(#19) Last Lap
- Dec 11 2002
IMDb Score: 5.3
Synopsis: Andy and Marco, two life-long friends, decide to go for a joy ride after Andy confides in Marco that he doesn't have long to live. As the two try to beat their best time on the race track, Marco ends up crashing the car, "killing" himself in the process.
Why it falls short: Another plot twist that's both unoriginal and boring, the Last Lap is sort of like a pseudo-homage to Jacob's Ladder in that Marco was actually dead the whole time. The ending is pretty stale, and the episode overall is entirely forgettable.
(#14) The Bewitchin' Pool
- Jun 19 1964
IMDb Score: 6.8
Synopsis: As two children try to get away from their constantly bickering parents, they find a swimming pool that belongs to their mysterious Aunt T. After diving in, the two soon realize that the pool is actually a portal to another dimension.
Why it falls short: The Twilight Zone is supposed to be adult programming via horror and sci-fi. This episode feels more like something out of Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark? Plus, the lesson imparted on the kids at the end of the episode is pretty awful. All in all, it's a fairly brain-dead episode that's often regarded as one of the low points in the series.
(#11) Hocus-Pocus and Frisby
- April 13, 1962
IMDb Score: 7.5
Synopsis: Somerset Frisby, a loud-mouth gas attendant in a small town, has a knack for telling tall tales. After hearing his yarns and believing they're real, a group of aliens travel to earth to abduct him. After pleading with the aliens to let him go, Frisby soon discovers that they can't stand the sound of his harmonica.
Why it falls short: The script for this episode just feels lazy. It's essentially a huge line of comedic antics. Worst of all, the episode ends with a terrible deus ex machina because they clearly just wrote themselves into a corner. Unable to understand the concept of lying, Frisby is only able to make his escape after he discovers that he can use his harmonica to incapacitate the aliens. Pretty weak.
(#18) Strangers in Possum Meadows
- Jan 14 1989
IMDb: 6.1
Synopsis: A young child comes into contact with a seemingly normal older gentleman who turns out to be an alien surveying the Earth for specimens to return to his home planet.
Why it falls short: A decent story that's somewhat marred by the fact that it's continually throwing the same life lesson in your face, "Strangers in Possum Meadows" wasn't one of the worst episodes, but it also wasn't one of the better ones. All in all, it's a forgetful story that emphasizes the importance of why children should never talking to strangers.
(#7) The Bard
- May 23, 1963
IMDb Score: 6.0
Synopsis: A down-on-his-luck screenwriter is desperate to make a sale. It's then that he's able to conjure the spirit of William Shakespeare to help him write his next great film.
Why it falls short: The Twilight Zone was famous for giving sleezy characters karmic justice. You would think that's where this episode would head, but the lead never really suffers. He loses the film Shakespeare helped him write, but he just uses the same power to conjure up more spirits for his next project. No lesson is learned, and there's nothing really else the episode has going for it.
(#6) The Mighty Casey
- June 17, 1960
IMDb Score: 6.2
Synopsis: A baseball team manager allows a robot named Casey to pitch for his team. The robot has the power to throw balls incredibly fast that they just can't be hit. Casey's inventor ends up giving him an artificial heart so that it can become more human.
Why it falls short: This episode is simply too schmaltzy. To add insult to injury, the tone varies significantly from one moment to the next. At one moment, it's a wacky comedy about a robot baseball pitcher, and the next, it's a rumination on what it truly means to be human.
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About This Tool
The Twilight Zone consists of five seasons of independent dramas aired on CBS from 1959 to 1964. Although it did not produce the classic high standards that people expected, its mysterious and vague atmosphere is still quite attractive. This classic supernatural TV drama has since been remade in many different versions. Although it is an old drama, it is still worth watching for horror fans.
To be honest, The Twilight Zone has a lot of bad episodes due to backward filming technology at the time. The rand tool lists 20 of the worst episodes of the Twilight Zone you could skip.
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