It can be difficult to write about certain episodes of "The Twilight Zone" for various reasons, particularly those of the original series. Many of these episodes are already well-known or contain a major twist, which can spoil the experience for those who haven't seen them yet. While it may seem odd to worry about spoilers for something that aired in the 1960s, part of the fun of watching "The Twilight Zone" is not knowing what to expect. There are even some episodes that I wish I could experience for the first time again, which would make for an interesting plot in itself.
I'm going to break away from the traditional mold of a "Into the Twilight" post here to write about the 1960 episode "Eye of the Beholder". This is from season 2 of the series, the 6th episode. One of the episodes written by Rod Serling himself. This is a well known episode of the show and it's twist might be very well known. For this post, I'm going to keep that under wraps (that wasn't intended but it works) and do something a little different.
This is the future make up/ copyright Paramount
As most episodes of the series starts there's a scene to set the stage before we get Rod's narration. This one has a person, a woman, with a face wrapped in bandages, in a hospital bed. Then a nurse shows up to tend to her. A benefit of being in black and white is that it can use shadows and not look too off. One will notice that the they don't show much of the nurse's face, opting for shots and fun ways to hide her face. The woman in bandages doesn't know if it's night or day until she's told, she wonders when the bandages will come off, and the other typical things you'd expect from someone in this condition. The dialogue gives details that her face might be grotesque and seems to have had this problem for her entire life.
Hey! Get a room ! / Copyright Paramount
The words like "I never wanted to be beautiful. I never wanted to look like a painting. I never even wanted to be loved. I just wanted people to not scream at me when they looked at me." gives that this isn't some vanity thing, but that woman has lived in misery because of how people viewed her. What this is also doing is giving the viewer an expectation of what of she could look like under those bandages. It is playing off our, the viewers, thoughts of what could make children scream at a face and cause people to look away? It's a well done way to make the viewer think and to hook them in. When the episode reaches the conclusion and the face is reveled, the viewer is then made to think about their own perceptions of what an is a beauty standard.
Why are we watching from above? help! Copyright Paramount
The story follows the nurse as she goes to tell the doctor about the patient's condition, Then she talks to another nurse, again making sure to know show any faces of these woman and the other nurse gives a slight clue by mentioning if she had the face of the patient she'd bury herself in a grave. Also 1960's smoking.
Then finally, Rod Serling shows up to tell us her name is Janet Tyler and we are going to see her face and we shouldn't be surprised. Which I like as a line because it's playing with our perceptions, but it should also make one wonder what does he have in store for us, because why would he say that? That's kind of fun.
As I mentioned before, If there was a way to just erase knowing how an episode or anything media goes in my mind just to have the same first time experience of it, this would be an episode on that list. Though again, that'd probably make a good plot of something about how that would be bad. I do have to point out that the episode has good rewatch value when one knows the twist, you can look back at see the hints or the styling or the episode it stays entertaining and thoughtful without just being an episode that lives on its twist.
Directed by Douglas Heyes, the episode goes out of the way to hide faces, a whole theme of the episode. It gives it a detached other world feeling. It makes you wonder why aren't they being shown? The episode gives our characters a sound of sympathy, he casted people by not looking at them, just to hear their voices. It gives a sense that they care about Miss Tyler and want to help her.
There's a doctor he mentions how hard it's been trying to fix the problem. This is her 11th visit and apparently this is her last one. Not sure why 11 was the limit, but alright. There are alternatives- still keeping those under wraps. [sorry] Which is a good way to phrase these parts of the episode things are under wraps. Like there are rules that apparently say that people have to look normal.
It's a well done emotional episode too, where the viewer can sympathize with Miss Tyler. The offers that there's a space where "people of her kind" can be put together, she uses the word segregated-that's pretty much what it is. This gives an insight of what's going on and why she's there and that's not a she wants to look good, but that is some mandated thing that has to be done. It's another Rod Serling/ Twilight Zone episode about a state that wants conformity and has a strong control. (because 1960's)
More after the jump
There's a part where Doctor Bernardi is in lament. When he says this line after the nurse says it's hard to think of Miss Tyler as human. "But Why? Why must we feel that way, Nurse? What is the dimensional difference between beauty and something repellent? Is it skin Deep? Oh, less than that.... Why shouldn't people be allowed to be different?" That's another good clue of it being mandated that people have to look a certain way. It's also good thought about people being different and how the society does value a conformity.
Smoking on the other hand, copyright Paramount
I really like the projection flat screen TV things, shows how much the thought of TV being flat came into play for a long time. The TV's are showing the Leader who apparently doesn't have a name. (He's the leader with no name) He's doing a speech about something very on the nose, "glorious conformity". (Versus normal conformity) Again the leader is shot a like he's at the UN... hmmm, but towering above on big podium, It's a great shot expressing a commanding leader who is above the people. He's also still shot in shadows and you can't see the details of his face. He's in a shadow which also gives it a creepy unsettling look.
Hey! Not the leader, he's interrupting the game! / Copyright Paramount
The episode gets to the part where they remove the bandages. Here's what I'm going to do. If you've seen or known the episode you already know what happens here. If you haven't, uh thanks for reading! Go take a look at it, don't look it up, just go and watch it.
This is the part of the episode that really gives a good pay off to the entire thing. I think it's fitting for the title as well as a viewer might wonder what they see as "ugly" or "beautiful" may differ from even someone else's, fitting with the doctor's line earlier.
What I will mention now, is the shots after the reveal are changed to reveal what the doctor and nurses look like along with Miss Tyler. I also like how the doctor laments at how the surgery had no chance. (That part shouldn't be a spoiler) The unwrapping scene is well done as well with a nice amount of tension that the episode has made you wonder the whole time. It's paced well.
I also like the other parts of the dialogue that reveals more about setting, like how there seems to also be a very World War II/ Nazi Germany analog, something that wasn't uncommon on this series, so it's not out of place.
Anyway, once her face is revealed she freaks out as she knows that she's going to be put away, also uncomfortable needle shot. She runs through the hall, the leader is speaking on screens saying lines like "We must cut out all that is different, like a cancerous growth." and more in that direction, and I have to kind of laugh at a doctor and a nurse just having some sexy 60's TV flirting moment there while she runs past them. (Not much making out ,that would have been funnier)
Then she sees a man with her problem too and he's there to take her away to the commune. The man named Walter Smith talks about beauty being in the eye of the beholder (roll credits) and then they leave. The episode does leave something open ended in if this was a good place for her to go or... they are going to be exterminated at some point. I do kind of hope for a hopeful happy result in the world this episode takes place. The man named Walter Smith talks about beauty being in the eye of the beholder (roll credits) and then they leave.
It's a famous episode because it's well done. While the twist is really good and if you haven't seen or heard about the episode run and go watch it, the rest of the episode works to make the twist satisfyingly and brings in good rewatch value. It's an episode that makes the viewer think about looks and conformity. How they perceive beauty and standards. The state stuff works to the idea that a government or a group, anything could make declare one look or ideal to be the normal and the rest or the un normal. A strong Serling episode that still feels timeless and well done after all the time.
That's it for now, tune in next time when we declare what actual peak human design should be.
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