But let’s face it, The left is a little brighter. Republican’s are a few eggs short of a dozen and usually dumb as a box of hammers. Remember ‘Space Force’?
@@ballpeenbaby Addendum: The Establishment tries to pit us against each other, ultimately side with the Right because they promote the racism that Capitalism needs to survive, while Leftists want to dismantle racism and bring the whole rotten structure of Capitalism crumbling down.
I actually got to play a part in a radio drama version of this episode in high school. It showed me that this really is one of the best of the whole series when it comes to the writing, pacing and the twist
I remember when I was in middle school 1 of my literature classes had this episode written in the textbook and everyone in the class was given a role to read the lines from, then when I got home I looked this episode up to watch it and this was how I was introduced to The Twilight Zone.
This frickin episode man. This one episode has basically followed me my entire life. I’ve had to study it twice for English classes, once in 5th grade then again in 8th, and then I got to play Charlie (the guy who shot Pete Van Horn) in my theater class during my freshman year of high school. I’ve basically had more than my fill of this episode, I don’t hate it, but I’ve definitely seen it more than I had to
I remember having to go over this script for my 7th theatre class multiple times. Rewatching this episode brought back so many middle school memories for me
Yep. Terrorism in the early 2000's. Now, it's this bullshit COVID. An invisible enemy that we can't see, that may or may not even be real. Amazing stuff going on
But then they made one boogeyman and a single hero who held out all the way through. And the scapegoat family were outsiders. Kind of defeats the message
That always makes me think of THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, when the Rogo character says "You're gonna listen to a kid?!" Maybe he was wrong in that story, but the characters in this story could've used a Rogo when Tommy started talking.
One of the best and quintessential episodes of the Twilight Zone. Everything about this episode, from beginning to end is perfect. I actually wrote about it in an essay as a final exam for my science class in college, where I had to explain examples of alien life in entertainment
The screenplay for this episode was in my seventh grade English textbook. It introduced me to the twilight zone and, when talking with people in my Asperger’s Support Group, it introduced me to the 1980s twilight zone as well
There were 5 episodes of this show that changed my entire television taste as a child. A Passage for Trumpet, the Eye of the Beholder, It's a Good Life, Long Distance Call, and this one. These episodes really matured my perview of what television and story telling is capable of. To this day, Twilight Zone is my all time favorite show and always will be
I grew up in the South inthe tail end/just after this show's era. And I have to say I saw kids with just a few heat of the moment words stir up adults or at least start the ball rolling on extreme actions (though naturally all of those biases, suspicions and fears already existed and it was just a match being added to powder kegs lying just under the surface). I think that's why then and even now this episode in some ways may be the scariest of them all.
My seventh grade English teacher did a whole unit on this episode. He asked us to draw what we thought the titular "monsters" looked like, and of course, we drew everything from furry creatures to even aliens. Then we read the screenplay for the episode, and we were absolutely FLOORED to discover that the "monsters" were the people of Maple Street and not literal monsters. I think we really got schooled in what a good twist looks like.
The whole closing narration is sadly so relevant to today. It's one of Serling's best. "The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices - to be found in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill, and suspicion can destroy, and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of it's own - for the children and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these things cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone." - Rod Serling
More like a different telling of the book.. "who goes there" where a monster disguises himself as a human and the remaining humans slowly turn on each other. The book would later inspire the movie "The Thing" which later inspired Amoung Us.
@@maddalonefarms the book is called "who goes there" it's really old published in 1938 and it's the first of it's kind. Meaning depecting a shapfting alien who disguises itself as a human. Everything else that involves this trope is inspired by this book. Just like all vampire tellings are inspired by the book Dracual.
I actually remember looking over this episode in my 8th grade English class, with it actually being written in our course book! I guess that’s telling of how popular this episode is.
Infiltrating aliens sabotaging electricity while everyone makes accusations without having any real evidence? Sounds like it would be a cool game to play!
This is my favorite episode of The Twilight Zone. It effectively creates a strong feeling of paranoia and is a brilliant deconstruction of the ‘white picket fence’ fantasy from that time. The fact too it was released in 1960 when that ideal image of the suburban, picket fence, spouse and two kids, car in every driveway lifestyle had only just taken off in popularity in the 50’s shows how ahead of its time it was.
Still a preferable lifestyle to being an urbanite bugman living in an apartment that is overloaded with occupants and who possess disgusting left wing ideals that only ever destroy and deconstruct but never build.
@@0816M3RC says the guy who's faction has been incoherently shouting about the spectre of fascism and russia and now how right wingers need to be re-educated after your fictional biden victory.
I had to read the screenplay in English class in 7th grade, and now as a senior in college, the last line of this episode still gives me chills. And this episode has stuck with me since then as well.
I love this episode. The only other episode left that's to be covered that I'm excited to see a video about is Long Live Walter Jameson. I hope he covers the similarities between that and The Man From Earth, a story written by a different Twilight Zone author.
This episode is the reason i got into the twilight zone Back in 4th grade we did a reading where we act out every part. (I played the little boy) and after we were done we watched the actual episode
I remember I was in 8th grade when we watched this episode of the Twilight Zone for English class, comparing the original script to the actual episode. It was the first episode I ever watched. I just felt this wave of nostalgia hit me when I saw the characters and heard the basic premise. Just from what I remember, I wasn’t too happy with the episode. The OG script was ambiguous in the twist ending. You weren’t sure who or what was talking at the end, but in the episode it was clear it was aliens, which even back then I was like “well that sucked.”
Never really watched The Twilight Zone. I was more of a fan of "The Outer Limits" personally and whew boy, some of those twist endings were downright dark as hell.
This was the first Twighlight episode I ever watched! My teacher Mr. Pearl played this one The one where the clean health freak becomes immortal and tries every way to die.And the one of the future predicting television for my highschool English class for Halloween.
My favourite episode - so powerful - especially Rod Serling’s closing remarks ………”The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices...to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill...and suspicion can destroy...and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own-for the children and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these things cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone”
I remember reading the script to this episode in our textbooks in my English class in middle school. I read the part of the lady who asked for the operator on the phone, haha!
Interesting sidenote: Jan Handslik, who played Tommy, was in the 1958 movie Auntie Mame. He left acting and became a celebrated prosecutor in Los Angeles.
I remember watching this episode in English class after reading the script and this is how I (and a bunch of other 7th graders) fell in love with the show! It’s still my favorite I think
Tommy plants the seed. Tommy steps up and offers an explanation when no one else has one. Tommy offers a reason: gives a why. And he says it in such a matter of fact way. It's not that Tommy was the one to say it: it's the fact someone said something. This also shows no matter how well we know our neighbors, we don't really know them.
The kid was right up to a point. He was wrong that there was an alien family living within their midst. He was right that aliens were responsible for the strange goings on.
you guys seem to miss the point. There was part of the kids story that is true, but you seem to ignore the false part. There was no infiltration. Thats how good propaganda works, part truth and part lie. A glass half with urine and the other half is milk, now would you drink that? It seems that you would...
Thank you Walter for this series! I spent days reading up on all the episodes on Wikipedia to kill time at work. This now gives me an idea of what they’re really like
This and another episode about the bunker are my favorites A community of friends and close neighbors turn on each other in a dime when they think the world is ending or there's a great threat
When I was in 7th grade I wrote a story similar to this for school. It wasn't till years later that I saw this episode and realized I must have seen it when I was young and how it must have influenced me.
I'm glad you pointed out the thing with Tommy. He's the only kid there. It boggles me that everyone was just like: "Yeah, that makes sense." You at least have the adults dismiss him for a while until things get weird.
I remember this being in English book we used in seventh grade, written in the style of a play. It’s what first got me interested in the Twilight Zone!
You're not the only person who thinks the kid bringing up monsters and everyone just believing him was a pretty weak and rushed setup, and it always bothered me, especially in conjunction with the reveal at the end that there really were aliens behind it all and the comments about how people will destroy themselves with the right amount of fear...I feel like it should have been one or the other, no mention of monsters and people just going crazy on their own with the aliens behind the weird electrical stuff, or they freak out over the idea of monsters, but it turns out to be some sort of freaky power surge or something. I get what Serling was going for, and it works pretty well as presented, but the setup is pretty flimsy. In my opinion, the season three episode 'The Shelter' did the whole neighbors turning on each other out of fear thing better and with a much more harrowing twist ending.
Yes. 100% agree with you. That episode presented the same plot in a more coherent story with am actual believability to how quickly things get violent (in that case, the missile they believe its coming). And the final narration is simple and direct.
"No moral, no message, no prophetic tract, just a simple statement of fact: for civilization to survive, the human race has to remain civilized." 'The Shelter' is peak Twilight Zone and one of my personal favorites. So glad it's being recognized here, particularly in comparison to one of the most widely popular episodes of all time.
Red: blue sus I haven’t seen him. Blue:I have a scan The whole crew: *ignores* Red: vote blue then me ^coochieman (blue) was not imposter.^ Emergency meeting is called White: red said vote him if it wasn’t blue The whole crew: PrOoF, WhItE sUs UwU (this part annoys me the most) ^white was not imposter^ EVERY DAMN TIME
One of my favorite episodes. Though it's flawed, it is a powerful allegory of social panic and McCarthyism. I feel it's more relevant today than ever before.
I remember my English teacher showing me this episode in class during summer school. one of my favorite episodes of Twilight zone of all time and yeah still holds up today.
Not if you look around at many countries today that follow kids and cater to them as knowledgeable, wise, and capable when they're the exact opposite. Not elementary school aged kids, of course. But, college aged kids are even more dangerous because they Look like adults, while having attained None of the knowledge, wisdom, experience, impulse control, and other requisite characteristics and traits that are needed for better levelheaded, more knowledgeable, more experienced, and fact-based thinking. Modern countries with a youth fetish feature regressive ideologies that threaten peace and stability, and create fear and chaotic. Just look at the countries that have been the most modern and peaceful in the immediate past. Since the early to mid millennium, they've been crumbling from the inside Because of the adults listening to the children in matters they know nothing about, especially building and creating a successful civilization
@@LA_HA One could say this is a boomer mentality, but I do get what you mean: while listening to the younger generation isn't a bad idea, it's not wise to assume they know everything. Probably best to listen to both sides and figure out what works with both sides and what doesn't.
@@Undeadpriest94 Hmm. Well, I wouldn't know what a Boomer mentality is, since I'm not a Boomer, nor do I hang with them on the day to day. I'm aware of what a Zoomer mentality is like since I'm surrounded by them. Plus, it's not a Boomer mentality to tell the truth. I'm not saying older people have all their ish together. But, more of them do as adults than kids that have far less life experience and knowledge that comes from time, application, and just tangling with life. In short, I'm more likely to listen to my grandparents about The Real than my nieces and nephews, and my parents than my friends and coworkers. That's all I'm getting at
This was my first Twilight Zone episode I ever experienced. Back in middle school my English teacher had us read the script for this episode and even act it out (I played Tommy lol) to teach us about characters, tension, build up and other stuff like that. After we were done we got to watch the actual episode in class and ever since then I’ve been in love with the Twilight Zone
Everyone remarks on how easily everyone turned on each other, and talks about prejudice, etc. What no one notices is that, in a piece supposedly protesting McCarthyism, the twist is that the Commu-- *ahem* the aliens, I mean, that the aliens really were there, pulling everyone's strings, trying to influence them into destroying each other. Honestly the thing that surprised me the most about this episode is that they didn't eventually reveal that Tommy was the alien infiltrator.
As one of my favorite episodes of all time, The Monsters are Due on Maple Street definitely represents a poignant synthesis of the quintessential elements attributed to The Twilight Zone as a series, notably the reliance on science fiction as a conduit to anatomize human sociology under unique, inciting parameters, and the consequential, overarching commentary on the behaviors and psychology intrinsic to humanity as a whole. I appreciate your take on the strengths and fallibilities of this particular episode, Walter, and I do agree with your assessment that the motivational instigator for the devolvement of this microcosm of society was not necessarily believable enough at its inception to have caused the rapid emergence of this violent mob-mentality. The foundational absurdity of an idea does appear to hamper its initial adoption and acceptance by a group of people, and in this context, the narrative proceeds at a steady pace even without the existence of some base suspicions or fears surrounding the infiltration of their neighborhood by aliens to give veracity to the boy’s imaginative assertions. Still, as Rod’s potent and reverberant words state, a simple thought can ensnare the mind, feeding off existent prejudices and queries, emboldened by latent anger, amplified by its mirrored reflection in the opinions of others, and given externalization by assuredness in the righteous fervor it instills. In the case of the people of Maple Street, there are instances where “evidence” is manifested from these extant suspicions, which, in actuality, betray the judgmental perceptions harbored for the idiosyncrasies or behaviors deemed to be a notable departure from the acceptable norm. It’s a lesson on tolerance, in a way, where stressful situations precipitate old grudges and disdain, inclining people to adopt a viewpoint or belief on the subconscious basis of what they want to be true, rather than what actually is. The unfortunate reality surrounding the poignancy of this episode is its continued relevancy, which demonstrates the cyclic nature of human mentality whereby scapegoating, blame, hatred, and fear without evidentiary foundation lead to the needless oppression of innocent people. If anything, conspiratorial thinking has only been further entertained and augmented by the advent of the internet, which can allow for the heightened promulgation of pernicious ideas to a receptive audience of like-minded individuals. The power wielded by a single thought can be more frightening and destructive than any outside threat, a reality which exists both inside and outside of… The Twilight Zone. Thank you for articulately sharing your perspectives on this episode which many consider to epitomize The Twilight Zone at its best! As always, I appreciate your honest opinions!
Just got round to watching this one and I was hyped because I heard it was a good one but personally seems quite overrated to me, the message and premise is amazing but the issue is the initial turning on eachother felt too unrealistic and didn't have much truth it needed more of a spark for the chaos that would follow, either more push-back before they decide to jump on the whole bandwagon that "everything is just like a comic" or another event that made the comic idea more believable (edit: just finished the video & yeah I totally agree, it kind of put a sour taste in my mouth for the rest of the episode though)
This is one of my all time favorites and a top episode for sure. In my 7th or 8th grade English class we did a production of this (I got the part of Steve) and then afterwards we watched the episode to see what we did similarly and differently to the original cast. Such a great opportunity and since I have been a TZ fan since I was younger, an even more fan boy type experience. If you havent seen this episode, you have to.
This episode is all too relevant for this year. This was one of my mom's favorite episodes, since it showed how even the smallest seeds of doubt can snowball into some of the most devastating conflicts. It also shows the most effective method to win as the imposter in Among us.
And now we come to the big one. What many people consider to be one of, if not the most iconic episodes of The Twilight Zone. Right up there with "Nightmare At 2000 Feet" and maybe even more well known than "Time Enough at Last". "Monsters Are Due On Maple Street" is one of the most important and relevant episodes of the entire series. While it's not my favorite, I do put it in my top ten. Just for its message about how easy it is to turn on one another for trivial reasons.
@@0816M3RC take the lights out of a "peaceful" neighborhood, and see how quick these "neighbors" turn on each other and regress to violence. Still feels social to me
@@floricel_112 Can't it also be political? This episode was made during the Red Scare when paranoid Americans accused neighbors of being Communists. It didn't end when McCarthy lost the spotlight.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
I loved this episodes. It truly shows how we are our own worst enemy.
Seconded, this is an Amazing episode, and the twist is just sublime, and one of the show's best! 💖
"They pick the most dangerous enemy they can find and it's themselves."
@@bigduke5902 Charles Koch
This episode and "The Shelter."
It like the videogame among us
The most ironic ending of the show. Why you should bother about invading your enemies when you can simply make them killing each other?
I haven't watched Twilight Zone and even I remember that ending usually being associated with the show
The classic “divide-and-conquer” strategy
Sad as it is, it's an effective and cathartic method of warfare.
that's what china did.
Playbook of the corporate class.
Light: *Flickers a little*
Everyone: "Trust nobody, not even yourself."
But let’s face it, The left is a little brighter.
Republican’s are a few eggs short of a dozen and usually dumb as a box of hammers. Remember ‘Space Force’?
@@ballpeenbaby Addendum: The Establishment tries to pit us against each other, ultimately side with the Right because they promote the racism that Capitalism needs to survive, while Leftists want to dismantle racism and bring the whole rotten structure of Capitalism crumbling down.
I'm suprised they didn't try and make this simple by blaming communism for all of maple streets problems
This episode should be shown in every school and Sterling's epilogue and monologue should be aired daily on every TV station after the newscast.
I actually got to play a part in a radio drama version of this episode in high school. It showed me that this really is one of the best of the whole series when it comes to the writing, pacing and the twist
*my thespian career peaked in first grade playing third raindrop in a nature play...it's gone down hill ever since*
I remember this a lot as a kid
I remember when I was in middle school 1 of my literature classes had this episode written in the textbook and everyone in the class was given a role to read the lines from, then when I got home I looked this episode up to watch it and this was how I was introduced to The Twilight Zone.
I was about to type the same thing. I also had that textbook, and then we watched thee episode in class.
Watched this in middle school as well.
Same!
SAME, but i knew about the twilight zone before
Same
This episode is a masterpiece and one of the greatest TV episodes of all time.
This frickin episode man. This one episode has basically followed me my entire life. I’ve had to study it twice for English classes, once in 5th grade then again in 8th, and then I got to play Charlie (the guy who shot Pete Van Horn) in my theater class during my freshman year of high school. I’ve basically had more than my fill of this episode, I don’t hate it, but I’ve definitely seen it more than I had to
Sounds like somebody who worked for your school district had a super hard-on for this episode. Crazy how it continued to follow you up the grades.
I remember having to go over this script for my 7th theatre class multiple times. Rewatching this episode brought back so many middle school memories for me
I'm watching it for my 4 page long college final, I hate it :D
Schools try to indoctrinate kids with big-government propaganda and ending freedom.
The remake changed the aliens to terrorists. It made the beginning part easier to digest. Its so easy to update this story to represent any era.
Yep. Terrorism in the early 2000's. Now, it's this bullshit COVID. An invisible enemy that we can't see, that may or may not even be real. Amazing stuff going on
But then they made one boogeyman and a single hero who held out all the way through. And the scapegoat family were outsiders. Kind of defeats the message
Lol
@@Sate12 I think the outsiders was kinda the message, because they were xenophobic and it did not help with solving the incident
I do agree, I think the updated version had more believable motivation than the original with Tommy.
I like watching an interview with Rod Serling where he complains about how he has to please advertisers who want to sell Toothpaste on his show.
This is a big reason why Serling created "TZ", because he could get away with a lot more under the guise of "silly little sci-fi stories."
They haven't gotten to "Uncle Simon" yet, but they had to change a bit of the plot on that one because of tobacco advertisers.
Personally, Ι am sold on Weston's Hawaian shirt. They definitely did something right with the Twilight Zone's product placement.
*yeah, we all know that aliens are big consumers of toothpaste*
None of this would have happened if Tommy kept his dammed trap shut.
brings up a good point. Who was the culprit of this situation? The aliens? Tommy? The adults for going nuts?
The suspicion and ensuing chaos would've manifested in some other way even if Tommy kept his fat yap shut, or even if the adults didn't believe him.
The culprit, as is the usual for our species, is irrational fear and groundless suspicion of anyone and everything that can be construed as 'other.'
Yes it would.
That always makes me think of THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, when the Rogo character says "You're gonna listen to a kid?!"
Maybe he was wrong in that story, but the characters in this story could've used a Rogo when Tommy started talking.
One of the best and quintessential episodes of the Twilight Zone. Everything about this episode, from beginning to end is perfect. I actually wrote about it in an essay as a final exam for my science class in college, where I had to explain examples of alien life in entertainment
Indeed, it's one of the strongest episodes in Season 1, and the twist is superb! 😎
This and The Old Man In The Cave are both staples of the original run and depressingly relevant to this day.
It probably wasn't a misquote but a deliberate attempt to make a message more to their liking.
“Turn off the lights for a few minutes and watch the pattern...We’ll go from one to the other and let them destroy themselves”
@@KairuHakubi the human condition
The screenplay for this episode was in my seventh grade English textbook. It introduced me to the twilight zone and, when talking with people in my Asperger’s Support Group, it introduced me to the 1980s twilight zone as well
There were 5 episodes of this show that changed my entire television taste as a child. A Passage for Trumpet, the Eye of the Beholder, It's a Good Life, Long Distance Call, and this one. These episodes really matured my perview of what television and story telling is capable of. To this day, Twilight Zone is my all time favorite show and always will be
I absolutely love this episode shows how anyone with a stressful situation being cut off from the outside world for so long can turn into a monster.
@@BWMagus Someone did walk to the next block and got shot.
I like to think "Midnight", one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes, owes a lot to The Twilight Zone in general, and this episode in particular.
Very much so. Same situation of a group in a limited area turning on each other through fear and paranoia.
Or the Dark Shadows episode Bloodlust.
Midnight was the very first Doctor Who episode that I ever saw and I was immediately hooked.
I grew up in the South inthe tail end/just after this show's era. And I have to say I saw kids with just a few heat of the moment words stir up adults or at least start the ball rolling on extreme actions (though naturally all of those biases, suspicions and fears already existed and it was just a match being added to powder kegs lying just under the surface). I think that's why then and even now this episode in some ways may be the scariest of them all.
One of the best episodes ever produced from any show, hands down. It's got it all, suspense, drama, a great start and end. It's perfect.
This is actually the first episode of the twilight zone I’ve ever seen
5:15 You have to remember that ALL tech was disabled, not just the electric company lines. That would be just enough to get them to listen to the boy.
Pete was ejected (2 Imposters remain)
My seventh grade English teacher did a whole unit on this episode. He asked us to draw what we thought the titular "monsters" looked like, and of course, we drew everything from furry creatures to even aliens. Then we read the screenplay for the episode, and we were absolutely FLOORED to discover that the "monsters" were the people of Maple Street and not literal monsters. I think we really got schooled in what a good twist looks like.
This is my favorite live action adaptation of Among Us
Except zero imposters.
@@3dpprofessor they were afk
Pete was not the imposter...
@@EntrominalCute profile pic, do you know the artist?
The whole closing narration is sadly so relevant to today. It's one of Serling's best.
"The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices - to be found in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill, and suspicion can destroy, and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of it's own - for the children and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these things cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone." - Rod Serling
This episode is basically the residents of Maple St playing a game of Among Us, except there is no imposter
Change my mind
More like a different telling of the book.. "who goes there" where a monster disguises himself as a human and the remaining humans slowly turn on each other. The book would later inspire the movie "The Thing" which later inspired Amoung Us.
@@Hater20X what book?
@@maddalonefarms the book is called "who goes there" it's really old published in 1938 and it's the first of it's kind. Meaning depecting a shapfting alien who disguises itself as a human. Everything else that involves this trope is inspired by this book. Just like all vampire tellings are inspired by the book Dracual.
I remember this one. We watched this one in 7 grade ELA.
Omg I watched it too! and I remember being totally blown away by the twist!
Same. We were studying the Crucible
I actually remember looking over this episode in my 8th grade English class, with it actually being written in our course book! I guess that’s telling of how popular this episode is.
Infiltrating aliens sabotaging electricity while everyone makes accusations without having any real evidence? Sounds like it would be a cool game to play!
*cough* among us
@Dylan Manese Yeah and there could be crew members and impersonators.
This is my favorite episode of The Twilight Zone. It effectively creates a strong feeling of paranoia and is a brilliant deconstruction of the ‘white picket fence’ fantasy from that time. The fact too it was released in 1960 when that ideal image of the suburban, picket fence, spouse and two kids, car in every driveway lifestyle had only just taken off in popularity in the 50’s shows how ahead of its time it was.
Still a preferable lifestyle to being an urbanite bugman living in an apartment that is overloaded with occupants and who possess disgusting left wing ideals that only ever destroy and deconstruct but never build.
@@ep_med7822 Whoa there.. sounds like you saw yourself and some of your right-wing compatriots in the Maple Street residents.
@@0816M3RC says the guy who's faction has been incoherently shouting about the spectre of fascism and russia and now how right wingers need to be re-educated after your fictional biden victory.
Plot Exemplified Above
I had to read the screenplay in English class in 7th grade, and now as a senior in college, the last line of this episode still gives me chills. And this episode has stuck with me since then as well.
I love this episode. The only other episode left that's to be covered that I'm excited to see a video about is Long Live Walter Jameson. I hope he covers the similarities between that and The Man From Earth, a story written by a different Twilight Zone author.
This is the first episode of the Twilight Zone episode I ever watched. It's amazing.
This episode is the reason i got into the twilight zone
Back in 4th grade we did a reading where we act out every part. (I played the little boy) and after we were done we watched the actual episode
I actually got to be Steve Brand when I read the story in 7th grade, and it was super fun! Such a fun character!
I remember I was in 8th grade when we watched this episode of the Twilight Zone for English class, comparing the original script to the actual episode. It was the first episode I ever watched. I just felt this wave of nostalgia hit me when I saw the characters and heard the basic premise. Just from what I remember, I wasn’t too happy with the episode. The OG script was ambiguous in the twist ending. You weren’t sure who or what was talking at the end, but in the episode it was clear it was aliens, which even back then I was like “well that sucked.”
I remember watching this in my high school, and my god this Twilight Zone Episode is way ahead of its time, especially now.
I love this episode, and even the 2003 remake is great. This and the bomb shelter episode are relevant in today's environment.
The Bomb Shelter episode is also a great social cometary episode
Never really watched The Twilight Zone. I was more of a fan of "The Outer Limits" personally and whew boy, some of those twist endings were downright dark as hell.
@@Webshooters1 same i prefer the outer limits
The first episode of the Twilight Zone i've ever seen and still my all time favorite, absolutely loved it and it's what got me hooked on the show.
This was the first Twighlight episode I ever watched!
My teacher Mr. Pearl played this one
The one where the clean health freak becomes immortal and tries every way to die.And the one of the future predicting television for my highschool English class for Halloween.
My favourite episode - so powerful - especially Rod Serling’s closing remarks ………”The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices...to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill...and suspicion can destroy...and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own-for the children and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these things cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone”
I remember reading the script to this episode in our textbooks in my English class in middle school. I read the part of the lady who asked for the operator on the phone, haha!
Interesting sidenote: Jan Handslik, who played Tommy, was in the 1958 movie Auntie Mame. He left acting and became a celebrated prosecutor in Los Angeles.
The plot of the Episode was used in parts of the sci-fi horror film Stephen King's The Mist.
I remember watching this episode in English class after reading the script and this is how I (and a bunch of other 7th graders) fell in love with the show! It’s still my favorite I think
Tommy plants the seed. Tommy steps up and offers an explanation when no one else has one. Tommy offers a reason: gives a why. And he says it in such a matter of fact way. It's not that Tommy was the one to say it: it's the fact someone said something.
This also shows no matter how well we know our neighbors, we don't really know them.
This is the one I've been waiting for.
the kid is representing todays media. A silly story from a familiar source and the population gobbles it up and starts parroting it as the truth.
The kid was right up to a point. He was wrong that there was an alien family living within their midst. He was right that aliens were responsible for the strange goings on.
you guys seem to miss the point. There was part of the kids story that is true, but you seem to ignore the false part. There was no infiltration.
Thats how good propaganda works, part truth and part lie.
A glass half with urine and the other half is milk, now would you drink that? It seems that you would...
Tommy was castrated and later went on to join the Vienna boys choir as a mezzo-soprano.
And then they bust into the Capitol building.
Yeah
Thank you Walter for this series! I spent days reading up on all the episodes on Wikipedia to kill time at work. This now gives me an idea of what they’re really like
This and another episode about the bunker are my favorites
A community of friends and close neighbors turn on each other in a dime when they think the world is ending or there's a great threat
Your everywhere
When I was in 7th grade I wrote a story similar to this for school. It wasn't till years later that I saw this episode and realized I must have seen it when I was young and how it must have influenced me.
I'm glad you pointed out the thing with Tommy. He's the only kid there. It boggles me that everyone was just like: "Yeah, that makes sense." You at least have the adults dismiss him for a while until things get weird.
Exactly
This is one of the series in RUclips im looking forward to the most rn. Even more than nostalgia critic reviews.
Such a classic episode. We have nothing to fear except fear itself. 😱😢
We are our own worst enemy. It's the truth, like death and taxes.
And spiders
I fell in love with this episode when my school made the script recommend reading.
A great episode. How many shows are this relevant after so many years? Serling was a great writer.
This was my very first intro to the twilight zone. I had to read it in my 7th grade class. I still love it
I actually had to watch this in class, last year.
Yes! I've been waiting all month for this! My favorite episode of season 1! I re-watched it last night just for the occasion!
Like most people, i was introduced by this episode from my english class in middle school. We even watched the episode as well.
A risky move on the part of the teacher. You could have said "It's black and white and old, we don't want to watch it!". It's good that it paid off.
This is most definitely one of my favorite episodes. The idea and underlying theme are really well-handled
First episode I ever saw. My 11th grade English teacher made us all watch this
I remember this being in English book we used in seventh grade, written in the style of a play. It’s what first got me interested in the Twilight Zone!
You're not the only person who thinks the kid bringing up monsters and everyone just believing him was a pretty weak and rushed setup, and it always bothered me, especially in conjunction with the reveal at the end that there really were aliens behind it all and the comments about how people will destroy themselves with the right amount of fear...I feel like it should have been one or the other, no mention of monsters and people just going crazy on their own with the aliens behind the weird electrical stuff, or they freak out over the idea of monsters, but it turns out to be some sort of freaky power surge or something. I get what Serling was going for, and it works pretty well as presented, but the setup is pretty flimsy.
In my opinion, the season three episode 'The Shelter' did the whole neighbors turning on each other out of fear thing better and with a much more harrowing twist ending.
Yes. 100% agree with you. That episode presented the same plot in a more coherent story with am actual believability to how quickly things get violent (in that case, the missile they believe its coming). And the final narration is simple and direct.
"No moral, no message, no prophetic tract, just a simple statement of fact: for civilization to survive, the human race has to remain civilized."
'The Shelter' is peak Twilight Zone and one of my personal favorites. So glad it's being recognized here, particularly in comparison to one of the most widely popular episodes of all time.
Agreed. This episode always rubbed me the wrong way. It could've been paced better.
People believe whatever think they see on tv. That's what the kid in this episode represents. All the episode it's an analogy.
Don’t forget Serling had just half an hour to tell a story.
Actually less than that as episodes ran about 25 minutes with commercials.
Another one of the best episodes ❤
This episode is special to me because:
It was the first ever twilight zone episode I ever saw. Plus, the message is brilliant.
Been thinking about this episode for months.
Among Us as straight tragedy
Hmm...you sound pretty sus :3
Red: blue sus I haven’t seen him.
Blue:I have a scan
The whole crew: *ignores*
Red: vote blue then me
^coochieman (blue) was not imposter.^
Emergency meeting is called
White: red said vote him if it wasn’t blue
The whole crew: PrOoF, WhItE sUs UwU (this part annoys me the most)
^white was not imposter^
EVERY DAMN TIME
I taught this story for a middle school class. It was fun trying to explain Twilight Zone to the kids.
Remember watching this one when I was younger!
Definitely an iconic episode!
Next time A World Of Difference!
Thanks for the likes!
I remember this segment of the twilight zone
One of my favorite episodes. Though it's flawed, it is a powerful allegory of social panic and McCarthyism. I feel it's more relevant today than ever before.
Got to watch this way back in middle school almost ten years ago, still sticks with me to this day.
1960s: My opinion >>> researching facts
2020s: My opinion >>> researching facts
I remember my English teacher showing me this episode in class during summer school. one of my favorite episodes of Twilight zone of all time and yeah still holds up today.
I will admit, the kid was a weak part of the episode, but everything else is so well made that I can overlook it.
Not if you look around at many countries today that follow kids and cater to them as knowledgeable, wise, and capable when they're the exact opposite. Not elementary school aged kids, of course. But, college aged kids are even more dangerous because they Look like adults, while having attained None of the knowledge, wisdom, experience, impulse control, and other requisite characteristics and traits that are needed for better levelheaded, more knowledgeable, more experienced, and fact-based thinking. Modern countries with a youth fetish feature regressive ideologies that threaten peace and stability, and create fear and chaotic.
Just look at the countries that have been the most modern and peaceful in the immediate past. Since the early to mid millennium, they've been crumbling from the inside Because of the adults listening to the children in matters they know nothing about, especially building and creating a successful civilization
@@LA_HA One could say this is a boomer mentality, but I do get what you mean: while listening to the younger generation isn't a bad idea, it's not wise to assume they know everything. Probably best to listen to both sides and figure out what works with both sides and what doesn't.
@@Undeadpriest94 Hmm. Well, I wouldn't know what a Boomer mentality is, since I'm not a Boomer, nor do I hang with them on the day to day. I'm aware of what a Zoomer mentality is like since I'm surrounded by them.
Plus, it's not a Boomer mentality to tell the truth. I'm not saying older people have all their ish together. But, more of them do as adults than kids that have far less life experience and knowledge that comes from time, application, and just tangling with life.
In short, I'm more likely to listen to my grandparents about The Real than my nieces and nephews, and my parents than my friends and coworkers.
That's all I'm getting at
This was my first Twilight Zone episode I ever experienced. Back in middle school my English teacher had us read the script for this episode and even act it out (I played Tommy lol) to teach us about characters, tension, build up and other stuff like that. After we were done we got to watch the actual episode in class and ever since then I’ve been in love with the Twilight Zone
Everyone remarks on how easily everyone turned on each other, and talks about prejudice, etc. What no one notices is that, in a piece supposedly protesting McCarthyism, the twist is that the Commu-- *ahem* the aliens, I mean, that the aliens really were there, pulling everyone's strings, trying to influence them into destroying each other.
Honestly the thing that surprised me the most about this episode is that they didn't eventually reveal that Tommy was the alien infiltrator.
Because Twilight Zone sometimes lets you make up your own damn mind, but the kid being part of their plot would make PERFECT sense.
I love this episode
Fun fact: this is the first episode of the twilight zone I've ever seen.
Me too
Same.
Yeah, same here. I think I watched it in English class along with Nightmare at 20,000 feet.
Same
Same
One of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes ever
As one of my favorite episodes of all time, The Monsters are Due on Maple Street definitely represents a poignant synthesis of the quintessential elements attributed to The Twilight Zone as a series, notably the reliance on science fiction as a conduit to anatomize human sociology under unique, inciting parameters, and the consequential, overarching commentary on the behaviors and psychology intrinsic to humanity as a whole. I appreciate your take on the strengths and fallibilities of this particular episode, Walter, and I do agree with your assessment that the motivational instigator for the devolvement of this microcosm of society was not necessarily believable enough at its inception to have caused the rapid emergence of this violent mob-mentality. The foundational absurdity of an idea does appear to hamper its initial adoption and acceptance by a group of people, and in this context, the narrative proceeds at a steady pace even without the existence of some base suspicions or fears surrounding the infiltration of their neighborhood by aliens to give veracity to the boy’s imaginative assertions. Still, as Rod’s potent and reverberant words state, a simple thought can ensnare the mind, feeding off existent prejudices and queries, emboldened by latent anger, amplified by its mirrored reflection in the opinions of others, and given externalization by assuredness in the righteous fervor it instills. In the case of the people of Maple Street, there are instances where “evidence” is manifested from these extant suspicions, which, in actuality, betray the judgmental perceptions harbored for the idiosyncrasies or behaviors deemed to be a notable departure from the acceptable norm. It’s a lesson on tolerance, in a way, where stressful situations precipitate old grudges and disdain, inclining people to adopt a viewpoint or belief on the subconscious basis of what they want to be true, rather than what actually is.
The unfortunate reality surrounding the poignancy of this episode is its continued relevancy, which demonstrates the cyclic nature of human mentality whereby scapegoating, blame, hatred, and fear without evidentiary foundation lead to the needless oppression of innocent people. If anything, conspiratorial thinking has only been further entertained and augmented by the advent of the internet, which can allow for the heightened promulgation of pernicious ideas to a receptive audience of like-minded individuals. The power wielded by a single thought can be more frightening and destructive than any outside threat, a reality which exists both inside and outside of… The Twilight Zone.
Thank you for articulately sharing your perspectives on this episode which many consider to epitomize The Twilight Zone at its best! As always, I appreciate your honest opinions!
Thanks, Hayley!
This was the fist episode I watched of the Twilight Zone. I love this episode
Just got round to watching this one and I was hyped because I heard it was a good one but personally seems quite overrated to me, the message and premise is amazing but the issue is the initial turning on eachother felt too unrealistic and didn't have much truth it needed more of a spark for the chaos that would follow, either more push-back before they decide to jump on the whole bandwagon that "everything is just like a comic" or another event that made the comic idea more believable (edit: just finished the video & yeah I totally agree, it kind of put a sour taste in my mouth for the rest of the episode though)
One of my personal favorite episodes.
Maple Street still exists and it's called Twitter 😄
Ah yes. Maple street mobile.
I saw this episode at school and loved it
I remember reading an adaptation of this story in 7th grade.
This is one of my all time favorites and a top episode for sure. In my 7th or 8th grade English class we did a production of this (I got the part of Steve) and then afterwards we watched the episode to see what we did similarly and differently to the original cast. Such a great opportunity and since I have been a TZ fan since I was younger, an even more fan boy type experience. If you havent seen this episode, you have to.
This episode is all too relevant for this year. This was one of my mom's favorite episodes, since it showed how even the smallest seeds of doubt can snowball into some of the most devastating conflicts.
It also shows the most effective method to win as the imposter in Among us.
the most effective way is not the imposter. It's merely the Idea, like a Spectre, of an Imposter among us.
This’s a really good one....def one of my faves.....it shows how easy people can turn on each other, and WE become the monsters.
The teleplay for this episode is taught in public schools, 7th grade social studies.
And now we come to the big one. What many people consider to be one of, if not the most iconic episodes of The Twilight Zone. Right up there with "Nightmare At 2000 Feet" and maybe even more well known than "Time Enough at Last".
"Monsters Are Due On Maple Street" is one of the most important and relevant episodes of the entire series.
While it's not my favorite, I do put it in my top ten. Just for its message about how easy it is to turn on one another for trivial reasons.
Did you mean: Among Us?
LMAOO
OMG!! Rod Serling predicated Among Us!!!
That little shit is sus.
Imposter just chilling on cams
Or The Thing.
Great episode.
I always laugh when people are like "why are they making twilight zone political!?" And theres litterally this and the update epidoses
This feels more like a social commentary than a political one
@@floricel_112 This one is definitely political.
@@0816M3RC take the lights out of a "peaceful" neighborhood, and see how quick these "neighbors" turn on each other and regress to violence. Still feels social to me
@@floricel_112 Can't it also be political? This episode was made during the Red Scare when paranoid Americans accused neighbors of being Communists. It didn't end when McCarthy lost the spotlight.
@@BWMagus Simply being a communist doesn't make someone a traitor though.
I saw this episode in middle school and I can say this story gave me goosebumps
Tommy self reporting seems pretty sus
This is my favourite episode ☺️