![]() ![]() #Jordan peele twilight zone seriesIt is arguably the final episode of the series that best encapsulates these limitations and the weakness of the series as a whole. The stories feel at times boring, at other times silly. But often their best moments are the casual ones, like the indirect banter between the indigenous sheriff’s deputy (Marika Sila) and the casually racist, essentially colonizing white Alaskan sheriff (Greg Kinnear) in “A Traveler.” The plots usually ultimately suffer from the same weaknesses described above: absurd literalism, ironic and unbelievable acting. If this is harsh, it is true that the episodes that do touch on social issues in some meaningful way are sometimes better. The weight that Serling was able to convey in 27 minute episodes is evaporated in favor of another Black Mirror-type series with only the name of and frequent allusions to the iconic classic setting it apart. When it is attempted, the tone mixes awkwardly with a pervasive but monotonous darkness. But there is very little lightheartedness. Peele had a shorter run to make his show of ten episodes, even if at 40-50 minutes apiece they are longer than the originals. And let us also not forget that the original series frequently had levity, with some episodes downright goofy. While the new series is not consistently frightening it feels more indebted to the contemporary horror genre than to the complex ambiguity of reality that defined the original series. And perhaps particularly the universe of all the shit horror films that have come out over the last couple decades. It felt to me, lazily, and blandly, like the universe of this cultural present. Whatever moral pretensions it has are usually skin-deep. But the dark justice of Rod Serling’s universe is largely disappeared, replaced in the reboot by a universe that is simply dark and cruel. It is true that some episodes of the new series do make, or attempt to make, relevant social points. And in this the remake consistently veers most seriously from the original. As with the style of filming, I found myself wondering, is this a joke?Īlso, the ending felt at best like a moral stretch, at worst useless. It is unnecessary, awkwardly elongated, compulsively literal. There he learns that all passengers from the plane ultimately survived the crash and were picked up six months later by a cargo ship - save for him, inexplicably - and then we watch as he is beaten to death by the other passengers, who blame him for the disaster.įrankly, the brevity of this very silly addendum bears specific mentioning because its pointlessness and poor writing ultimately feel quite representative of the show’s failures overall. But the episode isn’t over! Justin wakes on a beach and, finding the MP3 player in the sand nearby, finishes the podcast. Good twist, appropriate to The Twilight Zone. In his attempt to avert a disaster, Justin ultimately causes it by helping a rogue ex-pilot break into the cockpit - who proceeds to intentionally crash the plane. Whatever was intended by the technique, the attempt pretty much falls flat.īut then there is the basic stupidity of the plot, a recurring problem throughout the series. It frequently feels like a joke, a B-movie, poorly produced. This often makes the show difficult to watch. Apparently as a way to pay homage to the original series, Jordan Peele and his showrunners insist on strange, awkward and jarring camera angles throughout (in some episodes, including this, more than others). As Justin listens, he discovers that the podcast describes the disappearance of the very flight he’s on. ![]() He turns it on to find a podcast called “The Mystery of Flight 1015” (this podcast is produced by the Whipple Corporation, a reference to “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” from the original series, one of a number of similar easter egg homages). The plot of the remake is as follows: author Justin (Adam Scott), who has recently suffered a nervous breakdown, is on transatlantic Flight 1015 and finds an MP3 player in the pocket in front of his seat. ![]() What piqued my interest last year was the second installment, “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet,” a redo of the classic William Shatner-fronted episode, and the closest to a direct remake this series attempts. ![]()
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