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Last week CBS All Access aired the first two episodes of their rebooted Twilight Zone. I found the first two episodes to be impressive with Jordan Peele as an excellent host. Each of the last episodes cast a big name like Kumail Nanjiani and Adam Scott, and the third episode brings in Sanaa Lathan, voice of Donna Tubbs on Family Guy and Robyn Stewart of The Best Man films. In the third episode, ‘Replay’, Lathan plays Nina, who is introduced in a diner with her son Dorian. They are stopping through a small town on their way to Dorian’s first weekend at college. With Nina is a camcorder that she discovers can reverse time after hitting the rewind button, which she finds out after Dorian spills ketchup on his shirt. After leaving the restaurant, they are stopped by a cop after Dorian holds the camcorder while driving. Tensions rise in the vehicle after Dorian thinks the cop is overreacting and Nina hits the rewind button and it takes her back to the diner. For the rest of the episode Nina and Dorian are constantly being pursued by this racist cop. Every chance that Nina gets, she rewinds the camcorder to keep her and her son safe.
I found this episode to be the most interesting of the three so far released. The narrative was focused on Nina trying to escape her fate but as her son mentioned while she was revealing the winning Lotto ticket numbers that she already had witnessed, you can’t outrun your fate, it is already written for you. Nina tries everything in her power to avoid the cop, going as far as introducing herself and buying him a slice of apple pie. I thought this moment was powerful because it gave an insight into the relationships between cops and citizens. The cop was quick to judge Nina and Dorian for the situation they were in, but Nina thought what if the cop got to know her first, would that change his mind? In ‘the Twilight Zone’, anything can happen right?
The interactions with the cop only get worse as the episode moves along. At first, he stops them for using the camcorder while driving, and then he stops them for having one wheel on the side of the road. We can tell that as the episode moves closer to its ending, something terrible will happen to either Nina or Dorian. In the third act of ‘Replay’, the inevitable happens as Dorian tries to assist his mother in showing the cop the pink slip for their vehicle but is ultimately shot and killed. At the hospital, Nina retrieves the camcorder and hits the rewind button to take them back to the diner. At this point in the show, the writers try to add another message besides the one of escaping your fate. The message they are trying to convey is that if you stick together with your family, you are stronger together rather than just by yourself. This message isn’t as strong as the previous message of escaping your fate, but both messages were still mixed together nicely.
The episode ends with Nina once again trying to change her and Dorian’s fate by taking a different route to the college. Dorian decides that it is time that he visits his uncle, whom Nina has been avoiding for years. They arrive at his uncle’s house and he believes Nina’s story about the camcorder. He travels with them to the college but is stopped by the cop. He draws a gun on the trio, but other people witness the situation. Everyone starts bringing out their cell phones to record the situation and the cop eventually gives in and walks away. Nina thinks that she has changed her fate and Dorian grows up and has a daughter of his own at the end. He runs off to do a few errands while his mom watches his daughter and the screen goes black with the sound of cop sirens. Peele explains that you can’t change your fate, no matter how hard you try.
I really thought that this show would end nicely for Nina and Dorian, but it is The Twilight Zone, so of course there must be a twist to it. I thought the ending wrapped up the story in a manner that addressed problems in our society as well in doing it with a mystery aspect. With three episodes so far under their belt, the show still manages to impress me with its story and characters. Peele is doing a great job as the host and I cant wait to continue entering The Twilight Zone.
Editor’s Note: Did anyone catch the very quick shot of the Mystic Seer fortune telling machine from the original series ‘Nick of Time’ (S02E07) episode during the first ‘rewind’ moment? The second episode of the new series also featured a glimpse of a gremlin doll from the original ‘Nightmare at 20,000 Feet’ episode.
What did you think of this episode? Tell us in the comments below!
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