This was a pretty a fun book. I love The Twilight Zone, and watch it off and on throughout the year. It gives you a rundown of each episode, which is fun, more so if you have seen them because otherwise you are going to know what happens. It makes me want to go watch them all again.

I've been a big fan of The Twilight Zone since seeing my first episode around forty years ago. One of my most referred to books as a teenager was Marc Scott Zicree's The Twilight Zone Companion which the author of this book rightly acknowledges as the go to book on the subject. With The Binge Watcher's Guide Jacob Trussell looks to do something slightly different - teasing out the socio-political-economic aspects of episodes.
The book starts (after a foreword explaining why the series is so important to the author ) with an abridged biography of Rod Serling's life and how his experiences (particularly those during the war) influenced his writing both pre-TZ and during the show itself.
There's a nice touch in the list section for those wanting to visit (or revisit) individual episodes recognising today's cultural binge mentality, so we have 'The Scariest Binge'' 'The Funniest Binge' etc. You might not agree with the choices completely but it's a good place to start.
What follows is a walk through of each episode - with Serling's introduction, a plot description - although it's important to say the descriptions are more of an overview/ tease rather than the full story description Zicree's book provides, author commentary about the obvious/ less obvious themes of the episode, some technical detail and a 'Zone Fact' at the end.
Each episode gets about 5-6 pages (kindle version) worth of discussion with a few of the more famous episodes getting more.
Overall, it's a well researched and obviously loving tribute to the TV series. Some may feel it falls between two stools - the completest (by not giving a full description of the episode it is clearly intending the reader seek out the episode themselves and the analytical (the author has some interesting observations but by covering so many episodes they are by necessity varying in depth).
I enjoyed the book and it's certainly made me go back to re-watch a few episodes

This was a pretty good book. I love The Twilight Zone, started watching it when I was little. It gives you a rundown of each episode, I wouldn't recommend this to someone who hasn't watched because it tells you exactly what happens in each episode.

Much like it's title suggests, this book is perfect for a binge watcher of The Twilight Zone. It offers curated lists of TZ episodes by theme or genre as well as a brief history of both the show (in it's various incarnations) and the show's creator Rod Serling. Readers seeking a more in-depth look at each episode may want to take a look at Marc Scott Zicree's classic "The Twilight Zone Companion" but this book is an outstanding resource for today's binge watching culture.

You are about to enter a review on a book on all things Twilight Zone… Author Jacob Trussell writes a passionate love letter to Rod Serling, The Twilight Zone and all its reincarnations.

The pandemic still continuing, it seemed the perfect time to watch a really, really good immersive telly series in full. My mission to watch Desperate Housewives (2004-12) and finish The Queen’s Gambit (2020-) both went unfinished. Then my thoughts immediately went to The Twilight Zone (1959-64).

This was a fantasy crossed with sci-fi television series of one-off episodes which were renowned for their surprising and often shocking endings. I’d reviewed this American series before in relation to just the two episodes, The Masks and The Sixteen Milimeter Shrine and had planned to return to the series on reading the guest star list. These including everyone and anyone including William Shatner, Telly Savalas and many more enticing names from the big screen.

As my Darlin Husband works during the day, I needed some company to enjoy the show with (as I do in all engrossing TV). And with serendipitous timing, my companion for the show came in – the unmasked but safe – book form, in The Binge Watcher’s Guide to The Twilight Zone (2021), and this written by a passionate guide, Jacob Trussell. This book concentrates on the original television series from the late fifties and early sixties but also recounts its never-ending legacy in books, films and TV.

In his enthusiastic introduction to his book, Trussell tells how this show has always been one of the most popular ones to binge on since way back. These pre-streaming marathons catered for Zoners – ie fans of the show – started after the original show aired its final episode. It was during one of those back to back episode marathons in the 1990s, that Trussell watched The Twilight Zone for the first time and as he puts it a ” the show was impactful enough to make a lifelong fan out of a five-year-old”.

You then read his then warm and touching tales about his growing love for this TV series and the “unbelievably alluring” world of this show, Tassell believes that you may well share his childhood memories. Tassell beautifully encaptures his never-ending enthusiasm for this series throughout his book where its seen that his love for the show never wanes or wavers in his now (adult) writing.

Tassell believes this series appeals to both adults and children as “comfort food” due to its winning “tried and true formula”. He describes this cult show’s content perfectly as;

“You start with an opening narration that frames a character-driven supernatural mystery that waits until the very last moment to pull the rug from you”

Trussell argues that it is these twist endings “akin to magic tricks” that compel viewers to watch and rewatch episodes of this the original series. He believes that binging is so much easier than it was previously due to the current availability of the whole series on certain streaming channels. In his book, Trussell set out to examine the “themes and ideas” of all 156 episodes of this series in detail and tell of their relevance today.

He asserts that The Twilight Zone series was a spirit of those times. Firstly, he outlines the life of the show’s charismatic presenter, Rod Serling. This is relayed a short but relevant overview of this enigmatic man, his writing and his on-screen career. Trussell tells that Sterling was born to a Jewish family in 1924, and he was a talkative child who loved to act out the movies he watched in his own performances. His father built him a stage in the family home’s basement where Sterling performed for family and friends.

During World War II, Serling hoped to fight the Nazis but instead found himself in the Pacific theatre. Serling penned his first story based on his experiences during the war. Trussell notes that this pioneering work in Serling’s writing included themes and stories that exorcised his personal demons. This Tassell adds was seen to be a theme in much of his future writing.

After the war, the now married Serling then wrote for the radio and later for live television. Trussell describes these times, as he relates to Serling’s early writing experiences. Serling’s stories are described explicitly in Tassell’s wonderful vivid descriptions of their plots and their historical relevance. Trussell shows his all-round passion for Serlings work as an author. He adds relevant quotes and anecdotes to support this short but telling biography.

He outlines Serling’s groundbreaking television teleplay Patterns (1955), which changed Serling’s life overnight. Trussell adds that the outspoken Serling often clashed with executives and was seen as “The Arthur Miller of Live TV”. In 1958, Serling then wrote an episode, The Time Element for the Westinghouse DesiLu Playhouse. This episode has since been considered as the unofficial pilot of The Twilight Zone series. This one-off episode told of a time traveller who warns a psychiatrist about the future.

Serling then wrote more about his controversial views in the “safe” and “uncensored” alternate reality of The Twilight Zone. Trussell believes that Serling made his views seem more acceptable – and go over the heads of censors – by having aliens say things that the then politicians couldn’t at the time. Serling also presented the series and wrote 92 of the 156 episodes of this series and had “his creative fingers” in every episode.

Trussell adds that after this show ended, Serling became a lecturer and he presented the Night Gallery series. he also had a hand in other scripts including the film Planet of the Apes. Sadly this presenter and author passed away at 50 years of age, but leaving this series and a legacy that has been remade, rebooted and homaged since.

Trussell then ponders where the Twilight Zone exists and argues that he believes that The Twilight Zone is a “state of mind, a proxy for the psychological issues we all struggle with”. He tells how Serling brought the untalked mental health issues of the time into the spotlight. He feels Serling understood these and wrote about mental health difficulties – such as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome – in a more non-judgemental way breaking the misconceptions and men’s thoughts surrounding it.

Serling also used allegories in his tales of “robots and aliens” to talk about the social issues of the day. His stories often addressing the politics of the day or the stigma around mental health using fantasy mixed with “sci-fi stories and twist endings”.

Trussell then lists a wide range of binges that will get the immediate attention of the newbie or the seasoned watcher of this series. Trussell argues due to the nature of these stand-alone episodes, the episodes can be seen in any order. Depending on your then mood, Tassell has written an inviting list for those who want to be scared, swept away by romance or watch the dark humour of the show. Trussel also suggests lists of episodes written by writers such as Serling himself or (my favourite author) Richard Matheson.

Then at the heart of this book, Trussel adds his detailed reviews of every episode. Like this author, I didn’t want too many spoilers, I looked at a number of random episodes and those I’d seen from this five-season show. However, I do intend to revisit these episode descriptions once I have watched them with Tassell’s book as my “viewing” companion.

Each episode review has the same winning combination of the episode title, position in the series, its original air date and its writer and director. Tassell then sets the scene beautifully, as he adds Serling’s opening narration. This helps you visualise the episode as you read Trussell’s sterling and always engaging in-depth review.

Tassell’s review looks at the plot, characters and the stars that played them. He writes about the themes of every episode, adds compelling questions and looks at the relevance of the episodes today. This is all followed by a little random fact about the episode. These descriptions are so clear that it’s like you watching the episode with Tassell, as he telling you it all as it happens, then staying around afterwards to discuss it with you,

Trussell does this series proud with his love for this episode exuding from every description. His engaging questions and well-framed arguments on the relevance of this episode are pertinent and apt. As relevant, he adds more information from a number of well-researched sources.

This treasure trove of reviews tells of episodes from writers such as George Clayton Johnson and Richard Matheson, directors such as Ida Lupino, Richard Donner and Jack Smeight and stars such as Gig Young, Jean Marsh, Martin Balsam and many more. These description showing the breadth of Tassell’s knowledge of entertainment as he often compares and contrasts these episodes to more familiar current and past film, TV Shows and books.

After this exhaustive list of reviews, he then adds his essential must watch episode, To Serve Man (Season 3, Episode 24). Tassell believes this episode is the pinnacle of this series and it shows why this “series was so influential and important”. This episode he outlines more fully, it is then analysed in depth. Tassell reinforces the themes of this tale which are compared with Arrival (2016) and the episodes popculture homages in The Simpsons (1989-) are explored.

He finally adds his descriptions of the then “resurgence and revivals” of this series including The Night Gallery (1970-73) and the current series. There’s also a mention of that movie and shows inspired by the series such as Ghost Story (1972-73) and the British Twilight Zone that was Tales of the Unexpected (1979-88). This leads adds neatly to Tassell’s description of those films over the decades, with The Twilight Zone touch or themes that are relevant to today’s film watcher.

Through his enriching description of these episodes, this book will certainly encapture a few more new fans or reignite the passions for others. As it did for me, making me ache for a few months where I have the time to watch these episodes, and discover more if not all these storylines for myself.

My review for this wonderfully researched book ends naturally in the same way as those compelling episodes. Tassell’s engaging descriptions of all 156 episodes, compel me to take that ultimate binge of every episode and season with his book by my side. It makes me want to immerse myself in the Twilight Zone and to time travel to those early days of lockdown.

There all I could do to be safe from that uncertain time and the themes surrounding it was binge on good tv. My gran always scared me as a kid, saying too much TV makes your eyes go square. And they probably would have for real, but this only if these now bizarre early days of this pandemic had turned out an episode of the Twilight Zone…

My latter teenaged years coincided with two things that made me a bit more square-eyed than I otherwise would have been – the purchase by my father of a VHS recorder, and the birth of round-the-clock TV here in the UK. The relevant broadcasters needed a lot of cheap fodder to fill the hours, and lo and behold The Twilight Zone was one such, which clearly was never fodder. Mistakenly yet completely appropriately put on in the dead hours of night, this at last was where I found out what could happen if you try and kill someone you don't know, and how a book lover can only wish to spend his time in silent bliss. No, I have no claim to remembering the bulk of the episodes, but the breadth of these twenty-odd minutes of drama certainly put the recorder's timer into action on a regular basis.

This book starts with a biography of the show-runner (before such a phrase was a thing), Rod Serling – a biography that follows the lines of https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2908271965 but allows itself to get further into the moral and intent of the fictions he was having success with. We then, beyond a handful of creme-de-la-creme styled recommendation lists, go into the episode-by-episode guide. Every story is presented with its author and director credits, original date of American broadcast, and a few-hundred word appreciation, book-ended by a factoid and the script for Rod's introductory voice-over. Throughout the emphasis of the book is on what is seen as Rod Serling's emphases – the heightened state of man, whether through addiction and alcoholism or the effects of war such as the man himself was part of in the Pacific Theatre. And while this all seemed convincing and authoritative, with the show been seen as a way to portray PTSD, mental anxieties, depression and suchlike that would never have been seen allowable in good ol' American characters by the show's good ol' American sponsors, I would like to see the likes of "The Arrival" to witness just how evident this reading is, or if this is just"surface level intellectualism". (Certainly this is a much more "woke" book than it would ever have been just a few years ago.)

What we get with this author's approach is a lot less of the bigger picture, and a lot less critical appraisal than we might think. We find out season four had been forced to fill an hour slot as opposed to the thirty minutes – and that some of the episodes were getting substandard about then, too – almost by mistake. The author admits there are several similar books, itemising the production and so on, but he certainly doesn't stamp his mark on this by dint of his own tastes. A good summary of all that has had a similar strand of DNA since Serling's show's cancellation rounds off this book, and this is where I find my mind, that had put "Button, Button" into the B/W era, completely in error. But then, "The Twilight Zone" had a way of messing with your mind, so much so that while this book only offered the left-wing circa 2021 appreciation of it all, I still was grateful for the chance to have read it.

As a fan of The Twilight Zone, I found this book to be an interesting little read. I enjoyed the fun lists that the author complied and hearing his commentary on various episodes. Like the episodes, his notes are brief, yet also contain interesting lesser-known facts.

I love the twilight zone. It’s absolutely one of my favorite shows and I’ve been looking for a guide on it. This guide is divided by themes. I found it to be extremely informative.