The Twilight Zone Series 2 Review

• 27th Jun 2011

After the staggering release of the first season Fremantle now delivers the second season of the legendary Twilight Zone. The entire 29 episodes are included on this new DVD set that like its predecessor also contains a mountain of extras.

The second season featured the now legendary Rod Serling stepping in front of the camera to host the show.  His tight-lipped delivery style would become immediately recognizable and associated with the groundbreaking show.  The other critical change came when the Bernard Hermann theme song was replaced. The music chosen was the theme by Marius Constant that has be today become the classic tune associated with the show.

Running at only 29 episodes this time around the one disappointment comes when you reach the six episodes shot on video tape. The decision was made by CBS to save some money and not film those episodes on the high quality film stock used previously. They are “The Lateness of the Hour”, “The Night of the Meek”, “The Whole Truth”, “Twenty-Two”, “Static”, and “Long Distance Call”, all of which have a visual appearance which is distinctly different than episodes shot on film.

In addition, videotape was a relatively primitive medium in the early 1960s, thus the editing of tape was next to impossible. Each of the 6 episodes was therefore “camera-cut” as in live TV, on a studio sound stage, using a total of four cameras. The requisite multi-camera setup of the videotape experiment made location shooting difficult, severely limiting the potential scope of the storylines, and so, the short-lived experiment was thankfully abandoned.

Mild quibbles to one side what we have here is an astounding collection from the brilliant mind of Rod Serling. By today’s standard this show now seems so radical and forward thinking that you wonder what Serling would be doing in the industry today. The Twilight Zone doesn’t limit itself in anyway incorporating storylines from the modern day, the future and extreme fantasy. Following the successful first season the show again incorporates comedy, drama, thriller and horror storylines that are simply brilliant.

Much debate rages around the question of whether the second series lives up to the legendary status of the first. Personally I felt that this was more of the same and boy was I happy about that. Television is going through a golden age in the USA without a doubt but there is still noting this good currently on television. Modern day hits such as X-Files and Lost still seem too formulaic when compared to Twilight Zone, almost scared to step outside their own limitations.

The extras include the usual masses of interviews, 25 audio commentaries, fifteen radio dramas, audio recollections and isolated music scores to name but a few. The aspect of these sets that stay with me is the remarkable care and loving attention paid to this legendary series. Should you wisely choose to spend your hard earn cash in this crippling recession on this DVD set you will sit back and smile on what is a priceless collection of fantastical stories. Quality is the key aspect of this release which like its predecessor makes this a must for anyone with a rational mind and a love for the fantastic.

Aled Jones