Why I Start Every Year in the Twilight Zone

You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That’s the signpost up ahead—your next stop, the Twilight Zone.

For what seems like forever, the Syfy network has been ringing in the new year with a marathon of one of my favorite shows, The Twilight Zone.

For you young-uns out there, this TV show had nothing to do with sparkly vampires.

The Twilight Zone was (and is) a very popular show from the 1960s where host Rod Serling introduces the audience to a situation that might appear normal to begin with, but it soon diverges into a world of mystery, horror, and fantasy.

It’s a great show, but the best part is always the twist at the end. “IT’S A COOKBOOK!”

Anyhoo, I spent the weekend curled up on the couch watching dozens of episodes in glorious black and white. My favorite episode by far is “Five Characters in Search of an Exit.”

It starts with an army major, a ballerina, a clown, a bagpipe player, and a hobo (tramp) finding themselves in a large room with no way out. They can’t remember their names, where they came from, or how they ended up in the “dungeon.”

There is no food or water, but strangely, none of them get hungry or thirsty. The army major insists that they must have had lives before they ended up in the room and that people must love and care about them.

They make many attempts to escape, without any luck. And at the end, it’s finally revealed where they are…

I won’t spoil the surprise for you, but click here if you want to know.

What I like about this episode (and many of the other episodes) is that there is no happy ending, but there is something else.

Hope.

Those poor characters trapped in the room don’t get a happy ending, but there is hope that happiness and love will come to them someday.

That’s why I love The Twilight Zone so much. Even when there’s nuclear war, aliens attacking, or monsters on our own (maple) street, there is hope that things will get better.

All of us have had hard times in our lives; some of us may be going through them right now. But we should never give up on hope.

There’s hope that we’ll learn from our mistakes. There’s hope that our situations will improve.

As we start the new year, I am wishing all of you happiness and love and joy and fun and all the sweetness life has to offer. Maybe the good times are just ahead.

Here’s hoping.

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6 Comments

  1. xvavaveganx on January 1, 2012 at 4:19 pm

    Great post and awesome pics! Wishing you a very happy, healthy New Year!



  2. Tinfoil Tiaras on January 1, 2012 at 4:10 pm

    Hahah I love the photos- you look great-very androgynous! I’ve never seen the show (just watched my first B&W movie over the holidays if you can believe it!) but the concept is interesting. Here’s to 2012- a year in which we shouldn’t give up hope (unless of course we truly believe the world is coming to an end as predicted by the Mayan calendar!) 😉



    • Sage on January 2, 2012 at 5:33 pm

      Thanks, Emily. I was trying to look like Rod Serling in these pictures. He always had on a suit and tie and carried a cigarette. I have my fingers crossed that the Mayans got it wrong!



  3. Molly on January 1, 2012 at 10:01 am

    What an awesome post, with such great pictures!

    I adore the Twilight Zone and have very fond memories of watching it every chance I could get when I was younger. Last year I rang in the new year watching it because I couldn’t sleep. 2011 turned out to be a great year, too!



  4. Shybiker on January 1, 2012 at 7:48 am

    I’m so impressed!! The photos of you are clever and well-done. They illustrate your point perfectly.

    And I love this show. I’ve seen every episode, including the two starring William Shatner (“Star Trek”) (gremlin on an airplane wing; mysterious fortune-telling machine in a diner).

    Sterling was a great writer. After this show, he did “Night Gallery” which scared the crap out of me as a kid. Without showing any gore at all, it was horrifying.

    Happy New Year!



    • Sage on January 1, 2012 at 9:18 am

      I love the William Shatner episodes too! He was so handsome as a young man. 🙂 “Night Gallery” was so spooky too!

      Happy new year!