Random Worst Episodes Of 'The Twilight Zone' (20 items)

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  (#10) Black Leather Jackets

  • January 31, 1964

  IMDb Score: 6.4

  Synopsis: Three young men who ride motorcycles turn out to be part of an alien invasion. However, their plans are thrown into chaos when one of the aliens falls in love with a young girl.

  Why it falls short: Back in the day, young men wearing leather may have been threatening. Today, it's just plain tacky. Stupid costumes aside, the concept is just silly and is the dipping near the lower end of the of sci-fi ladder The Twilight Zone usually avoided. 
• 

  (#3) Cavender Is Coming

  • May 25, 1962

  IMDb Score: 5.8

  Synopsis: An angel tries to earn its wings by helping Agnes Grep, a clumsy young woman, finally achieve real happiness. After realizing how Grep's wacky antics often get her into trouble, the disheartened angel works overtime to help improve her life in 24 hours or risk being demoted.

  Why it falls short: Comedy has always been pretty tricky for The Twilight Zone, but it's uniquely unbecoming in this episode. It doesn't provide any commentary for the human existence, which makes sense when you consider that this episode was supposed to be a pilot for a completely different series. 
• 

  (#8) The Whole Truth

  • January 20, 1961

  IMDb Score: 6.5

  Synopsis: A used-car dealer ends up purchasing a vehicle from an old man who says it's haunted. He doesn't believe it at first, but he soon finds himself compelled to always tell the truth. 

  Why it falls short: You may recognize this premise from the Jim Carrey movie Liar, Liar. And in all honesty, you're better off watching that film. This episode really doesn't go beyond the joke of "used car salesman must be truthful about the awful cars he's trying to sell." It's a one-note joke that gets played-out fast. Season Two was awash with comedic episodes, and while some hit, others missed by a mile. This episode, along with "Mr. Dingle, the Strong", are two of the season's weaker ones.
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  (#6) The Mighty Casey

  • June 17, 1960

  IMDb Score: 6.2

  Synopsis: A baseball team manager allows a robot named Casey to pitch for his team. The robot has the power to throw balls incredibly fast that they just can't be hit. Casey's inventor ends up giving him an artificial heart so that it can become more human. 

  Why it falls short: This episode is simply too schmaltzy. To add insult to injury, the tone varies significantly from one moment to the next. At one moment, it's a wacky comedy about a robot baseball pitcher, and the next, it's a rumination on what it truly means to be human. 
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  (#16) Song of the Younger World

  • Jul 17 1987

  IMDb Score: 5.5

  Synopsis: Tanner, a young student who's had the unfortunate luck of landed up in reform school, falls in love with the warden's daughter. In a modern-ish tale of forbidden love, the couple tries to escape, but they soon learn leaving is much easier said than done.

  Why it falls short: A classic love story with a supernatural twist, Song of the Younger World suffers from a lack of a coherent plot (part of that issue stems from the fact that it's only a 30-minute episode). There's nothing special here, and the way it was presented feels lazy.
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  (#20) Hunted

  • November 13, 2002

  IMDb Score: 6.8

  Synopsis: An elite special forces squadron is sent deep into the forces to take care of a wild creature that has been hunting and killing nearby citizens (and soldiers). As the creature starts picking off team members, the team leader is captured, and soon realizes what kind of creature they've really been hunting.

  Why it falls short: While the end twist works on certain levels, this is about as generic of an action story as you can get. Characters say cliched lines like "Stay with me" to a dying man. Plus, you can pretty much see the twist coming from a mile away. 

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