A Potpourri of Vestiges Review
By Murtaza Ali Khan
“There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a
dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground
between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between
the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension
of imagination. It is an area which we call The Twilight Zone.”
These are the famous words of the American screenwriter, playwright, television
producer, and narrator Rod Serling which have become synonymous with his
greatest creation known to the world as “The Twilight Zone”—an anthology series
dealing with often disturbing or unusual events invariably ending with an
unexpected twist and a moral that revolutionized television during the late
1950s and early 1960s.
The original series, which ran for five seasons from 1959 to 1964,
featured well over 100 episodes in various genres such as fantasy, science
fiction, suspense, horror, and psychological thriller. Since then the iconic
series has witnessed a few revivals. It was revived for the third time last
year by the team of Simon Kinberg, Jordan Peele, and Marco Ramirez for CBS
Television Studios. It was renewed for a second season soon after the season
premiere. All the ten episodes of the second season are now streaming on Voot
Select.
Serling’s narration in the original series is so epic that it can never
be replaced in the minds of “The Twilight Zone” enthusiasts. But the makers of
the new series took a calculative gamble by having the series co-developer Jordan
Peele as the narrator. And it has proven to be a masterstroke of sorts. It has
perhaps worked because Peele is both honest enough to understand that he or
anyone else can never replace Serling and smart enough to ensure that the
audience sees him as Serling’s successor for the new age. After all, he is not
replacing Serling but merely carrying his legacy forward in the most unassuming
fashion possible.
When original series premiered back in 1959, there wasn’t much
competition in the space it operated. But today we already have shows like Black Mirror and Electric Dreams and so what does one do? Well, the key is to stick
to Serling’s vision and yet at the same time not be too rigid. In other words,
try and find a middle ground. And that’s precisely what the new series tries to
achieve, and more so the second season. Through its highly ambitious albeit
relatable scenarios, it endeavors to comment on the strangeness of the modern
world.
In order to understand this better, let’s focus on a couple of episodes
from the new season. The episode titled “Meet in the Middle” deals with
loneliness. It tells the story of an unmarried man who discovers a telepathic
link to a total stranger which quickly blossoms into a romance but nothing is
as it seems in this seemingly idyllic fantasy. “You Might Also Like” revolves
around a housewife who wants to acquire an enigmatic device that promises to
make everything better for everyone forever. But she soon discovers the
unsavory truth about this mysterious product. If you find these scenarios
exciting enough, then, surely, you should consider entering the “Twilight Zone”.
Rating: 7.5/10
A version of this review was first published in The Sunday Guardian.
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