MovieChat Forums > The Twilight Zone (1959) Discussion > Episodes that have come (or already are)...

Episodes that have come (or already are) true

posted 7 years ago by vesil_vesalier
25 replies | jump to latest

Which episodes of the Twilight Zone do you think either are universally true as they were even when they were made, have come true as time has passed, or are about to come true as a result of the current events of the world?

Granted, there's no way to prove that last part, but still. I'd like to hear some opinions regarding this.

I'll start with my favorite. THE MONSTERS ARE DUE ON MAPLE STREET is a universal truth. Nothing is more consistent in human behavior than fear and mob mentality.

My blog about human nature:https://xanderpayne.blogspot.com
My book, about Lucifer's last shot at Yahweh (fictional from an atheist's perspective): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G6OI7HG

You didn't come here to make the choice, you're here to understand why you made it.

[–] DoctorJuliaHoffman 7 years ago

The mob mentality of "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Sreet" is pre-dated by Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and Nathanial Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" to name a couple.

[–] Jennie_Portrait 7 years ago

Not to mention the Villagers in Frankenstein. https://youtu.be/qLvGnro4Cgw
___________________________________
Never say never...

[–] DoctorJuliaHoffman 7 years ago

Oh, let's not forget about the villagers who went after Dwight Frye in "Vampire Bat" (1933). Poor Herman!

I can't stand the edited prints of this film certain DVD distributors have used! You have to look for the longest versions on YouTube.

[–] skarbobrieanna 7 years ago

Number 12 looks good on you

[–] steely3000 7 years ago

The Midnight Sun will become true if Climate Change is not better controlled.

[–] richspenc 7 years ago

The chances of the earth literally falling out of orbit and moving in towards the sun is a likelihood of about a billion to one. Climate control has nothing to do with the earth's orbit, that's global warming. Like the greenhouse effect, el Nina, and the polar ice caps melting.

[–] mpiccolo55000 7 years ago

All good picks, people...also, the world of "The Obsolete Man" will be here before you know it.

[–] vgarci2003 7 years ago

The way it's looking now, any of the nuclear end episodes are possible...

[–] mpiccolo55000 7 years ago

Gee...scary, but true. Here's hoping for the best, preparing for the worst...

[–] merilee112 7 years ago

Oh no it won't. Don't listen to socal media! Just watch local news, they get ALL the facts.

Don't say anything bad about Jojo
If she's a disciplinarian, I'm the Queen Of England!- Stella

[–] merilee112 7 years ago

What are you talking about? Unless you mean books and libraruans may become obsolete. Sadly, I do agree that might be true. But like Wordsworth I will NOT give up my books! Kindles can go to hell.

Don't say anything bad about Jojo
If she's a disciplinarian, I'm the Queen Of England!- Stella

[–] mpiccolo55000 7 years ago

I was referring to the current political situation, though I won't get into that.

[–] merilee112 7 years ago

Good! Because that is NOT going to happen. Deporting illegal immigrants is not the same thing as what's happening in The Obsolete Man. I don't find any connections at all. He will not have anyone killed except ISIS. He will not say anyone is Obsolete!

The only connections is the fact that books are slowly being pushed out the door in favor of Ipads, Nooks, and Kindles, and sadly they may be obsolete in a few years. Though they will NOT be obsolete with me!

Don't say anything bad about Jojo
If she's a disciplinarian, I'm the Queen Of England!- Stella

[–] vesil_vesalier 7 years ago

I don't want to start a fight with you about this, but I just have to add... Societies like the one presented in THE OBSOLETE MAN do not happen overnight. Everything has steps. Stages of general thinking that eventually lead to something like what is presented in this episode.

Regardless what you think about illegal immigrants, we have much larger problems that should be getting much more attention than whether or not there are people in this country that are here illegally. And I maintain my worry that these people will not have the protection of decent human behavior (which is to say FORCED decent human behavior) to protect them. If they are here illegally, they are not citizens of the United States, and therefore are not protected by our systems.

Makes me think of Abu Graib. And don't tell me something like that can't happen when something like that ALREADY happened, and for pretty much the same reasons. Illegal immigrants are about to become scapegoats. And we do not treat scapegoats very well. None of us.

What do you think Rod Serling would have to say about this?

My blog about human nature:https://xanderpayne.blogspot.com
My book, about Lucifer's last shot at Yahweh (fictional from an atheist's perspective): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G6OI7HG

You didn't come here to make the choice, you're here to understand why you made it.

[–] merilee112 7 years ago

Regardless what you think about illegal immigrants, we have much larger problems that should be getting much more attention than whether or not there are people in this country that are here illegally.

I know THAT! And those problems WILL be delt with.

But you have to admit that illegal immigration IS a problem because...well, just that. They're breaking the law by being here without papers or Greencards. And despite what Obama said, it's not fair to just give them a free ride and just grant them citizenship, because that's not being fair to the people who DID come here legally. It's not fair to my Grandparents who came here legally from Italy. It's not fair to my Great-Grandparents who came here from Sweden. They had to get papers and Greencards, they had to be inspected by a few doctors before they could even come here, they had to learn English. They had to go through a lot. Why do THEY have to, and a lot of others don't?!

If they are here illegally, they are not citizens of the United States, and therefore are not protected by our systems.

Why SHOULD they be? They broke the law! I'm not saying they're obsolete and KILL them, I'm not saying that. I'm saying they should fill out the papers, get Greencards like MY family did, and they'll be fine. Just follow the rules, follow the law. I'm NOT saying they're obsolete, I'm NOT saying they should be killed, I;m saying they should get their Greencards! That's ALL.

But again, I watched the ep on my DVR again last night (It IS one of my favorites, mainly because I myself am very religious, and I love how the religious Wordsworth in a way won in the end over the Chancellor. I love how relaxed he was reading his Bible while the Chancellor sweat like a pig before he broke!) and the only real connection I could find is that books are slowly becoming obsolete due to KIndles and Nooks. And I guess in a way religion is too, because so many people don't want to believe, don't wanna follow rules of the Church, don't even wanna GO to Church. But like Wordsworth, I will NOT give up my religion, and I will NOT give up my books!!

Don't say anything bad about Jojo
If she's a disciplinarian, I'm the Queen Of England!- Stella

[–] vesil_vesalier 7 years ago

I don't foresee Trump as a leader of peace and equality. I see him as a Hitler. A con-artist with an agenda. A person who has publicly quoted that he could run for president and win, based on the concept that Americans are stupid because they believe that Fox News tells the truth. He said it. He's our leader, and his "ideas" are already having a terrible, detrimental influence on our so-called "culture". Hoping for decency and sanity in times like these seems like idealism, not reality. I'm happy that you said you'd be happy if they just went through the process of getting their green cards, because you would be the first person to actually treat and refer to them as human beings since I've begun to voice my concerns regarding their treatment. So thank you. I haven't lost all hope yet.

Kindles and Nooks don't trouble me so much, they're just evolutions of a product. The content is what is important, and it's vast. If anything, there's a strange complaint out there from the publishers of actual books, claiming that the bar is set much lower for content published on Kindle than would be for actual books.

I personally have no problem with that. Ideas can come from anywhere. A good story is not necessarily a bestseller. Not every bestselling book is a great one. The proliferation of publishing through Kindle inspires those that thought they could not publish their ideas to try and publish through it. This does not detract from reading, I think it helps it grow.

The episode is about banning books entirely. If such a thing happened today, Kindles would end up on the fire along with the books.

My blog about human nature:https://xanderpayne.blogspot.com
My book, about Lucifer's last shot at Yahweh (fictional from an atheist's perspective): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G6OI7HG

You didn't come here to make the choice, you're here to understand why you made it.

[–] manram24 7 years ago

Not to get into a political debate but I just wanted to point out that Trump never said that about being able to win b/c people being stupid, that quote was debunked, he never said it. And jobs being brought back, the carrier deal and Sprint etc are good for America.

[–] 7 years ago

[deleted]

[–] tbonesays 7 years ago

Most dystopic stories don't come true as society just evolves to deal with the threat. Nuclear annihilation couldn't be risked and communism cannibalized itself.

The one portent I didn't notice until recently is #12 Looks Just Like You. {Happy Juice=antidepressants, plastic surgery normalized, obsession about aging}. Much of society has started to behave what once must have been a narrow slice of society known as entertainers.

[–] merilee112 7 years ago

Much of society has started to behave what once must have been a narrow slice of society known as entertainers.

Now THAT'S a scary thought! And the sad part is , it's true, just look at any youtube comments.

Don't say anything bad about Jojo
If she's a disciplinarian, I'm the Queen Of England!- Stella

[–] Yanyawa 7 years ago

The Odyssey of Flight #33!

[–] puplover 7 years ago

Great topic! Number 12 looks like you. It's just uncanny. Serling would be mortified by all the plastic surgery around today.

[–] v_anzaldua 7 years ago

That episode has definitely come to pass, sadly. Rod Serling would also take note of the frivolous topics people talk about now.

[–] Viper2880 7 years ago

Uhh, the climate is always changing you dumb dumb

[–] merilee112 7 years ago

The Brain Center At Whipples. Sadly, that's slowly coming true as people's jobs are getting automated and replaced be computer programs.

That happened to me way back in 2003. My copywriting job was replaced by a program that could do it in half the time and I was fired.

Don't say anything bad about Jojo
If she's a disciplinarian, I'm the Queen Of England!- Stella