOVE the original Twilight Zone series, and have worn out my copy of The Twilight Zone Companion reading & referencing it so many times. I will admit that some of the episodes didn’t quite hit their mark. The majority, however, were unique and ground-breaking for their time. That’s the key – FOR THEIR TIME. There was nothing like it & TZ created a lot of what we consider cliches today. One of my favorites was with Keenan Wynn as a writer who found that he could dictate a character description into his tape recorder & the creations came to life. At Rod Serling’s epilogue he says something like, “of course this is just fantasy.” The writer’s (Wynn’s) response is to chastise Serling, then go to his safe, pull out pieces of tape labeled “Rod Serling” and destroy them. Rod Serling then fades from the shot. META! ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/73 "2014-06-27T18:20:37Z")
> [@kath94](#): > > One of my favorites was with Keenan Wynn as a writer who found that he could dictate a character description into his tape recorder & the creations came to life. At Rod Serling’s epilogue he says something like, “of course this is just fantasy.” The writer’s (Wynn’s) response is to chastise Serling, then go to his safe, pull out pieces of tape labeled “Rod Serling” and destroy them. Rod Serling then fades from the shot. META! An idea later recycled as the film, “Ruby Sparks” (2012). > **[Ruby Sparks (2012) ⭐ 7.2 | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1839492/)** > > 1h 44m | R ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2014, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/74 "2014-06-27T18:29:28Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > "The Bewitching Pool " is indeed useless. It came on yesterday and I changed the channel pronto. I also avoid the ones with Jack Klugman. I have nothing against him but his episodes are always preachy and dull. And any that start with the typical “whimsical, 50s syle music” are not my cup of tea either. These. If I never see “The Bewitching Pool” or Jack Klugman again, I’ll die a happy man. The only exception would be the one with the three astronauts who see their own bodies on a crashed spacecraft. I’d call Klugman “tolerable” in that one. Just noticed that Jack Klugman is a zombie. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/75 "2014-06-27T20:43:16Z")
Always fun when you go into a thread and realize you gave your answer three years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/76 "2014-06-27T22:27:02Z")
My least favorite episode is “The Hunt.” Not just pointless, but boring. “…but even the Devil can’t fool a dog.” ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/77 "2014-06-28T00:12:41Z")
Since this thread was originally started, I’ve bought the complete series and am up to Season 4. So far, the absolute worst one has to be [Cavender is Coming,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavender_Is_Coming) about a bumbling guardian angel. Utterly lame and unfunny, and a complete waste of Carol Burnett. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/78 "2014-06-28T04:51:39Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > To me the worst is the one in which Billy Mumy is an all-powerful, petulant child who can “wish people into the cornfield.” Talk about an exercise in futility. :mad: You’re a bad man. You’re a very bad man. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/79 "2014-06-28T05:01:01Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Always fun when you go into a thread and realize you gave your answer three years ago. Every once and a while I’ll see s post and think, “that’s exactly what I was going to say.” Then see that that’s exactly what I did say. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811/80 "2014-06-28T06:20:20Z")
\*\*\*Originally posted by Pohjonen \*\*\*\<\\> That’s exactly what I think of the pinhead who thought up this episode. At least “Death’s Head Revisited” had redeeming value. My favorites (despite many opinions to the contrary) include “The Hunt” and “Mr. Bevis” (with Orson Bean). Human dignity respected. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/587811.md?page=5)