"Well that's just the way it goes."
Director: Ralph Nelson
Writer: Richard Matheson
Composer: Bernard Hermann
This episode has always stood out as one that comes somewhat near and dear, as it deals with a writer struggling with his own characters, only in a very literal way. While it doesn’t deal with the actual process of writing and creating these characters it does show how much that they can consume a writer; however, this being The Twilight Zone (in more ways than one apparently), there’s a malevolent twist to it that makes it that much more special and nuanced. It’s also notable for it’s brilliant ending; it’s one of my favorite endings in not just this show but in television as a whole.
This episode features a playwright named Gregory West (played by Keenan Wynn) who is having a nice lemonade with a woman named Mary (Mary LaRoche) before he is dropped in on by his wife Victoria (Phyllis Kirk) who knows he was cheating on her with Mary. However, as Mr. West explains, he created Mary, and he attempts multiple times to convince her that using his dictation machine allows him to give his characters real life.
This episode is mostly a back and forth between Gregory and Victoria, and it’s a character study not necessarily of Victoria, but of Gregory. As the episode progresses, it becomes clearer that he isn’t just some bumbling socially awkward writer; he’s a full-on monster. The Twilight Zone has its share of memorable villains (Anthony Fremont, Talkie Teena, the monsters of Maple Street) but perhaps none crueler and more twisted than our dear Gregory West.
Keenan Wynn’s performance as Mr. West, upon first viewing, wouldn’t necessarily lead someone to think these things if they weren’t paying close or special attention to his dialogue and mannerisms. What he’s saying is absolute insanity and it isn’t the face that he is creating these people, it’s how he willingly and without much remorse simply cuts them away and out of existence. It isn’t a spoiler to discuss how he pleads his case to Victoria, by recreating Mary and destroying her once again, even after she expresses genuine emotion about being back, and being happy to be back.
He’s also a total monster in terms of his treatment likely of other people but specifically the women in his life. He just tosses Mary away like its nobody’s business and treats Victoria like his wife but also like a complete fool for not believing him. But how would a rational woman like Victoria ever believe in something like this? Why would she ever? It’s not like he’s expressed this before to her, the fact that he feels his characters are coming alive. There’s a spoiler-related reason to that, but, still, in her mind, Gregory is just a silly little playwright that spends all day in his writing room.
Phyllis Kirk’s performance is easy to overlook against the goofier, bubbly one of Wynn’s Gregory West. She’s a very stern woman, but she knows what she wants and sticks to her ground. While she could use a bit more flexibility in her mindset, she is also, as mentioned before, a woman of realism and practicality. Parlor tricks and deceit are not in her M.O. It’s written all over Kirk’s performance, too, as she plays Victoria as outwardly snooty but moreover curious about what’s really going on.
This episode is just filled with little goofs all throughout. No more is that noticeable than when Gregory is just walking around and Victoria is just doing a little snooping here, a little there. And when she thinks she has the upper hand it’s so grandiose and big and so obviously not going to work that it’s almost humorous to watch it all come down around her.
It’s impossible not to immediately get what’s really going on with Gregory’s writing. While the cold opening is very strong in terms of presenting the mystery of where Mary went, the moment the dictation device is brought up it becomes clear that Gregory has all the control here, and that’s when Wynn’s performance becomes more dynamic, when the monster begins to come out and assert itself. It’s never the to the point of being violent or being a total beast, but he’s a jerk through and through.
The two really come into a battle of “haha I’m right you’re wrong.” It’s like watching a couple of rich kids throwing money at each other hoping the other gets a papercut; it’s stupid and pointless and really it’s only for their own satisfaction.
Matheson writes these two with excellent dialogue and banter and back and forth, and this idea is a pretty brilliant one, and it’s well-executed. Keeping everything locked into this one room also adds to the initial mystery: how does Mary get in and out without there being any hidden doors and with Gregory not giving any clues? Victoria gets him good and it’s excellent writing on Matheson’s part in staying true to the characters throughout the episode, as well as for developing Gregory into one of the Twilight Zone’s biggest headaches.
This episode isn’t going to win any awards. It’s not super serious, it doesn’t have a massive twist at the end, and the main character that we’re following is a total jerk. But it’s a clever premise and it’s one that you just can’t take your eyes off of, because it just leads to such random places along the way. Definitely check this one out if you’re looking for an episode with some more unique elements of the show.
ELEPHANTS!!
Anyway.
The real reason this episode appears on this list, and appears so high on the list, is because I adore the fourth-wall break that occurs at the end. It’s Rod Serling’s first appearance and it makes use of this brilliantly. It really just feels like some sort of inside joke that the writers had and got to pull off perfectly.
I mean, his closing narration is just so succinct and brilliant. Gregory West took the reigns of The Twilight Zone from the man and creator himself, Rod Serling! How great is that! And the fact that Gregory apparently created Rod? And Rod just manifested into the room? It’s all just so fast and insane that you can’t believe what you’re watching.
The ramp up to the end of the episode is also great. Victoria being the one to essentially destroy herself is very much in character, and I, on first watch, didn’t see the twist coming that she was one of Gregory’s creations until he started explaining her finer character intricacies to her. But the ultimate “oh my God” moment comes when he decides not to resurrect Victoria, but to recreate Mary instead, a much more subservient woman than the one he had before.
It shows the true monster inside, the one lacking a complete soul, the one willing just to pleasure himself and not think about the things that he isn’t just creating and giving life to. The episode plainly establishes that Gregory’s shock wasn’t just some playful act it was legitimate shock and wonder as to how she defined, in modern terms, her core programming. That much is an interesting concept, but it would likely have been against their character arcs to explore that. Victoria may have been coming into fruition as a full human, but she wasn’t there yet, and remained dominated by her original character. Gregory is, simply put, a closet monster.
I often like to think that this episode was conceived of as a series finale type of thing. I mean, they “killed off” Rod Serling and closed the book on the master of the Twilight Zone. If the show had ended at Season 1, this would have been arguably the most fitting finale. It’s another aspect of why the ending is so good. But then again, if the show had stopped at just Season 1, I don’t think it would be as celebrated and well-remembered as it is today.
From one monster to another, although this time the monsters are far friendlier at first glance. And they throw mean birthday parties. Find out what happens when nuclear war threatens a small suburban neighborhood as we explore the oft-overlooked “The Shelter.” See you then!
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