Spanning 156 episodes, the original version of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone is one of the greatest television shows of all time. From the monologue introductions to the eerie theme music, The Twilight Zone transports viewers to a world not entirely unlike our own. Each episode tells a single story, and one can expect (for the most part) for it to be fantastic.
While the series has its fair share of clunkers, there are more than enough excellent episodes, even if just for one particular aspect. Conceptually, no show has ever run through so many ideas in its runtime. What's more, plenty of episodes have become common cultural reference points, like the episode, "To Serve Man," or "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet."
While there are no direct spoilers included within this piece, the discerning reader might be able to surmise some twists and turns.
10 "I Shot An Arrow Into The Air" Is A Reminder To Remember One's Humanity
Episode 15 of The Twilight Zone, "I Shot an Arrow into the Air," takes a now-classic premise, and gives fills it with dread and cruel irony. When the Arrow 1 spacecraft crash lands, the four remaining members of its crew believe themselves to be on an asteroid, marked with craggy features, rocks, and more rocks.
It's clear from the jump that these guys will have to really hunker down and figure out how to ration what little they have to last them long enough for the off-chance that they will be rescued – or find another miraculous escape. Once they bury their other four crew members, the survivors quickly quarrel and quibble over their water flasks. With resources drying up, the men resort to their baser instincts, all before discovering the truth about where they landed.
9 "The Rip Van Winkle Caper" Is A Time-Travel Heist Gone Awry
The 60th episode of The Twilight Zone, "The Rip Van Winkle Caper," has a solid premise and a masterful execution. There are more twists and turns in this episode than usual, and the story itself has the propulsive energy of a crime thriller. After stealing $1 million in gold, the four-man team heads to a cave to lay low – for 100 years.
The scientist behind the caper is a man who has provided cryogenic chambers for them to slumber until the heat blows over. The perfect plan, right? However, when the men are awakened they find that one in their crew died due to a falling rock that cracked his slumbering device. The other three are pitted at odds while they – much like "I Shot an Arrow into the Air – fight over a dwindling water supply. The episode ends with a perfect twist.
8 "The Howling Man" Is Downright Evil
A man named David Ellington recounts the tale of "The Howling Man," in the 41st episode of The Twilight Zone. In the wake of World War I, David wanders a scoured landscape and happens upon a castle. The monks who reside there refuse to admit David, but after he faints, they take him in.
When he awakes, David hears incessant howling and investigates. He meets an old man who claims to be held prisoner there for a public display of affection, and that the monks are fanatics. However, the monks claim that the old man is none other than the Devil himself and that releasing him would have catastrophic consequences.
7 "Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?" Stands With The Best Of Them
When a pair of state troopers receive word that an unidentified flying object has landed, they go to investigate. The trail leads them to a nearby diner, where the counterman and patrons are soon brought under questioning, as one of them may be an alien. "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?" (episode 64) has a quirky premise, but it's a riveting half-hour of television.
When a bus driver reveals that he only had six passengers, but seven patrons are found inside the diner, the troopers, along with everyone else, begin to turn on one another in order to weed out the mysterious stranger. The ending is an iconic moment for the series, and for good reason.
6 "Mirror Image" Is A Haunting Story Of Stolen Lives
"Mirror Image," episode 21 of The Twilight Zone, is one of the series' more eerie episodes. It takes a simple concept and runs with it. While at a bus depot, waiting for departure, Millicent Barnes finds herself in an odd predicament.
When she asks the person at the counter what time the bus is leaving, she's told that she's already asked a couple of times before. When she uses the bathroom, the attendant insists that Millicent was just in there. And when she catches a glimpse of her exact double in the reflection of the bathroom mirror, she knows that whatever's happening, it's too late. Millicent is afraid that her doppelgänger is trying to steal her life, and she may be right.
5 "To Serve Man" Is Iconic And Essential Twilight Zone
What can be said about "To Serve Man" that hasn't already been said? When a race of 9-foot-tall aliens known as the Kanamits visit Earth, they offer to provide their superior technologies to aid humanity. When things start to improve the whole world over, the people of Earth develop an ongoing relationship with the aliens. Later, one of the Kanamits leaves behind a book in the aliens' native language, and Michael Chambers, a cryptographer, is tasked with its translation.
Eventually, the title of the book is revealed to be To Serve Man, and the Kanamits offer to deliver the people of Earth to their home planet. As Michael Chambers is about to step foot on the alien ship, one of his colleagues, Patty, breaks some terrifying news about what the book really is.
4 "Nick Of Time" And The Power Of A Good Relationship
For some reason the season 5 episode, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" is the better known of the two William Shatner appearances. It's a simple premise where it turns out that man's belief that a gremlin is causing damage to a plane turns out to be true. However, "Nick of Time" is a much more interesting and effective episode.
William Shatner and Patricia Breslin star as newlyweds who have lunch at a diner while they wait for their car to be repaired. At their table, a fortune teller machine that answers Yes or No seems to have startling accuracy. The episode is a sharp look at superstition and the forces that govern one's life.
3 "Third From The Sun" Is An Escape For The Ages
"Third from the Sun," episode 14 of The Twilight Zone is a solid escape story, with a bonus. Foreseeing that nothing good can come of it, Will Sturka makes plans to leave his post as a military scientist. On the military base where he works, they're producing hydrogen bombs, and the looming threat of nuclear war is all but certain. Will makes plans with a pilot of a classified experimental spacecraft to abscond, and the two plan to bring along their respective families.
"Third from the Sun" follows their plot from conception to execution, as the two men try to make their bold escape, to a new planet, where there's a chance of peace and survival. Finally, after meticulous planning, they board the ship and set their destination: a planet 11 million miles away.
2 "Time Enough At Least" Is Cruel, Perfect Twilight Zone
"Time Enough at Last" is, for great reason, one of the most acclaimed episodes of The Twilight Zone. The 8th episode overall, the story follows Henry Bemis whose love of reading causes just about everyone to pick on him, belittle him, and have a general sense of anti-intellectualism. It's not that Henry is so smart that he rubs it in and alienates everyone around him, it's just that he loves to read.
One day during his lunch break at the bank, a world-ending event occurs. Protected inside the vault where he eats, Henry survives and finds that no one else has survived. From here the episode goes into rare, super-dark territory, where Henry contemplates whether or not he wants to continue living in a world without people. Then, he happens upon a library. Finally, "time enough at last," to read all of the world's treasures.
1 "The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street" Is A Paranoid Nightmare
"The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" is, hands down, the best episode of The Twilight Zone. The 22nd episode of the series was never bested in terms of the sheer quality of writing, final twist, and the pervasive feeling of dread throughout. On Maple Street (which is just about as generic a neighborhood as it gets) a shadow briefly flits overhead. After, an EMP-like effect causes power outages, including vehicles.
A neighborhood kid, Tommy, believes it to be the early signs of an alien invasion, but the adults are more inclined to believe the events to be related to sunspots. Soon the neighborhood turns on each other, neighbors accusing neighbors of being in cahoots with alien conspirators. This marks one of the more potent Twilight Zone episodes for its commentary on the insidious effects of paranoia.