TV Review: The Twilight Zone

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Synopsis: Executive producers Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg’s modern re-imagining of the classic TV series continues the legacy of socially conscious storytelling. The series’ second season uses introspection and self-exploration to usher viewers into a dimension filled with endless possibilities.

Review: Halfway through it's freshman season in 2019, Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg's revival of The Twilight Zone earned a season two renewal. While critics were overall mixed (I gave the first season a 10/10 in my review), they leaned positive. Fans were very enthusiastic to see a worthy successor to Rod Serling's original anthology. Featuring a cast full of top tier talent both in front and behind the camera, the first season ran the gamut from darkly funny to eerie as each episode brought original tales as well as unique reinventions of classic episodes. Now, with another batch of ten episodes debuting on CBS All Access, can the series improve upon what came before it?

The second season of The Twilight Zone shares a similar tone and style with the first season, but what I noticed over the episodes made available for review is just how much these tales echo the current state of the world but without forcing an overt social agenda. Like Rod Serling's original run, this Twilight Zone still looks at what it means to be a human being in a world of changing norms and takes a slightly skewed view to give each story a very pertinent and relevant moral without being preachy or too on the nose. As much as I felt the first season of this revival did a nice job, this new season is far more balanced with tales that are dark and twisty but still maintain that Twilight Zone formuia. Netflix and the BBC have done a nice job of doing a similar series with Black Mirror, but The Twilight Zone still manages to hew closer to Serling's vision and these new episodes prove it.

Of the three episodes made available for review, there is a clear drive to make these episodes as distinctly Twilight Zone-esque as possible while still telling engaging stories. The first I watched, "Meet in the Middle", stars Jimmi Simpson and Gillian Jacobs as two people who are suddenly able to hear each other's thoughts. Anyone who has ever seen a Twilight Zone knows that there is going to be a twist in the end, but this episode does a great job of keeping you guessing until the very end. Using elements of romantic comedies as well as online dating apps and catfishing schemes, writers Emily C. Chang and Sarah Amini as well as director Mathias Herndl give us a very engaging story that manages to fill the 50 minute tale with two characters who are fully realized creations all the while keeping the majority of the action in their heads rather than physically on screen.

The second episode I watched was "The Who of You" written by Win Rosenfeld and directed by Key & Peele veteran Peter Atencio who also helmed KEANU. Starring Ethan Embry and Daniel Sunjata, the story centers on a struggling actor who inadvertantly discovers a power that carries with it a hefty price. The episode is a nice little showcase for Embry who has not had nearly as much work as a lead actor since his heyday in the late 90s, but he gets the chance to stretch himself in this performance. This is also the episode that features Billy Porter whose role is far less substantial than the marketing makes it out to be. Still, Porter does a nice job with the role. Of the three episodes, this one reminded me the most of classic Twilight Zone even if I saw the twist coming a mile away.

The third episode made available for review was "You Might Also Like" starring Gretchen Mol and Greta Lee. Written and directed by Osgood Perkins (GRETEL & HANSEL), this is a sly episode that started out seeming like the first entry in the revival of this anthology that truly should have been an episode of Black Mirror. A satirical look at modern society's obsession with marketing and trendy purchases, it features Gretchen Mol in a stellar performance and proves she needs to be on screen a lot more. There is a dark comedy to this story that echoes a classic episode of The Twilight Zone and one that I will not spoil for you here. Just trust me that it both revisits and reboots something we have seen before without repeating any notes from the original version. Dark and surreal, this may have been my favorite of the three episodes I have seen so far.

With seven other episodes coming this season from directors ike Ana Lily Amirpour, writers including Glen Morgan and Jordan Peele himself and a cast of talent ranging from Joel McHale, Damon Wayans Jr, Topher Grace, and Jurnee Smollett-Bell to Morena Baccarin, Tony Hale, Jenna Elfman, Christopher Meloni, and more, the second season of The Twilight Zone is excellent and fixes any of the shortcomings some had with the first season. There are so many jabs and spoofs of contemporary societal norms and culture here that will make you think about your place in the world but they all do so without hitting the viewer over the head with it. The Twilight Zone remains a beacon of hope and morality in a world that often feels like it is missing those things and it makes you ponder some deeper themes and issues. This is a great and relevant series that seems to be improving upon itself and will hopefully continue to do so for seasons to come.

The second season of The Twilight Zone will premiere all ten episodes on June 25th on CBS All Acces..