Sfdebris.net

https://sfdebris.com/videos/twilightzone/tzs3e14.php

Aw, hell yeah! A review of one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes!

Chuck's analysis here is really stunning, diving deep into the themes of an episode that's almost nothing but themes.

And remember the first rule of mime club:

This one just doesn't work for me. Maybe I don't really get along well with Theater of the Absurd. Chuck's mime joke, however, landed with a splash.

I think the problem with this episode is that it has been copied relentlessly by pretty much every single twist or fantastical show out there. It was the first, or nearly so, to do it and it did it so well that everyone else wanted to do it too, and that has robbed it of its power. As soon as I saw clown and ballerina in the list, I knew it was a toybox type of thing. That is something that people coming to it first time wouldn't have had in their minds, and if you can sort of wall that bit of your mind off then it becomes much more enjoyable.

Imagine if they did this episode now. You'd have a transforming robot, at least a couple of superheroes, some fighting monsters, maybe a wrestler or two, etc.

Drooling Iguana wrote: ↑Fri Nov 26, 2021 1:53 pm Imagine if they did this episode now. You'd have a transforming robot, at least a couple of superheroes, some fighting monsters, maybe a wrestler or two, etc.

I dunno; apart from the wrestler it seems like it would give the game away early.

I wonder if this was the inspiration Toy Story.

The Velveteen Rabbit was a more likely inspiration for Toy Story, but there have been plenty of this kind of "living toys" stories told over the years.

Drooling Iguana wrote: ↑Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:37 pm The Velveteen Rabbit was a more likely inspiration for Toy Story, but there have been plenty of this kind of "living toys" stories told over the years.

the thing no one comment what if the soul of the toy are those that gone to hell and been transform into toys to be giving away to children

CrypticMirror wrote: ↑Fri Nov 26, 2021 11:47 am As soon as I saw clown and ballerina in the list, I knew it was a toybox type of thing. That is something that people coming to it first time wouldn't have had in their minds, and if you can sort of wall that bit of your mind off then it becomes much more enjoyable.

I'm guessing those were more prevalent as occupations at the time. Certainly Hobo and Clown were (this was the height of the TV clowns, IIRC).

Drooling Iguana wrote: ↑Fri Nov 26, 2021 1:53 pm Imagine if they did this episode now. You'd have a transforming robot, at least a couple of superheroes, some fighting monsters, maybe a wrestler or two, etc.

None of those (save Wrestler, in theory) double as possible real-life occupations, which is what is required for the twist to work, not just as a revelation but as allegory for real people.